skip navigation

Hunter Wohler of Muskego selected to receive Jim Leonhard Award

11/25/2020, 12:00pm CST
By Travis Wilson

Wisconsin Sports Network and WisSports.net are proud to announce Muskego's Hunter Wohler as the 2020 recipient of the Jim Leonhard Award as the most outstanding senior defensive back in Wisconsin, part of the WSN Senior Football Awards. Not surprisingly, Wohler was a unanimous selection.

Hunter Wohler of Muskego was the WFCA Large School Defensive Player of the Year last season, and he has a strong shot at the award again in 2020. A three-year varsity player, the Warriors did not lose a game during that time, going a perfect 37-0 with a pair of Division 1 state championships.

Considered by many as the top defensive back prospect to come out of the state in many years, the Wisconsin commit had 78 tackles this year with a pair of interceptions. Patrolling sideline-to-sideline and deep middle to in the box, Wohler has 355 tackles in his career.

"Hunter is the best defensive back in the history of Wisconsin high school football," Muskego coach Ken Krause put it succinctly. 

Finalists for the award were Wohler, Grover Bortolotti of Whitefish Bay, Ayden Dautermann of Slinger, Jackson Labs of Rhinelander, and Alex Oechsner of Catholic Memorial.

Past winners of the award include Marquette's Michael Trotter (2009), Appleton North's Joe Makeever (2010), Edgar's Kyle Schueller (2011), Whitefish Bay's Jackson Weber (2012), Appleton North's Connor Rolain (2013), Kimberly's Bret Verstegen (2014), Marquette's Michael Crowley (2015), Monona Grove's Jarrett Maier (2016), Waunakee's Lucas Statz (2017), La Crosse Central's David Hayden (2018), and Milwaukee Riverside's Amaun Williams (2019).

The award is named after Jim Leonhard, one of the most beloved players from the state of Wisconsin. Hailing from tiny Tony, Wisconsin and attending Flambeau High School, Leonhard was a two-time All-State selection. He walked-on at the University of Wisconsin, and quickly established himself as a leader and outstanding player. He started 39 games in his career, and his 21 career interceptions are tied for the most in Badger history and fourth in the Big Ten. He also broke the Big Ten punt return yardage record. Leonhard went undrafted, but hooked on with the Buffalo Bills before moving to the Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets, and Cleveland Browns. He is now a very successful assistant coach back at Wisconsin.

The voting panel for the WSN Senior Football Awards consisted of:  Travis Wilson, WSN General Manager and Head Football Writer;  Norbert Durst, WSN Content Manager; Dennis Semrau, ESPN Madison; B.J. DeGroot, WSCO The Score 95.3 in Appleton; Curt Hogg, NOW Newspapers; Dan Barwick, WSN Contributor; Colton Wilson, WSN Content Producer; Fan Vote

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.

Tag(s): News Archive  News  Travis Wilson  Senior FB Awards