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.

Each week that passes brings us closer to the end of college football. For many Division 2 and 3 programs, only one week remains of the regular season. Division 1 football has three weeks to go by comparison, while the NFL is just past the halfway point. This means sooner than later, basketball season will be upon up.

To read a Basketball Alumni Round-up Preview, click here

Another week, another dominating performance by Pittsburgh Steeler T.J. Watt. The Pewaukee native has been a mainstay in opposing backfields and a terror for all offenses. This past Monday night in a 29-27 win over the Chicago Bears, Watt tallied seven tackles, three sacks, three quarterback hits and one pass deflection. On the season, he ranked second in the NFL in sacks with 11.5, fourth in tackles for loss with 11, and fifth in the NFL in quarterback hits with 18.

Despite playing for the lowly Houston Texans, Eric Murray has played very well when given extended playing time. Last weekend, the Milwaukee Riverside grad started his fourth game of the season in a 17-9 loss to the Miami Dolphins. Murray tallied eight tackles and intercepted his first pass of the season; his second of his pro career.

FBS

Will McDonald IV has been mentioned time and again in past iterations of the Football Alumni Round-up and for good reason. The Waukesha North grad has been putting together an incredible season for Iowa State and it continued Saturday in a 30-7 win over Texas. McDonald tallied six tackles, 2.5 sacks, a force fumble and a pass break up. With that performance, McDonald set the Iowa State record for career sacks with 27.5. He was also named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this year.

Cole Godbout has quietly put together a solid sophomore season at Wyoming this year. The Hudson High School grad was a force in the Cowboy's 31-17 win over Colorado State. Godbout had seven tackles and a sack in a half, pushing his sack total to three on the year.

Another Wisconsin win, another game filled with alumni highlights. True freshman Jackson Acker of Verona High School got touches in the 52-3 blowout of Rutgers and capitalized with his first career touchdown. The underclassmen continue to show out for the Badgers. Another true freshman Hunter Wohler of Muskego has seen his snap count rise week after week for the defense. A standout on the special teams, Wohler tallied a season high six tackles this past week.

Fellow true freshman Braelon Allen has been the breakout of the 2021 class all season. A Fond du Lac grad, Allen had another 100 yard day, rushing for 129 yards on 15 carries and a touchdown. He was named the Big 10 Freshman of the Week for the second time this season.

FCS

North Dakota has been led by a plethora of alumni all season on the defensive side of the ball and that was no different this past Saturday in a 24-21 win over Youngstown State. New Berlin Eisenhower grad Jordan Canady led the team with ten tackles. La Crosse Logan's CJ Siegel, Fond du Lac's Devon Krzanowski and Baraboo's Noah Larson combined for 17 tackles, four and a half tackles for loss, and two sacks. Offensively Stratford's Easton Kitty starts on the Fighting Hawks offensive line.

Illinois State scored a 17-10 overtime win over Northern Iowa as Jeremiah Jordan had his best day playing college football. The Madison Memorial grad recorded his first two career sacks for the Redbird defense, including one to end regulation. Arrowhead's Jacob Powell also recorded a sack for Illinois State.

Ferris State is 9-0 and the top ranked team in all of Division 2. Williams Bay alum John Higgins starts for the Bulldog defense and has put together a strong senior season. Last week in a 50-14 win over Davenport, Higgins was second on the team with six tackles, including two for loss, and also forced a fumble.

Makaio Harn has been one of the better running backs in the Northern Sun Conference this season. A New London High School grad, Harn has been the lead rusher for the 8-2 Bemidji State Beavers. Last week in a 36-34 victory over Northern State, Harn rushed for 81 yards and a score while adding 46 receiving yards and 26 return yards.. He scored the go ahead touchdown with 3:14 left in the game. On the season, Harn has rushed for 701 yards.

Minnesota State-Mankato throttled Southwest Minnesota State 52-0 this past weekend and Jalen Sample had himself a day. The Onalaska grad caught ten passes for 183 yards and two scores for the Mavericks, good for his sixth 100 yard game of his career. Senior and Brown Deer grad Nyles Williams added a receiving score.

Minnesota Duluth won yet again due to the contributions of alumni up and down the roster. Onalaska grad Noah Skifton scored his first touchdown in the 41-15 win over Augustana. Jonny Jensen of Brookfield Academy had an interception while both Marcus Glodowski of Amherst and Joe Kordus of Menasha returned interceptions for touchdowns. Whitefish Bay alum Michael Kirkendoll tallied eight tackles and two interceptions himself. Kirkendoll was named the Northern Sun Defensive Player of the Week.

Keon Miller has speed, and he proved that in Carroll's 26-17 win over Carthage. The Richland Center grad returned a kickoff 87 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter after Carthage took a 7-0 lead. Miller was named the CCIW Special Team's Player of the Week. Teammate an Cudahy grad Austin Eichstaedt added to his conference leading 977 receiving yards by hauling in six catches for 138 yards and a score.

St. Norbert College took down Eureka 70-21 and many former alumni contributed to the effort. The boys up front led the way for the Green Knights. Coleman's Donovan Salewski, Waterford's EJ Mastrocola, Green Bay Southwest's Grant Skenandore, Shawano's Nathan Krizan and Wauwatosa West's Bennett Inman make up the starting offensive line. That group of five powered the offense to 511 total yards, 367 rushing yards, and ten total touchdowns.

Wisconsin Lutheran College scored an impressive 41-21 win over Concordia Wisconsin this past Saturday. Brookfield East grad Justin Parbs carried the ball 24 times for 166 yards and a score. Hartford's Jordan Jewell turned eight catches into 93 yards and two scores. Defensively, Saint Francis grad Kyle Kubacki had eight tackles and two sacks.

UW-River Falls squared off with UW-Stout this past weekend as the Falcons won 57-35. River Fall's Luke Fugate and Stout's Sean Borgerding traded blows back and forth, putting together impressive days on the gridiron. Bordgerding, a Spring Valley grad, threw for 358 yards and five scores for Stout. Fugate, who graduated from Platteville High School, rushed 21 times for 247 yards and three scores. Fugate was named the WIAC Offensive Player of the Week in his team winning performance.