Cameron Wright is willing to pay the price to play Division-I football.

Friends, family and loved ones gathered at the Village of Five Park's Community Center early in the morning to celebrate his signing a letter of intent to walk-on as a quarterback at the University of Colorado.

"It's a day to take it all in and really sit back and look at all the hard work in the last few years - it's all paid off - it's just a day of celebration," said Wright, the top quarterback in Class 4A as picked by the Rocky Mountain News.

"(I'm) elated, absoultuey elated, (it's) the culmination of a dream," said Brandon's dad, Stuart. "When you hard work like hes put in lsince age 9, it's really, really gratifying."

Wright, at least for a little while, will have to pay his way through college.

Wright did receive a few scholarship offers - from some Division-II schools in the area, but he wasn't about to take the easy route out with the opportunity to play at CU in his clutches.

"I really want the opportunity to play Division I football - its been a dream of mine since the third grade," said Brandon.

For Stuart, it's worth the price.

"That was his dream, and as his father and if it cost me a few thousands dollars to allow his dream, that's minor," he said. "I'm not going to look back with any kind of regret."

Appropriately enough, Wright shared this celebration with best friend Brandon Ribble, who caught plenty of passes for Wright at Ralston Valley High School. Ribble received a full scholarship to play H-back for the University of Wyoming.

"We were a team that predominately ran the football, but we had to throw it with a kid like Brandon and Cameron throwing it," said Matt Lloyd, the only head football coach in RVHS' history.

With injuries at running back, Cameron actually led the team in rushing his junior year, according to Lloyd.

"He definitely was the leader of the offense," Lloyd said. "There were some situations where we had the ball, a couple minutes left, one minute left, and he took it right down the field."

The Buffaloes came upon Wright very late in the process.

Stuart, overnighted a collection of some of Cameron's hilights to the CU football program with a few weeks left in Cameron's senior season. The next week, CU coaches were watching the dual-threat quarterback play.

"It's the parent's job to break down the door to the extent that you can," said Stuart. "Unless you're a 4-star or 5-star prospect, you can't assume they're going to find you."

Unfortunately for Cameron, CU had already had a scholarship commitment from Tyler Hansen of Murrieta, Calif., and needed the rest of the scholarships for other positions. But, they invited him to take a visit of the campus and subsequently to be a preferred walk-on to the team.

"I've been a fan since third grade," said Cameron. "I went up there and fell in love with the atmosphree; fell in love with the coaches."

Coach Dan Hawkins and his staff sold Stuart on the program, as well.

"I have been absolutely overwhelmed and impressed by the level of integrity and honesty shown by those coaches, and I can't say that about all programs," Stuart said.

Cameron knows he'll be No. 5 on the depth chart to start off, so he'll have a tall ladder to ascend, with plenty of time in practice and in the weight room before he may see the game time.

"I know Division I football is a big commitment and if 100 percent of me wasn't committed to it, I wouldn't do it," he said.