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Kevin Stemke Award Finalists for top senior kicker/punter

11/18/2020, 2:00pm CST
By Travis Wilson

Saint Croix Central kicker Jackson Pettit

Kevin Stemke Award Finalists

The Kevin Stemke Award is presented annually to the state's top senior kicker or punter as part of the WSN Senior Football Awards. The award is named after former Green Bay Preble and University of Wisconsin standout Kevin Stemke. At Wisconsin, Stemke was presented with the Ray Guy Award as the nation's top punter and holds UW records for highest punting average in a career (43.5) and total punting yards (10,660).

The pre-season watch list was trimmed down to 10 semi-finalists, and five finalists for the award have now been selected. Winners will be announced the week of November 23rd.

A.J. Arndt, Hartford

A.J. Arndt excels in several facets of the game for the Hartford Orioles. He was the team's second-leading tackler and tied for the team lead with three interceptions. He also handled the kicking and punting duties for the Orioles. With one of the stronger legs in the state, he averaged 39.3 yards per punt, placing seven of those inside the 20-yard line. He also connected on all 19 extra points and was eight-for-nine on field goals, including two over 40 yards.

Branden Fischer, Watertown

Watertown's Branden Fischer is outstanding as both a punter and a kicker for the Goslings. Rated as a five-star player by Kohl's Kicking, he averaged 45 yards per punt with a long of 55 yards. He was five-for-five on field goals this year, including two of more than 40 yards. His only missed extra point was blocked.

Jack Meyer, Chippewa Falls

Jack Meyer was a weapon in the kicking game for Chippewa Falls this year. The senior averaged 32.3 yards per punt, with 12 punts of more than 10 yards and 10 downed inside the 20. He connected on five-of-six extra points plus five-of-eight field goals. Most of his kickoffs sailed into the end zone.

Jackson Pettit, Saint Croix Central

Jackson Pettit handled the kicking duties for Saint Croix Central this year and was perfect on the season. He made both field goal attempt and also connected on all 26 of his extra points. The senior was one of the top kickoff men in the state as well, booting more than 50% of them into the end zone for touchbacks.

Mason Wiesner, Manawa

Mason Wiesner has been a four-year varsity starter at quarterback, with more than 5000 passing yards in his career. He's also been the team's kicker and punter the last four seasons. This year, he leads the state with a 44.1 yard average among minimum qualifiers. He's also made his only field goal attempt this year and is 24-for-29 on extra points, with 106 made extra points in his career.

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.

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