It has been an eventful year at Xaverian.

The Westwood Catholic Conference and state power is coming off a D1 title, its first since 2015.

Leading the way for the Hawks this past season was quarterback Henry Hasselbeck, who will continue his career at UCLA.

Xaverian lost a lot of talent from that squad, but the Hawks should reload and again be one of the top teams in the region.

We caught up with Xaverian coach Al Fornaro, and he gave us the rundown on what to expect this fall.

The top player making noise for Xaverian is class of 2025 defensive lineman Micah Amedee, who checks in at 6-foot-3, 275 pounds. Right now, Amedee has a handful of FCS offers, and just this week picked up a huge one from Boston College.

There are a few other schools that may pull the trigger, but right now, BC is the big one.

“He’s going to be an interior type guy,” Fornaro said of his college position. “Will he end up on the edge? No, I don’t think so. It’s like I tell people, Joe Gaziano is not on the edge because JJ Watt is. That’s the difference. That’s why Joe is a 3- or a 5-technique, because he doesn’t have that kind of elite speed.”

Amedee is still only 16, and doesn’t turn 17 until June. So he’s far from a finished product.

“They like the physicality that he plays with,” Fornaro said of what college coaches like about him. “He’s got good get-off, and he’s got twitch. That ball moves, and so does he. He’ll get after a quarterback. He can be relentless. When the opportunity presents itself, he has chased quarterbacks down from behind that are running away.”

Fornaro likes a lot of things about Amedee.

“First off, he was an athlete,” Fornaro said. “You could see that he was an athlete. The way he moves, he runs mechanically very well for a young kid of that size. So you know that he’s athletic. And then, the fact that he takes to coaching. He was in a new environment. He transferred in. We didn’t see him until that first day of practice, August 19th or whatever, because you go through that whole thing of being accepted and the waiver, and all that kind of jazz.

“But he obviously had had some coaching. He could skip pull and had pretty good body awareness. And defensively he had done a little bit of both down there (Silver Lake), and I think they’d even let him stand up into a two-point stance, which we really don’t do unless there are extenuating circumstances. But he watches film. . . . He’s good like that.”

Amedee is one to keep an eye on.

Another 2025 prospect for Xaverian is DB/LB/RB Vincent Busa, a 6-0, 187 big hitter in the secondary who may play some running back this season.

“Vincent, there’s no fear,” Fornaro said. “Sometimes you’ve got to tell him to choke his motor. . . . Tough kid. If he was 6-2, he’d have an offer from UNH or something like that or a Bentley, perhaps. But he’s not, so he doesn’t, and that’s the way of the world.”

Will Benting is a 6-0, 230 tight end who could also play at defensive end if needed.

“He’s very interested in the military side, and Coast Guard loves him,” Fornaro said. “Academically, he’s very strong.”

Ethan Jean is a 5-11, 202 outside linebacker.

“Good player. He’s smart,” Fornaro said. “He’s rarely out of position.”

Out of the 2026s, offensive lineman Gino Gioioso (6-3, 275) started at right guard last season.

“He’s got good speed,” Fornaro said. “It took a while, as it does any person to catch up with the speed of the game. When he was a freshman, he could block kids because he’s bigger and stronger. But the teams we play, they’ve got kids who are bigger and stronger, too. He pass blocks well. He’s got really good feet. He’s a wrestler here. He’s going to be a fine football player. I’d love to be two-platoon up front. We don’t have that kind of depth. But he’ll take a turn on defense as well to rest some guys here and there. It wouldn’t be crazy to see him playing tackle and/or center. He’s a good player. Happy to have him.”

Fellow 2026 Dave Chiavegato (6-0, 190) is a defensive back and wide receiver who made some big plays as a sophomore.

“Dave stole two passes from kids this year,” Fornaro said. “The huge tip in the end zone to tip the ball away from the tight end against Springfield Central (was a huge play this season).’

In the 2027 class is quarterback Will Wood (6-2, 205), who started the BC High game in place of an injured Hasselbeck.

“He’s a confident kid. He’s not cocky. He’s a confident young man,” Fornaro said. “He learned a lot sitting behind Henry and being coached by Matt (Hasselbeck) about quarterback play. What are you looking for? Knowing your receivers. You can tell the kid, ‘Hey, you’re not running that route the right way. You don’t usurp a coach. His football knowledge was very good to begin with. It was just multiplied this year. He can make all the throws.”