Defensive backs help South come out in front in Agganis Football Classic

LYNN – All week long during his team’s practice for the 49th annual Agganis All-Star Football Classic, South head coach Jim Rudloff didn’t really know how his defensive backs were going to play on Thursday night at Manning Field.The reason for that was that his defensive front had been playing havoc with his spread offense all week long in those practices. But on Thursday when the lights were brightest, it was the back portion of the South defense that came up huge.No player came up bigger on the big stage than St. Mary’s David Hicks. Twice in the second half, Hicks thwarted potential North touchdown drives, returning the second ball 93 yards for a game-clinching touchdown late in the fourth quarter of the South’s 28-13 win in front of a healthy crowd.”We didn’t get to see what Hicksie could do all week because our quarterbacks had such a hard time getting the ball downfield,” Rudloff said. “That was because our defensive ends and linebackers were giving our quarterbacks fits.”The game was close most of the way and the South was hanging on to a touchdown lead in the third quarter when the North began to put together a march. North Shore Tech quarterback David St. Pierre dropped to throw on a third down play from the 40 but Hicks stepped in front of the intended receiver and snagged the ball.His 36-yard return would eventually be paid off when Hayes Richardson ran for an 11-yard touchdown to give the South a commanding 21-6 lead.”The defense had worked hard all week at practice,” Hicks said. “We had big help from our linebackers and defensive line keeping their quarterbacks covered all game.”The North fought back late in the third to make it 21-13 when team MVP Justin Flores of Woburn ran 15 yards for a touchdown. The South then drove inside the 20 midway through the fourth but stalled out.Swampscott’s Matt Barbuzzi then missed a 28-yard field goal to give the North some life.They were in the process of taking advantage of that second chance as time wound down in regulation. But Hicks stepped up again and picked off an overthrown out pass at the seven and raced nearly untouched down the right sideline, getting a final critical block from Classical’s Chevere Archer to spring him for the touchdown and a 28-13 lead.”Yeah, I started thinking if I get a second one I better score with it,” Hicks admitted later. “And it was great to get a big block from Chevere there too.”Count Barbuzzi as one person who was glad to see Hicks take it to the house.”He saved my butt,” Barbuzzi said. “I missed that field goal and I thought that was going to hurt us. But that second play by David was just huge.”Hicks also made one more big play late in the final quarter, recovering to knock down a deep ball intended for Flores in the end zone.”David played a tremendous game,” Rudloff said. “That last play he made was huge to knock down the pass in the end zone.”