It almost seems like yesterday when Scotts Valley High graduate Caden Kilpatrick was participating in last month’s annual college signing day event on campus.
The three-sport competitor put his mark on a written offer of athletic aid on May 9 in front of family members, and now former coaches and classmates, to continue his athletic career at the University of California–Long Beach.
“It was definitely a special moment just because they all had such a big factor, and all the stuff that led up to this moment,” Kilpatrick said. “They have been with me the entire way. It was really special for them to be there to witness that, and be a part of it.”
Kilpatrick was a stud as the starting quarterback for the football team, a leader as point guard of the boys basketball team, and one of the fastest sprinters as a member of the track team.
However, the Falcon star athlete managed to sign with Long Beach to play rugby despite not playing the sport for an official program in high school. So, perhaps one could easily argue he was considered more of a four-sport athlete.
Kilpatrick, along with several football players from Scotts Valley and Soquel high schools, was a member of the Santa Cruz Kraken Rugby club. He began playing in the sixth grade, then took a break his freshman year to focus on football before returning to the sport in 2026.
“It was definitely good to get that experience back again,” Kilpatrick said.
It seems as if that experience paid off because now he’s on his way to play at the collegiate level.
Apart from striving to be the best on the playing field, Kilpatrick made it a priority to honor the “student” part in the title student-athlete. He’d always put academics first and focus on getting results in the classroom, graduating with a 4.0 GPA.
In the end, Kilpatrick’s dedication to both schoolwork and athletics is what earned him the right to be called the Press Banner’s Male Athlete of the Year for the 2025-26 school year.
“Just a really big honor, and I really appreciate it,” Kilpatrick said. “If you told me freshman year that I would have got this, I would have called you crazy. Just a lot of hard work leading up to this moment.”
Scotts Valley athletic director and head football coach Louie Walters called Kilpatrick the “ultimate athlete” because nowadays youngsters specialize in just one or two sports. Walters recalled when a former football coach told Kilpatrick he was always too undersized to play.
“Then he became one of the best quarterbacks we’ve had at Scotts Valley,” Walters said.
Kilpatrick kicked off his senior year by leading the Falcon football team back into the Central Coast Section playoffs after a subpar season in 2024.
“Defintely felt like we had something to prove after our junior year,” he said. “I remember having a meeting with all the coaches and saying we need to get back to where Scotts Valley football needed to be.”
The Falcon starting quarterback broke the school record by not throwing an interception in 11 games played during the spring campaign, including the playoffs.
Kilpatrick earned All-Pacific Coast Athletic League Second Team honors in the Mission Division–North for Scotts Valley, which was runner up with a 4-1 record in league play.
“We never lost sight of what the goal was in winning the CCS championship,” Kilpatrick said. “Unfortunately, we didn’t get there, but by the end of the season we were playing our best football.”
Kilpatrick and former teammate Caleb Mendoza were also recipients of the National College Football Hall of Fame’s Scholar Athlete of the Year award given out by the Lions Club.
Another testament to how important school is to Kilpatrick.
“What separates [Kilpatrick] from any other kids is his sports IQ,” Walters said. “He’s the smartest kid on the field, the court, whatever sport he’s playing.”
In basketball, Kilpatrick stepped up as the starting point guard on a Falcon squad that lost most of its starters from the 2024-25 season. He finished second on the team in scoring and first in steals per game.
Scotts Valley boys basketball head coach Bryon Windsor said Kilpatrick was the heart and soul of the team this past winter campaign.
“A phenomenal kid, first and foremost,” Windsor said. “Just an amazing young man who is athletic but also does well in the classroom.”
Windsor, who was a three-sport athlete (football, basketball, baseball) at Amador High in Sutter Creek, knows what it’s like to transition from one sport to another.
The Falcon first-year coach said he didn’t have to worry about that period with Kilpatrick, who needed just three days to get back into basketball shape.
“It’s definitely a mentality of enjoying sports that you play, which I get the feeling he does,” Windsor said. “Especially since he’s going to college for rugby.”
There were times at the end of a game when Windsor pulled the starters to rest, yet Kilpatrick stayed on the court no matter what the scoreboard read.
One example was on Feb. 3 against Aptos High on Senior Night. The Falcons trailed by 10 points, but Kilpatrick insisted on staying in the game.
“He was like, ‘No, don’t do it,’” said Windsor, who told Kilpatrick otherwise. “‘I’m gonna do it, man. I’m pulling the plug.’ But that was just his personality. He wanted to go all the time.”
Kilpatrick has always felt like he needs to do his part in order for his teammates to be able to do theirs, setting a standard or expectations for others.
“If you want everybody to be bought in, you have to put in the work day in and day out to get results,” he said.
Kilpatrick gets that drive from his father, Bobby, who took his son to just about every football practice and was part of the athletics culture.
Bobby Kilpatrick was a former assistant coach until he stepped down after Caden was called up to the varsity team.
“Him just always being my coach,” Kilpatrick said. “Not just a coach on the field, but being a mentor and showing me the way of how to be a good person on and off the field.”
Bradley Hartman, an assistant coach on both the football and track team, said it was incredible to be able to see Kilpatrick grow from a freshman to who he’s become now.
“Caden works, and I know he sits there and implements what he’s learned from other sports to the sport he’s doing now,” Hartman said. “I know that’s hard to do for young athletes, and he’s really, really good at it.”
Hartman mentioned that Kilpatrick was critical and helped rebuild the sprints program at Scotts Valley.
Kilpatrick was part of the 4×100 relay team that qualified for the CCS semifinals for the second year in a row. Prior to these past two seasons, the Falcons struggled to send a sprint relay team into the postseason.
On top of being extremely athletic and hardworking, Hartman talked about how patient Kilpatrick can be while understanding that results take time.
“It’s not just [point] A to B, there’s different phases in a race,” Hartman said. “We could sit there and say, ‘Hey, go fast and go 100%,’ but it’s like, ‘Hey, let’s change this shoulder mechanic, let’s change this little thing,’ and Caden will focus on that. His awareness and coach ability is really incredible to see.”
Kilpatrick’s four-year athletic career at Scotts Valley was full of unforgettable moments, but none will be more memorable to him than creating those everlasting friendships.
“All the bonds and connections that I made with all the great people, all my teammates, will last a lifetime,” he said. “Everyone that I’ve met, just want to cherish those for the rest of my life.”
