Area’s best feted at Item All-Star Football Dinner

SAUGUS – They were the 25 best high school football players on the North Shore and on Monday at the Hilltop Steak House, they were honored at The Daily Item’s 64th annual All-Star Football Dinner.Click here for a photo gallery.For Marblehead quarterback Hayes Richardson, the night proved to be extra special as the senior was the recipient of the evening’s biggest award when he earned Player of the Year accolades.Richardson joins Jack Robards, Tom Kulevich and Chris McGrath as Magicians to earn The Item’s top honor.”It really is a great honor,” said Richardson, who was named the Northeastern Conference South Co-Offensive Player of the Year this season. “I was listening to the list of names that have won this and I’m happy to be a part of a list with such great names on it.”Richardson was the sparkplug for a Marblehead team that claimed the program’s first conference championship in 36 years. The senior threw for 1,701 yards and 18 touchdowns while adding 582 yards and 18 touchdowns on the ground.”I am very proud of Hayes,” Marblehead coach Jim Rudloff said. “It easily could have been every one of the kids up there, but Hayes really had an outstanding year.”Richardson’s shining moment came in the Magicians’ Thanksgiving Day clash with Swampscott when he led his team on a drive in the final moments, capping the game-winning drive with a touchdown pass to Alex Haigis.”I couldn’t have done this without the rest of my teammates,” Richardson said. “I really thought that Conor (Ressel of Gloucester) was going to get this one.”The player Richardson thought was going to get the big trophy didn’t go away empty-handed as Ressel was named the recipient of the William F. Connell Student-Athlete of the Year Award.The senior running back shone both in the classroom and on the gridiron this fall.Ressel broke about every school record on the books for rushing, finishing with 1,928 yards and 31 touchdowns. He also had 411 yards and six of those touchdowns en route to a Division 1A Super Bowl title.As good as Ressel was on the field, he was equally as good in the classroom, posting a 93 average. He is a member of the National Honor Society.”I am really happy to win this award,” Ressel said. “A lot of people questioned why I didn’t play football during my sophomore year. But I had to get my grades up because I wanted to go to college after high school.”Lynn Tech senior Ryan Murphy was named the Item/Agganis Foundation Defensive Player of the Year after wreaking havoc on Commonwealth Conference opponents all season.Murphy had 72 tackles and nine sacks, and returned two interceptions for touchdowns during the year. He also rushed for 1,332 yards and 18 touchdowns to lead Tech to a State Vocational Bowl championship.”I never expected something like this,” Murphy said. “I couldn’t feel better right now.”Murphy’s coach, Gary Sverker, was happy to see his senior leader recognized.”He is well deserving of everything he’s gotten,” Sverker said. “He made big plays when he had to against good teams. And I am very proud of him.”Swampscott senior Matt Barbuzzi had to wait his turn to take control of the Big Blue’s high-powered spread offense, but when he finally was given the keys to the machine this season, he made the most of it.Barbuzzi completed 167-of-260 passes for 2,384 yards and 24 touchdowns. He also rushed for 312 yards and added 36 PATs and two field goals. All those numbers added up to the senior taking home the Item/Agganis Offensive Player of the Year trophy on Monday.”I learned a lot from the guys who were ahead of me,” Barbuzzi said. “I was surprised, certainly.”Lynnfield turned into the feel-good story of the area this past season as the Pioneers came from near obscurity to claim the program’s first league title since 1986 and win 10 games in the regular season. The man in charge of that turnaround, Neal Weidman, was the recipient of the Item’s Coach of the Year Award.And in a year where two local teams – Gloucester and Marblehead – reached t