The top football teams in the state from the 3A, 2A, 1A, 8-Man and 6-Man classes of football descended on CSU Pueblo’s Occhiato Student Center this Monday for the Colorado High School Activities Association’s championship luncheon.
The event featured Pueblo City Mayor Nick Gradisar, Greater Pueblo Chamber President Duane Nava, speakers from CSU Pueblo, the Rotary Club, CHSAA, and seven different head coaches from four different classes of football teams.
Here are some excerpts from each of their statements:
Nick Gradisar, Pueblo City Mayor:
“A lot of different things are happening in Pueblo and we’re happy to have [these teams] here. I hope that while they’re here they can visit our neighborhoods, visit our river walk and enjoy their stay in Pueblo.”
Duane Nava, Greater Pueblo Chamber President:
“We appreciate these teams being here. As a former educator and school administrator for a lot of years, I know how much hard work goes into what you guys do every day. The grind of practice [and] the grind of coaching — we appreciate everything [they] do.”
Phil Vigil, CSU Pueblo Football Head Coach:
“You players know what it takes to get to this point. It’s taken a lot teamwork. Saturday, Friday or whenever you guys are going to be playing, you’re going to approach that game and there’s gonna be some fear there. You’re going to be anxious a little bit. And I would tell you guys, first off, you’re going to make mistakes. It’s going to happen, okay? I promise. But, second off, as you’re masking your way to that game, as you’re making your last trip down there, I want you to think about the memories. I want you to think about the relationships. I want you to think about the memories. I want you to think about the relationships. I want you to think about all the things that you put in all the work that you’ve put in to get to this point. Because, no matter what happens on Saturday, the things that you’re going to remember are going to be the relationships, the bus trips, the lunches [and] the practices. Those are the things that really will stick out.”
John Sullivan, CHSAA Assistant Commissioner:
“Congratulations for being here, kids and coaches. As a member of CHSAA, I’d like to, first of all, thank a few people. [Thanks to] the city of Pueblo, CSU Pueblo University, Pueblo Rotary 43, TBK Bank, The CSU Pueblo Foundation, specifically Todd Kelly and Wayne Gordon, for everything they’ve done to set up this weekend, and for everybody who has a part in setting this up for the kids and coaches to make this a special event.”
Stephen Robbins, Lutheran Football Head Coach (3A semifinalist):
“This season has been a roller coaster and I think most coaches can come up here and probably say the same thing. It’s adversity nonstop. We’ve had our share of that, starting at the beginning of the year with some serious injuries. We’ve been down quite a few players. We’ve gone through a season where we play five playoff teams throughout the regular season, which I think kind of built us up to where we’re at right now and have an opportunity to play in the semifinal game for the fourth year.”
Mike Gabriel, Holy Family Football Head Coach (3A semifinalist):
“Our league had three representatives in the quarterfinals, and was three points away from having three representatives in the semifinals, so our league is very tough. And that’s a tribute to Coach [Stephen] Robbins and his team, and Northfield, who was also in the quarterfinals. We’ve played some tough competition this year. Most of our competition came early in the season, and then as our league [play] started, but the last few weeks, in the playoffs, we’ve had great games. Our kids have really battled. I think, this time of year, the word resiliency comes up and usually you face some adversity, you make some mistakes, but I think the teams that can overcome those mistakes and power though are the ones that stick around.”
Brian Brown, Strasburg Football Head Coach (1A finalist):
“This is our eighth season in 1A football, and we’ve been fortunate to play in this game several times. This is the first time back since 2020. I feel like a kid in a candy store. I’m so excited to be back here. . . We were very fortunate and as far as Strasburg goes, we kind of started off kind of rough this season. We had a little bit of adversity. We didn’t start out very well and I just want to give a ton of credit to my boys and to my coaching staff, because we took a hard look at what we were doing and what we needed to do. We did some things good, but we really needed to get better, and so I give so much credit to my senior-led class. They embraced our changes. They went into practice. I don’t think I’ve had a team that has had quite this type of chemistry and has practiced so well. I think every time they step out on that field, we challenge them and they’ve rose to that challenge and that’s what’s got us here.”
Mike O’Dwyer, Limon Football Head Coach (1A finalist):
“I’ve been at Limon for 39 years. Probably I’ve overstayed my welcome there, but last 22 years as a head coach. I have three tremendous assistant coaches in Tyson Leggett, Travis Sandersfeld, and Andy Love. All those guys were former players of mine. Two of those guys were Division-1 football players. They’re just a tremendous guys to have on our staff. I tell our parents all the time that we’re totally blessed to have those guys on our staff. It’s actually kind of embarrassing actually, they know more than the head coach.”
JD Stone, Haxtun Football Head Coach (8-Man finalist):
“We started pretty early in the year with just getting back in the weight room and getting after everything. We lost a game early, that kind of got dropped real quick, so we scrambled to find a game, and we were blessed to find the game just on the other side of Kansas City. So we traveled and then we represented Colorado in 8-man football in Missouri. They (Missouri’s St. Paul Lutheran) actually just lost in the quarterfinals last Friday, and we were lucky enough to play them. We won 74 to 14. We had our JV team in by about halfway through the second quarter, so we were pretty excited with that. Like everybody, we’ve had a lot of adversity this year. We’ve had a lot of key injuries. A lot of revolving parts, and our offensive defensive schemes are built around a lot of reads and a lot of people being interchangeable. So with all those moving parts, it’s hard whenever you lose one of those parts, so hats off to these guys.”
Myles Smith, Cheyenne Wells Football Head Coach (6-Man finalist):
“There’s a lot of people that wanted to have state championships at home, in small communities. But after being fortunate to be up here two years ago, I think everyone would agree that this is an unforgettable experience for everyone. So thank you guys and thank John [Sullivan] for everything you guys do for our student athletes. . . You know, a lot of these guys have talked about adversity. We started the season off against Stratton and ironically, lost that one. Week 2, we went to the No. 1 team in Kansas. Played them, and got several key injuries. Week 3, we couldn’t really rally back last to a Peetz team. So we’re down 0-3 to start the season, backs against the wall. So I think what’s really attributed to where we are today, and being right here. We felt mentally that our postseason started in Week 4. And these guys they just kept believing.”
Jesse McConnell, Stratton Football Head Coach (6-Man finalist):
“The main thing I really want to talk about was my seniors. I graduated from Stratton High School in 2011, so these guys were just little guys, you know, kindergarten or first grade. So I knew them then. Then I started coaching in 2016. I was an assistant and I got to see them in middle school. Then three years ago was my first year as a head coach, and they were sophomores. So we’ve been through a lot together. It’s fun seeing those guys grow up [and face] a lot of adversity individually and as a team. So I’m really excited to see them and their career here. No matter what, I’m really excited and happy I get to spend that special day with them.”