By ARNIE STAPLETON
AP Sports Writer
MADISON, Wis. (AP) - At 6 feet and 200 pounds, Joe Walker is undersized as both a tight end and defensive end, but there was nobody better in Wisconsin high school football this season.
The senior, who helped Green Bay Notre Dame win its first Division 3 state championship, was named the 2003 Associated Press Player of the Year by a statewide panel of sportswriters who also selected Ripon's Rick Kelm as the Coach of the Year.
Walker was the only player to earn AP All-State first-team honors on both offense and defense, which his coach, John Nowak, called a fitting tribute.
"He was just so dominant on both sides of the ball," Nowak said.
Walker caught 33 passes for 1,023 yards, an average of 31 yards, and had 13 touchdowns from the tight end position and 50 solo tackles and 17 sacks as a pass-rusher this season.
He's being recruited by Wisconsin and North Dakota State and is drawing interest from Northwestern and Minnesota.
"Most colleges are looking at him as a defensive player" either at outside linebacker or pass-rusher, Nowak said. "But I think he's an awfully good offensive player, too."
Walker said he loves catching passes but enjoys chasing down quarterbacks even more.
"On defense you kind of have to push yourself more," he said. "Even if you get a little more glory scoring touchdowns and everything, personally I feel better if I make a sack or tackle in the backfield, when you're the guy to stop them."
Nowak said Walker's speed is what makes him special.
"Joe combines great athleticism and has the speed to go with it," he said. "I think that's what makes for a great high school athlete. A lot of guys have the athletic ability but don't necessarily have the speed to accompany it."
His speed and smarts are what makes Walker so effective on defense despite his size.
"Sometimes you just try to catch them off-guard, especially when you're rushing the passer, because if you have two 300-pound guys trying to block you, and I'm only 200, I'm just trying to get around them or do something to get there," Walker said. "It's just having good awareness."
In the state title game Friday at Camp Randall Stadium, Walker caught two passes for 53 yards, including a 31-yard touchdown, and had five tackles, one of them for a 4-yard loss.
"It was a typical Joe Walker game," Nowak said. "That's what you got out of him game in and game out. He was so consistent. Teams just quit running at him for the most part."
Walker won the honor on a second ballot in a runoff with Adam Vogelsang, a first-team defensive back who helped Ripon win the Division 4 title, 21-7, over Brodhead-Juda.
Others who received votes in player of the year voting were: senior defensive tackle Nick Hayden of Arrowhead, the only repeat first-team selection; and Andy Crooks, a unanimous All-State selection at linebacker from Wausau East.
Walker was the only other unanimous pick, as a tight end.
To account for the proliferation of spread offenses that use more wideouts, the panel added a second split end to the All-State offensive teams to go along with the one tight end. Jack Ikegwuonu of Madison Memorial and Kole Heckendorf of Mosinee were the first-team split ends.
Ikegwuonu also earned second-team honors as a defensive back.
Kelm, 42, led Ripon to a 14-0 record this year, when the Tigers won their first conference championship in 19 years and their first ever state title. He credited his players and his coaching staff of Gordie Gillespie, Bill Kinzinger, Gib Stoeberl, Bill Butler and Al Schroeder.
"I view the award as an award for Coaching Staff and Team of the Year, too," Kelm said. "Without a team as committed and a coaching staff as committed, none of this would be possible. My kids work so hard and my coaches work so hard as a team. That's what brought us success this season."
Kelm, who is 44-21 in six seasons, took over a program that had a 23-85 record in the previous dozen seasons and in 1999, his second year, led Ripon to its first winning season in 14 years and its first playoff appearance ever.
Other coaches who drew votes were: Phil Datka of Germantown, Peter Kittel of Brillion and Wayne Steffenhagen of D.C. Everest, all of whom won state championships this season.
Ripon running back Ellis Minor joined Vogelsang as first-team All-State selections. Both are seniors.
"I haven't coached anybody better and I'm so fortunate to have both of those players on the same squad in the same year. I'm glad the AP saw it that way," Kelm said. "They definitely led us to our 14-0 season."
Among the first-team defensive backs was senior Jake Owens of Stevens Point Pacelli, who had 33 interceptions over the last two seasons.
Door
County news 
