Since coming to Avon Old Farms, Jon Wholley has taken the Connecticut school to the top of the NEPSAC football world.

Last season, AOF went 7-3 and lost a NEPSAC bowl to Cheshire Academy. Avon featured one of the top quarterbacks in the country in Ryan Puglisi, who signed with Georgia.

Once again, Avon should have one of the top teams in New England. Wholley has also done an incredible job with the Northeast Show Days, as, in May, college recruiters from all over the country descend upon Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York and New Jersey to see the top prep prospects.

“People have said, ‘The burst of New England players,’ and I say there’s no more good New England players now than there were 10-15 years ago,” Wholley said. “They’re just more identified. Two things, one, they’re identified more by the coaches because more people are looking. Then, two, there are more that have maybe worked through tough times in an offseason because they’ve seen success stories.

“There are plenty of kids who, like a kid we have, Rayshon Andrews that might end up at Syracuse or UConn or something like that, that may have been at Central Connecticut or not have tried high school football because their school wasn’t recruited. Or they haven’t seen anybody else around there do it that way, or whatever it might be. But when they’re put in front of a lot of eyes or they see teammates or others in that area be successful, it gives them hope or motivation to continue to go through. I think that has produced a lot of success throughout the whole area.”

Of Wholley’s 2025 players, the top one is offensive tackle Owen Aliciene (6-foot-7, 275 pounds). He is committed to Penn State. Aliciene originally was a hockey player with not a lot of football experience compared to most prospects.

“I think the coaches like that he doesn’t have a lot of bad habits,” Wholley said. “He’s new to the game. There’s a lot of upside to him. He can bend. He’s long. He can run. He improved dramatically from his sophomore year to now, and was a significant player for us.”

Dante Rucker is a 6-5, 260 defensive lineman and post-grad, and Rayshon Andrews is a 6-3.5, 185 cornerback. Rucker is also relatively new to the game. Maryland and UConn are two new offers for Rucker. Andrews is from Bristol, Conn., and ran a 10.9-second 100 meters recently.

Wyatt Scariatt is a 6-5, 280 offensive lineman who has a mix of FBS and FCS interest.

Trevor Havill is a 6-5, 210 quarterback who is also a lacrosse player that is committed to Ohio State in that sport.

“He’s a good (football) player that’s a Group of Five, borderline Power Five quarterback that I think a lot of people will be interested in,” Wholley said.

Owen Moreland is the team’s top returning player who is a 6-0, 215 linebacker and running back. He is a native of Beverly.

“He might be our best player. He is one of the better prospects, but he is our best returning player. It’s not a question,” Wholley said. “He could have been our offensive MVP last year or our defensive MVP. I think he ran for just over 600 yards. Averaged just about 9 yards a carry or under 9 yards a carry. Had 18 touchdowns. Really was a part-time running back and a full-time linebacker. I think he had five sacks, 10 or 12 TFLs, three interceptions, was our leading tackler. Great player. Fast, physical. He’s a great kid. Will be a team captain. . . . If he was an inch or two taller, I think he’d be a slam-dunk Power Five kid. I think if the right school, the right person meets him and knows his character, knows his makeup, I think he’d no doubt play at the Power Five level. Whether he gets recruited there or not, based on luck, opportunity, and going on based the way God wants them to go. But he is a great kid, great player, and really will be the heart and soul of our team.”

Another all-league player is Duncan McPherson, a 6-4, 275 defensive lineman who could also play offensive line.

Rafftery McSweeney is a 6-0, 185 wide receiver who is a scholarship-level player out of Rye, NY. Tyler Blevins is a 6-4.5, 280 offensive lineman, who along with Andover native and tight end/wide receiver Brian Hnat (6-5, 215), and lineman Travis Reece (6-5, 265), is a PG.

The 2026 class has strong players too in athlete Kharon Craig (5-10, 165), who already has some big offers, and Holliston natives and Rivers transfers Nate and Shane Olson (both 6-2, 190).

The 2027 class includes Hampton Bacheldor (6-3, 280) and Shayden Samuels (6-5, 310), both interior offensive linemen.