Webber commits to Duluth
Owatonna High School senior Luke Webber is looking forward to his senior season on the gridiron and has his plans set for next fall with his recent commitment to the University of Minnesota, Duluth.
In an interview with Todd Walkingstick on Owatonna Live’s Beyond the Game, Webber said he didn’t feel many butterflies at the start of his junior year.
“Honestly, they weren’t as bad as I thought they would be. I felt like I had a lot of adrenaline, but not much going through my head. Just going out there ready to play,” said Webber.
He elevated to a starting role before the scrimmage a week ahead of the season opener due to a last-minute change in the depth chart.
“So, they just threw me out there. I really wasn’t worried during two-a-days,” he said. “That was my first year starting at defensive back. Through all the years I came up in the system, I’d mainly been a wide receiver. So, it was kind of new at the start, but I felt like I really got into my groove toward the end of the year. That’s what I’ve been training for all off-season.”
The feeling on opening night at the new high school will stick with him.
“That was surreal, honestly. There’s no other feeling like that. Just running out with all your buddies and then looking up and just seeing the whole stadium just packed, all wearing white. It was awesome,” said Webber.
Webber earned All-District Honorable Mention for the section champs.
“Luke elevated into a great cover corner. His speed and nose for the ball made it very hard for teams to get over the top of him for a big play,” said Owatonna head coach Jeff Williams.
He joins Drew Henson (OHS ’22, kicker/punter) on the Bulldogs roster. UMD comes south to play at Winona State on Nov. 2 and to St. Paul to face Concordia the following week.
Webber was a member of the state track championship 4x200 relay team with Garrett Karsten, Nolan Ginskey and Keanan Larson in June. Three were members of the third place finish last year.
“We worked our tails off in the winter speed and strength program. We were telling each other every day, ‘This is our year. We just keep at this; we’re going to go get it.’ And that’s exactly what happened,” said Webber.