In the long history of the James J. Fitzpatrick Trophy, only one lineman has won the award. That was Gerry Raymond of Lewiston, who went on to play at Boston College.

This could be the second time as three linemen are among the dozen names released Wednesday as candidates for the 42nd Fitzpatrick Trophy, which is awarded to the top senior high school football player in the state.

“We have three linemen this year,” said Jack Dawson, Fitzpatrick Trophy committee chairman. “We’re lucky if we have one every seven or eight years.”

Bobby Begin of Thornton Academy, Tate Gale of Portland and Jack Lucy of Orono are on the ballot with nine other running backs and quarterbacks that the state coaches and members of the media will receive. They’ll be asked to select their top choices. The winner of the Fitzy will be named at the annual banquet to be held Jan. 20 at the Holiday Inn By The Bay in Portland, beginning at noon.

A capsule look in alphabetical of the candidates:

• Brian Bedard, Leavitt: A running back/safety, he had 1,500 all-purpose yards, scored 11 touchdowns and has a 90.0 grade point average.

• Bobby Begin, Thornton Academy: A center and linebacker for the Class A state champions, he led the team with 56 solo tackles and 43 assisted tackles. Begin ranks in the top 10 percent of his class.

• Cale Bollig, Westbrook: A fullback/defensive end for the Blue Blazes, he averaged 5.6 yards a carry and scored 17 touchdowns. Bollig has an 86.7 grade point average.

• Spencer Carey, Lawrence: A quarterback/safety, he led the Bulldogs to their second straight Eastern Maine Class A title. In three seasons, he averaged 740 yards rushing, 750 yards passing and six touchdowns. He also averaged 100 tackles a season. Carey ranks 72nd in a class of 184.

• Tate Gale, Portland: A guard/linebacker for the Bulldogs, who reached the regional semifinals, he led the team with 68 tackles, carries a 99.8 grade point average and ranks seventh in his class.

• Donald Goodrich, Cheverus: A running back, he averaged 8.65 yards a carry, rushed for 1,722 yards, scored 24 touchdowns and had 43 tackles. He ranks 58th in a class of 122.

• Nick Leblond, Biddeford: A quarterback/defensive back, he completed 97 of 203 passes for 1,305 yards and eight touchdowns and averaged 13 yards a completion. Leblond ranks sixth in a class of 197 with a 97 grade point average.

• Jack Lucy, Orono: A two-way tackle for the Red Riots, he has a 98 grade point average and ranks first in a class of 93.

• Dillon Russo, Scarborough: A quarterback/defensive back, he passed for 1,624 yards and rushed for 732 yards. He passed for 15 touchdowns and rushed for six. He made 63 solo tackles. He has a 90.3 GPA.

• Alex Shain, Sanford: A running back, he rushed for 1,400 yards and scored 28 touchdowns. Shain also had 43 solo tackles and ranks 20th in a class of 259 students.

• Chandler Shostak, Cony: A wide receiver/safety, Shostak caught 56 passes for 853 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also averaged 33.6 yards a punt and ranks 28th in a class of 179 students.

• Kenny Sweet, Deering: Sweet moved to quarterback from running back early in the season. He rushed for 1,387 yards and scored 18 touchdowns. He passed for 400 yards and two touchdowns. Sweet has a 93.6 grade point average.

Staff Writer Tom Chard can be reached at 791-6419 or at:

tchard@pressherald.com

Twitter: TomChardPPH