Becker’s Carter Callahan will represent the Bulldogs today (Saturday) at the  49th Minnesota High School All Star Game, kicking off at noon at U.S. Bank Stadium.

“It feels great to be nominated to play in the all-star game,” said Carter. “It’s an honor that not many people get selected for so I feel blessed to get this opportunity.” 

The annual All Star Game features the best high school athletes from across the state and Callahan was chosen to play for the North squad.

It was his head coach who gave him the news.

“One day after practice, we were up in the weight room and Dwight  (Lundeen) called me over to tell me that I was nominated for the all-star game. That’s how I found out I had made the team.”

Callahan, listed on the roster as a linebacker at 6’1” and 235 pounds, was the meat and potatoes behind Becker’s running game that dominated most contests in its 11-1 season culminating with a disappointing loss in the semi-finals to Kasson-Mantorville.

“The KM game was definitely a heartbreaker,” said Carter. “KM had a great game plan against us and they executed it extremely well. I feel that overall we had the better team but they played better than us that day and that’s why they won.”

Callahan played all 12 games and gained 896 yards on 171 carries with 17 touchdowns. He averaged 75 yards a game and 5.2 yards a carry.

And he credits his coaches for all his successes throughout his high school years.

“I think the thing that separates our coaching staff from others is that above all they want their players to be good people,” said Carter. “Dwight had a famous quote he would use throughout the season: ‘A good man that is not great is 100 times better than a great man who is not good.’ To the guys this just meant that your success wasn’t defined with your on-the-field actions, it was what was happening off the field. The saying was just a reminder to be hardworking, selfless, and honest.”

Callahan is currently uncommitted to a certain college but is hoping to study mechanical engineering for his first four years of college while playing for their football team.