Morgan DzakWESTMINSTER — As the North Stadium scoreboard clock dipped below the 2-minute mark, the dark navy Friday night sky was suddenly sliced in half by a brilliant bolt of white lightning. It kept flickering in the waning minutes of the game, celebrating in the sky until time expired and the score was final: Legacy 29, Prairie View 6.
In a very important homecoming football game, the Legacy Lightning varsity team rallied behind interim head coach Matt Craddock and played its heart out in victorious fashion for the entire student body and school community.
Less than one week ago, the Legacy JV team and some varsity coaches were involved in a bus crash at Denver International Airport. The bus driver, 43-year-old Kari Chopper, died. 15 football players were injured and three coaches — head coach Wayne Voorhees, offensive coordinator Matt Kroupa and assistant Kyle Rider — were in critical condition after the crash and hospitalized.
It was a devastating start to Legacy’s homecoming week, and the JV game was canceled. But the varsity football team decided to suit up and become #LegacyStrong.
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“One of our athletes, center Seth Hill, said it best,” Craddock, the team’s defensive coordinator, said. “In our meeting, one of the first questions we asked was, ‘Guys, this is a tough week. Should we play this? What are the pros and cons?’
“One of the things Seth, a senior leader, got up and said to us was, ‘Coach V has always talked to us about reloading, not about who we lost or what we couldn’t do. Coach, there’s no way you’re going to keep us off that field.'”
The Legacy community started pouring into North Stadium at least an hour and a half before kickoff. The game appeared standard at first glance: students dressed up in school colors and costumes; decorated cars; kids throwing around footballs in the parking lot; stadium food; tailgating; the typical “Friday Night Lights” excitement.
But this wasn’t a typical high school game. The homemade cards hung all over the front gate fence with “get well soon” messages spoke loud and clear: this game is much bigger than a winner and loser after 48 minutes on the gridiron.
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People piled in, filling up the entire home bleacher section then spilling onto the grass hill behind an end zone. Maybe it’s too early to say this is the biggest game of the year for the Lightning, but it’s safe to say this will be the most important.
It was a very sensitive environment, and the Legacy administration made sure to keep everything closely monitored. But it was filled with the strength and support of not only the Legacy community, but the entire Colorado prep community.
Before the game, senior student body president Clarissa Shelley and Josh Chamberlain, a senior member of the Olympians, a Legacy spirit team at games, came out to speak to the media about the support the school had received during such a difficult week.
“It’s been a tough week, and Monday was the hardest,” Chamberlain said. “We’ve gotten posters all over the Front Range, and schools reaching out on Twitter with #LegacyStrong took us by surprise.”
Shelley added: “The fact the football team decided to come together and play for the coaches and school is incredible.”
Kari Chopper was honored with a moment of silence before kickoff.
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In the first half, Legacy scored touchdowns on the first two drives. Anthony Lyle scored both, running in the second on a 58-yard punt return. At halftime, the Lightning was up on Prairie View 14-0.
Prairie View managed to score in the second half, but then the Lightning piled on another two touchdowns with a PAT and 2-point conversion and sealed the game.
The Legacy players and administration were unavailable for comment after the game and many parents and fans weren’t interested in speaking with media about the game.
But it was evident how much playing this football game meant for the community.
“It was one of those weeks that really tests you,” Craddock said. “You have a choice: you can either let that test pull you apart, or come together. Not only our community, team, administration, teachers — it was a beautiful thing to see how that came together tonight and how well those kids played.”
(Morgan Dzak/CHSAANow.com)