Anytime you are trying to select an All-Star team from seven schools you will have some difficult decisions to make. Some years are easier than others, but this year turned out to be one of the toughest I have been a part of in selecting these types of teams over the last 17 years.

While it made our job more difficult, it’s actually a great thing as it means our local football programs are producing a ton of talent.

The first thing we looked at was our Most Valuable Player award and it really came down to a few players.

Thornton Academy had a couple absolute playmakers this season in wide receivers Anthony Bracamonte and CJ LaBreck, and they were both mentioned when Associate Sports Editor Alex Sponseller and myself were considering MVP candidates.

Another player who had to be looked at was Old Orchard Beach senior quarterback Dylan Boudreau. While the Seagulls went just 3-5 on the year, Boudreau racked up 1,080 rushing yards, 398 passing yards and 17 total touchdowns — and he did that in just six games.

I watched Boudreau in person and he was probably the most dynamic player I saw all year, which is why he is the starting QB on the JT All-Star team.

Speaking of quarterbacks, Biddeford junior Carter Edgerton put up huge numbers for the Tigers as he threw for 913 yards, ran for 692 more and scored 18 touchdowns.

In the end, we went to the state champion Wells Warriors for our MVP — and there were two candidates that jumped out.

The first was senior center/linebacker Sean McCormack-Kuhman, who was a beast on both sides of the ball for Wells, and earned conference player of the year honors.

While McCormack-Kuhman was outstanding, we felt that senior running back/linebacker Nolan Potter earned the top award for the 2017 campaign.

Potter was just unstoppable with the ball in his hands this season — just ask pretty much any defender who tried to tackle him.

The standout was also an animal on the defensive side of the ball as he helped the Wells defense shut down almost everybody they faced.

QB conundrum

I talked above about two of the quarterbacks in our coverage area — Biddeford’s Edgerton and OOB’s Boudreau — but there were several other QBs who had strong years and could have made the All-Star team.

Kennebunk junior Tripp Bush produced with his arm and his legs this year as he led the Rams to a 9-2 record and a trip to the Class B South semifinals.

Wells had a standout QB in senior Michael Wrigley who obviously was key in leading the Warriors to a second straight state championship.

Then you had Massabesic sophomore Nick Roberge, who helped the Mustangs win two games at the end of the year and proved that he belongs on the varsity level. Roberge may have been the easiest selection for us as our Rookie of the Year.

In the end, we went with Boudreau as he put up huge numbers and that was with missing two games because of injury.

Field hockey phenoms

Another team that was difficult for us to sort out was the JT Field Hockey All-Stars. There were several standouts who could have been named MVP — including some teams with multiple nominees.

The Biddeford Tigers made a run to the regional finals and couldn’t have done that without several standouts.

Sarrah Marcotte broke the school’s single-season scoring record with 23 goals and added two assists. Peyton McKeown had 13 goals and 11 assists, and Paige Laverriere finished with 12 goals and 13 assists. That’s not even mentioning standout goalie Taylor Wildes, who finished with 106 saves and had the second fewest goals allowed in the conference.

When you look at Thornton Academy, the Golden Trojans were led by Taylor Ouellette who finished the year with a school-record 26 goals and also broke the TA record for career scoring this year.

Over in Kennebunk, the Rams may not have made as deep of a playoff run as Biddeford or Massabesic, but that didn’t stop Britney Gregoire from scoring 25 goals and dishing out 10 assists.

In the end, the MVP for the 2017 season went to Massabesic senior Emma Rutledge, who finished with 22 goals this year — and broke the school’s career scoring record midway through the season.

Rutledge didn’t have the best stats, but she was the clear leader of a talented Massabesic club and she showed up in every big game for the Mustangs.

You have probably heard analysts on ESPN talk about athletes passing the “eye test,” which basically means a player jumping off the screen when you are watching a team play. That is exactly what Rutledge did every time I watched Massabesic play this season — and that is a big reason why she is the MVP.

— Sports Editor Pat McDonald can be reached at [email protected] or at 282-1535 ext. 322. Follow the Journal Tribune Sports Department on Twitter @JournalTsports.