Last fall, a running clock showed a Colorado football dynasty how it had to evolve.
When Columbine got mercy-ruled by Legend 43-0 last Sept. 5, sending the six-time state champion Rebels to its first 0-3 start in head coach Andy Lowry’s 32 years at the helm, the Rebels gathered on the sideline of EchoPark Stadium and had an honest conversation about where the program was headed.
Columbine was only a year removed from beating Legend, a rising Class 5A power, on a last-second field goal. And this was just two seasons after the Rebels shocked Cherry Creek to win the state championship.
“The main lesson that we learned is that we’re not invincible just because of our name and our reputation,” Columbine senior tight end/edge Conan Williams said. “There were a few really good classes before us, and we all thought that the wins would just come to us. But the Legend game, that showed us that wasn’t the case.
“On the sideline (after the game), we promised each other we’re not going to give up on each other. We’ve honored that ever since that game. That was our turning point, and that really helped us decide who we were going to be for the rest of that year.”
Columbine is carrying that sense of urgency into this season, especially considering the Rebels are moving down to Class 4A and have a chance to be an immediate contender in their new, lower classification.
The Rebels won six of their remaining nine games in ’25 to finish 6-6, only the second non-winning season in Lowry’s tenure. That young team had only eight seniors, but this year’s Rebels have 22 seniors, a group that’s determined to return Columbine to postseason relevance.
Columbine has long been a Class 5A force under Lowry, starting with the Rebels winning the 1999 state title months after the shooting at the school. That was the beginning of three championships in four years, and the run-heavy program defined by the full house/wing T formation had taken off.
But in recent years, as Columbine’s attendance waned, staying elite among the biggest schools in Colorado became harder. The rise of other Jeffco programs also siphoned off talent that might have previously open enrolled at Columbine.
Prior to moving to Class 4A for this current two-year cycle, the Rebels had been playing above their enrollment for about a decade, which made the recent championship upset over behemoth Cherry Creek all the more impressive.
With an enrollment of 1,680, the Rebels are now one of the largest 4A schools in a classification . Senior defensive end Keith Fischer says the move down gives the Rebels “something to prove,” especially given last year’s state title runs by district counterparts Dakota Ridge in 4A,and Ralston Valley as the 5A runner-up.
“We have to show that even though we may not have the student count that all these big (5A) schools have, we can still get it done with a group of guys who have a bunch of love for the game,” Fischer said. “We can still get it done with the Columbine way.”
That “Columbine way” — which is also underscored by longevity on , as assistants Tom Tonelli, Ivory Moore, Lee Andres and Rick Anderson have been with the program since Lowry took the job in 1994 — will be critical to the Rebels’ success this season. Even more so considering Lowry says the team is playing “about the toughest we’ve ever had.”
That includes a Week 1 home opener against Mullen, followed by a stiff Southwest Metro League slate that includes Week 5 at Chatfield, Week 8 at Ralston Valley, Week 9 vs Mountain Vista and Week 10 vs Arvada West. A Week 7 non-conference tester against Erie is also on the docket. There’s not a single Class 4A team on the schedule, so Columbine will need to stack wins against stiff 5A opponents to get favorable playoff seeding, which is determined by
Once in the postseason, there will be no cakewalking for Columbine in a 4A field as well as Ponderosa, Monarch, Broomfield and Mesa Ridge. Defending champion Dakota Ridge lost a lot of firepower to graduation, but the Eagles also can’t be counted out.
“There’s a lot of really good football teams in 4A that you have to beat so people aren’t just going go to see Columbine (on the schedule) and roll over,” Andy Lowry said.
As usual, the Rebels’ success hinges on their play up front.
In addition to Fisher and Williams, seniors Wes Barber and Josiah Earnest are key on the offensive line. If Columbine’s performance this summer is any indication, the big men should be good — the Rebels won the Hog Olympics at three different camps, the Broncos’, Englewood’s and their own. Plus, Lijah Vialpando — a three-year starter who plays running back and linebacker — will be Columbine’s catalyst in the backfield.
Meanwhile, Lowry, 61, has kept his mental health sharp through his unwavering faith and consistent workouts.
Lowry lost his wife and Columbine football matriarch Janet in November 2024, the end of a lengthy seven-year cancer battle. Lowry attends mass a few times a week, both at St. Jude Catholic Church in Lakewood as well as St. Anthony Hospital chapel.
“I obviously still miss Janet a ton, but both of my kids (Thomas and Katlyn) live here at the house with me, and that’s been a huge support and blessing,” Lowry said. “But it’s been a tough couple of years.”
The Columbine boss says the sense of looming retirement that crept into his head during the 2023 championship season has waned. This fall is his 40th year coaching Colorado high school football, a career that began as the Lakewood defensive coordinator in 1987.
“(In 2023), the year before Janet passed (but she was really sick), I thought I was about finished coaching. I called her during practice and she goes, ‘What are you doing calling me during practice?'” Lowry recalled. “I said, “Well, it shows it’s about time to hang it up, huh?’
“But she was the one, along with my daughter, who said I needed to keep doing it. And last year and this year have been times where I probably needed football more than football needed me.”
Columbine opens its season in Week 0 on Aug. 21 with a 6:30 p.m. road showdown against at Poudre School District Stadium.
