AYF Nationals Notebook: Notable New England Quarterbacks

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>By this point if an opposing team or coaching staff is thinking they have an easy matchup against teams from New England--they clearly aren't up on the times. New England has become a very fertile ground for football talent and the Quarterbacks below are proof that it should continue to stay that way.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1582695"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6761ed3b9956d"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">From what I saw, Brown was the unquestioned leader of the Springfield Tigers 13U team. The dual-threat signal caller did a lot of great things with both his legs and his right arm during the games and pre-game reps I got to see. What I saw last week at AYF Nationals, was just a snapshot of what he has accomplished over the last four years--reporting a local record of 44-1, with 63 total touchdowns and just seven interceptions. There is some obvious room to grow physically, as he's on the shorter/thinner side (as of December 2024) but he's a gamer and I came away very impressed by his play.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1582884"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6762d972346fa"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Approaching the practice fields, I didn't know a single member of the Blackstone Valley 12U All-Stars nor did I have a roster. That said, it didn't take me long to figure out that I liked the QB wearing jersey No.9. Very talented arm in terms of accuracy and being able to reach his playmakers. Helped the Rhode Island-based team to a big win in its opening round game over the Delmarva All-Stars, before dropping matchups to eventual 12U All-Star National Champion - New Jersey and third-place finishing, Michigan. Baccari and Blackstone Valley finished fourth in the bracket.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1583224"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6762d9723474e"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">In a prime example of what the type of improvement and development is possible in a year, Quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1583224' first='Tony' last='Kayrouz'] was impressive at AYF Nationals. His improvement from when I saw him at last year's AYF National tournament to this years, was quite noticeable. Obvious things such as size, body composition and arm strength improved. However, he also appeared to take big steps in things such as leadership and the way he carried himself around his teammates. I can't say for sure, but it looks like he was way more confident in his ability in 2024. After losing a very physical and close game to eventual runner 14U D2 runner-up Toms River (New Jersey) in their first game, Kayrouz and the Patriots would go on to post convincing shutout victories over the D-Town Steelers (Texas) and Palmdale Knights (California).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1583226"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6762d97234791"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">For the second year in a row at the AYF National Championship tournament, Leominster's [player_tooltip player_id='1583226' first='Jake' last='Economo'] was a prospect that stood out to me. The Commonwealth Chaos All-Stars (Central Massachusetts), Quarterback appeared to have found the weight room a little bit between his 12U and 14U season and capped this year off by helping lead the Chaos to a third-place finish in the 14U All-Star bracket. Economo was blessed with some great weapons around him and did his part to help the offense. Additionally, from what I saw I don't think anyone can question his toughness, as Economo even served as a lead blocker on some pitch plays to the outside. The three-sport (baseball and basketball) athlete has a promising future.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->