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The Elroy "Crazylegs" Hirsch Award is given annually to the state's top senior running back as part of the WSN Senior Football Awards. The award is named after former Wausau High School athlete Elroy "Crazylegs" Hirsch, who went on to play for the University of Wisconsin and the University of Michigan before starring at end in the NFL for 12 seasons. He is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the National High School Hall of Fame, and later went on to serve as Wisconsin's athletic director from 1969 to 1987.

The pre-season watch list was trimmed down to 30 semi-finalists, and six finalists for the award have now been selected. Winners will be announced the week of the state finals.

Trevor Asher of Elmwood/Plum City led the state in rushing during the regular season, and finished with 2,442 yards and 31 touchdowns on 250 attempts, averaging 9.8 yards per carry as a senior. He had at least 145 yards in every game this year, three times going for at least 300. Added with his totals from the previous two seasons, he's ran for 4,391 yards and 47 touchdowns in his career with 24, two-point conversions, including 14 this year.

Cortez LeGrant was an All-State choice last year when the Cardinals finished as Division 1 runners-up, and has been dynamic this season, despite limited carries as the team had a number of running clock games during the regular season. LeGrant scored 18 touchdowns and racked up 1,308 yards on 159 carries, good for an average of 8.2 yards per attempt. He's also become much more involved in the passing game this season, hauling in 15 passes for 254 yards with three more scores through the air.

Najeh Mitchell was one of the most versatile backs in the state as a junior in 2021 and has continued that into 2022. Mitchell has 283 attempts this year for 1,679 yards and 27 touchdowns heading into the state finals, averaging 5.9 yards per carry. He has also caught 23 passes for 314 yards with three touchdowns after hauling in 37 passes for 570 yards and nine scores as a junior.

Blake Schraufnagel had a huge junior season as the Cardinals advanced to the state finals, going for more than 2400 yards. He's followed it up with an even bigger senior campaign thus far as the team is unbeaten heading into a state title rematch with Aquinas. He's carried the ball 210 times for 2,478 yards and 39 touchdowns, averaging 11.8 yards per carry. He's also caught 18 passes for 360 yards and two touchdowns, has a punt return score, and plays a key role on defense. In his career he has 5,602 yards and 87 touchdowns on the ground for the Cardinals.

Wynn Stang went over 1000 rushing yards last year while sharing time in the Indians' backfield, and burst out of the gates in 2022 with one of the best starts we've ever seen. After a 304-yard, four-touchdown performance in a win over Sussex Hamilton in Week 1, he ran for 470 yards and six touchdowns in a high-scoring victory over Sun Prairie East in Week 2, good for the second-most yards in a single game in state history. For the season he has 2,761 yards on the ground with 42 touchdowns, averaging 8.5 yards per carry as one of the state player of the year favorites.

Nate White did not play in the team's playoff loss to Kaukauna but put together a very strong nine-game regular season. He ran 132 times for 1,344 yards and 26 touchdowns, despite the Generals changing offenses and opposing defenses being keyed in on Nate on every play. The Badger recruit averaged 10.2 yards per carry and also played some at quarterback and cornerback, adding a kick return touchdown and receiving touchdown this season. He's one of the most explosive players in the state with the ball in his hands and a threat to score every time he touches it.

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.