By Jared Keene
NEFJ Correspondent
NEEDHAM – Coaches and scouts from across the nation – and even Canada in the case of McGill – ascended upon St. Sebastian’s Tuesday evening, where the Arrows held their showcase as part of the Massachusetts Showcase Day.
All in all, 23 players participated, first starting with some combine events before moving into positional drills for the remainder of the showcase. Sophomore DL/TE Ben Walker, who already holds offers from Rutgers, Syracuse, Maryland, UCONN, UMASS, and Dartmouth was unfortunately unable to participate due to a ruptured Achilles suffered at the Army Underclass Combine in February.
It was a tremendous opportunity for not only current juniors looking to talk to coaches and secure more offers, but also underclassmen looking to make a name for themselves, talk to coaches, and even get some offers of their own.
Arrows head coach Dan Burke had some high praise for his players after what he felt was a very successful day.
“I thought it was a great day for all of our guys,” he said. “The guys have been working hard training for this to show up today. And to see so many coaches come out was great; we really appreciate them being here to see our guys play really well.
Our rising seniors showed really good leadership and made some good connections with some coaches. I heard some great things about them. Our rising juniors are really strong. We’ve got some guys there getting attention who showed out well today. And even some of our younger guys were getting some attention, so really a good day for all the Arrows.”
Once the combine-style events finished up, junior quarterback Duke Ciongoli worked with his wide receivers, tight ends, and running backs, throwing tons of routes to both sides of the field at all levels – short, intermediate, and deep.
Ciongoli – a lefty who holds an offer from Marshall – looked outstanding out there. He displayed plenty of accuracy, arm strength, and mobility, and it was evident he’d been working with all his guys on routes leading up to the day. Fellow junior Will Haggerty, who’s going to be a captain along with Ciongoli for the upcoming season, and sophomores Jack Carter, Reidar Davis, and Quin Bollin all impressed with their routes and their hands.
“I felt great today,” Ciongoli said. “It was great to be on air with the receivers. We’ve practiced a lot for this, so it was great to finally do it. I felt I did pretty well, and my receivers did great, too. I feel like the receivers and I are really on the same page. There are not many opportunities for coaches to come and watch you and your team only work out, so it was just great to be able to do this.”
Among the younger players, one in particular stood out: rising freshman OL/DL Stevie Ciampoli. At 6-foot-5 280 pounds, he’s already got plenty of size for a 14 year old and even holds an offer from Syracuse. He displayed agility, and an abundance of strength and technique during linemen drills. He’s certainly one to look out for and should be getting plenty more offers in the very near future.
