Massachusetts Thread

[Adam Kurkjian]

1 minute ago, PrepGridiron said:

Yeah, if it’s the same kid from TN, it looks like they have him listed as class of ‘19

It is, but heard he will play this year as a junior and go for a waiver as a senior.

[PrepGridiron]

Just now, Adam Kurkjian said:

It is, but heard he will play this year as a junior and go for a waiver as a senior.

Not sure how that works but crazy if it happens. 

[Adam Kurkjian]

Just now, PrepGridiron said:

Not sure how that works but crazy if it happens. 

It's not that crazy for up here in special circumstances. I don't know the exact one for his situation, but if he's young enough, he could get it.

[Adam Kurkjian]

On 7/12/2018 at 5:32 PM, Adam Kurkjian said:

— This is a big one. Isaac Seide of Melrose may be transferring to Everett. Seide was an All-Scholastic RB that led Melrose to the Division 4 state title last season. He was the Boston Globe's Division 4 Player of the Year last fall. If he's not the best running back in the state, he's at least close. He holds a UNH offer. This would make six Division 1-offered (FBS or FCS) kids in the senior class for the Tide. Again, stay tuned.

Just got confirmation from the Everett coach, Theluxon Pierre, that Isaac Seide is indeed transferring to Everett. This is a huge coup for the Crimson Tide. This team will now be able to put guys like Seide (UNH offer), Mike Sainristil (Virginia Tech) and Robby Riobe (FCS offers) on the field at the same time behind what should be the best offensive line in the state. Riobe will play WR, and they will move Sainristil everywhere. That opener at Xaverian will be something else.

[MA Fan]

Everett will be playing a full conference schedule starting in 2019:

http://www.salemnews.com/sports/matt-williams-column-northeastern-conference-s-divisions-good-for-all/article_0e604b59-bdb2-563a-a841-7bd8649091ff.html

[Wosinc]

6 hours ago, MA Fan said:

Everett will be playing a full conference schedule starting in 2019:

http://www.salemnews.com/sports/matt-williams-column-northeastern-conference-s-divisions-good-for-all/article_0e604b59-bdb2-563a-a841-7bd8649091ff.html

On the surface it looks like a mismatch having Everett  play most of the NEC teams.

[Adam Kurkjian]

On 8/8/2018 at 8:26 AM, Wosinc said:

On the surface it looks like a mismatch having Everett  play most of the NEC teams.

The question is whether or not playing those other programs will hurt Everett down the line when the playoffs start. The kids like the challenge of playing the best teams in the state.

[Adam Kurkjian]

OK, getting closer to the season. Let's do a quick roundup.

— Milton Academy Class of 2021 OL Greg Crippen has transferred to IMG. He has several offers already. We'll see how that goes.

— I've seen a bunch of scrimmages and talked to a lot of coaches, and in my opinion, you will not see an undefeated MIAA Division 1 champ.

I watched the Xaverian-Central Catholic and Everett-Lynn Classical scrimmages in person and did not come away thinking either Everett or Xaverian, while good, were dominant-type teams. There are a bunch of teams I still haven't seen yet, but those two in my opinion aren't running the table.

— One squad who I've underrated in my preseason rankings on my site is Brockton. They'll be very good. They're excellent up front on both sides of the ball, and their running backs are terrific, as well. They'll be a lot to handle in Division 1 South.

— I still haven't seen Catholic Memorial, but I'm sure they'll be in the mix.

— People are way down on BC High.

That's mostly it for now.

[Adam Kurkjian]

Duxbury took it to CM in a scrimmage, 20-7. Bit of a surprise, but Duxbury will be good this year.

Again, Division 1 doesn't really have that dominant team this year. May come from D2 or 3.

One thing I will say: Some of the best individual talent I've seen online so far will be on display when Mashpee takes the boat over to Nantucket Week 1. Mashpee has some studs, and Nantucket has two legit speedsters who can play for anyone. Two small schools that can really play.

[Adam Kurkjian]

In other scrimmage news, St. John's Prep took care of West Haven (Conn.). The Prep is a top 5-10-type team this year.

[Wosinc]

On 9/1/2018 at 11:47 PM, Adam Kurkjian said:

Duxbury took it to CM in a scrimmage, 20-7. Bit of a surprise, but Duxbury will be good this year.

