LeRoy-Ostrander quarterback racking up yards by ground and air

Oct. 3—LEROY — Camden Hungerholt was rushed into quarterback duty at the beginning of last season due to a LeRoy-Ostrander teammate's injury.

One year later, there's no turning back from that receiver-to-quarterback shift.

Not when you produce like this guy.

"Cam has a very good drive to be the best," L-O coach Trevor Carrier said of the 6-foot-1, 180-pound junior.

Right now, there is a strong argument that Hungerholt isn't just the best 9-Player quarterback in Section One, but possibly the state.

The athletic junior's statistics are off the charts. In five games, all Cardinals wins, he's passed for 891 yards and eight touchdowns, and run for 1,244 yards and 18 touchdowns.

Tough to beat those numbers. A weight-room fanatic who's built himself into a prime athlete, Hungerholt is strong, fast, tough, smart, driven and the owner of a strong right arm.

This shift from receiver to quarterback, it's been just the thing — for him and the team.

"I do like playing quarterback because you get to run the offense and have all the trust put in me," said Hungerholt, also a standout basketball player and an honor student. "I don't really feel pressure about it. Carrier puts his trust in me and our whole team functions well together, which makes it so much easier."

Two years ago, Hungerholt played defensive back on a LeRoy-Ostrander team that finished 12-2 and

as state champion beat Fertile-Beltrami 58-8 in a record-setting final.

That was followed by something that looked drastically different one year later. With a cast of stars having graduated and then the team beset by a flurry of injuries, L-O limped to a 2-7 record in 2022.

They did that as Hungerholt — the son of former Rushford-Peterson athletic star and current LeRoy-Ostrander principal Aaron Hungerholt — learned to play quarterback, a brand-new position for him.

He learned, discovered where he needed to improve and then went to work.

That work included Hungerholt getting bigger, stronger and faster, much of it accomplished as he got in the weight room seven days per week this past summer and grinded away.

And now look. He's 15 pounds of muscle bigger than last year, a star and guiding an unbeaten team.

That guidance includes doing whatever Carrier asks of him, which is a heavy load in this option offense.

Two weeks ago, it meant Hungerholt ran the ball an almost-unheard-of 42 times. That came in a 24-21 win against Southland, with Hungerholt rushing for 256 yards and three touchdowns. This past Friday, it meant passing for 292 yards and running for 192 in a 29-20 victory against Lanesboro.

It's been a lot on Hungerholt's shoulders. For him, that is perfect. Challenges drive him like nothing else.

"His determination and grit are what make him so good," Carrier said. "He wants to be the best."

1. Camden Hungerholt, LeRoy-Ostrander

A regular in our "Top Performers" list, Hungerholt was up to a bunch more qualifying stuff on Friday in a 29-20 win over Lanesboro. The 6-foot-1, 180-pound junior passed for 292 yards (15-for-28, two touchdowns) and ran for 192. The latter included a 95-yard touchdown sprint.

2. Rees Grimsrud, Mayo

Grimsrud has put up big numbers ever since becoming a starter last season. The senior really went for it on Friday in a 37-19 loss to No. 2-ranked Lakeville South: 53 passes, 36 completions, 2 touchdowns, 342 yards.

3. Max Dearborn and Zach Vanderpool, Byron

It's not often that defensive players score touchdowns. But Byron's Dearborn and Vanderpool both did it in Friday's 28-0 win over Holy Family Catholic and needed only one half to get it done (game was halted at halftime due to weather). Dearborn returned an interception 22 yards for a touchdown and Vanderpool returned a blocked punt for a score. The Bears are still unbeaten.

4. Beau Wiersma, Kingsland

It's a copy-and-paste with Wiersma, who makes it into this space seemingly every week with his sensational play. The 5-foot-9, 200-pound senior running back entered Friday's game with Houston averaging an almost-unheard of 18 yards per carry. His average actually went up after Friday as he toted the ball just eight times but still gained 168 yards with four touchdowns. That's 21 yards per carry. Wiersma committed to play college football at Winona State University last week.

5. Lucas Peterson, Mayo

A senior, Peterson was on the receiving end of quarterback Rees Grimsrud's big night. Peterson hauled in 14 catches for 146 yards in Mayo's 37-19 loss to No. 2 Lakeville South.

