WP, Dayton Grads Shine In All-Star Game

YAKIMA - Being head coach for the East football team in the Earl Barden Classic all-star football game on June 23 was a career highlight for WP head football coach Jeff Bartlow.

The annual game, which puts East side athletes against West side athletes in one all-star event, was six months in the making.

After leading WP to the state football title in December, Bart- low said he found out he was selected to be the head coach of the East side team for this year's big match-up in Yakima. But, he didn't say yes right away. Bartlow said he wanted to make sure his son, and WP quarterback, Zach Bartlow was selected to the all-state team and would want to play.

"I told them I'd sleep on it, but I knew," Bartlow said.

And the Barden organizers were happy he said yes.

"Coach was awesome," said Barden organizer and coach Bill Alexander. "With only eight practices he organized a tremendous effort by his team. He connected with the kids, organized his coaches as well as any coach that we have had in the all-star game. He was amazing!"

WP's coach Bartlow, Zach Bartlow and Eshom Estes joined forces with other stellar football athletes from the Eastern side of the state for the big game. Dayton's Kroft Sunderland and DeSales' Nick Wales were also selected for the East side team. WP's Cad- man Donovan was an alternate. Bartlow and Wales were team captains.

Bartlow chose assistant football coach TJ Scott to tag along for the ride and help run offense. From there, coach Bartlow and the other East side coaches, Stephen Wallace from Quincy and Tony Kretschman from Cle Elum, selected their team players.

This was coach Bartlow's first time coaching at the big game. The athletes have to be high school seniors to be nominated. Eighty football players were nominated to the East team and 40 were selected, Bartlow said.

The team was picked on Jan. 7 and the coaches spent the next five months talking about plays and preparing to go head-to-head with the best players from the West.

"It was a half a year in the making," Bartlow said.

On June 18, the coaches arrived in Yakima to begin preparing for the four days of practice that would lead up to the game. The athletes and coaches stayed overnight in college dorm rooms at Yakima Valley Community College and coaches got to pick who would be roommates. The athletes ar- rived for practice on June 19.

Bartlow said his son Zach Bartlow was matched up with Justin Berarducci, the quarterback from rival Colfax that WP has met before on the playoff field.

Despite the players being rivals, Bartlow said the athletes on the East team really made an effort put their past victories and losses on the field behind them. The team was really able to come together and play as one.

"The week of practice and getting to know the kids (was awesome)," Bartlow said. "That was a great week and I'll never forget it."

The East team practiced twice a day for four days. And even though the East and West teams didn't see each other much during the week, Bartlow said when the athletes interacted, there was no poor sportsmanship.

"There was no hostility at all," he said. "It was really friendly."

The East team brought a lot of skill to the field and learned the plays and how to work to- gether really quickly, Bartlow said of his players.

And all of the practice paid off on Saturday during the big game. Though the East team did lose the game to the West, the East team didn't give it away and fought tooth-and-nail to the bitter end.

The game on June 23 at East Valley High School was the first Barden Classic that went into overtime in its 18 years of existence, Bartlow said.

The small stadium was packed with spectators and at the beginning of the game there was some slight drizzle, but then the weather cleared up.

Bartlow said the West team had more talent and bigger players, but the East sure gave them a run for their money.

Zach Bartlow and Berar- ducci shared the duty of quar- terback in the game. The first half was pretty uneventful, the West side had two touchdowns and the East team had one. The score was 21-7 at the half. In the second half, the athletes really started to get hungry for a win.

A kickoff and a field goal in the second half by the East team brought the score up to 21-10. The East team had turnovers and interceptions and then Bartlow scored again with about five minutes left in the fourth, bringing the score up to 21-16.

The East team went again for two but didn't get it. Bart- low said some terrible calls didn't help the East's cause, but Sunderland got "a huge safety" and tackled the West's quarter- back in the end zone.

"That was the play of the day for Kroft," he said.

Zach Bartlow next scored a touchdown run and the East was down by three with just seconds left in the game. After an East side time out, Bartlow told his son he needed to throw the ball into the end zone. In actuality, Zach Bartlow threw an incomplete pass, but managed a field goal and the team was able to tie it up.

Bartlow said going into overtime the captains held hands and displayed their unity.

"It was really touching to see the kids come together," he said.

After a coin toss the East took defense and Zach ran out of bounds later and threw an incomplete pass.

A West side player took the ball and scored and that was the end of the game, 34-28.

Bartlow said after the game there were no tears. For many of the athletes who are not going on to college football this was their last time playing on a field. The athletes simply seemed happy to be part of the experience, he said.

"We have known that play- ers will reflect the values and character of their coach and when the East team scrambled back from a 28-13 deficit late in the fourth quarter it was a com- pliment to both the kids and their coaches that they played right up to the last second and never gave up or gave in," said Mike Lynch, one of the Barden Classic organizers.

Bartlow said because he has had the opportunity to be a head coach in the all-star game it could be three or more years before he is asked to coach again in any capacity.

Because the organizers try to spread the wealth among coaches, there is no way he can return to the position anytime soon, he said.

"I'm sorry but he's fired!" Alexander joked happily.