By Dan Truttschel
Correspondent
As a sophomore on the Big Foot football team, Mason Dixon appeared destined for a season on the JV squad.
That plan lasted about a week, or more specifically, the first play of an inter-squad scrimmage when he scored against the starting defense on the opening play.
And three years later, he now owns the title as the state’s best offensive player.
He’s not a secret any more, that’s for sure.
Dixon, who helped the Chiefs to last week’s Division 4 state final, was named the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association Offensive Player of the Year earlier in the week.
And why not? His numbers were flat-out mind-boggling.
Dixon rushed 192 times for 2,243 yards, good for 11.7 per carry, and 42 touchdowns. He also caught three passes and scored each time to bring his total to 45 trips to the end zone.
For a player to earn such a high honor from a Division 4 school is nearly unheard of, Big Foot coach Rodney Wedig said.
“That was amazing,” he said. “I have coached for 18 years in Wisconsin, and I don’t believe it has ever gone to any one from a small school.”
It’s not like Dixon was completely unheard of in state coaching circles, Wedig said, as he put together solid sophomore and junior seasons before this year.
But the numbers he compiled as a senior, in limited playing time because of the number of blowout wins, put him over the top.
“He averaged over 10 yards per carry and ran for over 2,200 yards without playing in the second half of most games,” Wedig said.
“And, as one coach told me on Friday, ‘I love to watch that kid run. He runs angry.’”
Dixon, who runs with power and speed on the field, is about as quiet and unassuming off it, Wedig said, which makes the honor even more special.
There’s no doubt he would share it with the big men up front who cleared the path for him to run.
“We joked around earlier in the year and told Mason if it wasn’t for football, nobody in the high school would know him,” Wedig said. “He kind of keeps to himself, gets his homework done and doesn’t talk much in class.
“When you get a kid like that [who] does all the things right, on the field, off the field, in the school, it makes my job pretty easy. If you want to teach a young person how to be great, just have them watch Mason practice. He runs every run in practice just like he does in a state championship game.”
While there’s no doubting the season Dixon had, the fact that Big Foot is now on the radar across the state as a top-notch program also helped his cause, Wedig said.
Wedig also applauded the efforts of Big Foot’s offensive line coaches, Greg Lueck and Dick Christopher.
“Our o-line has also been the backbone of our program,” Wedig said. “If you just grabbed a random high school coach and asked them about Big Foot, one of the first things they would talk about is our o-line play. Coach Lueck and Coach ‘Blue’ really do a great job developing those kids.”
Wedig certainly remembered the start Dixon had to his high school career – back at that scrimmage three years ago.
“[The] first play of the game, he is with the second unit and takes a dive play 60 yards for a touchdown,” Wedig said. “[Former defensive coordinator Adam] Bakken comes unglued yelling at the defense.
“We had planned on him being a JV back all year, but then I realized how hard he ran, and he became the number one back by week three.”
And had Dixon not sat during the second half of every game but the last two? His numbers would have been even better.
“If we had a lousy defense and special teams, he might have gone for 4,000 yards,” Wedig said.
Two others earn honor
Big Foot also landed two players on honorable mention, all state in senior defensive lineman Garett Cary and defensive back Carter Hehr.
Cary was nearly impossible to block, as he used both speed and strength to wreak havoc.
“A freak of an athlete,” Wedig said. “He has been one of the most dominant lineman I have seen in this conference. I cannot remember anyone being more disruptive from the defensive lineman position.”
Hehr did everything for the Chiefs all year and finished his career with 16 tackles in the state finals.
“Carter was a great leader and is also a terrific athlete,” Wedig said. “We didn’t face any spread teams this year, but his closing speed and vertical make him a great weapon for any defense.
“He was as multi-faceted as any athlete I have seen. Young kids need to talk to him, and he can tell you how much hard work can pay off if you are really dedicated.”
