LYNN — It’s been months since high school football season ended, but for one final evening, seniors buckled their chinstraps back on.
The 63rd Harry Agganis All-Star Football Game kicked off Wednesday evening at Manning Field, with the South defeating the North, 21-6.
After a scoreless first quarter, South broke things open with a bit of trickery. Quarterback George Rodgers (Malden Catholic) connected with Swampscott’s Joseph Marino, who immediately lateraled to St. John’s Prep’s Jeffrey Quigley. From there, Quigley dashed 15 yards to put South in excellent field position.
Triton’s Jayden Torres followed with a 13-yard touchdown run, with Swampscott’s Jay Domelowicz adding an extra point to give South a 7-0 lead.
North, short on quarterbacks, turned to Peabody’s Tyler Rappold — typically a wide receiver and defensive back.
On third and long, Rappold took a big hit, but delivered a strike to Tanner teammate Gabe Santos to keep the ensuing drive alive. Rappold capped the series with a 27-yard touchdown pass to Beverly’s Liam Timpone. North’s two-point conversion attempt failed, making it 7-6.
“Different kids were showing up to practice — some came, some didn’t,” Rappold said. “I actually started taking quarterback reps yesterday. I’ve been playing receiver and DB (defensive back) all week.”
Just before halftime, South added another score, thanks to some home city heroics.
Lynn English’s Jaiden Rosario, who wore Harry Agganis’ No. 33, scrambled 21 yards to bring the ball to the 5-yard line, then punched it in on a keeper with 13 seconds remaining in the half.
The score gave South a 13-6 lead.
“There are unbelievable players in Lynn,” said South Coach Danny Kelly, of Nashoba Tech. “When Jaiden Rosario runs that big play, he’s going to finish that drive. He’s from Lynn. It’s his last game at Manning Field — he was going to finish that drive.”
South opened the second half with a strong kick return to midfield – courtesy of Swampscott’s Nakeylen Davis – but couldn’t convert good field position into points.
In the fourth quarter, Rappold was intercepted by Lynn Tech’s Dereon Phipps, but later redeemed himself by making a pick of his own on defense.
“I’ve never played quarterback before — only in flag football,” Rappold said. “I felt good, other than the pick. But I got one back.”
Swampscott’s Henry Beuttler was a force on the ground, finishing with 69 yards rushing and a touchdown. His 18-yard score with 9:33 remaining in the game sealed a win for South.
Beuttler and Rappold were named MVPs.
“It’s an honor to be picked for this game — let alone play a different position and have fun with kids from all over,” Rappold said. “Meeting new friends, too. I’m sure I’ll be talking to some of these guys for a while. It was fun.”
Beuttler, who is not playing football in college, cherished the opportunity to suit up one more time.
“Since the season ended, all I’ve wanted to do is get back out there,” he said. “When I found out I was selected for the Agganis Game, I was psyched beyond belief. It was hot when we put the pads on, but it reminded me of real football. Coming out here, giving it everything I had — it felt amazing. I’m glad I got to experience it one last time.”
After a Gatorade bath, Kelly said he was honored to be selected to coach.
“It was unbelievable — so much fun,” he said. “Every day, we had 34 kids at practice. These guys wanted to be there and helped each other. They were an unbelievable group. When you put that much talent on the field, it makes our job easy.
“It’s a legendary event. I’m from Medford, so I know a bunch of kids and people who have played in this game,” Kelly added. “When they asked us to coach, I was honored. I didn’t think we deserved it, but we had a great season and were fortunate to have three kids here to represent our team.”
