2ndQuarterHonorRoll2007

LYNN -- Football is not about making friends. It is about destroying the opponent, the enemy, and the players are trained to triumph. The mentality of a football player once they strap on their pads and step onto the field is unlike that of any other athlete in any other sport.

The object of the game is to pummel your adversary into submission. Whether it's offense or defense, if you're hitting them harder than they're hitting you, you're generally that much closer to winning.

But the Agganis All-Star Football Classic is different. The desire for victory is inherent, but that thirst for the big hit has somehow vanished. The Agganis Classic always had a way of uniting student-athletes and recognizing them for their triumphs, and in its 48th year, the Classic hasn't lost its touch.

"It's funny because for so long you learn to hate them and all you want to do is beat them. But then you meet your enemies and you become friends and it's awesome," said Winthrop graduate and lineman Robert Hamilton, who is enrolled at New Hampton this fall.

Hamilton was a member of the victorious South squad, which vanquished the North 20-0 due largely in part to two Anthony Enderle touchdowns in the first quarter and stalwart defense throughout the entire game from the South. Hamilton 's family is no stranger to the Agganis Classic as his brother, Phil Jr., was a participant last year and his father, Phil Sr., played in the annual contest when he was a graduating senior.

"It's an honor," Hamilton said. "It's awesome."

The South quickly bonded with steadfast success in the early portion of the game. Players threw up high-fives and bumped chests midair after tackles, and celebrated as a collective group after Enderle's two scores (1-yard run and 2-yard reception) and a 52-yard scamper by Salem 's Colby Boulay propelled the score to 20-0 before the end of the first quarter.

"This is a great honor and a great experience," said running back and South Most Valuable Player Enderle, who is a recent graduate of Gloucester High School and is headed to American International College in Springfield .

"It's fun to play one last high school football game with a few of my friends, and I even made friends with the kids from Classical, which I was surprised about after the intense game we had last season."

The South's scoring attack may have waned after an explosive opening quarter but the enjoyment of the Classic and the reverence for Harry Agganis did not.

"This is a great experience, especially being from Lynn ," said Lynn Classical graduate Tony Johnson (WR/LB), who will be attending Merrimack in the fall. "It's a great pleasure playing for (Agganis), knowing how great of an athlete he was. He was the best."

Although the North forced its way on the board with a 3-yard Jake Cotter (Hamilton-Wenham) touchdown run in the fourth quarter, the South cruised to an easy victory in front of a large crowd at the nearly completed Manning Field, and the final high school football game the players will ever play came to an end.

"It's a lot of fun. Everyone has a good attitude. Everyone's into it and making friends and enjoying playing with each other," Johnson said.

In the future, those who played in last night's game may not remember their personal statistics or perhaps even the final score, but they will recall with pride the honor it was to play in the Agganis Classic and the enemies who suddenly became teammates.