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

Many high school football standouts in Wisconsin go on to big things at the college level and in the pros, and this is our spot to recognize those athletes each week and help you keep up with what is going down on some of your favorite players from the past. If you have alumni news, please send it to Colton Wilson

Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but TJ Watt is a problem for opposing NFL offenses. Watt, a Pewaukee native plays for one of the most storied franchises in the NFL, the Pittsburgh Steelers. This past Sunday he put himself atop their record books. Watt with his relentless motor recorded his fourth sack in two games, setting the all-time sacks record for the Steelers with 81.5 through just 89 gams played. He wasn’t done there. Watt scooped up a fumble and returned it 16 yards for a touchdown with 6:58 left in the game to put Pittsburgh up 26-22, which ended as the final score.

Jake Ferguson is the starting tight end for the Dallas Cowboys after Dalton Schultz left in free agency this past offseason. The Madison Memorial grad has displayed his receiving and blocking skills through two games for the undefeated Cowboys. This past weekend in a 30-10 win over the New York Jets, Ferguson scored his first of what should be many touchdowns this season.

Luke Goedeke started his tenth NFL game this past weekend, but his route to this point was atypical to say the least. Goedeke was a two-way standout at Valders High School and went to UW-Stevens Point after that, not planning to play football. Goedeke eventually walked on to the Pointers as a tight end and eventually transferred to Central Michigan where he transitioned to the offensive line and flourished. A former Division 3 walk-on, Goedeke was taken in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL draft and now is in Year 2 of starting for an NFL team.

Ben Bredeson took the more conventional route to the NFL in comparison to Goedeke. The Arrowhead alum was the top ranked player in the state in the Class of 2016 and went to Michigan to play for the Wolverines. A fifth round pick by the Ravens, Bredeson was traded in his second season to the New York Giants where he has since entrenched himself as a start on the offensive line.

Hunter Wohler is making a name for himself in college football. A highly touted safety prospect out of Muskego, Wohler has been absolutely dominant this year for the Wisconsin Badgers. This past week he recorded his third straight game of ten-plus tackles, while adding a sack and two interceptions in a 35-14 win over Georgia Southern. Wohler, who is shooting up draft boards, was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week. Fellow defensive teammate CJ Goetz of Catholic Memorial added a sack and an interception for Bucky.

Air Force has a pair of alumni on its roster in Baraboo’s Caden Blum and the University School’s CJ Boyd. Blum moved over from the offensive side of the ball to defensive line in his senior season. Boyd is seeing extensive playing time at safety for the Falcons. This past week in a 39-21 win over Utah State, Boy had six tackles, one for loss, and added two pass breakups.

South Dakota State gave Drake a 70-7 beatdown this past weekend and a few alumni got in on the action for the top-ranked Jackrabbits. Mukwonago grad Greyton Gannon hauled in his first career reception in the blow-out win. On the defensive side Ayden Dauterman of Slinger, Cody Cotton of Union Grove and Joe Ollman of Homestead all got to see action and all recorded a tackle for South Dakota State.

Another week, another North Dakota State victory where Cole Wisniewski made plays on defense. The Sparta grad tallied six tackles and added a forced fumble in the Bison’s 49-31 win over Central Arkansas. Pulaski grad Dylan Hendricks dominated the defensive line, recording 1.5 sacks and a pass break up.

North Dakota fell to Boise State 42-18, but a former standout from the state recorded a first in his college experience. Dylan Boecker, a graduate of Menomonie High School, had three tackles and one and a half for loss in the defeat. Boecker also recorded his first career interception in his junior season.

We’ve talked about the Duluth football team in both the Week 1 and Week 2 round-ups this season, but have focused primarily on the offensive side of the ball. The Bulldog defense is loaded with former alumni that contribute weekly. This past week the following players all recorded at least one tackle in a 42-34 win over Sioux Falls. Wisconsin high schools prove to be a great pipeline for one of the top teams in the Northern Sun Conference and all of Division 2 football.
    • Marcus Glodowski, Amherst
    • Andrew Klopp, Baldwin-Woodville
    • Mac Strand, Xavier
    • Jacob Mogensen, Elkhorn
    • Drew Hennessey, Highland
    • Craesean Slaton, Oak Creek
    • Alex Sylvester, Bay Port
    • Brian Konz, Burlington
    • Brady Herbst, Superior

Duluth got a large quantity of contributors to its win this past weekend, but Minnesota State-Moorhead got the best defensive contribution of the week in the conference. In a 38-17 win over McKendree, Fox Valley Lutheran grad Josiah Behm was all over the field. Behm had ten tackles, three for loss, two sacks, a forced fumble and added a pass break up and quarterback hit. For his efforts, Behm was named the Northern Sun Defensive Player of the Week. Teammate Evan Miles of Oregon High School had his first ever interception for the Dragons defense while Cumberland’s Jack Strand went 30 of 43 for 387 yards and four scores from the quarterback position.

