Eaton football putting last year’s title run in rear view, focused on 2022

For back-to-back 2A football champion Eaton, the view from the top is the best. Two title runs, the last capping off a perfect 13-0 season, it’s high times for a school and city often hard to pinpoint on a map.

But as they met questions at the Broncos/CHSAA Fall Sports High School Media Day at Empower Field at Mile High before the season, head coach Zac Lemon and the Eaton players promised that it won’t be the reason they lose their way in 2022.

Though the rewards of winning are clearly more favorable than the valleys all teams vow that they must endure before rising to their true potential, there won’t be any complacency, junior tight end Tate Smith said.

“I think the day we got our rings it’s over,” Smith told reporters when asked how long the celebration of their 2021 title would last. “It was cool. But that’s definitely the mentality in every sport. We’re always chasing the next one, always want the next one, always hungry. It feels good, you enjoy it while it’s around, but it’s in the past now. It’s time to get another one.”

No. 3 Eaton bounced back from an opening-season 19-16 loss to No. 1 The Classical Academy with a 41-6 win over No. 7 University on Thursday.

Quarterback Walker Martin had two touchdown passes and a running score in the first half to open a big lead the Bulldogs couldn’t overcome. Joey Blaskowski had a receiving and a rushing TD and Trent Salberg also had a pick-six in the victory.

It’s the kind pop-back attribute expected from a title contender. The kind of rebuttal Eaton expects inside its program.

“I don’t know if there was actually a change in the culture (with the two state titles), it’s just the trust we built as the program grows each year, and each year and each year, and the expectations become well known,” Lemon said at Media Day.

“And you’ll see it in the leadership of these guys. We don’t have to do much as a coaching staff anymore just because the attitude is set, the environment is set, the expectations are very clear. These players, these leaders are great at holding younger players accountable while loving them up and telling them how we do it.”

The Reds graduated their top two producing running backs Ryan Dirksen and Ethan Florez from 2021 but return top-level baseball prospects (who are also really good at football) in Martin and Smith.

Martin, committed to Arkansas for baseball, has looked strong at QB through two games, scoring by air and on the ground. Smith (Oklahoma State baseball) adds a strong presence to the pass game at tight end.

Elsewhere on the team, Ryder True, a baseball guy and state placer as a wrestler, was a key running back last fall and was second on the team in tackles with 112.

Morgan Tribbett, also a state-placing wrestler, returns his 78 tackles and three forced fumbles.

Eaton is home against No. 5 Platte Valley Sept. 10.