AUBURN, MASS. (WHDH) - The Auburn High School and Leicester High School football teams faced off Thursday night in the inaugural “Top Cop” football game that honors a fallen police officer.
All 3,000 tickets to the game were sold, with the money going to Auburn Officer Ron Tarentino’s family. Tarentino, 42, was shot and killed in Auburn back in May during a traffic stop. He leaves behind a wife and three sons.
“These communities have the biggest hearts of any communities I know,” said Tarentino’s widow, Tricia.
Tricia Tarentino also got a big surprise at the game when one of the football players revealed himself to be her eldest son, Ron Tarentino III. The family was not expecting him to come, as he is in the Army and stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
“It’s hard for me to be so far away and not be able to support each other,” said Ron Tarentino III.
The teams in the game, Auburn and Leicester, represented the two towns that Tarentino had served as a police officer.
“It’s a great tribute to Ron Tarentino and his family and the Auburn Police Department, we can’t thank everyone enough,” said Auburn Police Chief Andrew Sluckis. “The amount of support we’re seeing is just incredible.”
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