Emmetsburg’s Ben Dunlap Has ‘Grown Up On The Sidelines’
Football has always been a big part of Ben Dunlap’s life. The Emmetsburg Class of 2021 prospect grew up around the sport with his dad, Mike Dunlap, serving as the head coach of the storied program. Dunlap is a two-way…
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Continue ReadingFootball has always been a big part of Ben Dunlap’s life.
The Emmetsburg Class of 2021 prospect grew up around the sport with his dad, Mike Dunlap, serving as the head coach of the storied program.
Dunlap is a two-way starter for the E-Hawks, taking snaps at quarterback on offense and free safety on defense.
“Being a player at Emmetsburg is something extremely special,” Dunlap said. “Growing up, with my dad being the coach, Emmetsburg football has been a huge part of my childhood and life. I’ve grown up on the sidelines as a ball boy and idolized many players waiting for my chance to come.
“But there’s something different about our program than others: our tradition. Coach (Duane) Twait started the program and established winning into and with that we today are playing for the name on the chest of our jerseys, not the name on the back. I feel that’s special to our program and as a team we know that the whole community is behind us, and we are going to give it all that we have to get the job done this season.”
In all, Emmetsburg has made 37 appearances at state with nine championships returning to the school. They won it all in Class 3A in 1977 and ’79; in 2A in 1989, ’90, ’97, 2000, ’02 and ’03; and in 1A in 2008.
Dunlap completed 42 of 88 passes last year for 510 yards with four touchdowns, adding another 109 yards and three scores on the ground. On defense, he had 45 tackles with 35 solo stops, three interceptions and a fumble recovery.
On special teams, Dunlap averaged almost 33 yards per punt.
Ahead of the start of his senior season, Dunlap has received plenty of interest from college coaches.
“Recruiting wise, I’ve been in contact with roughly 10-to-15 colleges learning about schools, programs and academics while figuring out which would fit me the best,” he said. “Also I just recently received a scholarship for Graceland University in Lamoni, Iowa so I’m really excited about that opportunity, but we will see what happens on the recruiting path the rest of the way.”
While he enjoys having the ball in his hands as the quarterback, Dunlap is more excited about growing on the defensive side of the ball in the future.
“As for what side of the ball I’d like to play on college, if I had the choice, it would be on the defensive side making reads and hitting people,” he said. “But I will for sure take whatever opportunity unfolds in front of me.”
Dunlap is a multi-sport standout for Emmetsburg as he is coming off a strong year on the basketball court.
“To prepare for the upcoming season as a team we have been getting workouts in together at the local fitness center in town,” he said. “Being able to get some workouts in on our own has been great, but we are hungry to get back in our own weight room and get to work.
“As a team, we can’t wait to be back all together; we know that with a lot of returning players from last year we can make things happen and that’s what we are going to do. But more than anything, the group of guys we have on our team is all invested in the same goal and we have established a brotherhood inside and outside of the football season.”
Dunlap was also invited to attend the Hawaii Tiki Bowl in December.