COLORADO SPRINGS, CO — Friday Football Fever is getting an early start as James Irwin Charter High School prepares to make history.
For the first time, the James Irwin Jaguars have a football team. The high school program will host Bear Creek High School at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 27, for its first home game.
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Before this season, students who wanted to play football had to decide whether to remain at James Irwin and not play, or attend another school.
“I didn’t know what I was going to do, if I was going to stay here or transfer, so I had to make that decision,” quarterback Logan Senn said.
Running back Sebastian Remstrand also considered leaving and said he never expected to wear a James Irwin football uniform.
“Out of my entire time being here, I never thought this school would have a football team,” Remstrand said.
A grant from the Daniels Fund helped James Irwin launch football programs at both its middle and high schools. More than 60 students are participating across the two programs.
Athletic Director and Head Coach Chad Baker said some families initially questioned whether the program would actually happen. Only three people attended the first parent meeting, but the school cafeteria was full by the second.
“People were like, ‘Oh, he really did buy that. We’re really doing this,’” Baker said.
The Jaguars have built the program from the ground up, from purchasing uniforms and equipment to teaching inexperienced players how to put on their pads and learn the game.
Baker said reaching the first game is already an accomplishment, but he still wants his players focused on competing.
“I tell the kids that no matter what happens, we’ve won,” Baker said. “However, go win the game.”
For Remstrand, the inaugural season is an opportunity he does not want to waste.
“You should take the opportunity if you have it because there are always other people who want the opportunity, but they can’t do it,” Remstrand said. “You can’t live your life with regrets.”
Regardless of what happens on the scoreboard, this first group of Jaguars will serve as the foundation for the teams that follow.
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