Vote: Who is High School on SI Wisconsin's Best Returning Edge Rusher of 2025?

Here are 16 candidates for your voting consideration

Isaac Miller of Catholic Memorial is regarded as one of the premier edge rushers in the state of Wisconsin. / Isaac Miller, Catholic Memorial Football

With the exciting, action-packed high school football season now completed through the first week of the WIAA playoffs, the time has arrived to take a look at some of the best players throughout the state of Wisconsin and let you vote on who you think is the best of the best.

We began with the talented quarterbacks, hard-working running backs, versatile wide receivers, standout tight ends, hard-hitting linebackers, tough offensive linemen, hard-nosed defensive linemen, and athletic defensive backs so now let's focus on the explosive edge rushers from throughout the state.

There are hundreds of outstanding players in Wisconsin, and these lists are not intended to be comprehensive.

Voting remains open until November 1 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

(Players are listed in alphabetical order and all stats/accolades are from the 2024 season; the poll is below the list of players)

Adam Anderson, Lake Country Lutheran, senior

The All-Metro Classic first-team selection helped lead Lake Country Lutheran to second place in the conference standings, a third-round berth in the WIAA Division 5 playoffs, and an 8-4 overall record.

Blake Buhr, Sheboygan North, senior

The All-Fox River Classic (South Division) first-team selection helped lead Sheboygan North to fourth place in the league standings, a second-round berth in the WIAA Division 1 playoffs, and a 7-4 overall record.

Rashied Bullocks, Wauwatosa East, senior

The All-Parkland first-team selection helped lead Wauwatosa East to a share of the league championship, a second-round berth in the WIAA Division 2 playoffs, and a 9-2 overall record.

Adreyan Contreras-Ward, Racine St. Catherine's, senior

The Wisconsin Football Coaches Association all-state selection and All-Metro Classic first-team selection helped lead Racine St. Catherine's to a conference title, a WIAA Division 4 state championship, and a 14-0 overall record.

Liam Fieber, De Pere, junior

The All-Fox River Classic (North Division) second-team selection helped lead De Pere to third place in the league standings, a second-round berth in the WIAA Division 1 playoffs, and a 7-4 overall record.

Rocco Fusco, Delavan-Darien, senior

The All-Rock Valley Conference first-team selection helped lead Delavan-Darien to third place in the league standings, a second-round berth in the WIAA Division 4 playoffs, and a 7-4 overall record.

Eli Gasau, Racine Lutheran, senior

The All-Midwest Classic (Large Division) first-team selection helped Racine Lutheran to a second-place finish in the league standings, a berth in the WIAA Division 5 playoffs, and a 7-4 overall record.

Brock Gauthier, Bay Port, senior

The WFCA all-state honorable mention selection and All-Fox River Classic (North Division) first-team selection helped lead Bay Port to second-place in the league standings, a WIAA Division 1 state championship, and a 12-2 overall record.

Aaron Hoffman, Rice Lake, senior

The All-Big Rivers first-team selection helped lead Rice Lake to a tie for second place in the league standings, a berth in the WIAA Division 2 state championship game, and an 11-3 overall record.

Isaac Miller, Catholic Memorial, junior

The All-Parkland first-team selection helped lead Catholic Memorial to a share of the conference championship, a berth in the WIAA Division 3 state championship game, and an 11-3 overall record.

Finley Nelson, Northwestern, senior

The WFCA all-state honorable mention selection and All-Heart O' North first-team selection helped lead Northwestern to second place in the league standings, a berth in the WIAA Division 5 state semifinals, and a 10-3 overall record.

Hayden Redington, Berlin, senior

The All-South Central second-team selection helped lead Berlin to a conference championship, a second-round berth in the WIAA Division 4 playoffs, and a 9-2 overall record.

Cody Slater, Janesville Parker, senior

The talented defensive end earned All-Big 8 Conference second-team honors for Janesville Parker in 2024.

Kaden Smolinski, Lake Mills, senior

The WFCA all-state honorable mention selection and All-Capitol first-team selection helped lead Lake Mills to a second-place finish in the league standings, a third-round berth in the WIAA Division 4 playoffs, and 10-2 overall record.

Deacon Ward, Greendale, senior

The All-Woodland honorable mention selection helped lead Greendale to a fourth-place finish in the league standings, a second-round berth in the WIAA Division 3 standings, and a 6-5 overall record.

Hunter Weinke, Neenah, senior

The All-Fox Valley Association second-team selection helped lead Neenah to a share of the conference championship, a berth in the third round of the WIAA Division 1 playoffs, and a 9-3 overall record.

About Our Athlete Position Poll Voting
High School on SI voting polls are meant to be a fun, lighthearted way for fans to show support for their favorite athletes and teams. Our goal is to celebrate all of the players featured, regardless of the vote totals. Sometimes one athlete will receive a very large number of votes — even thousands — and that’s okay! The polls are open to everyone and are simply a way to build excitement and community around high school sports. Unless we specifically announce otherwise, there are no prizes or official awards for winning. The real purpose is to highlight the great performances of every athlete included in the poll.

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-- Jeff Hagenau | jeffreyhagenau@gmail.com