Holy Family senior Chris Helbig. (Pam Wagner/CHSAANow.com)
There’s not a football player in the state of Colorado that has turned heads as quickly as Chris Helbig has this season.
The Holy Family quarterback got the attention of fans statewide when he threw for a state record 607 yards in the first week of the regular season. He followed that up with another aerial attack the following week, allowing a teammate to join him in the record book.
There is little doubt now at this point of the season, the Tigers offense is a must-see attraction this season.
Ahead of their Week 4 showdown with Frederick, Helbig took the time to chat with us about Holy Family’s record-breaking performances and which schools are trying to lure him their way.
Q: When this season started, did you or coaches have an idea about just how explosive this offense is going to be?
Chris Helbig: Kind of. We knew the guys we had and we knew that if we put them in the right situation to succeed then we could score on any play. Whether it’s from our own 1-yard-line or the 50-yard-line, we knew that if we put guys in the right spot, good things would happen.
Q: What is it about the offense? Is is just the way you put the right guys in space or is just the scheme overall that opens it up for you?
Helbig: I think it’s that, in the scheme of things, when we execute then it’s going to work out well in the end. I guess it’s just the scheme and when the guys get into the open space, they know what to do with the ball.
Q: When you first heard that you set a state record with 607 passing yards in Week 1, what was your initial reaction to that?
Helbig: I thought it was crazy. Considering I didn’t throw many deep balls and it was more of the receivers catching and running, I thought it was crazy for sure. That’s a lot of yards.
Q: Has anyone else taken notice? Have you gotten more recruiting calls than you were getting before the game?
Helbig: Not really. It’s more of the same colleges that I’m talking to, I guess I’m just talking to them more often than before.
Q: Which schools are talking to you?
Helbig: Wyoming and then some FBS schools. There’s Montana, (Northern Colorado) and then I have some offers from some RMAC schools.
Q: A week following that Week 1 performance, one of your receivers, Joe Golter, set a state record for receiving yards in a game and after Week 3, you’re in the record books again for most touchdown passes in three games. When you’re able to think about that for a second, what kind of confidence does that give you in your team as you get further along in the season?
Helbig: It shows what we’re capable of doing. We try to get better each week so our expectations are that we (play like that every week). We just try to come out and compete and do the same thing week in and week out.
Q: When you think of high school football, it’s still more of a run-first game. What is about guys like you and Dylan McCaffrey down at Valor Christian that the high school game is, if even slowly, shifting into a more pass-heavy attack?
Helbig: I think it’s part of the game evolving. You’re getting more athletic guys that are playing football. And people are learning when you get guys in open space it’s easier. Throwing the ball downfield and having the receivers make plays on balls, it can help out a lot. It’s definitely a big momentum shifter when you complete a big pass for sure.
Q: When you’re putting up the kind of numbers you are, these are numbers that NFL guys can’t reach and they have more time and more possessions, what does that say about your talent relative to the level of competition that you face?
Helbig: It says a little bit about my talent. But it’s more of a team thing. Everyone has to work together to succeed at those things. It starts with the line. The line has to give me time, which they’ve done all season and then you have to have guys who can catch the ball and make plays with the ball. It really speaks more of a team thing than an individual thing.
Q: With the way the team has played since moving up to Class 3A (in 2012), how great has that been for the school to still have the team chemistry and the talent to compete with the top teams in your classification?
Helbig: It’s nice. It shows that we can compete no matter what the numbers are. We’re going to come out and look past all that stuff and game in and game out and we’re just going to try and compete and win the game.