St John’s, Fairfield, and Marist College came together for The American Boy Project’s Fall Brawl, Oct. 12, at Bay Shore High School.

All three teams had players that grew up in the community, including Marist’s Luke Walker (#15), St John’s Cole Kluepfel and Fairfield’s Will Snyder (#44).

Local families and fans gathered despite the rain to not only watch the games, but to support the American Boy Project’s goal of helping those struggling with addiction in families.

The first matchup was St John’s against Fairfield, and Fairfield wound up taking the win. Special guest Timmy Brooks, founder of Synergy Houses, then came to talk to the players and crowd.

“Carrying the responsibility” and “being a good leader” are some of the many lessons that Brooks had learned from his own personal struggles that he shared with the players. Brooks currently runs Synergy Houses, where individuals struggling in life can heal. It’s through speakers like Brooks that the American Boy Project can truly demonstrate how addiction can be grappled with as long as there is proper help.

After Marist took the win against Fairfield, Larry Megale, founder of the American Boy Project, shared how the nonprofit began. After the tragic death of Megale’s son Matt, at 26, from an opioid overdose, Megale wanted to do something about the addiction epidemic.

After all, these addictions can hit kids, and he shared that “this kind of addiction can happen at home, in the basement or in their room, without the family even knowing it.”

As Matt had played lacrosse, the nonprofit began with hosting these Fall Lacrosse Brawls in honor of Matt, with the nonprofit’s name stemming from Matt’s sister Shea’s book about his death, titled “American Boy.” 

Furthermore, these Brawls fundraise in order to provide families with support during addiction by funding rehabilitation visits. Through this, Larry and his nonprofit aim to help addicts so that no other family experiences a tragedy like Matt’s.

After a final match with Marist and St John’s, the winner came out to be Marist. No matter how much rain poured, the spirit that both teams had couldn’t be weathered down.