HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colo. — Snowballs fly on a hill behind Mountain Vista High School.
Despite a thick layer of wet snow and frigid temperatures, the Golden Eagles football team is practicing — albeit, the snow angel contest seemed more like team bonding than playoff preparation.
MVHS is undefeated and enjoying the fruits of its regular season labor — a bye week before their journey in the CHSAA Class 5A playoffs begins. But while this season has already been an unmitigated success, these boys are currently the second-best football team at Mountain Vista.
"Overall we were just so close," said Braelynn Looney, a junior linebacker and center for the MVHS flag football team. "We did it for each other, and that meant a lot.”
The Vista girls won Colorado's first-ever sanctioned Class 5A flag football state championship, beating Arvada West 32-21.
“Our trophy is gonna be up forever and our names are in the history books now, so it’s great," said Braelynn. "The way that our team made history in becoming the first [to win a sanctioned flag football state title], it really shows that our team chemistry was so good."
Looney scored a touchdown in that championship game, but her favorite memory from the day came after the final whistle.
“Giving [my dad] a big hug after we won the championship," said Braelynn. "Knowing that we did it together.”
Her dad, Garett Looney, was the offensive coordinator for the state champions.
“He’s always been a coach in my eyes," said Braelynn. "Ever since I was a baby, I’ve always been on the sidelines of football games and all that.”
But Coach Looney's work didn't end when the Golden Eagles lifted the trophy. He had to turn his attention to a second playoff run.
"Right now, they’re state champions. So our relationship with them is just try to match them," said Austyn Modrzewski, senior quarterback for the Mountain Vista football team.
Modrzewski takes instruction from Garrett Looney, who is the head coach of the tackle version of Mountain Vista's football operation.
Before Garrett took over, calling the MVHS football program "underachieving" might be an overstatement. Under his leadership, the team is enjoying a meteoric rise to dominance.
“Vista used to never have a winning record," said Modrzewski. "We were never a football school. This is truly our first year being ranked top 5. This is our first-ever conference championship. The whole entire culture has changed, and I believe that’s how we made the switch.”
Iron sharpens iron. Similarly, greatness can beget greatness. That seems to be happening at Mountain Vista as football is forging a bond between the two sides of the same pigskin.
“Even at some of the games, a lot of the guys come out and will be on the sidelines with us cheering us on," said Ariana Akey, the junior quarterback of Vista's state championship squad. "The support’s there, and it’s been great.”
"It's like a brother-sister sport," said Braelynn. "We're both football players. It's a very different game but we both understand the game. There are concepts of the game we both have to understand. And then supporting each other and being so good in supporting each other [creates] a camaraderie throughout the school."
“They’ve been through hardships all the way to the state championship," said senior linebacker Carter Daniels. "As a team, we’ve been through hardships [too], and now it’s our turn to go win a state championship. Everybody on this team believes we can go do that.”
Like many brother-sister relationships, this one also comes with its fair share of trash talk.
“We set the bar, and it’s going to be embarrassing for them if they don’t stick up to it," said Braelynn. through laughter. But she expects one more championship embrace before the season ends.
“They got it, too," said Braelynn. "They’re a really good team.”
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