Legend reloads as it looks to keep building towards state title
By Courtney Oakes/Sentinel Colorado
Photo: Gabe Christus/Denver Broncos
If the Legend football team is to take the next step of its recent upward trend in 2022, it will come with the help of plenty of new faces.
Coach Monte Thelen’s Parker program has built a strong foundation over the last three years — over which time the Titans have gone 27-6 and made the Class 5A state semifinals twice — but playing for and winning a state title still remains a yet-unfulfilled aim.
“I don’t think it is our job to determine where we are ranked or placed, but we’ve been competing at a really high level for the last three years and we’ve advanced to the playoffs in 5A for the last four,” Thelen said at the Broncos/CHSAA Fall Sports High School Media Day, where he was joined by seniors Cameron Morrison, Gavin Taylor, Max Wurdamen and John Brookhart and juniors Nate Sandy and Logan White.
“We really appreciate competing against (elite) programs,” he added. “We’d like to think we are accomplishing great things at Legend High, but this is a whole new year and we have to earn our way.”
Just like the other state championship hopefuls in 5A football, Cherry Creek and Valor Christian have proven to be a big obstacle for Legend.
The Titans lost to Valor Christian 45-0 in the 2020 semifinals when the playoff field was just eight teams due to the coronavirus pandemic — the only loss they suffered that season — and they finished 11-2 in 2021 when Cherry Creek (the three-time defending 5A state champions) stopped them 48-14 with a trip to the title game on the line.
Wurdamen said those that return for Legend this season learned a lot from that experience.
“I definitely think we need to keep our composure as a team and not get in our heads a little bit,” he said. “Yeah, it was a big game, but we lost our cool on the sidelines and I think that was our downfall against Creek. I think this year as a team we’re a lot closer and more composed.”
A lot remains to be seen about a new group that has some big shoes to fill with the graduating of 20 seniors from a team that outscored opponents by an average of nearly 20 points per game last season.
Dynamic running back Bryce Vaz (an all-state first team selection who accounted for more 2,000 total yards and 26 touchdowns) was among the graduations, in addition to quarterback Colton Warner, all seven players who had more than 100 receiving yards and key linemen such as all-state second teamer Luke Sandy. Defensively, nine of the team’s top 10 tacklers have departed with Taylor the lone returner.
Still, the Titans believe they can reload.?“We have so many people that are eager to play and they are just as talented as everyone was last year,” White said. “As a team, we’re really together this year. We really want to win this year and prove as many people wrong as we can.”
In addition to the personnel losses, Legend watched Rosholt depart to take over a Chatfield team that won last season’s 4A state title.
“Kris really is dear to us,” Thelen said. “He was essential to our rise and very deserving of the opportunity he has. We’re huge supporters of Chatfield football and we know he’ll do really well. Like those 20 graduating senior starters, we need to uphold the tradition of everybody that has been associated with Legend football of late. A number of these young men are committed to doing that.”
Legend players are looking forward to the opportunities to showcase the abilities they honed while waiting for their opportunity.
On top of that, cohesion should be key.
“My favorite part about this team is how close we are,” Wurdamen said. “We can go at it in practice, but we’re a team, we’re a family. We’ve built that this summer. We’ve faced adversity and come together as a team. These past couple of weeks, we’ve been clicking on offense and defense and I think we’re ready to go.”
