Just like the other great option quarterbacks at Skyline High, senior Steve Tate had to wait his turn to be in the Eagle spotlight.
He bided his time as the junior varsity quarterback.
He took some snaps in a varsity game, but not many — after all, the Eagles had the 1999 5A MVP in Brandon Van Leeuwen at the controls.
"He really got himself ready to play this year," Skyline coach Roger DuPaix said.
He ran. He lifted weights, and he got his teammates to do the same, DuPaix said.
And it paid off for him — in the first game of the year — when he scored with 18 seconds left in the game as the Eagles defeated highly touted Kahuku, Hawaii, 24-21.
But he was willing to give it all up, even before it began, for his sister, who was suffering from a serious illness.
"His sister was sick this year, so he carried that with him," DuPaix said. "That's a pretty big burden for an athlete to carry and to have that to be thinking about. He had a 4.0 this past term and played football so well. It is tremendous what he accomplished."
In more than one way, the senior, who rushed for 1,660 yards and 24 touchdowns, ran away with the 2000 Deseret News Mr. Football award.
"I would rank him right up there with the other (Skyline) quarterbacks," DuPaix said while listing Brandon Doman, Gus Papanikolas, Joe DuPaix and Van Leeuwen.
And DuPaix knew he had a good one right off the bat in the 6-foot-1-inch, 180 pounder.
"To play that well the first game of the year is a sign of someone who is going to have a great season," he said. "He played well in that game, and it continued throughout the whole season."
Tate and the Eagles did have a great season, finishing 11-2 and second in Class 5A to Northridge High. Tate averaged 127 yards a game, while the Eagles as a team averaged 316 yards on the ground (4,112 for the season) and 35 points a game.
"We didn't do a real good job, but we tried to get the ball out of his hands," said Viewmont coach Russ Jones, whose team fell 38-13 in a Region 1 contest to the Eagles. "He was quite a threat and had good speed. He's a great high school quarterback."
Just to keep other teams honest, Tate threw for 664 yards and two touchdowns as well.
"There is no question that this is the MVP. Nobody compares to him. There are a lot of great players around the state, but he's the best," Riverton coach Rick Bojak said.
His teammates also benefited from his quick reaction in running the option as four other players rushed for 300 yards or more.
"The offense is very team-oriented, and it counts on proper execution, and he had a tremendous year," DuPaix said. "He was a very exciting player to watch run the option."
E-MAIL: jhinton@desnews.com