Football Week 1: At Far Northeast Warriors
Mustangs open season on the road.
WEEK 1: Vs. Far Northeast Warriors, Denver
WHEN: Thursday, Aug. 29, 2019, Kickoff 7 p.m.
WHERE: Evie Dennis Stadium, 4800 Telluride St., Denver 80249
Status: Class 5A nonleague
Records: It’s the season opener for both teams
Head coaches: Tony Lindsay, third year with Far Northeast; Stanley Richardson, first year with Mullen
History: At its previous height, the Denver Prep League grew to 10 schools and competed well across the board … now it’s splintered at 64 schools and counting. Montbello was once a major big-school power, including three consecutive state runner-up finishes from 1988-90. It now draws from seven schools in the northeast area and contains multiple schools in the original building. Mullen has won the past five head-to-head meetings, including the past season’s 48-10 trouncing in the season opener.
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Players to watch for Mullen:
7, Wilson Yee, Sr., K, 5-11, 175
12, Ben Marcoux, Sr., WR, 5-10, 175
20, Silas Daffin, LB, 6-1, 225
22, Damien Cearns, Sr., RB, 5-11, 184
53, Trevor Kirking, Sr., LB, 6-2, 240
74, Matthew Maiava, Jr., OL, 6-1, 265
75, Micah Maiava, Jr., OL, 6-0, 260
76, Michael Maiava, Jr., OL, 6-2, 250
92, Aidan Keanaaina, Sr., DL-OL, 6-3, 300
Notable: It’s another debut of a Mustangs head coach, the third in a row. Tom Thenell was successful in his first game coming back to his alma mater, in 2012. He led his team to a hard-fought, 14-13 victory at Valor Christian in a game that was televised by ESPN. The past season, Vincent White was in command of the 38-point victory against FNE. …
This will be Mullen’s 859th game since first playing in 1936 in the old Parochial League. The Mustangs are 585-255-18 in their history.
With four losing seasons over their past six, the Mustangs had enjoyed 23 consecutive winning seasons since joining the new 6A in 1990. …
Far Northeast or Montbello hasn’t won a state title. Mullen has won eight sanctioned titles as well as seven in the old Parochial League. …
There will be a historic aspect to the matchup -- it will be the first night game at the Evie Dennis facility, which has added lights. …
Keanaaina will sign with Notre Dame later this year, a national-calier recruit who garnered about two dozen offers from major college powers. He also has changed numbers, from 76 to 92. …
Despite the transition in May, Richardson was able to keep the staff virtually intact. …
In 2018, Mullen was it for a whopping 383 points, fourth worst among big schools.
Coachspeak from Richardson
On the status of his team heading into a new season:
“We are light years ahead of where we were last year.”
On his team’s chances in the opener:
“I think we will play well even though it’s a road game. There are times when we;re super physical and I think our guys play together very well.”
On being raised in Park Hill in Northeast Denver and being friends with the Lindsays:
“I grew up with Tony and I played with his younger brother, Troy (the father of Phillip Lindsay, the running back for the Denver Broncos,). My mom used to call him ‘Sweeper Boy.’ We played in ninth grade, in junior high, the PAL Knights.”
On his team implementing more of a platoon system in order to keep his players fresher and avoiding them having to go both ways:
“I think this will give us a better chance (of winning). It’s just too difficult to have them play that much.”
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Next up for Mullen: It will travel to Doherty of Colorado Springs on Thursday, Sept. 5, another nonleaguer.
Week 1 Schedule
Thursday’s Class 5A Games
(Visiting teams listed first; all nonleague)
Boulder vs. Fairview., 5:30 p.m.
Arvada West vs. Poudre, 6 p.m.
ThunderRidge vs. Rangeview, 6:30 p.m.
Fossil Ridge vs. Castle View, 7 p.m/
Overland vs. Smoky Hill, 7 p.m.
Mullen vs. Far Northeast, 7 p.m.
Ponderosa vs. Legend, 7 p.m.
Doherty vs. Cherry Creek, 7 p.m.
Friday
Eaglecrest vs. Highlands Ranch, 4 p.m.
Valor Christian vs. Charlotte Christian, 7 p.m.
Columbine vs. Denver East, 7 p.m.
Skyline vs. Westminster, 7 p.m.
Rocky Mountain vs. Fort Collins, 7 p.m.
Broomfield vs. Legacy, 7 p.m.
Ralston Valley vs. Mountain Vista, 7 p.m.
Grandview vs. Chaparral, 7 p.m.’
Rock Canyon vs. Cherokee Trail, 7 p.m.
Adams City vs. Skyview, 7 p.m.
Greeley West vs. Arapahoe, 7 p.m.
Mountain Range vs. Douglas County, 7 p.m.
Bear Creek vs. Lakewood, 7 p.m.
Northglenn vs. Thornton, 7 p.m.
Horizon vs. Fountain-Fort Carson, 7 p.m.
Pomona vs. Regis Jesuit, 7 p.m.
Prairie vs. Brighton, 7 p.m.
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