SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine — Austin Lufkin of Brewer High School is among six football players announced as finalists for the 2016 Frank J. Gaziano Memorial Offensive and Defensive Lineman Awards.
Lufkin is joined as Defensive Lineman finalists by David Redmond of Westbrook High School and Raffaele Salamone, of Deering High in Portland.
Finalists for the Gaziano Offensive Lineman award are Nicholas Bartholomew of Thornton Academy in Portland, Parker Gammon of Bonny Eagle in Standish and Dylan Wike of Portland High.
The scholarship and awards program for Maine high school football linemen was created in 2010 in memory of Frank J. Gaziano, founder of National Distributors in South Portland and a former college All-American and professional football player with a lifelong passion for local sports. One offensive and one defensive lineman will each receive $5,000 and a trophy, and four runners-up will each receive $1,000.
The winners of the largest high school scholarship of its kind in the country will be announced at a luncheon ceremony on Saturday, Jan. 28, at noon at the Augusta Civic Center. Since 2009, the award has provided Maine high school seniors with more than $54,000 in scholarships.
Lufkin, a captain for the Witches, was a first-team, all-conference on both sides of the ball and was a Pine Tree Conference Class B All-Academic pick with a cumulative 90.8 grade point average. He has been active in the community through coaching youth football and volunteering at his church, and has been involved with the Boy Scouts of America.
Redmond, a four-year letterwinner, was a captain at Westbrook, where he was an all-conference defensive end. He led the team in solo tackles (29), assists (41) and sacks (3). He has an 88.0 GPA.
Salamone, a three-year letterwinner, co-captained the Rams in 2016. He was named the 2016 All-USA Maine Football Team Defensive Player of the Year by USA Today after making 70 tackles with three sacks. He was a two-time SMAA All-Conference choice.
Among the offensive lineman finalists, Bartholomew is a two-time state champion with the Trojans and a two-time All-SMAA selection. He has a 3.92 GPA while taking AP and honors courses.
Gammon was a team captain in 2016 and helped lead the team to the Class A state championship. He was an All-SMAA All-Conference and All-Academic pick. He has a 3.29 GPA.
Wike, a four-year varsity player, has earned a 90.0 GPA. He is a member of the Portland High School executive board, Key Club and Project Graduation and is a Special Olympics basketball coach.
The Gaziano Awards will be streamed live at 1 p.m. on Jan. 28 by Munzing Media at www.munzingmediasports.com/gaziano-award.