RallyNorth.net

Every Monday RallyNorth.net will salute bone-crunching linebackers, elusive running backs, immovable linemen and rocket-armed quarterbacks from the 37 area high school football teams. We've dubbed them Power Players and you won't want to miss who the best and the brighest were from the weekend's schoolboy gridiron action.

Football has taken John Rafferty from New England to New York and back.

The North Andover coach, 53, grew up in Wakefield, where he starred as a schoolboy, and eventually earned a scholarship to Syracuse.

Patty Verge has an important reservation Saturday afternoon, one with little wiggle room according to her son, Colby. "She'll be on the Pinkerton side," said Colby emphatically. "I guarantee it. I'm sure of it. Pinkerton side, yep." Colby, a junior defensive back for the Astros, almost sounded like he was trying to convince himself.

1.St. John's Prep (2-0): The season starts in earnest for the Eagles this weekend as the state's top ranked team, Everett, comes to Cronin Stadium. Last week: 1

Every Monday RallyNorth.net will salute bone-crunching linebackers, elusive running backs, immovable linemen and rocket-armed quarterbacks from the 37 area high school football teams. We've dubbed them Power Players and you won't want to miss who the best and the brighest were from the weekend's schoolboy gridiron action.

One weekend, 83 carries and a mind-boggling 907 yards rushing.

No, it's not what you probably think one college running back tearing up the hapless Notre Dame or Michigan defenses last week.

Rather, it was the combined rushing totals of four of the North Shore's elite running backs on the opening weekend of the high school football season.

Kevin Bradley is a football man through and through. The Whittier Tech coach is no less excited about the sport today than he was during his days as a schoolboy star at Methuen High.

Last Saturday, his Wildcats, who are coming off a trip to the Division 3 EMass. Super Bowl, opened with a 36-32 victory over Charlestown.

1.St. John's Prep 1-0 -- Can't get much better than its opening game rout of Peabody

2.Salem (N.H.) 2-0 -- Granite State power is on an early season roll

Every Monday RallyNorth.net will salute bone-crunching linebackers, elusive running backs, immovable linemen and rocket-armed quarterbacks from the 37 area high school football teams. We've dubbed them Power Players and you won't want to miss who the best and the brighest were from the weekend's schoolboy gridiron action.

Football is now underway and throughout the season, attention will be upon each and every player -- their strategies on the field, their kicks, their goal, and their dramatic wins and heartbreaking losses. But what about the people off the field? At Saturday's opening game between the Bevelry Panthers and Lynn English at Hurd Stadium, people behind the scenes made sure everything ran smoothly and turned a football game into a true community event.