SILVER STATE, NATIONAL STAGE: Nevada Teens Selected for 2026 Patriot Games on ESPN and ABC

Two Nevada high school athletes will carry the Silver State onto a national stage this weekend as America’s top young competitors gather for the 2026 Patriot Games.

Kolt Freienmuth-Fisher of Las Vegas and Avery Callahan of Reno are among 120 student-athletes selected from across the United States, its territories, military communities and tribal nations to compete August 9–11 at SPIRE Academy in Geneva, Ohio.

The national competition, organized by Freedom 250 as part of America’s historic 250th birthday celebration, will test far more than raw athletic ability. Competitors between the ages of 14 and 17 will be judged on speed, strength, endurance, leadership, resilience and teamwork while representing their hometowns before a national audience.

For Freienmuth-Fisher and Callahan, that means Nevada pride will be on full display.

Freienmuth-Fisher is a Class of 2027 student at Silverado High School. His MileSplit profile shows a versatile running background spanning the 100-meter dash, 400 meters, 800 meters, 1,600 meters, 3,200 meters and cross-country.

Callahan, a Class of 2029 student at Bishop Manogue High School, brings an equally broad track-and-field résumé. Her events include sprinting, high jump, long jump and pole vault, where she has cleared 12 feet.

That versatility will be essential.

The Patriot Games are deliberately designed to prevent any one-sport specialist from cruising to victory. Athletes will compete in track-and-field events including the 100-meter dash, 55-meter hurdles and broad jump before moving into military-inspired obstacle courses, tug-of-war, dodgeball, kickball and basketball shooting.

The Games will also test skills drawn from football, baseball, soccer, tennis and volleyball. Competitors will have to adapt quickly, work with teammates and perform under pressure.

Being great at one sport may earn an invitation. Becoming a Patriot Games champion will require considerably more.

“The 2026 Patriot Games are a national athletic competition celebrating America’s next generation of leaders, competitors and champions as part of our nation’s historic 250th birthday,” Freedom 250 Spokesperson Danielle Alvarez said.

“Student athletes from across the country will compete on a national stage, reaching millions of Americans through ABC and ESPN and competing for $250,000 in scholarships,” Alvarez continued. “Freedom 250 is proud to bring Americans together through unforgettable signature events, from the Freedom Trucks and July 4 celebrations to the 2026 Patriot Games, that celebrate our country and inspire the next generation.”

The athletes will compete for a share of a $250,000 scholarship pool, providing winners with educational opportunities long after the final race has been run.

According to ESPN, the competition begins Sunday morning with the Boys Presidential Qualifier, followed by the girls’ qualifier and team competitions in kickball and dodgeball.

Monday’s schedule features the Varsity Circuit and Operation Endurance. Tuesday will bring tug-of-war, Victory Hoops and the semifinal and championship rounds.

Live coverage will stream throughout the three-day competition on the ESPN App. The Games will culminate in a one-hour “ESPN on ABC” primetime special at 9 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, August 13.

ESPN’s coverage team will include Laura Rutledge, Matt Barrie, Beth Mowins and Tom Hart, joined by analysts Jordan Rodgers, Sean Farnham, Ron Slay and Danielle Lawrie. Rutledge and Barrie will co-host the ABC special.

The competition arrives as Americans mark 250 years since the Declaration of Independence and reflect on the qualities that carried the country through nearly two and a half centuries.

The Patriot Games will celebrate those qualities through a generation still writing the opening chapters of its story.

Speed will matter. Strength will matter. But the competition is also intended to spotlight the character revealed when young athletes are exhausted, facing an unfamiliar challenge and depending on teammates they may have only just met.

That is where resilience, perseverance and leadership stop being words in a press release and become visible for millions of Americans to watch.

For three days, Freienmuth-Fisher and Callahan will represent Nevada alongside outstanding young athletes drawn from every corner of the country.

One comes from Las Vegas. The other comes from Reno. Together, they will show the nation what the Silver State’s next generation can do.

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