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The John Anderson Award is given annually to the state's top senior linebacker as part of the WSN Senior Football Awards. The award is named after John Anderson, a former Waukesha South standout who went on to star at the University of Michigan and later with the Green Bay Packers.

The pre-season watch list was trimmed down to 15 semi-finalists, and five finalists for the award have now been selected. Winners are announced the week of the state finals.

John Anderson Award Finalists:

Noah Harvey, Arrowhead - Harvey stepped up in a big way for the Warhawks this year, and he delivered an outstanding senior season for first year head coach Fritz Rauch. "In my years he's the best linebacker prospect I've coached," said Rauch. "He's athletic, fast, tough and instinctive. Best, he was a tremendous leader and motivator for our defense." Harvey recorded 59 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, and blocked 2 kicks this year. He holds more than half a dozen Division 1 scholarship offers.

Devon Krzanowski, Fond du Lac - A two-time First Team All-Conference and back-to-back Linebacker of the Year winner in the VFA-South, Krzanowski has been the leader of the defense for the Cardinals. "Since coming to Fond du Lac High School, we have not had a player with the football smarts to not only diagnose and make the call, but also to communicate to all levels on the defense and move pieces into place." As a senior he had recorded 114 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 2 fumbles, and 2 forced fumbles in 12 games.

Matt Lorbeck, Bay Port - In a very competitive FRCC, Lorbeck was voted the Defensive Player of the Year. In 11 games, he recorded 112 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, and 7 sacks for head coach Gary Westerman. "He pursues the football as hard as any player I have coached," Westerman said. "He's a very explosive athlete, holding the school record in the squat and power clean." 

Austin Mozdzen, Germantown - The team's leading rusher with more than 1000 yards on the ground, Mozdzen was the co-Defensive Player of the Year in the North Shore as a junior and should be up for the award as a senior as well. He recently broke the school record for career tackles with nearly 300, including 98 in his senior season. He's added 7 tackles for loss and a sack as well. "His strength, speed, and ability to seek out the ball are second to none, and though he does not have the typical height of most big-time linebackers, he has the ability, knowledge, and skills to be considered amongst the best," said head coach Jake Davis.

Noah Nordness, Marquette - Nordness is second on the team with 165 tackles, and leads the state with 19 sacks this season. "He is explosive on the football field and plays with amazing leverage," said head coach Jeff Mazurczak. "Noah's statistical production is amazing and highlights his athletic ability to be a force in the run game and a quarterback nightmare as a pass defender."