Vote: Who is the 2023 Connecticut Football Player of the Year?

We give you eight candidates to choose from

The high school football season is beginning to wrap up across the country and we start to take a closer look at player of the year awards.

But first, we want to let the fans decide on who they believe are the players most deserving before we here at SBLive Sports start naming the top performers of the 2023 season.

We continue in the New England region and to the great northeastern state of Connecticut and we ask the question: Who was the 2023 Connecticut Football Player of the Year? 

This list consists of eight worthy candidates and we're asking for your help as the fan to vote on who you believe had the best season this fall.

Voting will end on December 31st, 2023.

Editor’s note: Our corresponding poll is intended to be fun, and we do not set limits on how many times a fan can vote during the competition. This poll is specifically for fans to vote on the players that have been nominated and in no way discredits any other player that may not be mentioned in our poll.

Here are the nominations: 

Caleb Smith, QB, Staples: Can't leave Smith off this list because of his dual-threat capabilities at the position and leading Staples to the Class LL state championship. Smith made plenty of clutch plays all season long, but it was his legs that really made a difference. The senior completed 137-of-251 passes for 2,008 yards, 21 touchdowns and on the ground rushed for 1,497 and scored 26 times. Having 47 total touchdowns on the season is something no other quarterback did. 

CJ Dibenedetto, QB, Southington: Got to continue this list right with the state's top passer in yards/touchdown throws in Dibenedetto. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound quarterback was by far the leader in yards and touchdowns, with Dibenedetto completing 216-of-370 passes for 3,194 yards and 38 touchdowns. It was a stellar season for the senior, who started just one season for Southington. 

Tyler Hilgert, QB, Guilford: Right behind Dibenedetto when it came to touchdown tosses on the season was Hilgert. The 6-foot-1, 180-pound signal caller was extremely accurate, completing 73 percent of his passes on the season. Hilgert completed 139-of-190 passes for 2,372 yards and 37 touchdowns to just a mere two interceptions. Also rushed for 191 yards and scored five times. 

Soren Rief, RB/LB, Killingly: Teams knew what was coming at them and Rief just kept producing on a weekly basis. Oh and the 5-foot-11, 220-pound athlete also flipped over to the defensive side of the ball and produced. Rief led the state in rushing with 2,488 yards on 364 carries and scored 37 touchdowns. On the defensive side of the ball playing linebacker, Rief made 35 tackles and three sacks. 

Armani Reid, WR/FS, West Haven: Reid was on the losing end of a hard fought 21-20 loss to Staples for the Class LL state championship. The two-way athlete had one of the better all around seasons in helping the Blue Devils reach states, with Reid hauling in 67 passes for 1,100 yards (1,487 all-purpose yards), 14 touchdowns and also made 22 tackles, three interceptions on defense. 

Nicholas Fox, ATH, Masuk: One of the state's top tacklers came from the Masuk Panthers this 2023 in Fox. The junior athlete was an absolute tackling machine all season long, with Fox tallying a team-high 162 tackles, 25.5 going for a loss, a sack and fumble recovery. 

Cole Peterson, RB/LB, Joel Barlow: In helping lead Joel Barlow to the Class SS state championship, Peterson was making plays on both the offensive and defensive side of the football. The two-way stud rushed for 638 yards and scored seven touchdowns on offense. On the defensive side of the ball, Peterson made 150 tackles, 16 for a loss and three sacks. 

Jeremiah Febus, QB/LB, Crosby: Not many quarterbacks are made like Febus. Unlike some of the aforementioned signal callers on the list, Febus not only played under center but also at linebacker. This past 2023 season, Febus totaled 1,267 all-purpose yards and 14 touchdowns on offense. Defensively, Febus made 137 tackles, 14 for a loss, 2.5 sacks and an interception. 

-- Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @sbliveconn