Vote: Who is the 2023 Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts and we ask the question: Who was the 2023 Massachusetts 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:

Kaiden Brochu, RB, Bay Path RVT: When it came to finding the endzone, no one did it better than Brochu this past 2023 season. The junior running back carried the rock 202 times for 2,499 yards (11 games over 100 yards) and scored 33 touchdowns. Also added 47 receiving yards and two scores. 

Jayden Barber, QB, Dennis-Yarmouth Regional: Another junior that had himself a tremendous season offensively was Barber for Dennis-Yarmouth Regional. The 6-foot, 150-pound signal caller led the state when it came to yards, throwing for 2,823 on 186-of-301 passes and 32 touchdowns to 12 interceptions. Barber also rushed for 610 yards and scored six times. 

Tyler Lennox, QB, Carver: Leading a turnaround for the Carver football program, Lennox also etched his name in program lore as one of the best passers to ever come through. The senior quarterback completed 165-of-237 passes for 2,817 yards, 38 touchdowns (state leader) and just four interceptions. Lennox also rushed for 233 yards and five touchdowns. 

Dom Papa, QB, Andover: Voted the top junior quarterback in our SBLive Massachusetts' poll, Papa put together an all-around season under center for Andover. The 5-foot-8, 175-pound signal caller completed 123-of-206 passes for 2,006 yards, 24 touchdowns versus just four picks. Papa also has rushed for 235 yards and four scores.

Daniel Lawton, RB/LB, Blackstone-Millville: There were plenty of two-way players all around the state of Massachusetts, but Lawton stood out among the rest. The 5-foot-9, 175-pound running back rushed for 1,836 yards on 141 carries and scored 24 touchdowns. At linebacker, Lawton had a solid season, making 56 tackles, eight for a loss and two interceptions. 

John Nasky Jr., WR/CB, Lynn Classical: When you're the state's leader in wide receiving yards and make an impact on defense as well, you've got to be on the list. Nasky Jr., a senior two-way player, led Massachusetts in receiving yards with 1,223 on 94 catches and scored 14 touchdowns. Added 171 yards rushing and made 43 tackles, two interceptions on defense. 

Braden Faiella, LB, Saugus: One of the state's defenders was Faiella coming from Saugus. The 5-foot-10, 210-pound middle linebacker was a tackling machine all season long. Faiella tallied 153 tackles, 37 for a loss, six sacks, three recoveries and an interception. 

Landen Hardy, LB, Franklin County Tech: The senior linebacker couldn't be missed by any opposing offenses, as Hardy was always a tough block. Hardy, a 5-foot-10, 180-pound backer racked up 129 tackles, 26 for a loss, four fumble recoveries and 1.5 sacks. 

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