Dylan Hollingsworth isn’t the ski bum you may think he is when learning of his move from Jackson, Wyo., to Frisco.
“Being from there, I felt I could make a connection,” he said of becoming a Coloradan.
Actually, he’s chasing power as opposed to powder. A home victory by his Summit Tigers over undefeated and No. 2-seeded Fort Morgan on Saturday in the Class 3A quarterfinals would be sweeter than graduating from blue to black on any Western slope.
“We’ll see how good we are,” Hollingsworth said.
A fair guess is: The Tigers are pretty good. At 10-1, Summit entered the postseason the past week seeded 10th out of 16 teams, then went into Cañon City, not exactly the easiest place to play, and took a 17-3 decision.
It was the latest mature accomplishment by a program that turned 21 in 2008. Not that it’s about manhood, but the Tigers have changed the past four seasons. They didn’t have a winning record in seven seasons before 2004’s 5-5 mark, which Hollings-worth witnessed his first year as an assistant.
“I didn’t know what I was getting into,” he admitted.
Nor did anyone else. Summit, a team without a league — the Tigers were classified as an independent for multiple seasons — got it together in 2005 to go 7-3, his first year in command. Next was the first undefeated regular season in school history that also came with the Central Metro League title and a semifinals showing (the Tigers finished 12-1).
Although Summit settled to a nonplayoff 7-3 record in 2007, here it is again, another shot at the semifinals, at 10-1. The blemish was a 37-27 loss to Conifer, which was upset this past weekend by Windsor. A tie for what is now the Metro championship with D’Evelyn — the Jaguars won at sixth-seeded Palisade in the preliminaries — further underlines a revitalization that was necessary and ongoing.
Colorado’s unique outlay includes everything from major metropolis to no-stoplight towns in brilliant contrast within the Rocky Mountains and the high plains. Ski areas are an interesting entry with their difficulty assembling a competitive schoolboy team on a regular basis.
How many skiers-quarterbacks do you think there are? How many linemen or defensive backs schuss their way into the state playoffs?
Hollingsworth grooms Summit football trails as smoothly as he can, and realizes he needs help selling the lifting of weights against lift tickets.
“The kids have bought into it, they believe in it,” the coach said.
He’ll have as many as 60 players at one-of-two or both daily film sessions during school hours. His players play and assistant coaches coach. And the surrounding area has noticed, with recent Tigers crowds reaching 2,000-3,000.
Of 17 seniors, four started as freshmen. Plus, former Oklahoman Landon Greve, a senior quarterback, has turned into the Frisco Kid. The undisputed leader of the Tigers is versatile, allowing them to surpass more than 2,000 yards offensively in both rushing and passing, a necessary balance key to Summit’s peaking at the correct time.
“He has been fantastic,” Hollingsworth said. “Against Cañon City, (they) wanted to take away the run, so Landon rushed for 66 yards and passed for 274. It’s kind of a tribute to our kids, the throwing and catching.”
Greve is clearly visible on the recruiting radar with Colorado State, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M and Wyoming among trackers.
The grind that turned into the Metro — five programs made the postseason — has benefited the Tigers, although Fort Morgan is another animal. The Mustangs are 11-0, champions of the rugged Tri-Valley and have been a rocky trail for decades.
“Fort Morgan is big and physical, and I’m very impressed with its attitude,” Hollingsworth said. “I haven’t seen anybody with a bigger heart.”
Never mind it snowed in Frisco earlier in the week.
Colorado’s best skiing never occurs until after football, right?
Neil H. Devlin: 303-954-1714 or ndevlin@denverpost.com
