ONALASKA — Brendan Chenault is impressive when he has the football in his hands and when he tries to keep that football out of the hands of his opponent.
He is impressive when gets a basketball in the open court or when he uses his athleticism to cut off a drive to the lane or challenge a shot at the 3-point line.
He is also impressive when he wins sprints and jumps in a track and field meet.
The Onalaska High School senior’s athletic talent can be measured in an number of ways, and Hilltoppers coach Tom Yashinsky is intent on maximizing that this fall.
“He’s one of those kids who you find ways to get the ball,” Yashinsky said. “He’s one who finds the ball.
“He’s different than some of the guys we’ve had, so we will move him around and find the right spots for him.”
A receiver and cornerback, Chenault caught 22 passes for 376 yards — a 17.1-yard average — and three touchdowns. He was also in on 48 tackles with three for loss, intercepted three passes — one returned for a touchdown — and averaged 22.2 yards on kickoff returns with one for a touchdown.
He has been a big play waiting to happen and is eager to make that true again as Onalaska tries to challenge for an MVC championship after finishing one game behind Holmen and Central and in third place a year ago.
He enters after a strong track and field season last spring. Chenault won the 100- and 400-meter dashes and the triple jump in addition to a second-place finish in the 200. He advanced through the regional and sectional competition in the Division 1 triple jump but couldn’t compete in the state meet at UW-La Crosse due to a pulled groin suffered while he won the event at the Verona Sectional.
“It ended up being a seven-week recovery process,” Chenault said. “It was a lot of (physical therapy) to be able to come back and be ready for football.
“I tried (to be able to jump at state). We were hoping, but it didn’t work out.”
He said track and field is his No. 1 sport, and that was shown with his commitment this week to compete for UW-La Crosse — the best Division III program in the state.
But just as new basketball coach Isaac Castellano will need Chenault in thr winter, Yashinsky needs him this fall.
Whatever the Hilltoppers are capable of doing — they won the MVC or tied for the title from 2022-2024 — will require plenty of contribution from Chenault, who was an all-conference first-teamer on defense as a junior.
“When he is on, he is one of the best defensive backs in the state, I think,” Yashinsky said. “Number one, he is physical, which is something you don’t get out of a lot of corners.
“Two, he is 6-2, and you don’t have a lot of corners with his build and speed. He is the total package at corner, and if he wanted to play college football, he is reaching that FCS level.”
Chenault said coaches at the school worked with athletes over the summer to get sufficient practice time in whatever combination they chose. While Chenault was saddled with rehab, he said that cooperation is what keeps the Hilltoppers competitive for championships in most sports.
In addition to competing in multiple sports, Chenault likes a variety within each. That can be most apparent in football, where there are more spots for him to play.
There won’t be many opponents on the schedule with someone able to stop Chenault from sprinting down the field and catching a well-thrown ball, but speed isn’t the only name of the game for him.
“I think I can play multiple positions on defense, and I hope I don’t only get used as an outside receiver,” he said. “I’d like to move around and get the chance to make other kinds of plays for our team, too.”
