The 57th annual Murat Shrine North/South All-Star Classic did not go as planned as the contest was cut short due to multiple scuffles between the two teams.
With 4:09 remaining in the fourth quarter, back-to-back plays ended with shoving matches and players screaming at their opponents. The referees did not hesitate to call the game.
“During the week, there was a lot of yapping back and forth,” Muncie Central’s Josiah Ullom said. “We're staying at the same dorm and eating in the same place. So everybody was ready for the game and talking and then it kind of escalated. “
The game started off well for the North as they recorded a safety. But the rest of the game belonged to the South as they would win 21-2. In the loss, Delaware County was represented by Ullom and Yorktown’s Kolton Nanko.
It didn’t take long for Ullom to affect the game. On the first play of the contest at Decatur Central High School, South starting quarterback Mason Wunderlich attempted a deep ball. But Ullom was there to break up the play.
Ullom’s dad and Muncie Central boys basketball head coach Justin Ullom was shocked to see the play.
“I figured there was gonna be a lot of running the ball,” he said. “But they threw the ball the first two plays and he made a play. That's what you want to see your son do.”
Following the play, there weren't many highlights from the North. The South’s defense was dominant and their offense was lethal.
But in the second quarter, Nanko made a play that looked like many he had executed with the Tigers last fall. North quarterback Max Mullis rocketed a pass to the receiver, and Nanko took off. He gained about another thirty yards as he was dragged out of bounds.
The 52-yard catch and run was the longest catch by either team. With the catch, Nanko also had the most receiving yards of the game.
“It felt really good [to make the play],” Nanko said. “I felt like I should have scored, but it was fun and felt good to make a play.”
Ullom ended the game with two solo tackles, one assisted tackle, and the pass breakup. With both he and Nanko playing in college, they both believe this was a good preview.
“There are guys that are going to D3 all the way to D1 out here,” Ullom said. “All of these guys are great players.”
Now that the game is over, both athletes have played their final high school game. To Ullom, it’s bittersweet.
“Not everybody gets to play in this,” he said. “Now that [my high school career] is over, it’s kind of sad.”
Contact Zach Carter with comments at zachary.carter@bsu.edu or on Twitter@ZachCarter85.
