For many athletes, there are different ways their paths can go.

Giving up, going to play in community college, or becoming one of the best in the state. But for Treter, his athletic career led him to Division I football.

Hayden Treter grew up with football. Because of his background, Treter has been involved in football for his whole life, and has become a constant force on the field.

“A good thing about Hayden is he was very coachable. Once he figured out how hard you had to work to get to the goals that he wanted to get to, he turned out to be a very good football player for us,” offensive line coach Det Betti said.

Treter’s father attended the University of Colorado Boulder for football, and seeing that success inspired him to be like his dad.

Treter’s father coached him in the Arapahoe Youth Leagues, which tested his physical and mental limits, but also gave him an advantage over other players who were coached more leniently.

“My dad beat that [nervousness] out of me throughout practice and always made sure I was going against the biggest kid. Being the coach’s son has its privileges,” Treter said.

Even though he was competing against them, he grew up playing against many Creek kids, which led him to eventually move into the Cherry Creek School District as a freshman.

Coming into Creek was an eye opening experience for Treter; he was entering a series of all new beginnings. Walking straight onto the varsity football team gave him the chance of a lifetime, but also a close friend.

“AJ Burton was the only other freshman at the time to be put on varsity. So he and I were both four year letter [players],” Treter said. “We both started sophomore year, we both got injured sophomore year. He’s my support and one of my close friends throughout all this.”

Treter also formed bonds with many other players on the team, including running back Jordan Herron, whom he started playing with during his junior year.

“Hayden is an amazing person on and off the field, he’s a leader and a captain,” Herron said. “[He] brings everything to the team, the energy, the chemistry, [and] the passion.”

In his sophomore year, his path changed dramatically; he started receiving D1 offers.

“When I got my first offer my sophomore year, I got it from Colorado State University and that was crazy to me,” Treter said. “I had no clue that I was good enough to actually get to that level, but I ended up getting five more [offers] that year.”

Treter had no idea what his next step was in this process, until Betti came to his rescue.

“He told me to get Twitter and Huddl (recruiting apps), and after every game [that] I needed to make a post [game] highlight and follow coaches to get my name out there,” Treter said.

Treter continued to develop talent by joining more and more programs, like the University of Nebraska and San Diego State University camps, Treter saw 15 full-ride scholarships to D1 schools roll in.“It validated all of my needs and made it to where I was able to go all in,” Treter said.

Getting offers from D1 colleges really opened up Treter’s eyes to what could be next. After receiving an offer from the University of Southern California (USC), Treter found his home.

“I love coach [John] Henson, the offensive line coach. He put tons of guys in the NFL and I like spending time with him,” Treter said. “Being able to get a national championship would be amazing, [especially] to be a part of and be in the top team in the nation.”