2015 HockomockSports Football Awards

Canton senior Jake Ragusa has been selected as the HockomockSports.com Football Player of the Year for the 2015 season. This is the first time a Canton player has won the award and the first time a player from the Davenport division has won the award. Ragusa was also voted as the Hockomock League MVP for the Davenport division by the league’s coaches.

Ragusa was the heart and soul of the Bulldogs this year and helped Canton pick up overtime wins against division rivals Stoughton and Milford. Canton compiled a 5-2 regular season mark but because of the second automatic qualifier, missed out on a playoff berth.

The senior shined on both offense and defense, being the workhorse out of the backfield and a rock at linebacker for the Bulldogs. Ragusa rushed for 1,077 yards (5.5 yards per carry) and 10 touchdowns, which was the second most in the entire Hockomock League despite missing a game and a half.

“Jake is a great example of a player that worked his tail off and saw the results this season,” HockomockSports.com Editor-in-Chief Ryan Lanigan said. “Here’s a student-athlete that wasn’t on either our Offense or Defense Players to Watch Lists and that just proves if you continue to work, the sky is the limit. Offensively he had no problem running right through the heart of defenses. On defense, Jake was one of the toughest players to try and get by and was a true spark for the Bulldogs this season.”

Defensively, Ragusa led the Bulldogs with 88 tackles, including seven sacks and eight tackles for loss. He also forced one fumble. Ragusa was the first Canton player to win Hockomock League MVP for Football since 1999 and followed in the footsteps of his father Doug, who won Hockomock League MVP in 1985.

Honorable Mentions: Nick Morrison (North Attleboro), Austin Ryan (Foxboro), Zach Lanzetta (Milford)

---

Players are listed in alphabetical order by school and are limited to one position selection (except for special teams).

---

North Attleboro sophomore quarterback Chad Peterson has been selected as the third annual HockomockSports.com Underclassman of the Year for football, an award given to the top freshman or sophomore in the league.

Peterson was the starting quarterback for the Rocketeers all season long and helped lead Big Red to a Kelley-Rex division title this season, the program’s first division title since 2011 and first outright title since 2008. In just his first year under center, Peterson completed nearly 60% of his passes for 1,257 yards. He also tossed 13 touchdowns, which was the second most in the Hockomock League and the most by a Kelley-Rex quarterback.

“Right from the first game, you could see how talented Chad is,” HockomockSports.com Editor-in-Chief Ryan Lanigan said. “As the season progressed, you could see his confidence level rise. There aren’t many sophomore quarterbacks that can step in right away and win a division title, especially in the Kelley-Rex division.”

Peterson was also able to help move the ball with his legs. On the season, the sophomore rushed for 224 yards and had a rushing touchdown.

Honorable Mention: Hunter Ferreira (Mansfield), Cam Furtado (Attleboro), Collin Hunter (Taunton)

Coach of the Year

Don Johnson, North Attleboro
North Attleboro head coach Don Johnson has been named the third annual HockomockSports.com Coach of the Year. Johnson led the Rocketeers to a 9-2 record, including a perfect 5-0 in the lead and a Kelley-Rex division title.

Although North Attleboro was ranked highly in the HockomockSports.com Preseason Rankings, the Rocketeers continued to exceed expectactions throughout the season, including a road win at Stoughton to start the season. The Rocketeers scored the third most points in the Hockomock League this season and second most in the Kelley-Rex. On the other side of the ball, Big Red had the top defense, with just under 14 points per game allowed.

“From the very first game, North Attleboro set the tone with its defensive play,” HockomockSports.com Editor-in-Chief Ryan Lanigan said. “There wasn’t anything too flashy about this season and Coach Johnson continually had his players grind out wins in impressive fashion.”

In the five division games against Kelley-Rex opponents, North Attleboro outscored opponents 124-45 (24.8-9 per game). The Rocketeers are just one of two teams that shutout over Attleboro, the division’s highest scoring team.

Honorable Mention: Dave Bohane (Canton), Greg Burke (Stoughton), Jack Martinelli (Foxboro)

---

Note: These awards are selected strictly by the HockomockSports.com staff.