Fossil Ridge High School has produced some great student athletes ever since opening in 2014. Some of the most recent players to play in college that went to Fossil Ridge High School include students such as Garret Bryant, J.J. Bissel, Chris Hanson, Rhianna Williams and many more. This year is no different. FRHS is once again sending a lot of its students to play in college. As many as 17 students from Fossil have either are either playing for a college team or have committed and will attend after they graduate. Not only are a lot of students playing in college, but they are representing a wide variety of sports such as track and field, swimming, basketball, baseball, golf, soccer and more.

Players tend to choose to play a sport in college for many different reasons. FRHS senior Sarah Danettell is a player who is playing volleyball in college and will be attending Northwest Missouri State University and it has been a “dream ever since she was little.” She said that it was appealing to play in college because she was offered a full ride to play and the thought of making so many memories for such ha small price was an influential factor. Playing in college allows her to meet people before school starts, when the team starts to train. This allows her to be acclimated to the new surroundings by the time school starts. Another benefit she sees in playing a sport in colleges is that she knows she will always have a team to rely for school and if she ever is going through a rough time. The chance to meet people with the same interests and that are going through the same struggles is something that is very reassuring for her.

Another senior at FRHS that is playing a sport in college is Lauren Groff. Groff, who will be playing softball at Black Hills State University, has many of the same aspirations that Danettell has. Like Danattell, Groff has always wanted to play in college since she was little. “Being from Texas, playing a sport in college has always been a big deal,” Groff said. Some of the advantages of playing a sport in college according to Groff include the, “chance to meet new people, learn to work together well, and it also looks great on a job application.”

Despite the overwhelming amount of positive things that playing in college has to offer, there are some negative aspects as well. Danettell said “it will be tough to cope with practice every day plus the vigorous course work and training that is necessary to be successful.” Also, she must maintain her grades in order to keep her scholarship. These factors, in tandem with other potential cons to playing in college, have deterred some from continuing their pursuit of collegiate sports.

In the end, the athlete must weigh the pros and cons of playing college sports and decide what is best for them. They must decide what will benefit them the most in their future in not only college, but their career as well. If the athlete feels they have a chance to play past college and turn their athletic abilities into a career, then it makes a lot of sense. Also, playing collegiate sports will shape their lives in unique ways and can transform their careers, whether it’s as an athlete or not.

The following list includes all of the students that will be playing sports in college next year or have committed to playing when they graduate. We apologize if we leave out anybody on the list.