2007 Item Football All-Stars announced

Today, we present the 25 best football players on the North Shore: the 62nd annual Item Football All-Star Team.This year’s team features three players from Division 3 Super Bowl champion Swampscott; and two from Division 2A champion Gloucester.There are five returnees from last year’s team – Lynnfield’s Patrick Lamusta, St. John’s Prep’s Derek Coppola, Gloucester’s Andrew Fulford, Salem’s Melikke Van Alstyne and Bishop Fenwick’s Bobby Tarr. There are also four underclassmen.The Item All-Stars are selected by the Item sports staff with input from coaches of teams covered by The Item.The team will be honored at the Item All-Star Dinner, to be heldMonday, Dec. 10, at 6:30 p.m. at the Hilltop Steakhouse on Route 1 South, Saugus.Tickets can be purchased through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Item Building, 38 Exchange St., Lynn. No tickets will be sold at the door unless previously reserved by calling (781) 593-7700 x238, also by Friday.The dinner will feature the presentation of five major awards: The Item/Agganis Foundation Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year; the Student-Athlete Award; the Item Coach of the Year; and the Item Player of the Year.The OffenseQuarterbackPETER KINCHLEY, Swampscott – A 6-1, 185-pound captain ? Completed 133 of 264 passes (including two post-season games) and helped backbone the Big Blue to the Division 3 Super Bowl championship ? Also threw for 19 touchdowns ? Rushed for 485 yards and scored eight TDs via the ground ? Including the post-season, he led the Big Blue with 10 scores in two-minute drills prior to halftime ? On defense, as a free safety, he had 18 tackles, two interceptions and three passes defended ? Honor roll student, has applied to early acceptance at Middlebury college ? Also a pitcher on the baseball team ? Northeastern Conference All-Star.BRET REID, Saugus – A 5-6, 130-pound junior ? Two-year starter ? Led Saugus’ option offense that averaged 28 points and 280 yards rushing per game ? Finished the season with 797 yards rushing, averaging more than eight yards per carry ? Scored 13 touchdowns ? NEC all-star.BacksDEREK COPPOLA, St. John’s Prep – A 5-9, 180-pound senior captain ? Rushed for 843 yards, averaging 6.5 per carry ? His two-year rushing yardage totaled 2,167, for a 6.5 average ? He also had 143 yards through the air and scored two touchdowns via returns ? Catholic Conference all-star ? Was an Item all-star last year.ANDREW FULFORD, Gloucester – A 5-8, 170-pound senior ? Apart from his regular-season statistics (26 TDs, 1,086 yards – nine per carry), he was a one-man wrecking crew in the post-season as he scored seven touchdowns, leading the Fishermen to the Division 2A Super Bowl title ? Also had four catches for 64 yards during the regular season ? A two-time Item all-star, he scored 134 points as a junior ? On defense, as a strong safety, he had one interception for a touchdown ? Two-year starter on offense and defense.JOHN JONES, Lynn Tech – A 5-11, 160-pound senior ? He was ninth in scoring in Division 3 ? Had 11 touchdowns, four two-point conversions and 74 points ? Ran for 964 yards while playing a nine-game schedule ? Received the “T” O’Connor Award in Tech’s Thanksgiving-eve victory over St. Mary’s ? Ran for 214 yards in 31 carries against Greater Lowell.GREG PIERCE, Beverly – 5-10, 185-pound senior captain ? Ran for 1,648 yards on 211 carries and was the team’s rushing leader ? Scored 16 TDs rushing ? He threw one touchdown pass as well ? Had three games of over 200 yards rushing ? Was the team MVP ? Headed for Bowdoin College.BOBBY TARR, Bishop Fenwick – A 5-11, 190-pound senior captain ? Tarr completed a storybook career at Fenwick that saw him rush for 5,601 yards over three seasons ? This fall, he had 2,547 yards on 253 carries, eight receptions for 80 yards ? He scored 31 TDs and had 192 points ? Won the EMass scoring title ? Over his career, Tarr also had 19 receptions for 214 yards, scored 70 touchdowns, and 426 points ? As a junior, he scored 210