Following a successful football season and big victory over Ralston Valley, the A-West varsity football team made it to the state championship playoffs with a bye week in the first round. Students, parents, players and faculty alike were overjoyed with making it to the playoffs for the first time in years. 

Senior football manager, Maddie Hutson, says “I think this is one of our better seasons. The boys and coaches changed their mindset and finally started playing as a team. We had a lot of struggles and obstacles during this season but the boys never let it affect them or their playing ability. “

The previous season was difficult for our football team for more reasons than just the pandemic. According to Hutson the anger and frustration that often comes with high school sports was managed poorly, on top of all the issues caused by COVID-19. 

She says “Last year the boys struggled with letting their anger frustration out on each other. Over the summer they learned to work together and that the only way for them to be successful was for them to work as a family, they used to play for themselves, but they built such a strong bond over the summer that they began playing for the person next to them.”

This new foundational trust led to a season more victorious than A-West has seen in years. Given this was the first time the team did make it to the playoffs in such a long time, there was a tradition that most of the student body was unaware of. 

On Monday, November 8th a vast majority of football players came to school with bleached blonde hair. 

Senior football player Blade Wilburn elaborates, “We had a coach named Brady Legault who was part of out last playoff season so he started talk about the tradition because they did it when he went to playoffs and so we are a very tight group so we all got together to do this but as for when it originated I think it was 1997 when we went to state”. 

Over the weekend the entire team got together to encourage each other while the bleach was being applied. When they went into the game against columbine their excitement was obvious to spectators. 

Senior player Dylan Butler says,“When the team dyed their hair it brought everyone closer. It was a brotherhood. Everyone is united to each other and that’s what I feel what occurred when everyone dyed their hair.” 

The game against Columbine was the last game of the season, but the players have played remarkably well and were one of the best teams in the state.