It was the last regular-season game. 

Players pulled their trucks and cars into the parking lot. Parents dropped them off and made their way downstairs to the slender locker room at West Grand High School.

The Mustangs were sporting new kit bags this year. Players swapped shirts and support gear, packed up, laughed and made sure to tie their ties — something Coach Chris Brown checked on every player. 

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Coach Brown greeted each player and joked with them as his assistant coaches rolled in.

The Mustangs remain undefeated with 12 seniors, but Coach Brown said he knew that teams come and go with graduation. He looked to his young freshman players, ribbed them a bit and said he knew that he’s graduating another exceptional football team. 

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Freshmen carried the extra gear to the bus: coolers, speakers, lots of Gatorade and bags of snacks.

As each player loaded his bag, he double-checked his gear. ‘I almost forgot my helmet,’ one said, and kept packing.

The Bus Ride Out

Up the stairs, the team files past a Mustang school logo on the wall, each tapping it to signal they’re proud to play for West Grand High School. The players head to the waiting Blue Bird school bus: a sturdy 3 ½ -hour long ride through the roads of Western Colorado. 

The coaching staff at the front of the bus chattered about game strategies and opportunities. The Mustangs hadn’t played in a couple of weeks, and the coaches said they were worried the team might be rusty.

The Mustangs’ neckwear ranged from a bolo to a pink satin number, with a handful of clip-on bow ties for the younger players. But all players showing their own distinct style in their ties, the boys kept it to a mild roar in the back. 

The bus driver made her way down U.S. 40 with the confidence of someone who made this trip dozens of times. The bus driver navigated the yellow school bus down Rabbit Ears Pass. 

As the bus reached Steamboat Springs, the landscape opened up — the road stretching long and straight ahead of the bus.

For the players, the stop in Craig was a chance to grab lunch and stretch their legs. The bus pulled into what seemed like a Bermuda Triangle of fast food — Wendy’s, McDonald’s, and Taco Bell clustered within sight of each other.

They were back on the bus at the appointed time, and the bus pulled out again. The bus lumbered along and the coaches retreated to quiet. 

For the last leg of the journey, the bus was fairly quiet: the boys were on their phones in the back, talking and doing what teenage boys do on a school bus. Coach Brown mentioned that he believes the ties keep the kids from acting up.

Finally, they made the left onto Blue Mountain Road — the last stretch to Rangely. It was bumpy —  the highway scarred with cracks and potholes — and created a thumpety-thump ride that rattles bones.

The Arrival

The Blue Bird pulled in behind the West Grand volleyball team’s bus. The Lady Mustangs were in town to play Rangely as well.

One after another, the players piled off the bus, stretching, grabbing their gear, carrying the Gatorade, the coolers and a large speaker. They dropped everything outside of the field and walked out to the 50-yard line. 

“They cut it real good,” Coach Brown told senior wide receiver Sanjay Jeffers, commenting on the field’s short grass. “You won’t have a hard time running on this.” 

Sanjay nodded. “I’m gonna run like Usain Bolt tonight,” he replied.

The players tossed the ball around, then gathered their gear and headed into the girls’ locker room. Leaving their gear in a heap, they had about 30 minutes—enough time to head up and catch some of the girls’ volleyball game.

An hour before it was time to walk onto the field, the players returned from the volleyball game to the locker room. It was cramped — barely large enough for all the players and their gear — and the players stepped over and on each other.

The room buzzed with chaos as players suited up. Senior wide receiver Walker Howell sported a new pair of gleaming shoes that resembled the chrome bumper on a 1960 Cadillac. Sophomore running back Justin Johnson was taping up the shoes. 

Coach Brown wandered over. ‘What’s the point of shiny shoes if you’re gonna tape them up?’ he asked. 

The players helped each other do a final gear check. The freshmen, ready for playing time if the Mustangs’ lead grew large enough, struggled into oversized helmets.

Inside the locker room, hip-hop pounded — the beat and lyrics filling the locker room, the hallway and the opposing team’s locker room next door.

