2018 Mass Prep Stars & Clutch Kicks Kicking Game Specialist Updated (November) Watchlist

Thursday, November 15th, 2018

JJ Mun '19 - Milton Academy

In collaboration with Clutch Kicks and co-owners Brendan Cahill and Pat Clarke, we have updated our Pre-Season Kicking Specialists list, as of Thanksgiving Eve 2018, with updated information, statistics, videos, and additional student-athletes.

With the 2018 season concluding for most players and teams this week, we take a look at some of the top Kicking Game Specialists in Massachusetts with these current updates from their 2018 seasons.

Please keep us updated at Mass Prep Stars and at Clutch Kicks with news, videos, and stats this season and this upcoming off-season, as we continue to identify and promote the top Kicking Game Specialists in Massachusetts. Current and new Kickers, Punters, and Long-Snappers are all encouraged to submit their information.

Clutch Kicks trains High School, College, and NFL Level kickers, punters, and snappers in the DC/DE, CT/NY, and the RI and MA areas.

Learn More at clutch-kicks.com , and follow them on twitter at @clutchkicks1 or email [email protected] for more information.

Be sure to also stay tuned for our first 2018 Mass Prep Stars and Clutch Kicks Kicking Game Specialists of the Year for the 2018 high school season.

Kicking Game Specialists (listed by graduating class)

Class of 2019 Senior List

Patrick Walsh '19 - Belmont Hill - With a large frame at 6-foot-3 205 pounds, and GPA of 3.7+, Walsh looks to have both the athletic and academic components to make a case for himself at the Ivy or Patriot League level. Walsh has 55-yard plus ability on his Field Goals, a 4.0 second hang time on punts, and he also comfortably kicks off to the goal line and beyond. Walsh gives Belmont Hill a rare weapon, that will help shape field position and add points each time his team sniffs the red zone. Walsh is also fortunate enough to have probably the best FG holder in New England in John Hadley, who has been practicing live reps with Walsh all offseason. Walsh comes from a kicking family, as his father was a record-setting kicker at Columbia University. Walsh is also a college baseball pitching prospect, and it will be exciting to watch Walsh not only make a strong All-State case for himself this year but also to establish himself as an athletic force at the college level and beyond.

In-Season Update: Walsh has committed to play baseball and football at NCAA D3 Tufts University in the Fall of 2019 and was a reliable weapon for Belmont Hill School throughout Belmont Hill's 2018 Bowl an Championship season, with notable performances against BB&N and consistently netting 1-to-2 FG’s per game.

Walsh's 2018 Season Highlights

Kevin Hennessey '19 - Chelmsford - Hennessey is perhaps one of the most underrated kickers in the state of Massachusetts. His skills and work ethic would be desirable to any coach based on his impressive consistency. Though he boasts 50+ yard ability on field goals, Hennessey is near automatic from 40 yards and in. With the average high school field goal being just inside of 30 yards, look to see Hennessey’s number called early and often throughout the 2018 season. With an extra offseason of work polishing up his kickoffs, look to see Hennessey pinning opponents consistently inside the five-yard line or goal line this season.

In-Season Update: While Chelmsford hasn’t had the season, they had quite hoped for, Hennessey has used this opportunity to develop more as a punter, becoming a true triple-threat specialist. He has received interest from a few prep schools and some D2 programs and is currently looking into a Post-Graduate year to develop into a DI talent. Hennessey is currently 8/8 on PATS, 3/3 on Field Goals, with four recovered kickoffs and two touchbacks.

Hennessey's 2018 Season Highlights

Jake O’Brien '19 - Whitman-Hanson - O’Brien has probably the biggest leg out of any specialist in Massachusetts. Working with 2x All Assumption All-American kicker and current NFL Free Agent Tad Beuchert, of Danvers, MA, O’Brien will be bursting ball bladders and racking up touchbacks for Whitman-Hanson all season. With the right work on his consistency, O’Brien could easily be an FCS level kicking specialist.

