Niedzialkowski plans on attending the University of Pittsburgh and in the fall. He said his main area of study will be finance. Lucas was a three-year varsity football player at Cooperstown where he played a variety of positions on both offense and defense.

``He could play anywhere on the field and he was the type of player who would do anything you asked of him,’’ said CCS assistant football coach and guidance counselor Jay Baldo.

``He’s hard working, intelligent, and really just an overall great kid.’’

Niedzialkowski, who maintains around a 90 average in school, said on Monday night that he was honored to be nominated by his coaches, and the dinner was fun to attend.

``I wore a tuxedo, and the event was very well run,’’ he said.

Niedzialkowski played offensive and defensive end for Cooperstown as a junior, and this past season played linebacker and even saw some time at running back later in the season.

``He was good at every position we tried him at,’’ Baldo said.

Former Syracuse University quarterback Don McPherson was the guest speaker at Sunday’s dinner, which roughly 600 people attended, according to Baldo.

``It’s a great event and a nice honor for Lucas,’’ Baldo said.

This marked the second straight year a Cooperstown football player was honored by the National Football Foundation, as last year Travis Walrath won the same award.