WESTMINSTER — Senior running back Pat Connors of Bellows Falls was selected as the 2025 MaxPreps Vermont High School Football Player of the Year, after helping lead the Terriers to their Vermont record 13th state championship.
Connors, listed at 5-foot-11, 190 pounds, was a key part of a dominant Terriers run game that was a big factor in a 10-1 season that culminated in the Division 3 state championship with a 54-20 victory over top seeded Woodstock. The victory avenged the lone loss of the year for the Terriers, who fell to Woodstock 60-52 in double overtime in the final game of the regular season.
On the season, Connors rushed 131 times for 1,502 yards and 18 touchdowns. Connors also had six catches for 59 yards and a receiving score. On the defensive side, Connors had 38 tackles, three interceptions, one sack, one tackle for loss, and a fumble return for a touchdown that came in the Terriers’ 46-0 win over No. 7 Mill Rill in the wild card round of the playoffs.
Connors was instrumental to the Terriers playoff run, starting with two rushing scores in the wild card win against Mill River to go along with the scoop and score. In a semifinal victory over No. 3 Mount Abraham, Connors had 63 yards on the ground and a rushing score. Connors saved his best for last however, rushing for 264 yards and four touchdowns against Woodstock in the state title game, along with an interception on defense.
The championship was the first for the Terriers in four years, when they defeated Mount Anthony in the final of the 2021 Division 2 tournament. It was the first title in Division 3 for the Terriers since 2010, when they beat Windsor in the final to end that season. The win was the 13th state championship for the Terriers, breaking a deadlock with Hartford, Woodstock and Mount St. Joseph who each have 12, for the most in Vermont high school football history.
Connors is the first Southern Vermont player to win the award since quarterback Jack McCoy of Burr & Burton in 2023. In addition, Connors is the first running back to be named MaxPreps Vermont Player of the Year since Oliver Orvis of Essex in 2021.
MaxPreps has recognized outstanding performers in high school football every year since 2006. The award names the best high school football player in each state based on both team and individual success along with local and state accomplishments. The recipient from each state will be considered for the MaxPreps All-America team.
Information from this report came from an article on MaxPreps.com by Zack Poff along with previous Reformer game stories.
