On March 1, Carlos Stanley, formerly of Ballard High School, and Kiel Rasp, formerly of Nathan Hale High School and the University of Washington, traveled to Hungary where they are now coaching and playing football for the Békéscsaba Raptors.

While, football is a relatively new sport in Hungary, having just started ten years ago, its popularity has risen rapidly in the country. As of 2013, nearly thirty teams participate in four divisions.

After graduating from Ballard High School in 2009, Carlos Stanley thought his football days were over. He enrolled at Shoreline Community College, but he never lost the desire to play football.

A few years later, Stanley received a call from his former coach, Tim Jolin, an assistant at Ballard from 2002-2008. Jolin had moved with his family to Hungary in 2012 and had started coaching football there.

“When Coach Jolin called me up and asked if I wanted to play in Europe, it was one of the best things to happen to me in a while. I was excited to have another shot at playing football and to develop players who could benefit from my knowledge of the game.”

Kiel Rasp, a standout player at Nathan Hale High School and three-year punter at the University of Washington, also leaped at the chance to play again.

“At UW all I did was punt but I missed the excitement of being a position player," Rasp said. "Coming to Hungary I got the chance to show my athleticism."

The quality of play in Hungary is close to the high school level in Seattle, so Stanley and Rasp became immediate stars. Jolin said that when the two stepped onto the field for the first time during a team scrimmage, the other players were amazed.

“We started with special teams and Kiel boomed a fifty-yard punt. The distance was impressive, but it hung up in the air for almost five seconds. No one in Hungary had ever seen such a kick. And then Carlos ... He played cornerback and the offense threw at him five times. He made three interceptions and the other two throws he broke up. He is a shut-down corner and when he gets the ball in his hands the defense cannot tackle him —- he is too fast.”

Shortly after Stanley and Rasp arrived in Hungary, the Raptors played an exhibition game against the Debrecen Gladiators. Carlos played only one offensive play. He streaked past the defender and caught a pass for an 80-yard touchdown. “We all stood and watched him go,” Jolin said. “It was like the defender was standing still.”

Not to be outdone, Kiel, while playing at the tight end position, took a short pass and raced seventy yards for a touchdown. “He ran through two tackles,” Jolin said. “He is a fantastic athlete and his days playing rugby gives him the mentality to run through contact.”

Stanley and Rasp don’t know what the future will bring for them in football. The season in Hungary ends in July and, after they return home, they will decide whether to pursue another opportunity playing football.

If they decide to continue with football, the odds are good they will find a place. There are hundreds of teams throughout Europe and all of them are looking to sign a few Americans with football experience.

Follow Ballard News-Tribune on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ballardnewstrib

And Twitter at http://twitter.com/ballardnewstrib