Two Pirates, Tallier part of North’s 8-man squad
GILMAN FOOTBALL
A busy summer of all-star appearances by 2022 Taylor County graduates concludes Friday at the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association All-Star Charity Football Games benefiting Children’s Wisconsin Hospital.
The Gilman Pirates will be well-represented in the Eight-Player All-Star Game, which kicks off at 6 p.m. on Friday night at UW-Oshkosh’s Titan Stadium.
Julian Krizan and Bryson Keepers are among the 21 players on the North team, while Tom Tallier is an assistant coach on the North staff, which is led by Siren head coach Ryan Karsten. Todd Diethelm of Athens, Keldric Stokes of Thorp and Jordan LeBlanc of Clayton also are on the North coaching staff.
The North’s roster also includes players from nearby eight-player squads such as Cooper Diedrich and Kody Lepak of Athens, Shawn Hughes of Thorp, Chris Brockman of Bruce, Will Knaack III of Phillips and Josh Klement, Nate Klement and Jacob Pfiffner of 2021 state champion Newman Catholic.
Josh Klement, an honorable mention All-State linebacker in 2021, is injured and won’t play. According to Gilman head coach Robin Rosemeyer, Krizan, after initially opting out of the game, is back on the roster and filling Klement’s spot.
Krizan was a 2021 All-State linebacker, while Keepers was an All-State tight end/fullback, as chosen by the coaches association. Krizan also was an outstanding quarterback for the Pirates, while Keepers also excelled as a defensive end/outside linebacker for Gilman, who went 10-1 in 2021 and fell just short of a berth in the WIAA championship game, falling 29-28 to Newman Catholic in a state semifinal.
Tallier has long been head coach Robin Rosemeyer’s top assistant, working primarily with the Pirates’ defense and special teams.
The Charity Football Games continue Saturday with the Divisions 4-7 game at noon and the Divisions 1-3 game at 4 p.m. The games are an annual fundraising effort for Children’s Wisconsin that has raised more than $4.4 million since its inception. This year, players and coaches from the six teams have raised more than $350,000 as part of their commitments to play in the allstar games.
Friday’s game will be livestreamed by Zaleski Sports.
