West All-Star football notebook: Twin towers will anchor offensive line

The Pro Bowl may be transitioning to flag football this weekend in Las Vegas.

The same can’t be said for the local version Saturday afternoon at Ventura College.

The helmets will be buckled and shoulder pads will be strapped for the 49th annual Ventura County High School Football All-Star game, presented by the Ventura Downtown Lions Club and the Ventura County Football Coaches Association.

And the West team won’t be shy to use them, considering the twin towers who will be anchoring its imposing offensive line.

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Buena senior Miles Medina and Ventura senior Tobias Raymond give the West team bookend 6-foot-7 tackles.

“We’ve got a big (offensive) line and we’re going to lean on those guys,” said Hueneme interim head coach Ryan Frazier, who is coaching the West team.

Medina and Raymond are both Division I commits. While Raymond is a longtime USC commit, the 6-7, 280-pound Medina just signed with Cal Poly San Luis Obispo this week.

“I’ve been building a relationship with coach (Paul) Wulff for over a year now,” Medina said. “It feels great. … They’re getting a bunch of guys in there and it’s going to be a special place in the next couple years.”

Although Rio Mesa’s Anthony Garcia, arguably the county’s top center the last few seasons, will miss the game due to wrestling in Channel League finals, the West has plenty of depth up front.

“We’ve got a couple guys up front who might be able to make something happen,” Medina said.

The West offensive line includes Robert Hernandez, Elijah Acosta and Frankie Cardenas of St. Bonaventure, Yahir Gomez and Juan Lopez of Hueneme, Jonathan Tuggle and Julian Alfaro of Rio Mesa, and Brandon Lewis of Camarillo.

“We’ve got a lot of big guys on the line, honestly,” Rio Mesa safety Sal Maria said. “That’s a battle up front right there. I’m confident in our guys.”

The West offensive line could be the deciding factor in a game that’s highlighted by the matchup of the Star’s All-County Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year — St. Bonaventure High running back Delon Thompson and Thousand Oaks linebacker Chase Martin.

“It’s great having all these great players out here,” Medina said. “Everybody is a lot better than I thought. There’s no weak spots out here.”

Kickoff is 1 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children.

TURNING OUT FOR THE WEST

The West roster looks strong.

The quarterbacks include Brody Meyer, who threw for 32 touchdowns and five interceptions for Camarillo as a senior; Marcus Castaneda, who broke the Ventura County record for passing yards in a playoff game by throwing for 531 in a 62-55 win over El Monte in November; and Zane Carter, who led Buena to its first sectional final as a junior.

Frazier has known Meyer for years, considering he played at St. Bonaventure with his older brothers, Logan and Zach.

“I’ve seen him around,” Frazier said. “I knew what was coming.”

He’s been especially impressed with Carter, who he called a “Division I talent, for sure.”

“He could honestly play D-I at any position,” Frazier said.

Thompson is joined in the backfield by Camarillo’s Trey Valles.

The receiving corps includes Griffin Addison (Camarillo), Joaquin Johnson (St. Bonaventure), Colin Guenther (Buena), Tommy Alfaro (Pacifica), Robert Barrera (Hueneme), and the Oxnard duo of Elijah Davis and Eli Aragon.

One underrated player to watch is Santa Paula tight end Bryce Zavala.

The 6-4, 230-pound tight end, who also stars on the baseball team, is one of the most physically impressive players on the West roster.

“I’m just trying to have fun,” Zavala said. “There’s great talent here. … I’m just going to try to do my best.”

Like other All-Stars, Guenther, Carter and teammate Stevie Plahn are playing in the game days before leading Buena into the CIF-Southern Section boys basketball playoffs.

“Football has meant a lot to us our entire high school careers,” Guenther said. “It definitely helps that three of our basketball players are out here. It gives me encouragement that I’m not the only one out here.

“Luckily, the practices didn’t overlap at all. Our basketball coach has been completely fine with it.”

Carter revealed that he plays on joining the Buena High boys golf team after the basketball season.

Asked how far he could drive a golf ball, the 6-4, 215-pound Carter responded, “300 (yards), at least.”

Defensively, Frazier has been impressed with Camarillo defensive end Ryan Johnson and St. Bonaventure High linebacker Jared Barlow, who also signed with Cal Poly this week.

“Barlow’s been phenomenal,” Frazier said. “He’s really impressive. He loves to fly up and fill in the run game. He can run with people in coverage. He’s very smart.”

FEELING BLUE

After spending several of the past few years watching his older brothers play in this game, Maria is excited for his turn Saturday.

“I have a lot of friends on the team,” Maria said. “It’s a last experience, one more game of football. I plan to leave it all out on the field with all the best guys I played against. I feel like every dude on the field is a plug-and-play player.”

As someone who has watched the game recently, Maria questioned the West’s blue jerseys.

“We’ve got blue jerseys this year,” Maria said. “It’s just kind of odd. I feel like every West team from the past has had red jerseys.”

Joe Curley covers high school, collegiate and professional football for The Star. He can be reached at joe.curley@vcstar.com. For more coverage, follow @vcspreps on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: West All-Star Football Notebook: Twin towers anchor offensive line