Spencer native Hunter Luepke talks winning FCS Championship, community support

FARGO, ND. (WSAW) - Hunter Luepke is coming off of a three-touchdown, FCS championship game MVP performance in North Dakota State University’s ninth championship in 11 seasons.

For Luepke, the run is the latest of a pair of breakout seasons that has seen the fullback score a combined 14 touchdowns.

“I didn’t expect to get as many carries and stuff, coming in as a fullback. I thought I would get some catches out on the flat. I’ve grown into something I didn’t ever see before, so I’m truly grateful,” Luepke said.

I asked @NDSUfootball's @HunterLuepke what the community of Spencer meant to him.

"They mean a lot to me and I hope I mean a little bit of something to them too."

We'll have more from Luepke after his three TD performance in the #FCSChampionship game tonight on @wsaw. #wisfb pic.twitter.com/ceg321ymtd
— Noah Manderfeld WSAW (@ManderfeldNoah) January 13, 2022

As a fullback coming out of Spencer, Luepke has seen 171 carries in two seasons after a redshirt freshman year.

But Luepke still stays true to his roots, talking to his hometown of Spencer often. Luepke says he wants to start a youth camp for Spencer/Columbus football someday and heard from his community back home after the game.

“They were just so proud and excited for me. My phone blew up after the game, as you can probably imagine. But yeah, everybody back home was watching and they were really proud of me.” Luepke said.

“They mean a lot to me and I hope I mean something to them too.”