RANDOLPH — Running back Danny Abraham, 17, of Randolph said this football season was one of the most memorable he’ll ever have.
The Patriot Ledger All-Scholastic football player of the year is headed to Harvard this fall to play Division I football.
Wearing a checkered bow tie at the Lombardo’s banquet, Abraham said it’s great to know that what he and his teammates at Boston College High School accomplished means a lot.
“It stinks when hard work doesn’t get noticed. I’m glad it got noticed,” he said.
Abraham thanked God and especially his parents whose own hard work and sacrifice paid off. His dad introduced him to football when he was 8.
“Both of my parents were immigrants,” he said with pride.
The All Scholastic event drew 164 high school athletes from around the South Shore. Sports included football, volleyball, field hockey, golf, soccer and cross country.
Also honored as players of the year in their sports were Brittany Raphino, Thayer Academy, girls soccer; Rachel Melampy, Duxbury, volleyball; Bridget Mitchell, Milton, girls cross-country; Jack O'Donnell, Boston College High, golf; Vangjel Gjergo, North Quincy, boys soccer; Justin Gaiser, Pembroke, boys cross-country; Elle Hansen, Cohasset, field hockey.
Singer Olivia “LIVV” Tsetsilas, 14, of New Hampshire opened the program with covers including “If I Ain’t Got You” and “Gravity.”
Keynote speaker Brian Scalabrine, a former Boston Celtics Forward, emphasized the importance of giving your all “every day” to the packed room of teens. He spoke about his journey as an athlete from his early teen years to playing alongside Celtics stars like Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo.
“The biggest thing about these guys is that they’re all really great students. That’s what’s unique about them,” he said.
He said his favorite place on the South Shore is Scituate because he’s been invited to the high school to play basketball there.
There were several generations of Patriot Ledger All Scholastic athletes in the room. Patriot Ledger All Scholastic star Doug Ragusa played football on the same field at Canton High School as his son, Alec, 18, in the mid 1980s. “Back then it was more of a powerhouse program,” he said.
His son, Alec, said his team had no secret to success. He had just two words.
“Hard work.”
The presenting sponsor of the event was Stop & Shop. Marketing director Janine Mudge spoke about her personal connections to youth sports and the company's focus on health and wellness. She said that they make a “great commitment to the communities we serve on the South Shore.”
Other sponsors were Beth Israel Deaconess-Milton Hospital, Jack Conway & Company, Quincy College, South Shore Bank, Georgio’s House of Pizza, Goodale Insurance, Herb Chambers Lexus, Mass Bay Credit Union, Quincy College and South Shore Bank.