South enjoys fine first quarter in Agganis Football Classic victory

LYNN – After a three-year hiatus in which the game was played in Salem, the Agganis All-Star Football Classic returned to Lynn and Manning Field last night. The South put together a solid opening quarter, doing all its damage in the game’s first 12 minutes, taking it to the North, 20-7, in the 48th Agganis Classic.Click here to view a photo gallery from the Agganis Football Classic.Gloucester’s Anthony Enderle took away MVP honors for the South with his 49 yards (on 13 carries) on the ground. He also scored the team’s first two touchdowns, and added a pair of receptions. Wilmington’s Ernie Mello was named the North’s MVP, based on his game-high total of 59 yards coming on 15 carries.”It’s just a great feeling, really awesome,” stated Enderle, who will play football at American International in Springfield, about winning the MVP. “Playing in this game was just a great experience, and a great way to cap off my high school career.”The North couldn’t get anything started when it took the ball on the opening kick. Quarterback Scott Darby (St. John’s) threw a pair of completions, which sandwiched a nine-yard sack by South lineman Brian Kureta (Beverly). The South took over at the North 37, and had no trouble marching downfield. Halfback Quivari Jackson (Classical) gained eight yards on a pitch to the left side on second down, then Enderle picked up a first down on a fourth-and-3, taking a short pass from quarterback Colby Boulay to the 16. Enderle gained three yards on first down to the 13, then burst through the North line down to the 1. He bulldozed his way into the end zone on the following play for the game’s first points with five minutes of action gone.Once again, the North moved backwards instead of forwards when it regained possession. Hamilton-Wenham’s Jake Cotter was hit for a four-yard loss on second down, and Watertown’s Daniel Alberico’s third-down pass fell incomplete. With the ball on his own 28, Ipswich’s Alex Lampropoulos went back to punt. However, the snap from center sailed over his head, and though he made a good fake on the first oncoming lineman, he was brought down at the 5. Three straight South running plays eventually placed the ball at the 2, and when it looked as though the North would hold, a busted play did it in.Quarterback Alex Watler (Classical) was in the process of being sacked, which would’ve ended the possession, when he saw Enderle just yards away to his right. Watler shoveled the ball over to Enderle, who took the ball down the near sidelines and into the end zone for his second score and a 14-0 South edge.”It was a great dive by Watler on that play,” said South coach Mike Broderick (Saugus). “It was also a heads-up play by Enderle to get back to the ball, and make the play, and to get into the end zone.”The South defense once again held the North. Mello gained five yards on first down, but Darby (8-19-1-80) tossed an incompletion on second down, and Mello picked up just one yard on third. The South took over after the punt at its 48, but wouldn’t keep the ball for too long. Boulay took off after the snap, scampering down the far sidelines, and avoiding would-be tacklers for a 52-yard score in the final minutes of the quarter. Though Sal Taormina (Gloucester) missed the extra-point attempt, the South had a 20-0 edge going into the second period.The North put together a solid drive once the quarters changed. The club took advantage of a 15-yard personal-foul call against the South to move the ball to the South 28. Mello gained six yards on fourth-and-4 to the 17. Two plays later, halfback Nathan Bunnell notched seven yards to put the ball at the 8 with fourth down and a yard for a first down. However, Alberico fumbled the snap, and the South pounced on the ball to end the threat.The South then went three-and-out, and the North looked as though it would do some damage right before the half. Darby hooked up with Bunnell for a nine-yard completion, giving the team a first down at the South 37. Howe