Denver Broncos high school football coach of the week: Haxtun’s JD Stone

For head coach JD Stone and his 8-man Haxtun Bulldogs, this season has been a couple years in the making.

During the 2019 season, the young squad played above their expectations, going 4-4 before falling in their season finale to miss out on the playoffs by one game.

Now, a majority of that starting lineup are upperclassmen for this 2021 season, and it is paying major dividends.

Haxtun is a perfect 7-0 this year, outscoring opponents by an impressive 348-52 margin. They are coming off a 36-12 win over then No. 3 ranked Sedgwick County, which catapulted them into the top spot of the 8-man poll.

The seven wins are the most for the program since going 7-3 in 2011, but this team is looking to go beyond that and re-establish Haxtun as the football power it once was. The Bulldogs are seven-time state champions, with the last title coming in 2004.

Under Stone’s guidance, they are well on their way to being able to do that. Stone is this week’s Broncos high school coach of the week.

The Broncos coach of the week is selected in partnership with the Broncos. Find a complete list of winners at the link above.
 

---

JD Stone bio

Years as Haxtun head coach (record): Seventh Year (34-28)
Overall head coaching record: 34-28
Coaching resume: Fleming assistant coach and DC, Haxtun assistant coach, DC, OC and Head Coach

Question: Why do you coach?

Stone: “I have always coached to try to be a positive role model in the lives of the young men on our teams. I love helping mold young men into men and helping guide them through what is a very challenging and emotional part of their lives. As coaches we are just an extension of the school, and we are teachers, we just use a different platform to teach different life lessons.”

Q: Why do you coach the way that you coach?

Stone: “Team; to me the team is family. In the family, everyone is needed to reach its goals, hold each other accountable, contribute in different ways, pick each other up when they are down, celebrate when it is good, and help each other grow and prepare for the next chapter. We talk all the time about representing more than ourselves. The greater of the team is what is important, and that means no one is left behind. Everyone toes the line, and we all work together to reach our goal and represent the family.”

Q: What do you think it’s like to be coached by you?

Stone: “I am hard on them and expect a lot, but I love just as hard. Anyone that has ever played for me knows I will always be there for them and do whatever I can to help them be successful in whatever venture they take.”

Q: What has been your favorite memory from being the HC at Haxtun?

Stone: “This year’s group of juniors and seniors made up most of our starting lineup a couple years back, and I watched a young group overachieve going 4-4 in the first 8 games and miss the playoffs with a week 9 loss. That team had no business winning that season, but those kids worked so hard, and now it is paying off for them.”

Q: What has it been like for your team to be 7-0 at this point in the season?

Stone: “It has been a rollercoaster and a grind. Our schedule for the last 4 weeks has been absolutely brutal, but it is so rewarding watching my guys come together in the fall, fight through adversity, and celebrate the victories.”

Q: Describe what it has taken for you and your staff to get this team from where it was when you took over the head coaching job to where it is today?

Stone: “Since we took over as a staff, we have really preached to the guys to invest in the program. We have a very giving community and through some hard work and fundraising, we totally revamped the weight room. Since then we have had a great turnout year-round for workouts even through the other sports seasons. We traditionally have every player go to all camps or any offseason function we participate in, as well as all community service functions.”

“As a rural community we had to start recruiting within the building; working with the lower levels in the elementary and junior high, putting on camps, and getting those kids excited to be part of our program. We are a K-12 school, so I am always trying to get the young kids to interact in some way with the football team. The kids in the elementary wing think my guys who play on Friday night under the lights are as cool as anybody they see play on the big screen on Saturdays or Sundays. We are very rural so we need almost every guy in the high school to participate just to have a quality practice.”

Q: What does it mean to you, your staff, and the kids to have the most wins in a season for the program since 2011?

Stone: “Haxtun has such a rich football tradition. I am incredibly proud to help give the team, the school, and the community such a fun ride. My staff has worked countless hours and are excited to see what the rest of the season has to hold. The kids are realizing that hard work and dedication can take you to great heights. Go Bulldogs!!!”