Catholic Memorial's McCarthy Named to NFF Team of Distinction
Harvard’s DePrima, Endicott’s Twardosky Named Week Four Recipients
of NEFW/Grinold Chapter Gold Helmet Awards
Harvard University junior quarterback Charles DePrima and Endicott College senior defensive back Zachariah Twardosky are this week’s recipients of the New England Football Writers Association Gold Helmet Awards presented by the Jack Grinold/Eastern Massachusetts Chapter of the National Football Foundation.
DePrima, a native of Oakland, N.J., and a graduate of Ramapo High School, amassed 301 yards of total offense (including a career-high 203 passing yards) and accounted for four touchdowns as the 25th-ranked Crimson overcame an early 10-0 deficit to hold off Brown 34-31 in their Ivy League opener. DePrima threw for scoring strikes of 14, 15 and 31 yards and added a three-yard scamper as part of a 98-yard rushing performance, and he completed 15-of-26 passing attempts for the evening.
Twardosky, from Merrimack, N.H., and a Merrimack High School graduate, paced a stellar defensive effort with 10 total tackles (eight solo and one for a loss), a forced fumble and a fumble recovery as the Gulls upended fifth-ranked Hardin-Simmons 37-10. Twardosky’s fumble recovery was one of four turnovers the hosts amassed against the visiting Cowboys, who were held to season lows in points, passing yards and total offense. The win was Endicott’s first over a nationally ranked program in school history.
For the ninth straight year, the Jack Grinold/Eastern Massachusetts Chapter of the National Football Foundation is the presenting sponsor for both the weekly and end-of-year Gold Helmet Awards presented to student-athletes from FBS, FCS, Division II and Division III institutions throughout New England.
For more information on the Gold Helmet Awards and the New England Football Writers Association, please visit www.newenglandfootballwriters.com.
McCarthy was a two-year starter for the Massachusetts Division 2 state champions and was also varsity wrestling captain and a two-time Catholic Conference wrestling All-Star. Off the field and mat, McCarthy was the senior class president, is a three-time speech and debate state champion, a member Social Studies, Chinese, and National Honor Societies, writes for the Catholic Memorial newspaper, and is Ranked in top 10 percent of class.
McCarthy will attend Wesleyan University in the fall where he expects to continue his football career.
2023 Catholic Memorial High School graduate Austin McCarthy, a center and long snapper, is one of only 79 graduating high school football players nationwide of a pool of over 3,500 to be named to the 2023 Team of Distinction by the National Football Foundation. The team of Distinction allows the NFF to honor the top high school scholar-athletes from around the country as the best and the brightest at the local level while highlighting the work of the NFF Chapter Network.
Jack Grinold/Eastern Massachusetts Chapter
National Football Foundation