Ronan standout student-athlete is hungry for more

RONAN — Ronan senior Marcus Hungerford is jetting to Billings.

The Chiefs’ second-team all-state cornerback signed his letter of intent to play for Rocky Mountain College on Friday, March 29, joining the Battlin’ Bears secondary.

RONAN — Ronan senior Marcus Hungerford is jetting to Billings.

The Chiefs’ second-team all-state cornerback signed his letter of intent to play for Rocky Mountain College on Friday, March 29, joining the Battlin’ Bears secondary.

“It’s been a goal and a dream since I was young to play on the next level and to get this opportunity means a lot,” Hungerford said.

Hungerford has a few months left in Ronan as he wraps up what’s been a very successful career as a Chief, not just on the field, court or track, but in the classroom as well. The three-sport star, currently carrying a 3.4 GPA is coming off his final year of basketball, having played in both the Senior Classic and the Mission Valley All-Star Game.

“That was fun because you beat up on kids, then you finally get a chance to talk to them,” Hungerford said. “There were some kids we knew of, but didn’t know and it made it that much more fun to play in.”

The Mission-Valley All-Star Game will be a lasting memory for Hungerford for its theatrics. His team down late, Hungerford put a move on Ronan teammate Edmond Dupuis and hit an off-balance three-pointer to give his team the lead. Dupuis then answered with a circus shot game-winner as Hungerford was draped all over him.

“He knew since the Troy game where I hit the shot to send it to overtime that I was going to come down and shoot it,” Hungerford said. “He looked at me after I stepped under him and said, ‘I’m gonna get you back.’ When he hit that last-second shot, all I could do was laugh at him. It was a nice shot.”

That’s just one memory Hungerford will take with him as he departs Ronan for Billings. Another will be the community feel that he’s had the chance to be a part of over the last several years.

“The best feeling was waking up after a football or basketball game and people you don’t know come up to you and talk to you about the game,” Hungerford said. “That’s kind of why I chose Rocky is because it’s small and that’s one thing that I grew up with.”

Hungerford looked around a little bit at other colleges and universities, namely Montana Tech, Montana State and Montana, but decided on RMC because of his experience in Ronan.

“It’s more close-knit and I like that,” Hungerford said. “It’s not too far from home, but it’s not too close.”

There will also be a bit of familiarity with his classmates, as Dupuis and fellow Chief Robbie Gauthier will be making the trip east as well. When he’s not spending time with his current friends or making new ones, Hungerford will be studying medicine in the hopes of becoming a doctor or orthopedic surgeon.

With the trip to Billings right around the corner, Hungerford is ready for whatever the next phase of his life has to offer but acknowledged the great times he had in Ronan.

“I really don’t know what to expect at all,” Hungerford said. “I’m just really looking forward to playing football there.

“It’s been a great four years at Ronan,” he added. “All the fans and my schoolmates have been great supporters. It’s been a fun, fast four years.”