Jerimi Calip’s attention shifted between his players and coaches on the field and a storm cloud.

The Mesa Ridge High School football coach on Wednesday said the team has lost several practices to lightning in the area including Monday’s and Tuesday’s sessions. Calip knew his glare wouldn’t ward off a storm. But the Grizzlies know each rep is especially crucial this week.

Mesa Ridge will head to Darner Field in Scott City, Kan., for a game with Scott High School at 7 p.m. Friday.

“It’s been tough since the beginning of the season,” Calip said. “It says the weather is going to be sunny and then right around practice time, we get a few little storm cells and a couple of lightning strikes. Before you know it, there goes 30 minutes and then you get another one and then it’s 6 o’clock. It’s been tough.”

Despite inclement weather, the Grizzlies have a 2-1 record and have scored 74 points in three contests. Calip attributed that success to many of the Grizzlies’ prior experience in the system at nearby Janitell Middle School and summer camps where players honed their skills.

But Friday’s trip to Kansas will be a new challenge for the majority of players and coaches, and Calip hopes those reps, coupled with Mesa Ridge’s experience, will buoy the Grizzlies to a 3-1 start.

“This is our brand and our school and our state that we’re representing, so we definitely want to let Kansas know we play a good brand of football out here in Colorado,” Calip said. “Scott has traditionally been a good program and we’re excited about getting out there. This is the first out-of-state game I’ve ever coached in and I’m excited and the team is excited.”

For Koa Dietrich, this isn’t his first rodeo with an out-of-state contest — it’s his second. Dietrich, who transferred from Mullen after his junior season, started at quarterback in the Mustangs’ matchup with Crean Lutheran in Irvine, Calif., in 2025.

Dietrich said the Mustangs traveled to California via plane to Los Angeles International Airport. Mesa Ridge will head to Kansas around noon Friday on a charter bus for the near four-hour trip and will return shortly after the contest.

As the Grizzlies field general, Dietrich’s previous experience in this scenario will be invaluable for him and his teammates.

“Our big things this week, we’ve harped on everyone staying hydrated,” Dietrich said. “It’s going to be a little more humid and sticky. Sleeping the night before will be crucial and making sure we prep our bodies and prep our minds. Once we get on that bus, you have to go out there and have that mentality to play the game. It’s still football at the end of the day.”

The Grizzlies will face a Scott (0-1) team that ranks 94^th out of 235 Kansas schools and has lost consecutive contests once since 2022. During that stretch, the Beavers have amassed a 30-9 record and have not allowed more than 20 points per game in a season. Last year, when the Beavers finished 5-3, Scott allowed its highest points per game total since 2021 and conceded 18.4 per contest.

“We have to go out there as a brotherhood and play together,” Dietrich said. “It’s a small town so it’s going to be a good community and a lot of those guys likely grew up together and have probably played together for a long time. It’s hard to beat those sorts of teams because of the bond and passion between players and coaches.

“It’s going to take a lot of discipline from us and doing what we’re coached to do. We have to execute assignments. But the most important piece of this game is to go out there and have fun. You go out and have fun and when you do that, you play fast. And when you execute both of those, good things happen.”