MONTGOMERY – Piedmont football coach Steve Smith already has a state championship under his belt. Now he has a North-South All-Star game victory to match.

Smith guided the North All-Stars to a 34-12 victory over the South Thursday in the 53rd Alabama High School Athletic Association North-South All-Star football game at Cramton Bowl.

Clay-Chalkville quarterback Jacob Thomas completed 11 of 19 passes for 246 yards and three touchdowns for the North.

Thomas, selected the North MVP, also rushed for 41 yards on nine carries to finish with 287 yards at Cramton Bowl to close out the all-star competition for the 16th annual All-Star Sports Week.

Two Piedmont players joined Smith on the North roster. Six-foot-7 tight end Sloan Garner, who’s signed to play basketball at Gadsden State, caught a pass for 12 yards. Jameson Trammell, a 6-3, 285-pound offensive lineman who signed with West Alabama, was also on the North squad.

The South now holds a 28-23-2 edge in the football series that dates back to 1948.

The North led 20-12 at halftime thanks to Thomas’ big first-half passing performance. Thomas completed 7 of 13 passes for 188 yards in the first two quarters with his long an 83-yard scoring connection to North Sand Mountain receiver Max Kirby midway through the second quarter.

Thomas also completed a 10-yard touchdown pass to North Jackson’s Kahne Cooper earlier in the second period and had a 35-yard scoring toss to Oxford’s Dominic Williams in the fourth period.

Russellville’s Jose Betancourt opened the scoring with s 20-yard field goal at the 7:37 mark of the first quarter. His 29-yard field goal on the last play of the first half closed out the scoring before intermission. Austin’s Seth Lynch scored the North’s final touchdown with an 11-yard run with 1:01 left in game.

The South took the lead briefly when Jackson quarterback Dustyn Moseley fired a 64-yard touchdown pass to Dothan’s Barnard McGhee with just under a minute left in the opening quarter. Jeff Davis quarterback K.D. Humphries added a 1-yard run in the second period for the South’s second score.

McGhee had four catches for 88 yards to capture South MVP honors.

The North rolled up 204 yards rushing and 251 passing for 455 total yards. Kirby was the leading receiver with 88 yards on two catches. Marcus Reaves of Clay-Chalkville led all rushers with 70 yards on 16 carries as the North ran 69 plays to the South’s 47.

Moseley led the South with 161 yards passing on a 9-of-13 performance. Opelika’s D’Marius Howard had 27 yards on six carries. Leading South defenders were Vigor’s Chris Taylor and Jackson’s Embrell Vaughn with nine stops apiece.

Hewitt-Trussville defensive back Denzel McDonald’s seven tackles led the North.