NAZARETH — On Thursday evening, a group of recent high school graduates took the field under Nazareth’s stadium lights for one final opportunity to perform at the varsity level.

The players came together from all around the Lehigh Valley and Poconos for the 55th annual McDonald’s All-Star Football Classic.

For the second straight year, the two teams were designated by two primary sponsorships for the event: St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital and Ronald McDonald House.

The game did not survive four quarters, as a thunderstorm forced an early final in the third with Ronald McDonald House earning a 34-16 win.

However, neither the rain nor the score dampened the mood of all the participating players and coaches who were simply happy to be a part of the experience.

Among the highly-spirited individuals was Pleasant Valley’s Jaxson Haines.

The now former Bears’ quarterback was not only introduced to different experiences on the field, but also to a group of athletes from other schools, which was something that made his experience far more enjoyable than he expected.

“I thought it was really fun because (I was) playing with new people and making new friends,” Haines said. “It’s way different, but it’s way better because these kids are great athletes. Some of them are better people, and when you find out, it’s fun.”

For his on-field activities, Haines had the opportunity to participate on offense as a wide receiver, and even managed to make a 5-yard reception.

“It was fun to run some routes, get catches and just try something new that I wanted to do,” he said.

While it may not have been the most important aspect of the event, many players still took advantage of the moment to show off their athletic abilities one more time.

For Ronald McDonald House, the quarterback duo of Easton’s Cole Ordway and Jack Trickel from Palisades combined for nine completions, 239 yards, and four touchdowns. Ordway added an impressive 62-yard run for his first TD, and later connected with Lehighton’s Caden Meek for a 12-yard score.

“It was a lot of fun (and) a lot of meeting new people,” Meek said. “Most of them are going off to college, so we just talked about stuff like that and compared our colleges.”

Trickel showed impressive chemistry with Northampton’s Noah Kline. The 6-3 wide receiver came down with two TD receptions from Trickel, and finished with 161 receiving yards on four catches. Kline was also good on four extra point kicks.

On St. Luke’s side, quarterback Wayne King from East Stroudsburg North performed well. The Timberwolves’ southpaw showed off his talent both on the ground and in the air, finishing with 134 yards of total offense including a 37-yard TD pass to Emmaus representative Kai Jefferson-Reading.

St. Luke’s found the scoreboard one final time in the third when another Hornet — Peter Sherman — found the end zone before the rain halted action with 6:11 remaining.

The competition may have ended, but the spirits and camaraderie of meeting new faces and making new connections were still felt even as the rain came down. In addition, players also took pride in representing the schools they came from and the impact they hope to have left behind for new team members.

“It was nice wearing Lehighton one more time up on the head and just trying to support Lehighton, showing up to everything, being a guy that’s always there and just being ready,” Meek said.

“I’m blessed that coach (Blaec) Saeger and (Brian) Miller coached me and picked me for this game,” said Haines. “Them coaching me for the last time was a great experience. I hope we left a mark at Pleasant Valley and they continue winning and do everything that we left (behind).”

LOCAL PARTICIPANTS ... Eight members represented schools from within the Times News coverage area: Meek and Austin Green from Lehighton; Haines, Niko Payan, Ajani Wheeler, and Frederick Merklin from Pleasant Valley; and Grady Newhard and Nathaniel Kuhns from Northern Lehigh.

RM House 34, St. Luke’s 16

St. Luke’s 0 8 8 - 16

RM House 14 20 0 - 34

RMH - Steckert 2 run (Kline kick)

RMH - Ordway 62 run (Kline kick)

RMH - Meek 12 pass from Ordway (Kline kick)

SL - Jefferson-Reading 37 pass from King (Gonnella run)

RMH - Kline 18 pass from Trickel (kick failed)

RMH - Kline 40 pass from Trickel (Kline kick)

SL - Sherman 1 run (Brader pass from Sherman)