RIPON – Billy Marr and Sean Broker have skill sets and smarts that have made small-school college coaches across the nation drool and reach deep into their scholarship funds.

But on Friday morning the Ripon Christian senior athletes were missing key elements in solidifying their collegiate futures.

Pens.

With family and school officials gathered around, and pens finally in hand, Marr and Broker signed letter of intents to attend Western State Colorado University and Life Pacific College, respectively.

It was a fitting conclusion to a pair of decorated prep careers.

Marr engineered one of the area’s most explosive offenses the last two seasons. The tall, strong-armed quarterback was a two-time all-Southern League selection. He passed for 3,666 yards and 33 touchdowns in parts of three seasons at the varsity level.

“When a young man has the opportunity to play at the collegiate level it’s huge for us,” said first-year coach Trey Ozenbaugh. “It is a culmination of Billy’s hard work and chasing a dream to continue to play.

“Billy is going to work really, really hard and he’s a smart kid; an intelligent kid,” he later added. “It’s going to be a good opportunity to get that next level of coaching and see what he can do. I expect great things out of Billy. They’re getting a great football player and even better individual.”

With the Mountaineers, Marr will take his game to new heights. Western State Colorado plays at one of the highest elevations (7,769 feet) in the country. The spread offense under head coach Jas Bains strives to run a play every 30 seconds and won’t shy from airing it out.

All of that excites Marr, who says the coaching staff plans to redshirt him his first year in Gunnison, Colo.

“The recruiting process started in the summer and it’s been crazy for that to finally come to an end with a decision made in the last three days,” said Marr, who visited the campus with his father on Monday and made his decision during the ride home Tuesday.

“It’s been a whirlwind.”

Broker said he chose Life Pacific College, a private Christian college in San Dimas, over several other small-school offers.

The Warriors are a blossoming program seeking full membership in the National Christian College Athletic Association. Life Pacific will compete at the Division I West Region level as a probationary member until its granted full membership.

Broker, a dynamic finisher around the bucket, provides a building block.

He averaged 17.6 points in two seasons at the varsity level, including 21.4 points and 8.1 rebounds this past winter as Ripon Christian captured a championship in its return to the Trans-Valley League.

“He probably improved the most of all our players from last year. He was good, but to have him improve as much as he did, it had a big impact on our team,” Ripon Christian boys basketball coach Ron Vander Molen said. “He was one of those kids in practice that nobody could stop and I’ve got some kids that can play defense. It was amazing to watch the kind of scorer he had become.”

Broker welcomes the challenge ahead of him. At 6 feet, 3 inches, Broker likely translates as a guard at the next level. Under Vander Molen, he played on the low block, using his strength and touch to overcome any mismatches.

“My mom has always told me ‘You can get better,’ ” he said. “There’s always going to be someone better than you out there. I look forward to improving. This is something I’ve always dreamed about as a kid.”