LYNN — For those who had both Agganis lacrosse games ending in ties on their bingo cards, you won big Sunday.
Just after the girls game ended in an 11-11 draw, the boys ended 10-10 as North and South put on a show for the fans at Manning Field.
Marblehead goalie Finn Maniaci made several key stops in the first half for South, catching the attention of coach Peter Pappagianopoulos (Lynn).
“Incredible first half,” Pappagianopoulos said of Maniaci. “It’s an All-Star game. As a goalie, you’re kind of expected to go through the motions, but wow, what a great first half.”
Lynn Classical’s Ryan Dunn (South) and Newburyport’s Oliver Pons (North) were named MVPs. Dunn scored his two goals in the first quarter, while Pons scored two of his three in the third.
When asked if MVP was on his mind after tucking two early goals, Dunn was quick to the point.
“No, I just came to have fun,” Dunn said. “I don’t know, I just did my thing.”
Pappagianopoulos knows Dunn’s thing very well, and couldn’t have been happier postgame.
“What a great kid. Awesome player, but awesome kid more importantly,” Pappagianopoulos said. “He’s put in the effort to become the player he’s become… Every day, all day, one of the most coachable kids you’ll ever have.”
Dunn played well until the final minute, as did the rest of his team. Trailing 10-7 after three, South rattled off three consecutive goals from Bobby DeFeo (Wakefield), Lee Poulin (Austin Prep), and Mason Simpson (Beverly).
“We came on late. We had it on the overtime. If they just gave us one more minute, we’re all set,” Pappagianopoulos said. “We fell behind by three in the fourth quarter and I expected the kids to just say, ‘Well, it’s hot out. Let’s give up on this.’ It’s nice to see they cared that much to put in the effort and finish that game off.”
Despite it being an All-Star game, the final minute featured a hit, a handful of loose-ball box outs, and a shot off the crossbar from North’s Braeden McDonald (Triton).
In the end, despite players eyeing a game-winning finish, time ran out on both sides.
“Nasty day out today, but they fought through it,” Pappagianopoulos said of the hot weather. “The kids came to play.”
Some of those kids were Swampscott’s Christian Urbano (1 goal) and St. Mary’s Brady Ayles (1 goal).
When asked if there was a game plan heading in, let’s just say it revolved around combatting the 80-degree weather.
“The gameplan was if you’re tired, come off,” Pappagianopoulos said. “It was rotating everyone in through attack and letting everyone get breathers.”
Whenever defensemen get to play attack, and vice versa, it’s typically a pretty fun day. After 20 goals and some final-minute theatrics, that’s exactly what it was.
“Everybody just seemed to have fun, which is all that matters,” Pappagianopoulos said. “I went to Lynn Classical myself. Coming from Lynn, Agganis is big.”
“It was great,” Dunn said. “It’s really fun playing with a ton of other talented players [and] I’ve worked hard all season to be here. It’s great playing with the best of the best around.”