(Editor's Note: The following story is reprinted for the WFCA All-Star Game story that appears in the Sunday, July 17th edition of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
Division 4-7: South 21, North 19
Mykaell Bratchett said he enjoyed playing football for a good cause Saturday - a cause so good, in fact, it will someday become his life.
The 6-foot-2, 230-pound defensive end from The Hope School helped lead the South to a 21-19 victory over the North.
"The football field was always the place I could go when my mind was troubled," Bratchett said. "Now, football is the gateway to my future."
That future will begin this fall at UW-Whitewater, where Bratchett plans to major in biology. The next step will be medical school. Bratchett's career goal is to become an emergency room physician.
"My little brother, Demonta, is my pride and joy," Bratchett said. "When he was younger, he spent a lot of time in the hospital. I felt helpless during those times. I figure the best way I can help kids is to actually become a doctor."
Demonta is now 16 and healthy. He plans to play high school football this fall.
Bratchett and fellow defensive lineman Josh Paape (Ozaukee) were given a difficult assignment - to help contain multitalented North quarterback Matt O'Connell (Clear Lake).
O'Connell passed for 217 yards and rushed for 94 more, but his attempted two-point conversion pass was intercepted at the goal line by South linebacker Alex Wallace (Brodhead-Juda) with 1 minute, 4 seconds left.
"The talent level out here was ridiculous," the 6-3, 265-pound Paape said. "In high school games, sometimes I would just tower over the kid across from me. Here, every guy across from me was one of the best football players in the state."
Paape is the second player in his school's history to be selected for the game. He spent much of the day in the North backfield, disrupting and redirecting plays.
Mykaell Bratchett said he enjoyed playing football for a good cause Saturday - a cause so good, in fact, it will someday become his life.
The 6-foot-2, 230-pound defensive end from The Hope School helped lead the South to a 21-19 victory over the North.
"The football field was always the place I could go when my mind was troubled," Bratchett said. "Now, football is the gateway to my future."
That future will begin this fall at UW-Whitewater, where Bratchett plans to major in biology. The next step will be medical school. Bratchett's career goal is to become an emergency room physician.
"My little brother, Demonta, is my pride and joy," Bratchett said. "When he was younger, he spent a lot of time in the hospital. I felt helpless during those times. I figure the best way I can help kids is to actually become a doctor."
Demonta is now 16 and healthy. He plans to play high school football this fall.
Bratchett and fellow defensive lineman Josh Paape (Ozaukee) were given a difficult assignment - to help contain multitalented North quarterback Matt O'Connell (Clear Lake).
O'Connell passed for 217 yards and rushed for 94 more, but his attempted two-point conversion pass was intercepted at the goal line by South linebacker Alex Wallace (Brodhead-Juda) with 1 minute, 4 seconds left.
"The talent level out here was ridiculous," the 6-3, 265-pound Paape said. "In high school games, sometimes I would just tower over the kid across from me. Here, every guy across from me was one of the best football players in the state."
Paape is the second player in his school's history to be selected for the game. He spent much of the day in the North backfield, disrupting and redirecting plays.
Division 1-3: South 30, North 0
Derek Watt was The Associated Press state player of the year in 2010. He signed a letter-of-intent with Wisconsin. He rushed for 1,501 yards and 25 touchdowns. But he had never before intercepted three passes in a game until Saturday.
"I've never done it, and I can only think of one time I've ever even seen it done," Watt said.
The former Pewaukee star's three first-half pickoffs helped the South to a 30-0 victory over the North in the 35th Wisconsin Football Coaches Association All-Star Games.
Watt and Arrowhead's Drew Meyer returned interceptions for touchdowns, and the South defense did not allow the North inside its 20 until the game's final minutes.
14 future UW-Whitewater student-athletes were on the roster of either the Division 1-3 squads or the Division 4-7 squads. The next football action for the recruits is coming up in mid-August when the Warhawks open its 2010 training camp.
All proceeds from the Saturday's All-Star games benefit Children's Hospital of Wisconsin.
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