Culver-Stockton’s Rupcich, Huffman receive NAIA All-American honors from AFCA

CANTON, Mo. — The record-setting and high-profile careers of Culver-Stockton College left tackle Andrew Rupcich and middle linebacker Dalton Huffman were capped Monday with both receiving American Football Coaches Association NAIA All-American honors.

Rupcich was a first-team selection for a third straight season, while Huffman was a second-team pick who earned the first All-American honors of his career.

A 6-foot-7, 323-pound offensive lineman from Wonder Lake, Ill.,  Rupcich joins Baker’s JD Woods, Keiser’s Sage Chen-Young, Ottawa’s Austin Bohn and College of Idaho’s Nate Moore as the only NAIA student-athletes who have earned three straight AFCA All-America honors and is the only one to have earned first-team honors all three years.

Rupcich was named to the Heart of America Athletic Conference All-North Division first team for the fourth consecutive year. He anchored an offensive line that helped the Wildcats total 158.2 yards rushing and 406.8 yards of total offense per game. C-SC averaged 4.2 yards per carry.

The 5-foot-9, 225-pound Huffman, who is a Hannibal product, led the Wildcats with 98 tackles this season. He had 18 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and three fumble recoveries, one of which he returned for a touchdown. He also had five forced fumbles and two passes defended.

Huffman became the program’s all-time leader in tackles and ended his career with 396 total stops. He finished with 56 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks in his 47-game career.

The Wildcats finished the 2021 season with an 8-3 overall record and a 4-1 mark in the Heart’s North Division. The eight victories represent the most wins in program history.