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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 35 semi-finalists, and five finalists for the award have now been selected. Winners will be announced the week of the state finals.

Demetrius Bergmann is a four-year varsity player for Pepin/Alma who has gone for more than 1500 rushing yards each of the past two seasons. After a strong junior campaign, he's been even better in 2023, carrying the ball 151 times in 11 games, rushing for 1,638 yards and 33 touchdowns, averaging 10.8 yards per carry. He's also scored 20, two-point conversions this season while playing full-time on defense. "It has been amazing seeing the growth each year," said head coach Mike Olson. "He has the patience to wait for his blocks, has the explosion to burst through, and has the power to run through any tackler. Demetrius is a threat to score any time he carries the ball." Bergmann has committed to Minnesota State.

Colton Brunell of Columbus is simply one of the best high school football players the state has ever seen. He recently broke the career rushing record in Wisconsin, as he finished his career with 7,416 yards, adding 106 rushing touchdowns. In his senior season, Brunell carried the ball 309 times for 2,298 yards and 32 touchdowns, as he went over 2000 rushing yards for the third time. Brunell is also a four-year starter at linebacker for the Cardinals, with 83 tackles and 11 tackles for loss this year and 303 tackles for his career. "This young man is one the best running backs this state has produced," said head coach Andrew Selgrad. "He has great vision, a high football IQ, and is a tough runner. Any time he has the ball in his hands, he has a chance to score. And, on top of all of that, he is a two-way player. He rarely comes off the field."

Owen Carlson has been a big-play threat for the Kewaunee offense since his sophomore year, averaging 10.5 yards per carry in his career. As a senior, he helped the Storm to a Packerland title and trip to the state semi-finals, carrying the ball 212 times for 2,223 yards and 39 touchdowns. He also has two punt return touchdowns, a kick return touchdown, and a receiving touchdown this season. "Owen comes through in big games, including 245 yards on 21 carries and 3 touchdowns against one the top ranked teams in Division 6 at the time (Southern Door) in a game that decided the conference championship," said head coach Randy Charles. "Most of what he was able to accomplish occurred in the first half since the score of all of our conference games didn't allow Owen to play in the fourth quarter and only got to play a series or two in the third quarter."

Jayden Gordon was among state rushing leaders all season, finishing with 2,150 yards, averaging an incredible 15.4 yards per attempt for Kenosha St. Joseph. He did it in just ten games, scoring 39 rushing touchdowns for the Midwest Classic champs. Gordon went over 5000 for his career, including 1,831 yards as a junior.  "I don't think I have ever had more coaches say, 'he's the real deal' to describe any other player that I've coached more than they have said about Jayden Gordon," said head coach Matt Rizzo." Even when opponents know he is the focal point of our offense, he is still putting up these numbers."

Chase Matthias of Two Rivers went well past 5000 career rushing yards and came up just short of 6000 for his career, finishing with 5,991. As a senior, he rushed for 1,904 yards and 29 touchdowns on 164 carries, averaging a blistering 11.6 yards per attempt. He also has four receiving touchdowns, one on defense, and a kick return score while also handling the punting duties for the league champion and unbeaten Purple Raiders. Matthias is a standout on defense with 107 tackles, 24 tackles for loss, and three interceptions. "He is the best football player in our program's history, holding all of the school's rushing records," said head coach Kevin Shillcox. "He makes everyone around him better because of how he competes at such a high level and does it the right way."

Terrance Shelton has been a contributor at running back for Franklin for four seasons, including playing a key role in the team's 2021 Division 1 state championship. He took over as the leading rusher last season and has put together a strong senior campaign as well. Heading into the Division 1 state title game, he has rushed 231 times for 1,638 yards and 28 touchdowns, averaging 7.1 yards per carry despite very limited carries in the second half of most games. He's really picked it up in the playoffs, going for 194 yards and a touchdown on 33 carries against Muskego and 183 yards and two touchdowns on 31 carries in a win over Sussex Hamilton. "He is the best we have ever had and I would say is the best in the state," said head coach Louis Brown.

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.