COLORADO SPRINGS — When starting eight CHSAA varsity high school sports program, where do you start?
According to Banning Lewis Prep Academy head coach Nic Onley, that is the golden question.
Come this fall, Banning Lewis Prep Academy will offer varsity cross country, football, track, spirit, girls’ volleyball, boys’ and girls' basketball and girls’ soccer at the school.
For Onley, he is excited to see what his new team will bring to the table.
"The upperclassman were 4-2 in the JV program, but they played schools of all different sizes including Pine Creek's C team," explained Onley. "Our incoming 8th grade class was 8-0 and won their league, so I am coming into a good situation."
Banning football will be in the 1A Santa Fe league with the likes of Ellicott, Peyton, Trinidad and Rocky Ford. But the any Stallion take the field, there are still plenty of kinks to be worked out.
"It is hard with COVID going on right now, but my principal really wants to see this succeed," said Onley. "We have all the stuff we need equipment wise, one thing we are still working on is our home field."
Currently, the Stallions will look at playing at Vista Ridge or Weidner Field, the home of the Switchback. If all else fails, the possibility to no homes games or playing at the school, could come into play. But for right now, Onley just hopes to have a football season, if at all.
"But the reality is with all the issues we have been faced with - I mean I haven't seen my kids in 6 weeks - the basis is we are going to go out there with the best that we got and build up from Day 1."
