Mark Buderus
School: Florence Huskies, Class 2A, ranked No. 1 in The Denver Post’s 2A media poll
Record: 4-0 in 2011 (career record unavailable)
Coaching resume: Head coach at Norwood from 1981-84. Head coach at Florence since 1985.
Life lines: Age 52. Born in Fort Collins. Graduated from Pomona High School in 1977 and from Adams State College in 1981 (degree in secondary education). Earned a master’s degree from the University of Phoenix in 2003.
Back in his day: Quarterback at Pomona from 1973-76 and at Adams State from 1977-80.
Last week: Against third- ranked Kent Denver in Cherry Hills Village on Saturday, the Huskies trailed 20-6 when a roaring thunderstorm with 4:02 remaining in the third quarter forced the teams to their locker rooms. The delay lasted 40 minutes.
“We took a power nap, then got going,” Buderus said.
The Huskies scored four touchdowns in the game’s final 12:17, including two in a decisive span of 1:01 in the fourth quarter, and rallied to win 35-20. The Huskies scored 21 points in the fourth quarter.
“They were better everywhere in the first half,” Buderus said. “We just told the kids at halftime that we weren’t out of it; just keep plugging along. Then we got some momentum.”
Johnnie Krien scored three touchdowns for Florence, two during the decisive run. After the weather delay, Kent Denver gained only 7 yards and committed two turnovers.
“We had better field position, and our kids just needed to wake up,” Buderus said. “I think we had some bus lag. It was our first Saturday game. We told them to act like it was a playoff game.”
The Huskies opened in Zero Week by beating defending Class 3A champion Elizabeth. In Week 2, they handled defending Class 2A champion Olathe.
“Our kids are up for the challenge. We could have easily been 1-3,” Buderus said. “But when we were trailing, we told them that we were good, we were OK. We just needed some fire.”
About the award: The Denver Broncos high school coach of the week award, in its 17th year, will have 10 honorees during the regular season. The NFL Youth Fund will present a check for $1,000 to the school’s program. Florence’s Mark Buderus joins Denver East’s Ron McFarland and Grandview’s John Schultz as winners in 2011. A coach of the year will be announced at the Broncos’ Jan. 1 game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Sports Authority Field at Mile High and receive $2,000. Coaches are selected by a panel consisting of Neil H. Devlin, The Denver Post; Billy Thompson, the Broncos; and Andy Lindahl, KOA 850 AM.
