EHS Senior Spotlight: Terenn Houk, Bound for BYU

Getting into college is a daunting task, but Enumclaw High School senior Terrenn Houk has taken this task head-on. He has turned  an opportunity which began with a high school all-star football game into his ultimate dream of playing football at the Division 1 level while getting a great education, as part of a unique arrangement entering Brigham Young University this fall as a non-LDS athlete and student.

Houk got his big break with an invite to the All-Polynesian All Star Football game down in California back in January, where he participated against several players with division 1 scholarship offers.

"I went down there and just worked my tail off," Houk said. I also met Alex Kuresa, a BYU recruit who talked to the BYU coaches about me when he got home and then that's when I started getting calls from BYU, and calls from places like Washington, UCLA, and other division 2 and division 3 colleges."

Hornet head football coach Donald Bartel believes Houk gained valuable experience gained while down in California. "It helped him to go down there and be up against top flight competition," he said. "He also was not intimidated by the surroundings and being around so many players with division 1 scholarship offers." 

Keeping a level head and doing his best amongst such talented players required practice and discipline, said Houk as he reflected on how he prepared himself though his high school career.  "I did a lot of work at the Barton Academy, and went to a lot of other combines, and camps were colleges were at," he said. "I also just worked on the little things to make myself better."

Houk took an official visit in late January to the BYU campus and it did not take long for him to know that this was the place for him to pursue his college education and college football dreams.

"The culture on the campus and around the city in Provo was something I knew I wanted to be a part of," he said. "The players also helped me with ways that you can still have fun and stay within the guidelines of the BYU honor code while being a non-LDS athlete."

Houk also got a strong impression from meeting with BYU head football coach Bronco Mendenhall while on his official visit to the campus.

"Coach Mendenhall is like a coach and a mentor," Houk said. "I know that I will learn a lot of life skills playing for him,"

Bartel said, "(Terrenn) and I have talked about the LDS culture and honor code and the core conduct values are the same even with Terenn being a Christian."

Steve Heaps, the father of BYU quarterback Jake Heaps, who is from Skyline High School in Issaquah, also reached out to Houk after he committed to BYU, according to Bartel.

With his Enumclaw High School graduation coming up soon in June, Houk is looking forward to getting to Provo and starting both his football and his academic pursuits at Brigham Young.

"I just want make the best possible player I can be and the be the best person possible," Houk said. "I'm totally committed to giving it everything I got." 

Brigham Young University will begins its first year as an independent football program for the upcoming 2011 football season.