At 5:50 in the morning, Charleston High School senior Luke Bonnstetter’s morning alarm sounds. 

Typically, Bonnstetter would still be asleep until his usual wake up time of 7:30, when it’s time to get ready for school like any other student.  

Not today though; Bonnstetter has basketball practice in 40 minutes.  

After a quick shower, Bonnstetter is ready to go and within minutes is inside Charleston’s Baker Gym. He’s there early, about 20 minutes before the Trojan’s 6:30 practice, to try and shoot around a little to warm up.  

About a month ago, he was making his way to Trojan Hill nearly every day for football practice as the team’s starting quarterback and safety. Once the cold weather gives way to the blooming flowers of spring, Bonnstetter will swap the gym shoes for the baseball spikes and toe the pitching rubber of Marty Pattin Field alongside playing center field for the Trojans baseball team.   

Bonnstetter is an athlete for three straight seasons. His offseason from one sport is midseason from another, and he said it’s been that way since kindergarten.  

“It’s pretty much been my daily routine since I can remember,” Bonnstetter said. “Wake up, go to school, go to practice or go to a game.” 

Bonnstetter has a lot on his plate. Football season runs from mid-summer to the end of October, and basketball season picks up around the beginning of November and runs into early March.  

Baseball season picks up roughly when the basketball season is over and spans to mid-summer including summer ball and camps that Bonnstetter participates in.  

His busy athletic schedule is no hinderance to his classroom performance either. He currently ranks fourth in his class with a 5.33 grade point average out of a 5.0 scale.  

“He’s like a unicorn,” Charleston head football coach Brian Halsey said. “It’s very unselfish to be a multi-sport athlete.”   

Bonnstetter is always asking his dad Mark Bonnstetter if he can help find ways to get extra work in. Mark Bonnstetter, who is the deputy athletic director at Eastern, never has to tell his son to do extra work. He said Luke Bonnstetter does it all on his own  

“Luke [Bonnstetter] has always wanted to do more,” Mark Bonnstetter said. “From the time he was tiny, he’s always wanted to do those extra things without any kind of prompting from me.” 

Luke Bonnstetter plays multiple sports to fuel his desire to compete, he said. The competitiveness stems from his childhood when he wanted to play sports with his older brother and his friend group.  

That competitiveness is an admirable trait for Halsey, who said that being around Bonnstetter has made him a better person. 

“We don’t compete much in our society anymore,” Halsey said. “Competition is what makes [athletes] great, and if you can get out there and compete, whether it’s a club, activity or sport, then good for you.”  

The physical tax that playing three sports takes on Bonnstetter is always important to both him and his parents, who work hard to make sure he’s in the best health possible, he said. Being a quarterback and pitcher can be especially taxing on his throwing arm, but he said he has not had any arm issues in the past year that have hindered his ability to play.  

Bonnstetter doesn’t hesitate to report any soreness or pain he’s feeling to his parents and coaches, who advise him on the best course of action to take to care for the pain, as well as preventative measures such as his throwing program.  

“It’s easy to overdo it,” Mark Bonnstetter said. “It’s easy to do too much, and we’re just trying to prevent that.” 

Not only does the busy schedule take a physical toll on Luke Bonnstetter, but managing the mental toll it takes on him as well is important.  

“I know that he needs a little bit of downtime,” Mark Bonnstetter said. “He needs a chance to just be a high school kid and hang with his friends and go do the things that everybody else is doing, or he just needs a little rest.” 

Midseason, Luke Bonnstetter is never too worked up over a big moment, he said. After a mistake, such as an interception in football or a big hit given up in baseball, Bonnstetter quickly focuses on the next play.  

“I just try to stay levelheaded and be a leader,” Luke Bonnstetter said. “I try to keep everybody around me levelheaded too because that’s how we’ll win games.” 

Bonnstetter’s ability to understand the game is a big asset, according to Halsey.  

During Charleston’s first round playoff game against Freeburg in 2023, Halsey recalled a moment where the Trojans were losing and were preparing for a drive to get back in the game near the end. Halsey and Bonnstetter were on the same page when figuring out how to approach the drive, which made it easier to get the rest of the Trojan offense on the same page too.  

Charleston would end up going to overtime, and after holding Freeburg to a field goal, Bonnstetter snuck into the end zone for the game winning touchdown to bring Charleston it’s first playoff win since 2012. 

Bonnstetter said he plans on pursuing an offer he received from Lake Land College to play baseball. His dad’s advice for his son was brief but embodied the type of person his son is, Mark Bonnstetter said.   

“Attitude matters, be a great teammate, be coachable,” Mark Bonnstetter said. “That’s usually about all I need to tell him.” 

Gabe Newman can be reached at 581-2812 or at ghnewman@eiu.edu.