PROVO — Despite rushing for 1,228 yards and 18 touchdowns on only 138 carries, Timpview running back Harvey Unga plays in the shadow of teammates like All-American lineman Matt Reynolds and do-everything quarterback Stephen Covey. But make no mistake about it: Unga is an integral cog in the Thunderbirds' potent spread offense.
"Harvey's a huge part of our offense," said Timpview coach Chad Van Orden. "He opens things up for Covey. Rarely does one guy bring him down. We have some good running backs behind him, but nothing like Harvey."
Coming off a 38-3 thrashing of Mountain View in which Unga scored two touchdowns, the Thunderbirds are 10-1 heading into Friday's 4A semifinal showdown with Highland.
Add into the equation that in the past two weeks Utah and BYU both offered Unga a football scholarship, and it's good to be Harvey Unga right about now.
"To tell you the truth, I really didn't think that I was going to get a scholarship," said Unga. "I'm surprised. I was talking with one of my coaches, about how we've had a lot of great running backs that have rushed for 2,000 yards and didn't end up getting scholarships. It surprised me that I got one and those guys didn't. I'm very thankful for it, appreciative."
The scholarship offers (Unga also already had an offer from Utah State) validate what opposing defenses already know all too well: the 6-foot, 210-pound Unga is the real deal, a brute force to be reckoned with.
"He's a special running back," said Van Orden. "He has the ability to make the first guy miss, but sometimes he'd rather punish you than make you miss."
Said Unga: "The type of running style that I run, I don't really like to dance around a lot. I like to just hit the guy and try to get past him."
The prolific statistics Unga has posted this year become all the more impressive when viewed in the light that it's only his second season playing running back after four years as a fullback.
"I started out playing fullback, never really running back because I was a little slower and bigger back then," Unga said. "I didn't expect to play running back. Coach (Van Orden) had a different offensive scheme the past couple years. There was a fullback and running back instead of a (single) back. I was playing fullback, but he changed it on me."
The relationships Unga shares with his teammates are bittersweet — he thrives on and cherishes the friendships, but at the same time realizes it's a chapter of his life quickly coming to an end.
"A lot of us, we've played (together) since we were back in seventh grade," Unga recalled. "All of us stuck together from seventh until now. I don't know, we have a lot of chemistry.
"Being with all these guys, it's like my family pretty much because I spend more time with these guys than my family. After this year we're still going to be close and we're going to do everything together, but it won't be the same as being out there together."
Jackson Unga, Harvey's father, played fullback for BYU in the early '80s. But the younger Unga is undecided about where he'll play his college ball. When he does select a school, Harvey plans on playing for a year before serving an LDS mission.
"(BYU and Utah) are both close to home. Utah's a little bit further, but it's still pretty close. BYU's just right here. I love Utah State, too, because I have family up there. So I'm just going to take my trips and see what they've got to offer, see what school's what."
Unga enjoys time with his girlfriend as well as younger brother Greg, a freshman lineman.
Said Unga: "Right as we started to hit things off, (my girlfriend) just kind of told me, 'I understand where I stand. I'm cool with that because it's football,' " Unga said. "Right there that was a big help for me.
"I also like to hang out with my little brother sometimes. My little brother's a little bigger than me — he weighs around 300 pounds. He does his own thing and I do mine, but when we're around together it's fun to have him around. He's a clown; he likes to mess around a lot. He's a cool guy."