Annie Kunz has the world on a string.
Already a household name in the state's prep track and field circles, the Wheat Ridge junior evolved last year on the soccer field from a raw talent to an all-Colorado technical titan.
And now her world is exploding in a way familiar only to fiction.
The returning Class 4A player of the year attended her first U.S. national team camp for the under-17 girls in February, and has narrowed her choice of colleges to Texas A&M and current national champion North Carolina.
Always tall, fast and with a nose for the goal, Kunz is now deft with her long legs, and has great touch and vision. In soccer terms, she's developing into an amazing anomaly.
"I just got back on the (soccer) radar outside of the state," Kunz said.
She was a key cog in Wheat Ridge winning the Class 4A state championship last May, scoring a goal and an assist in a 2-1 victory over Valor Christian to cap a 19-0 season.
It all happened days after she won the state 100 hurdles and high jump, was second in the triple jump and seventh in the long jump. This is why her track coach believes she could be an NCAA champion in the heptathlon if she goes that road.
It's team sports vs. individual sports, and Kunz is warily in the middle, hoping she can do both at the next level.
"I don't really want to pick," she said. "I just love them both."
Described by coaches as a great person and teammate, Kunz is a tough competitor and works hard to refine all her talents. Her father, Terry, won a Super Bowl with the Oakland Raiders and was a state champion hurdler at Wheat Ridge, just like her grandfather, Eldon. Annie earned a 4.0 grade-point average this past semester.
"There isn't anything else you can add to her," Farmers track coach Scott Chamberlin said. "It's scary," Farmers soccer coach Dan Watkins said of watching Kunz at a recent practice. "Can it really get any better?"
Another state title would be awesome for all Farmers. Although some great talent graduated, the Farmers return some dynamic stars, including junior midfielder Bella Hartley.
Chemistry was key last year, Kunz said. Most of the younger players have been on the same team since they were 8. "No one hated anyone and we all got along," she said. Come May they may all feel like they have the world on a string again.