Again, Division 1 doesn't really have that dominant team this year. May come from D2 or 3.

One thing I will say: Some of the best individual talent I've seen online so far will be on display when Mashpee takes the boat over to Nantucket Week 1. Mashpee has some studs, and Nantucket has two legit speedsters who can play for anyone. Two small schools that can really play.

Bit of an understatement ... 🤠🤠🤠

[Adam Kurkjian]

A few notes. I've been to a bunch of scrimmages and was at three different games this weekend. I've also watched a number of games online. Most of this is on my MassVarsity site, but wanted to share it with you guys.

— Mansfield is much better than I thought, and most people assumed they'd be good. The difference is they are not small up front like I expected. They have the heft to compete there. Two sophomores and two juniors on the OL, too. Their best player is a junior RB/LB, and a kid who put the game away on the ground who also plays receiver is a sophomore. They are going to play La Salle (Ohio) next year, and from what I've seen of both teams, I actually like Mansfield in that game, which is a departure of what I thought when the game was scheduled. Mansfield hosts Everett this week. I'll be there.

— Saw Duxbury beat Bridgewater-Raynham, Lincoln-Sudbury beat Springfield Central, and Catholic Memorial beat St. John's of Shrewsbury this weekend. Scrimmage result against Duxbury aside, CM impressed me the most. They're my No. 2 team in the state right now behind Everett.

— Brockton is a lot better than I thought. Their line play is dominant, and their defense is fast, aggressive, and flies to the ball. They travel to Natick Friday night in one of the better games of the weekend.

— North Attleboro ended King Philip's 25-game winning streak, 14-7. North is just such a consistent program. I think Duxbury is a little better this year, but North will still contend in D3.

— St. John's Prep took apart Haverhill. Not sure how good Haverhill is, but we'll know a lot more about the Prep after they play Central Catholic this weekend.

— Needham and Attleboro are two teams to keep an eye out for in Division 1 South. Needham can really throw the ball, and Attleboro is big up front and can push teams around.

[Wosinc]

4 hours ago, Adam Kurkjian said:

— Mansfield is much better than I thought, and most people assumed they'd be good. The difference is they are not small up front like I expected. They have the heft to compete there. Two sophomores and two juniors on the OL, too. Their best player is a junior RB/LB, and a kid who put the game away on the ground who also plays receiver is a sophomore. They are going to play La Salle (Ohio) next year, and from what I've seen of both teams, I actually like Mansfield in that game, which is a departure of what I thought when the game was scheduled. Mansfield hosts Everett this week. I'll be there.

 

Where is this game going to be played, Mass or Ohio?

[MA Fan]

Saw that Catholic Memorial (6-5 last year) crushed St. John's-Shrewsbury (13-0 last year) 49-25 in DiBiaso's debut. St. John's won that matchup 33-3 last year. CM going to be a contender right away or is SJS down?

[Adam Kurkjian]

12 hours ago, Wosinc said:

Where is this game going to be played, Mass or Ohio?

Ohio

[Adam Kurkjian]

11 hours ago, MA Fan said:

Saw that Catholic Memorial (6-5 last year) crushed St. John's-Shrewsbury (13-0 last year) 49-25 in DiBiaso's debut. St. John's won that matchup 33-3 last year. CM going to be a contender right away or is SJS down?

I think CM will be right there in the mix to win D1 South with Xaverian and a few other teams. SJS may be down but they will still be a contender in D3 imo.

[tommygun58]

My son was invited in 2006 to visit Curry College for football.He was the only kid out of 30+ from NJ.What a beautiful campus they have.I met a number of fathers from Brockton,xavier,Newton...  also a few fathers from Conn & RI.We all watched the Curry offense &  d run drills from the press box & were very impressed with their speed.One father from Brockton had his football jacket on from 1976 state champ team & wouldn't shut up about his 5' 8" 210lbs son that can bench press 300+lbs.There were others doing the same thing.When I told them that I was from NJ,they asked me to point out my son.I said the guy with messy dirty blond hair about 6' 1 185lbs that looks like he just left a Greatfull Dead concertI got smirks & grins.

We went in for lunch & the head coach approached us & asked if he can join us along with one of his assistant coaches from Glen Rock NJ(a group 1 powerhouse)They obviously wanted to tap into NJ football.I think that had a lot to do with Rowan trashing Curry(who was undefeated)in the regionals.We loved everything about Curry until the $40,000.00 per year tuition came up.Curry offered  $32,000.00.Coastal Carolina U was my sons pick.

