ESPNBoston.com and its High Schools section today announced that Troy Flutie, senior quarterback of the Natick High School Redhawks, is the recipient of its fourth annual “Mr. Football” award, presented annually to the top high school football player in Massachusetts.

The Mr. Football award was chosen by a panel of experts made up of ESPNBoston.com staff and correspondents, as well as analysts from Scouts Inc. Flutie was honored on the field at Gillette Stadium before yesterday’s contest between the New England Patriots and Cleveland Browns. On hand to present Flutie with the award were Patriots Owner Robert Kraft and Hall of Famer and Patriots Executive Director of Community Affairs Andre Tippett.

Flutie leaves Natick High as the holder of three of Massachusetts’ most sacred records: career touchdown passes (112), career passing yards (9,014) and single-season passing touchdowns (47). Scott Barboza

"We are honored to present our fourth annual Mr. Football award to Troy Flutie," said ESPN Boston High Schools co-editor Brendan Hall. "In my decade covering high school sports in Massachusetts, there have been few players I’ve seen that were as electrifying as Troy. It’s easy to sit there and watch him escape pressure and extend plays with his feet, and chalk it up to his famous Flutie lineage. But the kid is just a supreme athlete, and a gamer. That was evident with some of the darting plays he made this season. Every game this fall, often multiple times, he’d give you an amazing play to talk about on the ride home."

The 6-foot, 178-pound Flutie leaves Natick High as the holder of three of Massachusetts’ most sacred records: Career touchdown passes (112), career passing yards (9,014) and single-season passing touchdowns (47). This fall the Redhawks lost their top target, All-State receiver Brian Dunlap, in the first week of the preseason, yet Flutie went on to complete a record-setting season anyway. He went over the 3,000 passing yard mark for the second straight year, completing 182 of 288 passes for 3,027 yards and 47 touchdown passes, and added 824 rushing yards and six more scores on 93 carries.

Flutie set the state’s all-time passing touchdown mark in the Redhawks’ Nov. 15 win over Needham, for the unofficial Bay State Conference championship. Two weeks later, in Natick’s annual Thanksgiving tilt with Framingham, Flutie broke the state single-season mark for passing touchdowns with a 273-yard, seven-touchdown performance. In both instances, he broke marks previously set by our 2011 ESPN Boston Mr. Football recipient, Everett High quarterback Jonathan DiBiaso.

"Aside from continuing his family's long and proud tradition at Natick High, Troy is a great ambassador for Massachusetts high school football," said ESPN Boston High Schools co-editor Scott Barboza. "Like his father and uncle before him, he is a tremendous competitor -- a trait that also runs through his family bloodlines. With that, players of Troy's ilk set a precedent for their peers and players to come in showing that our state is a vibrant football community. I look forward to following his career at the college level and know he will represent this award well."

Next fall, Troy will continue his career at Boston College, following in the footsteps of his father Darren (1984-87), his cousin Billy (2006-10), and his uncle, 1984 Heisman Trophy winner Doug (1981-84).