KENNEBUNK — As both a four-year starter and senior captain, Kennebunk’s Nicco DeLorenzo had as much trust placed in him by head coach Joe Rafferty this season as any high school football player could have.

At no time was that more apparent than minutes before Nov. 16’s Western Maine Class B regional final against Marshwood ”“ up to that point, the most important game for the Rams’ program this century ”“ when DeLorenzo came to his coach with a proposition.

“Any time we win the coin toss, I’d say we’ll defer and take the ball in the second half,” Rafferty said. “But (at) the Marshwood playoff game, Nicco said, ”˜Coach, if we win the toss, we’re taking the ball today. Is that all right?’ And I said, ”˜Let’s go for it.’ We won the toss, took the ball and went down and scored,” on the way to a resounding 41-14 win.

“It was just little things like that that have a huge impact on the outcome, but they go unnoticed. No one sees that, but that was Nicco. He was ready to play,” Rafferty said.

While it was those little, unseen things that set DeLorenzo apart, he did plenty of things on the field that made opposing coaches and players take notice, including running for 1,398 yards and 21 touchdowns this fall while also spearheading a Rams defense that allowed less than 13 points a game from his outside linebacker position. If that weren’t enough, DeLorenzo also played on all the Rams’ special teams units.

For those major contributions, on the field and off, to the best Kennebunk team in a generation, DeLorenzo is the Journal Tribune’s football player of the year.

“We had a lot of guys who could play this year, but he was clearly one of the leaders,” Rafferty said. “He was huge in terms of being a two-way player, a kick return guy, a punt return guy, covering kicks. He was always on the field. He really stepped up and did a great job.”

This season was only the culmination of a strong football career for DeLorenzo, who came to the high school level and made an impact right away, starting on defense and also seeing time on offense against Class A competition his freshman year.

Rafferty said he didn’t hesitate to throw such a young player into that environment because of DeLorenzo’s demeanor and work ethic.

“Nicco always seemed older, because physically he was mature,” he said. “But it had nothing to do with anything inherited, it was always self-made because of his work ethic. His commitment to lifting and running and doing all the work, it was terrific.

“No one works harder than Nicco. That kid was always in the weight room. He’s a fitness fanatic, and that was a key to his success and staying healthy.”

It was that strength that allowed Rafferty to switch DeLorenzo to a more power-running position this season to replace Will Dumas, the Rams’ bruising senior fullback from last year’s squad.

DeLorenzo fit into the spot seamlessly, picking up the hard yards running in between the tackles along with quarterback Nick Emmons as the Rams ran the triple option with lethal precision.

“Nicco and Nick worked extremely well together. They’d played together for a long time, they knew what the other guy could do and they were confident in each other,” Rafferty said. “The triple option, it’s all about trusting the quarterback’s read, and that was big.”

And like any big-time player, DeLorenzo saved his best for the big games, including Kennebunk’s first true test of the season at York in week two.

With the kickoff moved up to 4 p.m. due to EEE concerns, Rafferty said he was worried about the way his team would handle the early start time after a half-hour bus ride directly after the school day. But DeLorenzo took care of those concerns early on.

“I remember going down to York being really nervous for that game. The opening kickoff he takes 89 yards for a touchdown, and it was just like, ”˜Wow,’” Rafferty said of DeLorenzo, who scored four touchdowns in a 38-14 win.

“Any football team uses the expression, ”˜Punching them in the mouth,’ and that’s what he did. He recognized the importance of big games.”

In addition to the performance against York, DeLorenzo scored the opening touchdown and caused a key late fumble in a big 21-14 regular-season win against Marshwood, ran for 171 yards and a touchdown in a tough 22-8 victory over Westbrook and then gained 124 yards ”“ including a spectacular 51-yard scoring run with three minutes to play ”“ as the Rams finished the regular season undefeated with a 21-6 win at Brunswick.

He then ran for 306 combined yards and five touchdowns in playoff wins against Morse, Westbrook and Marshwood. That last game was perhaps DeLorenzo’s most physically demanding of the year, despite just 13 carries, as the Hawks keyed on him, hitting him every time even though Emmons primarily kept the ball on the option.

But it was a pounding DeLorenzo gladly accepted in exchange for the win: “I’d gladly take 100 hits and not run the ball once if we run the ball like we did today,” he said afterwards.

DeLorenzo then ran for 98 yards in Kennebunk’s 30-22 loss to Cony in the state title game. His biggest play came on defense during the third quarter, when he ripped the ball out of the hands of Cony’s Tayler Carrier and raced 53 yards the other way for a touchdown. It was the kind of major play Kennebunk had come to expect from a player whose actions always spoke louder than his words ”“ unless, of course, they regarded what to do at the coin toss.

“Before the game, he was kind of the emotional leader, but he’s very quiet. I’d go out to the huddle, and he’d always just listen,” Rafferty said. “He didn’t say much, but when he had something to offer, it was valuable insight.”

— Staff Writer Cameron Dunbar can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 323 or at cdunbar@journaltribune.com.