With the high school season at a close, the WATD Sports Department is pleased to announce the 3rd Annual Bill Wilhelm Award.

On Sunday, December 15, an initial list of 10 semifinalists for the award will be announced during the Sports Exchange, airing from 5 to 7 p.m. on 95.9 WATD.

From those 10, a group of three finalists will emerge, to be announced at a later date.

READ: Hanover’s Ben Scalzi wins 2023 Bill Wilhelm Award

Finally, the award will be presented to the winner, the player deemed the most outstanding on the South Shore this season, at a date and time to be determined.

The winner will be determined via balloting by a panel of area experts and media members.

Bill Wilhelm receiving the President’s Award at the Massachusetts Basketball Coaches’ Association meeting in 2011

Bill Wilhelm

Bill was our station’s first Sports Director, overseeing and participating in four decades of high school football, basketball, and hockey broadcasts, as well as hosting the weekly Sports Exchange talk show.

Tirelessly working to make sure that every accomplishment of local student athletes was given appropriate recognition, Bill Wilhelm was, for so many on the South Shore, the first name that came to mind when they thought of high school sports.

LISTEN: Super Bowl Champion Scituate Recounts Perfect Season

In 2022, Bill was inducted into the Duxbury High School Athletics Hall of Fame; recognition of his over 30 years as head coach of the junior varsity boys soccer team, as well as his innumerable contributions off the field.

Nowhere are those contributions felt more than here at 95.9 WATD. Here, entering our 47th year, we are still able to provide coverage of South Shore high school athletics thanks to the groundwork Bill laid over so many years.

Matt Festa, winner of the Bill Wilhelm Award, poses with WATD’s Brendan Connelly, Johnny Rorke, Bill Wilhelm, and Quinn Kelly.

Past Winners

The Bill Wilhelm Award was founded in 2022, with Matt Festa of Duxbury High School being named the award’s inaugural winner.

Festa led the Dragons to a 12-0 record and Division 4 state title to close his incredible career, compiling 50 total touchdowns, 2,931 yards passing, and 469 yards rushing on the season.

In the process, he set the Duxbury High School record for single season passing yards.

Festa, now playing football at the University of New Hampshire, was joined by fellow finalists Owen McHugh (Milton, Williams College) and Casious Johnson (Plymouth South).

Ben Scalzi (center with trophy) is the 2023 Bill Wilhelm Award winner, pictured with Quinn Kelly (left), Brendan Connolly (center right) and Johnny Rorke (right).

Last year, Hanover High School’s Ben Scalzi took home the Bill Wilhelm Award.

Scalzi, a senior captain, led the Hawks to an 11-2 season and an appearance in the Division 5 Super Bowl. He finished the season with 41 total touchdowns and 2,621 yards passing. His 39 passing touchdowns were good enough to claim the top mark in the state last season.

Fellow finalists included Tyler Lennox (Carver, UMass Dartmouth) and Alex Barlow (Duxbury, Bentley).

Follow WATD Sports on Twitter for more information and updates regarding the Bill Wilhelm Award and South Shore high school athletics.