LWN072921

JULY 29, 2021
WEEKLYNEWS.NET - 978-532-5880 9
Sports
Locals compete at Northeast 7v7 tournament
By Mike Alongi
PEABODY — The first sign
that a normal football season is
on the horizon came over the
weekend on the field at Bishop
Fenwick’s Donaldson Stadium
and the surrounding fields, as
football programs from around
the state showed up to compete
in the Northeast 7v7 East
Regional tournament Saturday
afternoon. The annual 7-on-7,
two-hand touch tournament
saw 30 varsity teams compete
across six pools before moving
on to single elimination play,
with 10 freshman/sophomore
teams competing across two
separate pools.
In terms of the final results,
Marblehead made it all the
way to the tournament final
before falling to Buckingham,
Browne and Nichols by a score
of 28-25. Marblehead quarterback
Josh Robertson, who is
about to enter his senior season
under center, was one of the
more impressive players at the
tournament.
In all, local teams from
Fenwick, St. Mary’s, Lynn
Classical, Lynn Tech,
KIPP, Saugus, Swampscott,
Marblehead, Peabody, Lynnfield,
Revere and Winthrop all came
to get some reps in at what is
normally considered the unofficial
opening of the high school
PHOTO | SPENSER HASAK
Quarterback Nick Razzaboni throws a pass for team Lynnfield at the Northeast 7v7 East
Regional tournament Saturday at Bishop Fenwick High School.
football season.
“I just like seeing the guys
get out there and play and
build camaraderie,” said KIPP
coach Jim Rabbitt, whose program
competed in the event for
the first time. “Bonding starts
taking place right here, and it
kicks off the football season the
right way.”
Following the pool play portion
of the day, things were set
for the first round play-in games.
In local action, Marblehead
knocked off St. Mary’s and
moved on to face Swampscott,
which earned a first-round bye.
The other two local teams to
make it through — Peabody and
Classical — both lost in the first
round, with Peabody falling
to Marshwood and Classical
falling to Andover.
The quarterfinal matchup
between Marblehead and
Swampscott was a doozy, with
Marblehead edging out its
Thanksgiving Day rival by a
score of 13-12 after Robertson
threw a 40-yard touchdown
with 10 seconds remaining to
win the game.
The momentum carried right
into the semifinal round, with
Marblehead rolling to a 20-6
win over Andover and setting
up the final matchup with
Buckingham, Browne and
Nichols.
While Marblehead did make
a number of great plays in that
final matchup, Buckingham,
Browne and Nichols was just
too strong behind the stellar
play of star brothers Shane and
Ronan Hanafin and took home
the 28-25 victory.
With training camp now
less than a month away, this
weekend was a first glimpse
into what will hopefully be the
first normal football season
since 2019. Teams are allowed
to begin camp on Friday, Aug.
20.
Briggs takes home
Item All-Star honors
for boys lacrosse
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