FOUNTAIN — Just after sunrise, Morgan Fox trudged onto the football practice fields at Fountain-Fort Carson, where he pounded weights, slung sledgehammers and flipped tires. He did it with more than 100 of his teammates. Three mornings a week, for two months.
“Can we do this in two hours?” Fox continually asked himself about a later start during a grueling summer.
Creating a work ethic, instilling discipline and establishing accountability have long been pillars of veteran coach Mitch Johnson’s program, and in their 60th year of existence, the 5A Pikes Peak No. 1 Trojans are confident they can make a deep trek into the playoffs.
Fountain-Fort Carson (7-2) opens the 32-team Class 5A tournament Friday as the No. 13 seed, with a home game against No. 20 Cherokee Trail — the winner likely traveling next week to No. 4 Ralston Valley. It’s the seventh consecutive season the Trojans have been in the playoffs, having gone unbeaten in the 5A Metro League and closing the year on a four-game winning streak after losses to Pine Creek and Grand Junction, both undefeated.
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