Mtn. View football: Hunter Temple profile

In mid-December, I interviewed Mountain View (Idaho) defensive back Hunter Temple. He wasn't among the team's biggest players, but there was no doubting the size of his heart. He played a big role in MV's success. Here is the article that will appear in the Mavericks' 2012 football yearbook.

Hunter Temple:

 Tenacious defender outgrew his size

and made him one of the team’s best

By Bruce Smith

Matchup

             In football terms, Hunter Temple was one of the last guys coach Judd Benedick wanted to get off the bus.

            But he was among the first on the field.
            Temple didn't impress anyone with his size. Listed at 5-foot-7 and 155 pounds in the game program, he was actually much lighter. A few months afterward, he wrestled at 138 pounds. However, there was no mistaking his tenacity.
            “He is amazing,” said Mountain View coach Judd Benedick. “He’s as tenacious as they come. He’s always around the ball and has a motor that won’t quit. He plays like he’s 250 pounds.”
            Temple admitted he felt the same way.
            “I am pretty aggressive,” he said. “I’m just competitive. Waiting for things to happen isn’t really my style. I want to get it done before the other person has a chance.”
            He played entirely on defense –as the Mavericks’ strong safety or outside linebacker. He was a team captain and ranked second in tackles.
            He was also selected to the all-SIC and all-state teams. He had two interceptions – both against Centennial, including one he returned 27 yards for a touchdown. Those plays made him the Idaho Statesman’s Player of the Week.
            Even a couple of months after it happened, he still remembered the scoring play clearly:
            “That was my only touchdown of my varsity career,” he recalled. “I don’t know if it was my favorite play, but it was pretty dang awesome. I was playing on the strong side and I went to the flat. I saw the back coming out on a swing route. I looked at the quarterback. He was getting rushed and I knew he was going to throw it. I just jumped the route. There was no one chasing me when I looked back.
            “As I was running, I held up the ball. There were no Centennial guys around. My teammates came up and started hugging me. Congratulatory stuff. It was the series after I had my other pick.
            “What was funny was that John Munger told us on the sidelines that I was going to get another one and I was going to score a touchdown. It was funny that happened.”
            Temple said Mountain View’s football season didn’t go exactly how he wanted, but there were plenty of highlights, especially when the Mavericks ended it by winning consecutive games over rivals Centennial, Eagle and then Vallivue.
            “We ended it right,” he said. “We were upset that we didn’t make the playoffs because we were just hitting our stride, but I guess everything can’t go our way.”
            What made Temple so valuable was that most things did go his way. He was known for his determination and jarring hits. That was evident on the football field, but also in the other sports where he competed.
            Immediately after football, Temple was on the wrestling mat and was a candidate to win state. As a junior, he was the district champion at 126 pounds. He won his division at the Tiger-Griz tournament in Idaho Falls and placed third at state. In track, he chose to compete in the pole vault.
            “I was questioning whether to do track, but I thought the pole vault was pretty cool,” he said. “It’s just really different and I had never done anything like that before.”
            Football, however, was his favorite. Despite his size, he began to earn playing time late in the season his junior year and his efforts were quickly recognized.
            “I was always trying to be enthusiastic, even at practice,” he said. “I wanted to always be in a good mood. I tried to be a vocal leader.”
            Mountain View’s defense wasn’t as solid as in 2011, but there wasn’t much of a letdown. Despite its prolific offense, there were no shootouts. The Mavericks ranked second in the SIC in scoring defense and throttled Eagle when the Mustangs came in with an 8-1 record.
            “They were a pretty good team and we beat them pretty bad,” Temple said. “They’re kind of cocky and we always want to put the hammer on them. Doing it on Senior Night was pretty awesome.”
            Temple recognized his size might limit his potential for an athletic scholarship, but his heart and character won’t. He hoped to major in pre-med or do something with computers in college. If sports is any indication, he’ll give it his best shot.