LYNN — Behind three turnovers and a strong passing game, the North team took down the South by a score of 28-6 in the 59th Agganis All-Star Football Game at Manning Field Wednesday night.
Arlington Catholic quarterback Paul Hammond took home MVP honors for the winning North team, completing 9-of-15 passes for 92 yards and one touchdown, while Bishop Fenwick quarterback Chrys Wilson threw two touchdown passes in the win.
Bishop Fenwick’s Jake Connolly, Catholic Memorial’s Zach Mitchell and Arlington Catholic’s Immanuel Osgood each had a touchdown catch, while Lynnfield’s Jack Ford caught four passes for 56 yards.
Winthrop’s Ryan Hovermale earned MVP honors for the South team, leading the defense with 10 tackles. Peabody’s Brandon Pszenny caught the lone touchdown pass of the game, which was thrown by Winthrop’s Duke Doherty.
The North got off to a great start, notching a strip sack on the opening drive of the game to get the ball deep in South territory. The North then capitalized on the opportunity, completing a 19-yard pass from Hammond to Ford to set up a four-yard touchdown run from Mitchell to make it 6-0 North.
The South didn’t gain any real momentum until its third offensive drive of the game. After taking over on its own 49 with 1:15 to play in the first quarter, Doherty hit Peabody’s Jonathan Teixeira for a 22-yard pass to get near the red zone. Three plays later, Doherty connected with Pszenny on a 26-yard touchdown pass to tie the score at 6-6.
But the North answered right back, getting a couple nice runs from KIPP’s Daniel Oluwasuyi before Mitchell notched his second touchdown of the game — this time on a 22-yard pass from Wilson — to make it 13-6 North at halftime.
The second half was largely uneventful until the end of the third quarter, when Wilson connected with Fenwick teammate Connolly on a 40-yard bomb to make it a two-score game at 21-6 with 2:55 to go in the frame.
After recovering a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, the North turned right back around and marched down the field for another score — this time on a 12-yard connection from Hammond to Osgood — to make it 28-6 at the end of the third quarter.
The score remained there the rest of the way, as the North continued to play dominant defense en route to sealing the win.
