Local quartet lends hand to West victory

LA PUENTE — For anyone watching the East take on the West in Friday night’s Hall of Fame All-Star football game at Bassett High, the most lasting memory of the West’s 34-14 victory was likely West and former South El Monte High receiver Tommy Cogburn’s electrifying 178-yard, three-touchdown performance.

For the players, however, some taking part in their final football game, the personal significance of the cool summer evening on the gridiron runs deeper than statistics and big plays, and the memories of every single down they spent on the field Friday figure to remain vivid for some time to come.

Two St. Francis grads, Daniel Scheper and Kyle Morgan, and Tanner Farwell and Parker Haleen of Crescenta Valley all played for the victorious West squad Friday night, and while some of their college plans include more football, the end of the Hall of Fame game marked the bittersweet conclusion of all of their high school football careers.

“That was probably the best way you could end a high school career,” said Haleen, who started at middle linebacker, moments after finishing the game with six tackles. “Every play, everyone was going at it. I loved the intensity. ...I had a blast out there.”

Haleen played the entire game, but logged most of his time on the field in the second half when the East regrouped and was able to sustain its possessions longer.

During the first half, it was Farwell, who started at left tackle, and Scheper, the starter at right guard, who rarely came off the field. Over the first 24 minutes, the West, which snapped the East’s streak of dominance Friday at six straight wins, monopolized time of possession in building a 14-0 halftime lead.

“It feels good to stop the streak like that, very good,” said Farwell, who played center for the Falcons. “It was an honor [to play such a big role in the game], because moving from center to left tackle, [it was] a big difference.

“I just got coached right and everything came through.”

The West scored first on a short screen pass from Duarte quarterback Austin Goldsmith that the speedy Cogburn parlayed into a 30-yard touchdown reception with 4:04 remaining in the first quarter.

A 33-yard gain by Cogburn with 8:29 left in the second quarter set up a first and goal for the West on the East one-yard line.