2022 NewsChannel 7 Defensive Football All-Stars

WAUSAU, Wis. (WSAW) - The north central Wisconsin Area is known for its ground and pound, tough defensive play. In our 62nd edition of the NewsChannel 7 Football All-Stars, we honor the 12 best players on defense.

Starting us out in the trenches is Marshfield’s Isaac Dagit. He had 99 tackles and eight and a half sacks in the regular season for the Tigers.

In the same conference, Wisconsin Rapids Connor Akey led the Red Raiders up front. He recorded two sacks and nine tackles for a loss.

For the Raiders in Medford, Will Haavisto was beast defensively, earning his first career honor on the team.

Rounding out the line is Edgar’s Carver Higgins, who had three sacks and 16 tackles for a loss, which were both second on the Wildcats.

As for the big guys who stand behind them, linebackers are led by Pittsville’s Marcus Getsinger, who had two sacks and 13 tackles for a loss. He also forced six fumbles, recovering three of them.

In Mosinee, Davin Stoffel defends last season’s honor. He had two defensive touchdowns, three fumble recoveries on one interception in the regular season.

Edgar’s Karter Butt is our third linebacker. Butt is the plater ahead of Higgin’s on the team’s defensive stats, with a team-high four sacks and 18 tackles for a loss.

Our last linebacker comes from Butt’s rival team in Stratford. John Seitz had 20 tackles for a loss, two interceptions and one fumble forced this season.

In the next layer of defense, the defensive backs are led by Colby’s Mateo Lopez. The Hornet had five interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown.

Brennan Huber was a menace for Wisconsin Rapids, recovering three fumbles and picking off two passes for the Red Raiders.

Assumption’s Ryan Shaw recorded 71 tackles and three interceptions to help lead the Royals to their first conference championship since 1975.

Lastly, punters are people too. Stratford’s Braeden Schueller led the Tigers to a state title with his arm but his leg is also pretty good. He averaged 37.8 yards per punt this season.

The process of picking the All-Stars is all through over 50 coaches from north central Wisconsin who are invited to nominate players and vote for them. This year, 38 of them participated in the voting process. NewsChannel 7 would like to thank all of the coaches for participating in this year’s All-Stars process.

To view the offensive All-Stars, you can follow this link.

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