C-C Seniors Set for All-Star Game

When they step on the field tonight, two Concord-Carlisle Patriots will experience what it feels like to be a New England Patriot.

Gillette Stadium, the home of New England's NFL team, is the new home of the Shriners All-Star Football Classic. John Bumpus and Jaron Hargrove, both recent Concord-Carlisle High School graduates, will suit up for the North team against the South.

The 32^nd edition of the annual rivalry between players from Eastern Massachusetts kicks off at 7 p.m. in Foxboro.

Playing in a professional stadium, where many of their idols compete each week, is something both the former C-C Patriots are looking forward to.

"I really appreciate that they're letting us play there," Hargrove, a running back from West Roxbury, said. "Some of these guys have set dreams to play in the pros, and this may be the closest we get to that."

Running out of the same tunnel as Tom Brady and seeing their name lit up on the JumboTron is an honor any player in the state would relish. Only about 90 actually get the chance.

League coaches nominate players and a selection committee picks the final roster for both the North and South (players from the central and western part of the state compete in a separate Shriners game). The result is the best players in the Eastern Massachusetts banging helmets for one last time before heading off to college.

"The experience has been great," said Bumpus, who co-captained the Patriots to the Dual County League's Small School championship last fall "It's been great to play with a lot of the guys I've played against and read about in the papers."

Both Concord-Carlisle representatives are certainly among the best players in the state.

Hargrove, who will attend Bridgton Academy in the fall for a post-graduate year, racked up 2,200 all-purpose yards (close to 1,800 rushing) and scored 24 touchdowns last season, according to coach Mike Robichaud. The 5-foot-10, 185-pound back was named the DCL Small's MVP and broke almost every rushing record in the C-C book, Robichaud said.

Hargrove said he will line up at wingback in the All-Star game. He played mostly fullback for the Patriots.

Bumpus, listed at 6-3 and 205 pounds, played all over the field, including a stint at quarterback, Robichaud said, but excelled most at linebacker. He earned a Massachusetts High School Football Coaches Association All-State nod and will play at Division I level for Brown in the Ivy League.

Robichaud said both players earned their spot on the Shriners team.

"I think for the guys probably what hits them first is that it's an exclusive group of players," he said. "It's a pretty good acknowledgement of the work they put in."

The coach would know. Robichaud played in the Shriners game following his graduation from Concord-Carlisle in 1982.

This is the second straight year the Patriots have been represented. Dan D'Arcy played on the North team last summer, with former C-C coach Dick Kerr as an assistant.

Both Hargrove and Bumpus said being selected is more a reflection on the Patriots' success, than it is an individual accomplishment. The two seniors helped guide Concord-Carlisle to an 8-4 record last fall.

The Patriots started slow, losing three of their first four games. They then ripped off seven straight wins, before falling to Masconomet 18-8 in the postseason.

If that success keeps up, there could be plenty more C-C Patriots playing in the all-star game at the home of the New England Patriots in years to come.

"I think it definitely just says that our team and the program are on the rise," Bumpus said. "We've had a lot of great years in the past, but it's only going to get better from here. The coaching staff is doing a great job producing great players."

He and Hargrove are evidence of that.