Poll Results: Portland’s Martin dominates voting

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last week Prep Redzone New England attempted to identify the player most likely to win the 2026 Fitzpatrick Award, which is awarded annually to the top high school senior in Maine. Maine high school football fans were asked to vote for one of the 10 candidates listed in the PRZ poll, or cast their ballot for another player of their choosing. Voting has closed, and the five players who received the most votes appear below: </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":2337192,"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6a83702b77d73"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Martin, a two-way standout who lines up at running back, wide receiver and linebacker, dominated the voting by collecting more than 81 percent of the votes. He helped the Bulldogs win Class A North last season, when he made 91 tackles, including 12 tackles for loss and six sacks. He also rushed for 579 yards, and caught 34 passes for 307 yards despite sharing the ball with run-first quarterback Cordell Jones, one of three Fitzpatrick Award finalists from last season. Jones is now playing for the University of Maine, so Martin should be the team's top offensive threat. He's clearly a threat to win the Fitzy as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":2337204,"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6a83702b77dac"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Several media outlets are touting Piper as the favorite to win the Fitzpatrick Award, but he came up second in the voting. He's a dual-threat quarterback who also plays in the defensive secondary. Piper was named the Campbell Conference Player of the Year following the 2025 season, when he led the Rangers to an unbeaten season. He passed for 1,543 yards and 22 touchdowns last season, when he also rushed for 465 yards and eight TDs. Piper also recorded 49 tackles (40 solo) and intercepted eight passes. He was selected as the Top Gun at the Maine Elite Passing Camp and will be among the best two-way players in the state this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1492012"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6a83702b77dd5"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Linemen rarely win the Fitzpatrick Award, but at the the very least Richards should be in the running to take home one of the Gaziano Linemen awards, which are given to the top offensive lineman and top defensive lineman in the state. Richards, who was third in the voting, made the Central Maine All-Region Team last season, and figures to be a dominant two-way player in 2026. He'll be playing for a new head coach this season as Pete Curtis has replaced Jim Hersom, but Curtis was previously the team's line coach and said he will keep the team's ground-and-pound mentality. Richards is one of nine defensive starters returning from a team that reached the Class B North semifinals last season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700"></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":2337255,"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6a83702b77df9"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">O'Keefe will suit up for Thornton Academy this season after playing for Scarborough in 2025. Thornton beat Portland 28-0 in last year's Class A championship game and is typically one of the strongest teams in the state. He passed for 1,148 yards as a sophomore, but missed the start of the 2026 season because of an injury. O'Keefe didn't show any rust when he returned, however, as he completed 25 of 40 passes for 581 yards and six touchowns in his next three games. O'Keefe, who can also play tight end, also ran the ball 22 times for 164 yards and three TDs in those three games, but shared QB duties with Oscar Goss later in the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2110116"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6a83702b77e1d"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">It will likely surprise many that Ouellette didn't finish higher than fifth in the voting. Known primarily for his defense, Ouellette was a First Team Class A South selection following the 2025 season, when he made 123 tackles in just over eight games (he was injured in Game 9). He also recorded two sacks, forced two fumbles and had a fumble recovery. Ouellette reportedly made 25 tackles during a victory over Marshwood last season. In the past he's been used as a tight end when the Knights have the ball. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->