This Sunday, 95.9 WATD announced the finalists for the 2025 Bill Wilhelm Award, recognizing the most outstanding high school football player on the South Shore.
Announced during the Sports Exchange, airing every Sunday at 5 p.m., three student athletes from the area were announced from the pool of 10 semifinalists that were named last month.
Those finalists are Gus Greene (Cohasset), Jack Luccarelli (Norwell), and Mekhi White (Randolph).
You can listen to the announcement and more below.
Fan Vote
Fan voting remains open through the Bill Wilhelm Award Ceremony on January 25. Cast your vote below! Continue to find out more about the 2025 Finalists.
The Finalists
Listed in alphabetical order
Gus Greene, SR, Cohasset
After committing to the weight room in the offseason, Greene was an absolute wrecking ball this fall.
Never one to go down on first contact, Greene racked up 2,059 yards on 234 carries, leading all South Shore running backs in ground yardage.
Greene totaled 28 TDs on the season, claiming the program’s record for single season rushing yards en route to a Division 7 title.
The shoulder pads will shrink for Greene next year as he takes his talents to Gettysburg to join the Bullets’ lacrosse team.
LISTEN: Super Bowl Champion Cohasset Recounts Winning Program’s Third Title
Jack Luccarelli, JR, Norwell
Luccarelli keeps trending up amidst what seems to be a golden era for Norwell athletics.
The now back-to-back South Shore League Sullivan Division MVP guided the Clippers to the top seed in Division 6 and a Super Bowl appearance.
A punishing runner, Luccarelli led the area with 2,348 yards on the ground and 32 TDs. He added another six passing touchdowns and over 800 yards through the air.
The junior continues to get more physically dominant by the day, and despite coming up just short at Gillette, was consistently one of the biggest matchup problems on the South Shore.
LISTEN: Randolph Cements Status with Second Super Bowl Win
Mekhi White, SR, Randolph
White finished this season the way he was unable to last year – defeating West Boylston at Gillette to claim Randolph’s second Super Bowl title.
One of the speediest backs in the area, White ran for just shy of 1,500 yards this season, scoring 27 total touchdowns and earning a second straight Wilhelm Award semifinalist nod.
The central focus of a vaunted Blue Devils offense, White was nearly impossible to contain for opposing defenses, and looks a shoo-in for a second straight Boston Globe Division 8 Player of the Year award.
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.
Last year, 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
2022
Following Bill Wilhelm’s Hall of Fame induction, the Bill Wilhelm Award was founded in 2022. Matt Festa of Duxbury High School claimed the inaugural award.
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).
2023
In 2023, 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).
2024 Bill Wilhelm Award winner Lawson Foley is pictured with trophy and the WATD Sports team.
2024
Last season, it was senior Lawson Foley of Scituate High School claiming the award amidst a record setting season.
The senior captain led the Sailors to a perfect 13-0 season and a victory over rival Duxbury in the Division 4 Super Bowl. He finished the season with 18 touchdowns and 979 yards receiving, both program records, on 43 catches. Additionally, Foley was a force on defense, tallying 65 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, six interceptions and one pick six.
Foley beat out fellow finalists Tor Maas (Marshfield) and Jack Rees (Duxbury).
Follow WATD Sports on Twitter for more information and updates regarding the Bill Wilhelm Award and South Shore high school athletics.