BROOMFIELD — In an age of sports specialization at the high school level, Holy Family’s Chris Helbig is not only bucking the trend but excelling.
The 6-foot-4 junior is a bona fide dual-sport star for the Tigers. As a quarterback, he was named to The Denver Post’s Class 3A all-state football team after leading the classification in yards passing (3,117) and touchdown passes (33) last fall. In basketball, the guard is the leader of a Tigers team that is off to a 16-3 start in its first season in Class 4A.
“I know he’s going to have opportunities in football and basketball,” Holy Family basketball coach Pete Villecco said. “I think he can play the Division I level in both.”
Colleges have certainly taken notice. Arizona, Colorado, Northern Colorado, Toledo and Utah are talking to him about football, while Air Force and Montana have reached out so far about basketball.
It might have been three sports if he didn’t decide to take a step back.
“I used to actually play baseball, and then I didn’t have time for it, so I had to quit freshman year,” Helbig said.
Helbig was the starting point guard last season when Holy Family won the Class 3A state title. A year later, he has been called upon to step more into a scorer’s role. He has responded, averaging a team-best 18.7 points, 3.0 assists and 3.2 steals.
“This year it’s been an area of his game that’s really grown,” Villecco said. “He’s a blessing to coach. It’s a player’s game and he makes me look good.”
Tigers football coach Michael Gabriel said he thought there was going to be a learning curve for Helbig last fall heading into his first season as the starting quarterback.
“I expected some growing pains, some mistakes,” Gabriel said. “There was a little bit here and there, but there were times I just watched and was amazed.”
Helbig quickly wiped those concerns away. He had five games in which he threw for more than 300 yards, including a 491-yard performance in a loss to Discovery Canyon early in September — the 11th-most yards in state history.
“He showed us more and more of what he was capable of,” Gabriel said.
Athletics run strong in the Helbig family. His older sister Taylor, a senior at the Colorado School of Mines, is the leading scorer for the Orediggers’ women’s basketball team. Younger brother Kyle is in the eighth grade, and he is already 6-3.
Helbig said he wants to add a few more titles before his prep career ends and he has to make a choice what to do at the next level.
“I’m sure it’s going to be an easier decision when the time comes,” he said, “but it’s going to be hard to give either sport up.”
Joe Nguyen: jnguyen@denverpost.com or
