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Defensive duo has childhood roots |
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Thursday, 10 November 2005 |
| Jonathan Williams | Chief Photographer
Jason Hunter (l) and Marques Murrell (r) played baseball together as children. |
by CHRIS ZALUSKI
Sports Editor
If it looks like Appalachian State defensive ends Jason Hunter and
Marques Murrell have played on the same team before, that’s because
they have.
For Hunter and Murrell, ASU football is merely an extension of a friendship that started nearly 10 years ago.
“We played on the same Little League team, the Ft. Bragg Redskins,”
Hunter said. “We grew up in the same hometown, but [Murrell] went to a
different high school than me, and we actually played against each
other in high school.”
Now that both players are together as Mountaineers, they have grown
into one of the most feared units on the entire ASU defense.
Murrell and Hunter have already accounted for a combined 15.5 sacks,
and are first and second in the Southern Conference in this category,
respectively. They have also recorded a combined 26.5 tackles for loss
resulting in a total of 148 yards, as well as scoring three defensive
touchdowns.
The numbers are impressive, but they seem like a natural fit for two
players that have been surrounded by athletics all their lives.
For Murrell, he has always had football running through his family His
cousin and one of his brothers were quarterbacks, while his other
brother, Adrian, was a professional running back for the New York Jets
and Arizona Cardinals.
Despite the family legacy, Murrell says he has never felt any extra pressure.
“Not a bit [of pressure], because Adrian played on the other side of
the ball,” Murrell said. “If I was a running back then there’d be a
little competition or pressure.”
For Hunter, whose father played quarterback in college, he said he started playing football differently than most.
“Actually I was playing soccer and I looked up the street and I saw
some guys playing football,” Hunter said. “At that point, I just knew I
wanted to play football.”
Hunter, unlike most star football players, only played football his
senior year in high school. Although he was inexperienced,
Appalachian’s coaching staff saw his potential and recruited him.
Both players say ASU was their top choice, but had some problems adjusting to their new surroundings when they first arrived.
“At first it was kind of tough, because it was right out of high school
and I only played one year of football, so I was coming into a
different atmosphere,” Hunter said.
Once both players began to adjust to the speed of the game, there was no stopping them.
Murrell played in all 11 games as a freshman, mainly on special teams.
Last year, as a sophomore, he was selected as a first-team All-SoCon
player with seven sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss.
Hunter, like Murrell, played in all of his games here as a Mountaineer with the exception of last season.
He said his year off helped to make him appreciate every moment on the field even more.
“I’m surprised [at how well I’m playing so far] but it’s mostly because
I’m happy to be here,” Hunter said. “When you’re happy to be in a
situation then you tend to produce a little bit differently.”
It’s not amazing that after all their previous success, both players
have established themselves as cornerstones to the Appalachian
defense.
Though their recent success might come as a shock to some, Murrell said he is not surprised.
“I’m not surprised at all,” Murrell said. “The schemes are set up for us and they are allowing us to make plays.”
Hunter agrees with Murrell and also said the play of their teammates is a main reason why so many plays are
opening up for them.
“On a personal note, I think my performance is alright,” Hunter said.
“I don’t want to put all the attention on me because there are other
guys that are making plays that are allowing me to make plays.”
Regardless of how they are making these big plays, it’s obvious both
Murrell and Hunter are big concerns for opposing teams. Both players
have a unique style of playing the game, making it so tough for
opponents to contain both of them.
“I would consider myself more like a lion/cheetah,” Murrell said. “With quickness and ferociousness to protect my land.”
These animal instincts have helped the defensive end duo lead the Mountaineers this year.
Both players hope to continue their football careers after ASU. If all
goes to plan for the duo, like in Little League so many years ago, they
might find themselves on the same team yet again.
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