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Duval named Gatorade POY

CHICAGO — In its 33rd year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company, today announced Andrew Duval of Goffstown High School as its 2017-18 Gatorade New Hampshire Football Player of the Year. Duval is the second Gatorade New Hampshire Football Player of the Year to be chosen from Goffstown High School.

The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field, distinguishes Duval as New Hampshire’s best high school football player. Now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Football Player of the Year award to be announced later this month, Duval joins an elite alumni association of state award-winners in 12 sports, including Mitchell Trubisky (2012-13, Mentor High School, Ohio), Greg Olsen (2002-03, Wayne Hills High School, N.J.), Matthew Stafford (2005-06 Highland Park High School, Texas), Harrison Smith (2006-07 Knoxville Catholic High School, Tenn.), Latavius Murray (2007-08, Onondaga High School, N.Y.), Brock Osweiler (2008-09, Flathead High School, Mont.) and Leonard Fournette (2014-15 & 2012-13, St. Augustine High School, La.).

Duval, a 5-foot-10, 185-pound senior wide receiver, defensive back and kick returner, caught 27 passes for 718 yards and 11 touchdowns this past season, leading the Grizzlies (9-2) to the Division I state semifinals. Duval averaged 26.6 yards per catch and also contributed two rushing TDs, one passing touchdown and one kick return touchdown. Defensively, he recorded five interceptions, returning one for a score.

Duval has volunteered locally as a youth football coach.

“Andrew Duval is a complete football player on both sides of the ball as well as special teams,” Concord coach Eric Brown said. “He is a threat to score on any play.”

Duval has maintained a B-plus average in the classroom. He remains undecided upon a collegiate destination.

The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states that sanction high school football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and boys and girls track & field, and awards one National Player of the Year in each sport. The selection process is administered by the Gatorade Player of the Year Selection Committee, which work with top sport-specific experts and a media advisory board of accomplished, veteran prep sports journalists to determine the state winners in each sport.

Duval joins recent Gatorade New Hampshire Football Players of the Year Garrett Macomber (2016-17, Plymouth Regional High School), Connor Bourque (2015-16, Goffstown High School), Eric Fairweather (2014-15, Londonderry High School), Trevor Knight (2013-14, Nashua High School South), Tyler Grant (2012-13, Exeter High School), Jake Kiley (2011-12, New Hampton School), and Max Jacques (2010-11 and 2009-10, Salem High School), among the state’s list of former award winners.

As a Gatorade Player of the Year, Duval will be able to select a national or local youth sports organization to receive a grant as part of the Gatorade Play It Forward program. Every Gatorade Player of the Year state winner receives a $1,000 grant to donate and will have the opportunity to enter for an additional $10,000 spotlight grant by writing a brief essay explaining why their selected organization deserves additional support. 12 spotlight grants – one for each sport – will be announced throughout the year.

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