10th annual CHaD East-West All-Star Football Game Saturday at Saint Anselm College

DOVER - Though the 2021 high school football season is over, and state champions have been crowned, perhaps, the most meaningful football game in New Hampshire is set to take place this weekend.

The 10th annual Children's Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock (CHaD) East-West All-Star Football Game will be played on Saturday at Saint Anselm College, and the cause of the game is much bigger than the end result on the scoreboard.

"It's such a great cause," Winnacunnet High School's Jack McCann said. "Being able to raise money, and to just know that I'm doing something more than just football for this game (is great). It's just really great to be able to be around people who are part of one big community trying to help the same cause."

Kickoff is scheduled for 11 a.m. Donations to a particular player's fund-raising efforts and tickets to the game can be found at www.CHaDAllStarFootball.org.

Team West, which leads the all-time series, 6-3, won last year's game, 29-6. Team East won in 2015 (29-15), 2016 (28-14) and 2019 (17-13).

"We want this to be a competitive, back and forth (series)," said Spaulding's Kevin Hebert who is serving as the Team East head coach for the second straight year. "Last year it was 6-6 going into the fourth quarter, then the wheels kind of fell off for us. So we've been trying to talk to these guys a little bit about that. (In a charity game) you want the game to be back and forth, you don't want one side always winning and one side always losing."

Exeter High School graduate and Miami Dolphins tight end Hunter Long, who competed in the 2016 CHaD game, is scheduled to be at Saturday's game and to participate in a ceremonial coin toss.

Team East, along with McCann, is comprised of, in part, by Portsmouth's Will Hindle, Max Lalime, Caleb Comstack and Silas Garland; Winncunnet's Dom Gould; Dover's Darian Lopez-Sullivan; Exeter's Adam Neil, Nathan Leighton and Matt Cronin, Spaulding's Joey Gianotti, St. Thomas Aquinas' Liam Sullivan, Epping's Colby Bost, and Somersworth's Jacob Gibson.

McCann, a linebacker and center who helped Winnacunnet to last fall's Division I championship game, was honored to be selected to play in this year's game.

"It's great to be able to play next to a bunch of kids I played against for a while," McCann said. "It's just great to be able to play next to them, and get to know them as people and friends, instead of enemies."

CHaD Event and Project Coordinator Kaitlyn Tomasello said the annual game is "near and dear" to her heart.

"This game is perhaps one of my favorite games to actually plan out of all our events," she said. "This one is always one that just connects people in a different way."

Hebert said the kids have been great in practices this week.

"We challenged these kids very hard in the fundraising factor, that's one of the reasons they're here," Hebert said.

As of Thursday, Team East had raised just over $36,000 and are aiming for at least $40,000 before kickoff.

Last season, Team East raised a little over $50,000.

"They're all tremendous football players, that's a given," Hebert added. "But they're all high-character kids. When you select them on paper, and you talk with their coaches, you're asking that question, but when you really get a feel when you're out there with them, you now know why coaches speak as highly as they do."

"It's definitely an honor to be respected by some of your peers around the state and coaches is most definitely an honor, I'm proud to be here," Dover High School quarterback Darian Lopez-Sullivan said. "I think it's for a great cause and I'm 100 percent behind it. It's a great experience just to be out here playing football as well, but also just being here to support a good cause is something I love to do."

Spaulding is Dover's biggest rival, and Red Raiders linebacker Isaac Lapointe is OK with putting the rivalry aside for four quarters for a greater cause, and even swapped team decals with Dover's star quarterback ahead of Tuesday's practice at St. Thomas Aquinas.

"A lot of respect for that guy," Lapointe said.

"It kind of feels good to be playing football for something other than just competition," Lapointe added. "This is a game for the kids, and we're going to get after it.

Though it's not about who scores the most points, Lapointe said the competitive nature will be there from the jump.

"(Team West) is going to be a spread offense, which means they have athletes really everywhere," Hebert said. "Peyton (Strickland) of Goffstown is a big time weapon for them and a big, big target; and their running backs are really solid."

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Team East prepares for annual CHaD benefit football game at Saint Anselm College