The South stopped a two point conversion late in the fourth quarter and then returned an interception for a touchdown to fight back the North squad and win 28-20 in the 62nd annual North South All Star game.
The game was played at Hancock Whitney Stadium on the campus of the University of South Alabama.
The South took a 14-0 lead late in the first quarter. McGill Toolen quarterback Spencer Arceneaux threw a 12 yard TD pass to Montgomery Catholic's Myles Butler with 1:47 left in the first stanza. Carver Montgomery linebacker Joshua Young intercepted the North team on the first play after the kickoff and Saraland quarterback Karson Green made them pay. His 23 yard pass to St. Paul's Javonte Graves-Billups gave the South their second touchdown in 26 seconds. Forrest Taylor of Foley converted both extra points to give the South its14-0 lead.
In the second quarter, Tuscaloosa County's Damien Taylor streaked 85 yards for a touchdown to close the gap to 14-7. The South then drove 56 yards and scored when Arceneaux hit Blount's Melvin Williams with a 25 yard pass. The South took a 21-7 lead in at halftime.
The North used a physical run attack in the second half to threaten the South's lead. Behind the running of QB Jett Smith of Walter Wellborn and Taylor, the North used over 7 minutes to drive 65 yards and close the score to 21-14. North linebacker Landon Burguson of Hewitt Trussville intercepted a South pass to stop a drive mid way through the fourth quarter. The North then marched 86 yards on 11 plays with Taylor scoring from the 3-yard line with 2:20 left to trim the margin to 21-20. The South defense rose up on the run for two by Taylor and Lanett's Kadarius Zackery stepped up for his pick six to lock the victory for the South in the last minute of play.
Young was in on nine tackles and had a key interception to earn MVP honors for the South. Tuscaloosa County’s Taylor finished with a North-South record 180 yards on 20 carries and scored all three North TDs to earn MVP honors.