Open Voting Awards

This year, over 500 individuals voted in the award categories that were open for public support.  The results of the public vote were weighted to 40% of the total.  An internal vote at WSP was held, and accounted for 30%, while a select panel of representatives were given private ballots.  These individuals' results accounted for the other 30%.  In every case, the results mirrored the public vote results.   

• Team of the Year:   Chippewa Valley Predators

The Predators edged out the Madison Mustangs by 6% to win their first WSPY Team of the Year award.  The Predators took down the entire NEFL this past season to finish undefeated and win the franchises first NEFL Championship.  Voters from across the Midwest overwhelmingly supported the Predators, giving them 54% of the overall vote compared to 21% for the Mustangs.  However, in Wisconsin, the Predators received only 38% of the vote, compared to 34% for the boys from Madison.  It was the support of voters from Minnesota (80%) and Michigan (65%) that pushed the Predators over the top.  Congratulations Chippewa Valley on a fantastic 2009 season and a well-deserved WSPY.

• BreakOUT Team of the Year:  Central Wisconsin Spartans

The BreakOUT Team of the Year is awarded to a franchise that most exceeded expectations.  This was a dominant showing by the Spartans, who received 67% of the popular vote and nearly 3 out of every 4 votes overall.  The Spartans led the NEFL in passing and total offense, and were second in scoring to the champion Predators.  Following a 1-7 season in 2008, it's hard to argue with the results.

• Story of the Year: IFL Overturns Roscoe Win Following 57-yard Game Winning Field Goal

There wasn't a more controversial story in the state this past season, and controversy always makes for good copy.  Following an epic battle in Pecatonica, IL, the Burlington Blue Devils thought they had the game won with just about one minute remaining.  However, a quick drive and some stellar plays from several Rush players had the Blue Devils on their heels as the clock wound down.  With seconds remaining, Herculano DeCosta ran onto the field and booted a 57-yarder to give the Rush the win - for a day.  Less than 48 hours later, and following ZERO physical evidence review, IFL brass decided to overturn the results of the game thanks to testimony from Blue Devils head coach Tom Hawkins that the clock was mismanaged.  Despite posting the full video for review, the Rush were vilified by the league and ultimately left the IFL following the regular season, arguably altering the events of the the 2009 post-season.

• Player of the Year: Zak Shutte, M&M Timberjacks

Shutte, one of the three-pronged attack in the TJacks ground game, rushed for 1908 yards in 2009 and accounted for 26 TD.  Zak won the popular vote with over 60% of all public voters in the Midwest, winning Wisconsin with 56% and Michigan with 83%.  Shutte beat out David Pietrowiak and Greg Sanders (2007 Winner) for the award, finishing with 37% overall support compared to 20% and 18% respectively.  Shutte finished with these staggering numbers despite sharing touches in the backfield with another 700+ yard back.  Congratulations Zak on the 2009 WSPY Player of the Year.

Defense of the Year:  Wauwatosa Spartans - When you hold the state's preeminent offense to 17 points in a Championship game and have several players named to the All-Wisconsin team, you deserve the accolades.

Website of the Year:  Racine Raiders - www.racineraiders.com - Why did the Raiders edge out the Predators?  They almost didn't.  When sizing up the various sites nominated, each held great qualities, but the Predators' clean looks and Raiders' depth stood out.  However, the Raiders' site looks the same in Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Safari and Internet Explorer.  There are formatting errors on the CV homepage in Chrome and IE7, giving the Raiders the edge.

BreakTHROUGH Team of the Year: Chippewa Valley Predators - Congratulations to the Predators who, in running the table and winning the big one, stepped up to predictions and proved every believer right.

League of the Year:  Northern Elite Football League - In a very tight race between the IFL and NEFL, the boys up north edged out the Milwaukee league thanks to their All-Star game and broadcasts of the Elite Bowl.