Senior Spotlight

Ayden Phillips

Almond-Bancroft

A standout on both the gridiron and the hardwood, Almond-Bancroft’s Ayden Phillips has truly been a force on both sides of the ball for his eight-man football team that went 8-2 and won the Central Wisconsin-8 conference championship, where he led the state in receptions with 80, to go along with his 1,128 receiving yards and 15 touchdown catches as a tight end.

A UW-Eau Claire football recruit, Ayden was named the Central Wisconsin-8 Co-Defensive Lineman of the Year along with teammate, Davis Dernbach. Phillips was also named First-Team All-Central Wisconsin-8 First team on offense and defense.

On the basketball court, Ayden has been just as impressive, leading the 2023-2024 Eagles to a 27-2 record and an appearance in the WIAA state semifinals. Dominating both ends of the court, Phillips led the Central Wisconsin-South conference in scoring (24.2), rebounding (11.5) and blocked shots (2.9), while also being named the conference Co-Player of the Year along with teammate TJ Lamb.

“The most memorable in high school sports was when we went down to state last basketball season and had the great opportunity to play in the Kohl Center,” Ayden said of his team’s success.

Ayden, son of Mike and Sarah, is the oldest of three children, gives credit to his dad for introducing him to football at nine, which he considers his main sport after having an affinity to basketball in his earlier years.

The physicality of football has been a draw for Ayden, “My favorite part about football is that you get to hit people. It is an emotional game, and that’s why I think I’ve stuck with it for so long.”

Standing 6 feet seven inches tall has been a gift for Phillips that he knows has aided him in sports, “My biggest asset on the field is my physical size.”

Ayden has realized the importance of balancing his studies and athletics, “At the start of my freshman year I slacked off. Over time it caught up with me and I realized I needed to change something. As a senior, I can positively say that I’m glad I changed. From an athletic standpoint, playing sports and doing school work is challenging at times, but the best thing you can do as I’ve learned, is make a schedule on what needs to be done and you’ll do just fine.”

Phillips looks back on his time at Almond-Bancroft and his stellar high school athletics career: “It is a bittersweet feeling, I would say. You get to think about all the memories you made, but at the same time, you will never be able to experience that again.”