LYNN — Peabody’s Alan Paulino barely got any reps at running back during practice for the Agganis All-Star Football Classic on Wednesday at Manning Field.

But when one of his South teammates was ejected early in the third quarter, Paulino got the call to step in and do so he did.

The Curry-bound Paulino scored a pair of second-half touchdowns to garner MVP honors and pace the South to a 24-7 win over the North in the 61st edition of the summer classic.

“Adrenaline kind of took over there when I had to go in,” Paulino said.

It was a hard-hitting affair from the beginning but it was only 10-7 South at the beginning of the third quarter when Peabody’s Jayce Dooley swung the momentum with a huge interception of a Max Ciaramitaro pass. He returned the pick to the North 35.

Moments later came a trio of ejections as tempers flared. After things settled down, Shea Lynch hit Peabody teammates Dooley and Colin Ridley to move the ball inside the 10. Paulino got the call on the next play and scored from eight yards to make it 17-7.

“All those Peabody kids were just awesome,” South coach Lou Cicatelli of Revere said. “Paulino is a stud and he did a great job coming in like he did.”

The North drove into South territory on the next possession but turned it over on downs late in the third and wouldn’t see the ball again until late in the fourth.

Paulino, Fenwick’s Costa Beechin and Lynch did most of the work on the ground during a 13-play drive that covered 62 yards. Paulino’s one-yard plunge on third down with 4:19 left put the game away.

The teams had traded touchdowns in the first quarter as Everett’s Karmarri Ellerbe hit Beechin for a 61-yard TD off a double pass on the game’s first possession.

The North responded with the hard running of team MVP Will Shannon of Masco along with three completions from Ciaramitaro, the last of which went to Shannon for a score. It stayed tied at 7-7 until the final play of the half when St. John’s Prep kicker Max Rizza booted a 39-yard field goal to make it 10-7.