Vote: Who is High School on SI Wisconsin's Top Returning Defensive Back of 2025?

Here are 15 candidates for your voting consideration

Franklin defensive back Dominick Walters (32) goes up for an interception in a season-opening non-conference game versus Catholic Memorial on Friday, August 22, 2025, at Schneider Stadium in Waukesha, Wisconsin. / Dave Kallmann / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With the exciting, action-packed high school football season now completed through its seventh week of games, 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, and hard-nosed defensive linemen so now let's focus on the versatile, athletic defensive backs 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 October 16 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)

Jake Cummins, Milton, senior

The All-Badger Conference (Large Division) second-team selection helped lead Milton to a fourth-place league finish, third-round berth in the WIAA Division 2 playoffs, and an 8-4 overall record.

Ben Englund, Hudson, senior

The All-Big Rivers Conference honorable mention selection helped lead Hudson to a second-place league finish, a berth in the WIAA Division 1 playoffs, and a 7-3 overall record.

Lamont Hamilton, Racine St. Catherine's, senior

The All-Metro Classic Conference first-team selection helped lead Racine St. Catherine's to a league title, a WIAA Division 4 state championship, and a 14-0 overall record.

Carter Hess, Berlin, senior

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

Jake Kardelis, Muskego, senior

The All-Classic 8 Conference second-team selection helped lead Muskego to a third-place league finish and a berth in the WIAA Division 1 state championship game.

Cohen Kraus, Racine Lutheran, junior

The Wisconsin Football Coaches Association all-state honorable mention selection and All-Midwest Classic Conference (Large Division) first-team selection helped lead Racine Lutheran to second place in the league standings, a berth in the WIAA Division 5 playoffs, and a 7-4 overall record.

Bryce Krauthem, Oconomowoc, senior

The All-Classic 8 Conference honorable mention selection helped lead Oconomowoc to a share of the league championship, a berth in the WIAA Division 1 playoffs, and an 8-2 overall record.

Gavin Mauer, Edgar, senior

The All-Marawood/Central Wisconsin Conference first-team selection helped lead Edgar to a league title, a WIAA Division 7 state championship, and a 13-1 overall record.

Jordan Mobry, Columbus, senior

The All-Capitol Conference first-team selection helped lead Columbus to a league championship, a third-round berth in the WIAA Division 4 playoffs, and an 11-1 overall record.

Alex Reinke, Germantown, senior

The All-Greater Metro Conference first-team selection helped lead Germantown to a third-place league finish, a second-round berth in the WIAA Division 2 playoffs, and an 8-3 overall record.

Bryson Schmid, Wittenberg-Birnamwood, senior

The All-Central Wisconsin Conference second-team selection helped lead Wittenberg-Birnamwood to second place in the league standings, a second-round berth in the WIAA Division 5 playoffs, and an 8-3 overall record.

Jack Tarkowski, Arrowhead, senior

The All-Classic 8 Conference honorable mention selection helped lead Arrowhead to a share of the league championship, a third-round berth in the WIAA Division 1 playoffs, and a 9-3 overall record.

Dominick Walters, Franklin, senior

The WFCA all-state honorable mention selection and All-Southeast Conference first-team selection helped lead Franklin to a league championship, a second-round berth in the WIAA Division 1 playoffs, and a 10-1 overall record.

Mason Werner, West De Pere, senior

The All-Fox River Classic Conference (North Division) second-team selection helped lead West De Pere to a league championship, a berth in the WIAA Division 2 state semifinals, and an 11-2 overall.

Zyon White, Wauwatosa East, senior

The All-Parkland Conference 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.

About Our Athlete of the Week 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