College hopeful high school athletes navigate pandemic implications

Luke Werner dedicated himself to the game of football at a young age. From hitting the field early in the wet, morning dew, and practicing after school until it was so dark he couldn't see the ball, it is safe to say that for this Boulder High School senior, life revolves around football.

After playing 9 games total his sophomore and junior year, MaxPreps credited Wernerwith nearly 200 all-purpose yards at wide receiver. Although he specializes in being an impact player on offense, Werner is also a defensive fixture at cornerback. His versatility on the field has made him a desirable target for college coaches, but today his future is far from certain.

The impacts of COVID-19 have taken a toll on high school and collegiate athletics. Roster sizes are volatile, money is lost and for 58 of the 276 high school football programs in Colorado, there won't be a fall season and thus no game film to prove an athlete's worth.

In most years, securing the ever-important game film is a crucial step for high school student-athletes hoping to display their talent to college coaches. Werner's Panthers are one of those programs that will have to wait until the spring for game film of his senior season.

Besides game film, "coaches really don't take much else seriously," Werner said.

To get a more complete picture of a player, watching how they perform in game situations is crucial. There aren't any stats for the blocking capability of a wide receiver, for example, and not all receiving yards are created equal. Exceptional plays won't be seen until spring either, all culminating in a guessing game for college coaches.

Hudl is a popular outlet for student-athletes to post game and season highlights. Werner's Hudl profilehas been suspiciously quiet since the Panthers' last game in 2019. His 2019 highlight reel waits patiently as the last evidence of his high school success.

For Boulder head football coach Ryan Bishop, no fall season means that his college hopefuls must play their best early on in the spring. "Your first game has to be your best game because then I can send your first game (film) off (to college coaches)," Bishop said.

Colorado high schools were given the option between a fall and spring season and Bishop opted for a spring football season in hopes of staving off the pandemic. While health and safety triumphed, the decision has only complicated Werner's aspirations.

"It's kind of weird right now," Werner said. "I don't really know what that's going to look like at the moment because I feel like I really need some senior film to prove what I can do at the next level and obviously I'm going to have to wait till the spring to get that."

While it's still too early to understand what this all means for college athletics, the NCAA has already made adjustments to compensate. Louis Birch is a Colorado-based recruiting managerwho helps high school athletes promote themselves and connect with college coaches. Birch specializes in baseball recruiting and said perhaps the biggest impact of COVID-19 on recruiting is that the NCAA "dead period," a time when college coaches can't see student-athletes in person, has been extended to last from April to Jan. 2021.

"Without kids not being seen live," Birch said, "it's really made it challenging not only for the coaches and of course the student-athletes, but the coaches are having to now make decisions based solely on video."

Typical markers, such as bench pressing capability or hitting exit velocity for baseball players, are now basically the only way that college coaches are able to evaluate prospects. Evaluating intangibles, such as passion or game IQ, is nearly impossible to gauge without access to games or showcases.

"It's a lot easier to evaluate a player if you have some data," Birch said. "For your 5-foot-10 second baseman who's a grinder and he's a hell of a player, but he doesn't stand out with measurables, that's the kid that's really suffering."

Birch has only ramped up his efforts to make that high schooler's dream come true. In the ever-increasing technological world, the pandemic has made video even more important.

"We're just having to reach out to more programs than ever before," Birch said. "It's taking more of a conscious effort of proactively marketing these guys every single week."

In a normal year, Werner would mostly likely be a shoo-in at the college level. But now, he said his focus has shifted to simply getting better and sending game film after he applies to colleges. Werner said he has also considered the safety net option of walking on to a college program.

For Division III schools that may not have the financial means to scout beyond film, Werner said he was especially worried for his teammates looking to play at that level. However, there is a bright side for Boulder High student-athletes according to Werner, as the Panthers will be one of the few teams playing come spring.

Similar to years in the past, Bishop has already taken the initiative to help his players out in these challenging times. He has used his athletes' "wish list" to contact college programs and advertise his players.

"(I) did that just as if we're playing right now and I didn't have a single school write me back and say, 'Oh sorry we're only recruiting the fall,'" Bishop said. "They're recruiting the spring as well because they have to."

Without a fall football season, Bishop has had more time to contact college coaches about his players. As of Oct. 30, most D-I schools and every Power 5 conference have accepted a fall season, but at the D-II level, just nine of 169 programs are playing as of mid-Sept.

"I have a lot more time now to call and kind of keep hounding these guys," Bishop said. "It's been within 24 (to) 48 hours (to get a response) because these college coaches are doing the same thing. They've got a lot more time now to prepare and watch film and recruit and answer emails so they're doing that as well. I definitely have a lot more time to sell my kids for sure."

Although he acknowledged that Boulder doesn't have a plethora of D-I talent, Bishop predicts that lower level college programs will understand and adjust how they recruit.

"The country understands right now that people are not playing (and) that people are going to play in the spring," Bishop said. "All of a sudden it's not like they're going to stop recruiting California because California is not playing right now. What they're going to do is they're going to recruit the same kids."

Werner was comforted by Bishop's confidence in the future. "He assures everyone that playing in the spring, as long as you play to your best ability and you have a good season, it really won't affect recruiting that much. It'll look different but as long as you're still good, they'll still want you," Werner said.

At nearby Niwot High School, head football coach Nikolas Blume agreed on a seven-game fall seasonfor his Cougars. Because Niwot has fewer students and could compete with more rural schools, a fall season became feasible. Senior quarterback and college hopeful Ayden Bartko was the beneficiary of a fall season.

"It's a very big deal to me trying to go play college football, trying to get a scholarship (and) trying to get some of the education paid for," Bartko said. "The quarantine and during (the) COVID situation, (was) kind of nuts but it's basically all virtual like all the film and stuff. Luckily, I had a good year last year and got all my highlights sent out. But they're just going off of transcripts and film from what they see."

Bartko's character is probably best explained through his work ethic. While most people are asleep, he spends his Sunday mornings with his personal quarterback coach. Before the ensuing game week has even begun, Bartko is a step ahead. His weekend kickback is perfecting his throw on the slant route.

The senior QB impressed with a 92.1 quarterback ratinglast year and threw for 916 yards in six games in 2020.Although the Cougars finished with a 1-6 record, Bartko was a bright spot for the Cougars and has attracted college attention. Blume believes that Bartko has the talent to play at the next level and said that playing a fall season will only move that along.

As for spring football programs that don't begin games until mid-March, they could be handcuffed by the April 1, 2021 Division I signing date and the Aug. 1 deadline for D-II schools. Bartko was empathetic towards those players cutting their future so close.

"For us to get off the ground now did him a favor with all the (college) coaches that were already interested," Blume said prior to the season. "He's going to get an opportunity to show his skills now and then ride out the winter and keep talking to some schools and have some film to show them now in the fall versus in the spring."

Although Bartko is still uncertain about his college destination, he said he has been working hard to reach out to coaches.