PORTLAND – Inspired by a state championship football team with a Fitzpatrick Trophy finalist at quarterback, Nate Doehler gave up soccer as an eighth grader to join a Bonny Eagle team that was just beginning to emerge as the dominant football program in the state.

By his junior year, he embodied the Scots’ dominance and was considered by many to be the best player in the state. As a senior, he took his game and his team to new heights.

Sunday, Doehler sealed his legacy by becoming the 38th recipient of the James J. Fitzpatrick Trophy, making his claim as the state’s top football player official.

Doehler topped Mountain Valley’s Justin Staires and Bill Clark of Skowhegan in media and coach balloting to become the second Bonny Eagle player to win the award. John Weichman was the first in 2005.

For the versatile quarterback, defensive back, kicker and punter, hoisting the coveted trophy was as much a relief as a triumph. The announcement was delayed a week after a snow storm forced the annual banquet to be postponed last Sunday.

“It’s been forever to wait, and no matter who won, I just wanted to know,” said Doehler, who on Saturday verbally committed to a partial scholarship to be a punter/QB at the University of Maine. “The postponement was another week of staying in school and everyone asking me ‘Did you win it?’ I was just anxious to hear it.”

In 2008, Doehler tallied 35 touchdowns (16 rushing, 19 passing, to go with just four interceptions). He compiled more than 2,700 total yards, rushing for just under 1,300 and throwing for 1,500 while completing 55 percent of his passes.

Considered the favorite to win the Fitzy going into the 2008 campaign, Doehler thrived in the spotlight that showcased his versatility. Splitting time between safety and cornerback, he led the Scots with six interceptions. He also kicked 22 extra points and averaged over 36 yards per punt.

“I’ve grown to like being under that pressure a little,” he said. “But it is a little hard sometimes in that everyone is counting on you.”

“He’s been our best defensive back, our best punter, our best kicker, our best punt returner, all while leading our team to back-to-back state championships,” said Bonny Eagle coach Kevin Cooper, whose team has won four of the last five Class A titles. “There was no doubt that when we needed a big play, the ball was going into his hands.”

Staires had the ball in his hands for 99 touchdowns in his four-year career at Mountain Valley, leading the Falcons to three Class B state championship games, winning his second in 2008.

“For four years I’ve had the opportunity to coach him. ‘Coach him’ is kind of an understatement – watch him. It’s really been a privilege,” Mountain Valley coach Jim Aylward said. “This kid can do things on a football field that I’ve never seen anybody else do. I probably never will. Most importantly, he did it all within the framework of the team concept of football.”

Staires credited his coaches, including Aylward, family, friends and teammates with helping him become the first Fitzy finalist from Mountain Valley.

“It’s been a really good experience,” he said. “I met two great kids in Nate and Billy. Congratulations to Nate for winning it.”