Peak Performer of the Year: F-FC’s Mathias Price makes history in final season, credits team for success
It would’ve been easy for Mathias Price to take most of the credit for Fountain-Fort Carson’s success this year.
Price, a senior running back, led 5A with 2,018 rushing yards in 2023. That figure was second among all classes as he helped the Trojans finish 8-4.
Price is the Peak Performer of the Year for football. While Price admitted how meaningful the recognition is, he gave all the credit to his teammates and coaches.
“It’s a blessing, but I don’t really look at it as a personal achievement,” Price said. “My linemen, receivers, quarterback and coaches all helped me. I look at it as God’s way of helping and guiding me. As long as I can do my job of being a role model, that’s what I care about most.”
From his on-field skill to his persistent leadership, all of Price’s good football qualities have been in the works since elementary school.
He began playing football in second grade. Price’s brother played running back at Hastings College in Nebraska, and his father played running back at Widefield in high school.
Naturally, he saw the position as the right fit.
“They were the main influence,” Price said. “Watching my brother play and being in that environment was so much fun.”
Price began his high-school career at Mesa Ridge before transferring prior to his sophomore year. Because of CHSAA transfer rules, he had to play on FFC’s junior varsity squad that year before playing varsity as a junior.
He made an instant impact in his first varsity season, rushing for 947 yards and eight touchdowns.
Price was even better as a senior. He became only the program’s second running back to eclipse 2,000 rushing yards in a season and also recorded 29 total touchdowns.
The senior said “everything” about his game improved heading into his final year of high school football. And he pinpointed a few specific areas that were most influential to his uptick in production.
“My patience is one of them,” Price said. “I would try to rush myself into making that big play and say, ‘I have to do this.’
“And my field vision got better.”
Fountain-Fort Carson graduated several of its top players from the 2022 season, including quarterback Tavian Tuli, wide receiver Darian Martin and defensive lineman Tai Fa’avae. Because of this, F-FC coach Jay Novotny said other teams and coaches expected the Trojans to take a step back in 2023.
Novotny also said that likely motivated Price.
“That was a motivating factor for our kids this year. I think, specifically, that was a motivation for Mathias,” Novotny said. “He would never say that, but I think it was. We leaned on him a lot, and that kind of bolstered his role on our team.”
Novotny has coached at Fountain-Fort Carson since 2016. In that time, the coach has seen countless great leaders.
But certain qualities of Price are different from any player he has ever seen.
“One of the things we noticed is not only his humbleness but his willingness to invest in others on the team,” Novotny said. “He’s pulling sophomores and juniors aside and showing them how to step and how to run certain plays. We all know that a coach is going to do that, but when you have an older player do it, that means so much more. “
On Wednesday, Price signed to play college football at Northern Colorado. The Bears compete at the NCAA Division-I FCS level in the Big Sky Conference.
He spent the past few weeks weighing various college options but saw UNC as the right fit.
“I sent my film to college coaches, talked to as many college coaches as I can and saw what opportunities God put in front of me,” Price said.
Mathias Price
Fountain-Fort Carson’s Mathias Price poses for a photo during the Trojans’ practice on Nov. 1, 2023.