Hilmar's Marques will coach the South in Lions All-Star Classic. Who made his roster?

Frank Marques and his Hilmar High staff have been selected to coach the South in the 45th annual Lions All-Star Football Classic.

The Yellowjackets were just 8-6, but played their best football down the stretch. Hilmar won three games in the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs, including a 42-13 triumph over Trans-Valley League rival Modesto Christian in the Division V final, 42-13.

The section banner was the seventh in program history and third under Marques. With the championship, the Yellowjackets earned a date in the CIF State Northern California Division VI-AA regional bowl play-in game against Strathmore.

Hilmar hosted, losing a thrilling shootout, 53-52, in double overtime.

"What happened this year was great lesson of not looking at the big picture. Our motto was one play at a time," said Marques, whose team qualified for the postseason at 5-5.

The season isn't over yet, not for his staff.

Hilmar will coach the South, which has won three straight games in the series and closed the North's advantage to 24-18-2. Last season, quarterback Danny Velasquez of Turlock High was named the MVP after leading the South to 30 unanswered points in a 30-17 victory.

Oakdale's Cullen Bearden was named the Best Defensive Player and the South's Most Inspirational Player after racking up five sacks, one forced fumble and a safety. Today, Velasquez and Bearden are part of a talented freshman class at Modesto Junior College.

The Lions All-Star Football Classic returns to Tracy High's Wayne Schneider Stadium on June 16.

The South draws on talent from Salida to Merced, Los Banos to Denair, and all points in between. The North hasn't released its roster yet, but traditionally draws its talent from Tracy, Manteca, Lodi and the Mother Lode.

Marques, who played in this game in 1981 and coached in it twice before, has filled his roster with some of the Stanislaus District's most decorated talent. Marques said he tried his best to represent every community in the south.

"I really respect this game," he said. "I think this is the premier all star game in the area. The fact that the committee asked us to coach, I was really honored by that."

Western Athletic Conference MVP Gabe Sanchez of Patterson will be one of two quarterbacks in camp.

Sanchez had one of the most impressive seasons in the section, statistically.

The All-District large-school selection was the only QB in the Stanislaus District to throw for more than 2,500 yards and rush for 1,000. He threw for 2,571 yards and 39 touchdowns, completing 71.2 percent of his passes, and led the Tigers in rushing with 1,006 yards.

Sanchez will be joined by teammates Kendrick Bond and Jacob Vainuku, the WAC's Defensive Player of the Year.

Both of the Southern League's MVPs will be in a South uniform, giving Marques depth and versatility on both sides of the ball.

Octavio Perez of Orestimba and Oliver Perez of Gustine, no relation, shared the Southern League's top individual award in the fall.

Octavio Perez, a 6-foot-1, 215-pound tackling machine, amassed 107 stops and three interceptions for the three-time defending league champions and The Bee's No. 1-ranked small-school team, while Oliver Perez won the SL's rushing title with 1,652 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Oliver Perez has ranked among the district's top running backs the last three seasons and should find plenty of running room behind an offensive line anchored by Modesto Christian's Ryan Higginbotham, the Trans-Valley League's best at that position.

Fellow Modesto Christian lineman Nate Norton was named the TVL's outstanding defensive lineman; he'll also suit up for the South.

Together, they helped the Crusaders to a three-way split of the league title with Ripon and Escalon.

Gabriel Cordero of Turlock will carry the torch for the Central California Conference, which had nine players selected, including: Pitman's Tyler Stout and Alex Baker; Merced's Garrett Egan; Buhach Colony's Irik Dobbins; El Capitan's Antonio Nieto; Atwater's J.J. Ramirez; and Turlock's Caleb Porter and Tyler Etharidge.

Cordero was the CCC's Best Defensive Player after blossoming into one of the section's top edge rushers. He registered 15 sacks and a team-high 78 tackles.

“He wasn’t always a technician, he didn’t always do everything perfect, but he was relentless in his pursuit,” Turlock coach James Peterson told The Merced Sun-Star. “He would get blocked and bounce off and just keep going. He had a motor, that’s for sure.”

Lions All-Star Football Classic

June 16, 2018, at Wayne Schneider Stadium

South roster

Coach: Frank Marques, Hilmar

Players: Antonio Nieto, El Capitan; Gabe Sanchez, Patterson; Tyler Stout, Pitman; Blake Davis, Denair; Lakari Benjamin, Gregori; Egan Garrett, Merced; Chris Flores, Hilmar; Kendrick Bond, Patterson; Daniel Guerrero, Los Banos; Jordan Porter, Turlock; Anthony Caballero, Los Banos; Gabriel Cordero, Turlock; Octavio Perez, Orestimba; Irik Dobbins, Buhach Colony; Anthony Fagundez, Enochs; Tyler Etharidge, Turlock; Oliver Perez, Gustine; Camron Ellak, Hughson; Ramon Machuca, Downey; Jacob Vainuku, Patterson; Anthony Borba, Los Banos; Ryan Higginbotham, Modesto Christian; Juan Bravo, Los Banos; Nate Norton, Modesto Christian; Thomas Wood, Oakdale; Jairus Lovell, Downey; Manny Ramirez, Livingston; J.J. Ramirez, Atwater; Alex Baker, Pitman.

This story was originally published April 24, 2018 at 1:02 PM with the headline "Hilmar's Marques will coach the South in Lions All-Star Classic. Who made his roster?."