A look back at the special football season that was, and a look into the future of Devon Fitzgerald.
by Devon Fitzgerald
“Who wants the ball?” Coach Owens asked coming into the huddle. There was 10 seconds left in the half and we on their 40-yard line. I said I wanted it and Coach Owens had the faith to put the ball in my hands. He designed a play that right from the snap went wrong. It was a pitch right and everyone went left. I ran right and then cut in the middle, defenders were there and three of them hit me, but I was able to spin out of their tackles and run 40 yards for the touchdown. We took a 13-0 lead into halftime with momentum on our side. That was freshman year against Montbello, and four years later Coach Owens still has the faith in me to give me the ball when it matters most.
For the past four years of my life I have dedicated myself to the TJ Spartan football program, from the grueling two-a-day practices to intense 7 am strength and conditioning, and the never-ending film sessions. The hard work paid off as my senior season approached. I was faster, stronger, and quicker than I had ever been before. My fellow seniors, some of my best friends, guys I’ve grown up with, my brothers and I, we were ready for our final season together.
Seniors always want to make their last year special and successful, and I was no different. I was going to be the starting running back replacing Nigel Nelson, who was 1st Team All-State, and I wanted the ball in my hands so I could lead my team to victory. A selfish, but totally righteous mentality I thought I had. However, I would not be that guy; no one would. For the first time in my sports career, this football team would be united together through a special bond, for the first time we were a family.
The football team has a saying, “One, two, trey, TJ. One, two, trey, FAMILY.” For the first three years of my TJ football career I never really believed it. However, this year was different; it was not just a saying, it was a feeling. We believed we were together and, most importantly, I believed in my teammates. Senior quarterback Michael Mankoff and his decision-making when throwing the ball, Adam Colean and his leadership on defense, Ryan Allen opening up holes for the running backs, and even Sophomore Billy Sprague on offense and defense to make plays. We worked hard and the coaches believed that we were the class; we were the team that would be able to make it all the way to the State Championship. We had put the pieces together and could compete; the coaches were more driven than ever to push us, and most importantly we had the will and heart to win.
With a 5’5” running back, not many people gave a “running” team a chance, but this just made me want it more. The first game of the season would show us how good we really were. We took on the Green Mountain Rams and the game was being broadcasted on the CET Network. It was a Zero Week game, which meant we would play a week before every other 5A team in the state of Colorado. It also meant that we would have one less week to prepare and work out all of our mistakes before a game. Regardless, the contest came, and when the score read 7-0 at halftime I was actually worried. We were 5A, struggling against a 4A team. Maybe the so-called experts were right; maybe we wouldn’t be as dominant as we thought. However, it turned out to be just first-game nerves, because in the second half we came out and blew them away. The final score would read 34-0. Our defense shut out a team for the first time in four years. We made quite a few mistakes, but we stuck together as a team and did not panic. Despite the victory, we still had yet to make names for ourselves in the 5A football scene, but we knew next week we could gain some respect.
The second game of the season would be against Grandview, the 4th ranked team in the state at that time. TJ had not beaten Grandview in three years and we felt, as seniors, we owed it to the community to end this drought. To be honest, this game was the biggest of our season because this would set the momentum for the whole year. Would we just be another average TJ team or would we defeat them and gain momentum for the rest of the season? After falling behind 14-0 after the first quarter I was pretty nervous, but once again the team stuck together and never faltered because we believed in our coaches, our system, and most of all we believed in each other. It took a double overtime last minute field goal to win the game, but we did it. This was the milestone to our season, and like everyone predicted, it set the tone for the rest of the year.
The Grandview game set the momentum for our season as we finished undefeated with a 9-0 record. This was the first team in Thomas Jefferson’s history to go undefeated. We obviously were playing great football, but at the end of the season there was only one unbeaten team, and unfortunately that was not us. We lost in the “Elite 8” of the 5A state playoffs to the Douglas Country Huskies. We were beaten 34-19 to the soon-to-be state champion runner-ups. I (as well as my team) was devastated. I couldn’t believe my football season was over; we accomplished so much and I felt like it meant nothing. To think that this could possibly be my last football game I would ever play was just too much to take. I spent most of the weekend hanging out with the football guys reminiscing about the season and strengthening our bond in case we never played football again.
But life had to go on, and how I was going to manage I didn’t know. The days went by more slowly, classes seemed longer, and my attention span seemed to shrink each day. After school there were no more football practices or pre-game dinners with the team, and there was no more film at lunch. Being a football player, I felt like I was on top of the world, but now I just felt average and did what I could to make it through each day. Teachers would tell me, “You had a great season,” and I would say thank you, but in the back of my mind it was not great enough. I had to start moving on from football and focus on my future with college, as well as the remainder of my senior year.
I started to apply for colleges, but I also had some college coaches show interest in me to go play for their school. My friends and I were all getting looked at to play at the next level. It was always a dream of mine to play college football, but with my size, the reality of it was slim. I started to let the season go and started living a senior life. During the season I normally wouldn’t go out and just chill with my fellow teammates. As time progressed, my focus on school was lacking, but I was starting to make as many memories as possible with my friends because I only had a few more months and then we would all go our separate ways. Colorado State at Pueblo and the University of Nebraska Kearney were the schools most interested in recruiting me.
The first semester was over and I could not believe I had only one semester left in school. I was able to finish with over a 3.0 GPA, but I knew that this upcoming eighteen weeks was going to be difficult because of something called “senioritis.” I had already started to slack and I still had a semester left.
School started again and I had been accepted to all the colleges I applied for. Something my fellow classmates and I had in common was that we all had to go through the tortuous process of applying to college. The long forms, essays, and the dreaded waiting we could all relate to. However, for me it was not so much the waiting to be accepted but the waiting to get a scholarship. I took a trip down to Pueblo to check out the Colorado State campus and I liked what I saw. The only question was, did CSUP like what they saw in me?
Colorado State at Pueblo offered me a scholarship to go play football, which is probably my best bet. Nebraska Kearney called me and decided not to offer me a scholarship. There are some local colleges that I could look at too, but for me, I felt that I would be able to be successful at CSUP. So, that’s where I decided to go.
Some of my other teammates got offered scholarships as well, to Colorado School of Mines, Adams State, Western State, and New Mexico Highlands. Coincidentally, all the schools are in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, (RMAC) so no matter where anyone of us go, we will be keeping in touch through the wonderful game of football. We started playing together when we were little, and now as we go on to the next step, we will still be playing with each other, even though it might be as rivals.
As the days go by and seconds tick away, the only thought I have is “survive.” I recently visited CSUP during a spring practice and watched offensive and defensive meetings, players making plays, and coaches interacting with players. I also saw the new facilities that they are building, including a new athletic center. Not only does it reassure me about my decision in choosing CSUP, but also makes me excited to go down there and start my college football career. However, I will always remember my days in the Thomas Jefferson halls and my days on the Spartan field. I have a brotherhood and special bond that I will never forget, because of the wonderful game of football.
