5 WiscNews-area high school football stars for Week 4 (2024)

WiscNews will recognize the accomplishments of five high school football athletes from our coverage area each week.

The efforts may not be the greatest statistically but are notable. We then invite readers to vote for the Supernova, the performance that most stood out to you.

Here are this week’s honorees.

Drew Roers delivers in clutch for Reedsburg

Drew Roers is familiar with pressure as adual-sport athlete as both the kicker with Reedsburg football and as the starting goalie on the Reedsburg boys soccer team.

Roers basked in it Friday night, delivering a game-winning 24-yard field goal as time expired to give Reedsburg a 30-28 comeback win over La Crosse Logan in a Mississippi Valley Conference game at Millennium Field.

“I was prepared to kick it from 45-plus if I had to,” Roers said. “They tried to ice me with that timeout at the end, but I was ready for it. I knew I’d get it if I had the chance.”

The 6-foot-3 senior helped set up his game winner. After failing on a go-ahead 2-point conversion trailing 28-27, the Beavers recovered Roers’ onside kick with 48.8 seconds to go.

“That was a really nice one and I don’t know if he’s ever kicked a really nice one in practice, so he saved it for the big time,” coach Calvin Zenz said. “Those aren’t easy kicks to make, no matter who you are, so for a kid who really just specializes kicking it through the end zone and field goals, for him to come through in the clutch like that, yeah, it was huge."

Beaver Dam’s Jeffrey Freund executes through air

Beaver Dam’s offense didn’t take long to come back to life Friday after a loss in a defensive slugfest against Mount Horeb/Barneveld in Week 3.

Jeffrey Freund helped provide the spark for the Golden Beavers, recording his second 100-yard receiving game of the season in a 47-14 win over Sauk Prairie in a Badger Small/East Central crossover game.

Freund hauled in a team-high seven catches for 138 yards and a touchdown as the Golden Beavers moved to 3-1 on the year. The 6-1, 170-pound senior used his frame to his advantage, making multiple diving, contested catches against the Eagles, Beaver Dam coach Brock Linde said.

Freund was also effective in special teams. He had 55 yards on a pair of kickoff returns and, as the Golden Beavers punter, had a pair of kicks downed inside the 20-yard line.

Hayden Gyllin powers Mauston into win column

Hayden Gyllin is used to battling for every advantage he can get as aWIAA individual state wrestling tournament qualifier.

The Mauston senior’s drive was on full display Friday as the running back/linebacker dominated on both sides of the Golden Eagles’ 34-24 win over Wautoma in a South Central Conference game.

Gyllin had a game-high 136 yards rushing on 22 carries and 2 touchdowns as Mauston picked up its first win of the season. He gave the Golden Eagles the lead with a 14-yard touchdown run in the first half, and ultimately blew things open with a 44-yard scoring run to open the third quarter.

“Hayden’s yards after contact was really impressive,” coach Dustin Vickerman said. “It always took multiple guys to get him on the ground, and there were several times he carried a pile to get an extra couple of yards.”

Gyllin was equally disruptive on defense, leading the Golden Eagles with 14 tackles, including 10 solo takedowns and a pair of tackles for loss, as well as one of Mauston’s three fumble recoveries. It was Gyllin’s third game with 10 or more tackles of the season. He leads Mauston with 55 total tackles.

Will Frieden sets defensive tone in Poynette’s big win

Poynette’s defense was in need of a pick-me-up after allowing 50 points in its Eastern Suburban Conference debut in Week 3.

Junior linebacker Will Frieden anchored a dominant defensive effort in a 40-8 win over Waterloo on Friday. The 5-9, 155-pounder racked up a team-high 14 tackles as Poynette moved to 2-2.

It was the third straight game with 10 or more tackles for Frieden, who has a team best 44 on the season.

Frieden and the Pumas kept the pressure on the Pirates, keeping Waterloo scoreless through the first three quarters and scoring the game’s first 40 points.

Portage’s Max Kreuziger provides spark on ground

Portage had its hands full for the second straight week facing off with reigning East Central champion Port Washington.

The Pirates proved to be too much for the Warriors in a 49-14 win in the second week of the Badger Small/East Central crossover games. There were still positives to draw from for Portage however, namely in the form of Max Kreuziger.

The senior running back rushed for a game-high 128 yards and both Warriors touchdowns on just 13 carries. Kreuziger pulled Portage within 20-6 midway through the second quarter with a 7-yard scoring run before Port Washington reeled off four straight touchdowns.

The Warriors ended the night on a positive note though as Kreuziger plowed in from a yard out in the fourth to cap the scoring as Portage dropped to 2-2.

Supernova voting

Congratulations to Columbus’ Conner Roche, who won the Week 3 supernova voting with 45.8% of the vote.

Vote for your favorite performance to be the WiscNews Week 4 supernova below. Check back next week to find out who won.