They hit the field every game with intensity and maximum effort, propelling their teams to victory and themselves into college. Two athletes from PHS are already committed to colleges primarily for their excellence in athletics.

Senior Ryan Ellis is a Division III commit for lacrosse at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia. It gives him a favorable chance to get into the school because they support your application, Ellis said.

Junior Kesy Platt is also committed to Sonoma State University for soccer but under different circumstances. Since she is a junior she can only perform a verbal commitment, which is not binding but it is unlikely for any coach or player to turn down, said Platt.

In Platt’s case, there were many schools showing interest in her. Schools such as Washington University in St. Louis, USC, Southern Oregon, University of Arkansas, Central Michigan, University of Washington, Western Washington, Rohde Island University, and Michigan.

Washington and Lee wasn’t the only Division III School that looked at Ellis. Kenyon, Haverford, and Gettysburg all offered to support his admission. Some athletes play for club teams whose coaches have connections with college coaches but Ellis played under different circumstances.

“The great thing about many of the select teams in the bay area is that they aren’t coaching the team to win,” Ellis said. “They are coaching the team so California gets exposure and the players get into the schools they want to go to, while continuing their lacrosse career.”

Ellis was caught in a competitive environment when it came to lacrosse recruiting. Free time was decreased and it took a great amount of commitment on his end in order to get to this position.

“In the end, although it was a lot of work, it was worth it for the stress that is relieved this first semester of senior year,” Ellis said.

Platt’s club team is coached by the UC Berkeley women’s soccer coach and he has connections when it comes to recruiting for colleges.

“He has tons of connections, so he helps by contacting coaches for us. But for the exposure part, we go to tons of college showcases, and that’s usually the big events you get seen at,” Platt said.

With hard work and many sacrifices, these players were able to make it to the collegiate sports level.

Ellis spent a lot of time with both the PHS team and his club team where weekends were sometimes given up and devoted to becoming recruited. He also played in many showcases and events individually along with friends and teammates throughout the year and during the summer.

“I put a majority of my summer into playing lacrosse and being recruited. It was a lot, but that is what it takes to get noticed and decide what is right for you,” Ellis said. “As for my club team during the summer, there were multiple practices on the weekends as well as week-long events and tournaments we played in.”

Platt trains almost consistently with a mixture of team practice, individual practice, and individual training with games on the weekend.

“I practice out in Pleasanton, so it’s an hour out to my field, a 2 hour practice, then I usually will have to attend keeper practice afterward for an hour and that happens twice a week,” Platt said, “I practice Monday through Friday and have games on the weekend in addition to a lot of individual training at the field.”

Ellis said he finds the process rewarding not just for those who are recruited but other students as well.

“My reaction from this experience is that no matter where someone ends up, they will have a good time and find that the school will fit them even if it is on the bottom of their college list,” Ellis said. “As long as people work to their potential and give themselves as many opportunities as they can, great things will happen, and it will be so worth it in the end.”

Platt said that this process pays off and is all worth in the end as I make the burden of school as lot easier to deal with.

“The biggest payoff is that I’m done, after all those years of stressing, I got what I wanted, and now I can focus more on school because I’m done with all my college stuff as a junior,” Platt said.

Ryan finds this experience truly valuable and said that this opened doors that he wouldn’t have necessarily considered if he hadn’t been recruited.

“In my experience, lacrosse was going to get me into a school I may not have been accepted to otherwise, and now that it has happened, I feel very accomplished, and proud that my work paid off,” Ellis said.

Ellis knows he’s done and said that relief is the main feeling that he is experiencing because he is already done with the college process.

“Another reason this is a relief is the many hours I would spend on college applications and research is now not necessary, for I am only applying to one school,” Ellis said. “This way I can really focus on my essay and supplements, as well as my first semester grades.”