Springfield Central Stars Feel At "Home" At UMass
Two of the top prospects from the top high school in the area enjoyed visits to Amherst this past weekend
First-year UMass head coach Joe Harasymiak has the chance to take advantage of an opportunity none of his predecessors have.
In fairness, the opportunity didn’t exist for most former UMass staffs, but the previous one could have done more to capitalize on it.
In the last decade, Springfield (MA) Central has emerged as the singular power in Western Mass. high school football like none before it and has cemented itself as one of the best programs in the state and the region.
Central has consistently sent players to Ivy League schools, Group of Five schools and even to a few Power-4 programs. Any thoughts that the program would begin falling back down to earth following the graduations of high-profile players like quarterback Pop Watson (Virginia Tech) and receiver Joe Griffin (Boston College, Wisconsin) have been smacked down as the school has continued to put out talent on that level in the years since.
In fact, with younger players in the region seeing the possibilities, they’re more willing than ever to put in the necessary work and judging by the underclassmen on their roster, the talent is increasing as well.
If Harasymiak is able to create some sort of pipeline from Springfield to Amherst, that could go a long way toward achieving the kind of success he’s talked about.
The Minutemen hosted a few Central Eagles for their initial Underclassmen Day this past Saturday and two - 2027 running back Isaiah Rogers and 2028 athlete Xavier Thomas - left having been re-offered by Harsymiak.
“It feels great,” Rogers said afterward. “I love the head coach. I love the new staff. It sounds like they're going to put out a good team.
“I loved the day. The staff showed me that they care, especially the running backs coach. I talked to him, He's a good guy.”
Thomas was just as excited.
“It feels great,” he said. “It feels like home.
“I loved it. All the coaches gave me a lot of love.”
Rogers, who also has offers from Nebraska, Mississippi State, Maryland, Boston College and Syracuse, heard Harasymiak’s thoughts on his game.
“He said he loved the big runs,” Rogers explained. “He loved my speed. He loved my size and he loves that I still have more potential and more years to come in high school before my college career.”
Thomas - who could play several positions at the next level, including safety - was offered by Syracuse on Tuesday.
Over the weekend, he learned the UMass staff has been impressed with him on and off the field.
“Coach Harasymiak said he liked my personality, how the coaches talked up about me and he said he liked my film,” said Thomas.
Both youngsters are intent on continuing to work to improve this offseason.
“I'm just going to camps, going on visits to see what I've got going on,” said Rogers. “I'm definitely getting stronger and faster for the new season.”
Thomas added, “I'm going to stay in the weight room, stay on top and keep working.”