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The Wisconsin Football Coaches Association (WFCA) presents both an Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year award in the state of Wisconsin each season for Large School and Small School, and usually, there are pretty clear candidates that emerge very early in the season. By the mid-point of the season (seven games into a 14-game season including the playoffs), a handful of possible recipients usually stand out and it's a race to the finish to see who will grab the award.

It takes the right combination of name recognition, statistical success, and team success to win the award, which is available to players from any grade but has traditionally gone to a senior. Generally, the player must be from a very successful team that is either unbeaten or a favorite to compete for a state title. However, a few years ago we saw Brown Deer's Zach Baun receive the award in a close vote, despite the fact that his Falcons finished just 8-3 overall and went out in Level 2 of the playoffs. His individual brilliance was too much to pass up however, despite a strong pool of candidates.

Previous Player of the Year articles:

Large School Offensive Player of the Year favorites
Small School Offensive Player of the Year favorites

To be clear, the Large School Defensive Player of the Year is presented by the WFCA. However, below is my take on the top candidates right now (in alphabetical order), though there is a long ways to go before the selection is made after Level 4 of the postseason, and more candidates could certainly emerge.

Cooper Catalano, LB, Germantown - Catalano may be the favorite for this award currently, as the Wisconsin Badgers commit recently broke the state's all-time tackles record, now up to an even 500. A four-year varsity starter, he'll almost certainly go over 100 tackles for a fourth consecutive season. he also has two sacks, an interception, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery for the Warhawks, who are currently 6-1.

James Flanigan, LB, Notre Dame - Flanigan is a two-way elite player, earning First Team All-State as a tight end last year. He's a good bet to repeat that honor this season, and could add defensive All-State as well. Through stats available in six games, he had 24 tackles, seven sacks, and two forced fumbles.

Carson Fletcher, LB, Racine Horlick - There may not be a more productive two-way player in the state this season than Fletcher, who has 74 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, one interception, and a blocked kick on defense. He's a four-year varsity regular, and has gone over 1200 rushing yards for a second consecutive season and leads the team with 21 receptions for 352 yards and three touchdowns.

Mitchell Nigro, LB, Marquette - Nigro was a WFCA Large School All-State selection last year when the Hilltoppers won the Division 1 state title, and is well on his way to another First Team pick this season. He's a disruptive force off the edge, recording 44 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, and 5.5 sacks so far this year.

Tre Poteat, DB, Verona - Verona is undefeated and ranked second in Division 1, and Poteat is one of the top players in the state, not only as a defensive back but also playing receiver and even running back at times for the Wildcats. The Tennessee recruit has three interceptions this year with 31 tackles, four forced fumbles, a blocked kick, plus three total kick/punt returns. 

Liam Shaw, DL, Muskego - There aren't many defensive linemen who have put up the kind of production we've seen from Shaw. He's second on the Warriors with 49 tackles and is among state leaders with nine sacks this season. 

OTHERS TO WATCH:

Carter Appl, DE, Xavier
Brendan Foley, LB, Arrowhead
Carter Kaufmann, DB, De Pere
Jaydon Lanser, LB, Menasha
Dusty Morrow, LB, Sparta
Torin Pettaway, DL, Middleton
Landon Taylor, LB, Westosha Central
Logan Zahour, DB, Cedarburg

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.