An 86-yard interception return by South captain Adam Redden (St. Francis) proved to be the difference as the South defeated the North, 7-0, in the 35th Annual Kensington Lions All-Star High School Football Game at Depew High School.

With four minutes left to play in Wednesday night's game, North had good field position after a short punt started them at the South's 40-yard line. North's Pat McMahon (Sweet Home) threw into the South team's secondary, where Redden was on the other end of the reception, juking threw North tackles and running behind blocks before finally making it to the end zone.

"I think touchdown every time I touch the ball," said Redden, who will be playing at the University at Buffalo in the fall. "I was supposed to score for the offense, but defense wins championships. I just read the quarterback's eyes, caught it and ran."

North got the ball on offense one more time, with McMahon throwing a desperate "hail Mary" to Matt Monacelli (Albion) that was 30 yards short of the end zone.

Slips, falls and overthrown balls were the name of the game after an hour-long rain delay kept the game from starting on time. Both teams featured strong defenses throughout the game, as the South accounted for four forced turnovers in a game that had no offensive scores.

South had the first opportunity for a score in the first quarter before South Offensive MVP Justin Juda (Lancaster) threw a pick to Jalen Gayle (Niagara Falls) at the North 20-yard line.

"I was very surprised I got [Offensive] MVP," Juda said. "To be honest, I just kept looking for Redden. He's a great athlete, and I knew he was going to come through eventually. It was very hard picking up a game you didn't play in so long, but we got it done."

Before halftime, the North tried to break the scoreless tie, as McMahon led his team down the field with a few 20-plus-yard completions to Monacelli and Kevin Wagner (Kenmore East), before South's Nick McLean (Cheektowaga) intercepted it with just under a minute left to play before intermission.

McMahon almost led the North to a score again during the opening drive of the second half, before Corey Davis (Lancaster) recovered a McMahon fumble after converting on two fourth-down attempts.

The victory for the South breaks the North's three-game winning streak, giving the South a 20-15 advantage in the 35-year-old series.

mslaughter@buffnews.comnull