In the city of Lynn, try finding a happier kid than Brian Vaughan Jr. I dare you.
Most recently, the Lynn Classical quarterback led his team over Lynn English, 8-6, while scoring his team’s only touchdown.
“We just grinded it out,” he said. “Many times this season, we fell short in the fourth quarter and that really stuck with us.”
It’s true. He mentioned the Peabody and Salem games as ones that got away.
That said, if you “trust yourself” and believe in your teammates, anything is possible, according to the right-handed gunslinger.
“Always trust yourself and always trust your team. I feel like, today, we did that,” he said.
Vaughan trusted himself more than once this season. Against Salem, he went 20-for-25 with 409 yards and five touchdowns, and against Medford, went 17-for-26 with 232 yards and four touchdowns.
On Thanksgiving, he added how grateful he was for his offensive line, which was “banged up and ready to go home” after Classical took a run-first approach against English.
But it gets better. Earlier this week, Vaughan was named Player of the Year in the Greater Boston League. His Rams went 6-5 with victories against Central (Providence), Somerville, Medford, Malden, Revere, and, now, rival English.
“When I first found out I got it, I kind of shrugged it off – not shrugged it off, but I knew I was playing really well and felt like I was one of the top players in the league,” he said. “But really thinking about it – where I came from and what I came back from – it really hit me.”
That setback was a gruesome knee injury two Thanksgivings ago that sat him out for a full season.
“I really came back from this and persevered through it,” he said. “I did it.”
Now, the senior hangs it up for Classical.
“Many, many, many great memories,” he said. “Talking about games, talking about life, and it’s an experience I’ll never forget.”
