Jaelon Blandburg '16 and Alex Claudio '17 were among the elite high school football players in the region when they attended the 54th annual Western Massachusetts National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame banquet at the University of Massachusetts April 10.
Jaelon and Alex were presented with their respective All-New England Class B awards.
"It's a great honor for both guys," Coach Jeff Vartabedian said. "It's a select group. It's all of the Class B schools in New England.
"Both of them had outstanding years. Jaelon certainly was an outstanding player on the offensive side of the ball but he became a standout player on the defensive side of the ball and some college recruiters were impressed with that. Alex is probably known more for his defensive play and big hits but was super consistent all year long on both sides of the ball. These are two great guys – practice hard, play hard, great teammates, leaders."
After a stellar season at wide receiver and then surprising scouts with his play at defensive back, Jaelon drew interest from nearly every Ivy League school before choosing to attend Brown University.
"It's awesome and a great honor," Jaelon said. "I was happy to get All-New England. That was the goal from the beginning and I accomplished it.
"The event was great. There were some very prestigious people there. Everybody was well spoken. It was a great environment."
Alex, meanwhile, has drawn interest from Division I colleges for his hard-hitting ability on defense as a strong safety and outside linebacker.
"Making All-New England, which is more difficult than public school and there are more Division I athletes, is a great honor," Alex said.
"I didn't think the banquet was going to be so prestigious. It was nicely set up, and the food was good."