Cape Elizabeth senior Caden McDuffie shows off the prize after being named the winner of the Fitzpatrick Trophy Sunday in Portland. Derek Davis / Portland Press Herald
Cape Elizabeth senior quarterback Caden McDuffie didn’t just lead the Capers to their first state title back in November, he did it with style, with his arm, legs and brain and as a result of his excellence, McDuffie was named the 50th winner of the James J. Fitzpatrick Trophy, given to the state’s premier senior player, at a ceremony in Portland Sunday.
McDuffie is the first Cape Elizabeth player to be selected. Bonny Eagle lineman Thomas Horton and Windham quarterback Will Ledbetter were the other finalists.
McDuffie rushed for 1,011 yards and 19 touchdowns, set a school record for total offense (2,417 yards) and completed 68 of 123 passes for 1,406 yards with 26 touchdowns and only three interceptions. He ran for the winning score as time expired to beat Leavitt in the Class C South Final, then accounted for seven TDs in a state game victory over Winslow.
“I knew what the Fitzpatrick Trophy meant,” McDuffie said at the COVID-delayed banquet. “It meant you were the cream of the crop. I just wanted to bring Cape Elizabeth its first ring and whatever comes with that follows and my teammates really made it easy for me.”
McDuffie will play next year at Louisiana Christian University, an NAIA school in Pineville, Louisiana.
Press Herald staff writer Steve Craig contributed to this story.
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