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Julian Krizan of Gilman selected as 8-Player Football Defensive Player of the Year

11/25/2020, 1:00pm CST
By Travis Wilson

WSN 8-Player Football Awards

The WSN 8-Player Football Awards were launched in 2016 to recognize the outstanding players participating in reduced player football. Awards presented will be Offensive Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. All players are eligible regardless of grade level.

Each year, a preseason Watch List will be produced, then narrowed down to five finalists to be announced after the first week of playoff games. Winners will be announced the week following the 8-Player State Championship.

These awards are not associated with any conference nor the WFCA awards, and are presented independently by WisSports.net.

Defensive Player of the Year: Julian Krizan, Gilman

Julian Krizan of Gilman has been selected as the 2020 8-Player Football Defensive Player of the Year by WisSports.net. 

Krizan was among the state leaders with 97 tackles for the Pirates, who went unbeaten in the regular season before falling to Belmont in an extra game. In that showdown with Belmont, Krizan had eight tackles, including two for loss with a sack.

The junior inside linebacker recorded nine sacks this season and was named the league's Defensive Player of the Year. He also served as the team's quarterback (despite wearing number 50), throwing 11 touchdowns while rushing for 14 scores.

Other finalists for the award included Dylan Ackerman of Newman Catholic, Mitch Douglas of Belmont, Leo Taylor of Suring, and Dawson Van Meter of Luck.

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  8-Player Awards