In-Season Update: Jake has hit a few game winners for WH this season and has consistently pounded his KO’s into the end zone. While he has a DI level leg, Jake, as decided to pursue a career in media and journalism at the next level. Best of luck Jake!

O’Brien's 2018 Season Highlights

Gabriel DeSouza '19 - North Andover - All-State specialist DeSouza, while also an exceptional field player and standout athlete, rounds out as a triple threat with both his punting and kicking. While not desired, DeSouza can easily make plays with his feet, with fakes, and on poor snaps, but he also has the ability and skills to pin opposing teams deep on KO's and punts. Do not look to see too many teams sending the house to block his kicks, as he always has that ability to pull the ball down and rip off a big play. With a continued focus on his technique, DeSouza adds the impressive and rare variable of "off-the-charts athleticism" to his game, which gives him an incredible prospective upside.

In-Season Update: DeSouza has been steady as always on extra points and has executed a few field goals as well this season. North Andover has not needed many field goals attempts, however, as the Scarlet Knights (10-0) have rolled through their opponents this season and the dynamic, athletic DeSouza has been a huge reason why. One of the state's top athletes, DeSouza has helped North Andover as a WR and DB and has been electric in all facets of the game. Check out the write-up of DeSouza's recent performance vs. Lincoln-Sudbury in the playoffs!

DeSouza's 2018 Season Highlights

JJ Mun '19 - Milton Academy (pictured above) - Though 2017 was his first season kicking, Mun was a 2018 Massachusetts All-State selection as a kicker and he does not look to be slowing down anytime soon. Training in the offseason with current Notre Dame Kicker and former All-State standout Justin Yoon (Milton Academy), Mun has added distance to both his field goals and kickoffs, with a comfortable range of now 50+ yards on field goals. Mun has also received interest from numerous FBS and FCS programs throughout the country and with an ACT score of 34, Mun looks to be the total athletic and academic package at the next level.

In-Season Update: One of the top legs in the area, the lefty kicker and punter had a fantastic senior season in his final campaign at Milton Academy. Mun was perfect in his career, going 11/11 on field goal attempts.

Mun's 2018 Season Highlights

Chris Chen '19 - Buckingham Browne & Nichols - A new addition to the Mass Preps Specialist Watchlist, Chris Chen of BB&N tore up the charts statistically in 2018, going 4/4 on FGs and converting 38/40 on XPTs in his HS career, including notable 2018 performances in wins over Belmont Hill and Lawrence Academy. Chris, despite a few seasons of lingering injuries, appears to be 100% healthy and back in command with a devastating strike on the ball. If his senior season is a preview of what Chris can do when healthy, it will be exciting to see him continue to progress at the collegiate level!

Chen's 2018 Season Highlights

Andrew Carroll '19 - Springfield Central - Carroll has crushed both QB’s and FG’s this season as the DE/K has helped the high-scoring Springfield Central Eagles team to a Super Bowl berth. Carroll took the job at kicker this year and has posted some of the best numbers in the Bay State this season. Carroll has received interest from multiple DIII and DII programs, who covet his ability to play both kicker and D Line. This plays a big factor at those levels considering travel squad roster limitations which the NCAA imposes on teams. Look to see Carroll crushing QBs and FGs for years to come.

Carroll's 2018 Season Highlights

Ian Gibbons '19 - Billerica - Gibbons has connected on 21/22 PATS this season, to go with five touchbacks, a 25-yard field goal, two successful onside kicks, and one kickoff tackle. His longest field goal was 48 yards at the kicking world camp this past summer. Gibbons has been a 2-year starter for Billerica Memorial High School. In his first year as a kicker, last season, Gibbons made 100% of his kicks.

