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The Joe Thomas Award is given annually to the state's top senior offensive lineman as part of the WSN Senior Football Awards. The award is named after former Brookfield Central and University of Wisconsin athlete Joe Thomas, who went on to great success in the NFL with the Cleveland Browns. After an All-American career at UW, Thomas was selected to the NFL Pro Bowl each of his first ten years in the league and is a sure-fire Hall of Famer.

The pre-season watch list was trimmed down to 25 semi-finalists, and six finalists for the award have now been selected. Winners are announced the week of the state finals.

Joe Thomas Award Finalists:

Tanor Bortolini, Kewaunee - Bortolini was a two-way unanimous First Team All-Conference selection and the MONLPC-Large Offensive and Defensive Lineman of the Year for a second straight season. He's grown to 6'6", 290 pounds and remains an impressive athlete. He was a hot commodity on the recruiting scene this spring but eventually earned an offer from and committed to Wisconsin over Iowa, Miami, Syracuse, and many others.

Evan Buss, Kimberly - Buss was named the VFA-North Offensive Lineman of the Year in his senior season. Playing along the offensive line in the team’s high-powered offense that ran for nearly 2700 yards and 42 touchdowns, Buss was given a significant amount of responsibility, and delivered on it. He was up to the challenge in one-on-one blocking situations against some of the best defensive linemen in the state. "He was selected as a captain by his peers and has done a great job leading the offensive line," said head coach Steve Jones. "He is physical at the point of attack and very athletic for an offensive tackle of his size." He joined a cavalcade of 2020 in-state players by committing to Northern Illinois over double digit other D1 offers.

Braden Doyle, Bay Port - Doyle was the co-Offensive Lineman of the Year in the FRCC last season, adding WFCA Large School All-State recognition as well. He helped clear the way for an offensive attack that put up big numbers all season for head coach Gary Westerman. Doyle has excellent explosion off the ball, showing a very quick first step in drive blocking and when asked to pull from his right tackle position. That high level of athletic ability for such a big guy has caught the attention of college recruiters, as he received eight Division 1 offers, eventually accepting a scholarship from Central Michigan.

Jack Nelson, Stoughton - The son of a former Badgers player, Nelson has continued to get bigger and stronger, and it shows on the football field, where he was a WFCA All-State pick as a junior. Already playing with outstanding technique, his added strength allowed him to dominate opponents last year, as he would get his hands on a defender, and it was over. A U.S. Army All-American Bowl selection, he is a three-time Lineman of the Year in the Badger-South who will head to Wisconsin next year. "He is the next Joe Thomas in my opinion and I think this award is very fitting for what Jack has accomplished and what he is set to do at UW this winter," said Stoughton coach Dan Prahl.

Sean Timmis, Marquette - Timmis shows very good footwork on film, which may be his strongest suit right now. At 6’5”, 275 pounds he still has plenty of room to get bigger and stronger in his upper body as well. His hand placement is good and he shows good mobility. After receiving more than 20 scholarship offers, including from Northern Illinois, Buffalo, Ball State, and many others, Timmis chose to accept a preferred walk-on offer from the Wisconsin Badgers. "Sean finishes blocks very well and plays with great tenacity," Marquette coach Jeff Mazurczak said. "He has been starting on the offensive line since he was a sophomore."

Trey Wedig, Kettle Moraine - Wedig is another in the long line of big, dominant offensive linemen out of the state of Wisconsin, ranked in the top 200 nationally by virtually every recruiting service. Already sporting prototypical size for the offensive line at the next level, Wedig is a dominating blocker at the point of attack, showing good short-space agility and knee bend. A WFCA All-State choice as a junior, he was pursued heavily by a number of schools, but choose Wisconsin over Michigan. He was recently selected to the Army All-American Bowl.

Travis Wilson serves as the WisSports.net General Manager, Football Editor, and contributing writer for other parts of the site. Wilson was selected as part of the Sports 40 Under 40 list by Coach & AD Magazine and the National High School Athletic Coaches Association for 2019. The Wisconsin Football Coaches Association (WFCA) named Travis the 2015 recipient of the Dave McClain Distinguished Service Award. He currently serves on the WFCA Executive Board and is a member of the Executive Board of the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association. A graduate of Richland Center High School and Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Travis was a three-sport athlete in high school (football, baseball, basketball), inducted to the Richland Center High School Hall of Fame in 2023, and currently resides in Reedsburg. You can follow him on Twitter at @travisWSN.

For the latest and most up to date football news and recruiting information, follow Travis on Twitter @travisWSN. Email story ideas, recruiting info, etc. to Travis at travis(at)wissports.net.