Cincinnati Bengals practice at Valor Christian High, Dec. 27, 2015, in Highlands Ranch, Colo. before the game against the Denver Broncos. (Photo from Twitter of Bill Bufton, Valor Christian)
An impromptu sporting event took place at Valor Christian High on Sunday morning, and it’s called NFL practice.
Valor athletic director Jamie Heiner set to work with his kids and some shovels, helping other Valor staff plow and clear snow off the football field to welcome the Cincinnati Bengals to practice before the team’s in Denver on Monday night.
Heiner said the Bengals hoped to use Mile High to practice. “But they were sodding the field and had tarps over Sports Authority Field,” Heiner explained.
Heiner’s friend Scott Bliek, the assistant general manager of Broncos stadium management, put a Bengals staff member in charge of game preparations and scheduling in touch with Heiner regarding a place to practice.
in town, so we helped them out with a place to practice. !
— Jamie Heiner (@JamieHeiner)
Via Jamie Heiner, athletic director at Valor Christian
“We were happy to help them out,” Heiner said.
BUT WAIT — IT’S THE ENEMY!
“It was a lot of fun and they were very nice,” Heiner said. “There wasn’t anyone else to help them out. The nice thing about our facility is we have turf that can get plowed off and uncovered.”
Bengals at Valor today
— Bill Bufton (@CoachBufton)
Via Bill Bufton, college recruiting coordinator at Valor Christian
Valor is also a notable school in the professional sports community.
The football team is Ed McCaffrey and Steve Stenstrom. McCaffrey with Broncos players at the school. The hockey team is And the former boys basketball coach .
“There were people lining around the whole field and a lot of people coming out, like Bengals fans getting autographs and some Broncos fans,” Heiner said of the practice. “To watch an NFL team practice up close and personal is a pretty neat experience.”
Heiner said by the end, there were between 100 to 200 people watching.
Bengals bending and stretching on a beautiful Sunday morning.
— John Popovich WCPO (@Popo_WCPOSports)
Via John Popovich, sports director of WCPO-TV in Cincinnati
