"It was the best game I ever played," said the 2005 graduate of Sallisaw High School.
Tehee scored the first two touchdowns of the game, sparking the East All-Stars to a 42-0 romp over the West at the fourth-annual showcase on the campus of Haskell Indian Nations University.
Tehee was an all-district performer at wide receiver and defensive back last season for the Black Diamonds, but his biggest plays on Friday night were all on the offensive side of the football.
He caught five passes for 147 yards and scored twice to hand the East a two-touchdown halftime lead, setting the tone for the most decisive victory in the four-year history of this series.
Tehee's first touchdown came on a 30-yard pass from fellow Oklahoman Brad Boydstun. He ran a fade and caught the ball in the corner of the end zone for the first-quarter TD.
"The first one was great," said Tehee. "I was real excited about it because it was the first touchdown of the game and everybody was screaming and yelling. They got me really pumped up."
Tehee scored again in the second period, getting behind the defense to haul in a 37-yard strike from Boydstun. The Westmoore quarterback went on to throw for 309 yards and four touchdowns, earning Most Valuable Player honors and impressing Tehee.
"We had a really good quarterback. He had a good arm and he read the defense really well," Tehee said of Boydstun.
The East continued to pull away after the break, extending its lead on a Dusty Newport touchdown run. Boydstun tossed another TD pass to Lincoln Christian receiver T.J. Hamilton before Lance Barber had a hand in the final three touchdowns of the night. Barber, a receiver from Tulsa, ran for one score, threw for another on a receiver option and then caught a 66-yard pass from Boydstun.
Barber was the Offensive Player of the Game for the East, while teammate Theron Franklin took defensive honors after making two sacks and helping the East notch the first-ever shutout in the series. The West's MVPs were Andrew Tinaza on offense and Willie Blacksmith on defense.
Tehee said the East All-Stars came together quickly under head coach Antwain Jimmerson of Tulsa Washington.
"Our team just got everything down pretty good," said Tehee. "We got there on Sunday and worked out that night, then we had three-a-days on Monday. Those were probably the hardest days."
Rainy weather on Tuesday gave the players a bit of a break and they spent Wednesday at Worlds Of Fun amusement park in Kansas City.
"It was a great week. Worlds of Fun wore us out, but it was my first time to go there so it was a lot of fun," said Tehee, who also excelled in basketball and track at SHS.
The Native American All-Star Game was first played in 2002 and was organized to give members of state or federally recognized tribes a chance to gain exposure to continue their football careers at the college level.
Tehee, a member of the Cherokee tribe, had already drawn recruiting interest from Haskell while playing for Sallisaw last fall. However, he said the all-star game would likely be his final time to strap on the pads for football.
"Haskell wanted me to come up there and play football, but I'm going to try and walk on at NSU and play basketball," said Tehee.
