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# Parkinson hopes to represent Alvirne well at CHaD All-Star Football Game
- URL: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/parkinson-hopes-represent-alvirne-well-chad-star-football-game/
- Published: 2016-06-25T12:30:02.000Z
- Updated: 2016-06-25T12:30:02.000Z
- Description: High school football players in New Hampshire only get one opportunity to play in the CHaD East-West All-Star Game, but Bennett Parkinson sure does feel like he's been here before. The recent Alvirne High School graduate has spent the better part of the last week practicing with the East all-star te
- Author: Joe Marchilena
- Tags: Fall Sports, all-star, Alvirne, CHaD, Division I, football, slider, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-18 04:44

High school football players in New Hampshire only get one opportunity to play in the CHaD East-West All-Star Game, but Bennett Parkinson sure does feel like he's been here before.

The recent Alvirne High School graduate has spent the better part of the last week practicing with the East all-star team in preparation of Saturday's game, an annual event that benefits the Children's Hospital at Dartmouth. The game kicks off at 5:30 p.m. Saturday at Saint Anselm College.

As the lone Bronco on the roster, Parkinson had to quickly get to know more than three dozen other players, not to mention a handful of coaches, and learn how make it work in a hurry. Fortunately, for Parkinson, he's been in this situation before.

Before his junior and senior years of high school, Parkinson participated in USA Football, which runs the U.S. national football team. As a member of the program, Parkinson was on a team with players from around the country, spending a week of practice that culminated in an all-star game.

"This feels a lot like that team," Parkinson said. "I got a letter for the one in Massachusetts and I went there. The initial stage is just a T-shirt and shorts camp. From there, I got elected to the next level and the next level, and got to represent my country.

"I played in Baltimore my junior year, which was like the regional camp that they do. I got invited to the national bowl down in Arlington, Texas. We played this team from all around the world. I was a captain there and it was just an incredible experience."

That experience helped Parkinson become on of the best offensive linemen in the state last fall, which led to a spot on the East roster, where he'll start at offensive guard, and earlier this week, he was named one of three captains.

"He definitely has the size and the feet," East coach Craig Kozens (Laconia) said. "When he got in here, he competed with the best, and he's been one of our best lineman. He's one of the two guards starting. He's a vocal leader and he hustles. He says it and then he also does it, and the kids chose him as a captain."

Parkinson has played a big part in the East's offensive line getting on the same page quickly, which helped the offense as a whole hit the ground running.

"With this team, I feel like we've learned it all pretty quickly," Parkinson said. "We've gotten together outside of practice and tried to work on our chemistry, and that's helped us a lot.

"You might know it, but you can ask the guy next to you and he knows, and there's no embarrassment there. We're picking up things really fast. We've gotten to the point where we're comfortable enough with everything that we can get into game-specific situations."

With this year's game, Parkinson will be the second Alvirne player to participate, after former teammate Jack Mahoney played for the East in 2015, helping that team to it's first victory in the series. Parkinson hopes they've started something that will become a trend for Alvirne football.

"For me to get picked for this, and be able to represent my town ... Jack Mahoney was the first kid from Alvirne (in 2015), and I'm the second," he said. "That's two years in a row, that's pretty important to me to hopefully start a trend, that this goal is attainable."