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The Dave Krieg Award is given annually to the state's top senior quarterback as part of the WSN Senior Football Awards. The award is named after former D.C. Everest and Milton College athlete Dave Krieg, who went on to play 12 seasons in the NFL and still ranks in the Top 15 all-time in most passing categories.

The pre-season watch list was trimmed down to 29 semi-finalists, and five finalists for the award have now been selected. Winners will be announced the week of the state finals.

Myles Burkett took over as the starter in 2019 as a sophomore and has helped the Sabers to great success in his three years on varsity. In his senior season he is completing 71.2% of his passes (148-of-208) for 2,442 yards with 28 touchdowns and just two interceptions. He was amazing in engineering a big comeback in Week 1 at Appleton North, including a successful Hail Mary on the game's final play for a 35-31 win where he threw for 368 yards with five touchdowns. In his career the Badger recruit and returning WFCA All-State selection has 5,498 passing yards with 63 touchdowns and a passer rating of 128.6. He's added 14 rushing scores as well. "He is a great character kid who has developed into a tremendous leader," said Franklin head coach Louis Brown.

While Lake Country Lutheran was upset in Level 2 of the playoffs, senior quarterback Luke Haertle has delivered an amazing amount of success to the Lightning. As a sophomore starter, he helped the team to a Division 5 state title over Stratford. As a senior he completed 63.9% of his passes for 1,882 yards with 31 touchdowns and five interceptions in 11 games, adding 397 yards and four scores on the ground. For his career he finished with 4,978 passing yards and 77 touchdowns, adding 1,120 yards and 16 scores on the ground. “Luke plays every play like his life depends on it and as if he is at recess at the same time," said Lightning coach Greg Brazgel. "I’ve never coached a kid who can balance the pressures and joys of the game like him.”

Quentin Keene stepped in late in the season as a sophomore in 2019 when Caden Nelson was injured and did an excellent job, helping the Warriors to the Division 2 state title game. Keene earned the job in a full-time capacity in the spring 2021 season, helping Waunakee to a perfect 6-0 record as an Honorable Mention All-State selection by the WFCA. As a senior he has already earned Badger-Large Player of the Year honors as the Warriors head into Level 3. He's completed 67% of his passes for 1,759 yards with 19 touchdowns and one interception, raising his career numbers to 3,525 yards and 42 touchdowns, sporting a 139.3 career passer rating. "His football IQ is outstanding," said head coach Pat Rice. "We throw a lot of things at him on a weekly basis and expect him to make the proper calls and checks when needed. Quentin rarely makes mistakes with the ball in his hands."

The record-setting career of Kohler/Sheboygan Lutheran/Christian quarterback Robby Michael came to an end on Friday in a 46-40 loss to Denmark. In the game, Michael completed 35-of-51 passes for 386 yards with three interceptions, adding 85 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. He finishes the year with 2,596 passing yards and 39 touchdowns (tied for tenth in single-season passing scores). He also had 1,450 rushing yards with 18 touchdowns, as his single-season total of 4,136 yards is fifth-all-time. He has 96 passing touchdowns in his career, a new state record. His 7,483 career passing yards is eighth. His combined 10,216 passing and rushing yards is third all-time. His 133 combined passing and rushing touchdowns is tied for third all-time. "Robby is a fantastic leader both on and off the field," said head coach Ryan Eigenberger. "He has continuously worked to become better for the team. On top of that, Robby's dual threat stats are unrivaled. As teams defended the pass, we adjusted and ran Robby to take what they gave us."

Wittenberg-Birnamwood quarterback Ben Wesolowski is one of the biggest breakout performers of the 2021 season, going from limited varsity experience to one of the most prolific offensive seasons in the state. In 11 games he has passed for 1,731 yards with 27 touchdowns. He also ran for 1,627 yards for 17 touchdowns, averaging 11.9 yards per attempt. The Chargers are into Level 3 of the playoffs for the first time since 2003.

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.