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By Paul Lecker
MarshfieldAreaSports.com
In five short years, Hunter Luepke went from a lightly-recruited running back at Spencer High School, to a national champion at North Dakota State, and on Saturday, he is now officially an NFL Player.
Luepke, a 2017 all-state tailback for Spencer/Columbus and a two-time WIAA state wrestling champion, was signed to a contract by the Dallas Cowboys minutes after the conclusion of the NFL Draft on Saturday evening, Sports Illustrated is reporting.
Luepke was the Cloverbelt Conference Offensive Player of the Year as a sophomore and a senior. In his final season for the Rockets in 2017, he rushed for 1,870 yards and 40 touchdowns, averaging 11.1 yards per carry. He also added another three touchdowns receiving.
Luepke, who graduated in December from North Dakota State, finished his four-year career with 1,665 rushing yards, 24 rushing touchdowns and nine receiving touchdowns, helping the Bison to the FCS championship in 2019 and 2021.
He finished the 2022 season with 631 rushing yards, 14 catches for 196 yards and 13 combined touchdowns in 10 games before his season was cut short due to a shoulder injury.
Should Luepke get a chance to show his wares in the Cowboys’ offensive backfield, he will lineup behind Amherst High School graduate and former Wisconsin Badger Tyler Biadasz, the starting center for Dallas. Biadasz and his Amherst teammates defeated Luepke and Spencer/Columbus 42-0 in the WIAA Division 5 state championship game in 2015.