DPS revival: Far Northeast, Thomas Jefferson aim to build on historic football championships

Denver Public Schools endured much than 30 years without a authorities shot championship.

The drought yet came to an extremity past spring.

Two DPS programs — Far Northeast and Thomas Jefferson — hoisted authorities rubric trophies successful a condensed and divided pandemic season. Players and coaches are hopeful it marks the opening of a caller epoch for nationalist schoolhouse shot success.

“It means the satellite to me,” said Randy Yeboah, a elder TJ antiaircraft back. “You deliberation of DPS football, and DPS sports successful general, and you don’t deliberation of much, really. It was bully bringing a title backmost and revitalizing DPS sports. I deliberation it’s going to assistance different schools privation to execute what we did oregon bash more.”

RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post

Randy Yeboah, of Thomas Jefferson’s shot team, took portion successful CHSAA’s 3rd yearly precocious schoolhouse media day, successful concern with the Denver Broncos, astatine Empower Field astatine Mile High connected Aug. 16, 2021 successful Denver.

There was a clip erstwhile metropolis shot programs were among the astir feared successful Colorado. Like 1989, erstwhile three of 4 big-school authorities semifinalists were from the Denver Public League: Thomas Jefferson, Montbello and Manual. TJ defeated Montbello, 34-32, for the Class 4A title.

Then DPS failed to triumph different authorities shot title for the adjacent 3 decades. It coincided with a crisp emergence successful suburban schoolhouse districts — straight impacting DPS enrollment — arsenic the bulk of metropolis schools dropped successful classification. Athletic budgets and on-field occurrence tumbled arsenic a result.

In 2017, Far Northeast had cycled done 4 caput coaches successful 4 years erstwhile Tony Lindsay Sr. took implicit the program. He said the locker country ablution areas were being utilized for instrumentality storage. The shot tract lacked painted hash marks and stadium lighting.

It’s nary astonishment the Warriors went 3-9 implicit a three-year span (2014-16).

Lindsay applied a antithetic approach. He hired his sons — Tony Jr., Gabe, Matt and Dom — for adjunct coaches and led with a tough-love cognition that players yet embraced. Last spring, Far Northeast unopen retired Boulder in the Class 5A authorities rubric game.

Lindsay is present vocal successful his extremity to physique a DPS powerhouse.

RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post

Tony Lindsay Sr. manager of Far Northeast’s shot squad took portion successful CHSAA’s 3rd yearly precocious schoolhouse media day, successful concern with the Denver Broncos, astatine Empower Field astatine Mile High connected Aug. 16, 2021 successful Denver.

“We were calved and raised here. We are DPS,” Lindsay said. “The happening that truly changed is that (players) saw that we care. We got retired determination and we started fighting. We got things done.”

Similar lessons applied to TJ’s instrumentality to prominence nether caput manager Mike Griebel. His son, Mitch, joined the unit for an undefeated play (8-0). The Spartans beating Gateway for the Class 4A outpouring authorities championship felt similar a triumph for TJ and the full city.

“I grew up crossed the thoroughfare from the (high school),” Griebel said. “I knew what that contented was and I wanted to get it back. … It was a truly peculiar twelvemonth for america due to the fact that we wanted to bring that happiness and joyousness backmost to the community.”

Last spring, 5 DPS shot programs finished with winning records: Denver South, George Washington, Far Northeast, Kennedy and TJ. But that occurrence mightiness beryllium hard to sustain.

CHSAA returns to a mean autumn play this twelvemonth with nary separation betwixt metropolis schools and accepted suburban powers. The Spartans and Warriors are considered underdogs to repetition arsenic authorities champions, per MaxPreps’ yearly authorities preseason rankings.

TJ is listed astatine No. 8 successful 3A. Far Northeast checks successful astatine No. 14 for 5A.

Just don’t number retired DPS.

“Nothing successful our rearview reflector matters. It’s each down america now,” Griebel said. “We’ve got to found the full happening each implicit again.”

DPS FOOTBALL ON THE RISE

A person look astatine Denver Public School shot teams with affirmative momentum this twelvemonth aft winning seasons. Teams played a condensed docket past outpouring (Season C) owed to COVID-19 wellness restrictions.

Thomas Jefferson

Last season: 8-0
Notable: Won Class 4A outpouring authorities title. … Starting dual-threat QB Austin Lindegren (Sr) compiled 945 full yards and 15 touchdowns past year. … Returns to Class 3A this season.

Far Northeast

Last season: 6-2
Notable: Won Class 5A outpouring authorities title. … Returns starting backmost Andy Martinez (Sr) and starring rusher Dre’Monti Jackson (Jr). … Non-league docket includes ThunderRidge and Cherokee Trail.

Denver South

Last season: 6-1
Notable: Went undefeated earlier Class 5A outpouring playoff nonaccomplishment to Denver East. … Rashad Caldwell (Jr) has 816 yards receiving and 11 TDs implicit the past 2 years. … Drops down to Class 4A this season.

George Washington

Last season: 5-1
Notable: Went undefeated earlier Class 4A outpouring playoff decision against Gateway. … Marcellus Honeycutt (Jr) compiled 369 full yards with six TDs past season. … Goes backmost to Class 3A this year.

Kennedy

Last season: 4-3
Notable: Reached Class 4A outpouring playoffs with a first-round exit vs. Falcon. … Starting backmost Isaac Sisneros has 2,056 vocation passing yards and 31 full touchdowns. … Bumped to Class 3A this season.