Drake Dunker throws around weight plates like Frisbees.
Lafayette’s 6-foot-2, 225-pound linebacker eats iron for breakfast, lunch and dinner. He’s bench pressed 225 pounds 24 times on multiple occasions, making him the strongest participant at last spring’s ºüÀêÊÓƵ Rams Elite Football Combine.
For Dunker, 16, the weight room is like a second home.
“Every day you have the chance to make yourself bigger, faster, stronger,†he said.
Dunker is still young for his class. He moved from Iowa to Missouri in eighth grade. His father, who is 6-foot-8, played college basketball at Iowa Wesleyan College.
Dunker’s recruiting prospects aren’t as polished as some of the other members of the Post-Dispatch Super 30.
He missed a good part of his junior football season with a concussion. It was a devastating blow for Dunker, who lives for those Friday night lights. It has, however, made him grateful that he has his senior year to showcase his abilities.
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“It makes me play each game like it’s my last,†he said. “I’ve spent the summer working on my speed. I've improved my 40 (yard dash) time. I want to be consistent and perform each game.â€
Dunker has drawn interest from Cornell University, and the Ivy League intrigues him. He is fascinated by engineering but has considered pursuing sports medicine.