At 5:50 a.m., Charleston High School senior Luke Bonstetter’s morning alarm goes off.
Typically, Bonstetter still sleeps until 7:30, her usual wake-up time, when she gets ready for school like other students.
Not today, but Bonnstetter will have basketball practice in 40 minutes.
After a quick shower, Bonstetter is ready and within minutes he’s at Baker Gym in Charleston. He arrives early, about 20 minutes before the Trojans’ 6:30 practice, and plans to take a few shots to warm up.
About a month ago, he was commuting to Trojan Hill almost every day for football practice and safety as the team’s starting quarterback. As the cold weather passes and spring flowers begin to bloom, Bonstetter will swap out his gym shoes for baseball cleats and don pitcher’s rubber at Marty Pattin Field while playing center field for the Trojans.
Bonstetter is an athlete for the third consecutive season. One sport’s offseason is another sport’s midseason, and he said that’s been the case since kindergarten.
“That’s been my daily routine ever since I can remember,” Bonstetter said. “Wake up, go to school, go to practice or go to the game.”
Bonstetter has a lot of work to do. Football season starts in midsummer and lasts until the end of October, while basketball season starts around early November and runs through early March.
Baseball season begins approximately when basketball season ends and continues through midsummer, including summer ball and camps that Bonnstetter attends.
His busy exercise schedule doesn’t hinder his performance in the classroom either. He currently has a grade point average of 5.33 out of 5.0, ranking him fourth in his class.
“He’s like a unicorn,” Charleston head football coach Brian Hulsey said. “Being a multi-sport athlete is very selfish.”
Bonstetter is always asking her father, Mark Bonstetter, if he can help her find a way to do extra work. Mark Bonstetter, Eastern University’s associate athletic director, never has to tell his son to do extra work. He said Luke Bonstetter does everything himself.
“Luke (Bonstetter) always wanted to do more,” Mark Bonstetter said. “Ever since he was little, he always wanted to do extra things without me prodding him.”
Luke Bonstetter said he plays multiple sports to feed his desire to compete. His competitive spirit stems from his childhood where he wanted to play sports with his older brother and their group of friends.
That competitive spirit is an admirable trait for Halsey, who said being around Bonstetter has made him a better person.
“There’s not a lot of competition in our society anymore,” Halsey said. “Competition is what makes (athletes) great, and if you can go out and compete, whether it’s a club, an activity, a sport, that’s a good thing.”
For Bonstetter, the strain that playing three sports puts on his body has always been important to both him and his parents, who work hard to make sure he is in the best health possible. , he said. Being a quarterback and pitcher can be especially taxing on the throwing arm, but he said he hasn’t had any arm problems over the past year that have hindered his ability to play.
Bonstetter doesn’t hesitate to report the aches and pains he’s feeling to his parents and coaches, who can advise him on the best course of action to take care of his pain and preventative measures, such as his pitching program.
“It’s easy to do too much,” says Mark Bonstetter. “It’s easy to go overboard, but we’re just trying to prevent that from happening.”
Not only does a busy schedule take a physical toll on Luke Bonstetter, but it’s also important to manage the mental strain it places on him.
“We know he needs some downtime,” Mark Bonstetter said. “He needs a chance to be in high school and play with his friends and do things that other people are doing. Otherwise, he needs some time off.”
Midway through the season, Luke Bonstetter never gets too excited, even in big moments, he said. After a mistake, such as an interception in football or a big hit in baseball, Bonstetter immediately focuses on the next play.
“I’m just trying to stay calm and be a leader,” Luke Bonstetter said. “I also try to keep everyone around me calm, because that’s how you win games.”
Halsey said Bonstetter’s ability to understand the game is a huge asset.
During Charleston’s first round playoff game against Freeburg in 2023, Halsey recalled a moment when the Trojans were losing and preparing for a comeback in the final minutes of the game. Halsey and Bonstetter were on the same page when considering how to approach drives, making it easier for the rest of the Trojans offense to get on the same page.
Charleston ended up forcing overtime, and after holding Freeburg to a field goal, Bonstetter snuck into the end zone and scored the winning touchdown, giving Charleston its first playoff win since 2012.
Bonstetter said he plans to pursue the baseball offer he received from Lakeland University. Mark Bonstetter said his father’s advice to his son was simple but exemplified his son’s character.
“Attitude is important. Be a great teammate and coachable,” Mark Bonstetter said. “That’s usually all I need to tell him.”
Gabe Newman can be contacted at: 581-2812 or in ghnewman@eiu.edu.
