Name: Casey Coons
School: Arvada West Wildcats, Class 5A Jefferson County League, ranked No. 3 in The Denver Post/9News 5A poll
Record: 5-1 overall in 2005, 1-0 league; 30-12 career
Coaching résumé: Assistant at Gateway High School from 1981-82; Black Hills State College from 1983-84; Western Oregon from 1985-87; Western State 1988-94; Port Charlotte (Fla.) High School in 1995; and North Dakota from 1996-98. In fourth season as the Wildcats’ head coach.
Life lines: Age 46, native of Inglewood, Calif. Graduated from Denver’s Abraham Lincoln High School in 1977; earned degree in physical education at Western State in 1981; earned master’s degree in education from Oregon State; teaches physical education at Arvada West.
Back in his day: Linebacker-guard at Abraham Lincoln, all-Denver Prep League as a senior; second team all-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference guard at Western State in 1980, when he was also the RMAC scholar-athlete of the year.
What he has done lately: “It was one of the best high school games I’ve seen,” Coons said of A-West’s 39-33 overtime win against Columbine. “It was just a physical battle. It was rough.”
Both teams let it hang out. The Wildcats forced four fumbles, stood up to Columbine’s considerable offensive line and overcame a second-half deficit against the previously top-ranked Rebels, who rarely relinquish the lead after halftime.
“We’ve worked hard, and it’s a good group of senior leaders with a good attitude who just keep on plugging,” Coons said.
A-West, which dropped its opener to Cherry Creek and had four turnovers against Columbine, solidified its prominent position in Jeffco and 5A with multiple big plays, notably forcing two fumbles – one in the second half, when a Columbine runner had cleared the point of attack and seemed headed for a touchdown, only to be stripped and on the second play of overtime, when A-West stripped another Rebel at the 3-yard line.
The ‘Cats’ L.D. Briscoe clinched it with a 10-yard touchdown run, but had much other help from the A-West defense, solid protection up front, the passing and scrambling of quarterback Sean McDougal and 13 receptions by Ryan Hill.
“We persevered,” Coons said.
Note
The Broncos high school coach of the week, in its 10th year, will have 10 honorees during the regular season. NFL Charities will present a check for $1,000 to the school’s program. A coach of the year will be announced at the Broncos’ Dec. 11 game against the Baltimore Ravens at Invesco Field at Mile High, and he will receive $2,000. Coaches are selected from a panel made up of Neil H. Devlin, The Denver Post; Billy Thompson, the Broncos; Susie Wargin, KUSA-9; Marcia Neville, KCNC-4; and Andy Lindahl, KKZN 760 AM.
Neil H. Devlin can be reached at 303-820-1714 or ndevlin@denverpost.com.
