Broomfield
title since 1984. Practice, game film, etc.
Broomfield coach Blair Hubbard said that his senior class would continue to set the tone this week.
“They’re hungry and they’re focused,” he said.
It’s all business. And it isn’t.
The Eagles say it’s more than that.
Off the football field, the team will have their weekly team dinner Thursday. Senior Canon Juarez said those are always filled with lots of laughter and “just enjoying each other’s presence.”
Junior lineman Landen Davidson said sometimes after a long, hard practice some players will even come together to bond over video games.
Though this week at least, it probably won’t include senior defensive end Garrett Keeler.
The defensive standout, who had a touchdown-saving tackle a play before Gio Toledo sealed last weekend’s win with a fumble recovery on the goal line, said a lot of players are spending their down time watching even more game film. He personally is also watching movies like “The Waterboy” and “Remember the Titans”.
“I don’t want to get my mind off of football,” he assured.
But whatever Broomfield does on or off the field, they agree the focus is sharing the experience with their teammates.
“Something that sets us apart and elevates our team chemistry on the field is that off the field we bond,” Juarez said. “We are all close friends. That in itself goes further than just football.”
Perhaps even into the 20-minute drive home in Cole Lacrue’s Volkswagen Tiguan or brother Ty’s recent 16th birthday present, a Discovery Sport.
As part of their week ahead of the championship game, the brothers are happy to get a few more car rides from practice together to chat about football, school and food.
All of it before Cole heads to Madison in January.
“Those car rides are really where me and Cole started to get close with each other,” Ty said.
And some of that has come in the form of rocking out to old jams liked by their late father Joe, who died of complications from the coronavirus in late 2020.
Songs they’re currently dipping into, Cole said, include Aerosmith’s “Dream on” and Journey’s “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)”. Fitting enough.
Kickoff for the 4A title game at Empower Field at Mile High is scheduled for 11 a.m. The game will be broadcast on Altitude Sports and will be streamed on the NFHS Network.
Jake Guentzel and Kasperi Kapanen scored less than two minutes apart in the third period to rally the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 4-3 win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday night.
Guentzel’s power-play goal 7:33 into the third tied the game at 3, and Kapanen’s