CONNOR ACHESON
Andover High Senior
Defensive Back/Linebacker
Voted MVC Division 1 Defensive Player of the Year. Two-time all-conference choice. Rugged, versatile defender, who plays sideline to sideline. Tied for team lead with 118 tackles, including 44 solos and 10.5 tackles for loss. Added an interception a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Had 18-tackle game against Brockton. Scored three touchdowns on offense. Second all-time in the program with 264 career tackles. Will play football at Williams College.
JAGGER CARREIRO
Brooks School Senior
Defensive back
Methuen native. Three-year varsity player. All-ISL selection. Also, a All-NEPSAC honorable mention. Huge on both sides of the ball. Finished with 39 tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. On offense, he had 29 catches for 355 yards and three touchdowns. Also ran two scores. Played best against the best with 6 catches for 92 yards and two TDs vs. Governor’s and 6 catches for 72 yards and a TD vs. Lawrence. College prospect at 6-feet, 190 pounds. Runs 4.6 40.
CONNOR COWAN
Central Catholic Junior
Linebacker
Two-year starter. First-team All-Merrimack Valley Conference selection. Dominating tackler. Intimidating presence at 5-foot-8, 186 pounds. Finished with 96 tackles, including 15 for loss for MVC1 champs. Had a pair of sacks and recovered two fumbles. “Led our defensive both statistically and in attitude,” said coach John Sexton.
DREW ALSUP
Central Catholic Senior
Cornerback
Two-year starter for the MVC1 champ Raiders. Second-team All-Merrimack Valley Conference choice as a junior. Bumped up to first-team this fall. “Super versatile. Contributed in all three phases,” said coach John Sexton. Picked off four passes. Racked up 350 yards in the kick and punt return game. Caught 30 passes for over 400 yards. He five-catch games against St. John’s and Franklin. Accomplished pole-vaulter. Cleared 11-6 last spring.
ELIJAH SANTELL
Lawrence High Senior
Linebacker
Three-year varsity player. Two-year starter. Captain. Third-team All-Merrimack Valley Conference selection as a junior. Bumped up to first team this fall. Bruising, old-school inside linebacker. Hit machine. Rugged 5-foot-10, 180-pounder. Devastating inside runner as well. Came up huge in wins over Haverhill and Lowell. Younger brother of past Lancer standout Brandon Santell.
JOSH KWAKYE
Methuen High Senior
Defensive Back
Back to back Eagle-Tribune All-Star seasons. Two-time All-Merrimack Valley Conference choice. Instinctive defender with dynamite ball skills. Opposing offenses stayed away from him. Finished with 26 tackles and an interception. Offensively, the running back ran 36 times for 478 yards and six TDs. “Elite speed and quickness. Significant threat on both sides of the ball and as a kick returner,” said coach Tom Ryan. Accomplished sprinter in track.
VINNY DeMAIO
Methuen High Junior
Linebacker
Two-year starter. First-Team All-Conference choice. Team Defensive MVP. One of the conference’s most feared hitters. Led team with 95 tackles, including 14 for loss. Also had a defensive TD. Starting guard on an offense that averaged 33 points a game. “Throwback player. The leader of our defense and is the closest thing we have to a coach on the field,” said coach Tom Ryan. New England runner-up in wrestling as a sophomore. Now a two-sport Eagle-Tribune All-Star.
ANTHONY CARUSO
Pinkerton Academy Senior
Outside Linebacker
Two-year starter. Repeat choice for our All-Star Team. Twice a First Team Division I Central Conference All-Star. Do-it-all defender. Edge-setter, pass rusher. Ball hawk. Finished with 51 tackles, including 30 solos. Eight were for loss, including two sacks. Picked off a pair of passes, including one he ran back for a TD against rival Londonderry. A sturdy blocker at tight end on offense. Caught 21 balls for 251 yards and three TDs. State champion wrestler.
JAMES CARUSO
Pinkerton Academy Junior
Defensive Line
Two-year starter. First-team Division I Central Conference All-Star. Dominated the season opener vs. Andover with three sacks. Finished with 62 tackles, 33 solos, including 10 for loss. Forced two fumbles. Recovered two fumbles. “Relentless defender, never takes a play off,” said coach Brian O’Reilly. Devastating blocker, like his brother Anthony, at the tight end spot. State-placing wrestler as a sophomore.
TALEN WALTON
Salem High Senior
Outside Linebacker
Two-time Eagle-Tribune All-Star. Team Defensive MVP. Twice an All-Central Conference selection. CHaD All-Star game nominee. Finished with 75 tackles, three interceptions and three forced fumbles. Had 11 tackles and an interception vs. state champion Pinkerton. “Devastating tackler. Destroyed lead blockers,” said coach Steve Abraham. State champion wrestler in the winter.
CALEN SMITH
Salem High Senior
Defensive Back
Three-year starter. All-Central Conference receiver as senior and defensive back as a junior. CHaD All-Star Game selection. Shut-down corner. Teams avoided him at all cost. “Was at his best in the toughest moments,” said coach Steve Abraham. At receiver, he had 35 catches for over 500 yards with four touchdowns. Hauled in five fourth-down chain movers. Dominated the regular season win over Windham with six catches for 90 yards and two TDs. Honor student.
NOAH ALLEN
Whittier Tech Junior
Defensive Back
Explosive two-way performer. All-Commonwealth Conference first-teamer. Steady cover guy. Uses burner speed to cover huge chunks of ground in the secondary. A horse running the football. Finished with 1,226 yards and 14 touchdowns. “Always found a way to prove to opponents he could not be stopped. He took pride in that,” said coach Kevin Bradley. Sprinter on the track team.
REID LAMBERT
Windham High Senior
Linebacker
Team captain. Division I All-Central Conference selection. CHaD All-Star game nominee. Maple Sugar Shrine Bowl nominee. Finished with 101 tackles with 55 solos and 12 for loss with six sacks. Spoiled Merrimack upset bid with sack on game-deciding two-point play. Led team in tackles in both playoff games. Anchored defense in shocker over Salem for program’s first D-I playoff win. “One of our top defensive players in school history,” said coach Jack Byrne.
BOBBY HAMWEY
Windham High Senior
Defensive Line
Two-year starter up front. Rugged, 6-foot-1, 215-pounder. Won team’s “Brick by Brick Award” for positive attitude and coachability. CHaD All-Star selection. Name Division I Central Conference second-teamer. Played huge in 8-7 playoff shocker over Salem. Also stood out in tough postseason loss to state champ Pinkerton. “Excellent combination of high-level reads, smart plays, and big plays,” said coach Jack Byrne. Will play lacrosse and possibly football at the University of New England.