September 21, 2024
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

Fighting Scot Wiechman wins Fitzpatrick Award

John Wiechman, a fullback and defensive end who led Bonny Eagle of Standish to the last two Class A football state championships, was named winner of the 35th James J. Fitzpatrick Trophy during a banquet in Portland on Sunday night.

Wiechman becomes the first player from Bonny Eagle to win the Fitzy, symbolic of the top senior player in the state, after a 2005 season in which he rushed for 1,820 yards and 22 touchdowns and also starred for the Fighting Scots on defense.

He was at his best during postseason play, when he rushed for at least 200 yards in Bonny Eagle’s Western A semifinal win against top-seeded Portland, its regional championship game victory over Massabesic of Waterboro, and in the state final against Mt. Blue of Farmington, when he rushed for 228 yards and scored two touchdowns as the 10-2 Scots rolled to a 41-13 victory.

Wiechman was the second finalist from Bonny Eagle in the last two years. Matt O’Donnell was a finalist last year, but the award went to Nick Tymoczko of Bucksport.

Other finalists this year were fullback-defensive end Ken Paul of Massabesic and tailback Aaron Chambers of Skowhegan.

Paul rushed for 1,617 yards and 25 touchdowns as a senior in leading 9-2 Massabesic to the Western A final. He previously was named the state’s 2005 Gatorade Player of the Year.

Chambers was hampered during his senior season by an ankle injury that kept him out of three full games and most of a fourth contest. After a junior year in which he rushed for more than 1,800 yards, Chambers amassed 767 rushing yards and 11 total touchdowns as a senior in helping 7-3 Skowhegan reach the Eastern A final for the second straight season.

Also recognized during the annual banquet were six other semifinalists for this year’s award: Tyler Angell of Leavitt of Turner Center, Travis Fergola of Mountain Valley of Rumford, Duncan Markie of Mattanawcook Academy of Lincoln, Joey Martin of Portland, Josh Morin of Biddeford, and Josh Pelletier of Foxcroft Academy.


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