The Pikes Peak Kickoff Classic took Andrew Powell to another time. 

Weidner Field played host to two high school football contests on Friday with Fountain-Fort Carson taking on Colorado Springs Christian in flag football and Palmer Ridge facing La Cueva, out of Albuquerque, N.M., in the boys’ varsity football game. 

The sight of prep football being played at the 8,000-seat stadium downtown reminded Powell of growing up in Florida.

“It has that big-time football feel. We got those experiences when I was in high school in Florida. Sports are obviously a huge thing there,” he said. “It’s awesome to see this level of excellence being brought to sports in Colorado Springs.”

Powell traded the beach for the mountains when he attended the Air Force Academy, playing first as a quarterback for the Falcons then as a receiver. 

He is the state director of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, one of the sponsors who helped the Pikes Peak Athletic Foundation bring the inaugural Kickoff Classic to life. 

The nonprofit’s founder, Nate Lenz, created the event to start the fall sports season with a bang. 

The Kickoff Classic did just that, generating a buzz among students at the participating schools. 

“It’s an awesome thing. It’s such a nice environment,” Palmer Ridge student Trox Maulsby said. “It’s a great place for all the city to come to. I was just at In-and-Out and they were like, ‘Oh are you going to the game?’ It’s just a great, fun, loud environment for us to celebrate at.”

Palmer Ridge gave their fans plenty of reason to celebrate in the first half, racing out to a 22-0 lead before intermission.

In all, 2,290 people attended the event across both contests.

Before Friday, Maulsby said students at Palmer Ridge were talking about the Kickoff Classic in the halls of the school all week. 

The same was happening about 40 miles south of Monument at Fountain-Fort Carson. 

Da’Quan Burton and Dillon Sikes are two members of the Trojans’ boys football team who attended the event in support of the girls who defeated CSCS 20-7 on Friday. 

Lenz’s vision for the event is to feature schools from all over the region in future seasons. One year, it could be the boys’ turn. 

“I think it would be a pretty cool thing just to be surrounded by a bunch of different fans and fanbases,” Sikes said. 

Fans and families of La Cueva’s team made the five-hour drive from Albuquerque on Friday. The team plays an out-of-state opponent once a year, according to one parent, but the Kickoff Classic was the first for Scottie Turcotte whose freshman son plays on the team. 

“This is so cool. This is awesome. I didn’t even know this was here,” she said. “To come watch the boys play in this big stadium with the lights, it’s great and we just got into town.”