With training camp set to open this week across the South Shore, we’ve got nothing but football on the brain.
Fresh off a season in which we saw seven area teams reach the Super Bowl, expectations are high for a thrilling 2024 season.
Locally, there is a bevy of returning talent. Statewide, an early Labor Day/late Thanksgiving coupling on the calendar has yielded an extra week of the regular season. What more could you ask for?
This week on the Sports Exchange, we began our preview of the 2024 season by taking a look at some of the top returning players and teams on the South Shore.
Listen to the full breakdown below.
Top Returning Player
Each of your Sports Exchange hosts were tasked with picking the player they are most excited to see back on the gridiron this fall.
With so much talent returning, it’s impossible to narrow in on a “right” answer, so we went with the guys that personally move the needle for us.
Quinn’s Pick: James Curry, SR, Braintree
James Curry’s 2023 season stats are almost unfathomable. In his junior campaign, Curry paced the Wamps with 1,725 yards rushing and 23 touchdowns, averaging 6.8 yards per carry.
Those numbers were both tops in the area, and earned Curry a nod as a Bill Wilhelm Award semifinalist; one of just three underclassmen to make the list.
Listen to full episodes of the Sports Exchange HERE
The final note on Curry’s season was an eye-popping 35 carry, 203 yard, two touchdown performance as the Wamps upset eventual Super Bowl champion Milton on Thanksgiving.
Curry reportedly played much of last season with a significant elbow injury, so the prospect of a fully healthy season ahead is too much to ignore.
Johnny’s Pick: Will Bostrom, SR, Norwell
Norwell surprised some people last year with an incredible season that earned them the top seed in the Division 6 tournament.
Much of that can be attributed to an exceedingly athletic senior class, but Will Bostrom was no small part in the run.
Now anchoring a team that will endure heavy attrition off their Elite 8 run, Bostrom will be asked to be an even greater focal point of the offense.
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Beyond his talent, much of the justification here is simply Bostrom’s athleticism. The 2023 South Shore League Sullivan MVP is the type of kid that just looks like a standout athlete.
After racking up roughly 1,450 yards and 11 touchdowns as a junior, Bostrom pushed his career numbers to over 2,500 yards on the ground and 20 scores.
It will be a pleasure to watch Bostrom chase a third straight 1,000 yard season.
Brendan’s Pick: Tor Maas, SR, Marshfield
There are a number of talented signal callers returning this fall, but perhaps none more enjoyable to watch than Tor Maas.
Another Bill Wilhelm Award semifinalist, Maas had a sensational junior year that spurred Marshfield to a surprise Super Bowl appearance.
Maas threw for 2,201 yards and 20 touchdowns against four interceptions, while adding 615 yards rushing and seven touchdowns on the ground.
At 6’5″ and 215 lbs, Maas seems nearly impossible to bring down. When the Rams’ QB gets a full head of steam, the horns emblazoning the sides of his helmet seem very apropos.
You’d be foolish to call a season that ended at Gillette and included becoming the first public school in the Commonwealth to knock off Catholic Memorial in four years a disappointment, but Maas and co. will unquestionably be on a mission this fall to payoff their senior season with a Harry Agganis trophy.
Honorable Mentions
Keeping in mind once again that this is not a comprehensive list or a ranking of the best players in the area this fall, we offered a series of returners that we are also excited to watch this fall.
Listed alphabetically by school:
Mason Nash, JR, Abington
Ryan Solimini, JR, Abington
Garoid Stones, SR, Braintree
Jack Balzarini, SR, Carver
Trevor Jones, SR, Duxbury
Jack Johnson, SR, Duxbury
John Rovegno, SR, Duxbury
Aidan Boutin, SR, Hanover
Brandon Errico, JR, Hanover
Sebastian Brown, JR, Hanover
Luke Dunham, SR, Hull
Davin True, SR, Marshfield
Javon Shanks, SR, Middleboro
Ronan Sammon, JR, Milton
Cam Sampson, SR, North Quincy
Jack Luccarelli, SO, Norwell
Jayden Leonard, SR, Pembroke
Owen Pace, SR, Pembroke
Gio Ruberio-Lynch, JR, Plymouth North
Nate Goff, SR, Quincy
Lawson Foley, SR, Scituate
Dylan Keenan, JR, Taunton
Johnny Walker, SR, Whitman-Hanson
Listen to the full episode of the Sports Exchange below.
