Recruiting Report: Luke Bodine (Wayzata-2021)

Helping the Wayzata Trojans win a big-school 6A Minnesota state championship is proof enough of one’s football pedigree, but when Northstar Football News caught a glimpse of 6’3, 200 lb. 2021 TE/WR [player_tooltip player_id="18172" first="Luke" last="Bodine"], it was clear that the next stud Trojan TE had revealed himself. This line of strong and athletic Wayzata big-bodied pass catchers includes Brandon Lingen, Grant Slavik, Alex Jensen, and Billy Riviere, and Bodine is a faster version of these weapons with as much upside as a receiver as any of these Trojan greats. After playing a significant role in the 6A state title run this past fall, #81 is ready to take over as Minnesota’s premier TE for the class of ’21, and is in a great position to best his 9 reception, 305 yard, and 5 TD season this past fall. The junior was kind enough to give Northstar Football News some of his time to discuss the 2019 state championship run, what he learned playing with Wayzata’s senior class, some colleges he’s interested in, and more. Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy! <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2D7zsJ">Junior Season</a> [embed]https://twitter.com/bodine_luke/status/1226593116213391360?s=20[/embed] NFN: Hello and thank you for your time, Luke! Please begin by sharing with our readers a little bit about yourself. Bodine: "My name is [player_tooltip player_id="18172" first="Luke" last="Bodine"], I am a junior TE/WR at Wayzata high school. I grew up in Plymouth, Minnesota and I first started playing football in the 4th grade. I am 6’3”, 200 lbs, 40: 4.8." NFN: Tell us what it means for you to be a Trojan, and what your career has been like at Wayzata. Bodine: "Being apart of a great program and being around a lot of people that want to be successful is the best way I can describe Wayzata football. The heart and passion that the coaches and players put into the team is unmatched. When I was a freshman the varsity football team wasn’t very successful. But now people are more motivated and driven to be successful because of the leaders and coaches on the team. I think I impacted the team the most on the leadership side. I would call my self a leader on the team. I am always driven to be the better version of myself and always driven to push my teammates to be great." NFN: What was the 2018 season like for you and the Trojans? What did the 2019 team learn from it? Also, what are the offseasons like at Wayzata and as a leader, what do you do well to motivate the team? Bodine: "The 2018 season was a tough one losing in the section championship. But I feel like our 2019 team saw the feeling our team had when we lost, and we gained this mentality that we were going to do everything we can to be successful. The off-seasons consist of workout everyday after school with the team and in the spring doing conditioning in the mornings as well. I do a good job at pushing people through adversity and I think the leaders on the team do a great job at showing what a good work ethic is and always showing that 1-0 mentality." NFN: What did playing with seniors such as Jacob Wildermuth, Tom Schmidt, and [player_tooltip player_id="11010" first="Christian" last="Vasser"] teach you about the game? Bodine: "While playing with the very talented offense on the 2019 team I learned a lot and gained a lot of talent. With Wildermuth giving me good route running tips and Schmidt throwing me constant dimes and Christian taught me a lot about hard work, he showed me how to lead a team and how to always put my best foot forward." NFN: Give us some detail into the 2019 season? When did you know you guys were a contender to win it all? Bodine: "The regular season was huge for us going undefeated, and that feeling of knowing you beat every team you played is great. But we weren’t satisfied at the end of the regular season, we still wanted to grow and get that state championship. I felt like we really knew we were a contender for the state championship wasn’t until the playoffs. I think our team did a great job at taking nothing lightly and giving our 100 percent effort in practice throughout the whole season. This season was a blast, I couldn’t say one bad thing about any of my brothers. Being on a team like that, and then winning a state championship, it was like a dream come true." NFN: How about playoffs and the state championship? What were some big moments in the game, big plays for you, and how was that feeling when the final whistle blew to end the game? Bodine: "The state playoffs and especially the state championship was very nerve racking. The buildup to the state championship was stressful but our team prepared well. The first half of the championship game had me nervous, Champlin’s quarterback was running us over. But at halftime we made some changes and we were able to stop him in the second half. It was the first time we were down at halftime, which was a weird feeling, but we were all confident going into the second half. Christian had a couple of huge runs right off the bat coming out of the locker room. Halfway into the third quarter we were set to return a kickoff. I was on the 30 and [player_tooltip player_id="2491" first="Sam" last="Robertson"] was back to return the kickoff, as Sam returned the ball he made a fake handoff to Anthony Ukofia just like we practiced. All of a sudden there was room on the right side for Sam, he burst through the Champlin’s kick off team and had a 80 yard return. That shifted the energy of the game. As the game went on Champlin’s offense was being slowed by our studs on defense like [player_tooltip player_id="10979" first="Joe" last="Demro"] and Losiaka Roques. On offense I was blocking for Christian on most of his long yard plays. In the fourth quarter I received our only pass for 25 yards putting us on the 5 yard line ready to score. The outcome of the game was resulted in who worked harder, and that was us. The feeling of finishing the season off with a state championship is unreal. That feeling when the final whistle blew was insane, pure joy and happiness. Words can’t describe the feeling of knowing you are the best in state." [caption id="attachment_18871" align="aligncenter" width="399"] #81 with the snag[/caption] NFN: Now that you will be a senior, how do you feel to be a leader on the team? What are expectations like and do you feel any pressure from the results of this year? Bodine: "Now that I am going to be a senior captain on the team I feel that I need to help my team grow and show that everyone is equally important on the team. I feel like our team has a lot of pressure on us for the upcoming year but we are pushing ourselves to the limits everyday getting better. Our team this year wants it all." NFN: How about recruitment? What are some teams you’re interested in/in contact with? What are you looking for in a potential college? Bodine: "Some colleges I am very interested in are: Mankato, Duluth, North Dakota, and some others. I haven’t yet planned many junior days and other visits because of this coronavirus. But I am hoping to get signed up for some summer camps soon. Do you have any tips for what camps are good ones to get my name out there? I have been contacted by some college coaches mainly D2 and D3. I am looking for a college that has a great team and program, and I want to go somewhere where I can further my education in architecture." NFN: Last but not least, what can you add to a college football team? What do you do well as a football player? Bodine: "And some things I will add to a college program are; I will add a sense of heart and dedication to the team and program, I am a very hard worker that becomes dedicated to what he is working on and I always want to be the best version of myself. I am a very versatile player, I have played defensive end, outside line backer, inside line backer, tight end, and receiver. I can fit in on a roster wherever you need me." This won’t be the last you hear of Bodine and the Wayzata Trojans! Stay tuned for the news with Northstar Football News!