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The Joe Thomas Award is given annually to the state's top senior offensive lineman as part of the WSN Senior Football Awards. The award is named after former Brookfield Central and University of Wisconsin athlete Joe Thomas, who went on to great success in the NFL with the Cleveland Browns. After an All-American career at UW, Thomas was selected to the NFL Pro Bowl each of his first ten years in the league and was inducted to the NFL Hall of Fame

The pre-season watch list was trimmed down to 30 semi-finalists, and six finalists for the award have now been selected. Winners are announced the week of the state finals.

Dylan Hildebrand played at tackle for the Wildcats last year and was a dominating presence up front. He earned First Team All-Conference recognition in the Big Eight and was also a WFCA All-Region selection. He's been really good this year as well. "Without him our offense, and our team, would not have the success we have had for the past couple seasons," said Verona head coach Andrew Riley. He is a 3 time conference champion and has not lost a conference game in his tenure. 

Braeden Jansen helped clear space for the Galloping Ghosts to claim a share of the Fox Valley Association title each of the past two seasons, as the offense produced big numbers on the ground and through the air. Jansen was recently announced as a unanimous First Team All-Conference pick and the Offensive Lineman of the Year in the FVA.

James Nellis has been a key part of the Grafton program that went to last year's Division 3 state title game and is a top seed in this season's playoffs. He has given a commitment to D1-FCS powerhouse North Dakota State. Nellis was the Offensive Lineman of the Year in the Woodland last year and a WFCA Honorable Mention All-State choice. "In our offense, James flips sides, playing both right and left tackle depending on the play concept," said Grafton offensive line coach Mike Seefeld. "This puts him at the point of attack in almost all of our run concepts and on an island as a pass protector."

Griffin Rousseau continues the offensive lineage at Stoughton, which includes current Badgers offensive lineman Jack Nelson, earning First Team All-Conference recognition last year. He gave a commitment to Illinois in the off-season. "Griffin became our starter at left tackle his sophomore year and steadily improved each season to become one of the top ranked offensive lineman in the state of Wisconsin," said head coach Jason Becker.

Owen Strebig has been on the radar since suiting up for the varsity as a 6’6”, 245-pound freshman. He’s since grown to 6’8”, 300 pounds as one of the top linemen in the entire country. A WFCA All-State choice last year, he received scholarship offers from top programs all over the country. He committed to Notre Dame in early February. "He is an outstanding student and one of the best leaders we have ever had in our football program," said head coach Bill Young. "On top of that he is an outstanding football player that plays the whistle on every snap."

Alex Warden racked up loads of hardware last season as a junior. He was recognized as First Team All-Conference, the FRCC-North Offensive Lineman of the Year, WFCA All-Region, and WFCA All-State. He's off to a good start on repeating all of that, earning co-Offensive Lineman of the Year as a senior First Team All-Conference choice. Not surprisingly, a good amount of college interest came in, as he gave a commitment to North Dakota State. "He has improved weekly this season as well and is a dominant run blocker at point of attack," said Pirates head coach Steven Jorgensen.

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.