Jersey Shore AYF 12U All-Star Tryouts: The Standout Skills

<p>Last December the 12U Jersey Shore AYF Conference All-Stars found themselves in the unfamiliar position of loser in the National Championship Game. A perennial powerhouse in AYF All-Star play, the band is back together again on the coaching staff and this past weekend was an opportunity to see what this year's talent crop yielded. Earlier this week we looked at the <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/09/jersey-shore-ayf-12u-all-star-tryouts-the-standout-bigs/" data-type="link" data-id="https://prepredzone.com/2026/09/jersey-shore-ayf-12u-all-star-tryouts-the-standout-bigs/">OL/DL standouts</a>, now it's time to look at the skill guys that earned the spotlight.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Alpha</h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">The Hamilton Rogue One program was <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/09/jersey-shore-ayf-12u-all-star-tryouts-the-standout-bigs/" data-type="link" data-id="https://prepredzone.com/2026/09/jersey-shore-ayf-12u-all-star-tryouts-the-standout-bigs/">once again in the spotlight</a> as [player_tooltip player_id='2389336' first='Landon' last='Lester'] matched his lineman counter part, [player_tooltip player_id='2164385' first='Preston' last='Lopez'], as The Alpha of the skills group at the tryout. I didn't get the exact 40 time (hand time) Lester ran but it appeared to be the fastest via my eye. Played very fast and had the ability to go chase down any ball thrown in his direction. Displayed some noticeable twitch at the top of his routes. Had a bunch of nice grabs and was arguable the most natural pass catcher at the tryout. Despite lacking ideal size at this point, I can see him as a go-to WR or a pure CB.</p>    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Top 5</h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">Alongside [player_tooltip player_id='2389367' first='Bryce' last='Hansen'] from Jackson, Berkeley's [player_tooltip player_id='2389331' first='Paul' last='DiLeo'] was up there on my list of favorite kids at the tryout. The Linebacker/Running Back has an attitude to him and I personally loved what he brought to the field. Offensively he ran the ball hard during 1:1 drills and did a nice job, but it was his play at Linebacker that really caught my attention. He doesn't have the size of some of the other LBs but I'd take DiLeo's hitting ability in a heartbeat. Dropped his levels and brought his feet with him at all times. Played the game like anyone across from him was the enemy. Hard to truly articulate but he just played angry and I loved every second of it.</p>     <p class="text-gray-700">Owen was one of the kids that passed the eye test right away at the tryout, sporting a good build for this level. Moved well throughout the bag drills as both as Running Back and Linebacker. With the ball in his hands he moved smoothly and had some power during 1:1. As a Linebacker he read and reacted a step or two quicker than his counterparts, which led him to standout. Objectively looking at him, he's a solid player on both sides of the ball and would be a plus at RB or OLB,</p>     <p class="text-gray-700">Manasquan was very well represented at the skill positions during the 12U All-Star tryout. One of the more intriguing prospects was 5-foot-10, 130-pounder, [player_tooltip player_id='2389381' first='Liam' last='Moloney']. Moloney was one of the longest skill guys and moved well throughout the day. During Linebacker drills he was arguably the best prospect at moving laterally out into the flat, with very little wasted movement. Offensively, he looked the part as a Running Back, but watching him run with his long strides left me wanting to see even more from him in the passing game. With his build and skill set, I foresee him being a fun chess piece for this Jersey Shore offense to move around and eploit mismatches.</p>     <p class="text-gray-700">Every year the Sayreville youth program produces prospects that look they could become something special down the line, and for this year's 12u group, that could be [player_tooltip player_id='2389384' first='Angelo' last='Santora']. I really liked what he brought to the table in terms of size, speed, hands and strength as a possible Tight End. In recent years the Jr. Bombers have been home to TEs like [player_tooltip player_id='1020455' first='Aaren' last='Cirino'] (now a DE prospect with double digit offers at St. Peter's Prep) who impressed me at these tryouts <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2023/09/grand-opening-grand-closing-top-wr-dbs-at-jersey-shore-tryouts/" data-type="link" data-id="https://prepredzone.com/2023/09/grand-opening-grand-closing-top-wr-dbs-at-jersey-shore-tryouts/">back in 2023</a> and Don Bosco Prep freshman [player_tooltip player_id='2059211' first='Ryan' last='Ruiter'], who was ranked <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/08/ranking-the-future-new-jerseys-top-2030-tight-ends/" data-type="link" data-id="https://prepredzone.com/2026/08/ranking-the-future-new-jerseys-top-2030-tight-ends/">the No.1 2030 TE</a> in New Jersey ahead of this season. Santora is listed at 5'11" and 165-pounds he tried out as a Defensive End and then returned later in the morning to tryout as a Wide Receiver.