The walls thumped. Coach Brown and his assistant coaches waited in the hallway, avoiding the noise. He said he didn’t care for the music. He warned them earlier in the year: if they lost, the hip-hop was gone for good.

But the team hasn’t lost yet.

As soon as Coach Brown entered the room with the assistants, a player killed the music. The room fell silent. 

Coach Brown surveyed the packed room and said. “Come out into the hallway.”

As the players wandered out, the freshmen shuffled right while the varsity players shuffled left. 

With the players lined up in the hallway, assistant coach Josh Pedersen walked the line, made sure everyone knew their roles, and stepped aside for Brown.

Coach Brown reminded them they hadn’t played in two weeks. “You might be rusty,” he said, “Play hard. Get your heads in the game. The playoffs are around the corner, and this is your last chance to play together before they start.’ 

The Game

The West Grand Mustangs have a rhythm — fast-paced and relentless. 

Senior running back Rubin Hatcher struck quickly, scoring a touchdown on an early drive. That’s how it usually goes for the Mustangs. Once they gain momentum this season, opponents can’t keep pace.

Rangely scored in the first quarter and had a lot of time with the ball in the second quarter, but Coach Brown’s Mustangs led 28-6 by halftime. The players shuffled inside, grabbed drinks, taped injuries and refocused for the second half. 

Coach Brown addressed the team, discussing second-half adjustments and how to shake off the effects of the bye week — as if being up 28-6 was not enough.

In response, the Mustangs took over the game.

In the third quarter, they scored 22 more points — one touchdown after another. Senior David Janssen was the highlight of the quarter, breaking a couple of tackles and tumbling into the end zone. 

Coach Brown inserted the freshman offense while keeping the varsity defense on the field. By the fourth quarter, the game’s outcome was no longer in doubt. The Mustangs had shaken off the “rust.”

At the end of the game, the teams shook hands, and the Mustangs met Coach Brown at the far end of the field. They all took a knee for Coach Brown’s postgame remarks, except for senior defensive lineman Hunter Graves; two teammates carried him to the postgame huddle after he injured his knee in the third quarter.

The team greeted family and friends on the sideline, then headed to the locker room to pack up, clean the space, and board the bus.

The result affirmed what Coach Brown said he expected — confidence heading into the final regular-season game.

The long ride home

The players, armed with boxes of cold pizza and grabbing for drinks and snacks from the coaches, filed onto the bus. The ride home was slightly roomier — some players had gone home with their parents.

The bus started home, and the team settled in the darkness, phones ablaze, while the coaches huddled at the front.

They checked the scores of potential opponents, debated possible matchups and playoff scenarios, and weighed their seeding options.

“You get home a little faster,” Brown quipped, “because nobody showers anymore.”  

As the lights of Steamboat Springs appeared in the distance, Coach Brown said he hoped the team wouldn’t ask to stop. The bus rolls through town without slowing. One player gazes out and says, “It looks like Christmas out there,” watching the lights twinkle on the trees.

As the bus climbs back up Rabbit Ears Pass, the ride becomes calmer, quieter, and darker.

The coaches settled into various states of repose. Coach Brown contorted himself across his seat, attempting sleep. The players did the same. No one could have made it down the aisle. The phones are now dim. 

The only lights were the headlights hitting the pavement, mesmerizing as the reflectors flicked by, one after another.

Coach Brown roused himself. “We’ll get home before 1 a.m.,” he quietly announced.

On the horizon, city lights appeared — a gigantic American flag snapping in the breeze as the bus rolled down Park Avenue. 

The lights flicked on in the back, waking the players in various stages of yawning and squinting, and they began to mill around as the bus pulled into West Grand High School. Coach Brown stayed on board while the assistants got off with some gear.

The players shuffled past him one at a time, carrying armloads of equipment and trash. Coach Brown tapped each on the shoulder, smiled, and said, ‘Nice job tonight,’ or cracked a joke — a little extra encouragement. He didn’t step off until the bus was empty.