Austin Kafentzis and his gifted right arm have carried Jordan (Sandy, Utah) in two different sports.
Austin Kafentzis' right arm has dominated Utah in a pair of sports from the day he entered high school. His prolific career will continue with his junior campaign.
Photo by Dave Argyle
Utah is not necessarily known as a high school football hotbed, nor is it necessarily identified as a bastion of track and field stars.
In
Austin Kafentzis, the Beehive State has one of each.
The incoming junior at Jordan burst onto the national scene as a freshman playing starting quarterback for the varsity football squad. In his very first game, the team’s season opener, Kafentzis tossed for 348 yards and three touchdowns to power
Jordan (Sandy, Utah) to a 19-12 victory over Fremont.
See our special Austin Kafentzis photo gallery
Kafentzis then turned to the track, where he launched the longest javelin throw in state history as a ninth-grader.
With two more years of high school remaining, there’s no slowing down for Kafentzis, who will continue to participate with the sprint team in addition to playing quarterback and throwing the javelin.
“I feel like the more sports you play, the more well-rounded you are as an athlete,” he said.
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AUSTIN KAFENTZIS BIO
Football success runs deep when it comes to theKafentzis family.
Photo by Dave Argyle
Sandy, Utah
School: Jordan High School (enrollment 1,977)
Sports: Football (quarterback), Track and field (javelin; 100 meters, 200 meters)
College plans: In June, Kafentzis made a trip to Madison, Wis., and made a commitment to the Badgers, spurning offers from Utah, BYU and Hawaii, where Kafentzis’ family has roots. Kafentzis had developed a relationship with Wisconsin head coach Gary Andersen back when he was the head coach at Utah State.
Favorite pro athlete: Kafentzis says he doesn’t have a single favorite athlete, but enjoys watching the NFL’s top signal-callers. He identifies most with Drew Brees. “We’re around the same height, and his footwork is just incredible.”
Family connection: Kafentzis has eight relatives who played football at the University of Hawaii. Three of his uncles had stints in the NFL and his father Kyle spent the 1987 season on the Chicago Bears roster.
Coach speak: “His will to win is unmatched,” Jordan football and track coach Eric Kjar told MaxPreps in the fall.
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KAFENTZIS ON THE GRIDIRON
Kafentzis has earned MaxPreps National Player of the Year honors in each of his first two seasons at quarterback.
Photo by Dave Argyle
After his phenomenal debut season in which he earned
MaxPreps National Freshman of the Year honors, Kafentzis soared to new heights in 2012.
Kafentzis is on track to post career numbers that willmake the national record books.
Photo by Dave Argyle
He led Jordan to a 12-1-1 record and a Class 5A state title, proving to be the next great player to emerge from the Kafentzis family.
“Football is my main sport. I love it. It’s in my blood,” he said.
In two seasons, Kafentzis has thrown for a total of 6,206 yards and 55 touchdowns, while rushing for 3,261 yards and 48 scores. His yards total, 9,467, would be impressive if his career had already ended.
At that rate, Kafentzis will approach 19,000 total yards, something only two other players have done: brothers Ben and Maty Mauk from Kenton (Ohio).
Kafentzis has already accomplished a great deal in his young career:
* MaxPreps National Freshman of the Year in 2011
*
MaxPreps National Sophomore of the Year in 2012
* 2012 Utah Mr. Football
* 9,467 total yards
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KAFENTZIS ON THE TRACK AND FIELD
Javelin may be his signature event in track and field, but Kafentzis also has blazing speed.
Photo by Dave Argyle
Despite having a football-first mindset, Kafentzis doesn’t just participate in track and field to stay in shape. He genuinely enjoys it.
“I really love track,” he said. “It’s so fun.”
No American sophomore launched the javelin fartherthan Kafentzis last season.
Photo by Dave Argyle
Kafentzis set the state record in the javelin throw in his freshman season when he launched a throw that topped 199 feet.
As a sophomore, Kafentzis hit 199 again, finishing as the No. 23-ranked thrower in the country according to DyeStat. He was the top-ranked thrower for his grade.
Although throwing the javelin is a different motion than throwing a football -- a higher release point and less of a downward snap -- it still helps build arm strength for Kafentzis.
Additionally, Kafentzis runs sprints for Jordan, where he has reportedly been clocked at 11.2 seconds in the 100.
Kafentzis only has one more year left throwing the javelin, as he intends to graduate early and enroll at the University of Wisconsin in the spring of 2015.
Here are Kafentzis’ achievements in track and field:
* Top throw of 199-5.75
* Utah state record holder
* Top sophomore thrower in the nation in 2013
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VIDEO ON KAFENTZIS