</p>     <p class="text-gray-700">One of the only 8th graders (class of 2031) at the tryout and an All-Name team member, [player_tooltip player_id='2389386' first='Maximus' last='Aurelius Fortes'] was very crisp at the tryout. Undersized but had some of the best pure ball skills of any athlete there. Did a nice job of staying on a string during DB drills and moved fluidly in space. As a Wide Receiver he snapped off his routes with emphasis and got into his break quickly. Fortes plays Strong Safety and Wide Receiver for the Warriors during the regular season and I see no reason why he wouldn't play either position for the 12U All-Stars, come December.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/09/IMG_5092-e1789424871614.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-2395782" /></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Best of the Rest</h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">Part of that three-headed monster I really liked out of Manasquan, Brophy is listed at only 125 pounds but looked like he weighed more than that based off his build. He tried out as a Kicker, Wide Receiver and Defensive Back on the day. While I didn't watch much of the kicking portion at all, I liked him considerably as a Safety type. Displayed the necessary coverage skills and could run with nearly every kid there.</p>     <p class="text-gray-700">Traditionally Quarterback is one of the most popular positions at tryouts like this, because every player still thinks they're a QB at this point. Contrary to the norm, there weren't very many QBs at the tryout, and it was Berkeley's [player_tooltip player_id='2389326' first='Nolan' last='Laffey'] who stood out to me. Out of the 5-8 signal callers that were at the tryout he most looked the part and his play backed it up. He had one of the strongest arms during long toss and one of the nicer throwing motions in the the group. While certainly not perfect, his foot work was cleaner and less clunky than the others too.</p>     <p class="text-gray-700">Rounding out the prospects who really separated themselves is Manasquan's [player_tooltip player_id='2389375' first='Parker' last='Cassidy']. Cassidy's name had been floated to me as a kid to watch ahead of the tryout and he backed it up almost immediately as a Running Back. Built similarly to his 'Squan teammate [player_tooltip player_id='2389372' first='Quinn' last='Brophy'], I really loved the way Cassidy ran wit the ball in his hands -- he reminded me of a cigar punch, as he boldly hit the line and got upfield quickly.</p>    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Additional News and Notes</h2>   <p>After the initial group of clear standouts, the tryout reaveled that there is a lot of parody at the skill positions. As noted above, this team is used to competing for National Championships and the coaching staff is going to need to make some tough decisions. Berkeley's [player_tooltip player_id='2396308' first='Breylon' last='Reginald'] was a kid that kept doing something to catch my eye, he played a physical style of RB but could also bang as DL or LB...Another Golden Eagle that did some nice things as a RB was [player_tooltip player_id='2396311' first='Mason' last='Sanders'] who had some nice runs during practice. His current lack of size is the obvious issue, but [player_tooltip player_id='2396317' first='Ethan' last='Arrighetta'] can scoot when he gets green grass in front of him and his Hazlet teammate [player_tooltip player_id='2396319' first='Jackson' last='Corcione'] had some moments at a LB/RB...Manchester's [player_tooltip player_id='2396320' first='DJ' last='Potter'] displayed some surprising close-proximity quickness during LB cone and bag drills...RFH's [player_tooltip player_id='2396322' first='Matthew' last='Foley'] and Sayreville's [player_tooltip player_id='2396325' first='Mason' last='Aguirre'] both made a couple nice grabs as a WR, with Foley also moving well during coverage drills...the only Southern Ram to get some pub here, [player_tooltip player_id='2395574' first='JJ' last='Midili'] has some potential to work with at QB position...Rounding it out are a pair from Toms River that I caught myself taking note of throughout the day in [player_tooltip player_id='2210195' first='Justus' last='Burns'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2396330' first='RJ' last='Hurcules']. Burns looks the part in terms of his build and frame, but I'm unsure as to what position he best translate to at this point -- though there is skill there. As for Hurcules, another one of the very few 8th graders at the tryout, I think he has a good shot to make this roster because of his length and ability as a Wide Receiver.</p>

Last December the 12U Jersey Shore AYF Conference All-Stars found themselves in the unfamiliar position of loser in the National Championship Game. A perennial powerhouse in AYF All-Star play, the band is back together again on the coaching staff and this past weekend was an opportunity to see what this year's talent crop yielded. Earlier this week we looked at the OL/DL standouts, now it's time to look at the skill guys that earned the spotlight.