Fort Pierce Central's Tim Smith, Boca Raton's Eddie Sullivan named MVPs of Outback High School All-Star Game

Sunday, January 10, 2010
by Joseph Kairalla

Photo by Allen Eyestone/The Palm Beach Post

Tim Smith of Fort Pierce Central scores his second touchdown of the day ahead of Tannon Roberts. Click here to see more photos from this game.

Tim Smith's final season at Fort Pierce Central was a turbulent one, but his final game — Sunday's Outback High School All-Star Game — was a memorable one.

Smith was expected to open the season as the Cobras' quarterback but was suspended for a violation of team rules. He was reinstated after the opening game and went on to have a standout season on defense and as a receiver and return man. Sunday at John I. Leonard, he caught two long touchdowns leading the American team to a 26-20 victory in a game that came down to the final seconds.

After the American took a 20-6 lead on Smith's second scoring catch of the game (a 94-yard pass from Jupiter Christian QB Marshyl Rothman that was longest passing play in the Outback's 16-year history), the National team rallied with eight minutes left behind quarterback Eddie Sullivan of Boca Raton. Sullivan capped a quick scoring drive with a 9-yard TD pass to Boca Raton teammate Terrell Williams to cut the lead to 26-12.

"Terrell and I have been playing together since we were 11 so that was special." Sullivan said.

With just less than two minutes left, Sullivan hit Benjamin running back Ben Dexter with a 13-yard touchdown pass. Sullivan then passed to Williams for the two-point conversion to make it a six-point game.

The National team then recovered the onside kick and had a chance at completing an improbable comeback. But after Sullivan connected with Palm Beach Lakes receiver William Walden for two first downs to get inside the 20, the drive stalled. The game ended when the American defense broke up three passes in the end zone and stopped Sullivan on a quarterback draw as time expired.

Sullivan, who has committed to Wake Forest, was 18 of 38 for 172 yards and two touchdowns.

"My goal out here was to be my team's offensive MVP so that part is great," Sullivan said. "But it still hurts to lose. Sometimes you make plays, sometimes you don't."

Both offenses got off to a slow start as the only scoring in the first quarter came when Auburn-bound Cody Parkey from Jupiter kicked a 51-yard field goal to give the American squad a 3-0 lead.

Early in the second quarter the National's Efrain Escalante of John I. Leonard kicked a 32-yarder.

The score remained tied until Lake Worth's Josh Robles, the punter for the National team, pinned the Americans inside their 1-yard line with under a minute to play in the second quarter. On the next play, Rothman was tackled in the end zone for a safety and 5-3 lead heading into the half.

Smith and the American team took over in the third period. After Parkey kicked a 43-yard field goal to make it 6-5, Smith scored the first touchdown of the game on their next possession when he caught a 32-yard pass from Glades Central quarterback Leron Thomas, making it 12-5.

"I ran a good route and L.J. is a great quarterback and put it right where it needed to be," Smith said.

Parkey then kicked off into the end zone, where it bounced and rolled dead before being recovered by South Fork's Zach Fisher for an American touchdown and 19-5 lead.

Early in the fourth, the Americans stopped Sullivan on a keeper at the 6-yard-line on fourth down. On the very next play, Rothman connected with Smith down the right sideline for a 94-yard touchdown and a 26-5 lead with 10 minutes to play.

"I knew I had him (the defender) at the line of scrimmage, then I saw the ball and was just thinking that I had to catch it," said Smith, MVP of the American team who has orally committed to Rutgers. "I just ran and no one caught me."

GAME STATS

American 26, National 20

American 3 0 16 7 — 26

National 0 5 0 15 — 20

Team statistics AM NAT

First downs 7 18

Rushes-yards 24-69 24-90

Passing yards 162 184

Comp-Att-Int 5-11-1 19-41-0

Punts-avg. 1-30.0 3-33.0

Fumbles-lost 3-1 0-0

Penalties-yards 9-65 8-55

First quarter

AM: Parkey 51 field goal

Second quarter

NAT: Escalante 32 field goal

NAT: Safety

Third quarter

AM: Parkey 43 field goal

AM: Smith 32 pass from Thomas (kick miss)

AM: Fisher fumble recovery in end zone (Parkey kick)

Fourth quarter

AM: Smith 94 pass from Rothman (Parkey kick)

NAT: Williams 9 pass from Sullivan (Escalante kick)

NAT: Dexter 13 pass from Sullivan (Sullivan to Williams)

Individual statistics

Rushing — AM: Johnson 4-10, Wilson 5-3, Rothman 7-10, Thomas 3-23, Powers 2-6, Hall 1-4, Fisher 2-13; NAT: Perry 8-33, O’Farrill 7-20, Davis 1-4, Dexter 3-9, Sullivan 5-17, Lovett 1-2.

Passing — AM: Rothman 4-8-130-1, Thomas 1-2-32-0, Powers 0-1-0-0; NAT: Sullivan 18-38-172-0, Lieb 1-3-12-0.

Receiving — AM: Wilson 1-4, Fisher 2-11, Smith 2-126, Meyer 1-22; NAT: Dexter 2-32, Perry 1-4, Williams 5-30, Dangerfield 2-22, Lovett 2-14, Davis 1-4, O’Farrill 1-6, Wilkie 1-21, Walden 5-52.