Whenever Mexico gave the ball to Hunter Cuno, the drives usually were extended.

The senior extended his football career on Thursday when he signed to play for Missouri Valley College in Marshall. Cuno was an all-North Central Missouri Conference and all-district running back in a season the Bulldogs lasted until a 42-27 loss at Hannibal in the Class 4 District 5 semifinals.

Cuno ran for 660 yards and seven touchdowns on 104 carries and had 35 tackles and five tackles for loss at linebacker despite missing four games due to injury. He said he is glad to find a place that felt like home.

“I have a buddy from Wentzville going there, too,” Cuno said. “It felt like a better vibe there, and I liked the coaches a lot better.”

Cuno plans to study business and wants to continue “trying my hardest and doing the most I can” in this next stage in his life. He will be the first in his family to play college football, which he has a lot of pride in after working his way up to this point.

Back in third grade, Cuno said he was bigger than a lot of the kids but was mainly on the bench and then gained “a fire” in him and 6-7 inches in height around fifth grade. He said was shooting for top-tier schools back then and is glad he has the opportunity to play anywhere after high school because of his hard work.

“It’s a blessing,” Cuno said about having a college offer. “I try my hardest at everything I do. Every time I got the ball up the middle or to the sideline, I’m going to run as hard as I can. Every play, I’m going to read it as best I can and try to get a tackle for loss.”

Head coach Steve Haag said it was clear that Mexico missed Cuno a lot when he went down in Week 2. Cuno gave the Bulldogs the “shot in the arm” that helped them finish the season strong. 

“Hunter did a great job developing himself off the field which showed when he stepped on the field,” Haag said. “His physicality and leadership were a foundation to our success when he was healthy.”

Cuno said he has talked to Missouri Valley College about playing linebacker but will know his role for sure when he makes it on campus. He does have an all-district linebacker season under his belt when he led the team last year with 72 tackles and two fumble recoveries along with two tackles for loss. 

This season, Cuno finished with 35 tackles and five tackles for loss. He had to miss four games to recover from a dislocated elbow. 

In the limited chances Cuno had this season, he made the most of it by being a battering ram from the backfield. Three of Mexico’s final four games involved a 100-yard rushing performance from Cuno, including 164 yards at Moberly, 120 yards at Kirksville and 220 yards at Hannibal.

“I saw that my season could be ended,” Cuno said about his performance near the end of season. “I knew I had to keep going harder and try to beat everyone out.”

Haag believes Cuno can impact the Vikings like he did Mexico. Cuno was at his best at the end of last season so Haag said Cuno’s best could be even better. 

“The competition gets better, but I think Hunter can continue to develop and grow as a player,” Haag said.