Prep Redzone WI Player of the Year Finalists

Here they are! The finalists for the Prep Redzone Wisconsin Player of the Year. 2024 was filled with record setting performances, massive season-long numbers, and clutch performances to bring home the win. After a lot of comparison, internal back and forth, and decision making the list has been narrowed to these final 11 athletes. It is this group that best meets the standards we have. Being apart of a winning team, be responsible for a majority of the yardage or a leader on the defensive end or both, and also have massive raw stats that hold up to the rest of the state. This group all has that and we will go into detail about each athlete's season and importance in today's article. The winner of this honor will be announced on New Year's Eve in an article. Good luck to these final athletes and congratulations on a great season!    <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>274 Carries, 2,696 Yards, 37 TDs 73% of team's Rushing Yards, 76% of team's Rushing TDs</li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>8 Receptions, 148 Yards, 1 Passing TD 63% of team's Total Yards, 61% of team's Total Offensive TDs</li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>35 Tackles, 1 TFL, 2 FRs, 1 FF, 1 INT, 1 PBU, 1 Defensive TD Paxton has put together a career to remember at Medford. You can see the percentages above and quickly realize how important he was to his team that won 10 games while making a deep playoff run. Even more impressive, is that his rushing yardage, yds/game, and TDs were all second best in the entire state this season. So the huge workload was well warranted for the UW- Eau Claire RB commit. It directly translated to the win column. Paxton has made a strong case for earning this honor.</li> </ul>     <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>249/352, 3846 Yards, 49 TDs 91% of team's Total Passing Yards, 96% of team's Passing TDs</li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>56 Rushing Yards, 2 TDs 70% of team's Total Offense, 76% of team's Total TDs Patrick put together one of the most prolific and productive seasons that we have ever seen from a Wisconsin QB. He led the season in passing yards, yds/game, and TDs. The junior was responsible for almost 3/4 of his team's yards and was responsible for more than 75% of their TDs this year on a team that was one game away from State. Even looking into his talent, Patrick sits at #1 in our QB rankings. Every way you break it down the kid deserves to be here as a finalist in his junior season. A season that will go down as one of the 10 best we have seen from a QB when it comes to passing yards.</li> </ul>     <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>205 Carries, 2,381 Yards, 34 TDs 93% of team's Rushing Yards, 94% of team's Rushing TDs</li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>7 Receptions, 172 Yards, 1 TD 47% of team's Total Offense, 54% of team's Total TDs</li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>6 Tackles, 2 TFLs, 1 FF, 1 FR, .5 Sacks Josiah was one half of one of Wisconsin's most dynamic offenses. The workhorse back was essentially the entire run game for his team and was responsible for roughly half of their total yards and TDs on the season while making a strong playoff run. Josiah's dominant numbers were enough to finish 3rd in the state in yards and 6th in Rushing TDs. He was also 5th in yards per game on the ground. Josiah's explosive running kept the high-flying offense perfectly balanced from the first week of the season. MAS would have had a much different season without him toting the rock.</li> </ul>     <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>350 Carries, 3084 Yards, 42 TDs 77% of team's Rushing Yards, 74% of team's Rushing TDs</li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>2 Receptions, 11 Yards, 1 Passing TD 59% of team's Total Yards, 59% of team's Total TDs Christian was able to put together one of the greatest rushing seasons that we have ever seen. That is saying a lot for a state that is historically run heavy when it comes to offensive schemes. He led the way in rushing yards, yds/game, and TDs. He led his team to a State Championship where he once again put together one of the best single game performances we have ever seen. Over the entire season you can see that he was responsible for nearly 60% of all yards and TDs for the team despite the fact that every defense knew the ball was going to go to him a vast majority of the time. Collins put on a show to remember in 2024.</li> </ul>     <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>353 Carries, 2177 Yards, 36 TDs 63% of team's Rushing Yards, 78% of team's Rushing Yards</li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>87/166, 1534 Yards, 15 TDs 97% of team's Passing Yards, 100% of team's Passing TDs, 84% of team's Total TDs</li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>123 Tackles, 9 TFLs, 2 Sacks, 1 INT, 3 PBUs Led team in Tackles Most of the times you see the athletes in the running for this award prove that they are some sort of dual threat. Bradley sets himself apart by being a triple threat. On offense alone he was a dual threat. He handled all the passing duties and a vast majority of the rushing duties. Despite the heavy workload and teams' focus on him in their gameplay Bradley still put together an outstanding season. Then on defense Check manned an LB spot and used his strong instincts to fly around the field and lead the team in tackles. You won't find an athlete who led his team in as many categories. You especially won't find one that did it on a team that nearly made it all the way to state. Bradley ended the year 6th in rushing yards and 3rd in rushing TDs to go along with his 1,500+ rushing yards. Truly a season to remember for Bradley.</li> </ul>     <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>305 Carries, 2136 Yards, 30 TDs 71% of team's total Rushing Yards, 77% of team's Total Rushing TDs</li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>31 Receptions, 632 Yards, 6 TDs 46% of team's Total Yards, 55% of team's Total TDs Another athlete who shined despite all the designed game planning against him was DC Everest RB [player_tooltip player_id='1312761' first='Blake' last='Bangtson']. The Platteville commit was utilized as a workhorse back in the Evergreens explosive, yet balanced attack and weren't afraid to get him involved in the passing game. Without his dominant playoff performances the Evergreens wouldn't have gone on the run they did that almost ended with a trip to Madison. Overall, Blake was 8th in rushing yards, and 11th in Rushing TDs.