Yukica chapter to honor NHIAA's best high school football player
Aug. 23—Starting with the 2023 high school football season, the Joe Yukica New Hampshire Chapter of the National Football Foundation will recognize a Player of the Year from an NHIAA school. The Yukica Player of the Year Award will be presented annually to the state's best NHIAA player, regardless of what division that player is from.
Goffstown coach Nick Hammond, a member of the Yukica Chapter's board of directors, said many NHIAA football coaches and several board members felt there was a need to recognize the top NHIAA player in the state each year as is done in other NHIAA sports, like basketball. The New Hampshire Basketball Coaches' Association selects a Mr. Basketball and a Ms. Basketball each season, but NHIAA football has no coaches' association.
"I think an award like this is long overdue, to be honest," Hammond said. "I know a lot of coaches are happy about it because it's being done by an in-state organization and the voters are people who have the most knowledge about high school football here in New Hampshire. Not only does it recognize the state's best player, it puts the spotlight on some of the other top players in the state as well."
The Gatorade Player of the Year is selected by voters outside of New Hampshire, and often honors a New Hampshire prep school player. Three of the last four winners of the Gatorade Player of the Year Award were prep school players, including last year's winner: Proctor Academy's Exodus Ayers. The Yukica Player of the Year guarantees that the top NHIAA player in the state will be honored each season.
The Yukica Player of the Year Award will be voted on by media members as well as head coaches from each of the four NHIAA divisions. Voters will be asked to select the winner based primarily on football ability, with consideration given to character/sportsmanship and academics.
For many years, the Maine chapter of the National Football Foundation has given a similar award — the Fitzpatrick Award — to the state's top player.
"I like it because I think we need to do a better job of promoting our kids, and I know our kids will like the added exposure," Salem coach Steve Abraham said. "So that's part of it. The other part of it is we're highlighting our kids for the right reasons.
"Other (NHIAA) sports offer something similar and it's about time we did the same. It's a great opportunity to promote high school football here in New Hampshire."
Voting will take place at the end of the regular season. Voters will be asked to choose three players (first choice, second choice and third choice) from a list of 10 semifinalists selected by the Yukica Player-of-the-Year committee.
Three finalists will be announced before the NHIAA Division II championship game, and the winner will be released the week of the Division I championship game.
The Yukica Chapter sponsors several other football-related events each year, including the Yukica Coaches Huddle at the end of each season, the Yukica Coaches Clinic each April and the Yukica Scholar-Athlete Banquet in the spring.
Hammond said the Yukica Player-of-the-Year committee will release a preseason "Watch List" next week to help promote the award. He said that the list will include names of 20 of the best players in the state, but the winner does not have to come from those 20 names.
He added that he hopes media outlets will help promote the award throughout the season.
"Totally in favor of this," Londonderry coach Jimmy Lauzon said. "I've always been a big fan of the Gatorade Award, but this is a little different than what they're looking for. This guarantees that we will have a true player of the year coming from an NHIAA school each season, and I think that's a good thing for football in New Hampshire."
Queen City Jamboree
Friday, at Gill Stadium, Manchester
Souhegan vs. Trinity, 4 p.m.
Goffstown vs. Memorial, 5 p.m.
Bishop Guertin vs. Salem, 6 p.m.
Alvirne vs. Bedford, 7 p.m.
Pembroke vs. Central, 8 p.m.
Tom Lovett Jamboree
Saturday, at Kingswood High
Epping/Newmarket vs. Bishop Brady, 9 a.m. (Alumni Field)
Inter-Lakes/Moultonborough vs. West, 9 a.m. (Alumni Field)
Merrimack Valley vs. Kennett, 9 a.m. (Lovett Field)
Sanborn vs. Kingswood, 9 a.m. (Lovett Field)
West vs. Somersworth, 9:45 a.m. (Alumni Field)
Kennett vs. Kingswood, 9:45 a.m. (Alumni Field)
Bishop Brady vs. Inter-Lakes/Moultonborough, 9:45 a.m. (Lovett Field)
Merrimack Valley vs. Somersworth, 10:30 a.m. (Alumni Field)
Sanborn vs. Epping/Newmarket, 10:30 a.m. (Alumni Field)
Bishop Brady vs. West, 10:30 a.m. (Lovett Field)
Kingswood vs Epping/Newmarket, 11:15 a.m. (Alumni Field)
Somersworth vs. Kennett, 11:15 a.m (Alumni Field)
Inter-Lakes/Moultonborough vs. Sanborn, 11:15 a.m. (Lovett Field)
West vs. Sanborn, noon (Alumni Field)
Somersworth vs. Inter-Lakes/Moultonborough, noon (Alumni Field)
Kingswood vs. Merrimack Valley, noon (Lovett Field)
Kennett vs. Bishop Brady, 12:45 p.m. (Alumni Field)
Epping/Newmarket vs. Merrimack Valley, 12:45 p.m. (Alumni Field)
