South All-Stars Win 2010 Agganis Football Classic

It was a perfect night for football on Thursday at Manning Field in Lynn as the South All-Stars, led by MHS Head Football Coach Jim Rudloff, prevailed over the North in the 49th Agganis Football Classic.

The North team jumped out to an early 6-0 lead, but Swampscott QB Matt Barbuzzi, who went 9 for 11 amassing 101 yards in his MVP effort, took control of the second quarter and led the South on two consecutive scoring drives to gain a 14-6 lead at halftime.

The first South scoring drive, which included a 17-yard pass from Barbuzzi to Marblehead's Marcel Hardmon, was culminated with a 15-yard third-and-one run from Winthrop's Frank Ambrosino.

The second drive found Barbuzzi hooking up with Hardmon again, this time on a 33-yard completion, before taking the ball into the end zone himself, with just 9.9 seconds remaining in the half.

"The [South] kids were great," said Hardmon after the game. "The offense and defense both played really well; they really played like All-Stars."

In the second half, the South All-Stars took complete control of the game, as Marblehead's Hayes Richardson took over at quarterback.

"I had a lot of fun and I'm really happy I played," said Richardson, who guided Marblehead to the Super Bowl at Gillette Stadium last fall. "It was really good to play against kids that are at the highest level. I met a lot really cool kids [playing for this team]."

After Richardson had a pass attempt picked off, South Safety David Hicks, who played his high school ball at St. Mary's (Lynn), took possession back for his team with an interception of his own, which he returned 36 yards to the North 15 yard-line. Two plays later, Richardson converted an 11-yard run into the game's fourth touchdown, putting the South up 21-6.

"That play sums up Hayes," said Rudloff of his MHS quarterback, who turned the broken running play into a score for the South.

The North proved they were not going to give up though, as Groton School QB Brett Frongillo broke free for a 60-yard run. Unfortunately for the North, the South defense, which featured Marblehead Defensive-Lineman Blake Forman, was too strong, forcing a turnover-on-downs.

With Lawrence's Nick Elwell in as quarterback, the South made another long drive into North territory; this time on fierce running from the running back tandem of Ambrosino and Peabody's Mark D'Addario. They were unable to convert the possession into a score though, and the North countered with a drive that brought the game to 21-13, on a 15-yard run from North team MVP Justin Flores, who played quarterback at Woburn High School.

The South threatened to score again, as Barbuzzi lined up for a 28-yard field goal, but his attempt sailed wide-left, and gave the North renewed hope. The North All-Stars, behind Belmont Quarterback Vincent Cortina, drove the ball all the way to the South 12 yard-line before Hicks took the wind from their sails. Hicks made a great read on a Cortina pass attempt and converted his second pick of the game into a 93-yard touchdown return putting the South on top for good at 28-13.

Joining Rudloff, Richardson, Forman and Hardmon on the South team was Magician Offensive Tackle Kyle Edwards, who was a late addition to the All-Star squad. Rudloff lauded the play of Edwards, whose familiarity with the offense allowed him to teach his fellow players the new schemes.

"It was a pleasure coaching this week," said Rudloff after the game. "I was very fortunate to have a group of kids who were truly all-stars. They were gentlemen all week long and you could tell why each kid was selected [to this team]."

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