Cheverus of Portland senior Joe Fitzpatrick, who rushed for more than 2,000 yards while leading the Stags to the Eastern Maine Class A championship game, has been named the 2014 Gatorade Maine Football Player of the Year.
The 5-foot-11, 214-pound running back and linebacker rushed for 2,071 yards and 27
touchdowns while leading Cheverus to an 8-2 record and a berth in the Eastern A final, where it lost to Windham 21-20 in overtime.
Previously named the Eastern A offensive player of the year, Fitzpatrick rushed for more than 250 rushing yards in a game five times this fall while scoring more than one touchdown in eight of his team’s 10 games.
A two-time, first-team, all-state selection, Fitzpatrick also had 16 tackles and a quarterback sack on defense while averaging 39.1 yards per punt this season.
“There are a lot of good backs in our league but Joe Fitzpatrick is a man,” said Bangor High School football coach Mark Hackett, whose team yielded 383 rushing yards and four touchdowns to Fitzpatrick during two losses to Cheverus this fall.
“In our game, when it got close, Joe took over. We couldn’t tackle him. He ran around us, over us and through us.”
The Gatorade award recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field.
Fitzpatrick has maintained a B-plus average in the classroom. He also is a member of the Cheverus Key Club and has volunteered locally at a soup kitchen and an animal shelter in addition to donating his time helping to repair property damage for elderly neighbors. He also has participated in multiple community service initiatives as part of his church youth group.
He remains undecided on a college choice.
Fitzpatrick, the third Gatorade Maine Football Player of the Year recipient from Cheverus, joins Ben Lucas (2013, Cony of Augusta), Andrew Libby (2012, Thornton Academy of Saco), Louis DiTomasso (2011, Wells), Peter Gwilym (2010, Cheverus), Jack Mallis (2009, Windham), Jack Heary (2008, Deering of Portland) and Justin Villacci (2007, Gorham) among the state’s list of former award winners.
