Two players from state championship teams are among the 12 semifinalists named Wednesday for the James J. Fitzpatrick Trophy, awarded annually to the top senior high school football player in the state.
Spencer Cooke of Class A champion Cheverus and Louis Ditomasso of Class B champion Wells are in the running.
Cooke, a halfback-defensive back, rushed for 1,091 yards and scored 120 points. He broke a bone in his leg in the eighth game of the season and missed the Western Class A playoffs.
Cooke returned for a brief appearance in the state championship game against Lawrence.
Peter Gwilym of Cheverus captured the Fitzpatrick Trophy last season.
Ditomasso, a fullback-linebacker, gained 1,350 yards, scored 19 touchdowns and had 119 tackles as the Warriors captured their first Class B state title since 1997.
The other semifinalists are Shaun Carroll, a tailback-defensive back from Lawrence; Samuel Chaves, a fullback-linebacker from Massabesic; Donald Clark, a running back-defensive back from Cape Elizabeth; John Doyon, a tight end-linebacker from Hampden Academy; Jordan Hersom, a quarterback-safety from Leavitt; Luke Libby, a guard-defensive tackle from Thornton Academy; Logan Mars, a guard-defensive tackle from Scarborough; Dominic Mowrer, a halfback-safety from Orono; Graham Strondak, a fullback-linebacker from Westbrook; and Izaiha Tracy, a running back-safety from Mt. Blue.
The three finalists will be announced Dec. 18.
The winner will be announced at the Fitzpatrick Trophy banquet Jan. 15 at the Holiday Inn By The Bay in Portland.
The semfinalists were selected by a panel comprised of members of the Maine chapter of the College Football Hall of Fame and media members.
Each high school team is allowed to nominate a player from its team.
The nominees are reviewed by the selection panel. The three highest vote-getters in balloting by the state’s coaches and the media advance to the finals and the head table, where they hope their name will be called as the winner at the banquet.
Carroll scored 20 touchdowns and finished with 120 points to spark Lawrence to the Eastern Class A title.
Chaves averaged 6.3 yards per carry and scored 10 touchdowns.
Clark averaged 5.8 yards per carry, scored 10 touchdowns and had 52 solo tackles.
Doyon had 113 tackles, 60 solo for the Broncos.
Hersom passed for 1,630 yards and 16 touchdowns to spark Leavitt to a second straight Eastern Class B title.
Libby anchored Thornton’s defense and was a standout on special teams.
Mars had 25 blocks where he leveled his opponent. He had 59 tackles and forced two fumbles.
Mowrer scored 21 touchdowns and played solid defense.
Strondak led a revitalization of the Westbrook football program with his strong play. He averaged 4 yards per carry and played every down this season for the Blue Blazes.
Tracy averaged 8.39 yards per carry and caught 30 passes for 396 yards. He scored six running touchdowns and six receiving touchdowns.
Staff Writer Tom Chard can be reached at 791-6419 or at:
tchard@pressherald.com
Twitter: TomChardPPH
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