(Editor's note: These rankings are considered "pound-for-pound" rankings, similar to many rankings systems in boxing and mixed martial arts. They represent the best teams in southeastern Minnesota, relative to the class they play in.)

This team, which has been No. 1 in this Power Ranking all season, seems to have it all. Maybe above all it's got a lights-out quarterback. Ayden Helder has 950 yards passing, completing 65 of his 90 throws, with 20 touchdowns. He's coming off another typically great effort, with 201 yards passing on 13-for-19 accuracy and three touchdowns in a 43-0 blanking of Lake City. The Tigers' defense has also been lights out all season. They allow six points per game.

The Warriors looked human on Friday night. That's the first time that's happened this season. Give Dover-Eyota all kinds of credit for making it happen. The Eagles led No. 2 and unbeaten Caledonia 13-0 deep in the third quarter. But Caledonia found a way, turning to its running game and superior depth to stay perfect. Maybe the Warriors needed that kind of test. Being forced to suddenly wake up, and then respond, has a way of building even more confidence. Next up for Caledonia is the showdown of showdowns. It hosts No. 3-ranked Chatfield on Friday, Oct. 6. After owning this rivalry, Caledonia has lost to the Gophers three straight times.

Quite simply, Byron has the best defense around. Statistics sure suggest that. The Bears are allowing a tiny 4.2 points per game and have posted shutouts in three of their five games. There is an abundance of talent here, on both sides of the ball, with at least three players who are likely to play college football. Byron's game with Holy Family Catholic ended after halftime Friday due to weather, the Bears a 28-0 winner. The early exit might have been a relief for HFC.

The team that so many figured would falter with the graduation of Sam Backer has done anything but. Unbeaten Chatfield has outscored its opponents by an average of 46-5. The Gophers are beautifully balanced on offense. Friday was a prime example, with Kail Schott running for 139 yards and two touchdowns and Parker Delaney passing for 114 yards and a touchdown. This club can also really play defense. Nobody has scored more than seven points against it all season.

The throwing combination of Chase Christianson to Jayce Kiehne has been lethal. On Friday, Kiehne caught six passes from Christianson for 102 yards. The Falcons are another team that is dominant on both sides of the ball (averaging 32 points per game, giving up 8.8). Fillmore Central is the highest ranked (third) of what is a gauntlet of Section 1, Class 1A teams. In three weeks, Fillmore Central polishes off its regular season by hosting another powerhouse, Kenyon-Wanamingo. The Falcons have already beaten highly regarded opponents Blooming Prairie and Faribault Bethlehem Academy.

How do you slow this team down? It's a major chore, with so many offensive options, led by star halfback Beau Wiersma (already 1,009 yards rushing, 18 touchdowns and 19 yards per carry). Sophomore quarterback Kaaleem Reiland has made things extra hard on opponents, too, with his vast improvement throwing the football. There is also a solid offensive line and good targets to throw to. That explains why the Knights average 55 points per game. This coming Saturday brings on a doozy. It is unbeaten Kingsland playing at unbeaten LeRoy-Ostrander. Now the Knights face a question of their own. How do they slow down L-O quarterback Camden Hungerholt?

Cannon Falls has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to running the football, something Dan Meyers should offer as a class, the Bombers do it so well every year. Against La Crescent-Hokah on Friday, four different running backs had touchdowns — Dylan Banks, August Wagner, Preston Schoenfelder and Jackson Ekstrom. And then there was a fifth who didn't get into the end zone but still gave the Lancers fits. Derrik Bechtholdt led the team in rushing with 151 yards.The Bombers are an offensive handful.

The Camden Hungerholt show goes on. . .and on and on. How about 891 yards passing and 1,244 rushing already in just five games, all of them L-O wins. Next comes the Cardinals' toughest test yet. On Saturday, Oct. 6, the Cardinals host fellow unbeaten Kingsland and its star, Beau Wiersma.

Finally a loss for Goodhue and en route it allowed explosive Faribault Bethlehem Academy to score 38 points. The most points Goodhue had allowed prior to that was seven. There is another tough test looming for Goodhue on Oct. 12 when it plays at unbeaten Kenyon-Wanamingo.

The KoMets have turned into a rendition of Cannon Falls with all of their running of the football. There have been times this season when K-M has thrown it only about four times in a game. On Friday, K-M had 364 yards of offense and just 30 yards passing. But it's working. The KoMets are 4-1 and fresh off a 42-7 pasting of Winona.