Football: Kissinger Finds Success With Louisiana-Monroe

SPRINGDALE -- Fans watching LSU play Louisiana-Monroe on national TV recently had to be impressed with the guy making many of the stops for the Warhawks.

He is Hunter Kissinger, a junior from Springdale Har-Ber.

LSU won 31-0 but Kissinger had nine tackles and a sack from his position at middle linebacker. For the season, Kissinger is third on the team with 21 tackles and he has an interception return for four yards.

He is a defensive leader for the Warhawks after starting seven games last season as a sophomore.

"Hunter is the epitome of what you want, not just with your linebackers, but what you would like all your players to aspire to be," ULM coach Todd Berry said. "He has a tremendous work ethic and great leadership skills. He has also been a tremendous student. He will graduate with his degree in December in 3 ½ years and will begin working on his masters."

Berry's words are indeed high praise for a player who did not receive much recruiting attention from Division I schools as a senior in high school. Former Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino wanted Kissinger to walk on. Oklahoma State showed some interest then backed off before the national signing period.

Kissinger brushed the slights aside and found his fit with the Warhawks, who are a member of the Sun Belt Conference.

"I just wanted a chance to play college ball and I'm getting to do that," said Kissinger, who redshirted at ULM as a freshman. "It's such a blessing and I love the area down here. Sometimes, you can get comfortable in your environment and I came down here not knowing anybody. When that happens, you can find yourself as a person and become who you want to be."

Kissinger is getting plenty of SEC action even if it's from the opposing side of the field. Besides LSU, the Warhawks have games at Kentucky Oct. 11 and Texas A&M Nov. 1. Next year, the Warhawks will face Alabama and Georgia in addition to Big 12 powerhouse Oklahoma.

"There's nothing like playing in those big stadiums and in environments like at LSU," Kissinger said. "Just to look around and see all of those fans is exciting. During warm-ups at LSU, (coach) Les Miles came over and wished us good look. We didn't play well, but it was a great experience getting to play in a game down there."

Kissinger also had a great experience at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock in 2012. That's when the Warhawks rallied from a 28-7 deficit to defeat the Razorbacks 34-31 in overtime. It was the first win for ULM over an SEC team since beating Alabama in 2007.

Kissinger saw a lot of familiar faces that day, including Brey Cook, his former teammate at Har-Ber. Cook is now a senior starter for the Razorbacks.

"Brey is a good friend and we talk quite a bit, but I don't say too much about that game," Kissinger said. "It was a joy for me to look out there and so him playing for the Razorbacks. The thing I remember most is getting to play on special teams and tackling Knile Davis. That was my first tackle in college."

Kissinger made a lot of tackles in 2009 when he and Cook helped lead the Har-Ber to a state championship in just its fourth year as a varsity program. Kissinger had 10 tackles, including a sack, when Har-Ber beat Fort Smith Southside 27-6 in the state championship game.

As a senior, Kissinger made 85 tackles, with one sack, and two forced fumbles for a team that finished 10-3.

"Hunter was outstanding for us and one of the best linebackers in the state his senior year," Har-Ber coach Chris Wood said. "He could've fit on the hill (Arkansas) but for whatever reason, that didn't work out. He found a place that fit him and every year he's gotten better, from special teams to a starting position at linebacker. He's having great success on the field and he's started an FCA group, where about 80 people attend. He's impacting that area down there in ways that are bigger than football."

Har-Ber started 9-0 and finished 12-1 in 2009. The Wildcats won consecutive overtime games against Rogers Heritage and Fort Smith Southside before losing 17-0 to Bentonville to end the regular season. The defeat served as a wakeup call for Har-Ber, which drew a first-round bye before beating Russellville, Cabot, and Southside in the playoffs.

"When we were 9-0, we kind of got on our high horse," said Kissinger, who was in Springdale last weekend for the first game in Har-Ber's new stadium. "But losing to Bentonville showed we weren't invincible. After that, we went into the playoffs with a different mindset and won it all. That was the first time I'd been to War Memorial Stadium and to win it all was a special moment I'll never forget."

Louisiana-Monroe started 2-0 this season with wins over Wake Forest and Idaho before being trampled at LSU. The Warhawks then play Sun Belt Conference games against Troy and Arkansas State, mixed in with SEC games at Kentucky and LSU.

Louisiana-Monroe hopes to challenge for a conference championship and play in a bowl game, like in 2012 when the Warhawks lost to Miami (Ohio) in the Independence Bowl at Shreveport, La.

"It's always our goal to win conference and be in the Top 25 in the polls," Kissinger said. "To do that, we have to make a big splash by winning some of these big games coming up. I think we have the team to do that."

Sports on 09/28/2014