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

Wisconsin Sports Network and WisSports.net are proud to announce Kimberly senior Mike Hardy as the inaugural recipient of the Tim Krumrie Award as the most outstanding senior defensive lineman/linebacker in Wisconsin, part of the 1st Annual WSN Senior Football Awards. Hardy has been so tough at defensive end for the Papermakers that teams consistently run away from his side of the field, prompting the Kimberly coaching staff to play him at Nose Tackle for a number of snaps. Hardy has totaled 72 tackles on the season, quite an impressive number for a defensive lineman. He's accounted for 5 sacks and recovered 2 fumbles as well.

Kimberly is making its third straight trip to the state finals, having won titles the previous two seasons. The defense allowed just 13.5 points per game coming out of the high-scoring Fox Valley Association. Hardy has committed to the University of Iowa.

Kimberly Coach Steve Jorgensen thinks very highly of Hardy, as do the other coaches in the league. "Mike has had an excellent year for us. He s more of what I d call a run-stopper," Jorgensen said. "He gobbles up blocks, uses his hands well at the point of attack. He makes it very hard for teams to run at him. Many teams in our league just didn t run towards him period."

To view all of the finalists for the Tim Krumrie Award, click here.

The award is named after Tim Krumrie, a graduate of Mondovi High School who went on to play for the University of Wisconsin and 12 seasons in the National Football League. Krumrie walked-on to the Badger football team, but quickly made an impression. He led the Badgers in tackles all four years, and was a three-time All-Big Ten selection. He still holds the all-time record for solo tackles and is third on the total tackles list. Drafted in the 10th round by the Cincinnati Bengals, Krumrie played in all 16 games as a rookie and went on to start 161 games in his career. He made the Pro Bowl in 1987 and 1988, and helped the Bengals to the Super Bowl in 1989. He currently serves as the defensive line coach for the Kansas City Chiefs after three years with the Buffalo Bills and eight seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals.

The voting panel for the WSN Senior Football Awards consisted of:  Dennis Semrau, Wisconsin State Journal; Todd Sommerfeldt, La Crosse Tribune; John Casper, Jr., Eau Claire Leader-Telegram; Mike McGivern, WSSP Radio in Milwaukee; Justin Hull, KFIZ Radio in Fond du Lac; Nicholas Kartos, President and Founder of WSN; and Travis Wilson, WSN Sports Content Producer