Holy Ghost Prep senior Ryan Callahan was recently recognized for his academic, athletic, and community service achievements as the 2017 school winner in the annual Wendy’s High School Heisman contest.  

“Ryan is known by his teachers and friends for his commitment to excellence. We are excited and honored that a program like Wendy’s High School Heisman is also recognizing his hard work,” said Holy Ghost Prep principal Jeff Danilak.

Callahan is near the top of Holy Ghost Prep’s Class of 2018, maintaining good grades while being involved with numerous extracurricular activities. One of the captains of Holy Ghost’s 2017 BAL bowling champions (14-3 record last season), Callahan is also a YMCA camp counselor during the summertime and works part-time as a busboy at a local restaurant during the school year. In addition, Callahan volunteers for the Miracle League, an organization which removes the barriers that keep children with mental and physical disabilities off the baseball field and lets them experience the joy of America’s favorite pastime.

Tom Eckerle, a social studies teacher at Holy Ghost who also serves as head coach of the HGP bowling team, is proud that Callahan, one of his team captains, was recognized with the award.

“I couldn't be happier that Captain Callahan has been declared a school winner of the High School Heisman Award,” says Eckerle. “Captain Callahan has been a leader in our school and on our bowling team since he came here. He is as good as it gets when it comes to bowlers, students, and humans. Captain Callahan is California-cool, with care and concern for his teammates, friends, and others.”

As Holy Ghost Prep’s school winner, Callahan will receive a School Winner certificate and a Wendy’s High School Heisman patch. Callahan moved onto the statewide competition of Wendy’s High School contest, but he was not chosen as one of state finalists. Following the state finalists’ announcement, the names of the two state winners, one male and one female, will be revealed before the field is narrowed down to 10 national finalists.        

These 10 national finalists, five males and five females, and their families will receive an all-expense paid trip to New York City to attend the Wendy’s High School Heisman Award Ceremony and the announcement of the two national winners.

The Wendy’s High School Heisman Scholarship was created by Wendy’s founder Dave Thomas in 1994. Twenty-two years later, Wendy’s has honored more than 600,000 high school seniors who share Wendy’s values of giving back to their communities, treating people with respect, continuing education and excelling on the athletic field.

Wendy’s High School Heisman is a joint program between Wendy’s and the Heisman Trophy Trust, host and custodians of the Heisman Memorial Trophy.