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Dave Krieg Award Finalists for top senior quarterback

10/23/2018, 7:00pm CDT
By Travis Wilson

Sun Prairie quarterback Richie Gilles

The Dave Krieg Award is given annually to the state's top senior quarterback as part of the WSN Senior Football Awards. The award is named after former D.C. Everest and Milton College athlete Dave Krieg, who went on to play 12 seasons in the NFL and still ranks in the Top 15 all-time in most passing categories.

The pre-season watch list was trimmed down to 22 semi-finalists, and six finalists for the award have now been selected. Winners are announced the week of the state finals.

Dave Krieg Award Finalists:

Richie Gilles, Sun Prairie - Head coach Brian Kaminski called him the most improved player he's ever coached after Gilles went from a backup role on last year's Division 1 state runner-up team to a record-setting starter this year. In 12 games, Gilles completed 153 of 257 passes (59.5%) for 2,456 yards and 27 touchdowns with just six interceptions, good for a 116.8 quarterback rating. He added 222 yards on the ground and seven rushing touchdowns in helping the Cardinals to a share of the Big Eight title.

Wes Glime, Notre Dame - Glime had an outstanding junior season, throwing for 2,466 yards and 22 touchdowns. He's been even better as a senior, raising his quarterback rating from 101.3 to 120.8, as his completion percentage has remained about the same, but he's cut his interceptions down considerably. Through 12 games in 2018 he threw for 2,324 yards and 27 touchdowns as a First Team All-Conference selection in the FRCC.

Logan Graetz, River Falls - River Falls has made quite the improvement this season, going from 2-7 in 2017 to an outright Big Rivers Conference title this season. Graetz showed flashes last year but dealt with injuries quite a bit, though his potential allowed him to attract Division 1 college attention. Fully healthy, he erupted for a huge senior season, completing 126 of 181 passes (69.6%) for 2,129 yards and 32 touchdowns with just four interceptions (139.5 quarterback rating). He recently gave a verbal commitment to Minnesota as a preferred walk-on.

Carter Robinson, Appleton North - Robinson is a two-year starter who has 46 touchdown passes and more than 4,000 yards in his career, but he saved perhaps the best game of his career for one of the most important. In a 55-19 win over Hudson in Level 1, he completed 16-of-22 passes for 224 yards and four touchdowns with a 144.7 quarterback rating, rushing for 107 yards and a score. On the season, he's thrown for 2,001 yards and 26 touchdowns to go with three rushing scores. "I’ve witnessed him demonstrate a confidence and leadership ability that is truly special," said head coach Rob Salm. "Peers look to him for direction and he responds in a positive, enthusiastic manner."

Cody Staerkel, Kimberly - Staerkel was recently named a First Team All-Conference selection in the VFA-North as well as the league's Player of the Year. Not bad for someone who did not see the field on varsity last season. "Cody has shown tremendous growth as a player and as a person over the past year," head coach Steve Jones said. "He has played his best football in the biggest games and he has made some of his biggest throws in the most critical moments of the year." As a senior he has thrown for 2,748 yards and 28 touchdowns while completing 64.5% of his passes for a 132.1 quarterback rating as the Papermakers are back in a state final.

Jarrett Wulf, Waunakee - Like others on the finalist list, Wulf is a first-time starter who has risen to the occasion in a big way. Despite not playing in the second half of many blowouts, he has completed 131 of 170 passes this season for a ridiculous 77.1% completion percentage. At one point, he went five games between incompletions, including three straight perfect games. He finished with 2,311 yards passing and 25 touchdowns for a 148.2 passer rating, adding ten rushing scores.

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