Prospect Spotlight: Carter Loesch – Sauk Rapids-Rice (2022)

Sauk Rapids-Rice senior-to-be [player_tooltip player_id="116255" first="Carter" last="Loesch"] was asked to change positions before the beginning of his junior year. He was asked to move to a position he had never played before. Loesch quickly agreed, and the move paid off for the soon-to-be senior. His junior year resulted in multiple Division II offers and even some Division I interest. Recently, Loesch made a verbal commitment to the University of Minnesota-Duluth. The Strom struggled through a 1-4, COVID-19 shortened season. "We maybe struggled a little bit, but I think we were young," Loesch said. "It is going to be good to have those guys returning. I think we will have nine guys returning on defense plus our quarterback." "When we put consistent games together, we were tough to beat," Loesch continued. "We ran the ball well. We were good run stoppers." Loesch was a mainstay on the Storm defense. "I played defensive end for the first time - I really like that. It was a good season. I usually played the weak-side end. I am proud of how I performed. I started at strong-side outside linebacker my sophomore year – kind of as a run stopper." The move to end was a smooth one. "The easiest part of the move was that defensive end fits my playstyle well," Loesch explained. "I had to get used to not letting guys get outside. I was always trying to get the quarterback. I have to improve on that for next year." Loesch will soon be a three-year starter. He feels quickness is his biggest asset as a defensive end. During the off-season, he has focused on his lateral movement. A three-sport athlete, the winter went a long way towards improving that footwork. "I am a defensive guy in basketball," the 6’3" 215-pound athlete said. "I rebound and lock guys out. I am not a big scorer. I play center, so I play against bigger guys." Loesch was active in the spring as well. "In the spring, I ran track. I run the 110-meter hurdles, the 300-meter hurdles, and the 4X400 relay." To train, Loesch – who likes to hunt deer and turkey and fish for bass and northerns - uses his resources at school and home. "I have a bench and squat rack at home, so during the season, I get some work in there. This summer, I do the team speed and strength program. It focuses on bench, clean and squat." Loesch has had plenty of early recruiting interest. "Recruiting has been good. U Mary, Minnesota-Duluth, and Mankato have been recruiting me. Iowa State, North Dakota, and NDSU have been recruiting me a little bit for DI." The Storm defender attended three camps. He had offers from all three DII programs and a preferred walk-on opportunity from Iowa State. At one of the camps – there was a lot of mutual agreement. "I have been to camps at Minnesota-Duluth, Iowa State, and North Dakota State. It was great to compete in some one on ones to see where I compare with other kids." Late last week, Loesch committed to UMD. Loesch explained the Bulldogs’ staff think he is athletic and has good size and a good frame. Most schools – including UMD - recruited him as a defensive end, but the bigger schools are recruiting him as a linebacker. Although it looks like his post-high school football career will be at defensive end, Loesch has shown the ability and – more importantly – the willingness to play multiple positions. That flexibility will no doubt help the Storm this season and UMD going forward.