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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.

Christian Collins led the state in rushing as a junior last season with 2,503 yards and 40 touchdowns. Despite missing two games with injury, he's just 20 yards shy of leading the state again heading into the Division 3 title game, currently sitting at 2,676 yards and 37 touchdowns in just 11 games, averaging 243 yards per contest. He's been getting better as the season goes along, with four, 300-yard rushing performances in his last five games. That includes a career-high 349 yards in a Week 9 victory as the Tritons clinched an outright FRCC-South title against Oshkosh North.

Josiah Johnson of Milwaukee Academy of Science was a good player his first two years for the Novas, but has turned into one of the most dominating players in the state as a senior. He rushed for 2,381 yards and 34 touchdowns to go along with 22, two-point conversions, as the talented senior averages more than 11 yards per carry. "We are a pass-first team and he's only had the luxury of running the ball more than 20 times in a game three times," said head coach Rico Ragsdale. "He also had to experience two teams deciding to forfeit the second half of the game versus us, limiting his ability to produce at his normal level."

Tommy Lutz is part of a potent Grafton offense that also includes Dave Krieg award finalist Brady Hilgart. Lutz is a three-year varsity starter for the Black Hawks, rushing for 1,804 yards and 24 touchdowns in his senior campaign. He averaged 7.0 yards per carry and 164 yards per contest, and has shown to be an adept receiver out of the backfield, with 20 catches for 325 yards and two more scores. In his career, he has 62 catches for 733 yards and six touchdowns. "Tommy is football player who showcased his skills as both a runner and a receiver," said Grafton running backs coach Eric Pfleger. "Tommy has speed, agility, and the toughness to break tackles that sets him apart as one of the most dynamic players in the state."

Mason Radobicky is the best player on one of the best teams in the state, coming off an All-State junior campaign. As a senior, he rushed for 1,499 yards and 18 touchdowns despite missing a couple playoff games. Playing in the extremely tough Classic Eight Conference, Radobicky has rushed for more than 2900 yards the last two years with 34 touchdowns. "He is our bell cow in a tailback offense," said head coach Mike Gnewuch. "He really fits the profile of who we are and what we do."

Conner Roche patiently waited his turn behind the state's all-time leading rusher Colton Brunell at Columbus the last couple years, but certainly showed flashes of what he could do. He's taken over this year and gave Columbus a 2000-yard rusher for a fourth consecutive season. In 12 games, including a number of blowouts, Roche has 2,257 yards and 35 touchdowns on just 222 carries, averaging 10.2 yards per carry. He's also a starting linebacker for the Cardinals.

Paxton Rothmeier of Medford is the leading rusher in the state through the semi-finals, helping the Raiders to a Great Northern Conference title in the process. In his senior campaign he has 274 carries for 2,696 yards and 37 touchdowns, averaging 225 yards per game. He's added 15, two-point conversions as well, with a passing touchdown plus 148 receiving yards on his ledger as well. "While the total yardage he has put out this year is impressive, even more impressive is the yards per carry (9.8)," said head coach Ted Wilson. "He is always looking for ways to improve and is extremely coachable. He is going to end up being one of the very best running backs we have ever had here in Medford."

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.