By Patrick Klein
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Torey Hunter has spent the better part of 13 years looking out for his younger cousin, Singor Mobley. Through Pee-Wee and high school football, Hunter, older by one year, and Mobley played on the same teams and grew up together.
It was Hunter that Mobley turned to for advice on where to go to college and again when football got frustrating during his freshman year.
Now, as the starting strong safety for Washington State, Mobley is finally able to return the favor and look out for Hunter, who is the Cougars' starting left cornerback.
"If he isn't in the right place or is in trouble, I know to help him out and cover his man," Mobley, now a senior, said about his position in the back of the Cougar defense. "We know each others' responsibilites and we help out."
The two met on the little league football field in Tacoma, Wash., when Hunter was in second grade and Mobley was in first, playing for Mobley's dad. Hunter was the quarterback/linebacker and Hunter was the running back/cornerback.
Both went to Curtis High in Tacoma, and both starred as two-way players. Hunter was all-league at both wide receiver and cornerback while Mobley was all-state at both running back and defensive back.
"He was the heart and we were the arteries of the offense," said Hunter about his cousin. "Everytime he touched the ball it was a potential touchdown. We (the wide receivers) would get into trouble sometimes because we'd miss our blocks because we'd be watching him."
After Mobley graduated from Curtis, he was swamped by colleges wanting his services. But a rumor that he would be academically ineligible to play soured many of the schools that were interested in him. That's when Mobley sought out Hunter, who was already a starter at Washington State.
"After the SATs, schools backed off on him a bit," said Hunter, who owns the NCAA record for most passes intercepted in a game by a freshman with three. "He knew I would shoot him straight about where to go, that I wasn't a recruiting tool. He visited Washington State and fell in love with the program."
The Cougars suffered through a disappointing season Mobley's freshman year, and again it was Hunter, now a redshirt senior, that helped him through the frustration and anger.
"My freshman year we didn't have a good record," Mobley said. "I was very upset, but he took me aside and we talked about it. That helped a lot."
This season marks the last time the two will be playing on the same team. With 13 years of experence together, the two have developed an instinct for what the other will do, and that translates into better results on the field.
"You can't teach it," Hunter said about the pair's communication. "When me and Singor are on the field, coaches don't worry about it."