The Al Toon Award is given annually to the state's top senior wide receiver or tight end as part of the WSN Senior Football Awards. The award is named after former University of Wisconsin athlete Al Toon, who went on to play in the NFL for several very successful seasons before multiple concussions ended his career early. Toon is an active member of the community in the Madison area both in the business world and in various charitable endeavors.
The pre-season watch list was trimmed down to 25 semi-finalists, and five finalists for the award have now been selected. Winners are announced the week of the state finals.
Al Toon Award Finalists:
Mitchell Brees, Greendale - Brees is a two-way standout for the Panthers, who are 10-0 heading into Level 2 of the playoffs with some impressive offensive numbers this season. So far, Brees has hauled in 48 catches for 727 yards and 10 touchdowns in a balanced Greendale passing attack. He had a huge game in a Week 2 defeat of D1 power Franklin, catching 13 passes for 213 yards and 3 touchdowns. "At 6-3, 190 pounds, Mitchell can do it all as a receiver - underneath, over the top, horizontally, and vertically," said head coach Rob Stoltz.
Chris Cooper, University School - Cooper was very impressive at off-season camps and combines and continued that into a strong senior campaign. He caught 50 passes with 897 receiving yards in a balanced USM offense, catching a state-best 16 touchdowns. "'Coop' is a kid who does everything right, he leads and works his tail off," said USM head coach Brian Sommers. "Chris was the most talented player we had to defend this year. On any given play we had up to five players paying attention to his every move," added Lake Country Lutheran coach Greg Brazgel. Cooper also tied for the state lead in interceptions on defense during the regular season with 7.
Daurice Fountain, Madison Memorial - Fountain is the latest in a long line of great Madison Memorial receivers in the last few years, including 2009 Al Toon winner Lechein Neblett and 2012 finalist Jester Weah. Also a huge threat in the return game, he caught 48 passes for 783 yards and 10 touchdowns. His combination of size, speed, and skill make him a very difficult matchup.
Aaron Kumbier, Watertown - Kumbier has been a highly productive member of the explosive Watertown offense the last two years. He took a step forward as the primary target this season, catching 48 passes for 977 yards and 13 touchdowns. "With Aaron's 4.5 speed he was a threat to score every time he touched the ball," said head coach Benji Kamrath. "He also had the ability to go up and compete for balls and make some amazing catches."
Noah Stengel, Sheboygan North - The season didn't go great for Sheboygan North, but Stengel was a consistent bright spot for the Golden Raiders. In 9 regular season games he caught 59 passes for a state-best 1135 yards and 11 touchdowns, averaging 19.2 yards per catch. As impressive as his receiving numbers are, his overall game is just as strong. "In my opinion he is the best blocking receiver I've seen in my 16 years of coaching high school and college," said North head coach Karl Nienhuis.
