Ty Leu enjoyed an outstanding high school football career at Montgomery County High School, earning two all-Eastern Missouri Conference awards and helping his team finish with three winning seasons.

Now, Leu is looking to carry that success over to the Culver-Stockton College football team. After not playing any games in 2022, Leu turned in a strong 2023 season that included 28 tackles, three interceptions and his first all-Heart of America Athletic Conference honor.

Leu was one of eight Culver-Stockton players named on the all-Heart of American Athletic Conference North team for his solid work as the Wildcats’ safety. He was an honorable mention selection.

“It was kind of surreal,” the 5-foot-8, 175 pound Leu said. “I didn’t expect to get all-conference let alone honorable mention because, at the start of the season, I didn’t play a whole lot. I kind of watched from the sidelines. Then, later in the season, I got to play. At first, it was a little rough. It’s a lot faster of a game. It was kind of a hard adjustment. But once I got adjusted, it felt pretty easy out there and it was really fun. Getting honorable mention was great because I put in a lot of hard work. Just to have that to show for all of the hard work that I have done was a pretty awesome feeling.”

Leu played in eight games for Culver-Stockton, which is a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics school located in Canton. His best performance came in a homecoming contest against William Penn (Iowa) on Oct. 28, when he recorded four tackles and two interceptions.

“It was kind of a surreal feeling,” Leu said. “You get back to the sidelines, wondering if it was real or not. But I actually got those interceptions and all of my teammates were celebrating and pumping me up, so it was a really fun experience.”

Leu also had four tackles in Culver-Stockton’s season finale against Peru State on Nov. 11. His other interception came against Clarke College on Oct. 21.

Leu’s effort this season didn’t help the Wildcats finish with a winning season as they had just one victory. Culver-Stockton lost its first three games before beating Missouri Baptist 33-30 in overtime on Sept. 16 for its only win.

“The team was very young last year,” Leu said. “A lot of kids who were playing were actually my age. That fall, we had fall camp. We lost our offensive coordinator and didn’t have much time to find a new one, so we had to kind of adjust with that. I’m thinking that with the more experience, the better our team will get. I think last year was a good year for a lot of us younger guys to get that experience. I think we’ll be a lot better next year.”

Leu graduated from MCHS in 2022. He was voted an all-conference receiver in his junior and senior seasons.

Leu said playing football at the college level is much more challenging than in high school.

“It’s definitely an eye opener,” he said. “When you think of college football, you think of the D-I level. I would say it’s just as hard as any level to play football. I definitely realized that I need to work really hard and be very disciplined. You have to really love the sport because it’s kind of like the only thing you really have time to do. You have time for football and school and sleep. That’s really it.”

Leu first joined the Culver-Stockton football team as a receiver before coaches decided to pencil him in at defensive back.

“My head coach talked to me and he said, ‘We have a lot of bodies at receiver and we think that the best way for you to get on the field is to switch to the side of the ball.’ Safety was a little shallow on the depth chart,” Leu said. “So when I went over there, it was a little tough, learning everything about the defense and learning my assignments. Once I got adjusted, it became pretty simple and became pretty easy.”

Next season, Leu will be joined by his younger brother, Mason, who earned all-state honors twice at MCHS. Culver-Stockton opens its season on Aug. 31 against Mount Marty.

“I’ve been working really hard,” said Leu, who is majoring in business administration. “My brother is coming there and I’ve been working with him, trying to get him ready for it. I’m super excited to show everyone that we can be a better team than we were last year. I’m sure a lot of guys are working just as hard as I was this summer.”