Roger Garey spent a month of his childhood living inside a guarded compound in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, waiting for clearance to finally come home to Colorado with his adoptive parents. Thirteen years later, Garey is a junior tailback at Valor Christian High School.
Garey was adopted by Barb and Mark Garey in 2013, according to The Denver Post. In 2013, the Democratic Republic of the Congo halted international adoptions amid concerns about corruption and falsified documents. The Post reported that Barb Garey lived with Roger inside a guarded compound in the country.
A Freeze That Trapped More Than 1,000 Children
The halt was part of a broader freeze that left more than 1,000 adopted children waiting in Congolese orphanages. Not until November 2015 did the Congolese government release its first batch of 72 international adoptees. Some orphanages were described as squalid and deprived, while other cases would wait for a new law, according to Voice of America.
He arrived in Colorado speaking Lingala and French, and later learned English, according to The Denver Post.
From Youth Football to Valor's Backfield
Garey's football story took root in the Arapahoe Youth League. He played for the Warriors program, which went winless the season he was a fifth grader before finishing 7-1 in his sixth-grade year — a turnaround that still ended in a loss to a dominant Cherry Creek team in the AYL Super Bowl, the Post reports. Tony Lee, who coached Garey in middle school, called him the best youth football player he had ever seen.
At Valor Christian, Garey is a junior tailback, per the Post's reporting.
CHSAA Transfer Rules
Under CHSAA Bylaw 1800.1, student-athletes who transfer between member schools generally face a 365-day varsity ineligibility period in sports they played the previous year, subject to exceptions, per the Colorado High School Activities Association.
Sanford himself brings Division I pedigree to the Eagles' sideline. He was appointed Valor's head coach in February 2025 after a 17-year college coaching career that included stints as offensive coordinator and interim head coach at the University of Colorado, plus a head coaching job at Western Kentucky, according to 9NEWS.
Valor Christian and Cherry Creek
Valor Christian, an overwhelmingly white, Christian school where Garey is a Black, Mormon student, sits on a 35-acre campus in Highlands Ranch and carries a tuition of $27,650 for the 2025-26 academic year, according to background cited by the Post. The Eagles have won eight CHSAA state football championships but haven't claimed one since 2018, and their path back has repeatedly run through Cherry Creek, which has beaten Valor in the semifinals in each of the past two years.
On September 18, 2026, Valor fell to Cherry Creek 16-15 at Valor Stadium. Valor bounced back with a 49-0 win over Castle View.
