Wisconsin High School Sports | Wisconsin Sports Network | WisSports.net

Many high school football standouts in Wisconsin go on to big things at the college level and in the pros, and this is our spot to recognize those athletes each week and help you keep up with what is going down on some of your favorite players from the past. If you have alumni news, please send it to Colton Wilson by 10 p.m. on Tuesdays.

The Denver Broncos are a surprising 3-0 on the season and are one of two NFL teams that have three former Wisconsin High School standouts on its active roster. Kenosha Bradford alum Melvin Gordon serves as the lead back for the Broncos and this past weekend scored his second touchdown of the season in a 26-0 win over the New York Jets. Homestead's Shelby Harris is in his fifth season with the Broncos and has been a staple on the defense. The third alum on the Broncos is Quinn Meinerz, a Hartford grad who garnered much media attention at the senior bowl with his outgoing personality and work ethic. Meinerz saw his first action this past weekend on the offensive line.

Speaking of lineman seeing their first action, the 2015 WSN Joe Thomas award winner Ben Bredeson got his first start in the NFL. The Arrowhead High School grad started his first NFL game in his second season as the New York Giants lost to the Atlanta Falcons 17-14. Bredeson, who was drafted in the fourth round of the 2020 draft by the Baltimore Ravens, was traded to the Giants earlier this preseason.

Max Scharping is in just his third season in the NFL, but the former second round pick just started his 25th game for the Houston Texans this past weekend in a 24-9 loss to the Carolina Panthers. Scharping, a Green Bay Southwest grad, is one of six starting lineman in the NFL from the Badger State.

Alec Ingold is an extension of the offensive line for the Las Vegas Raiders, being one of the best fullbacks in all the NFL. In a 31-28 win over the Miami Dolphins, the former Bay Port High School quarterback scored his third career touchdown in as many years in the NFL.

FBS

Will McDonald IV should begin to ascend NFL draft boards with another standout year at Iowa State this season. The Waukesha North grad had 10.5 sacks in 2020 and earned First Team All-Big 12 honors. This season, McDonald leads the Big 12 with 3.5 sacks through four weeks. Last week in a 31-29 loss to Baylor, the junior defensive end had a sack, a forced fumble and two tackles for loss.

Tejhaun Palmer spent the past two seasons playing football at Snow Community College in Utah. This year, the junior wideout and Brown Deer alum is playing for the UAB Blazers. This past Saturday in a 28-21 win over Tulane, Palmer recorded his first catch at the Division 1 level.

FCS

Nick Howard runs a platoon at quarterback for the Dartmouth Big Green football team. This past Saturday in a 41-3 rout of Sacred Heart, the former Green Bay Southwest standout used his legs to take over the game. Howard rushed nine times for 154 yards and two scores. He was awarded the Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week for his explosive performance.

The University of St. Thomas is only the third school in NCAA history that jumped straight from Division 3 to Division 1 in football. This past Saturday the Tommies got their first ever win as a Division 1 team against another Division 1 team in a 36-0 win over Butler. Josh Komis (Green Bay Southwest), Westley Juszck (Mukwonago) and Lucas Torgerson (Turtle Lake) all caught balls as Juszck and Torgerson play wide receiver and Komis is a running back.

Drake and Valpo squared off in Pioneer League action this past weekend with Valpo coming away with a 24-21 win. Ben Nimz of Catholic Memorial came in in relief for the Beacons and threw the game winning touchdown pass with 1:05 left in the game. Nimz has seen action in three of the four games for Valpo this season. For Drake, Matt Hartlieb of Homestead had four catches for 46 yards and a score.

Minnesota State-Mankato but up 615 yards of total offense last week in a 68-10 win over Minot State in Northern Sun Conference action. Two alumni have been mainstays on the offensive line for the Mavericks for the past few years; Jared Gossen of De Pere and Hunter Toppel of DeForest. Gossen, a 2019 First Team All-NSIC honoree, started his 32nd game for the Mavericks while Toppel, a two-time All-NSIC offensive lineman, started his 47th.

Minnesota Duluth is loaded on defense with alumni from Wisconsin High Schools. In a 31-28 loss to Wayne State, Cole Refsnider of Saint Croix Central and Nate Pearson of Northwestern each had a pair of tackles for loss. Menasha's Joe Kordus intercepted a ball. However, no one had a better day than Brad Dati. The Brookfield East grad had a game high 14 tackles, including seven for loss, and a pair of sacks.

In other Northern Sun action, Bemidji State got toppled by Augustana 52-24. However, Brookfield East alum Sam McGath saw his first action at quarterback for the Beavers. The freshman signal caller completed four of eight passes for 64 yards and his first career touchdown.

Sophomore quarterback Garritt Aissen was thrown into action in Hillsdale's 38-31 win over Missouri S&T and stepped up in a big way. Already without their top quarterback, the Chargers second string quarterback went down with an injury in the fourth quarterback and Aissen, a Luxemburg-Casco grad, was thrust into his second career game. Aissen constructed a game tying and them game winning drive culminating in his first touchdown pass in memorable fashion.

In speaking of firsts, the 2017 WFCA Offensive Player of the Year and North Dakota State transfer, D.J. Stewart experienced a first in his college career. The former Kimberly standout recorded his first ever college touchdown as Northern Michigan lost to Northwood 37-20. Defensively, Mukwonago's Will Borchert led the team with 12 tackles.