NAZARETH — Football all star games usually feature a ton of offense, especially in modern times where the spread offense is used by most schools throughout the region.

The 48th annual McDonald’s Lehigh Valley All Star Football Classic Thursday certainly didn’t disappoint in that department, but it was the Gold squad that created most of the big plays on the evening.

The Gold team, consisting of players from Northampton County, Palisades High School, and Phillipsburg High School, used the passing game to hit explosive plays early on, propelling the Gold to a 35-7 victory over the Red.

The quarterback position is a position of leadership, and with just two weeks to get to know their teammates, Easton quarterback Scott Paulson and Bethlehem Catholic signal caller Javon Clements showed an impressive amount of just that. Poulson and Clements combined to throw for three scores and 282 yards.

Poulson was nearly perfect, going 6-for-7 for 169 yards and two touchdowns, while Clements went 4-for-8 for 113 yards and a score.

Clements got the party started for the Gold team with a 71-yard strike to Easton wide receiver Eddie Olsen at the 7:08 mark in the first quarter.

“Our quarterbacks were great today, they did a nice job of spreading the ball around. The quarterbacks definitely stood out, and so did the offensive line,” said Gold and Palisades head coach Kevin Ronalds. “I think our quarterbacks had time to make the big plays that helped us come away with the win.

“I really think everybody played well. This is just a great group that played with a lot of effort from Day 1. Even tonight, there were some plays where guys made touchdown-saving plays a few times from chasing a guy from behind. That says it all right there.”

The Red, which consisted of players from Lehigh, Carbon, and Monroe counties, was able to move the ball throughout the game, but couldn’t cash in when it had its opportunities.

The Red squad’s best chance to get back in the game was right before the half with just over two minutes remaining.

Trailing 28-0, the Red offense was able to put together a drive that took it inside the Gold’s 5-yard line, but defensive back Olsen made a big play, reading Pocono Mountain West quarterback Dylan DellaValle’s pass perfectly, intercepting his pass in the end zone.

“We were just a few plays from getting back into the game, but it didn’t happen,” said Lehighton and Red head coach Tom McCarroll. “This is a competitive group, they played hard, and it was just great to get to know this bunch of kids over the last two weeks.

“Honestly, it was a pleasure to coach this group, they’re the leaders of each one of their teams for a reason. Plus, coaching in June it gets the taste buds (for football) flowing a little bit.”

Poulson put the game away in the fourth when he put the Gold up 35-0 with a 75-yard bomb to Bangor’s Eddie Hay.

The Red would eventually get on the scoreboard in the fourth quarter when electric wideout Miguel Hernandez out of Catasauqua took a short-hitch route from Dieruff quarterback Quadanie Vega 66 yards to the end zone.

Despite the loss, McCarroll enjoyed the experience.

“The biggest thing I took away from this was the way the kids came together,” he said. “There were a lot of different personalities and kids coming from all kinds of different communities and backgrounds. It was just great to see how they developed those relationships.”

RED STANDOUTS ... Pleasant Valley wide receiver Mike Brown was tough to guard throughout the night, catching three balls for 100 yards and rushing for 11 yards. Jonathan St. Hilaire from Pocono Mountain West was also steady at the running back position, rushing 10 times for 60 yards.

LOCAL PARTICIPANTS ... In addition to the Bears’ Brown, the Times News area was represented on the Red roster by Pleasant Valley’s Samir Hoxha; Lehighton’s Cody Scherer and Dane Frantz; Northwestern’s Phil Donagello and Hunter Miller; Palmerton’s Tekoah Guedes and Kyle Kralik; and Northern Lehigh’s Brandon Dye.