LYNN — Jaden Roman had his final carry in a Peabody High School jersey, but a gruesome injury suffered in the playoffs last November led to his senior season being cut short.
But was he the last football team member to wear Tanner's bull on his helmet? On Wednesday night, it had a much happier ending.
Returning to the field for the 62nd Annual Agganis All-Star Football Game at Manning Field, Roman scored two touchdowns and ran for a team-high 77 yards to help South beat North, 27-16.
“Obviously, when you go into a game like this after an injury, you think, 'Can I do it? Is it going to happen again?'” Roman said. “God is big. He's given me the confidence to come out here and play my game.”
On a stiflingly hot night, the second half was a spirited affair. South led 13-0 at halftime and North was limited to just 35 yards of total offense, but rallied in the third quarter to score all 16 of its points.
Salem quarterback Corey Grimes orchestrated the scoring drive, completing 14 of 20 passes for 139 yards. He turned the ball over well, completing his first seven passes to seven receivers, but it was a 42-yard jet sweep to Amesbury track star Max Sanchez that unlocked North's offense.
That led to a three-run rush by Ebenezer Annan and a two-point rush by St. John's Prep's Matt Callahan, making the score 13-8.
On the first snap of the ensuing drive, North pounced on a South fumble and Grimes threw a perfect 29-yard pass to Hamilton Wenham's Cooper Sohlman on third down to give his team the win.
“We found some things going well on offense in the second half,” KIPP Academy North coach James Rabbitt said, “Cooper ran perfect routes at the right time and Corey threw some great passes.”
Sanchez, North's Most Valuable Player, scored from 11 yards out and Grimes connected on a two-pointer by fellow Wich's Albert Pujols with 3:57 left in the third quarter to extend the lead to 16-13.
But it didn't take long for North to retake the lead, as Roman evaded tacklers at the point of attack and broke free for a 28-yard score to give his team the lead with 10:57 left in the half.
“It felt great, especially playing with such great players,” said Roman, who plans to attend Assumption University as a walk-on. He dislocated his elbow in Peabody's playoff loss to Barnstable but bounced back with a phenomenal performance as one of eight Tanners who took the field Wednesday.
“It probably took me about a month to recover physically, then I had to do a lot of physiotherapy and overcome some mental hurdles. I was really happy to be here playing my last game. I don't want an injury to end my career.”
The combination of Lynn Classical record-setting quarterback Brian Vaughn (12-of-16 for 203 yards) and South MVP John Naskey (6 catches for 168 yards) sealed the game with the final pass of the fourth quarter. Vaughn threaded a pass to Naskey and the speedy receiver did the rest, rushing 79 yards for the game's final touchdown with just over five minutes remaining.
Peabody players scored the first 20 points of the game after Roman's first-half lead in the first quarter, kicker Dom Scales added an extra point and then made field goals of 22 and 27 yards in the second quarter (one of which was an 18-yard field goal by Eli Batista in the third quarter).
“It was a lot of fun,” Batista said. “It was awesome to see Jay Lo play so well.”
Bishop Fenwick's Anthony Nichols made several tackles for the winning team, and Peabody's Nick Dresser made two stops from the safety position. For North, Sohlman led all receivers with four grabs for 55 yards, while Prep's Wells Gillette and Masconomet's Jacob Miller played solidly on the offensive line. Beverly's Brian Kessel broke up the ball twice in the defensive backfield, and Amesbury's Christian McGary had a fumble recovery.
“It's a great night for football and a great event for the North Shore,” Rabbitt said. “I grew up in Lynn and Harry Agganis has always been a big part of it. This is my second time coaching in the game and both times I've played against Vaughn (father of the Lynn Classical quarterback) and it's always a great night.”
South 27, North 16
The 62nd Agganis All-Star Football Game
Manningfield, Lynn
North 0 0 16 0 16
South 7 6 0 14 27
Score Overview
S- Jayden Roman 7 run (Dom Scales kick)
S-Scales 22 FG
S-Scales 27 FG
N- Ebenezer Annan 3 runs (Matt Callahan's rush)
N- Max Sanchez 11 runs (Albert Pujols pass from Corey Grimes)
S-Roman 28 runs (Scales kick)
S- John Naski 79 Pass from Brian Vaughan (Scales kick)
Personal StatisticsRush: North — Max Sanchez 3-55, Ebenezer Annan 7-32, John Gucciardi 2-(-1), Corey Grimes 6-(-22); South — Jayden Roman 6-78, Alex Silva 6-11, Matt Lamonica 2-7, Marcus Rojas 1-4, Brian Vaughn 2-(-5).
Through: North — Grimes 14-20-139-0-0; South— Vaughan 12-16-203-1-0.
Reception: North — Cooper Sulam 4-55, Albert Pujols 3-26, Jaden Prophet 3-21, Gucciardi 1-18, Ryan Nolan 1-12, Annan 1-8, Morenel Castro 1-2 South — John Naski 8-168, Eli Batista 1-18, Josh Anderson 1-11, Justin Reyes 1-4, Ethan Plumb 1-2.
