I recently had a chance to talk some ball with M2 Quarterback Academy founder and owner Mike McCarthy. We talked about this year’s showdown at Stonehill College and we looked ahead to next year’s showdown.
Here is some of what Coach McCarthy had to say.
NEFJ: Coach, just some thoughts on this year’s showcase from an operational, numbers standpoint.
MM: “First off I want to thank Stonehill College and Coach Gardner / Coach Moody for hosting us. Stonehill is a beautiful campus with top notch facilities and a great football program. We are thankful to be here for the past 4 years and they have been great to us. As far as thoughts on this year’s Showdown Camp, I think Year 6 was our most talented group of athletes top to bottom on paper, and they proved that to be true on the field. We had over 250 kids from 10 different states represented, with at least a dozen of kids that already held Division I offers. I thought they competed hard, and did a great job showcasing their skills. It can be a challenging two days, but they never wavered- it is a special group of athletes right now in New England. They are extremely motivated, they all root for each other, and are doing things that haven’t been done before in this area.”
NEFJ: Who are some of the guys that you and your staff felt stood out from the AM group at this year’s showdown?
MM: “Duke Ciongoli, 2027 QB from St. Sebastians, MA was our AM MVP.
He had a really impressive weekend. He has great size for his age, and a quick, compact release. He showcased his ability to anticipate, process post snap, and accurately deliver the ball into tight windows. His brother Ty Ciongoli is one of the top QBs in New England, so learning from him has helped to accelerate his progress.”
McCarthy continued: “Our Runner up for the AM was Zachary Gebhard, 2026 QB from King Philip, MA. Zack is one of the most improved kids we have seen in our program over the last few years. He will have an opportunity to play for King Philip this fall and I think he will do really well. He showcased his ability to drive the ball to deep areas of the field, and command the line of scrimmage. He operated with confidence all weekend, an area that continues to grow from him.”
NEFJ: Who are some of the guys that you and your staff felt stood from the second group?
MM: “Osiris Lopez, 2026 QB from Leominster, MA was our overall MVP.
Osiris currently holds multiple P4 Offers, with Syracuse being the latest to offer him. Osiris showed his ability to excel when it mattered most, he had multiple occasions where he had to make 1 throw to advance to the next round and each time he was lights out. He is one of the best competitors I have ever been around and is extremely confident. He is one of the best QBs in the region and continues to show that with each camp that he attends. I am excited to see him continue to grow and have a huge junior season ahead. He is a great kid and a relentless worker, I am very proud of him.”
Osiris Lopez (Courtesy of M2 Quarterback Academy)
“Our runner up was Damon Taylor, 2026 QB from BB&N, MA. Damon looked as good as I’ve ever seen him throughout the weekend. He flashed throughout the drill portion, pro day, and 7v7s. A lot of the college coaches in attendance were extremely impressed with his skillset and I expect his recruiting to pick up in the coming months. He comes from a great family, and has been in our program since 6th grade, so seeing his maturation has been special. Really excited to see him continue to grow as an athlete.”
McCarthy pointed out that other quarterbacks stood
“Other guys that really stood out included Chris Vargas (2028 St. Johns Prep) , Q McNeill (2026 Milton Academy), Romy Jain (2026 Loomis Chaffee), Will Wood (2027 Xaverian Brothers), Michael McMaugh (2025 Wyoming Seminary), Vincent Ciancio (2025 Tewksbury), Ty Ciongoli (2025 St. Sebastians), Noah Mackenzie (2025 Walpole), Peter Bourque (2027 Tabor Academy), Jack Lucarelle (2026 Minnechaug), Carl Monks (2026 Rivers), and Carter Carroll (2025 BC High). Honestly the list goes on, it was a great group. We also had some really good guys from outside of New England such as 2026 Patrick Coan from Sayville, NY and 2025 Jason Williams from Salem, VA who will both end up being Division I kids.”
Christopher Vargas (Courtesy of M2 Quarterback Academy)
McCarthy said he’d be remised if he didn’t mention the wide receiver group. “Our group of WRs/DBs was also extremely impressive. Headlined by our MVP Thomas Kuefler, a 2025 at Lawrence Academy. Other notable performances include Tristan Yebdo- 2026 from Brooks, Caleb Garrity- 2026 from Catholic Memorial, Dameer Phifer- 2025 Tabor Academy, Antonio Bearen- 2026 La Salle, RI, Gavin Green- 2025 Wyoming Seminary, Zahir Mitchell- 2027 Milton Academy, Brady Crowley- 2025 Marshfield, Dylan Reed- 2026 Bridgewater Raynham, Ta’Qaire Bell- 2025 Cathedral, and Bryce Kiser- 2025 North Attleboro among others.”
McCarthy added: “Also a huge shoutout to Coach Scott Woodward (Former Kentucky WR coach and Head Coach at Middlesex School) for heading up the WR/DB group this year- he was a great addition and we are excited to work with him going forward.”
NEFJ: What can we look forward to with M2 for the rest of this year and next year’s showcase?
MM: “We are in our final phase of offseason training starting next week. At this point, the hay is pretty much in the barn for the kids that have been with us all offseason. We are really just focusing on polishing up a few things and getting them ready to compete this fall. Our guys have had a really productive offseason thus far, and we are really looking forward to watching them showcase their hard work come August. As far as next year’s showdown camp goes, we will begin planning for it in the coming weeks. Our kids look forward to it every year, so we try and continuously tweak it to make it more challenging for them.”
Image courtesy of M2 Quarterback Academy.
McCarthy has built a nationally renowned quarterback academy and it continues to grow every year. It is a testament to the hard work and dedication of his staff.