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The Elroy "Crazylegs" Hirsch Award is given annually to the state's top senior running back as part of the WSN Senior Football Awards. The award is named after former Wausau High School athlete Elroy "Crazylegs" Hirsch, who went on to play for the University of Wisconsin and the University of Michigan before starring at end in the NFL for 12 seasons. He is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the National High School Hall of Fame, and later went on to serve as Wisconsin's athletic director from 1969 to 1987.
 
The pre-season watch list was trimmed down to 15 semi-finalists, and six finalists for the award have now been selected. Winners are announced the week of the state finals.

Elroy "Crazylegs" Hirsch Award Finalists:

Evander Craft, Saint Francis – Craft was a very good player last season, rushing for 1144 yards, but nearly doubled that output as a senior. The 6-2, 200-pounder carried the ball 200 times for 2207 yards and 29 touchdowns this season, averaging 11 yards per carry. The Mariners finished second in the Midwest Classic and advanced to the playoffs as a 4-seed.

Trevor Heit, Pepin/Alma – Heit, who posted a 4.47 40-yard dash time at May's WFCA Combine, is a four-year varsity player for the Eagles, posting at least 1200 yards each of the past three seasons. As a senior, he has 1,803 yards and 28 touchdowns on just 148 carries, an average of 12.2 yards per attempt. And amazingly, because of dominating leads by Pepin/Alma, he had just two carries all season in the second half of regular season games. He also has a receiving touchdown and is a huge threat in the return game, with more than 500 combined yards on punt and kickoff returns with 4 touchdowns. “I have been coaching for 24 years and Trevor has the best lateral ability of anyone that I have coached or coached against,” said head coach Mike Olson. “He has the ability to score on any play from anywhere on the field.”

Justin Maratik, Fond du Lac – The leading rusher and scorer in school history, Maratik helped the Cardinals to an outright VFA-South championship this year. The senior carried the ball 268 times for 1,731 yards and 25 touchdowns in 12 games this season, with a receiving touchdown as well. “Justin is our workhorse,” said head coach Mike Gnewuch. “He's strong, downhill, and durable.”

Blair Mulholland, Kimberly – Mulholland has been a three-year varsity standout for head coach Steve Jones, going for at least 1200 yards each season as the Papermakers are undefeated during that stretch. Despite missing a game this year, he has 264 carries for 2,622 yards (9.9 ypc) and 43 touchdowns, including a 41-carry, 404-yard, 6-touchdown performance in the state semi-final win over Marquette. For his career, he has 5,472 rushing yards with 91 touchdowns, earning VFA-North Offensive Player of the Year recognition as a senior. “His combination of speed, power, and physicality make him a dynamic playmaker,” said Jones.

Brandon Thull, Kewaskum – Thull went over 2000 yards as a junior, earning First Team All-State recognition. He's managed to be even better this year, upping his yards per carry to 11.0. All told, he carried the ball 197 times for 2,161 yards and 36 touchdowns for the Indians, despite missing much of the Level 3 loss to Catholic Memorial. If that's not enough, his spinning touchdown run against Berlin was all over ESPN, CBS Sports, NFL.com, and more national outlets. 

Toren Young, Monona Grove – The state's leading rusher through Level 1 of the playoffs, Young has put up huge numbers all season for the Badger-South co-champions. The punishing 225-pounder had 2,569 yards and 28 touchdowns on 305 carries, averaging 8.4 yards per attempt and 233 yards per game. An Iowa commit, he's a three-year All-Conference pick who has gone over 1000 yards each season. "Toren Young is the best running back in the state,” said head coach Brandon Beckwith. “His continued growth as a player and a person throughout the years makes him the perfect player to build your team around.”