It’s well after 1 in the morning, I’m here at my laptop, and for the first time in my life, I am at peace with something that has gnawed at me for months. The specific matter is personal, so I won’t get into it here, but there’s a reason why I cite it in general terms — because the removal of this burden has instantly allowed me to appreciate just what’s right about what I do.

Specifically, never before have I appreciated so much what I did in the middle of this evening.

Earlier tonight, I toted one of our cameras out to the high-school game between local rivals Overland and Eaglecrest at the nearby Stutler Bowl. The assignment? Gather some highlights for Football Colorado, the 30-minute show on Fox Sports Net Rocky Mountain (and also on-line at FootballColorado.TV that Broncos President/CEO Pat Bowlen has made possible for the past three years.

I’ve been shooting high-school games for this show since its first year on the air, standing outside through rain, cold, wind and even some snow, and even though the schedule is jammed with helping make this site work, finding time for FBC is always a priority. It’s not something we do for the money; it’s about love of the game, pure and simple.

Blake Olson, whom some of you locals will remember from his work with KUSA-Ch. 9 and KWGN-Ch. 2 here in Denver, has been the host and driving force behind the show since its inception. The program is his dream realized for his home state, based upon the kind of coverage he used to witness from his days working as a sports reporter in Tyler, Texas, well over a decade ago.

“It’s NFL PrimeTime for high schools,” I told him three years ago, and the vision is a weekly reality, thanks to the contributions of Olson, behind-the-scenes guru Jack Creamer and a staff of volunteer videographers — including not just myself, but our own Chris Hall, who shoots a game on Thursdays.

If you know someone playing high-school football in our splendid state, be sure and tune in or watch on-line. And even if you don’t, getting a weekly glimpse at these kids is hardly a waste of a half-hour — or of 22 minutes, if you watch the show on-line. Last week’s edition focuses on one aspect of the aftermath of the tragedy at Platte Canyon High School, and how the football team there played on in trying to help the school’s community heal its shattered hearts.

And the best thing I can say about the program is that the passion to create it nearly equals the passion that the players display every week, a passion that all of us hope comes through on the show.

Tags: Football Colorado

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