How long is it from Arvada peewee midget play to Class 5A?
Ask Connor Pierson. He knows.
“It’s just football,” said Pierson, who turned 15 last month yet has started three consecutive games for Pomona in Arvada, now 3-0 and ranked No. 4 in The Denver Post 5A media poll last week.
The latest Brian Dawkins Award winner is a center, 5-foot-10, 220 pounds, who gained his position by chance. During football camp at Colorado State earlier this summer, Pierson was thrown into the fray by necessity and hasn’t hinted at surrendering it. Pomona also is operating out of the shotgun, and coach Jay Madden said Pierson has yet to encounter anything he can’t handle.
“Everything has just kind of worked out,” Pierson said.
It’s in stark contrast as well as a tribute to his home life as a youth. Pierson’s parents divorced, and his father was diagnosed with leukemia before he attended school. His father held his own for multiple years before losing the battle in 2008.
“We thought we had it, he beat it for a while, but it just came back,” Pierson said. “He had a really tough month in the hospital. I’ve just persevered, just thinking about what he’d want.”
Pierson lives with an aunt and uncle, and has an older brother, Austin, a junior linebacker, on the team.
“I have a great family and I love them,” he said. “Having my brother up there with me at camp really helped.”
A student who regularly makes A’s — he’s taking a couple of honors courses and says “I take school pretty seriously” — Pierson hopes to pursue a career involving mathematics in college.
Pierson will be at today’s Broncos game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.
Before each game, Dawkins, the Broncos safety who had a similar program in Philadelphia, will choose a deserving prep player who demonstrates strong commitment to and accomplishment in the sport and in the classroom, character off the field and has overcome adversity.
The winner will receive two tickets to a Broncos home game and pregame sideline passes courtesy of Dawkins, and must be accompanied by a parent or chaperone. Dawkins will meet with the player after the game.
Nominees must be submitted to The Denver Post at ndevlin@denverpost.com.
The final selection is made by Dawkins.
“I’m a fan of the Broncos, and I think (Dawkins) is a really good player,” Pierson said.
