CONCORDIA LUTHERAN’S FOOTBALL PROGRAM ENJOYED ARGUABLY THE MOST SUCCESSFUL SEASON THE PROGRAM HAS SEEN IN RECENT YEARS IN 2023, HAVING WON THEIR FIRST PLAYOFF GAME WITHIN TAPPS-DI.
With dual-threat superstar Lou Lamar having since moved on to Dartmouth, it will now be up to the incoming senior class to fill in the gaps.
Enter Tanner Huckfelt.
“I know my role and what I need to do in that position,” he said. “The coaches have laid the groundwork for me to succeed. It’s going to be fun to fill the shoes of the people who have graduated and to help leave a legacy with our senior class.”
As the Crusaders signal-caller, it is only natural that he takes on the role of a leader, which is something he’s strived for since joining the program.
Consequently, the work he’s put in on the field and at camps has garnered attention from college recruiters.
Most recently, Huckfelt finally got his first offer to play D1 college football, when he got the call from Butler in May.
“I wasn’t even ready for it,” said Huckfelt. “I was just at my house and the quarterback coach from Butler (Eddie Schott), who I talk with all the time, told me that he and the staff were looking over my film and that they wanted to offer me.
I ran right to my Dad’s office and we started talking over everything. It was kind of surreal and it still hasn’t quite hit me yet, that I got my first offer. Knowing that I’ll have a place to play Division-I football, wherever it might be, is a great feeling. I’m just going to keep working like I have been, to prove to other schools what my team and I are capable of.”
'Working’ is putting it lightly.
Over the Summer, Huckfelt will have attended camps with some of the premier D1 college programs such as Houston, Texas State, Lamar, Iowa State, Houston Christian, SFA, Davidson, and the University of Louisiana-Lafayette, which should only improve his chances of picking up more offers.
However, once the new school year begins, he will come back to Concordia Lutheran to help guide the Crusaders back to the postseason.
After transferring from Magnolia West his freshman year, Huckfelt knew that he found a place to call home.
“When I was thinking about enrolling, it all started when my Dad and I talked with coach (Willie) Amendola,” he said. “He explained what Concordia Lutheran was all about and what opportunities it could provide me, and from then on, my family and I were bought in.
School-wise, all the staff and students are welcoming and I’ve gone on to make new friends because of it. Regarding the football program, the coaches are with us every step of the way, but they also allow us to be a player-led group and take ownership of everything. Overall, the experience has helped me to find a family away from home.”
The ‘one family’ mentality that Concordia prides itself on, certainly allowed Huckfelt to thrive.
As he enters his final year with the school, it should be made perfectly clear that he will have left his mark.