By Thomas Sellers Jr.
MEMPHIS — The Blue All-Star haven’t won the AutoZone Liberty Bowl All-Star game since 2016.
The defensive unit of the 2021 edition of Blue All-Stars felt the best way to end the drought against the Red All-Star was to totally dry out their offense.
Behind the MVP performance of Lausanne’s Myles Saulsberry the Blue All-Star held the Red Team scoreless and secured the Blue Team victory 37-0.
“The effort today was great — shutout,” Saulsberry said. “They say we haven’t won this game in five years. We came out to not let them score.”
In order to win the All-Star Game on the campus of Memphis University School, the Blue Stars had to put some points on the Hull-Dobbs Athletic Field scoreboard.
Blue All-Star Houston Wilhelm (Collierville) drove his team down the field on the opening possession leading to an 8-yard TD run for Wilhelm.
With the Blue All-Stars ahead 7-0, the teams traded fumbles. The Blue Team capitalized on its turnover with a Hudson Hollenbeck (Collierville) 33-yard field goal with four minutes and 56 seconds left in the first quarter.
The Blue All-Stars would nurse the 10-0 advantage into the locker room. Donovan Mathena (Collierville) recovered a fumble in the second quarter as the Blue All-Star defense had several standout performances limiting the Red Squad.
The Red All-Stars managed to stay within striking distance forcing turnovers including an Ernest London (Sheffield) fumble recovery.
Then it was time for Saulsberry to snatch momentum for his team with a huge hit midway through the third quarter. Saulsberry tackle forced another fumble for Mathena to scoop up.
“The approach was to get my name out there,” Saulsberry said. “People say I am undersized. I had to show the world who I am.”
The Blue All-Stars got rolling offensively late in the third quarter with Cortlynn Barnes (Millington) taking a handoff leading to an 11-yard touchdown run and 17-0 lead with 58 seconds remaining on the clock.
The next score for the Blue Team came at the 8:28 mark of the fourth quarter when Wilhelm hooked up with his Collierville mate Tyler Collier with an 11-yard TD pass on a fade route.
The 23-0 score ballooned to 30-0 when Arendale Robinson (Whitehaven) was the final set of hands to catch a Red Team pass. The tip drill interception by Robinson resulted in a 37-yard touchdown return.
The final touchdown of the game came courtesy of the player to cross the goal line first. Wilhelm iced the game with another touchdown run to make the final 37-0.
With last year’s game canceled because of the global pandemic, most on the field did not take the 2021 contest for granted from coaches to players to organizers and fans.
Saulsberry, who is committed to Southeast Missouri, said he is proud to add the MVP award of a prestigious All-Star game to his high school resume.
“I just want to prove that since not having a football season my junior year, my name wasn’t out there,” he concluded. “So I had to come out today to let them know what my name is.”
The Red Team All-Stars are Kenji Lewis (East), Cameron Miller (MAHS), Mac Owen (MUS), Quincy Briggs (Central), Bennett Brady (ECS), Kody Jones (Germantown), Charles Perkins (MAHS), Nick Harvell (Brighton), Jamal Wright (Bluff City), Jamarious Brooks (Central), Seamas Carrasco (St. Benedict), Kyle Lowe (Fayette-Ware), Neltrevon Price (Fairley), George Hamsley (MUS), Darrien Lewis (Brighton), Jermaine Dodson (Melrose), Ernest London (Sheffield), Luke Washington (St. George’s), Jeremiah Jordan (Cordova), Malik Williams (Trezevant), Darryl Grayson Jr. (Houston), Ronald Murphy (Hamilton), Carmelo Hollingsworth (Fairley), Jimal Oliver (BTW), Montavious Cooper (Melrose), Hunter Barnes (MUS), Javeries Suggs (Fairley), Treymane Cross (Kingsbury), Ben Steggall (Houston), Will Steggall (Houston), Joseph Murphy (MLK Prep), John Davis (Arlington), Christian Crew (Houston), Marreion Claybrooks (Germantown), Jakob DeShields (Arlington), Jaylin Burgess (MASE), Jamarious Terry (Fayette-Ware), Tariq Robinson (Harding Academy), Jaden Jones (Fairley), Adrian Willis (Ridgeway), Kevin Parker (MBA), Marcus James (Germantown), Luke Moore (FACS) and Arthur Vaughn (Germantown). The Red Team All-Star coaches are Quintin Jones (Kingsbury), Mitch McDaniel (FACS), Fred Copeland (Fairley), James Thomas (Houston), Julius Jackson Jr. (MASE) and Joey Magnifico.
The Blue Team All-Stars are Tyler Woodard (Freedom Prep), Ashton Strother (CBHS), Auvic White (Munford), Shamari Covington (White Station), Cortlynn Barnes (Millington), Hudson Hollenbeck (Collierville), Houston Wilhelm (Collierville), Craig Cunningham (Lausanne), Jaylen House (Kirby), Joseph Adams (Mitchell), Bryce Dailey (CBHS), Logan Land (Fayette Academy), Darius Naylor (Northpoint), Payne Fullen (TRA), Dallan Hayden (CBHS), Teven Carter (PURE), Cameron Wright (Craigmont), Ben Bolton (Lausanne), Tanio Yancey (Raleigh-Egypt), Courtney Bobo Jr. (Oakhaven), Cameron Roberton (Whitehaven), Martavious Dodson (Southwind), Joseph Daniels (Bolton), Antonyus Moore (Middle College), Keyron Crawford (Briarcrest), Arendale Robinson (Whitehaven), Javante Mackey (Whitehaven), Ryan Runnels (Bolton), Terrence Watson (Douglass), Sh’marrious Green (Manassas), Jeremiah Richardson (Wooddale), Scotty Moody Jr. (Westwood), Derrick Carroll (Briarcrest), Quatrell Black (Briarcrest), Tony Cox Jr. (Bartlett), Brayden Hendricks (Collierville), Tylon Nash (Mitchell), Scottie Roddy (KIPP), Myles Saulsberry (Lausanne), Kyler Jones (Overton), Wesley Davis (Briarcrest), Ian Falkner (Collierville), Branson Conner (Whitehaven), Ben Caviness (CBHS), Christopher Gilliland (Northpoint) and Saidou Ba (PURE). The Blue Team All-Star coaches are Brian Stewart (Briarcrest), CJ Marshall (Bolton), Joe Rocconi (Collierville), Chris Jordan (Lausanne), Tyler Gold (Northpoint) and Rodney Saulsberry (Whitehaven).
