The dais was a little crowded on April 25 at Fort Lupton High School.
And with good reason.
Five athletes signed their letters of intent to move on to the world of college athletics.
“It’s something that, when you start in sports, you always dream of,” said FLHS athletic director Richard Jacoby. “I’m looking forward to seeing what these athletes can do at the next level.”
Anastacia Salazar
All it took was a visit to Northwest Kansas Technical College in Goodland, Kansas, for her to make her choice.
That and the option to compete in two sports: softball and wrestling
“I met the softball coach and I fell in love with her,” Salazar said. “I went to the campus. The campus was absolutely amazing. I love small towns. It’s smaller than Fort Lupton. I met her a year ago. She kept in contact with me, trying to get me to go there.”
She considered Penn-State Mont Alto (“We decided that was too far”). She also thought about Lamar Community College in Colorado and Seward Community College in Kansas. But neither of those schools offered softball, which is Salazar’s main sport.
Salazar wants to be a medical assistant.
“Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve liked helping people,” she said. “I want to do my part and help people as much as I can.”
She’s scared to leave home.
“But I’m ready,” she said. “I’m excited. It’s going to be complicated (competing in two sports). But I can do it.”
Camren Galicia
Galicia’s choice was to continue his wrestling career at Otero Junior College in La Junta, Colorado. The decision was easy.
“They were the first college to offer. They showed me around the town,” Galicia said. “It reminded me of Fort Lupton. Everyone knows each other right away. I knew I would fit in right away. I’m ready to grow up.”
He wants to become a counselor.
“A lot of my friends ask me for advice,” he said. “I give them advice, and they are like, ‘You should be a counselor.’ I thought I’d try it out. I try to help out everyone I can. I want to do that for a career.”
Galicia admitted to a combination of apprehension and nerves as he awaits his next chapter.
“I haven’t been away from my mom for a long time,” he said. “But I’m ready.”
Payton Faulhaber
Faulhaber opted to play volleyball at Bethel College in North Newton, Kansas.
“It’s out of state and it’s small,” Faulhaber said. “I like the volleyball program. I love the small community here. And it’s a religious school. It’s going to be a smaller school. It’ll be something I’m familiar with. So, I’m excited.”
She wants to study marketing with the hopes of becoming a salesperson.
“I’ve wanted to go into business. My family has some things to do with business,” she said. “I’ve always been around it. It’s a good money-maker.”
Faulhaber is ready to take her next step.
“I’m not scared. I won’t have to be with thousands of people,” she said. “I didn’t want to go far. But I wanted to try new things and be on my own.”
Last but not least
Earlier this year, D’mitri Garza-Alarcon signed on with Western Wyoming Community College.
Rylee Balcazar decided to attend Chadron State College in Nebraska.
Both won state wrestling titles this winter. It was his fourth straight, while Balcazar won her second crown.