2018 Mass Prep Stars & Clutch Kicks Kicking Game Specialist Watchlist
We begin our 2018 football season coverage with a look at some of the top kicking game specialists in Massachusetts.
In collaboration with Clutch Kicks and co-owners Brendan Cahill and Pat Clarke, we previewed some of the Bay State's top high school kicking standouts.
Clutch Kicks trains High School, College and NFL Level kickers, punters and snappers in the DC/DE, CT/NY, and RI/MA areas.
Learn More at clutch-kicks.com , and follow them on twitter at @clutchkicks1 or email [email protected] for more information.
We encourage all Kicking Game Specialists to send in your tape for evaluation and inclusion on our list. Please keep us updated at Mass Prep Stars and at Clutch Kicks during the 2018 season and beyond.
We look forward to updating and adding to our Kicking Game Specialist list throughout the year. We will also be naming our first 2018 Mass Prep Stars and Clutch Kicks Kicking Game Specialists of the Year (Prep/Private and MIAA) for the 2018 high school season.
Kicking Game Specialists (listed by graduating class)
Class of 2019 Senior Watchlist
Patrick Walsh '19 - Belmont Hill (pictured above) - With a large frame at 6-foot-3 205 lbs, 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.
Walsh's Jr. Season Highlights: Link Here
Kevin Hennessy '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 Hennessy pinning opponents consistently inside the five-yard line or goal line this season.
Hennessey's Jr. Season Highlights: Link Here
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.
O’Brien Jr. Season Highlights: Link Here
Gabe 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.
DeSouza Jr. Season Highlights: Link Here
JJ Mun '19 - Milton Academy - 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.
Mun's Jr. Season Highlights: Link Here
Class of 2020 Junior Watchlist
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.
Baker's Sophomore Season Highlights: Link Here
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 Sophomore Season Highlights: Link Here
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 Sophomore Season Highlights: Link Here
Class of 2021 Sophomore Watchlist
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.
5 more in the Class of 2019 to also keep an eye on in 2018...
Duncan Hewitt '19 - Lexington - Junior Highlights
Sean Lehane '19 - Milford - Junior Highlights
Anna Zerilli '19 - Proctor Academy (NH) formerly of Manchester -Essex (MA) - Junior Highlights
Jack Schwartz '19 - Nobles
Jay Wladkowski '19 - Norwood
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