The Bound Wisconsin Football Player of the Week is ready to go for 2025. Voting is featured at the bottom of this article. Voting is open until Thursday at 2 pm, so be sure to vote for who you feel is most deserving and spread the word (hint: Social Media is a great way to do so). Users may vote once per day.
BOUND WISCONSIN WEEK 5 FOOTBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK NOMINEES
Tanner Effertz, Whitnall
Whitnall put up a huge offensive performance on Friday night as the Falcons took down Wisconsin Lutheran 48-28 in a key Woodland Conference game. Senior quarterback Tanner Effertz had one of the top stat lines we’ve seen this year, completing 25-of-37 passes for 355 yards and three touchdowns, averaging more than 14 yards per completion. He also was the team’s leading rusher, going for 101 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries. Oh by the way, he also averaged more than 50 yards per punt.
Axzil Eggert, Freedom
Freedom handed D3 sixth-ranked Fox Valley Lutheran its first loss of the season on Friday, 28-17. Sophomore running back Axzil Eggert had a big game with 21 carries for 175 yards and four touchdowns, adding a pair of catches for 26 yards as well. Eggert more than doubled his rushing output from the previous four games.
Owain Nelles, Cambridge
Cambridge scored a dominating 36-0 win over Waterloo in an Eastern Suburban Conference game Friday night that keeps the Blue Jays undefeated overall and tied atop the league standings. Senior Owen Nelles was all over the field, rushing 25 times for 265 yards and four touchdowns, scoring two, two-point conversions, and recording eight tackles defensively.
Gannan Schwartz, Winnebago Lutheran
Winnebago Lutheran entered just 1-3 against Saint Mary’s Springs, but the Vikings knocked off the Ledgers in last year’s playoffs in what turned out to be Bob Hyland’s final game as coach. And WLA’s losses this year had come against top ten teams Racine St. Catherine’s, Amherst, and Mayville. So Winnebago Lutheran’s 25-24 win over Springs shouldn’t be too big of a surprise, with senior quarterback Gannan Schwartz rushing for 183 yards and two touchdowns with another 109 yards and a score throwing the football.
Michael Suominen, Madison West
Madison West moved to 3-2 overall and 2-1 in Big Eight Conference play with a 27-21 win over Madison Memorial on Saturday, the Regents’ first win over the Spartans since 2017. Quarterback Michael Suominen continued his strong senior season with 291 passing yards and four touchdowns, completing 20-of-32 passes. He was also the team’s leading rusher with 74 yards on seven carries.
Travis Wilson serves as the Bound Wisconsin Manager. Wilson was selected as part of the Sports 40 Under 40 list by Coach & AD Magazine and the National High School Athletic Coaches Association for 2019. The Wisconsin Football Coaches Association (WFCA) named Travis the 2015 recipient of the Dave McClain Distinguished Service Award. He currently serves on the WFCA Executive Board and is a member of the Executive Board of the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association. A graduate of Richland Center High School and Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Travis was a three-sport athlete in high school (football, baseball, basketball), inducted to the Richland Center High School Hall of Fame in 2023, and currently resides in Reedsburg. You can follow him on Twitter at @travisBound or reach him at [email protected].