By Tom O’Brien
NEFJ Correspondent

WESTWOOD – The 48th annual Shriners North/South All Star Classic took place on Friday night at Xaverian Brothers in Westwood and it was a defensive struggle throughout.

The Shriners All Star Classic is an Eastern Mass senior All Star game put on by the Massachusetts High School Football Coaches Association and sponsored by the Aleppo Shriners Organization, with all proceeds going to the Shriners Hospital in Boston.

The game was a scoreless stalemate through three quarters, until the South broke through late in the game and held off the North 6-0.

The South finally put a scoring drive together to start the final quarter as South running back Brady McCormack (Medfield) punched in it from a yard out to give the South the 6-0 lead after being stopped short on an 11-yard run the play prior.

“It was a counter the opposite way, bounced outside, saw an opening, and I went for it. It turned out pretty well for us,” explained McCormack.

After punting on the next drive, the North got the ball right back as defensive back Colin McGough (Lynn Tech) picked off South quarterback Dylan Keenan (Taunton) on a wild catch, giving North life, but nothing came of it.

Looking to put the game away, Keenan threw another back-breaking interception to North linebacker Seth Sacco (Winthrop) with under two minutes remaining.

The South needed a stop.

South linebacker Tallan King (King Philip) picked the ball off in the end zone with under 30 seconds remaining, securing the 6-0 victory for the South.

“We were all manned up, I knew they were gonna go to my side. Once he rolled out, I went to the pylon and he threw it right to my hands,” said King.

On the South’s first drive, South wide receiver Ronan Sammon (Milton) made a ridiculous catch early to set up his squad in North territory.

The drive stalled at the North 14-yard line though, after a penalty negated a Keenan touchdown pass.

On the opening drive for the North, it looked like an easy score was coming after a 69-yard catch from wide receiver Ben Christopher (Tewksbury) set the North up inside the South 30-yard line, but the South defense forced a  turnover on downs to end the first quarter.

The South opened the second quarter with another drive that went into North territory. The North defense held again, while Ronan Sammon’s kick was no good.

The North would punt after one first down on its next possession, but got the ball right back as Keenan threw an interception to Seth Sacco.

The North could not move the ball and came up empty to end the half as North quarterback Steven Harper (Pentucket) was sacked by King and South defensive lineman Travis Gardner-Harris (Archbishop Williams).

On the opening drive of the second half, South defensive lineman Alin Norisca (Randolph) forced a  fumble. South wide receiver Cam Deleskey (Foxboro) converted a fourth down catch in the red zone, but another turnover on downs followed.

“I thought we did some really good things. We had some big plays, some really good drives. We just kept making some critical mistakes that kept us from getting points,” said South head coach Steve Dembowski.

“The best thing is we trained the players to play on both sides and on a hot night like tonight, they did a really good job competing. It’s nice to get the win after the work they put in.”

“It was a battle and definitely a defensive game. Penalties killed us on offense. We had to practice all four ways and bring it,” said King.

“It was a team effort, and as a team, we picked each other up,” added McCormack.

The players and coaches also touched on the Shriners organization and what it meant to them.

“It means a ton to me personally. It was a great opportunity to give back to this organization and the work they do to help children they never even met. They’re selfless and determined and we talked to the kids about that a lot this week. They can take these lessons back to their communities and continue to do more good will in their communities,” Dembowski added.

“The Shriners are a great cause. They help families all over our state. It was great working with them. They’re really positive people,” said McCormack.

“It just reminds us that it’s bigger than football. It’s not about us, it’s about little kids or people that are less fortunate. It’s great to have the whole community raise money for a great cause,” King added.