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RIPON, Wis. - Head Coach Ron Ernst and senior defensive back Joshua Kraemer each earned the highest football honor in the state of Wisconsin Tuesday, as they were named Wisconsin Private College Coach of the Year and Wisconsin Private College Player of the Year, respectively. This follows a season that saw the Red Hawks finish with an 8-2 overall record and a second place finish in the Midwest Conference, their highest finish since 2001.
This marks the second time Ernst has won this award, with the last coming in 2001. Ripon's 8-2 record in 2008 improves Ernst's career record to 118-57, which gives him the highest winning percentage (.674) of any coach in the Midwest Conference. Ernst will also be inducted into the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association (WFCA) in March.
Kraemer earned his first-ever Wisconsin Private College Player of the Year honors. He was a key player on both defense and special teams, returning two kicks, one punt and one interception for touchdowns. The senior from Waukesha, Wis. finished the year with six interceptions for the second consecutive season. That gives him 17 picks in his Red Hawk career, which is tied for fourth on the school's all-time list. In addition to his six interceptions in 2008, Kraemer also recorded 55 tackles, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovered. On special teams, Kraemer averaged 28.4 yards on kick returns and 13.2 yards per punt return. Kraemer is just the third Ripon player to win the award, with the last being awarded to Troy DeVoe in 2001.
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