Brighton Blade 120122 by Colorado Community Media

STANDARD BLADE B R I G H T O N

SERVING THE COMMUNITY SINCE 1903

75cI

VOLUME 119

Issue 48

WEEK OF DECEMBER 1, 2022

A different game, a different level of interest BY STEVE SMITH SSMITH@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

On the Eastern Plains, football is a special breed of cat. Or eagle, as the case may be. Tucked away north of Interstate 70, an hour or so east of Limon and two or so stops away from the Kansas state line sits the town of Stratton. It occupies half a square mile of land and is home to 658 people and 175 businesses. More than 450 people work in town. Some of the larger industries in town? Pumpkin patches, professional services and crop preparation services. There are Realtors and dentists, a post office, a bank and a hotel. There’s an auto parts store, three restaurants and a combo inn and winery. An RV park occupies space on a county road. One-tenth of 1 percent of the town’s population plays at any one time on the high-school football team, one that residents, parents and alumni have rallied around for years. “The whole town comes to watch them,” said head football coach and Stratton alum Jesse McConnell. “They see them at the gas station. They’re always asking the kids how the season is going. They are really invested in Stratton football, and that’s great to see.” Pre-pregame Before you ever arrive in town, one thing you notice is the high school’s mascot. An eagle. He (or she) is all over the town’s business pages – automotive businesses, health care, and restaurants. The names, addresses, phone numbers, they’re all there. So is the eagle. There are well-wishes from the city on a billboard just south of downtown. At the corner of Interstate 70 and state U.S. Highway 24 sits an open field. During postseason play, you’ll find decals, wishing the involved team well in its upcoming game. “They hang green-and-white flags up and down Main Street,” said former Stratton football coach Dave Gottmann. “The parents cook

Trip brings back memories of service BY BELEN WARD BWARD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Otis’ Taylor Ringlein in this pass for very short yardage, thanks in part to the defense of Stratton’s Cyler Notter (24) during the semifinals of the state six-man football playoffs Nov. 19 in Stratton. Notter scored twice as the top-seeded Eagles rolled to a 46-13 PHOTO BY STEVE SMITH win and a berth in next week’s state finals in Pueblo.

breakfast for the kids four hours before the game. That’s carried on for years. A group of parents used to have Thursday night dinners before the games. These are traditions that have been carried on for 20 or 30 years. Depending on who’s driving the driving, an ambulance

LOCAL VOICES OBITUARIES CALENDAR SPORTS CLASSIFIEDS LEGALS

will sound the siren when Stratton scores a touchdown.” “We have had much success on the gridiron practically the entire time I’ve lived here,” said Rod Thompson, who graduated from Stratton SEE GAME, P3

Brighton veteran takes honor flight

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3 • Football team has big 6 impact on small town 7 8 • Page 3 9 11 13

SPORTS • Local high school sports calendar

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An October trip with Rocky Mountain Honor Flight brought up a lot of memories for Vietnam veteran Steve Newton, of Brighton. “When I saw the Gold Star panel of the casualties of World War II, I cried, deeply appreciative. Did not know any of those young kids, it bothers me about my situation and it gives you some survival guilt,” said Newton. Now 75 years old, the Brighton veteran flew to Washington, D.C. in October to visit all the veteran memorials. It brought him back, he said, to the war itself and the time before. It was his junior year of high school in Iowa and Newton said he kept informed on what was happening in North Vietnam. “The North Vietnam warships attack the United States warship U.S.S. Turner and U.S.S. Maddox off the coast of North Vietnam in the Gulf of Tonkin, it got my attention and raised the amber flag,” Newton said. In Newton’s senior year, news stories about the seventh cavalry’s fight campaigns in Drang Valley really stood out. That’s what cemented his motivation to go into the service. “I didn’t have any money or academics, I knew I was going to wear some kind of uniform at some point,” he said. Born on the Fourth of July When Newton turned 18 on July 4, 1965, he didn’t wait for his draft orders. “I decided I might as well get it SEE HONOR, P4