This story is sponsored by Dental Clinic of Marshfield
By Paul Lecker
MarshfieldAreaSports.com
At times this season, Marshfield senior defensive end Trevor Peterson was unblockable. At other times, for whatever reason, the opposition failed to block Peterson coming off the edge. In either case, Peterson usually made them pay.
After earning Valley Football Association South Division all-conference first-team and Defensive Lineman of the Year honors, and Wisconsin Football Coaches Association first-team all-state accolades, Peterson grabbed the most prestigious honor of all on Wednesday as he was named the Tim Krumrie Award winner by Wisconsin Sports Network and WisSports.Net as the state’s top senior defensive lineman.
Peterson recorded 42 tackles, 13 for loss, 12½ sacks, forced three fumbles, recovered five and had one interception this season for the Tigers. He returned three fumbles and the interception for touchdowns, including two fumble return touchdowns in the same game against Menasha on Oct. 7.
Marshfield finished 9-2 this season, losing to Menomonie in a WIAA Division 2 Level 2 playoff game.
When he was nominated as a finalist for the award, Peterson took it to heart.
“I wasn’t really expecting to be nominated,” Peterson said. “I didn’t know if I was being considered for linebacker or defensive line. When I was nominated at defensive line, I knew I was ranked pretty high in the state and had a chance. I didn’t have a great year until then and when I got nominated for a finalist, I tried my hardest, starting getting more sacks and it kind of took off after the Menasha game.
“When I found out I won, I was pretty excited.”
“He’s a very deserving player to get any award he has received,” Marshfield coach Denny Goettl said. “He’s a natural athlete at the defensive end position. He totally put in the time and did all the things a guy needed to do to get better.”
Peterson was a second-team all-Wisconsin Valley Conference selection as a junior, but the leap he made into becoming a dominant player this season was immeasurable.
“Honestly, I just think it’s a way a kid turns from a junior to a senior,” Goettl said. “Our program in Marshfield tends to be senior-dominated and I think as a junior he was more like, ‘I don’t want to screw up and I just have to do my job.’ Now, as a senior, he became a leader, and that, with the effort he put into playing football, made him an even better player.”
As for the future, Peterson said he still hasn’t decided if he will continue his football career.
Peterson said he has been in contact with a number of college programs about playing football in the future. Division I Western Michigan, FCS (formerly Division I-AA) North Dakota, and Division II Winona State are among the teams looking at Peterson, but he said he has yet to receive a scholarship offer and that, is essentially, the deal-maker or deal-breaker.
“I have to have a scholarship offer to go on and play,” Peterson said. “I grew up on a farm and have pretty much worked on it all of my life. I don’t know if I want to leave it. I haven’t had a scholarship offer yet, so I haven’t had to decide yet.”
Trent Denlinger of Cuba City, Roland Dunlap of Muskego, Justin Montanez of Milwaukee Riverside and Nick Severson of Waunakee were also finalists for the Krumrie Award, which is named after the former Mondovi High School, University of Wisconsin and Pro Bowl NFL nose tackle that played for the Cincinnati Bengals for 12th years after coming into the league as a 10th round draft choice in 1983.
Mike Hardy of Kimberly (2009) and Jeff Raymond of Edgar (2010) previously won the Tim Krumrie Award.
Other WSN/WisSports.Net state award winners include:
*John Anderson Award (top linebacker): Vince Biegel, Wisconsin Rapids.
*Joe Thomas Award (top offensive lineman): Connor Stefanski, Waukesha West.
*Al Toon Award (top wide receiver): Matt Sosinsky, Montello/Princeton/Green Lake.
*Elroy “Crazylegs” Hirsch Award (top running back): Leo Musso, Waunakee.
*Dave Krieg Award (top quarterback): Jay Tollefson, West De Pere.
*Jim Leonhard Award (top defensive back): Kyle Schueller, Edgar.
*Kevin Stemke Award (top punter/kicker): Lucas Otto, Sun Prairie. (Marshfield’s Gus Utech was a finalist)
Read about all the award winners at wissports.net