The Rocky Mountain News kicked of their 2008 HS football coverage with a preview that included a cover story of Nick.
Here is the story...
It's hard to figure Legacy's Nick Kasa as just another player, now or in the future. He certainly will not be characterized as such by Lightning opponents this season.
Kasa has been tabbed by several college scouting agencies and publications as being among the nation's top five defensive ends. He is comfortable with all the attention he has received because of the attention it has brought to his teammates.
"I actually like the attention, because it gets our team to have attention, too," said Kasa, a 6-foot-7, 256-pound Rocky Mountain News All-Colorado defensive end. "This will probably be our best team since I've been here. I want to see a lot of our guys have the opportunity to play in college, D-I or whatever. That would be cool. Personally, I just want to do better this year than I've done in the past."
Kasa has narrowed his college choices to California, Colorado, Florida and Notre Dame but wants to keep his options open.
"I see football as not always being in my life, though," said Kasa, also an all-league sprinter in track. "Sure, I would love to play in the NFL. That's the dream - it would be awesome. But the NFL is a long way off, and when I get to college, I will just be another dude."
Kasa, who also is scheduled for duty on the offensive line, puts a possible future football career in perspective. He has to look no further than his father, Larry.
Larry Kasa played football at the University of New Haven in Connecticut. During a practice his senior year, though, he was seriously injured, ending any prospects of a professional career.
"Dad was getting looks from the pro teams, like the New York Giants," said Kasa, who wears knee braces in practice and games. "But that all ended so quickly. I want to do well in the college classroom, because I know you can't rely on playing football all the time."
Kasa, who will be starting for the fourth year, had a tremendous season with Legacy last season while helping lead the Lightning to an 8-3 record. He accounted for 39 tackles for losses and upped his career sack total to 211/2. Coach Wayne Voorhees expects Kasa to be a dominant force on both sides of the ball.
"Nick has the right attitude and he is 100 percent realistic," said Voorhees, who begins his sixth season at Legacy. "He is real humble and feels it is almost embarrassing with the attention he is getting. He is a team player all the way, and that has always meant more to him than his individual recognitions.
"His speed (4.65 for 40 yards), and size make him hard for anyone to handle. Together, the combination is unmatched. He covers a lot of territory and can chase down runners from the backside with that relentless speed. I do look for him to be the most dominant force this season on the defensive line."
Legacy's defensive line, which also will feature end Ryan Paulson (6-4, 240) and tackles Alan Tucker (6-3, 220) and junior Shawn Jenkins (6-0, 240), very well could be the state's finest.
"I think our defensive line is the strong point of our team this year," Kasa said. "We should also be fine offensively, but we do have a bit of work to do on the O-line. We lost a lot of good guys there. Overall, we're excited and ready to go."
Nick Kasa and Lightning Defense Control the Mountain Range Mustangs
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