A few years later xavier traveled to NJ to play St Joes Regional.The score was 60 - 0 at the 1/2.The next year in Mass x made a better game of it but still lost.

[Adam Kurkjian]

4 hours ago, tommygun58 said:

My son was invited in 2006 to visit Curry College for football.He was the only kid out of 30+ from NJ.What a beautiful campus they have.I met a number of fathers from Brockton,xavier,Newton...  also a few fathers from Conn & RI.We all watched the Curry offense &  d run drills from the press box & were very impressed with their speed.One father from Brockton had his football jacket on from 1976 state champ team & wouldn't shut up about his 5' 8" 210lbs son that can bench press 300+lbs.There were others doing the same thing.When I told them that I was from NJ,they asked me to point out my son.I said the guy with messy dirty blond hair about 6' 1 185lbs that looks like he just left a Greatfull Dead concertI got smirks & grins.

We went in for lunch & the head coach approached us & asked if he can join us along with one of his assistant coaches from Glen Rock NJ(a group 1 powerhouse)They obviously wanted to tap into NJ football.I think that had a lot to do with Rowan trashing Curry(who was undefeated)in the regionals.We loved everything about Curry until the $40,000.00 per year tuition came up.Curry offered  $32,000.00.Coastal Carolina U was my sons pick.

A few years later xavier traveled to NJ to play St Joes Regional.The score was 60 - 0 at the 1/2.The next year in Mass x made a better game of it but still lost.

Great post.

I used to cover Xaverian every week because I worked at its local paper. I know their coaching staff extremely well and consider the people there my friends.

There is some interesting history with Xaverian and New Jersey teams.

From what I've been told, this is back about 20 years ago, Xaverian and Don Bosco Prep would always play each other at Boston College's camp during 7-on-7s. It actually became quite a rivalry even without any real games being played. I don't know what the actual rules were for OOS games in New Jersey back then, but I know Xaverian wanted to play them. Those Xaverian teams were at another level than their current squads. They basically were a pipeline to BC and had some really good teams.

The three games I know of with Xaverian and St. Joe's were all wins for SJR, but only one of them was a blowout. The 2012 blowout game was against an X team with former Michigan and current Raiders DT Maurice Hurst but X was outmatched.

The 2006 and 2007 games were much better. I was at both games. In 2006, down there, X hit them with a lot of good option and trap plays early and held the lead at halftime. But SJR was better up front and forced some timely turnovers to win, 31-21.

In 2007 up here, even though SJR ended with a much better record (10-2 compared to 4-6 in 06), I thought SJR was better in 06. Simply, the 07 team did not move X off the LOS like it did in the second half of the 06 game. X again led at halftime (3-0), but SJR switched QBs and popped one in in the third quarter for a 6-3 win. X turned the ball over a lot in that game, too, but as opposed to 06 where SJR forced them, some of the ones in 07 X basically gave them away.

One sequence summed up that game for X, and, in a lot of ways, its season (X went I believe 4-7 that year). Forget the exact down or distance, but I believe it was a bad snap that got away from SJR and bounced deep into its own territory. I think it was fourth down, but the X player who tried to pick it up kicked it and the refs flagged him because they thought it was intentional.

Either way, the Hawks had great field position down 6-3 in the fourth quarter with a D1 kicker. On the next play from scrimmage, they tossed it to the running back, perfectly good pitch, and it flat out bounced off his chest for a fumble. SJR recovered. X never got close again.

[MA Fan]

Xaverian 42 Archbishop Stepinac 19

Everett 39 St. John's Prep 14

[Adam Kurkjian]

1 hour ago, MA Fan said:

Xaverian 42 Archbishop Stepinac 19

NYHSFAN was right. Not the same Stepinac team as last year. Was told, though, that Xaverian played really well.

[Adam Kurkjian]

Big recruiting news. Everett CB/WR Mike Sainristil has de-committed from Virginia Tech and is open.

Admittedly, this is more of a lineman state for college prospects, but Everett has produced a ton of good defensive backs over the years. The Lewis Cine kid who is now in Texas and just recently committed to Georgia is higher ranked, but he's a safety at the next level.

