NEPSAC football MVPs

Matt Polhemus, Phillips Exeter CLASS A
		Polhemus, a senior quarterback, led Phillips Exeter (10-0) to the Class A championship and its first unbeaten, untied season since 1957. The North Chatham resident passed for 930 yards and rushed for 972 more. He had 19 rushing touchdowns and nine in the air. Polhemus also held for every Exeter point-after attempt and field goal. In the Smith-Sorota game against Kent for the New England Class A title, Polhemus ran for five touchdowns to lead Exeter to a 46-34 comeback win. "His leadership on the field and on campus was exemplary," said Exeter coach Bill Glennon. "His ability to create offense by combining his running prowess and passing ability was the key to our success the past two years." Polhemus is also the starting third baseman on the Exeter baseball team. An avid reader and an honor student, he will attend Yale.

Bill Manley, Canterbury CLASS B
		A former student at Arlington High School, this postgraduate put together an impressive season. The 6-foot- 1-inch, 220-pound back ran for 1,143 yards on 108 carries, scoring 17 touchdowns. In Canterbury's 9-7 win over New Hampton in the Class B title game, Manley ran for a team-high 93 yards on 14 carries. A force at defensive end as well, Manley terrorized opposing quarterbacks for eight sacks and had 87 tackles. A standout on the baseball diamond, Manley was a conference all-star at Arlington, and plays AAU baseball during the summer. He has narrowed his college choices to Marist, Siena, Springfield, and Assumption.

Chad Gaudet, Middlesex CLASS C
		One would be hard pressed to find better numbers than the impressive stats earned by Gaudet: 1,492 yards rushing on 132 carries for an 11.3 yards per carry average, 1,920 all-purpose yards, 29 TDs, and 158 total points. Middlesex ran off an 8-0 Independent School League record and won the league championship. Gaudet has 54 TDs for his career, a pair of all-ISL selections, as well as a spot on the 2002 NEPSAC all-star squad. In the classroom, he is a high honors student, and hopes to attend Dartmouth, Yale, Tufts, Amherst, or Bowdoin.

Brett Loscalzo, Brunswick CLASS D
		How's this for numbers on the game's biggest stage: 33 carries for 310 yards rushing and 5 touchdowns. Those were this senior back's totals in Brunswick's 33-18 win over Middlesex in the Class D NEPSAC championship game. In a season in which Loscalzo racked up 1,650 yards rushing on 202 carries with 28 TDs. Also an outstanding cornerback, the senior managed to haul in four interceptions. He has been participating in AAU basketball for seven years, and plans to attend Columbia University in the fall.