Team East has a lot to play for in CHaD All-Star Football Game

Kevin Hebert reflects on those first two years of his daughter’s life with trepidation.

The Spaulding High School athletic director and head football coach wouldn’t wish the sleepless nights or repeated hospital visits on any other parent, but he’s also grateful he had Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth‐Hitchcock doctors and nurses working with Sami to correct her heart issues.

What began as a heart murmur eventually led to Hebert’s daughter being diagnosed with patent ductus arteriosus, an opening between two blood vessels leading from the heart, and patent foramen ovale, a hole in the heart that didn’t close the way it should after birth. CHaD staff helped Sami every step of the way. It’s why Hebert doesn’t hesitate when called on to coach in the CHaD NH East-West High School All-Star Football Game.

The 2021 installment, set for 1 p.m. on Saturday at Saint Anselm College in Goffstown will be the fifth Hebert is participating in. It’s his first as head coach.

“For me it’s a personal way to give back to such a great organization, who was there for my family in a scary and stressful time in our lives,” Hebert said. “To be a part of this game in any capacity wasn’t a hard decision for me, and now in my fifth year as part of this fundraising effort, and to be the head coach of Team East means so much more.”

Today, three years removed from treatment, Sami is an active and healthy 5 year old joining her dad at all the practices leading up to game day.

“This is why we’re here,” Hebert said. “We’re playing this game for all the kids who are getting top-notch medical care at CHaD hospitals. That’s stressed every day to these guys – it’s charity first and football second. We’re making a difference in the lives of so many with what we’re doing here. I think they all get that and understand it.”

Team visits to patients at the hospital, a major part of the charity event, were canceled this year due to Covid-19 restrictions. So hearing Hebert’s story and that of other teammates has helped highlight the reason behind the game for Team East players.

The stories of Winnacunnet running back Ryan Eaton, who has been a CHaD patient since 2004 for hypothyroidism, and Londonderry defensive back Aiden O’Loughlin, who’s older brother was diagnosed with a Chiari Malformation in his brain and treated by the CHaD neurology department, are just two more personal connections of many on Team East.

“It’s really cool to be a part of this,” O’Loughlin said. “My brother, Devin, had surgery and was treated at CHaD from the age of 3 to 18. So it’s an honor to be a part of this and give back. This isn’t just about football, there’s so much more to all of this than just a game we’ll play on a Saturday afternoon. There’s so much more to it.”

For O’Loughlin and Londonderry teammates Hayden Fielder and Lucas Seaman, there’s a lot more than representing their community in a charity game. They’ll be taking the field to honor teammate Jake Naar as well.

Naar, a senior captain on the Lancers’ football and lacrosse teams, died in a single-car accident in March. Team East will honor Naar’s memory pre-game and in-game. During its first defensive downs, Team East will line up with just 10 players on the field for the first play, leaving Naar’s starting defensive end spot open.

“He means so much to his teammates, his school, his hometown,” Hebert said. “He earned his place on this roster. He was just named a captain for our team and he would have been a starting defensive end in this game. We will honor his memory. His legacy.”

Defensively, Team East will run a four-man front and rotate between sets of three linebackers and nickel.

On the defensive line, Hebert is expecting some big plays from Winnacunnet’s David Araujo and St. Thomas’s Tim Bonagura. The linebackers are led by Salem’s Noah Poulin and Tanner Morgano, Dover’s Beau Normandeau, and Exeter’s Danny Doris. Depth in the secondary, led by Londonderry’s O’Loughlin, will be a key factor in the final outcome, according to Hebert.

Offensively, Alvirne’s Kyle Gora gets the start at quarterback in the spread formation. The Broncos standout will have plenty of talented weapons to work with, highlighted by Dover’s Luke Geppert and St. Thomas’s Adam Stewart at receiver, Pelham’s Jake Herrling in the backfield, and the line play of Timberlane’s Nick Matthews and Londonderry’s Fielder.

“We have a solid and talented roster from top to bottom,” Hebert said. “We’ve raised more than $44,000 as a team. That was our first goal – fundraising. We wanted to be the top fundraising team, and I think we did that. Now it’s game time and we want to win it for the East.”