Small-town, big pipeline: Park City football quietly becomes a college recruiting powerhouse

Park City senior Bash Bodily (#14) celebrates during a home game under the lights, part of a football program that has sent more than 30 players to college since 2020. Photo: Alan Ni

PARK CITY, Utah — In a ski town more often recognized for moguls and mountain biking, Park City High School’s football program has quietly built a reputation as a consistent pipeline to college football. Since 2020, the Miners have sent 33 players to compete at the collegiate level — including 21 to Division I programs — averaging 5.5 signees per year. That number far exceeds the national average, where most high schools send fewer than one player annually.

The program’s upward trajectory began with a pair of deep postseason runs in 2018 and 2019, including a trip to the state championship, which helped raise the team’s profile. Since then, a focus on athletic development, academic strength, and proactive recruiting strategies has helped sustain the momentum.

“The kids, coaches, and parents deserve all the praise and credit for what the program has become,” said Jamie Sheetz, Park City High School’s athletic and activities director.

Strong academics have also played a role. Park City student-athletes have signed with elite institutions such as MIT, Stanford, Cal Berkeley, and, most recently, Penn. “Park City players usually are going to have the grades and test scores to qualify for the next level,” said Chris Bodily, whose son, Bash, will attend the U.S. Naval Academy.

The Park City Passing League has further shaped the culture, giving younger athletes a chance to learn directly from current high school players — many of whom have gone on to play in college. That early connection has fueled belief and continuity throughout the program.

“Seeing other players from Park City go to big schools helped me believe that I could,” said Bash Bodily. “Coco Lukrich was my coach in the Passing League when I was young. He went on to play for Stanford. That definitely made me think it was possible. We were all excited to just have the high school players coach us. Later, it was cool for me to coach other kids in Passing League.”

Bodily also credited head coach Josh Montzingo for shaping players’ development and expanding their opportunities. “Coach Montzingo definitely develops us,” he said. “He also does a great job of getting players face to face with college coaches from programs around the country.”

Now entering the next chapter of his career, Bodily will suit up for Navy, while teammate Justin Michaelis will head to Rice — both members of the same college conference. “Justin and I will be in the same league so we will play each other,” Bodily said. “It’s cool that I’ll get to play one of my teammates at the next level.”

Two other players from the Class of 2025 are also headed to play college football: Luke Castelli (Penn) and Liam Gallon (Colorado Mesa), bringing last year’s total to four college-bound athletes.

In total, since Montzingo took over the program in 2016, 39 Park City players have gone on to play college football, including 23 at the Division I level. That success hasn’t come from size, population, or national notoriety — but rather from a clear culture of discipline, year-round training, academic excellence, and long-term investment in athletes’ futures.