Notre Dame-West Haven Football Players Receive Recognition

Kaileb Cadet ‘18 Named Recipient of NH Gridiron Club Floyd Little Scholarship;

Chris Elias ‘18 and Frank Paine ‘18 Also Selected to Levi Jackson All-Star Team

West Haven - Notre Dame senior football player Kaileb Cadet ‘18 (Milford, CT) was named the 2017 recipient of the New Haven Gridiron Club prestigious Floyd Little Scholarship.

Cadet will be honored at the New Haven Gridiron Club’s annual awards night on Thursday, December 7, 2017 at the Cascade Banquet Facility in Hamden, CT. Also being honored as members of the 28-person Levi Jackson All Star Team will be Chris Elias ‘18 (Milford, CT) and Frank Paine ‘18 (Milford, CT).

“I am so proud of Kaileb for being honored and recognized with this prestigious scholarship,” said Notre Dame head football coach Joe DeCaprio. “He epitomizes all the qualities we want to represent Notre Dame High School and our football program. The Gridiron Club made a great decision in selecting Kaileb for their Floyd Little Scholarship.”

Cadet was a mainstay for DeCaprio and his offense this past season. As one of the featured running backs, Cadet battled injuries but still appeared in nine games. He ran the ball 96 times for 707 yards and had five touchdowns on the season. All three of those numbers led Notre Dame in the 2017 season.

His signature game came in a heartbreaking 27-23 loss to Cheshire when he ran 22 times for 207 yards and two touchdowns. He compiled three games with over 100 yards rushing. He tallied 895 total all-purpose yards when combining his receiving and kick return yards.

Cadet was selected through a competition that stresses academic improvement, community involvement, and dedication on the football field. It is based on Little's own history of overcoming poverty and a perceived learning disability to achieve football stardom with Hillhouse High, Syracuse University and the Denver Broncos. A graduate of the University of Denver Law School, Little for years owned a Ford dealership near Seattle and a string of radio stations on the West Coast. Now retired, he lives in Las Vegas, Nevada. Little, a collegiate and NFL Hall of Famer, is expected to speak at the dinner.

“I am equally thrilled for Chris (Elias) and Frank (Paine) for their inclusion on the Levi Jackson team,” added DeCaprio. “Those guys were key players and leaders for us this past year and are certainly worthy of selection for this all-star team.”

Elias completed 121 of 204 passes for 1421 yards as the Green Knights signal caller this past season. He threw for 14 touchdowns while also finishing the season as Notre Dame’s second leading rusher carrying the ball 90 times for 494 yards and five touchdowns. His best aerial game came against Xavier when he threw for 196 yards and four touchdowns. He ran for 176 yards and four touchdowns in a win against Amity on October 6.

Paine was a two-way lineman for the past two years, helping anchor both the offensive and defensive lines. He recorded 58 tackles this past season while recording four tackles for loss and one sack. He started 22 straight games on the offensive line the last two years.

Cadet, Elias, and Paine will be honored along with the 28 student-athletes selected to the Levi Jackson all-star team chosen from area high schools. In addition, awards will be presented to student-athletes from the University of New Haven, Southern Connecticut State University and Yale University football teams. The Gridiron Club will also award the David Holdwright Profiles in Courage Award to Gridiron Club Executive Director Donald R. Nielsen-NDWH-