Standouts From MIAA Catholic Conference Showday 5/23/24

<p>On Thursday, May 23 the Catholic Conference in Massachusetts held its first ever showcase for their athletes. Six different Schools from Catholic Conference attended. In this report I will provide 5 prospects that stood out to me. </p>    <p class="text-gray-700">6'3" 220 | Class Of ‘25, Defensive End| Malden Catholic HS | ben.howardiv@gmail.com | Head Coach - Joe Gaff </p>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1294547' first='Ben' last='Howard'] was a rising Junior in the Fall of 2023. He stood out to me immediately with his Physique and after watching him move around during drill period i noticed he moves very fluid, has a good burst out of his stance and a nice looking bend on his pass rush. He has very strong , quick, and physical hands mixed with speed making him an absolute threat coming off the edge. This kid deserves a closer look from coaches. I honestly dont know how he doesnt have any offers yet. He possesses the skills and the ability to play both Defensive End or OLB if needed. Sort of Hybrid type player. Ben is currently ranked 16 in New England at DL. I would guess he could be in the top 5 if we were separating Defensive ends and Defensive tackles. His Physical mesureables align him as a Division 1 prospect. </p>    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/benhowardiv/status/1794039721015882026 </div></figure>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />     <p class="text-gray-700">XBHS 26'| 6'3 280| OG/DT| #77| Xaverian Wrestling| 3.27 GPA | gioiosog73@gmail.com | Squat 435 | Clean 225 </p>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='401837' first='Gino' last='Gioioso'] is a rising Junior offensive lineman. He is currently the 13th ranked Offensive lineman in New England. Gino stood out to me very quickly. He has a nice frame standing at 6'3" and 280 pounds. His Physique and hustle to be in the front of the line during drill period for every drill may have been the reason he caught my eye initially. It didn't take long though for him to prove himself outside of that. During drill period his technique while moving through specific lineman drills stood out. Has nice low balanced base when in his stance with great Knee bend. Fires out of his stance with good pad level. He Flashes the ability to be able to climb and reach second level defenders by moving with good technique. I predict Gino to gain a lot of interest and maybe an offer or two by next year this time. Got some Varsity time last season and will most likely have a bigger role this season for catholic league powerhouse Xaverian Brothers. His physical measureables align his as a Division 1 Prospect. </p>    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/gino_gioioso/status/1794824263352058349 </div></figure>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />     <p class="text-gray-700">Xaverian Brothers HS | c/o 2026 | OG/DT | 6'3 290 lbs. | NCAA ID: 2405315874 | 4.05 GPA | 26mbarnes@xbhs.net</p>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1229810' first='Marty' last='Barnes'] is a rising Junior in the fall of 2024. He is listed at 6'3" 290 pounds and seems to be every bit of that frame! That being said, despite the size, Marty stood out with his ability to move for such a big man. Would have liked to see him have better leverage when climbing to second level blocks during drill period but understanding he has played limited varsity snaps as a sophomore and he still has plenty of time to develop will make you fall in love with his potential. He will likely play a big role for Xaverian earning some varsity time in the fall of 2024. I predict his recruitment to drastically increase following the 2024 season. Marty has physical measureables that align him as a Division 1 Prospect. Coaches I suggest you get your eyes on him now. Under the radar prospect!!! </p>    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/MartyBarnes_/status/1794762473712861234 </div></figure>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />    <p class="text-gray-700">Lawrence Academy | 5'10" 185 | WR | 4.51 40yd | C/O 2025 | kueflerthomas45@gmail.com | phone: 978-314-3883 | 3.2gpa | CC All Star | NCAA ID: 2403245725</p>   <p>Thomas will be leaving Catholic Conference power house, Catholic Memorial and reclassifying to 2025 at Lawrence Academy. Although, he is not the biggest guy on the field, listed at 5'10" and 180 pounds, Thomas maximizes every ounce of his frame and is put together very well. This is now the second event I have seen him at in the past few months and after observing him more closely this time around you see he is a very Dynamic and athletic player. I have not been able to verify speed, ultimately i think that could set the ceiling for the level of play he plays at the college level. One thing that stood out most was his catch radius. If you put it near him he will go get it and come down with some difficult catches. He also excelled at running a comeback route during 1v1's. He was turning Defensive Backs selling deep and getting out his break fast and fluid leaving defenders going the opposite way. Very impressive route runner. I predict his recruitment to speed up by end of the 2024 Fall Season. He has physical measureables that align him as a Division 1 Prospect. An under the radar player that i think would excell as an FCS level player. </p>    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/TKuefler11/status/1797463461967843739 </div></figure>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />    <p class="text-gray-700">5'10, 210 | C/O ‘25 | RB | 3.42 GPA | Phillips Academy Andover | Number: (617)867-5564 | denzilpierre485@gmail.com | Head coach: cbrown@andover.edu</p>   <p>Denzil is a reclass 2025 senior who will be doing a post graduate year at Phillips Andover Academy. He is listed at 5'10 and 210 pounds. I first learned about Denzil about a year ago at a 7v7 event where he had stood out to me briefly on the limited amount of reps i got to see at the time. I remember thinking to myself, "this kid got some dawg in him," I need to see some more of him. When i learned he was at this showcase I was ecstatic to get another up close opportunity to evaluate this young man. Denzil impresses me with his strong, physical frame. He has a toughness and grit to him when he plays. He fits the mold of a running back. He displayed good feet and agility during drill period. Possesses the skills to run you over or make you miss when running the ball. During 1v1 portion of the showcase he highly impressed me with his ball skills and ability to make plays as threat out the backfield. He was beating almost everyone that lined up with him during this segment. I think his speed will be the deciding factor and set the ceiling for level of play for him in college. Last season he rushed for 1,005 yards on 132 carries and 9 touchdowns in only 10 games. That earned him a nice 8.2 yards per carry for the season. Definitely and under the radar player. I see him fitting in well at the FCS Division 1 or High Division 2 level. He has physical measureables to align him as a division 1 prospect. </p>    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/pierre_denzil/status/1770869791336616219 </div></figure>

On Thursday, May 23 the Catholic Conference in Massachusetts held its first ever showcase for their athletes. Six different Schools from Catholic Conference attended. In this report I will provide 5 prospects that stood out to me.