Gibbons' 2018 Season Highlights

Additional senior standouts and their highlights:

Alex D'Amrobosio '19 - North Reading - 2018 Highlights

Duncan Hewitt '19 - Lexington - 2018 Highlights

Sean Lehane '19 - Milford - 2018 Highlights

Jay Wladkowski '19 - Norwood - 2018 Highlights

Jack Schwartz '19 - Nobles - 2018 Highlights

Jack Schwartz with the game winning FG as time expires and Nobles wins 17-14 over @WyvernNation !! pic.twitter.com/QjTT9whlZS
— Nobles Athletics (@NoblesAthletics) November 17, 2018

Class of 2020 Junior List

Cole Baker '20 - King Philip - A trainee of NFL Free Agent Kicker and Assumption College alum, Ali Mourtada out of Foxboro, Baker looks to have a live leg this season, with a rare ability to cleanly hit his kickoffs comfortably into the end zone by about 5 yards. Look to see most teams’ return game easily neutralized by Baker and his unit, and for King Philip to come away with a clean 3-point shot inside of 40 yards this season.

In-Season Update: Baker has been a true weapon, with a consistent 3-point shot for KPR this season, going 6-for-8, with a long of 42 yards (one of the misses was a blocked kick). Baker has continued to place the ball consistently at the end zone line bating teams to return kicks on KPR’s strong coverage teams.

Baker's 2018 Season Highlights:

Jack DiPasquale '20 - Marshfield - DiPasquale has the size (6-foot-1, 180 lbs.), technique and physical potential to be a true asset for Marshfield this upcoming season, and develop into a college-level specialist. With the winds howling at Marshfield’s game field, don’t be surprised if special teams Coach Brian Shoch opts to try one or two long ones this season.

DiPasquale's 2018 Season Highlights

Stephen Gurney '20 - East Bridgewater - Last year Gurney, who just made the transition from Soccer to Football. Gurney is poised to now make an impact in the kicking game and East Bridgewater's field position game as their starting Varsity kicker in 2018. Gurney humbly says his field goal range hovers around the 50-yard range, but after an off-season of work with 2x All-American Tad Beuchert and Clutch Kicks, Gurney should surprise a few folks, with booming kickoffs hitting hang times higher than his 4.0 GPA and newfound technique.

Gurney's 2018 Season Highlights

Shamus Florio '20 - Andover - Florio came on the kicking scene hot this season going 5 for 6 on FGs with a long of 43 yards, while simultaneously making a devastating impact on his team's defense as a linebacker. Florio has also received interest from UMASS, UPenn, Yale, and other NCAA FCS/FBS Programs. We look forward to Florio's continued development as a true 4th-down force next season.

Florio's 2018 Season Highlights:

Class of 2021 Sophomore List

Noah Moselhy '21 - St. John's of Shrewsbury - Moselhy stepped up big for St. John ’s last year, performing admirably, as a 6-foot-3 freshman in the Massachusetts State Championship game. While still raw and oozing with potential, Noah’s size, combined with another off-season of technique work, will truly make him a field position enforcer and an asset to his offense in the red zone this season. Moselhy is also a standout crew member for St. John’s crew and garners a strong 4.0 GPA.

In-Season Update: Moselhy has continued his consistent performance for SJS averaging KO’s inside the 5-yard line and giving his team strong starting field position game in and game out. Working with former record-breaking NCAA FCS DI Ivy League Kicker Luke Eddy of Columbia University, Noah who always had a big leg, and is now steeply improving his consistency as SJS has one game remaining on their schedule.

Moselhy's 2018 Season Highlights:

Please follow Mass Prep Stars for coverage and athlete updates on Twitter @masspreps. Please also stay connected with us on our Facebook page. You can check out our NEW Instagram page, where we will bring you live shots and clips from Mass Prep Stars in action. Lastly, make sure you create and update your Mass Prep Stars athlete profile, by going to http://massprepstars.com/players/profile-options and use it as your Scholastic Athletic Resume. You can create and update your bio information, statistics, photos, videos and news links! Please Email us with any questions!