Owen Hunt on Division 1 schools' radar

Aug. 26—VALLEY CITY, N.D. — Owen Hunt is getting Division 1 attention — and he's only a junior in high school.

"This summer has been very exciting in my recruitment, with schools being able to contact me personally now," Hunt said. "I have had great talks with schools like NDSU (North Dakota State University), SDSU (South Dakota State University), UND (University of North Dakota) and the University of Minnesota."

Hunt plays football for the Valley City High School program. The University of North Dakota offered Hunt a spot with the Fighting Hawks this summer.

"As coaches, we are very proud of how Owen has carried himself," Valley City head coach Chad Smith said. "Obviously, he has a lot of schools looking at him being 6-foot-5-inch, 300 pounds.

"We challenge him to be our leader, effort man, and voice in the locker room," he said. "He is a good kid, the next steps for him are to continue to do the little things, hand placements, footwork, and taking his game to the next level. He ... has a lot of football in front of him. I am truly excited to see how much his game can keep maturing this season."

Hunt is the son of Valley City High School athletic director Rob Hunt. A native of Cavalier, North Dakota, Rob Hunt played collegiate football at NDSU, then played professional football in the NFL for four seasons.

"My dad has been one of my biggest motivators during my high school career," Hunt said. "I've always wanted to do what he did, and he helps push me to achieve it."

Hunt said he has always been around football, but the first time he played was in 2020 as a fifth grader for Valley City's Thunder team.

In the last six years, he's grown — mentally and physically.

Last season, Hunt logged 40 tackles — seven solo and 33 assisted and a blocked punt for a safety. Offensively, he lined up a center, guard and tackle. Smith said he is expecting Hunt to play more of a tackle position this year.

"This past year has been some of my biggest growth as a player," Hunt said. "I've found that the weight room has been a huge part of this growth and that it's not just about the weight on the bar but just becoming a better athlete."

At the end of his summer training, Hunt was able to squat 435 pounds, bench press 335 pounds and clean 275 pounds.

Hunt and the Hi-Liners began practices on Aug. 6. The team saw its first competition on Aug. 21 against Velva/Drake-Anamoose. Valley City dropped 44-6 to the Aggies.

"I believe our team has a lot of opportunities for growth and development, with our team having a lot of young talent," Hunt said. "I think our biggest strength this year will be all of our young players that are coming through. In the time we have met this summer, they have been willing to be coached. I've seen good team connections develop over the summer."