CHICAGO — In the 28th year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company, in collaboration with USA TODAY High School Sports, has named Port Allegany’s Matt Bodamer as its 2012-13 Gatorade Pennsylvania Football Player of the Year. B

The award  recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field.

Bodamer, a 6-0, 180-pound QB/DB, became Pennsylvania’s all-time leader in both passing touchdowns and yardage earlier this season. He has thrown for 10,519 yards and 134 touchdowns in his career and has also rushed for 2,200 yards and 40 touchdowns.

This season, he has completed 73 percent of his passes (194-of-267) for 3,522 yards, 49 touchdowns and five interceptions, while also rushing for 726 yards and 13 scores for the 12-0 Gators , who square off against Sharpsville (11-1) in the PIAA Class A quarterfinals tonight at Bradford High’s Parkway Field. On defense, he has four interceptions, three of which have gone for touchdowns, while also returning a fumble for a score in last week’s District 9 championship game win over Clarion.

Bodamer has maintained a 3.91 GPA in the classroom and served on Port Allegany’s student council and as his class secretary. A member of the French and varsity clubs as well as the National Honor Society, he has volunteered locally as a youth football instructor, on behalf of a library auction and as part of multiple peer leadership and elementary student mentorship programs.

“There are two main characteristics that distinguish Matt from other athletes,” said Port Allegany coach Mike Bodamer.  “The first is his willingness to make himself better. Over his four years of varsity football, Matt has arrived at the school at 6:30 a.m. for weightlifting and quarterback training sessions. The second characteristic is his desire to make his team better. He is willing to work with any team member at any time. Matt has received many accolades over the years, but he always gives the credit to his team.”

The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states that sanction high school football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball and boys and girls track and field, and awards one National Player of the Year in each sport. The selection process is administered by the Gatorade high school sports leadership team in partnership with USA TODAY High School Sports, which work with top sport-specific experts and a media advisory board of accomplished, veteran prep sports journalists to determine the state winners in each sport.

Bodamer joins recent Gatorade Pennsylvania Football Player of the Year award winner Noah Spence (2011-12, Bishop McDevitt, Ohio State University), Brendan Nosovitch (2010-11, Allentown Central Catholic, University of South Carolina), Kyle Smith (2009-10, Lancaster Catholic, Central Michigan University), Zach Barket (2008-09, Schuylkill Haven, Lehigh University) and Brendan Beal (2007-08, Liberty, University of Minnesota) among the state’s list of former award winners.