LEROY, Minn. (KTTC) – Leroy-Ostrander high school has less than 300 students in attendance. One of those students is the best high school football player in Minnesota.

Camden Hungerholt, L-O/L-P football’s do-it-all star, was named 2024 Minnesota Mr. Football, the honor awarded by the Minnesota Football Coaches Association to the top high school player in the state. In the 20-year existence of the award, he is the first ever 9-Player football athlete to earn the honor.

“It means a lot to win this award,” Hungerholt said. “To be put up for this award is even an honor, and to win it, to be the best player in Minnesota, I have to give a lot of credit to my teammates and my coaches and everyone who has been a part of my journey.”

Hungerholt was historic in 2024. The quarterback led the state in rushing with 2,846 yards, more than 200 yards more than the second-leading rusher in the state. He also passed for 2,421 yards, good for sixth in the state, netting well over 5,000 total yards.

The senior star totaled 70 touchdowns, 36 on the ground and 34 through the air. L-O/L-P head coach Trevor Carrier described Hungerholt winning the award as emotional.

“To know that you have the opportunity to coach such great kids, kids like Cam, to have such a prestigious award come down to Leroy, it’s so many emotions,” Carrier said. “All positive emotions, you want to cry out immediately because the emotions are so strong.”

Hungerholt returned to LeRoy after the Mr. Football ceremony greeted by a gym packed with the Cardinal faithful.

“The joy of coming down here and supporting Cam and his family in this amazing time is just great,” Carrier said.

Carrier added that the ambulance and fire trucks escorted Hungerholt back into town.

Hungerholt showed his gratitude to the community.

“I just want to thank everyone that’s been a part of my journey, to everyone that’s ever helped me, no matter how big or small their part was, everything that’s made me who I am today has helped me so much.”

Carrier taught Hungerholt in three years of school, and he acknowledged his growth as an athlete and a person.

“I’m extremely, extremely proud of who he was, even in elementary school, and the man he’s become,” Carrier said. “I’m not even talking about his athletics or the fact that he’s top of the class academically. Amazing kid, and if my son’s half of what Cam is, then I’ll be an extremely happy dad.”

Hungerholt is off to Minnesota State-Mankato next fall to continue his football career. He caps a historic career as a Cardinal with an incredible honor.

Click here to watch Camden Hungerholt’s Athlete of the Week from November 11.

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CRYSTAL, Minn. — Life can change in an instant — Jen Kelly knows that firsthand.

Kelly started riding horses when she was just 8 years old. As an equestrian with years of experience, she’s taken a tumble or two — until a tumble in September 2020.

“It happened quickly and I landed on my face,” Kelly said. “I had been instantly paralyzed from the back down.”

Kelly broke three vertebrae in her neck and crushed her spinal cord. Facing the fear of never walking again, five words from her doctor kept her going: “You’re going to walk again.”

“Those were literally and figuratively my marching orders from there on out,” Kelly said.

Kelly spent months at North Memorial and then spent rehab at Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute.

“Walking is exceptionally complex,” Dr. Mandy DeRasmi with Courage Kenny said. “It’s a lot of coordination and balance and strength.”

At Courage Kenny, Kelly had access to cutting-edge technology and top neurosurgeons. Day after day, Kelly put in the work.

“She always wanted to try new things,” DeRasmi said. “She would do research on her own and come to me and be like ‘Oh, what do you think about this? What do you think about this? What do you think about this? Should I try this? Should I but this?’”

Throughout it all, it was Kelly’s mindset that stood out to doctors.

“You can tell a difference with the patients that have a little bit of gumption to them,” DeRasmi said.

Kelly had both gumption and gratitude.

“I really pushed hard and I really expected a lot from myself,” Kelly said. “And I wasn’t going to let myself down, let alone the others who support me. The new normal is about being grateful for the ‘yay moments.’ When I first recovering, something as simple as holding a toothbrush was amazing.”

Those small yay moments led to big ones.

“To see my horse again, to pet him, to talk to him, and to be in the barn and smell the hay and smell the horses,” Kelly said. “Year, that was a real milestone moment for me.”

While Kelly is now walking, her recovery will be a life long endeavor and healing process. She said she will continue to focus on her mobility , balance an strength.

“There’s really two paths you can take,” she said. “You can take I the discouraged depressed place and that really is self pity, or you can look outward and that’s about gratitude. So, I chose the gratitude path.”

Kelly hopes her story touches just one person, then it’s all worth it. Someday, she wants to write a book.