Free combine went off without a hitch ... or glitch in a storm

 

A lot of Colorado schoolboys would have been playing football the past Friday night.

However, that was before the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. As it is, in-staters will have their first day of preseason practice in late February and play an unprecedented, abbreviated schedule into May.

So when the Mullen staff offered its field to host a free combine initiated by Parker’s Ponderosa, one of the few rainstorms to hit the metropolitan area in weeks didn’t stand a chance to interfere.

One hundred forty-eight seniors showed up at Brother Bernard Kinneavy Field at De La Salle Stadium without hesitation.

“I thought it went well,” Ponderosa head coach Jaron Cohen said. “The only downside was the weather. We got rained on, but the feedback was great. We got a ton of thank yous, a lot of coaches showed up and it was good.”

Senior players came from multiple areas of the state, including the Western Slope, the Colorado Springs area and the east, such as Strasburg. Mullen had seven seniors in attendance to be accurately measured in terms of height and weight, and go through the combine drills of jumps, sprints and agility showings.

New Mullen head coach Jeremy Bennett was credited by Cohen “for stepping up and hosting,” and believing in the opportunity for in-state players, especially with the season being delayed. The no cost was a benefit.

“It was a good chance for players to get verified times and numbers,” Bennett said.

The Mullen field surface was wet throughout the drills, Cohen said, “and the best 40-yard time was 4.77 (seconds), but the kids were appreciative and thankful.”

Like many other Colorado programs, Mullen will continue off-season training sessions.

It’s all they can do.