Discovery Canyon, Lewis-Palmer set to square off in football season opener
The Lewis-Palmer and Discovery Canyon football teams will kick off the 2021 season Friday at Don Breese Stadium in a nonconference game.
The contest will mark the 11th consecutive season the clubs will meet. In November, Discovery Canyon won 23-7.
Discovery Canyon coach Shawn Mitchell and Lewis-Palmer coach Dustin Tupper are longtime friends. Coaches and players on both teams are also familiar with each other.
“Our kids know their kids and this is a great way to start the season,” Mitchell said. “It’s nice that this game is right down the road.”
Discovery Canyon was 4-3 in Class 3A in 2020 under Mitchell. He is the only coach in program’s history, having started it from scratch in 2007.
Don Breese Stadium was Discovery Canyon’s “home field” last fall while District 20 Stadium was undergoing improvements.
“We played at Don Breese four times last season, and of course we’ve played there a lot over the years,” Mitchell said. “Our kids are comfortable playing there.”
Discovery Canyon missed the playoffs last fall when the postseason field was reduced to eight teams from the normal 16 due to COVID.
The Thunder has been a consistent playoff team since 2012 when they recorded their first winning season. Discovery Canyon was the Class 3A state runnerup in 2016.
Mitchell believes a tough nonleague schedule is a huge key to the team’s long-term success.
“I’m not scheduling cupcakes for our nonleague,” he said. “I want to get the best teams I can on our schedule. If we have a tough go in the non-league, that prepares us and helps us out.”
The Thunder’s nonleague schedule this fall also includes Pueblo South, Mead, Pine Creek and Fort Morgan.
The Thunder last qualified for the postseason in 2019, when they went 10-2. They defeated Roosevelt in a first-round game and lost to Frederick in the quarterfinals.
Mitchell’s teams have always run a version of the Air Force Academy’s option offense. Last fall, the Thunder rushed for 1,858 yards and passed for just 245.
Junior Trevin Alessio is expected to be the starting quarterback. He rushed for 241 yards and three touchdowns last season.
The only other returning back who saw significant time last season is junior Ethan Emmons (223 yards on 17 carries for a 13.1 average).
Other backs expected to play key roles are senior Jake Willard, junior Matt Bigari and sophomore Jacob Yousif.
Receivers include seniors Justin Pruitt and Brian Rose, and senior tight end Cam Whittle.
Lewis-Palmer was 3-4 in 2020. The Rangers last made the playoffs in 2018, when they went 6-5 and lost to Pueblo East in a first-round game.
The Rangers typically have a balanced offense. Senior Jake Knisley returns to lead a talented backfield. He led the team in rushing last fall with 693 yards and six touchdowns. The 5-8 back had a 260-yard effort on 39 carries against Riverdale.
Lewis-Palmer and Discovery Canyon will play each other in the season opener Friday at Don Breese Stadium.
Discovery Canyon quarterback Trevin Alessio (4) is expected to play a key role again for the Thunder.
Lewis-Palmer senior Jake Knisley (22) rushed for 693 yards last season.