Los Banos coach Caropreso announces South roster for Lions All-Star game

Editor’s note: The South roster for the 44th annual Lions All-Star Football Game was announced this week. The roster will likely change as players are added and dropped for various reasons.

Dustin Caropreso is no stranger to all-star football.

The Los Banos High coach played in the 1992 Rotary North/South All-Star Classic in Chowchilla and later served as an assistant on the South staff in the 2009 Lions All-Star Game. That year, the South snapped the North’s six-year winning streak with a roster that featured a glut of Stanislaus District stars.

Caropreso cherishes both experiences, and believes the all-star game gives the high school star a rare chance to bury the hatchet, so to speak. Between practices and appearances and the camp-like atmosphere, rivals become teammates and fast friends during the build-up to the big game.

“Back then, Dos Palos was on our side, so you got to play against guys you had a rivalry against,” said Caropreso, a Los Banos graduate, speaking about the Tigers’ adversary in the Westside War. “That was the cool thing about it. I still remember that game like it was yesterday.”

He’ll make new memories, beginning with Saturday’s Lions All-Star banquet at the Italian Athletic Club in Stockton. Caropreso and the Los Banos staff will coach the South in the 44th annual game, scheduled for June 17 at Tracy High.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Wayne Schneider Stadium. The North leads the all-time series 24-17-2, but hasn’t won since 2012.

The North will be coached by East Union’s Willie Herrera, who enjoyed his first winning season in six. The Lancers finished a distant second in the Valley Oak League, home to Sac-Joaquin Section champions Oakdale and Manteca, and qualified for the Division III playoffs, snapping a six-year drought.

The North is comprised of all-stars from Ripon, Manteca, Tracy, Stockton, Lodi and the Mother Lode, while the South draws on all of the Stanislaus District’s hotbeds: the Modesto Metro Conference, Valley Oak League, Central California Conference, Trans-Valley League, Southern League and Western Athletic Conference.

Caropreso’s roster is lined with All-District selections, ranging from large-school linebackers Aaric Holt of Downey and Mustafa Noel-Johnson of Turlock, small-school MVPs Toby Silva of Orestimba and Cody Rentfro of Hilmar, and Modesto Bee Player of the Year Will Semone of Oakdale.

Semone set the Stanislaus District single-season rushing record last fall, racking up 2,851 yards as the Mustangs captured their first CIF State Bowl title. He was named the most outstanding offensive player in the Sac-Joaquin Section by MaxPreps. The only player rated higher: North quarterback Jake Dunniway of St. Mary’s, the section’s player of the year.

Caropreso feels like a kid in candy shop.

He loves the versatility of his roster.

For instance, he envisions an offense with as many as three quarterbacks on the field: Golden Valley’s Armando Muzquiz under center with Turlock’s Danny Velasquez, the two-time CCC MVP, and Central Catholic’s Cole Petlansky split wide.

“We got so many ways to use these guys,” said Caropreso, whose Tigers (8-4) won at least seven games for the fourth time in five seasons. “I’m looking forward to it. I’m looking forward to what’s going to take place. We’ll keep it really simple and let the kids be athletes when it comes down to it.”

Caropreso’s only concern isn’t how to use all of this talent – “the football end of it is easy,” he said – but keeping it until kickoff. Each year, the rosters change dramatically from March to June because of family vacations and college commitments.

“I understand college coaches want their guys to be healthy, but I’m glad we got the guys who are basically saying, ‘That’s what I want to do,’ ” Caropreso said. “How many times can you say you get to play in a game with your closest competitors and peers?

“It’s tough to get them altogether. I’m really hoping someone doesn’t back out. But once you get there, coaching these guys, it’s easy.”

This story was originally published March 29, 2017 at 1:42 PM with the headline "Los Banos coach Caropreso announces South roster for Lions All-Star game."