Wisconsin High School Sports | Wisconsin Sports Network | WisSports.net

The Wisconsin Football Coaches Association has announced its All-State, Player of the Year, and Assistant Coach of the Year Awards for 2024. The WFCA is producing separate Large School and Small School All-State Teams once again, with 14 players also identified as part of an 8-Player All-State Team.

The WFCA Coach of the Year honor, which is presented in conjunction with the Green Bay Packers, will be announced after the playoffs.

Previously announced WFCA All-Region Teams can be found here.

Notre Dame senior running back Christian Collins was chosen as the WFCA Large School Offensive Player of the Year. 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.

Cooper Catalano, a senior inside linebacker from Germantown, was named the Large School Defensive Player of the Year. Catalano has been a varsity standout since his freshman season, when he recorded 120 tackles and three sacks. He’s kept it up since then, and this year shattered the state's all-time tackles record, as he's up to 583 in his career. As a senior, he is second in the state in 2024 with 178 tackles, also recording nine tackles for loss, three sacks, one fumble recovery, three forced fumbles, and three interceptions. With such standout play and abilities at a young age, he garnered college attention pretty quickly, but made an early decision to commit to the in-state Wisconsin Badgers.

Prairie du Chien running back Blake Thiry received Small School Offensive Player of the Year recognition. Thiry lines up as a running back, wide receiver, and some as a traditional tight end. He's 22nd in the state in rushing with 150 carries for 1,607 yards and 30 touchdowns, but is also in the top 20 in the state in receiving yards with 36 catches for 909 yards and 14 scores. He's also a standout on defense, handles punting, is the long-snapper on field goals, and even dabbles on kick returns. He has committed to Indiana.

Small School Defensive Player of the Year honors went to Potosi/Cassville senior inside linebacker Isaiah Groom. Groom is a tackling machine for the Potosi/Cassville co-op that is unbeaten and spent much of the year ranked number one in the WSN Division 7 Coaches Poll. He leads the state with 190 total stops, including four tackles for loss and an interception. He had 173 tackles last year, with 378 in his four-year career.

Brady Bortz of Kiel (offensive line and defensive end), Wyatt Graffin of Columbus (offensive line and defensive line), Carson Fletcher of Racine Horlick (running back and inside linebacker), Drew Kortz of Freedom (quarterback and defensive back), and Erik Schmidt (kicker and punter) were the only two-way All-State selections.

Repeat selections on the WFCA All-State Teams included Catholic Memorial offensive lineman Owen Strebig, Bay Port offensive lineman Alex Warden, Notre Dame running back Christian Collins, Neenah running back Grant Dean, Mukwonago running back Mason Radobicky, Notre Dame tight end James Flanigan, Marquette outside linebacker Mitchell Nigro, Verona defensive back Tre Poteat, and University School wide receiver Ethan Feldner.

The WFCA produced a 14-member, 8-Player Football All-State Team this year. Northwood/Solon Springs senior Jared Schultz was the 8-Player Football Player of the Year.

DeForest's Jeff Mack was selected as the WFCA Assistant Coach of the Year.

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.