Battle Mountain High School is bringing back its football program over the next 3 years

After canceling the 2024 football season due to low roster numbers, Battle Mountain High School — which joined forces with Eagle Valley last fall — will field its own squad for at least the next three seasons.

“We are so excited to be bringing football back,” Bobby Ecker, Battle Mountain athletic director, told the Vail Daily in an email this week. Because the Colorado High School Athletics and Activities Association (CHSAA) requires a two-year pause on varsity play following last fall’s cancellation, the Huskies are permitted to offer only a junior varsity (JV) program in 2025. Looking ahead to 2026 and 2027, Battle Mountain will be temporarily placed in an independent CHSAA league within the 3A classification.

“This change gives us the flexibility to create a game schedule that matches our team’s competitive level as we rebuild,” Ecker stated. While the goal is to field both varsity and JV teams by 2026 and/or 2027, Ecker said the independent league status gives the team flexibility to remain JV-only if that best serves the student-athletes. Varsity players will still have the option to compete at Eagle Valley if Battle Mountain remains a JV-only program for 2026 or 2027.

“This decision will depend on the number of athletes who participate and the level of competition we can attain,” he stated.

How did the Huskies get here?

Battle Mountain contested a hybrid schedule in 2022 and was JV-only the following fall. Head coach Angelo Vasquez, who joined his alma mater’s coaching staff as an assistant in 2009 after playing middle linebacker and fullback for the Huskies from 1998-2001, led the team to a 5-5 mark in 2023. With 35 athletes — including 18 freshmen — on the roster, he felt optimistic about the program’s direction. But last August, only 14 showed up for the first practice. Ultimately, concern for player safety led to the Eagle Valley merger.

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For Vasquez, who has seen 19 family members graduate from Battle Mountain, it was bittersweet.

“It’s hard to watch the kids go play for the rival school, but at the same time, you’re excited for them to be able to compete,” he said. “Knowing that Eagle Valley was willing to take our kids and still give them the opportunity to get on the football field was huge.”

Ecker echoed the sentiment.

“It was a hard decision and a hard transition for everyone,” he said. “But we are grateful that Eagle Valley took those players in for the 2024 season and supported them.”

The Devils opened the 2024 campaign with a 32-0 win over Gunnison. They finished 5-4 and were playing for a league title in the final game against Palisade, a 43-0 loss. This winter, Battle Mountain began gathering information and conducting research to “find the best decision for moving forward,” Ecker said, adding that he’s been in touch with Eagle Valley administration along the way.

“The biggest push for this decision came from our community feedback survey,” Ecker said.

Early this spring, Battle Mountain sent out a survey to faculty, alumni, coaches, students and parents. Input from feeder middle school communities and administrators was also collected. All along, Ecker said the focus has been on “making this a student-centered decision.”

“After holding a meeting with the current football players at Battle Mountain and analyzing our surveys, it was clear that having football at Battle Mountain was not only important to them, but also an attainable goal,” he said.

Last fall, Vasquez helped out with Berry Creek’s teams. He believes introducing himself and his mission to parents helped swing the pendulum. “Just getting out in the community and showing face and letting them know ‘hey, Battle Mountain football wants to come back — we’re here,'” he said. “But we need their help also.”

Vasquez and Ecker expect roughly 25 athletes on next year’s team.

“We also anticipate these numbers to grow when we look at the current 6th and 7th grade classes,” Ecker said. The athletic director also plans to support students who wish to play varsity for Eagle Valley.

“We will be working closely with their coaches and administration to ensure that any student-athlete who makes this decision is supported,” he added.

As of Thursday, seven games have been confirmed for the schedule, with the opener at Grand Junction on Aug. 25. The Huskies are also slated to face Elizabeth, Steamboat Springs, Denver West, Buena Vista and Middle Park. Ecker said he’s working on scheduling a game with Eagle Valley and Doherty, too. Currently, the coaching plan is to bring back Vasquez’s original staff, including Donny Quomo, Jeff Storz, Albert Rodriguez, Shepherd Stone, Gabe Anzar, Vince Alvarado and Jimmy Dodd.

“I’m excited that the parents want the kids to come play football for me and play for Battle Mountain,” he said. “And keep the tradition moving from here on out, hopefully.”

Denver Broncos provides new Riddell Axiom smart helmets

This January, the Denver Broncos Foundation, in partnership with Riddell and CHSAA, announced “ALL IN. ALL COVERED.” The initiative distributed 15,000 new Riddell Axiom smart helmets to every high school tackle football program in Colorado — at no cost. Vasquez said he’s meeting with the Riddell representative later this week as Battle Mountain is expected to receive 12-15 helmets, all of which come standard with InSite Smart Helmet Technology for impact sensing and reporting.

The Denver Broncos Foundation is providing schools with a four-year subscription to InSite Analytics and a Riddell Sideline Device to help coaches “identify and address flaws in technique to reduce head exposure and optimize performance.”

“We’re very excited to be a part of it,” Vasquez said.

Injuries have plagued the Huskies in recent years. In 2022, after graduating 19 seniors, the youthful Huskies started the year 0-6. A rash of injuries and concussions forced them to forfeit their remaining varsity games and adopt a hybrid schedule. Thus, it’s no secret what Vasquez feels is the biggest challenge to Battle Mountain’s rebuild.

“Getting kids in the weightroom,” he said. “Just realizing you need to have a strong frame to play the sport. Strong kids seem to take the impacts a lot easier. They last through the season.”

When asked about his primary goals for the year, Vasquez said providing opportunity is the biggest thing.

“It’s a beautiful sport. Football has a message you can’t get from any other sport. … I’m just excited to get back on the field,” he said before a brief pause. “We’re back.”