The Jim Leonhard Award is presented to the top senior defensive back as part of the WSN Senior Football Awards presented by Taco Bell. The award is named after former Flambeau High School and University of Wisconsin athlete Jim Leonhard, who has gone on to great success in the NFL with the Baltimore Ravens and New York Jets.
The pre-season list will be trimmed down to 25 semi-finalists halfway through the year, with five finalists chosen at the start of the playoffs. Winners are announced the week of the state finals.
Jim Leonhard Award Pre-Season Watch List:
Mike Altobelli, Appleton East
Adam Bielmeier, Cumberland
Cole Bollant, Waunakee
Mike Bunno, Appleton West
Steven Burkard, Manitowoc Lincoln
Duke Butler, University School
Brian Chenoweth, Verona
Logan Christensen, Gillett
Reggie Cole, Wauwatosa West
Devin Driscoll, Kiel
Cole Ede, Mondovi
Bryan Edwards, Whitewater
Marquan Ellison, Milwaukee Bradley Tech
Mark Emlaw, Whitehall
Evan Ewing, Richland Center
Caleb Finn, Stevens Point
Austin Fischer, Laconia
Matt Gaffney, Menasha
Jeremy Gibson, Mondovi
Jacob Gjelhaug, Lake Holcombe
Aaron Gooch, Waupaca
Brady Goska, Wisconsin Rapids
Nolan Graff, Northwestern
Aaron Gregory, Middleton
Nathan Gruber, Port Edwards
Dakota Halida, Owen-Withee
Nick Hammer, Hillsboro
Jaron Harding, Brodhead / Juda
Zach Hetzel, Cedarburg
Jake Heuer, Beaver Dam
Ben Holcomb, Germantown
Troy Holloway, Kimberly
Darren Hudziak, Wild Rose
Reid Hundertmark, Campbellsport
Kameron Jackson, Milwaukee King
Cody Jaeger, Milwaukee Marquette
Dakota Jeffords, Northern Elite
Cole Kittel, Kewaunee
Lukas Kolasch, New Glarus / Monticello
Daniel Konowalski, Waukesha West
Justin Kuchenbecker, Suring
Mike Longmeyer, Manitowoc Lincoln
Chase Luebker, Plum City
Justin Lunde, Random Lake
Josh Malone, Northwood / Solon Springs
Vince Mason, Green Bay Southwest
Matt Mayer, Kimberly
Stetson McCulley, Valders
Tyler Meyer, Colby
Nate Mikulsky, Brookfield East
Dalton Miller, Columbus
Eric Murray, Milwaukee Riverside
Tyler Naatz, Menomonie
Jerry Nash, Kenosha Bradford
Dakota Nichols, Stanley-Boyd
Austin Oungst, Lakeland
Lucas Petrin, Mayville
Wyatt Phillips, Spencer / Columbus Catholic
Dakota Poad, Mineral Point
Ethan Quimby, Waterloo
Evan Richarz, Pius XI
Luke Rothe, Watertown Luther Prep
Conner Scadden, East Troy
Jimmy Schmidt, Xavier
Zach Schreiner, Athens
Sam Schrieber, Appleton East
Kyle Schueller, Edgar
Mike Schwanke, Appleton East
David Staron, Menomonee Falls
Alex Stecker, Oostburg
Ben Steker, Pewaukee
Alex Tarras, D.C. Everest
Dylan Thorne, Iola-Scandinavia
Donte Tidmore, Milwaukee South
Dylan Tranel, Platteville
Bakari Triggs, Milwaukee Riverside
Sam Waters, Osseo-Fairchild
Ryan Weisenbeck, Durand
Chris Wells, Madison Edgewood
Jacob Zwiefelhofer, Bloomer
Pre-season watch lists are compiled from all-conference teams, stats leaders, film evaluations, WSN Player Rankings, and coach input. Players do not have to be on the pre-season list to be considered for the semi-final or finals list.
Tag(s): News Travis Wilson Senior FB Awards
