A trio of Platteville Hillmen were recently chosen to participate in this summer’s WFCA Small Schools All-Star game.
     Platteville head coach Scott Statz and seniors Derek Schambow and William Cooley were picked to represent the Hillmen program in this summer’s annual all-star event at UW–Oshkosh’s Titan Stadium on Saturday, July 19.
     The WFCA Small Schools (Divisions 4–7) game will kick off at noon, followed by the Large Schools (D1–3) game at 5 p.m.
     Statz, who is 88–48 in 13 seasons at Platteville’s head coach (120–70 overall in 19 years), will be an assistant coach for the South team that will be coached by former Big Foot coach Rodney Wedig.
     Statz led the Hillmen to a 9–5 record and a berth in the WIAA Division 4 state championship game this fall, including wins over Wedig’s No. 1-ranked Big Foot team in the quarterfinals and a dramatic 22–15 victory over Manitowoc Roncalli in the D4 semifinals a week later.
     Platteville’s remarkable 2013 football season ended with a 28–14 loss to Winneconne. It was the program’s first trip to state since 1983, and only second in school history.
     Schambow, who missed the first three games of the conference season with a severely sprained knee, was named first-team All-SWC as a wide receiver and defensive back, and also earned second-team honors as a return specialist. He also earned honorable mention All-State honors by the Associated Press on both sides of the ball.
     In 11 games Schambow caught a team-high 42 passes for 703 yards and 11 TDs. He also made 47 tackles and intercepted a team-high four passes, including a clutch interception in the end zone with 21.7 seconds left to preserve Platteville’s 22–15 state semifinal victory over Manitowoc Roncalli.
     Cooley, a bruising 210-pound running back, was named first-team offense after leading the Hillmen in rushing and scoring. Cooley also received honorable mention as a linebacker.
     In 13 games (Cooley did not play offense at state due to a badly sprained foot that limited his lateral mobility), he rushed for a team-high 1,770 yards and 23 touchdowns on 291 carries. He also caught four passes for 48 yards and another TD.
     Cooley was named the SWC Co-Offensive Player of the Year in 2012 after rushing for 1,526 yards and 18 touchdowns as a junior.