Before he gets ready to defend his state title in the 300-meter hurdles, Canyon High School senior Jordehn Gammage pledged himself to his country — and more success at the collegiate level.
One of six Canyon student-athletes to sign their national letters of intent on Wednesday inside the campus gym, Gammage is headed to the Air Force Academy. He said his hope is to keep setting high expectations while representing both himself and his country.
“Of course, it’ll be the best decision for me for the future, and I hold myself to a certain standard, and I feel like the academy is definitely the place for me,” Gammage said. “My thought process was, what will be best for my future. You know, there were many big options, big-name options there, and this option I feel would best propel me forward in the future that I want to have and my end goal in life.”
Also signing were the following five Cowboys:
- James Audette: UC Santa Cruz, boys’ volleyball.
- Benny Santos: Willamette University, baseball.
- Jocelyn Cruz: University of La Verne, cross country and track.
- Jassmine Enamorado: Westmont College, cross country and track.
- Jeremiah Torres: Cal State Monterey Bay, cross country and track.
Audette helped the Cowboys to a second-place finish in the Foothill League this season, only behind the undefeated West Ranch Wildcats. Boys’ volleyball head coach Jeff Cody said seeing Audette, who he believes is the first of his players to sign collegiately since 2016, officially make his decision official is “what makes doing job so much fun and just so rewarding.”
“This year we’ve been really successful, and Jimmy’s a big part of that success,” Cody said. “But also, just seeing the guys, the rest of the team, come out and support him — you know, at the end of the day, it’s a team effort. And even though Jimmy’s playing at the next level, and we’re really excited for him and the talent that he’s brought to this program, him being here has lifted everybody else up.”
Track and field head coach George Velarde talked about how his four track athletes — three of whom he also coaches in cross country — have become almost like a family with how much time they spend together.
“We have such a great relationship, you know, athlete-coach relationship, that now goes far beyond just school,” Velarde said. “We’re family.”
All four of the track athletes recently helped both the boys’ and girls’ teams to their third straight Foothill League titles, and are now preparing for the individual postseason.
Gammage may be hoping for more titles for himself, while Velarde is looking for all of his athletes to potentially help their teams repeat the team success. The boys took second at the CIF Southern Section finals last season while the girls took third.
And after that, Velarde knows Gammage is off to make himself a better athlete and person with the Air Force.
“Obviously, with Jordan, you know, that that’s a whole new level,” Velarde said. “He’s now representing our country. And the service that he’ll be doing, besides the track and field, is to be celebrated.”
