This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2005, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

His nickname is J.Z., and although it is spelled differently than a famous rapper with the same moniker, Jason Zundel did cause more than 99 problems for opponents during a standout prep career at Bear River High.

In football, Zundel was a new-school quarterback because he could beat other teams with his arm and his legs. He played shooting guard for the school's basketball team and led the Bears in scoring during his junior and senior seasons. He batted .530 during his senior season as the baseball team's leadoff hitter.

And after guiding Bear River to its second consecutive Class 3-A football championship - earning Most Valuable Player honors along the way - and earning first-team all-state selections in both basketball and baseball, Zundel is The Salt Lake Tribune's choice for its Male Prep Athlete of the Year for 2004-05.

Zundel's award is a fitting end to a career where he has had his share of success and received the appropriate accolades and attention. He was also the MVP in football and all-state in both basketball and baseball during his junior year.

Through it all, he's stayed level-headed. He's as humble as a sideline-roamer in football, the 12th man in basketball and an expert infield raker in baseball.

Need proof?

"I would say the people around me [are most responsible for my success] because if I didn't have all of my great teammates, I wouldn't have done anything," Zundel said. "I had great athletes at every position around me, whether it was in football, basketball or baseball."

No, Zundel isn't going to talk about how great he was at Bear River. He also doesn't talk trash with his opponents, get in fights or get suspended from school.

"Pretty boring kid," Bear River football coach Chris Wise said. "He just does everything right doesn't he?"

Wise never had any off-the-field problems with Zundel. On the field, he quickly learned what a playmaker he had during his first year as the Bears' coach. When Zundel was a sophomore, he entered summer camp in a battle with teammate Tyrell Marble for the team's starting quarterback position.

Wise used the first game as a gauge to determine which player would emerge as the team's leader. Marble started and Zundel was given his first chance to play after the Bears fell behind Logan 34-0 at halftime.

On Zundel's first possession, he showed the greatness his team grew to expect from him. His first throw went for a touchdown to Marble, who ran a corner route, and had the ball perfectly placed over his outside shoulder.

The quarterback controversy was over.

"Tyrell came jogging off field and said, 'Why don't you go ahead and leave Jason in there and I'll catch touchdown passes as often as you want,' " Wise said. "Jason knew who to get the ball to."

While Zundel broke his collarbone three games later and missed the rest of the season, the foundation was laid for Bear River's two near-perfect years. The Bears were 25-1 in Zundel's final two seasons. Zundel had a 27-2 record as Bear River's starting QB and left the school with 23 consecutive wins.

Despite all of his success on the gridiron, Zundel doesn't plan on playing another down of football. He'll play baseball at Utah Valley State College next year. He had offers from Dixie State and Southern Utah to play football, but passed on them. At 5-foot-10, 165 pounds, Zundel doesn't feel as if he's big enough to hold up for four years of college football.

"I just felt that baseball would be my best opportunity to go farther," Zundel said.

Zundel is still raw in baseball, mostly due to all the time he's spent playing his other two sports.

"It was always busy, but that's the way I like it," Zundel said. "Right now, I don't really have anything to do. It's boring. I had about a week and a half where I didn't know what to do with myself. Playing three sports just keeps you going."

Wise said others shouldn't underestimate what his former quarterback can accomplish in baseball.

"Jason is not deluded; he knows he'll have to work his hardest [to succeed]," Wise said. "From my experiences with him, I know he'll go as far and as fast as he wants to go."