DENVER BRONCOS HIGH SCHOOL COACH OF THE WEEK
Kurt Krantz
School: Class 4A Littleton Lions, Plains League.
Record: 5-4 overall, 4-0 in league; 28-42 career.
Coaching résumé: Assistant at Mullen from 1978-81 and Rangeview from 1982 into four games of the 1991 season; head coach at Rangeview until 1995; assistant at Heritage from 1996-2005 and Highlands Ranch from 2006-10; idle in 2011; assistant at Mullen in 2012; head coach at Littleton since 2013.
Life lines: Age — 57. Native of Omaha. Graduated from Cherry Creek in 1975. Attended Mesa State for a year, moved on to Colorado State, then finished at Metro State in 1981, earned a degree in business with an emphasis on real estate. Owns Premier Real Estate Group in Littleton.
Back in his day: Center at Cherry Creek from 1971-74; played at Mesa State in 1975; walk-on at CSU in 1976.
Last week: Krantz is honest. He said a lot of friends told him not to take the Lions head coaching position.But here he is, leading them to at least a share of their first league title since 1998.
“I went in with the attitude to love up the kids and help them help their lives,” Krantz said. “(When I was in high school) my coaches helped keep me above water.”
With a 21-19 victory at Ponderosa last week, Littleton heads into its final regular-season game this weekend against Dakota Ridge with a chance to win the Plains outright.
Against Ponderosa, the Lions’ Tre Blake ran 41 times for 215 yards and two touchdowns. Noah McGhee had 13 carries for 127 yards. Linemen David Bieber and Aron Pino played well. And the Lions’ defense stopped a late two-point conversion try.
“We’re probably a year ahead of where I thought we’d be, but the kids have bought in and listened to us,” Krantz said. “We’ve done better every week, every game. This is not a surprise.”
As for looking back at taking a job that others passed on?
“It’s a heck of a mix,” Krantz said of his team. “It’s good and it’s fun.”
The Denver Broncos high school coach of the week award will have 10 honorees during the regular season and a coach of the year at season’s end. It is presented by the Colorado National Guard, with a selection committee led by The Denver Post’s Neil H. Devlin and including Ring of Fame member Billy Thompson and 850 KOA’s Andy Lindahl. Each weekly winner will receive a $2,000 donation to his school in his name made possible by the NFL Foundation and the Colorado National Guard, and the coach of the year will receive a $4,000 grant. The coach of the year will be honored at the Broncos’ Dec. 28 game against the Oakland Raiders at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.
