WINDSOR — If Nick Macklin and Trevor Miller learned nothing else from the events of May 22, they certainly grew a fonder appreciation for life — more than ever before.
It was that Thursday, just before noon on the last day of school, when a tornado ripped through the northern Colorado community, leaving behind nearly $150 million in damage. But in its aftermath, it brought a town and its high school football team closer together.
Macklin, a senior this year, and Miller, a freshman, were at their homes when the storm came rumbling through.
“I went home and it started to hail real bad. I called my mom and she said there was a tornado warning for Windsor, and sure enough here it comes,” said the 18-year-old offensive lineman. “So I grabbed the dogs and went downstairs and just before I knew it, there goes the top of the house.”
The house, which backs to Highway 257, was leveled. The main floor of the one-story home with a basement was consumed by the tornado. Thankfully for Macklin, he was in the basement, which escaped the wreckage.
Miller understands how his teammate felt.
He headed for cover in the basement and came up to discover a home in shambles.
“The complete left wall was torn out. Every room was completely destroyed,” Miller said when he inspected the damage of the two-story home. “Living-room furniture was moved around. It was amazing how much fury a tornado has.
“I really didn’t know what was happening. When I came up and saw daylight, and our curtains and blinds were closed, I was pretty shocked.”
Rightfully so. His world, as for a lot of people in the community, had been turned upside down. Fortunately, with the exception of one death in nearby Greeley, nobody else lost life or suffered significant physical harm. But the emotional scars will be there for a lifetime.
“We’re very fortunate right now that we have all of our guys intact,” Windsor head coach Chris Jones said. “It makes you think about life. There are a lot bigger things going on than football.”
That is so, but in a town the size of Windsor — population of 14,874 — high school football can be a rallying point, a community gathering place. But, says Jones, the team is just a small part of the equation.
“We’re small potatoes in this whole thing,” Jones said. “You drive through that area and there are people who don’t have much done on their homes. I don’t know how long it will take to get back to normal because there’s so much debris and wreckage and stuff out there that will remind people of this tornado for years.
“You don’t fully understand the impact of a tornado actually until you go to the scene itself. I’ve seen (footage) . . . but it’s nothing until you go out and see it firsthand.”
That’s exactly what the football team did. In the days after the storm, Windsor players took it upon themselves to call off their scheduled spring practices and workouts to help out. For three or four days, they went around to the worst-hit areas and cleaned up.
“The community has definitely been behind us, and we’ve been behind the community,” Jones said.
Because of scheduling, the Wizards won’t play their first home game until Sept. 19 against Fort Lupton. That will be the first big sporting event the school has hosted since the tornado, giving it an opportunity to bring everybody together again for something other than a cleaning-up project.
“I think it will be, hopefully, a high point for us,” Jones said. “Obviously, we’d like to win, but we’d like to see more people recover. This is their home. Now, it’s like they’re on a vacation.”
Class 3A top 10
1. Berthoud: Defending 3A state champion returns 15 starters.
2. Palisade: One point from state final in 2007 left a bad taste in its mouth.
3. Fort Morgan: Might be the second-best team in the Tri-Valley and almost in the state.
4. Pueblo County: One win from final last year; brings back 10 starters.
5. Glenwood Springs: Out to avenge upset in first round of the playoffs.
6. Falcon: Wants to prove that last year’s success wasn’t a fluke.
7. Steamboat Springs: QB Austin Hinder leads the charge.
8. Pueblo Central: Ready to make some noise after moving down from 4A.
9. Conifer: Returns nine starters, but only two on a young defense.
10. D’Evelyn: Returns 17 starters from the 2007 playoff squad.
Class 3A players to watch
Zach Adair, Palisade, Sr., RB
Chris Cobbley, Fort Morgan, Sr., RB
Cory Evans, Evergreen, Sr., FB-LB
Brian Ford, Alamosa, Sr., TE-LB
Austin Hinder, Steamboat Springs, Jr., QB
Nate Gochenour, Falcon, Sr., RB-LB
Garrett Griffith, D’Evelyn, Sr., QB
Jordan Major, Berthoud, Sr., QB
Nick Macklin, Windsor, Sr., OL
B.J. Morman, Harrison, Sr., RB-LB
