WFCA ALL-STATE LARGE SCHOOLS - Rothmeier on All-State team, a finalist for ‘Crazylegs’ award
WFCA ALL-STATE LARGE SCHOOLS
A record-breaking season for Paxton Rothmeier of Medford has earned him first-team All-State accolades from the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association.
On Tuesday, Rothmeier was one of six running backs named to WFCA’s 2024 Large School All State Offensive Team after he finished with school records of 2,696 rushing yards and 37 rushing touchdowns during the recentlycompleted season. The Medford Raiders went 10-2 overall and reached the third round of the WIAA Division 3 playoffs with wins over Lakeland and Fox Valley Lutheran. La Crosse Logan ended Medford’s season in the sectional championship game in a 51-48 thriller at Raider Field Nov. 8.
Medford also went 7-0 to win its first Great Northern Conference championship since 2020.
Rothmeier, the Great Northern Conference’s Offensive Player of the Year and a WFCA Region 1 first-team running back, gained his yards on just 274 carries and averaged 9.8 yards per carry. His rushing yardage easily broke Ean Wilson’s 2019 single-season school record of 2,183 yards. Rothmeier, a senior, came close to Wilson’s career rushing yardage record too with 4,182. Wilson’s mark is 4,285 yards.
Rothmeier’s 37 rushing touchdowns is also a new school record. That combined with his one defensive touchdown and 15 two-point conversion runs, gives him the single-season school record with 38 touchdowns and his 258 points is also a new single-season school record, breaking Stan Strama’s 1992 mark of 208 points. Tyler Russ scored 202 points in 2001.
Rothmeier’s rushing yards and touchdowns still lead the state, but they aren’t likely to stand at the top through Friday’s WIAA Division 3 state championship game. Green Bay Notre Dame’s Christian Collins, who led the state last year with 2,503 yards and 40 touchdowns, missed two games this season. He’s at 2,676 yards and 37 rushing touchdowns heading into Notre Dame’s state title game with Waukesha Catholic Memorial.
Collins was named the WFCA Large School Offensive Player of the Year Tuesday.
Along with Rothmeier and Collins, the Large School All-State running backs for this year are Harry Borolotti, a senior from Whitefish Bay; Grant Dean, a senior from Neenah; Carson Fletcher, a senior from Racine Horlick, and Mason Radobicky, a senior from Mukwonago.
Rothmeier, Collins and Radobicky were among the six finalists for the Elroy “Crazylegs” Hirsch Award, given annually to the state’s top senior running back as part of the Wisconsin Sports Network Senior Football Awards. Josiah Johnson of Milwaukee Academy of Science, Tommy Lutz of Grafton and Connor Roche of Columbus were the other finalists out of an initial list of 30 players to watch that was posted at the start of the season.
Collins was announced as the winner of that award Wednesday morning.
Rothmeier is the only Great Northern Conference player to earn any type of All-State award from WFCA. Earlier this fall, he and teammate Evan Paul earned Academic All-State awards from the association.
Cooper Catalano, a senior inside linebacker from Germantown, was named the Large School Defensive Player of the Year. He was second in the state with 178 total tackles with nine tackles for loss, three sacks, one fumble recovery, three forced fumbles and three interceptions. He has committed to play college football with the Wisconsin Badgers.
DeForest’s Jeff Mack was selected as the WFCA Assistant Coach of the Year. The Coach of the Year honor will be announced after this week’s state championship games.
