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Fond du Lac senior quarterback Kyle Walljasper has been selected as the WSN Spring Football Offensive Skill Player of the Year.

There may not be a player in the state who looks more different between the whistles than he does before play begins, than Walljasper. Built strongly at 6'1", 220-pounds, his slightly disheveled hair and lumberjack beard are complimented by labored steps and drooping shoulders befitting a 40-year old who just got done mowing the lawn and playing driveway hoops with his kids, and is ready to head inside to collapse on the couch for the rest of the afternoon.

Don't let that outward appearance fool you, however, as once the whistle blows, Walljasper will embarrass you on the football field. He has great awareness of the situation, understanding of positioning, and the strength to simply run you over. However, what stands out is how nimble he is, and simply runs away from defenders in the open field. 

He led the state with 1,467 yards and 21 touchdowns on just 77 carries, as he averaged an absurd 19.1 yards per attempt. He ran it more this year than 2019, when he threw for more than 1500 yards, but still completed 63.2% of his passes for 769 yards and nine touchdowns.

Walljasper finished his career with 2,456 passing yards and 26 scores to go with 2,829 rushing yards and 40 touchdowns. He was recently named First Team All-State and the Large School Offensive Player of the Year by the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association.

Of course, the pièce de résistance came in the final game of his career, when he ran for 306 yards and five touchdowns on 15 carries to go with 83 passing yards and a score in a 71-47 domination of Kimberly.

Walljasper, who was also a First Team All-Conference linebacker, will play at Minnesota-Duluth next season.

Other finalists for the award were Gabe Finley of DeForest, Caleb Frazer of Kimberly, Quentin Keene of Waunakee, and Ben Wellhoefer of Omro.

Wisconsin Sports Network will be recognizing spring football players in this unique season with WSN Spring Football Awards. Similar to our normal WSN Senior Football Awards, the spring awards will recognize the outstanding players around the state. However, these awards are open to players from all grades, not just seniors.

Over the course of the season we will provide watch lists, semi-finalists, finalists, and winners for the following categories: Offensive Skill player, Offensive Lineman, Defensive Player. The lists have been trimmed down to five finalists, with winners announced next week.

Preseason Watch List
Semi-Finalists
Finalists

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.