SOUTHFIELD >> After several days of practicing through pouring rain and temperatures that had it feeling like the start to two-a-days, a welcome breeze maintained through Saturday night’s MHSFCA All-Star game at Lawrence Tech University.

The West All-Stars breezed, too, recording a handful of touchdowns unanswered in a 35-13 victory. Marion’s James Williams recorded a pair of sacks and five tackles for losses to be named the game’s MVP.

Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes’ Carter Luptowski kicked things off to crack open the action, and the East held the opposition at bay on the first drive, but Portage Northern’s Vaughnzell Tyus scored on an eight-yard run with 4:21 left in the first quarter, and the West never looked back, amassing a 28-0 lead by halftime.

Lake Orion’s Tristan Hill saw plenty of action and alternated at quarterback for the East all night with Detroit East English’s Joseph Tate. He completed three of his 11 pass attempts and carried the ball nine times, including helping move the chains a time or two as Dragons’ fans were familiar to him doing.

Hill spoke about the challenge of operating an offense installed with players just several days before. “It’s tough,” he said. “We have a bunch of different kids from a bunch of different schemes trying to come together with four or five practices and put on a show. It’s pretty different.”

Headed to Adrian College after committing several months ago, Hill said “it (meant) a lot” to put on the Lake Orion helmet for a final time.

Mylek Lee of Romulus hauled in one of the East’s 10 receptions on the night. Elaborating on Hill’s comments about putting together the game plan, Lee added, “It was very hard at first, but when we were at practice we started to connect more. We had to do some outside bonding and understand our chemistry, and it really helped spending time with each other and then just working on the route system.”

Things finally clicked offensively with that passing game when Tate connected with Detroit Central’s Calondrey Hardy on back-to-back plays for a combined 61 yards, the second of which resulted in a 20 yard touchdown to make it 35-7 after Luptowski’s extra point with four minutes left in the contest. On the ensuing drive by the West, Andrew Harris of Monroe St. Mary’s recovered a fumble for a 51-yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage to account for the only other points scored by the East.

The West recovered Luptowski’s onside kick attempt after that and ran out the clock, marking an end to the week’s festivities as players took off the helmet of their respective high school teams for the final time, including Detroit Catholic Central’s Casmer Moir.

“It was hot, it was rainy, it was fun,” Moir said of the week in total. “It really got me ready for fall camp. I grew a lot as a player. I got to see the competition of a lot of other colleges I’m going to be facing in the fall and for the next four years of my career, so it was really interesting.”

On putting on the CC helmet a final time, he added, “It means everything to me. Catholic Central is a great place with great coaches. It’s not just about football, it’s about family there, and it’s just good to feel that one more time before I go off to Ferris.”

One of those players he’ll likely face in the GLIAC, Romeo’s Trevor Siemen (Northern Michigan), talked about his enjoyment of the entire week, too.

“It’s been a great grind,” Siemen said. “We’ve been playing in the rain, going all over the place, and it’s been a real blast getting to know everyone and playing the sport I love. It’s very much reminiscent of the first days of (fall) practice) and has that energy of getting ready to go into the season even if it’s still a ways off.

“Just getting to know everyone, it’s been a great opportunity to meet with some of these guys. It’s been awesome to know everyone and getting this team atmosphere.”