It was a year to remember for Fairhaven football, which won the Division 6 Super Bowl, knocking off three higher-seeded teams along the way.
Another highlight for the Blue Devils was winning on Thanksgiving against a Dartmouth team that went undefeated during the regular season and reached the Div. 3 Elite 8.
Old Colony captured its third straight Mayflower Athletic Conference title and Old Rochester captured a share of the South Coast Conference Blue Division title.
Let’s take a look at The Standard-Times’ top defensive football players for the 2023 season.
New Bedford’s Zakari Nunes gets tackled from behind by Dartmouth’s Jason Martin.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Jason Martin, Dartmouth, Senior
Jason Martin wasn’t allowed to play organized football until his freshman year at Dartmouth High.
“My dad, being a football coach, was always hesitant of me playing football,” said Martin, the son of Dartmouth defensive coordinator Mike Martin. “I grew up playing soccer in the fall, but they say some of the best football players have a background in soccer with their footwork.”
Over four years, Jason Martin developed into one of the area’s most dominant defensive players, earning the 2023 Standard-Times Football Defensive Player of the Year award.
“He’s just a leader,” said Dartmouth head coach Rick White. “He made all the calls on defense. He’s very intelligent. He worked hard every year and led the defense almost every game in tackles.”
Martin said he thrived off of playing for his father.
“Having my dad be on me from freshman year to senior year, it came down to putting the work in and having him always there by my side to push me,” he said. “He was the first person to believe in me. He saw my potential on the defensive side. Between him and my brother (Sean), it’s always family competition that…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/hard-hitters-2023-football-defensive-090223532.html
Author : The Standard-Times
Publish date : 2024-02-14 09:02:23
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