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Eight county players highlight the Southern California All-Star team for the first SoCal vs. Arizona All-Star Game, which will be held Saturday night at 7 p.m. at the Surprise Baseball Complex in Surprise, Ariz. Cajon quarterback Thomas Carter, Colton linebacker Devan Hussey, Redlands offensive lineman Jordan Smith and defensive lineman John Siliga, Redlands East Valley defensive backs Taylor Fernandez and Josh Armstrong and Kaiser linebackers Davonte Manning and Dennis Taylor will be playing Saturday for the SoCal team, which will have an all-star cast of retired coaches at the helm.

Former Fontana and Kaiser coach Dick Bruich will be part of a staff that includes former Claremont coach Bob Baiz and former Damien coach Dick Larson.

When you lose three players to Division I schools (Tyler Shreve, Andrew Hudson and David Peterson) like Redlands East Valley did, a dropoff is expected. Add first-team all-Sun running back A.J. Fernandez to the list of departures and one would think that Wildcat coach Kurt Bruich would be a little measured about his expectations for the coming season. But that's not how the ninth-year coach feels at all.

"I really like this group of kids through all three classes," Bruich said. "From seniors to sophomores, I think we have an extremely talented group and I think we can do some big things. This program is all about stepping in and keeping the success going and I think this group will do that."

Leading the way for the Wildcats will be a defense that returns five starters. While REV has had its share of glamorous offensive stars in recent years such as Ronnie Fouch, Chris Polk, Shreve and Fernandez, its the defense which has allowed REV to win three CBL titles since 2005 and has it in position for a fourth this year.