ALTOONA, Wis. — Three-sport athlete Ben Kuenkel seems to fill whatever role his team needs. During baseball season, the athletic senior found a niche bunting for base hits.
Altoona Railroaders baseball head coach Craig Walter said Kuenkel, his left fielder, would do whatever it takes to win.
“He takes advantage of what he can do, and he’s a terrific bunter. We’ve got five games, and I think he’s probably already got four base-hit bunts, and he’ll continue to do it.”
On defense, Walter said he's confident Kuenkel will snag anything popped-up to left field.
"He's a skilled athlete. He runs hard. He competes hard. His work habits are fabulous. He's in the weight room. He does what he's supposed to do. He'll spend the extra time outside of the practice to get himself ready," said Walter.
And he won't back down from a challenge. In basketball, though listed at six feet tall, Kuenkel wasn’t afraid to mix it up with the big guys.
“They were taller than me, but I could still push them around. I was stronger than a lot of these guys. I just worked harder than them. I could win even if they were six inches taller than me," said Kuenkel.
On the court, just like in baseball, he discovered, and then filled, a role to help his team.
"There wasn't a guy that would bring energy or hustle to the team. That’s kind of what my role ended up being. Just go out there, and guard their best player. Go out there, do whatever you can to get the ball," said Kuenkel.
Altoona High School assistant principal and head football coach Chad Hanson said Kuenkel set a great example for other students.
“He was able to do that because he worked hard in the weight room. It’s very interesting to watch. He’d be out on the basketball court at 5’10 or so, and you’d have the 6’5” guy out there. He would battle them on the court. It came down to his strong work ethic in the weight room and putting in the time there," said Hanson.
Hanson recalled meeting Kuenkel four years ago. He said when Kuenkel was a freshman, the first thing Kuenkel told him was that "they were going to do great things."
“Altoona football has not been a strong program when you look at it traditionally. Ben and his classmates came in and said, ‘We’re going to change this,’ and they did," said Hanson.
With Kuenkel as quarterback, punter and occasional defensive back, the Railroaders earned back-to-back playoff appearances the past two seasons. For his efforts, Kuenkel was invited to play football at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire next year.
"I'm very excited because I'll be able to get up on Saturday morning after our high school football games and drive over to Carson Park and watch him play," said Hanson.
Kuenkel said there are some extra benefits to playing for the local college next year.
“It’s just down the road, so all my family is going to be able to come and watch, and my friends, too. It’s not far from home. If I need to do laundry, I can go do laundry," said Kuenkel.
He’s undecided about his major but said he is looking into teaching, physical therapy or becoming an athletic trainer. He carries an almost perfect GPA and was named to the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association Academic All-State team.
Math teacher Andy Riechers called him a natural leader.
“We had group work in our geometry classes and he was a younger kid in the group, so he was a freshman with sophomores. Early on, the kids could tell that he was someone they could count on to talk them through problems if they were stuck or to give them help if they needed it," said Riechers.
Kuenkel's given back to his community through volunteering, including helping with youth sports. He is especially fond of his work at Joshua’s Camp, which focuses on the families of children who are being treated for cancer.
“They obviously have other stuff on their mind if their family members have been affected, but it’s just really great to see how much of an impact you can have on them and how much you can make their day better," said Kuenkel.
He’ll look to continue making an impact in sports, the classroom and the community next year in Eau Claire.