</li> </ul>     <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>175/267, 2844 Yards, 31 TDs 100% of team's Passing Yards & Passing TDs</li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>120 Carries, 774 Yards, 10 TDs 46% team's Total Rushing Yards, 42% of Team's Rushing TDs, 80% of team's Total Offense, 75% of team's Total TDs</li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>49 Tackles, 7 INTs, 1 Pick Six Top 5 on team in Tackles & INTs Drew capped off his HS career with an insane senior season. Look at the team impact numbers. He produced every passing yard and TD. He was responsible for 3/4 of all TDs. 80% of any yards gained came from his efforts. It was very clear that the ball was going to be in his hands and it was up to the defense to try and cover the entire field to slow him down. On top of it, Drew also shined on defense where he was able to fly around the field to make tackles and create turnovers. Freedom went as Drew went this season.</li> </ul>     <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>153/216, 1800, 17 TDs 96% of team's Passing Yards, 89% of team's Passing TDs</li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>184 Carries, 1774 Yards, 31 TDs 65% of team's Rushing Yards, 78% of team's Rushing TDs, 78% of team's Total Yards, 81% of team's Total TDs</li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>52 Tackles, 1 TFL, 4 INTs Led team in INTs Coming into the season I was so intrigued to see that Brody was going to be QB1 after dominating camps with his athleticism. Getting the ball in his hands every play was a good decision by Winneconne as the electric junior was basically the entire passing offense, but really impacted the game with what he did on the ground. He created almost 2/3 of the entire rushing yards on the run heavy offense and was over 3/4 of the cumulative yards created this season. Not to mention he could roam the field at DB and create turnovers. Brody is the kind of athlete that levels the playing field when his team may seem outmatched and really tip the scales when the two teams look even. I can't wait to watch what he does at camps this summer and on the field for his senior season.</li> </ul>     <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>175 Carries, 1800 Yards, 32 TDs 61% of team's Rushing Yards, 74% of team's Rushing TDs</li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>40 Receptions, 955 Yards, 14 TDs 50% of team's Receiving Yards, 45% of team's Receiving TDs, 57% of team's Total Yards, 62% of team's Total TDs</li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>50 Tackles, 4 TFLs, 3 Sacks, 3 FRs, 3 FFs, 1 INT, 1 Blocked Kick, 2 PBUs Top 5 on team in Tackles, TFLs, Sacks Another senior who dominated in multiple facets is PdC's [player_tooltip player_id='471808' first='Blake' last='Thiry']. The Indiana commit dominated defenses as a runner and as a receiver. It is crazy that he was able to be responsible for over half the yards and almost 2/3 of the team's TD despite not being a QB. Thiry left no doubt that his size, strength, and athleticism are an unmatched combination and nearly impossible to slow down at this level. The tri-faceted athlete also was Top 5 on his defense in the key categories for a front seven athlete.</li> </ul>     <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>123/201, 2346 Yards, 34 TDs 98% of team's Passing Yards, 100% of team's Passing TDs</li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>27 Carries, 144 Yards 61% of team's Total Yards, 63% of team's Total TDs Joey put together one of the top seasons as a passer. The fact he did all his damage while primarily playing as a pocket passer is rare. As you can see, Joey was the entire passing game as he led his team well into the playoffs. Even more impressive, the senior signal caller was responsible for over 60% of the team's yards and it all came from his right arm. Same goes for the team's entire TD count. Franklin's offense leaned heavily on the senior QB and he delivered with a productive and efficient season.</li> </ul>     <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>43 Tackles, 1 TFL, 1 FR, 5 FFs, 6 INTs, 2 Pick Sixes, 1 Blocked Kick, 5 PBUs Led team in INTs, Blocked Kicks, FFs, Defensive TDs</li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>34 Carries, 318 Yards, 1 TD 28% of team's Total Offensive Yards</li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>43 Receptions, 552 Yards, 7 TDs 38% of team's Total Receiving Yards, 28% of team's Receiving TDs</li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>5 Return TDs, 2 Passing TDs 36% of team's Total TDs Tre was even more of a weapon than just the usual dual threat or three faceted threat. he was a game changer on offense, defense, and special teams. When you pile up all his touches you get a little over 100 touches total, yet the electric senior still was responsible for almost 40% of the team's TDs on the season. His threat to score whenever he touched the ball was unmatched this season. His ability to make a play from anywhere and any position on the field was unparalleled. However Verona needed him to create a play or mismatch Tre was able to do it and win his battles for the ball. Poteat changed the game and demonstrated what a Power 4 skill player looks like while leading his team on a strong playoff run.</li> </ul>

Here they are! The finalists for the Prep Redzone Wisconsin Player of the Year. 2024 was filled with record setting performances, massive season-long numbers, and clutch performances to bring home the win. After a lot of comparison, internal back and forth, and decision making the list has been narrowed to these final 11 athletes. It is this group that best meets the standards we have. Being apart of a winning team, be responsible for a majority of the yardage or a leader on the defensive end or both, and also have massive raw stats that hold up to the rest of the state. This group all has that and we will go into detail about each athlete's season and importance in today's article. The winner of this honor will be announced on New Year's Eve in an article. Good luck to these final athletes and congratulations on a great season!