Supreme Excel Proving It Belongs
The Mass.-Conn. Collaboration Is Paying Off Exactly The Way Bill Watson & Stack Williams Thought It Would
The plan was put into place two years ago.
A group of elite football players from Massachusetts — based out of Excel Sports Academy — would link up with a group of elite players from Connecticut — based out of Supreme Athlete — to form a sort of Super Team.
Together, they would travel to 7-on-7 tournaments to prove they could compete against the best players from anywhere in the country.
After experiencing some early success in 2019, their plans for the 2020 season were brought to a sudden halt when COVID-19 hit last spring.
But it proved to be merely a postponement instead of a cancellation and Supreme Excel is back on track.
With Bill Watson representing Excel Sports Academy and Stack Williams representing Supreme Athlete, the partnership has made everybody better.
“I don’t even know if I can put it into words how big that connection has been because it’s just made us more competitive as a whole,” says Watson. “It’s brought more elite-type kids into the fold and it’s allowed everybody to kind of compete. What do they say, ‘Iron Sharpens Iron’? That’s what’s been happening.
“Everybody wants to be better than whoever’s around them. That’s been the bar. The bar has been kids that are going to big-time Division-I schools. Kids are coming in eighth, ninth grade saying, ‘I want to be better than him.’ They have a visual of it. They have a blueprint and it’s trickled down to everyone from both states. Stack brings a lot to the table. He’s an important piece and we appreciate him greatly.”
The parent of one player may have put it best.
“The best thing about all the Excel guys is they truly care,” this parent said. “Word around New England is out. Every kid wants to be a part of it now. We are so glad to be part of it.”
In the span of a month, Supreme Excel has gone to Delaware and New Jersey to compete in Pylon 7-on-7 events and won both. Supreme Excel has two teams and they both made the semifinals of the New Jersey event before having to face each other.
“So, we actually had two of the top four teams down there,” Watson says. “It was a good tournament. Our kids played well, played against some good talent and to be honest with you, after having time to think about it, we took some good players, lined up some kids across from them and our kids dominated some of those guys. And those kids have 10 times the offers that some of our kids have. But we got out there and our kids lined up and dominated. Not just once or a couple of times, but dominated some good players.”
With the high school season set to start this month, Supreme Excel will take a pause before coming back together in a couple months and setting their sights even higher.
“We’re looking at either going down to Florida or going out to Cali, West Coast,” Watson says. “We’re going to continue to compete against some more talented teams and see where we stand.
“That’s pretty much been the formula for me for years, we’re searching for the loss. The loss is where you get better. When somebody beats you, that’s when we look at ourselves and get to the drawing board, figure out why we’re losing and correct those mistakes. So, we’re looking to get exposed and looking for somebody to beat us. We’ve played two up here. Now we’re going to go South or to the West Coast and look for somebody to kind of teach us a lesson.”
It’s been quite a while since Watson and the Supreme Excel, especially the players who are connected to Central High School, have been taught a so-called lesson, but they’re still looking for one.
This level of success is new for a football team with roots in Western Mass., but Watson saw it coming.
He saw it coming when he was the head coach of the SYF Tigers youth team that had success on the national level. He saw it coming with the launch of Excel Sports Academy led by Tommy Guy and Steve Martin. And he saw it coming with the commitment to excellence displayed by the players within the programs, which has provided the foundation for others to follow.
“I think it’s what I thought would happen,” says Watson, noting the talent of past players. “They didn’t have the services that we have now, as far as development, weightlifting, training every weekend and indoor facilities to train in.
“With that added advantage, they’re really ready to go and dominate and play at the same level with anybody else in the country. We’ve kind of evened the playing field to a degree.”
The work isn’t finished yet and Watson would still like to see more football players take advantage of the opportunity to run on their high school track teams.
“I think our top-end speed still needs to improve as an area, but as far as playing, technique, aggression, things like that, our kids are on par with anyone,” he says. “I’ve known it for a while, but it’s time for everybody else to take notice.
“We can’t keep going out there and beating everybody that everyone else is saying is great and no one’s noticing at all. Everyone is trying to ignore it even though we’re doing it tournament after tournament.”
2023 Massachusetts quarterback Pop Watson earned MVP honors in New Jersey. Poised to be one of the most-highly recruited prospects in the history of the state, Pop has early offers from schools like Michigan, Oregon and Tennessee among others.
“Pop’s had two great tournaments,” says Watson, who is Pop’s father and offensive coordinator at Springfield Central High School.
2024 Massachusetts quarterback Ryan Puglisi, of Lawrence Academy, has been sharing time with Watson at the position.
“He’s been very productive as well,” Watson says of Puglisi. “He’s doing real good. He has a real good real strong arm. He’s been making his reads. He’s getting better and better every week as far as the speed of his reads. I tell him we should never take a sack in 7-on-7. He’s been doing a good job, trying to get the ball out of his hand.
“I think he’s going to be a Power 5 kid when it’s all said and done.”
2022 Massachusetts wide receiver Joe Griffin has dominated both events. The 6-foot-4, 195-pounder committed to Boston College back in the fall, but performances like these are certain to raise his profile.
“He’s an elite kid,” Watson says of Griffin, who also plays at Central. “He dominated, especially in the championship game against NLG. He was unguardable. There was nobody out there that can do anything with him one-on-one.”
Watson also pointed to 2022 Avon Old Farms safety and Princeton commit Marco Scarano, who earned MVP honors in the first Pylon Tournament, and his Avon teammate, 2023 athlete Jackson Harper.
“He’s a kid who deserves some looks,” Watson says of Harper. “He looks very good. He’s a Power 5 kid.”
Watson calls 2022 athlete Chase Collyer of Loomis Chaffee one of the more talented kids on the team.
“He’s about 5–8, 5–9 and he’s a great athlete,” says Watson. “He’s a basketball player as well. He’s dunking the basketball at that height.”
2022 Connecticut receiver Victor Rosa from Bristol Central High School has a few major offers already, including Navy and UConn.
Other standouts include wide receiver Kevin Jackson, who will be one of Central’s top players as a sophomore this season, junior tight end Brendan Guy of Central as well as sophomore safety Marcues Jean Jacques from Arlington, senior tight end Matt Ragan from Lawrence Academy who is committed to Boston College as well as 2023 receiver Mervins Amazon from Everett High School.
“I think he’s going to be big time,” Watson says of Amazon.
Other Supreme Excel players who will have chances to play Division-I after high school include 2022 Central athlete CJ Woodfine-Holmes, who is set to do a prep year at East Coast Prep in Great Barrington, 2022 Connecticut linebacker Antwone Santiago of Platt High School and 2022 Connecticut linebacker David Pardo from East Hartford High School.
