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The Al Toon Award is given annually to the state's top senior wide receiver or tight end as part of the WSN Senior Football Awards. The award is named after former University of Wisconsin athlete Al Toon, who went on to play in the NFL for several very successful seasons before multiple concussions ended his career early. Toon is an active member of the community in the Madison area both in the business world and in various charitable endeavors.

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

Nick Kihn of Sussex Hamilton was a very good receiver as a junior last season but has stepped up as one of the state's best as a senior. After hauling in 47 passes for 567 yards in 12 games last year, Kihn has already eclipsed that this season, catching 80 passes for 1,181 yards and five touchdowns, averaging 14.8 yards per reception. He also has more than 500 return yards and a rushing touchdown this season. "The kid has a crazy knack for route running, far beyond most high school kids," said head coach Justin Gumm. "He is also the guy that catches everything, including the craziest acrobatic catches you see on ESPN."

Brodie Mickschl has taken over as the top receiver for Onalaska this season after seeing sparse action as a junior. He had 86 receptions for 1,105 yards and 19 touchdowns, proving to be a versatile weapon in the Hilltoppers' offense. His receptions and touchdowns numbers lead the state. "He has exceptional hands," said Onalaska coach Tom Yashinsky. "In our Week 9 game versus Tomah in the rain, where everyone else struggled to catch the ball, he had 9 catches, most of which were intermediate passes. I don't remember him having a drop this year. We have had to get creative with how we align him because with Evan Anderson out he has seen a lot of double teams. He is a fantastic route runner and catches everything with his hands, not a body catcher."

Langdon Nordgaard has been a key part of the West De Pere passing attack for three years, catching 120 passes for 1,904 yards in his time with the Phantoms. As a senior, Nordgaard is among state leaders with 52 catches for 850 yards, hauling in six scores while averaging 16.3 yards per catch. His best game came against rival De Pere when he caught 11 passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns in a 28-14 victory.

Evan Olson of Pepin/Alma is an extremely versatile player who finds a way to make an impact in a multitude of ways for the Eagles. In his career not only does he have 148 catches for 2,497 yards and 37 touchdowns, he's also rushed for 1,631 yards and 13 scores. As a senior he has caught 70 passes for 1,029 yards and 18 touchdowns. Olson has also rushed for 342 yards and three scores. "Evan is the best receiver I have coached or coached against in 32 years," said head coach and father Mike Olson. "He is an excellent route runner. He does a great job setting up the defender to get open and makes the difficult catches look easy. As long as the ball is close to him, he will catch it."

Connor Stauff of Sun Prairie East has caught at least 35 passes for three consecutive seasons and has 177 receptions for 2,472 yards and 33 touchdowns in his career. In his senior campaign, Stauff hauled in 82 passes for 1,129 yards and 17 touchdowns, averaging 13.8 yards per catch. "He has been a three-year starter for us and has improved each season," said head coach Brian Kaminski. "He catches everything with his hands, has great speed (4.52), and while teams try to double team him he still has 65 catches for 954 yards and 14 touchdowns. He has broken every career record we have for a wide receiver."

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.