Leavitt quarterback Noah Carpenter throws a pass during the Class C football final against Oceanside on Nov. 18 at Lewiston High School. Carpenter is the Varsity Maine Male Athlete of the Year. Gregory Rec/Portland Press Herald
Noah Carpenter entered his senior year with plenty of hype and expectations. To say he exceeded them all is an understatement.
He was supposed to lead Leavitt to a repeat of its Class C football championship. He did that and much more, helping the Hornets produce one of the most impressive seasons in Maine high school football history.
Carpenter won the James J. Fitzpatrick Trophy – given annually to the top senior football player in the state – and was named Varsity Maine Player of the Year for a second straight season.
On the baseball diamond this spring, he was named KVAC Class B Player of the Year and a finalist for the John Winkin Award as Maine’s Mr. Baseball.
For his dominant seasons across two sports, Carpenter is the 2023-24 Varsity Maine Male Athlete of the Year.
The Leavitt football team was coming off an undefeated 2022 state championship season. With Carpenter and other key players returning, the Hornets were in prime position to repeat in 2023.
Dominating Class C wasn’t enough, though. Leavitt wanted to test itself against the best teams in the state and put together a schedule that included defending Class A champion Oxford Hills, eventual Class A champion Thornton Academy, another Class A team in Lewiston, and eventual Class B runner-up Lawrence.
Leavitt won all those games, and Carpenter was clearly the best player on the field.
“We knew that we were a good team and we wanted to prove to everyone that just because we’re Class C, that doesn’t mean that we can’t play with anyone in the state,” Carpenter said. “We kind of just realized that we have the talent, we have the skill players, and obviously the linemen to do it, so why not do it?”
The Hornets again went undefeated and capped their season with a 71-12 victory over Oceanside in the Class C title game.
Carpenter is most known for his play at quarterback, but he was brilliant in every phase of the game.
He completed 90 of 142 passes (63%) for 1,801 yards and 21 touchdowns, and he ran for 1,351 yards and 23 scores. As a safety, he intercepted five passes, forced four fumbles and made 110 tackles. He also kicked, making 32 of 35 PATs to go along with some incredible punts.
Leavitt’s Noah Carpenter poses with the James J. Fitzpatrick Trophy during a Jan. 14 ceremony in Portland. Carpenter is the Varsity Maine Male Athlete of the Year. Carl D. Walsh/Staff Photographer
“He wants to be involved in absolutely everything that’s going on. And he always has been like that,” Leavitt football coach Mike Hathaway said.
He also came through in big moments.
Against Oxford Hills, his 55-yard touchdown run on the third play of the game set the tone, and he sealed the victory by batting down a fourth-down pass late in the fourth quarter.
He led the Hornets back from a 21-6 halftime deficit in a 35-21 win at Thornton Academy.
In the Class C South final against Fryeburg Academy, Leavitt trailed by 11 points in the fourth quarter, but Carpenter scored two TDs and sealed the comeback win with an interception in the end zone in the final seconds.
“Probably one of the best things about him is that the moments never seem to get too big for him,” Hathaway said. “He’s able to … just make the plays that need to be made.”
After the football season, Carpenter committed to play football and baseball at the University of Maine. He called it “a dream come true.” And it allows him to keep playing both sports.
His versatility extends to the diamond. In a Class B South preliminary-round game, Carpenter pitched an 11-strikeout no-hitter against Poland. The Hornets’ season ended two days later in a 14-3 loss to York, but Carpenter went down swinging, hitting a two-run homer.
He finished the season batting .396 with a .774 slugging percentage. He hit four home runs, three triples, and two doubles, scored 21 runs, stole 10 bases and drove in 16 runs. He was intentionally walked four times.
On the mound, he went 5-1 with 53 strikeouts and a 1.29 ERA. He also had one save.
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