PEABODY — The first sign that a normal football season is on the horizon came over the weekend on the field at Bishop Fenwick’s Donaldson Stadium and the surrounding fields, as football programs from around the state showed up to compete in the Northeast 7v7 East Regional tournament Saturday afternoon. The annual 7-on-7, two-hand touch tournament saw 30 varsity teams compete across six pools before moving on to single elimination play, with 10 freshman/sophomore teams competing across two separate pools.
In terms of the final results, Marblehead made it all the way to the tournament final before falling to Buckingham, Browne and Nichols by a score of 28-25. Marblehead quarterback Josh Robertson, who is about to enter his senior season under center, was one of the more impressive players at the tournament.
In all, local teams from Fenwick, St. Mary’s, Lynn Classical, Lynn Tech, KIPP, Saugus, Swampscott, Marblehead, Peabody, Lynnfield, Revere and Winthrop all came to get some reps in at what is normally considered the unofficial opening of the high school football season.
“I just like seeing the guys get out there and play and build camaraderie,” said KIPP coach Jim Rabbitt, whose program competed in the event for the first time. “Bonding starts taking place right here, and it kicks off the football season the right way.”
Following the pool play portion of the day, things were set for the first round play-in games. In local action, Marblehead knocked off St. Mary’s and moved on to face Swampscott, which earned a first-round bye. The other two local teams to make it through — Peabody and Classical — both lost in the first round, with Peabody falling to Marshwood and Classical falling to Andover.
The quarterfinal matchup between Marblehead and Swampscott was a doozy, with Marblehead edging out its Thanksgiving Day rival by a score of 13-12 after Robertson threw a 40-yard touchdown with 10 seconds remaining to win the game.
The momentum carried right into the semifinal round, with Marblehead rolling to a 20-6 win over Andover and setting up the final matchup with Buckingham, Browne and Nichols.
While Marblehead did make a number of great plays in that final matchup, Buckingham, Browne and Nichols was just too strong behind the stellar play of star brothers Shane and Ronan Hanafin and took home the 28-25 victory.
With training camp now less than a month away, this weekend was a first glimpse into what will hopefully be the first normal football season since 2019. Teams are allowed to begin camp on Friday, Aug. 20.
