PROVO, Utah -- Britain Covey has been Timpview High School’s starting quarterback for the past two years, leading the Thunderbirds to a 2013 state championship.
The team remains undefeated in its current season.
But for Covey, football isn't just an interest, it's a family affair.
"My mom has a sign hanging up in our kitchen that says 'All you need is love… and football,'" Covey said.
Tradition runs deep for the Covey family at Timpview High.
"Watching both my brothers play quarterback here at Timpview was really fun. They won state championships, as well as my uncle in '97 here at Timpview. So, there is a tradition of quarterbacks in the Covey family, so I guess that's why,” Covey said.
Covey has continued the family tradition of being a talented quarterback for the football team.
In the team’s second game of the 2014 season, they traveled to play Mission Hills High School in San Marcos, Calif.
Covey scored all six of the Thunderbirds' touchdowns, running for 257 yards, including a 92-yard run touchdown.
"My dad will probably be mad at me saying this but my mom gives me my speed. People can be really athletic and really fast, they are not great runners. You can have someone be really slow, but he knows how to run and he's more effective and so if you can put both of those together, it's 10 times more effective. Once I realized I had the speed, I worked on cutting skills, I worked on, well I think a lot of it's just instinct," Covey said.
But, maybe it's his size that helps gets the best of opposing teams. Covey is listed on the roster as 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighing 170 pounds.
"I think my size gives me an advantage -- rather than looking at it as a disadvantage, I look at is as being able to be more agile because of it. I think, also, it makes people a bit frustrated because you'll see these big guys come after me because, ‘oh that little kid is so small, I want to kill him,’ and they will come after me so hard. It's so easy to get around them because you don't really have to do much because they are just coming so hard at you," Covey said.
Football isn't the main focus for Covey. He doesn't know where he's headed in life, but he places his education before anything else.
"Obviously, it's nice to have a scholarship to college because you get your schooling paid for and that's the most important. I'm not really sure. I like what my dad does for a living; I think it's really interesting so we'll see. Maybe continue the Covey family tradition of becoming an author. I'll write a book on something," Covey said.
