2022 Hockomock Football: Players to Watch on Offense

By HockomockSports.com Staff

Player are listed alphabetically

Sam Carpenter, Senior – Foxboro

For just the second time, we have a player whose primary position is kicker on the list as Foxboro senior Sam Carpenter makes the cut. At the beginning of high school, Carpenter spent the autumn months on the pitch but when football was forced to the Fall II season due to COVID, he tried out and emerged as the team’s kicker. Fast forward to this season and he enters the year committed to Indiana University as a preferred walk-on. He’s come a long way in less than two years and will be one of the best place kickers in the state this year. His hard work (he won a kicking competition at Rutgers with a 56-yard field goal) during the offseason hasn’t gone unnoticed and he will certainly be a weapon for the Warriors this year. While some programs will find themselves trying to go for it in tough field position and others will struggle to find consistent kicking on PATs, Foxboro has a go-to option that can produce key points.

Luke Davis, Senior – Franklin

Franklin had one of the most dynamic offenses in the state last year but one of the only skill players back this year is senior Luke Davis. Although his stats weren’t among the league leaders, he was a vital piece to Franklin’s passing game and a reliable target for quarterback Jared Arone. Now Davis will be one of the Panthers’ primary pass catchers and among the most seasoned receivers in the league. He will also be working with a new quarterback as Jase Lyons takes over. We’ve seen Davis line up all over the field in the past two seasons, going over the middle from the slot or taking corners one-on-one down the sideline. Wherever he lines up this year, he will be a handful for opposing defenses and someone they will certainly need to game plan for. If he gets single coverage on the outside, you can expect him to win a lot of those battles.

Trevor Foley, Junior – Mansfield

The reigning HockomockSports.com Underclassman of the Year, Foley had an outstanding season as Mansfield’s primary receiver and the go-to target for first-year quarterback Conner Zukowski. With his size, great hands, and his strength, Foley came through with big grabs in traffic or near the goal line and was able to turn any catch into a big play. He had 41 grabs for 602 yards last season. Foley averaged 14.7 yards per catch and was among the league’s leading receivers with 10 touchdowns. He added 31 tackles and led the team with five interceptions, proving to be as strong a playmaker on the defensive side of the ball. Mansfield saw its three-year reign at the top of the division come to an end last year, but the development of the passing game with Foley as the top target has the Hornets looking to regain its spot at the top of the standings.

Chase Frisoli, Sophomore – North Attleboro

North Attleboro’s offense is tough to predict heading into the new season because the Div. 3 finalists graduated so many of the team’s primary weapons, but Frisoli returns after a year of experience, and the Rocketeers will need to build around their sophomore signal caller. As a freshman, Frisoli tossed seven touchdown passes, rushed for one, and showed considerable poise for a player who hadn’t even seen a minute of sub-varsity action. With a strong arm and good pocket presence, Frisoli can make plays downfield but was also able to pull the ball down and grab yards with his feet. He will have to develop connections with his new skill players early in the season, but North should continue to improve over the course of the year as he becomes more comfortable with his new weapons and the new coaching staff’s play calling. Big Red doesn’t have many rebuilding seasons, so expectations remain high and Frisoli is a big piece of North’s puzzle for the new season.

Rudy Gately, Senior – King Philip

Gately is the latest in a line of every down backs that the KP offense revolves around. Never one to shy away from contact, Gately finished with seven touchdown runs and a pair of scores through the air. He could fight for the hard yards up the middle and had the breakaway speed to turn any gap into a big play. Gately has great vision to find a seam and never goes down on first contact. He added a touchdown against CM in the Super Bowl at Gillette. Gately also brings his physicality to the other side of the ball as a hard-hitting linebacker. The Warriors continue to be one of the contenders for the Kelley-Rex and Div. 2 titles and Gately’s ability to grind out yards and keep the offense on the field will be critical to KP’s success this fall.

Jacob Leonard, Senior – Taunton

There’s a quiet optimism surrounding the Taunton program heading into this season, and the list of experienced players on offense is a big reason why. Jacob Leonard will start his third year under center for the Tigers and he’s got a good amount of weapons to use, and maybe most importantly, a very sizable and seasoned offensive line in front of him. Anchored by captains Nathan LaPlante, William Guachichulca-Torres, and Ryan MacDougall, Leonard will be in good hands when drops back to pass or looks to run himself. He has shown the ability to do both in the past, tossing nine touchdowns last season as well as using his legs to make plays — both by design and on scrambles. He has good weapons in junior Jose Touron and senior Mckyen Gonsalves, both of whom he developed chemistry with last season. With an improved running game, Leonard should have more time and space this year and when he’s had that in the past, he’s punished opponents.

Isaiah Pantalone, Senior – Milford

It didn’t take Pantalone long to make an impact at the varsity level. After an impressive JV season as a sophomore, the receiver had three receiving touchdowns in the season opener against Foxboro and never looked back. Capable of making big plays on the deep ball or turning a simple screen into a long touchdown, Pantalone was one of the top receivers in the league. He accounted for more than 1,000 yards of offense and scored 13 touchdowns, as Milford made a run to the Div. 2 semifinals. A tough matchup because he can be lined up out wide, in the slot, and in the backfield, Pantalone had defenses guessing all season and helped the Hawks put together one of the league’s top offenses. Milford has raised expectations around the program, including contention for the league and state title, and Pantalone is one of the factors that has the Hawks coming into the season with confidence riding high.

Liam Pearl, Junior – Stoughton

Stoughton’s Liam Pearl was off to a strong start during his sophomore year before being limited to the sidelines due to injury. Back healthy, Pearl will be a feature back in a Stoughton offense that is known year-in and year-out for its strong ground game. Operating out of the Wing-T, Stoughton always uses a handful of backs, and Pearl’s combination of size, speed, and strength fit right into the offense that longtime head coach Greg Burke likes to run. He can be a lead blocker or a capable ball carrier as well. He’s athletic enough to get out from the backfield, haul in a pass, and make a play. As most Stoughton players do, he’ll also play on the defensive side of the ball and could very well have a stand-out season on that end as well.

Anthony Salviati, Senior – Attleboro

Attleboro’s offense struggled to click into gear last season (finishing with the second-fewest points in the league) but Salviati gives the Bombardiers a versatile weapon who can pick up yards in a variety of ways. Last season, he accounted for more than 800 all-purpose yards in just eight games, giving Attleboro support in all three phases of the game. After a tough start because of injuries, Salviati turned into a big play threat with his speed and ability to make players miss in the open field, making plays as a receiver and lined up in the backfield. He finished with four touchdowns and was also the team’s kicker. Attleboro has a new staff this fall, with a goal of moving up the Kelley-Rex standings and Salviati’s various skills will be a key to getting the offense producing at a higher level.

Chad Silva, Senior – Oliver Ames

Oliver Ames senior Chad Silva is just one of two players to make this list for the second straight year. One of the most experienced players in the league, it feels like Silva has been around forever because of how many snaps he’s played for the Tigers, both on offense and defense. He was OA’s leading rusher as a sophomore but the emergence of Collin Williamson last year shifted his role into more of a lead blocker. Not a lot of players would be willing to go from the bulk of the carries to doing the dirty work in front, but Silva did just that and Williamson had a terrific season. Now the Tigers are putting the ball back in his hands and his bruising style of running will certainly be difficult for opposing defenses. OA had a great offseason and there is a lot of buzz around the program, and if they end up having a big bounce-back year, don’t be surprised if it’s because of a dominant run game spearheaded by Silva.