James Engle Jr. sat in the crowd at Maple Grove football games while Evan Hull became the school’s all-time leading rusher in 2018.

Engle looked up to his older brother, Jacob, who was a starting tight end, and Hull.

“I was watching them,” Engle said. “Dreaming that I could be like them.”

Engle never imagined one day chasing Hull’s rushing records, especially the way his high school career started.

Entering Friday’s quarterfinal vs. Lakeville South, the top-seeded Crimson (10-0) are positioned to repeat as Class 6A state champions partly because of Engle’s breakout senior season — his first season as the starting tailback.

State tournament brackets:

• Class 6A
• Class 5A
• Class 4A
• Class 3A
• Class 2A
• Class 1A
• Nine-Player

“Honestly, I never thought I’d be here,” said Engle, who has rushed for 1,733 yards and a school-record 25 touchdowns. “I was a third-stringer pretty much the whole year [last season]. To bounce back from that just shows how much I’ve been doing.”

Engle’s four touchdowns in last Friday’s 55-18 win against East Ridge helped him break Derrick Jameson’s single-season Maple Grove record of 23 rushing touchdowns set in 2021.

More records are within Engle’s reach if Maple Grove keeps winning.

He’s tied for third in career rushing TDs (34) and fifth in career rushing yards (2,081) in Maple Grove history. He has the chance to surpass Hull’s career records for rushing TDs (38) and rushing yardage (2,174).

Hull, a former Northwestern standout and current member of the New Orleans Saints, was motivated to break former Maple Grove back Isaac Collins’ records years ago, so he sees similarities with Engle coming after his marks.

“He was a hard-nosed dude and I loved him,” Hull said of the younger Engle. “It’s only natural that it starts with the run game and why Maple Grove has been so successful. It’s cool to see that cycle of young kids coming up the Maple Grove football ranks and seeing guys ahead of them have success and want to emulate that.”

(Sign up for The Quiz, Strib Varsity’s weekly email newsletter for subscribers.)

The two running backs expected to carry on Maple Grove’s success at the position in recent years were Charles Langama and Engle.

But as a sophomore in 2023, Engle was available just four games before suffering a broken fibula. Langama suffered a broken ankle later in that season.

Last year, Engle had 42 carries for 247 yards and nine touchdowns in 10 games, but he was sidelined the last couple of games because of a concussion. Langama and Patrick Wright finished the 2024 state title season as the team’s top two rushers.

Langama is now a freshman at North Dakota. Wright is playing defensive back after transferring to Bishop McDevitt in Pennsylvania. When 2025 arrived, it was finally Engle’s time.

“I always believed,” he said. “I’ve been training since Day 1 and since the eighth grade. There was no doubt in my mind or my family’s mind that I’d be [starting] one day.”

Maple Grove coach Adam Spurrell said Engle working on his body and staying healthy allowed him to take full advantage of being the focal point of Maple Grove’s rushing attack.

Last spring, Engle switched from playing baseball to running track. He placed sixth at state as part of the 4x100-meter relay team. Competing in track increased his speed and made him a better football player.

“His offseason alone kind of catapulted him,” Spurrell said. “James has had an awesome season. Well deserving. He’s a great kid who has worked hard this whole time. He’s a complete back, too. He can catch the ball out of the backfield and runs the ball well. It’s awesome watching him doing his thing.”

Engle committed to Minnesota State Mankato this summer before he started a game in high school. The Mavericks coaching staff saw enough before the season to believe in his potential — and so did his Maple Grove teammates.

“I’m super proud of James,” said quarterback Kaden Harney, who is committed to South Dakota. “He was pulled up to varsity as a sophomore, but he had some rough injuries that set him back. He really worked super hard this offseason.”

This year, Engle’s work has paid off with four 200-plus-yard rushing games and two five-touchdown efforts, but his best game was arguably against Minnetonka, when he had 28 carries for 157 yards. That included TD runs of 27 and 20 yards that helped the Crimson pull away in the second half.

To grow up around Maple Grove football and now help the Crimson on another potential state title run has been a fun ride for Engle and his family.

“Maple Grove will always be on top no matter what,” Engle said. “I’m so proud of the team and the coaches. I’m so happy to be in this position.”