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Jim Leonhard Award Pre-Season Watch List

09/10/2020, 11:00am CDT

By Travis Wilson

The Jim Leonhard Award is presented to the top senior defensive back as part of the WSN Senior Football Awards. 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, New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, Denver Broncos, New Orleans Saints, and Cleveland Browns. In 2016 he returned as an assistant coach at Wisconsin.

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.

The pre-season list will include all players, including those whose teams have moved to the alternate spring season. The remaining lists will feature only those programs who will play in the fall. We will review in the spring to determine if additional finalists or winners will be selected for the spring season.

JIM LEONHARD AWARD PRE-SEASON WATCH LIST

First Name	Last Name	Team
Owen	Arnett	Arrowhead
Briar	Barglind	Kimberly
Clayton	Bishop	Kenosha Indian Trail
Carter	Borchardt	Stevens Point
C.J.	Boyd	University School
Cooper	Bredlau	Greenwood
Kyle	Brewster	Edgar
Javeonta	Brown	Waukesha North
Mason	Buehler	Muskego
JaVaughn	Byrd	Milwaukee King
Connor	Cedenio	Menomonee Falls
Isaac	Cychosz	Rosholt
Ayden	Dauterman	Slinger
Ezekial	Diaz	Waukesha South
Conor	Dickrell	Freedom
Matt	Dykstra	Randolph
Max	Finger	Oconomowoc
Nolan	Gende	Kettle Moraine
C.J.	Grisar	Waukesha West
Trace	Grundahl	DeForest
Jacob	Hartlaub	Martin Luther
Patrick	Hauser	Saint Francis
Nick	Higley	Eleva-Strum
Jackson	Hilvers	Hartford
Brandon	Hoppman	Benton/Scales Mound/Shullsburg
Ryan	Kleinhans	Whitehall
Dyson	Klubertanz	Franklin
Garrett	Koxlien	Osseo-Fairchild
Kaden	Kroeplin	Gilman
Dayton	Lehman	Mosinee
Patrick	Lynch	Menomonee Falls
Jack	McKellips	Lourdes Academy
Kyle	Miller	Waukesha West
Brandon	Moeri	Hudson
Cade	Mullhollan	Wilmot
Tyler	Nachreiner	River Valley
Jamison	Nickolai	Sheboygan Falls
Jonah	O’Connor	Stoughton
Alex	Oechsner	Catholic Memorial
Derek	Oonk	Oostburg
DeVauntaye	Parker	Menomonie
Zach	Peterson	Oak Creek
Sander	Read	University School
Jalen	Reed	Milwaukee King
Dayton	Rozinski	Milwaukee Reagan
Easton	Scherer	West Allis Hale
Sam	Schradle	Cumberland
Connor	Shefchik	Green Bay Preble
William	Sherman	Oconto
Miguel	Smith	Greendale
Bennett	Spaeth	De Pere
Josh	Stormer	Middleton
Colton	Surek	Medford
Braden	Trunkel	Neillsville
Elliot	Turrentine	Whitnall
Jon	Verhasselt	Freedom
Kaden	Vernon	Janesville Parker
Parker	Weik	Marshfield
Griffin	Wiegel	Kimberly
Hunter	Wohler	Muskego

About the Author

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.