According to their football coaches, Zach Louvat of Oxford Hills and Beau Mayo of Leavitt share a few traits: a determination to work hard, the desire to be physically imposing, leadership, and being two-way starters for unbeaten state championship teams.
Now they share two more things.
Louvat and Mayo are the 2022 winners of the Frank J. Gaziano Memorial Lineman Awards as the state’s top senior linemen. Both are the first players from their schools to win the award, created in 2010. The awards were announced Saturday.
Beau Mayo
“I mean, honestly, that’s probably the biggest reward for me,” said Mayo, 18, of Turner on being Leavitt’s first winner. “We’ve had guys like Jack Boutaugh, Aiden Parmenter and Riley Parmenter be up for the award. I started to fall in love with the game looking up to those guys.”
Mayo, 6-foot-2, 190 pounds, earned the Gaziano Offensive Award as a tenacious force at right guard known for his effective, penalty-free blocks and for making the most of every play.
“He’ll block for the full seven seconds. He’ll block you to the whistle every time,” said Leavitt Coach Mike Hathaway. “He’s a good lineman because he likes to be physical, but he also has a really big heart. He cares a lot about the team, a lot about winning, and a lot about practicing the right way every day.”
Mayo, who also was a standout linebacker for the Class C champion Hornets, intends to become a master electrician and eventually start his own business.
Zach Louvat
The 6-2, 245-pound Louvat, who also played offensive tackle, won the Gaziano Defensive Lineman award after a season in which he made 41.5 tackles at defensive end with 14 tackles for loss, six sacks and five pass deflections, and recovered the game-clinching fumble in the Class A championship game against Thornton Academy. He has committed to play at Bates College.
“I always prided myself on playing defense more than offense,” said Louvat, 17, of West Paris. “I find it to be more fun, the technical side of it, learning hand movements and footwork, and I just enjoy hitting people as a defensive player.”
Oxford Hills Coach Mark Soehren said on a team of hard workers “no one outworked Zach. He’s a real leader. The kids trust him and he has this solid belief in himself. He’s not cocky or boastful, but he knows he can play football and he plays that way and it shows. I really felt he was the best lineman in the state on both sides.”
Louvat and Mayo each will receive a $5,000 scholarship from National Distributors, Inc., of South Portland, which was founded by Gaziano, who died in 2010. National Distributors has sponsored the Gaziano Award since its inception. Finalists Brett Coburn of Leavitt and Jacob Morris of Kennebunk on defense and Brent Paulin of Thornton Academy and Nick Riker of Bonny Eagle on offense will receive $1,000 runner-up scholarships from Key Bank, in its second year as a co-sponsor.
Maine’s high school coaches may nominate both an offensive and defensive candidate who has outstanding characteristics on and off the field.
Frank J. Gaziano played at Holy Cross and was a member of a college all-star team that defeated reigning NFL champion Washington in an exhibition game. Gaziano played one season in the NFL, in 1944 with the Boston Yanks.
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