Peyton Buckley is a two-time All-Northern Sun defensive back for the Augustana Vikings. In this his final season, the Rice Lake grad is looking to add a third honor to his mantle. Last week in a 24-16 win over Concordia-St. Paul, Buckley improved his chances. The senior defensive back had eleven tackles, two for loss, forced a fumble and broke up two passes.

Fourth ranked UW-Whitewater held off nineteenth ranked Mary Hardin-Baylor 17-14 to improve to 3-0 on the season. Menomonee Falls grad Tamir Thomas rushed for 111 yards and two scores in the matchup of ranked teams. Thomas was named the WIAC Offensive Player of the Week for the Warhawks for the second straight week.

UW-La Crosse took down Division 2 Northern Michigan 34-3 this past weekend to improve to 2-1. Hudson grad Keyser Helterbrand went 19 of 23 for 217 yards and three total touchdowns for the Eagles. Berlin’s Ryan Bartol had six catches for 90 yards and two scores while Zach Weir of Grafton added a rushing touchdown. Oshkosh West’s Michael Stack was perfect from his kicker position going two for two on field goals and four for four on PATs. Stack was named the WIAC Special Teams Player of the Week after scoring ten points.

UW-Oshkosh blew out East Texas Baptist 60-7 and the contributions from alumni was off the charts. Kobe Berghammer (Cumberland) threw for 221 yards and five scores. Kaio Harn (New London), Quentin Keene (Waunakee), Tony Steger (Kewaskum), Jon Mathieu (Sheboygan Falls), Clayton Schwalbe (Waukesha North) and Avery Kurth (Slinger) all scored at least once. Nolan Mobley of Oak Creek made his lone field goal attempt and went seven for seven on point after kicks.

Defensively for the Tritons, an incredible ten former Badger State standouts recorded a sack; Kyle Dietzen (Omro), Bryce Edwards (Sparta), Tijs Santiago (Monona Grove), Joey Gordon (Greendale), Ean Wilson (Medford), Jacob Mandella (Brookfield East), Rick James (Milwaukee Riverside), Tay’Jion Johnson (Milwaukee King), Jax Rataczak (Randolph) and Trae Ford (Union Grove).

Wartburg is the third-ranked team in Division 3 football and shut out Buena Vista 47-0 this past weekend. Mondovi grad and true freshman Dawson Rud rushed for 75 yards in the victory. Rud has run for over 150 yards this season for the highly ranked Knights in just his first year on campus.

Concordia-Wisconsin eked out a 31-28 win over Lakeland this past weekend, but both sides were littered with top performances from some Wisconsin grads. For Concordia, Ben Kraft of Wauwatosa East had twelve tackles while Evan Lischa of Manitowoc Lutheran had six with an interception.

For Lakeland, Robby Michael of Sheboygan Lutheran threw the ball 61 times for 463 yards and two touchdowns. He added 83 yards and a score with his legs. Wisconsin Lutheran’s Devon Harris had a receiving score while Karlis Ozols of St. Mary’s Springs had a sack and interception on defense.

Carroll beat North Park 41-27 to improve to 2-0 on the season as Cudahy’s Austin Eichstaedt was a playmaker at wide receiver. Eichstaedt caught seven passes for 184 yards and two scores for the Pioneers. Defensively Damon Loker of Kimberly returned an interception for a touchdown while Jahkai Bohannon of Wauwatosa West and Elliott Mueller of Pewaukee also recorded interceptions.

The final game to be highlighted here is another one pitting two teams that are filled with alumni. St. Norbert beat Wisconsin Lutheran 37-32 in a matchup of North Atlantic Collegiate Conference teams.

For the victorious Green Knights, Peyton Lyon of Oshkosh North threw for 251 yards and three touchdowns. Kewaunee’s Owen Kudick had 170 yards and a score on the ground while adding 91 yards and another score receiving. Delton Zuleger of D.C. Everest had 156 total yards and two scores as well.

On the other side of the ball, Cudahy’s Bryce Barbian did all he could from the quarterback position to will his team to victory. Barbian completed 34 of 52 passes for 380 yards and four touchdowns. Mike DuPree of Milwaukee King rushed for 95 yards and a touchdown while Emmitt Hawkins of Cudahy tallied nine catches for 99 yards and two scores.