Sainristil's about 5-9/5-10, maybe 180.185. Depends on where he goes, but he can be effective on either side of the ball at the next level.

This kid can seriously ball, and whoever gets him will be very lucky. On top of that, he is also a great kid and will be an excellent ambassador off the field.

Sophomore

Junior

Early senior

[MA Fan]

Everett upset 23-20 by Central Catholic in the playoffs tonight.  All-Catholic final four in Division 1.

Way down in the divisions, Mashpee's state-leading 28-game win streak was snapped by Cohasset.

[Gospeeder]

This is quite a surprise but it certainly makes things up there a heck of a lot more interesting.

[Adam Kurkjian]

A few things:

— St. John’s of Shrewsbury will play Xaverian Week 6 next season. SJS will be very good on offense, but needs to improve on defense. X matches up pretty well, but those teams have had some nice games in the past.

— In maybe the game I’m looking forward to the most, Central Catholic (Lawrence) opens with Springfield Central. You’re looking at two of the top five or better teams in the state preseason. East vs. West. Lots of good storylines.

— Brockton is opening with a trip to Manning Field to play Lynn Classical. Classical loses a lot, but it should be a good game. Brockton RB Ahmik Watterson is set up for a pretty huge year, and c/o 2021 WR/DE Nayvon Reid will have some major offers by next summer.

— UMass sent out a wave of offers to in-state kids, and the new coach, Walt Bell, looks like he will be aggressive in that capacity, which local coaches are already liking a lot, from what I’ve gathered so far.

— As for Everett, they lose Mike Sainristil, who is going to Michigan, but their talent will still be very good. They have a c/o 2022 QB/WR/DB named Ish Zamor who already holds a Michigan offer. They’ve also got about three or four other kids with FCS offers already. 

[Adam Kurkjian]

On 2/11/2018 at 4:52 AM, Adam Kurkjian said:

Figured I'd do a signing day update final count from Everett:

CB/WR Jason Maitre (will play CB at Boston College)

OL Helber Fagundes (UMass, very nice get because he had bigger offers on the table)

WR Isaiah Likely (Coastal Carolina)

RB/LB Kevin Brown (Rhode Island)

LB Duane Binns (Rhode Island)

WR/ATH David Zorilla (Bryant)

LB Jordan Riggs (New Haven)

WR Anthony Norcia (Merrimack)

ATH/RB Josh Miller (undecided w offers on the table)

LB Jacob Miller (undecided w offers on the table)

That's three FBS, four FCS, one D2 and two TBD

On top of that, here's what they have for the 2019 class:

S Lewis Cine (just offered by Clemson ... you do the math)

WR/CB Mike Sainristil (Virginia Tech commit)

QB Jake Willcox (FCS offer w Elite 11 Regional invite)

TE/DT Jalen Smith (heavy FBS interest aka only a matter of time)

CB Robbie Riobe (only a matter of time)

OL Gilbert Kabamba (only a matter of time)

OL/DT Wilson Frederic (only a matter of time)

That's 16 kids from the 2017 team that will be either playing for free or close to it at the next level. That's every single positional unit on offense and defense, including 3/5 OL, five WR, and the entire secondary and LB corps.

You won't see many teams like that from around here. Great to see so many kids, a lot from very difficult backgrounds, get a chance to better themselves at the next level.

An update on this...

In addition to the names already mentioned here, you are also looking at these kids from this year's roster getting offered by FCS/FBS schools:

Senior RB Isaac Seide (UNH)

Junior WR Eli Auguste (Howard)

Sophomore WR Tyrese Baptiste (Howard)

Sophomore DE/OLB Josaiah Stewart (Howard)

Sophomore S Samy Lamothe (Howard)

Freshman QB/WR Ish Zamor (Michigan)

There will obviously be more to come for those sophomores and juniors, too. Won't be long before the FBS teams start getting in on those sophomores, and Ish is already there. Of those six, only three were on last year's roster, I believe. Also, Kevin Brown signed with UMass. Likely had five TD receptions for Coastal as a true freshman (he's going to be a stud). Cine is headed to Georgia, and Sainristil signed with Michigan.

That's 22 and counting from the 2017 and 2018 rosters who are at the FBS, FCS, or D2 level. And there will be more, with probably at least a dozen FBS by the time all is said and done.

For a Massachusetts program, you just don't see that very often these days.