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Lynn English’s Daekwon Shepherd took home MVP honors for the South team in the Agganis football game on Thursday.
By STEVE KRAUSE
Idle chatter while thanking the weather gods for saving the usual assortment of thunderstorms and furnace-like heat away from the past week’s Agganis game.
The 1,237 fans who went to Manning Field Thursday night to see the Agganis football game saw something really special.
Generally, one player from each side is chosen to wear No. 33, which was Agganis’ number. In Thursday’s case, the North’s No. 33 was Peabody’s Doug Santos, who overcame much in his high school years to become perhaps the area’s premiere player.
On the South side, that honor went to Daekwon Shepherd of Lynn English who, like Santos, has endured his share of personal hardship and who overcame it to become the area’s top defensive player last year.
The two of them put on a show in a 27-19 South win that wasn’t settled until Shepherd picked off a pass on the last play of the game that, had it been completed, could have resulted in a tie and a great comeback for the North. There would not have been an overtime.
Santos delivered an electrifying 89-yard touchdown return and scored another touchdown besides. The other pass Shepherd intercepted he took back for a touchdown.
Often, the Agganis game becomes a showcase for one person to just take over and put on a show. This year, we had three. The poor guy who got lost in all of this was Lynn Tech’s Justin Lewis, who used his state-champion high jumping abilities to outleap defenders all over the field. He caught two touchdown passes for the South, and perhaps would have been the MVP had Shepherd not saved the game for the South with his climactic interception.
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Anyone who tells you that these games are exhibitions, to be played strictly for charity, and that winning and losing aren’t on the minds of the participants, doesn’t understand sports very well. The same qualities that make these players all-stars in the first place make them hard-wired to compete.
Sure, these games may not count in anyone’s standings. But if you’re out there banging into people and getting tackled, or kicked in the shins during a soccer game, or taking any of the other risks that come with playing sports at an elite level, you’re not there just for show. You’re there to win.
The evolution of Thursday’s game from a “friendly,” as they would say in soccer, to an actual game built to a very nice crescendo in the second half, but it certainly had its roots in the back-to-back spectacular plays of the aforementioned 33s. First, it was Shepherd, who took an interception back to the house to give the South a 14-0 lead. Then it was Santos, whose kickoff return gave life to the North. From then on, this was a game in every sense of the word.
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I can’t recall the last time weather has been such a non-factor in these games. There was only one day of inclement weather and that was Wednesday, and the thunderstorm hit early enough in the afternoon so that the first of two lacrosse games was only about five minutes late in starting. After that, there was nothing but blue skies and cool evening breezes.
Compare that to last year, when rain made a mess out of everyone’s schedules. The awards ceremony was postponed, and games had to be fit in all over the place. This year, there were no such issues.
Anyone who has ever run one of these things can tell you that even a bad weather forecast can make the difference between a good gate and a so-so one. As we all know, forecasts don’t necessarily come true. But if you’re counting on a good crowd to make your outdoor event successful, they can be deadly whether or not they come to pass.
Even the forecasts were optimistic this year.
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Gary Molea has been working on behalf of Lynn English since the 1980s. He became head coach in 1990 and in his first year the Bulldogs made the Division 3 Super Bowl. He went onto become athletic director at English and is now the vice principal.
Molea is the type of guy for whom the Dr. Elmo F. Benedetto Athletics Award was designed. Some people can’t help but let you know they’re around. You know the type. They’re forever telling you how wonderful they are.
Molea is very much the opposite.
The Benedetto Award honors people who put students first. Molea has always been that type of person. He has always been their biggest advocate, and he’s always made sure they got the recognition they deserved. His induction into the Agganis Hall of Fame is a well-deserved honor.
