BEDFORD – If any player benefits the most from participating in the CHaD East-West All-Star Football Game, it might be Hopkinton’s Henry Yianakopolos.
Yianakopolos is the first player from Hopkinton to be selected to the annual summer showcase, which will hold its sixth installment Friday at 7 p.m. at Saint Anselm College in Goffstown.
Better yet, he was voted captain for the West team Thursday.
Yianakopolos emerged as a star player for the RedHawks, a program that has been on the ropes in recent years. Last fall was the first varsity season for Hopkinton and Hillsboro-Deering as a cooperative program.
Voters in Hopkinton denied a budget item earmarked for the football team in 2016 but chose to support the program at the school district’s meeting in March. The RedHawks struggled in Division II, but produced two players recognized among the best in the state with Yianakopolos and Liam Flanagan, who is set to play in the Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl in August.
“It’s weird for me coming from such a small school and a small team, but these guys make it easy because they’re all great players and they’re all really cool guys,” Yianakopolos said. “Everyone is here for the same reason – to practice and get even better.”
Yianakopolos is expected to play football next year at the University of Rhode Island as a preferred walk-on. Playing in the CHaD game, and the week of practices leading up to it, gives him a chance to see how his skills measure alongside the top Division I players in New Hampshire.
“It’s cool to see how I stack up against the better players,” Yianakopolos said. “These Division I kids are really good. That’s a really competitive division. They’re all respectable, they know I come from a small school. Some of them haven’t heard of my town but they respect who I am and it’s cool to see how the guys come together and make it easy for this to be a great time.”
Standing nearby the football field at Bedford High School on Tuesday, the team awaited directions as a thunderstorm approached. Some of the players laughed over a game of KanJam in the parking lot while waiting for coaches to arrive.
Clearly rapport has developed quickly for this team.
“We’re just a bunch of guys playing football who love the game,” said Kody Hardy, a lineman from Concord. Hardy was a captain for his senior season with the Tide.
“The cool thing is how this game brings everyone together,” said Concord’s Reid Ljungholm, a tight end and linebacker and another former Tide captain. “Spending time with the kids at the hospital and seeing what it is we’re playing for, and also playing with all these kids you’ve played against. It’s cool to come back and play one more game.”
Ljungholm will play football at Wheaton College in Illinois next year. Hardy plans to study criminal justice at NHTI. He hopes to transfer to Plymouth State and tryout for the football team.
The West team is coached by Jim Schubert, who led Manchester Central to six D-I championships in 18 years. The East is coached by Laconia’s Craig Kozens, who has three Laconia players on his roster in Carty Doherty (TE / DL), Jacob Filgate (RB / LB) and James McDonald (OL / DL).
The West leads the series all-time with three wins in the first three years of the game’s existence. East, under the direction of Kozens, has won the last two games. For many of the players, it will be their last organized football game. Going out with a win is a top priority.
Kozens has found a way to win while rotating the roster so every player has a chance to get on the field. It has worked well in the last two games where East outscored West, 57-29.
“You’ve got to keep it simple,” Kozens said. “Have the kids lined up in the right place to be successful. We really try to make playing time equal so we play with fresh kids and we’ve had success on our end doing it the last couple of year. Hopefully that mentality carries over Friday night.”
West defensive coordinator Paul Lavigne has slotted Yianakopolos as a defensive back and safety. He’s also on the depth chart as the third-string quarterback. Looking for every opportunity, Yianakopolos was also practicing kickoffs and field goals on Tuesday.
“I just love the game and I love playing it,” Yianakopolos said. “It gives me experiences like this to meet a bunch of other guys that love it just as much as I do. There’s no doubt everyone is here for the reason to win and they have the passion to win.”
The CHaD game splits the state down the middle into two regions with top players from across all three divisions. D-I, the largest of the NHIAA’s competitive categories, make up more than half the roster on each side.
The game has grown through its first five years while generating more than $1 million for Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth. Donations for this year’s game have already surpassed $200,000. More information on the game and fundraising can be found at ChadAllStarFootball.org.
For the players whose football careers come to a close in this game, Schubert expects they take advantage of playing the game one last time.
“We’re raising money for kids that likely will never play this game, that’s No. 1,” Schubert said. “But it doesn’t take away from the will to win for these kids. … It’s probably going to be your last one and then you end up playing on Turkey Day playing touch football in the mud with all of your friends. The memories of games always stay with you. Whether it’s a high school game or an all-star game, they always stay with you.”
(Nick Stoico can be reached at 369-3339, nstoico@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @NickStoico.)