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It’s easy to figure out why Jamier Rose is the 2025 Varsity Maine Boys Athlete of the Year.

Just look at the honors he’s already earned:

• Varsity Maine All-State in football and basketball, each for a second time.

• Varsity Maine Football Player of the Year.

• James J. Fitzpatrick Trophy winner, emblematic of the top senior football player in Maine.

• Mr. Maine Basketball, the first person to win both of Maine’s top football and basketball honors.

• Maine Gatorade Boys Basketball Player of the Year.

• Varsity Maine Boys Basketball Player of the Year.

Now he can add one more superlative. Rose becomes the first person in the 36-year history of the Varsity Maine (formerly Maine Sunday Telegram) Athlete of the Year award to be named player of the year in football and boys basketball, then be named the overall Athlete of the Year.

But it’s the way Rose, the quarterback and point guard, and his teammates reshaped and improved two sports at Noble High that will be his legacy in the Berwick (his hometown), North Berwick and Lebanon communities.

With Rose at the helm, the Knights went from perennial after-thoughts to regional finalists in both sports.

“What he’s done to help turn both programs around is incredible. He’s fun to be around and fun to coach,” said Noble football coach Keenon Blindow.

In football, Noble was 1-7 (1-8 overall) in Class B in 2022, Rose’s sophomore year. He played running back and wide receiver. In 2023, Noble returned to Class A for the first time since 2012 and Rose became the quarterback. With Rose calling signals on both sides of the ball (he played safety, too), Noble was 14-7 overall, including 8-3 this fall with a playoff win against Bonny Eagle and their first regional final appearance since winning their only Class A title in 1997.

Prior to Rose’s junior season in basketball, Noble had posted one winning season in the previous 35 years. With the Maine Principals’ Association creating a since-rescinded rule to allow teams with perennial struggles to move down a class, Noble shifted to Class A. Over two seasons, Noble was 34-8, reaching consecutive regional finals. Rose and classmate Bryce Guitard — starters since their winless freshman season — topped 1,000 career points, the first boys at Noble to reach that milestone since 1985. 

“One of the main driving points for me throughout high school was to change that culture and to inspire the youth in our towns,” Rose said. “Coming from Noble, there just was not a lot of high school athletic success that has come from there.”

Rose had the athletic ability to make his goals happen. In both sports he demonstrated a special combination of explosive quickness and visual acuity. Not only could he see openings most can’t, he actually had the athletic burst and game IQ to make the play happen.

In football, he displayed high-level pocket poise, completing 105 of 169 passes for 1,518 yards and 19 touchdowns against three interceptions during his senior season. He also rushed for 938 yards and 13 touchdowns, averaging 8.1 yards per carry. As a safety he was in on 60 tackles (34 solo), four for loss, and intercepted four passes.

In basketball, he impacted the game in every way, averaging 19.3 points, 8.9 rebounds, 8.1 assists and 5.1 steals. Among all Class A South players, Rose was third in points, second in rebounding and led in the assists and steals categories by wide margins.

At 5-foot-11, roughly 170 pounds, he also displayed sturdiness, strength, and some old-school toughness.

“It didn’t really matter the environment or where we were playing. Junior year preseason against Gorham, he hit the court and chipped his whole front tooth. He picked the tooth up off the ground, gave it to his dad, and just kept playing,” recalled Southern Maine Community College assistant coach John Morgan, Noble’s coach the past four seasons.

Rose recently announced his commitment to play basketball at Southern New Hampshire University, which has advanced to three straight NCAA Division II tournaments (including the Elite Eight in 2024) and won two straight Northeast-10 Conference titles.

“I’m excited for it. It’s different, something I haven’t experienced before,” Rose said. “From Noble, we had to come up and change the culture, change the tradition, change everything. To walk in somewhere and just be able to learn and to grow, that will be good for me. Now I’ll be able to grow and get much better.”

Rose does have one last high school game left: the Maine Shrine Lobster Bowl Classic all-star football game on July 19.

“I can’t wait. It’s a game you only get to play once,” Rose said. “I’m starting to prepare myself for college and doing a lot of extra workouts, but I think I have some high school left in me.”