Maine’s reigning Fitzpatrick Trophy winner is coming to Husson College.

Jack Hersom, a 5-foot-11, 165-pound quarterback who helped Lawrence High of Fairfield win the 2006 Class A football state championship and back-to-back Eastern Maine titles in 2006 and 2007, has decided to join coach Gabby Price’s Eagles this fall.

“The location and the coaching staff were big for me in my decision,” said Hersom, who also plays hockey and baseball at Lawrence and is one of the top students in his senior class. “I wanted to stay in Maine, and coach Price and his staff were great to me when I visited. They were very welcoming and willing to do what they could to help me.”

Hersom, the son of Lawrence coach John Hersom, guided his team to a 22-1 record in two years as the Bulldogs’ starting quarterback.

Lawrence went undefeated in 2006, finishing with an 11-0 record after defeating Bangor in the Eastern A final and then topping Gorham 14-13 to secure Lawrence’s first state championship since winning the Class B crown in 1984.

The Bulldogs returned to the state title game last fall, again defeating Bangor in the Eastern Maine final before falling to Bonny Eagle of Standish 34-14 to end their 22-game winning streak.

The mobile quarterback passed for 1,427 yards and 17 touchdowns as a senior, and also rushed for 545 yards and nine touchdowns.

He went on to become the first winner of the Fitzpatrick Trophy – symbolic of the state’s top high school senior football player – from Lawrence since tailback Kirk Matthieu won the award in 1988. Hersom edged fellow finalists Kyle Stilphen of Gardiner and Justin Villacci of Gorham in the balloting.

Hersom figures to be part of the competition for the Eagles’ starting quarterback job next season with the graduation of 2007 starter Jonah Chappell, who passed for 1,298 yards in helping Husson compile a 6-3 record last fall.

“The coaches made it clear that they weren’t going to hand out anything,” said Hersom. “I’ll have to go out and work hard to try to earn the position.”

And he won’t be the only Hersom on the Eagles’ roster, as twin brothers Tom and Mike Hersom, both key players in Lawrence’s 2006 state championship run, have transferred to Husson after spending their first semester of college at the University of Maine.

“It just fell into place,” said Jack. “They decided they missed football and had to get back into it, and Husson was a good fit for them, too.”

Jack Hersom plans to study education at Husson with an eye toward following a family tradition as a teacher and coach.

In addition to his father’s coaching success, uncle Jim – John’s twin brother – had a long career as a Maine high school coach with stops including Edward Little of Auburn and Livermore Falls.

And his grandfather, Lawrence R. “Doc” Hersom, spent nearly half of his 35-year football coaching career at Edward Little, where he guided the Red Eddies to three state championships – including back-to-back Class A crowns in 1976 and 1977 with teams led by his twin sons.

eclark@bangordailynews.net

990-8045