Central's Prescott signs for football and track at Northern State

Feb. 2—CHEYENNE — Since he was in the third grade, Richard Prescott knew that he was destined to compete in collegiate athletics.

On Wednesday, that dream came true as the Cheyenne Central senior inked his national letter of intent to compete in football and track and field at Northern State University, an NCAA Division II school in Aberdeen, South Dakota.

"I've been working on this since last football season," Prescott said. "It finally has all come together."

Prescott's recruiting adventures started last summer, when he and his father went to multiple camps across California and Arizona. Following those camps, he continued to reach out to various schools.

He received his first offer later on from Western Colorado University, followed by Black Hills State, Dakota Wesleyan University, Northern State and Dickinson State. Prescott also drew some interest from the University of Wyoming, but nothing ever ended up materializing.

Eventually, he decided to go with Northern State. The main reason was the impression the coaching staff made on him.

"The coaches were awesome," Prescott said. "On my visit, I had a one-on-one conversation with them in coach (Mike) Schmidt's office. They are just great guys."

This fall, Prescott will be joining a Wolves team that is coming off a 6-5 season (3-3 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference). He will also be joining a track and field team that placed five male athletes in the top eight of the NSIC championships and had one athlete win the 2022 NCAA National Championship in the hammer throw.

"To have the opportunity to play football and track in college is an amazing adventure to undertake," Central boys track and field coach Bruce Mowry said. "It will be really exciting to watch him grow, not only as an athlete, but as a student."

Prescott is coming off a stellar football season and is currently in the midst of a strong indoor track and field season. During his senior campaign, Prescott helped anchor the back end of the Central defense, which finished second in Class 4A in total defense.

He recorded 48 1/2 tackles, three tackles for loss and 3 1/2 sacks. Prescott also contributed on the offensive end and special teams. His 11.1 yards per carry were the highest on the team, and his 92.3 total yards per game ranked second on the team. His two kick return touchdowns were tops in 4A, as well.

"It is obvious that Richard's skills and abilities are off the charts, but he truthfully enjoyed being active and being a good teammate," Central football coach Mike Apodaca said. "As a coach, those were the things that really impressed me. He is just starting in the football world."

Prescott's track season went just as well. He finished his junior campaign with a win at the 4A outdoor state track meet in the triple jump (45 feet, 3 inches). He also finished top-five in the 110-meter hurdles, 300 hurdles and long jump.

More recently, Prescott took home three first-place finishes at the 307 Invitational in Laramie in the triple jump (43-11 1/2 ), long jump (21-3) and 55-meter hurdles (8.03 seconds).

Prescott said he is interested in majoring in business, but is also looking into dermatology.

Matt Atencio covers Laramie County prep sports for WyoSports. He can be reached at matencio@wyosports.net. Follow him on Twitter at @MattAtencio5.