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Kevin Stemke Award Finalists for top senior kicker/punter

10/27/2022, 2:00pm CDT
By Travis Wilson

Sun Prairie East kicker Trevor Schulz

The Kevin Stemke Award is presented annually to the state's top senior kicker or punter as part of the WSN Senior Football Awards. The award is named after former Green Bay Preble and University of Wisconsin standout Kevin Stemke. At Wisconsin, Stemke was presented with the Ray Guy Award as the nation's top punter and holds UW records for highest punting average in a career (43.5) and total punting yards (10,660).

The pre-season watch list was trimmed down to 15 semi-finalists, and five finalists for the award have now been selected. Winners will be announced the week of the state finals.

Sam Klestinski, Edgewood

Sam Klestinski handled both the punting and kicking duties for Edgewood this year. He averaged 40.6 yards per punt with five of his 22 boots downed inside the 20 yard line. He connected on 28-of-30 extra points for the Crusaders and made three-of-four field goals.

Davis Paulsen, Baldwin-Woodville

In addition to being a starter on defense, Davis Paulsen is an excellent kicker for Balwin-Woodville. So far this year he's made 33-of-37 extra points, also connecting on eight-of-11 field goals for the Blackhawks.

Caden Popp, Appleton North

Caden Popp of Appleton North leads the state with 15 made field goals this year, connecting on 15-of-19. His 15 made field goals is tied for second in state history for a single season. He was four-for-four on field goals in a win over Oshkosh West earlier this year, making attempts of 25, 36, 41, and 41 yards. He's also 19-of-21 on extra points for the Lightning.

Trevor Schulz, Sun Prairie East

Trevor Schulz of Sun Prairie East has been one of the state's best kickers the last two seasons and this year added punting to his duties. He averaged 40.4 yards per punt, making 62-of-69 extra points. He connected on two-of-four field goals and features one of the strongest kickoff legs in the state.

Bryce Smith, West De Pere

Bryce Smith is in his third year serving as the kicker for West De Pere, and just keeps booting it through the uprights. After going 29-of-30 on extra points last season, he is 52-for-52 so far in 2022. He's also five-for-nine on field goals and has handled the punting duties this year.


About the Author

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.

Tag(s): News Archive  News  Travis Wilson  Senior FB Awards