downtown H I G H L A N D

He had options.
Choosing a school was a grueling choice for Justin.

On his whirlwind trip to Kansas looking at schools in January {with Jim}, he had a chance to meet coaches, look at dorms and check out financial packages that were put out on the table.


downtown Highland

Of the five schools he visited, Highland was the first he was ready to eliminate.

The private schools were very impressive with beautiful campuses and updated everything.

One school {Friends} had newer dorms which were more like luxury hotel room.

He was also impressed with the coaches and it helped that they threw it out there that he could likely play whatever position he wanted.

They were quite convincing making his decision that much harder.

At Highland, the Wellness Center was about the only thing he was impressed with. His time was limited with less than an hour to even to even talk with the coaches- most of the recruiting process took place over the phone.

their apartment building

Having his friend, Payton as the first to take the plunge and commit to Highland- Justin put them back in the running ultimately committing as well.

Justin's goal has always been to play Division 1 football. Getting noticed by coaches while living here is next to impossible.

He also knew if he signed with one of the four-year private colleges in Kansas, he would feel obligated to play there his whole four years.

That left him with the best option of playing at a junior college. It's a two-year program in which they focus on getting them ready to jump up to another school.

Highland is at bottom of the rankings {7th out of 8} in the Jayhawk league with a new coaching staff working to turn things around. Justin is a part of their first recruiting class. His head coach has an impressive resume and history of turning programs around and has stated several times they are going to do things the right way.

HCC field

We've only talked to Justin once this week. He was exhausted. They have them working out on the field and in the weight room with a maxed out schedule leaving very little free time.

He's been up early {5:30 the other day} and to bed late.

When I asked him what he needed he said, "A break."

Their apartment doesn't look super nice, but that's ok. Simple is sometimes good. There is nex tto nothing in Highland with a population of around 1,000.

Luckily, there is a Walmart in the next town.

Looking at pictures, the field looks mediocre at best. Thinking about it- that's all he really needs right now.

That being said, he smiled just about the whole twenty-minute conversation we had with him. He hasn't complained about a thing.

I know he hasn't even been there a week, but feel this is the first step to big things ahead. No distractions should make it easier for him to focus on school and football.

With his work ethic and drive, I can't wait to see what he does next.

We're so proud.