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Sep. 16—HILLSBORO, N.D. — Tyson Leshuk doesn't take many reps off for the Hillsboro-Central Valley football team.
The senior captain is a three-year starting quarterback for the Burros. Four games into the 2025 season, he's 33-for-59 with 541 passing yards, seven touchdowns and one interception.
"I can't say enough good things about Tyson Leshuk," head coach Joe Johnson said. "This is his third year starting at quarterback, and he has grown into being a really good quarterback and the leader of our football team."
He's just as lethal on the other side of the ball.
Leshuk stepped in at free safety last season to fill in for injured teammates. He's been there ever since.
This season, he's racked up 20 tackles, six pass breakups and three interceptions.
When Hillsboro-Central Valley knocked off No. 2 Ellendale/Edgeley/Kulm in a home game last Friday, Leshuk made his presence felt on both sides of the ball.
Leshuk accounted for the Burros' lone touchdown in a 6-0 barn burner, connecting with senior tight end Chase Haffley on the first drive of the third quarter.
He also recorded five tackles and four pass breakups. When the Thunder were driving near midfield near the end of the second quarter, Leshuk notched an interception to preserve the scoreless tie heading into halftime.
"He's been doing it on both sides of the ball all year," Johnson said.
Friday's win pushed the Burros to 3-1 on the season.
"That's a big win for us for a variety of reasons," Johnson said. "One is, obviously, any time that you can beat a team that is ranked, it's a big deal, and it's a confidence booster. For our guys to recognize that they can compete with some of the best teams is really important. The other thing is that there are playoff implications."
Each of Hillsboro-Central Valley's games has been decided by one possession, with the sole loss coming at the hands of Oakes on Sept. 5.
Johnson, in his third year as head coach, knew heading into the season that each game would be a toss-up. Fielding a roster with experienced upperclassmen, like Leshuk, the Burros have shown the ability to make the right plays at critical moments and come out on the right side of those tight matchups.
"We believed coming into the season that they were all games that we could win, but also very aware that they're all games that we could lose, too," Johnson said. "So part of our focus has been big players making big plays at big moments. What are those crucial moments that we need to make a play? Our guys are learning how to do that."
Leshuk is just one of 11 seniors on the roster this season. Offensively, Haffley and Brody Rogeness have stood out as key receiving weapons. A pair of juniors, Bryce Miller and Griffin Mitzel, have also played a pivotal role at skill positions for Hillsboro-Central Valley.
"It's good as a quarterback knowing that you have that many guys that you can go to," Leshuk said. "Guys are gonna make plays if I get them the ball. They're all gonna run routes, they're good athletes."
Many of those contributing upperclassmen have played under Johnson for multiple years now. This year, they've demonstrated a strong understanding of the system, which has allowed the coaching staff to install more in the offseason.
"We just got a lot more of our stuff installed by week one," Leshuk said. "We were so far through our playbook by week one (compared to) all the other years."
"There is chemistry with this group," Johnson said. "They've been waiting for their opportunity to be the leaders of the team, and they have stepped up and taken advantage of the opportunity. ... Our focus obviously has been on this year, and learning from our past experiences, but by all means, for these players to have been in this system for three years makes a big difference."
The Burros are back in action this Friday with a road trip to Northern Cass. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.
"As a team, we've just got to keep playing together," Leshuk said. "We're playing really good football right now, and I think if we continue to do this, we'll make a deep run in the playoffs."
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The senior captain is a three-year starting quarterback for the Burros. Four games into the 2025 season, he's 33-for-59 with 541 passing yards, seven touchdowns and one interception.
"I can't say enough good things about Tyson Leshuk," head coach Joe Johnson said. "This is his third year starting at quarterback, and he has grown into being a really good quarterback and the leader of our football team."
He's just as lethal on the other side of the ball.
Leshuk stepped in at free safety last season to fill in for injured teammates. He's been there ever since.
This season, he's racked up 20 tackles, six pass breakups and three interceptions.
When Hillsboro-Central Valley knocked off No. 2 Ellendale/Edgeley/Kulm in a home game last Friday, Leshuk made his presence felt on both sides of the ball.
Leshuk accounted for the Burros' lone touchdown in a 6-0 barn burner, connecting with senior tight end Chase Haffley on the first drive of the third quarter.
He also recorded five tackles and four pass breakups. When the Thunder were driving near midfield near the end of the second quarter, Leshuk notched an interception to preserve the scoreless tie heading into halftime.
"He's been doing it on both sides of the ball all year," Johnson said.
Friday's win pushed the Burros to 3-1 on the season.
"That's a big win for us for a variety of reasons," Johnson said. "One is, obviously, any time that you can beat a team that is ranked, it's a big deal, and it's a confidence booster. For our guys to recognize that they can compete with some of the best teams is really important. The other thing is that there are playoff implications."
Each of Hillsboro-Central Valley's games has been decided by one possession, with the sole loss coming at the hands of Oakes on Sept. 5.
Johnson, in his third year as head coach, knew heading into the season that each game would be a toss-up. Fielding a roster with experienced upperclassmen, like Leshuk, the Burros have shown the ability to make the right plays at critical moments and come out on the right side of those tight matchups.
"We believed coming into the season that they were all games that we could win, but also very aware that they're all games that we could lose, too," Johnson said. "So part of our focus has been big players making big plays at big moments. What are those crucial moments that we need to make a play? Our guys are learning how to do that."
Leshuk is just one of 11 seniors on the roster this season. Offensively, Haffley and Brody Rogeness have stood out as key receiving weapons. A pair of juniors, Bryce Miller and Griffin Mitzel, have also played a pivotal role at skill positions for Hillsboro-Central Valley.
"It's good as a quarterback knowing that you have that many guys that you can go to," Leshuk said. "Guys are gonna make plays if I get them the ball. They're all gonna run routes, they're good athletes."
Many of those contributing upperclassmen have played under Johnson for multiple years now. This year, they've demonstrated a strong understanding of the system, which has allowed the coaching staff to install more in the offseason.
"We just got a lot more of our stuff installed by week one," Leshuk said. "We were so far through our playbook by week one (compared to) all the other years."
"There is chemistry with this group," Johnson said. "They've been waiting for their opportunity to be the leaders of the team, and they have stepped up and taken advantage of the opportunity. ... Our focus obviously has been on this year, and learning from our past experiences, but by all means, for these players to have been in this system for three years makes a big difference."
The Burros are back in action this Friday with a road trip to Northern Cass. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.
"As a team, we've just got to keep playing together," Leshuk said. "We're playing really good football right now, and I think if we continue to do this, we'll make a deep run in the playoffs."
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