MARQUETTE - Kyle Jensen had been a consistent rushing and passing threat throughout his high school football career.
The recent Gladstone High School graduate showed more of the same Saturday, collecting 178 all-purpose yards to help the East All-Stars earn a 21-6 triumph over the West in the Second Annual Upper Peninsula All-Star game.
Jensen, selected East's Most Valuable Offensive Player, rushed for 149 yards on 10 carries on this very warm afternoon in the Superior Dome.
He opened the scoring on a 47-yard dash with five minutes, 49 seconds left in the first quarter and fired a 22-yard touchdown pass into the left corner to Menominee's Justin Salzman for a 14-6 advantage midway through the third.
"We needed to make a big play and that gave us a little more breathing room," said Jensen, who will try to walk on at the University of Michigan this fall. "Actually, our passing game didn't work real well. Here, you're playing against the best athletes from every school, which makes it hard to make plays."
A pair of former Manistique teammates ended the scoring with 4:35 left when Josh Mickelson lofted a 54-yard pass up the middle to Garde Kangas.
"We felt we were in pretty good shape after that play because our defense was playing pretty well," said Jensen. "This is a real nice win, especially after a hard week of practice. We just wanted to finish on a positive note."
West pulled within 7-6 early in the second stanza when Lake Linden's Logan Chadde, Baraga's Tyler MaGaha and Norway's Jeke Meneghini combined on a 22-yard hook and ladder play.
"We didn't see that coming, especially that early in the game," said Manistique's Dustin Demers, who was East's Defensive MVP. "This was a very emotional game, especially in the second half. It was great to see Josh and Garde connect on the last touchdown. That made the week so much better.
"It was anyone's game at halftime. Coach (Paul) Jacobson (of Negaunee) made it clear to us that this was the last game for many of us. He's a very good coach. He really got us fired up."
Kangas had 66 yards receiving on two receptions and Salzman, who received the East's Character Award, added two catches for 29.
Sault Ste. Marie's Tyler Wollen had two interceptions and Mid Peninsula graduate Travis Depuydt, who played his senior year at Rapid River, was in on a quarterback sack with Ishpeming's Jake Dault.
Iron Mountain's Pat Flood was named West's Offensive MVP, with former IM teammate Tim Obradovich gaining Defensive MVP honors. Tim Wheeler of Crystal Falls Forest Park received the Character Award.
North Central's Tyler Veraghen led the West in receiving with three receptions for 46 yards.
"This was an awesome experience, second to none," said Veraghen. "I had so much fun meeting new people. I have no regrets."
