Helix plans ‘homecoming’ for No. 1 NFL pick

Helix Charter High School will host a "Jamboree Night" on Friday, June 3, to officially welcome home former Highlanders football star Alex Smith, who became the first-ever San Diego County player to earn the coveted No. 1 selection in this year’s National Football League Draft.

Smith, 20, was selected by the San Francisco 49ers.

The event, which will serve as a closure to the school’s spring football practice, will feature football games and a barbecue, as well as a book signing by Smith, on the school’s main athletic field, starting at 5 p.m. The event is open to the pubic.

Smith completed his junior season at the University of Utah by leading the Utes to a 12-0 record that included the Mountain West Conference title, the Fiesta Bowl championship and a final No. 4 national ranking.

Ironically, Smith did not appear to show the ability he was destined to have early on in his high school career, according to Jim Arnaiz, a former football coach at Helix and now an administrative assistant at the school. Arnaiz noted that Smith did not earn the starting quarterback on the freshman team. However, as the starting quarterback on the Helix junior varsity team as a sophomore, Smith did guide the Highlanders to an undefeated 10-0 record.

"Watching Alex as a sophomore, you would not have projected him to be a great player. Maybe a good high school player who had a chance to go on," Arnaiz said. "With people like Reggie Bush (a former standout Helix running back now at USC), you knew he was a certainty to go on. When Alex unfolded as a junior and senior, especially his senior year, you knew he had the ability to go on to play at the collegiate level. But who would have guessed all the success he would have in college. Who would have guessed he would be the No. 1 in the NFL Draft. It’s an amazing story."

Understandably, school pride is running at a fever pitch on campus where Smith’s father, Dr. Doug Smith, serves as principal.

Damon Chase, the athletic director at Helix High School, said Smith’s selection as the NFL’s top draft pick could not have happened to a more deserving individual.

"From a personal standpoint, this couldn't have happened to a better person or family. Alex has always been a hard worker. The combination of his hard work, his intelligence and his athletic ability have put him in the position that he is in now. With the excitement from the Heisman to now being the No. 1 pick in the NFL, this school, community and alumni couldn't be more proud," Chase said.