By Rob Gullo
NEFJ Correspondent
AVON — On Monday, the defending NEPSAC football champions, the Avon Old Farms Winged Beavers held their Showcase Day in front of numerous college coaches and recruiters.
Players showcased their skills with performance drills, combine-like drills, and position-specific drills for nearly an hour before speaking to recruiters and coaches one-on-one at the conclusion of the event.
With only two players committed to playing college football prior to Monday’s Showcase, it was an important day for players to make a name for themselves, impress coaches and recruiters, and connect with them.
More importantly, the Winged Beavers and head coach Jon Wholly used Monday’s Showcase as a way to develop chemistry while getting an idea of what the team will look like for the upcoming 2026 season.
“I liked the approach of our team, this is really our first full team activity for the 2026 season,” said Wholly. “From that standpoint, I liked the way that they approached things. The aptness, mentality, and support they have for each other was great. I thought the way that they performed was excellent. Great effort, we have a lot of good players supporting each other and I think in terms of the importance of this event, it’s going to produce opportunities.”
Starting quarterback and 2025 New England Offensive Player of the Year Matt Baer is just one of the two players on Avon Old Farms who has verbally committed to play college football. Baer committed to James Madison University on April 26, 2026. The other committed player is outside linebacker Mekhi Volcy, who has committed to play for Boston College.
For Baer, Monday’s Showcase was important for him to get a feel for his receivers’ tendencies and timing as he participated in multiple WR drills, throwing his receivers different types of passes. It was the first time that Baer and the players got to familiarize themselves with each other on the field, while showcasing their talent to college coaches and recruiters.
“I think the biggest thing is getting chemistry with my receivers,” said Baer. “These guys are from all over the country, so it’s hard for all of us to be here at one time. So, getting those reps in with drills and routes with all these receivers is the biggest thing so that our chemistry is great by the time we pad up in the fall.”
While Baer’s main goal was to build his chemistry with the team and new guys, most players’ main goal was to impress college coaches and get offers/interest. Still, even for those players, the Showcase was also beneficial for them in getting better through a team activity and jelling together .
Naugatuck native Jaiden Roach, who has 10+ offers including schools such as JMU, Buffalo, Yale, and others, loved the atmosphere and also looked at Monday’s Showcase as a way to help himself get better for the upcoming season.
The Winged Beavers finished last season with a perfect 10-0 record and defeated Williston Northampton 35-21 for the Class A NEPSAC Championship.
“I’m excited, this is a team event, the team comes first,” said Roach. “I love the atmosphere, I love the coaches. I love how coach Wholly put this together, it was a great time being around my team competing.
“I look at this event as getting better, the offers will come when you’re competing every day in a situation like this, it’s going to come to you.”