By John RittenhouseThe journey that led to a scouting position with the Houston Texans began in Luverne for Monti Ossenfort.The 26-year old son of Rodger and Dianne Ossenfort, was raised here after being born in Kansas, and he has fond memories of the town he still calls his home.Many may recall that Monti was a standout athlete at Luverne High School in the 1990s, competing in varsity sports during the fall, winter and spring seasons.Ossenfort played the quarterback position for then LHS head coach Joel Swanson for two seasons.Ossenfort shared the position with Andrew Suby as a junior in 1994, when the Cardinals earned a share of the Southwest Conference championship.He was tabbed the team’s No. 1 quarterback in 1995, when Luverne won its first outright SWC title in seven years and compiled a 7-2 overall record.Ossenfort also was a two-year starter for the Luverne boys’ basketball program.A solid forward, Monti was one of the senior leaders of the 1995-96 LHS team that won a sub-section championship and moved to within one win of advancing to the state tournament before falling to MACCRAY in the Section 3A championship game.Ossenfort was a successful tennis player when spring rolled around during his high school days. He was a two-time singles qualifier for the state tournament, and he formed a doubles team that advanced to state as a senior.After graduating from LHS in 1996, Ossenfort went on to play football at the University of Minnesota-Morris. He was the starting quarterback for the Cougars during his junior and senior college seasons.Graduating with majors in economics and management from Morris, he attended graduate school at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. He picked up two degrees at OU, including a master’s degree in sports administration.Ossenfort accepted his first scouting summer internship with the Minnesota Vikings in 2001, and took similar positions with the Houston Texans and New England Patriots in 2002 and 2003 respectively. He now works as a College Scout and a Pro and College Scouting Assistant for the Houston Texans."I have always hoped to get a job in the NFL, and it started with a summer internship with the Vikings," Ossenfort said. "Since then I’ve been blessed to get a couple of opportunities with the Texans, and had a great year with the Patriots. This was something I wanted to try, and I’ve been lucky enough to keep it going."Ossenfort credits the upbringing provided by his parents as being the key to success during his young NFL career."I couldn’t have done anything without my mom and dad. Their support, both financially and emotionally, has been fantastic. They are the best parents I could ever hope for," he said.