Nine Eagle Valley Seniors Sign Letters of Intent for Collegiate Athletics

Do you remember the specific weight of a signed letter of intent? It’s not much — just a sheet of paper, maybe two ounces — but in the spring of 2025, it carried the gravitational pull of an entire community’s hope for the next decade. Nine Eagle Valley High School seniors stood in that spotlight on May 6, trading the familiar turf of John Kauinana Stadium and the dusty tracks of the valley for the broader, louder arenas of collegiate athletics. This wasn’t just a signing ceremony; it was a transfer of stewardship, a moment where the local identity of the Devils began to stretch across state lines, from Missouri to Nebraska, from Montana to Oklahoma.

The air in the gymnasium that day must have felt thick with the kind of pride that only comes from watching your own rise. Lauryn Albers, who helped anchor the softball team with ten hits and seven RBIs this season, is heading to Hannibal LaGrange University in Missouri. It’s a long way from the Vail Valley, but the Trojans’ NAIA status suggests a competitive, tight-knit environment that mirrors the community spirit we value here. Then there are the Blair twins, Dylan and Tyler, who didn’t just play cross-country and track; they rewrote the record books. Tyler, holding the 1,600 and 800-meter records, is bound for Montana State University, while Dylan, the 4A state cross-country runner-up and U18 Mountain Running Cup gold medalist, is taking his 5,000-meter dominance to Northern Arizona University. It’s worth noting that their older sister, Samantha, already paved that path, making the Blairs a dynasty of distance running that stretches from the high school bleachers to Division I stadia.

If you look closely at the roster, you see the versatility that defines modern high school athletics. Jason Flaherty, who could run the 5,000 meters and also place fourth in the high jump at the 2026 state track meet, is joining Fort Lewis College. He’ll be running alongside former Devils Armando Fuentes and Cooper Filmore, continuing a legacy of multi-disciplinary excellence that Fort Lewis is known for. Meanwhile, on the gridiron, Nathan Leeper and Keaden Lake are carrying the football torch. Leeper, who led the Devils to a 9-0 start this fall and qualified for the 2025 state wrestling tournament, is heading to Taylor University. He’s not just a linebacker with 74 tackles; he’s a kicker who went 17-for-17 on PATs, a detail that speaks to the precision required in both sports. Lake, who led the team in receptions and touchdowns, is choosing Western Colorado University, bringing his 36 career touchdowns to the Mountaineers.

There’s a warmth to these departures, but also a quiet anxiety. When your best athletes leave, who fills the void? Evan Wilson is taking his bowling to Oklahoma Christian University, and Luis Montes is headed to Hastings College in Nebraska for soccer. Julia Borejszo, who qualified for state in both wrestling and golf, rounds out the group, adding another layer of depth to the class. These aren’t just statistics on a page; they are the kids who walked the same halls you did, who ate lunch in the same cafeteria, who might have been the ones helping you change a tire or shoveling your driveway last winter.

The signing event was a celebration, yes, but it was also a reminder of the transient nature of high school success. The records set by the Blairs will stand for years, perhaps decades, waiting for the next generation to challenge them. The football team will need to rebuild its offensive identity without Lake’s 715 yards. The wrestling program will miss Leeper’s dual-threat capability. Yet, as the seniors pack their bags and head to Missouri, Nebraska, and beyond, they take the Valley with them. The light hitting the gymnasium windows that afternoon didn’t just illuminate their faces; it illuminated the future of Eagle Valley High, a future that is now spread across the map, one signed letter at a time.