Q&A with St. John's of Shrewsbury ATH Eamonn Dennis

SOUTH WEYMOUTH — There are few players in Massachusetts who are quite as explosive as St. John's of Shrewsbury junior Eamonn Dennis.

Whether it is in the return game, as a runner, or as a receiver, the Worcester native can take it to the house from anywhere on the field.

With the Pioneers, he can line up just about any place on offense, including running back, so his versatility is another aspect that makes him such a special talent. At 5-foot-11, 175 pounds, Dennis caught 28 passes for 379 yards and six touchdowns in 2018, good for 13.5 yards per catch. He also ran the ball 54 times for 444 yards and three touchdowns (8.2 yards per attempt).

His efforts helped the Pioneers reach the Division 3 state semifinals and finish with an 8-4 record. Colleges have begun to take notice of his skills, too, as he sports offers from UMass, Michigan, Mississippi State, UConn, and others.

On Saturday, MassVarsity caught up with Dennis at the Union Sports Complex, where he and his NE Red teammates were competing at the first day of the Legacy New England Football 7-on-7 games.

Here is an edited version of that conversation.

MassVarsity: How long have you been coming to Legacy events, and how does it help you?

Eamonn Dennis: This is my second year doing this. It helps during the offseason just to get you warmed up. We're from New England, so there's a lot of snow, so this is helping us get prepared for the season.

MV: What has you offseason been like? It seems like a lot of schools have jumped forward with offers.

ED: Just grinding. Just keep working, everything will come. Keep praying.

MV: You're in Worcester and you have to come all the way down here. Is it worth the trip?

ED: Yeah, it's worth it just to get warmed up because I'll do track in the spring, but I didn't do it in the winter.

MV: What are some of your best track times?

ED: It was a long time ago, but freshman year I got an 11.08 (in the 100 meters).

MV: What was it like getting a Mississippi State offer? Not a lot of kids up here get offers from the Bulldogs.

ED: It was nice because I went down there over the summer. I was just praying, and they reached back out and offered me.

MV: What's the recruiting process been like for you? I know it can be an overwhelming thing sometimes.

ED: It's long. I don't really like it, but it's cool to see all these schools coming in and all that.

MV: I was just talking to (St. John's and NE Red teammate) Jay (Brunelle) about your team goals for next year and the offseason. What are they?

ED: Help the younger guys to prepare for next year, and also to help us to get better over the season. I'm looking forward for the season.

MV: It's kind of funny how big this (Legacy) thing has grown . . .

ED: Yeah. The first year wasn't that big, but over time, continued playing with it, it got better. It's all about patience.

MV: Do you like the fact that you get to meet so many kids from so many different teams and stuff like that?

ED: Yeah, see what they do over the offseason, too, learn from them, get better, and use that.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Christian Ferrara provides lift for Western Mass. athletes

Image
When Christian Ferrara first came to Springfield Central in 2014, he could not believe his eyes, and not in a good way. "The whole culture in the city (was bad)," Ferrara said. "How in a city this big with all these special athletes and you're not pumping out Division 1 after Division 1 athletes? We have all these studs here, why aren't we pumping out more Division 1 athletes?" A former 38-game starter at nose tackle for Syracuse in the late 1990s, early 2000s, Ferrara came up to Massachusetts in 2012 to help a friend open up some gyms on the East Coast. But when he began his stint as a strength and conditioning coach at Central along with his work at the alternative school there, Ferrara knew he had to start from the ground up when it came to getting the most out of the talent. "They didn't know how to program their athletes properly in the weight room," said Ferrara, who trains athletes all over Western Mass. now, including East Longme
Read more

Boston College star Lukas Denis, seen with a mother's love, stern eye

Image
By Adam Kurkjian Ketlie Denis was running late Saturday to meet up with a reporter about her son, Lukas, at Somerville's Southern Kin Code House on Assembly Row. Behind the bar, there was an American flag painted on the bricklay behind crossed wood and between the liquor display. It played country music and served items like Louisiana Grandad Gumbo, Chicken and Waffles, and Farmhouse Buttermilk Biscuits. But, like most places in Somerville these days, it was populated by more of a gentrified, hipster-ish crowd. Roughly a half an hour late, Ketlie arrived, profusely apologized and wanted to know immediately about the scrimmage from earlier that day. Then she asked about how Lukas performed earlier that afternoon.  He dropped an interception, but one of his former teammates from Everett High, Jason Maitre, made a diving pass breakup toward the end of the live portion. She beamed ("Jason is like his little brother"). She has never missed a single
Read more

Q&A with Dennis-Yarmouth WR Geoffrey Jamiel

HANOVER — Only a sophomore, Dennis-Yarmouth wide receiver Geoffrey Jamiel has already made his mark as one of the top players in the state at his position. At Sunday's MASS ELITE 7v7 Underclassmen Showcase at the Starland Sportsplex, Jamiel again displayed the attributes that make him so tough to cover. Not only does the 5-foot-8, 150-pounder have good speed and quickness, but his route-running skills, body control, and hands never disappoint. We spoke to Jamiel for a few minutes after the event. Here is an edited version of that conversation. MassVarsity: How many times have you been to showcases like this? Geoffrey Jamiel: Over the summer I went to the New England Elite Clinic. But, since then, I haven't really gone . . . I've gone to more private ones, like one days for colleges. But this is my first showcase, kind of, with a bunch of other kids. MV: Obviously, you had another great year, and today really stood out again. What kind of feedback are you getting
Read more