The Overland High School Trailblazers and the Smoky Hill High School Buffalos football teams will help the Cherry Creek School District honor veterans, current service members, and their families, during the 13th annual Veterans and Military Appreciation Celebration on Saturday, Sept. 9, at Legacy Stadium.
The event begins with a luncheon and program for veterans, military members, and their families from 12 noon to 2 p.m. in the cafeteria at Cherokee Trail High School. No RSVP is required. A free Community Celebration, featuring a Blackhawk helicopter, the Army National Guard Gaming Trailer, the Fountain Fort Carson 4th ID Rock Band, and much more, takes place from 2 to 5 p.m. in the Legacy Stadium parking lot. Then honored guests and football fans will head into Legacy Stadium for the annual football game. Kickoff is at 6 p.m.
Since 1982, the ‘Blazers and Buffs have played each other 41 times in regular season contests. The Trailblazers hold the edge, having won 26 games to 15 over the Buffaloes. The two teams last played in the appreciation game in 2020, in which the Buffaloes won a wild shootout over the Blazers 49-39.
“A few of our kids have some military family, but you get so caught up in what you’re doing in football that you forget some of the things that make this country such a special place to be,” said Overland Head Coach Kyle Reese. ”The freedom we have to play this game is something we definitely try to hammer home.
“What the district does for us, getting us the uniforms, all the pregame ceremonies, the investment in the kids, the environment they create, our team being a part of it… We hope to be a part of it for years to come,” Reese added.
Smoky Hill Head Coach Brandon Alconcel says the significance of the event is not lost on his team either.
“All week we will make sure that we talk about what Veterans Day is, why we celebrate it, how we are going to honor them, what we need to remember about them, and just the whole idea that we get these freedoms because of them,” Alconcel said. “I think it is so amazing that we pick a day, that we pick a game where we honor our veterans and service members. It reminds us that we get to play because of them,” he added.
In the 2012-13 fall athletic season, the Wagon Wheel trophy was introduced to be a recurring prize in the Aurora cross-town rivalry between OHS and SHHS. The Wagon Wheel symbolizes the stagecoach and wagon trails the schools are named after. The Overland Trail ran from Kansas to California through Colorado, and the Smoky Hill Trail ran from Kansas to Colorado.
Smoky Hill has won the Wagon Wheel for the last five seasons, something the Trailblazers want to change.
“There are a lot of great traditions in this school, and the Wagon Wheel is one of them,” Coach Reese said. “It’s not lost on our kids. They know what it means, so they’ll come out fired up to bring the wheel home, and I anticipate that Smoky will too. I expect it to be a great game and a really fun environment.”
Coach Alconcel agreed.
“It’s the Wagon Wheel. For me, it is extra special because I spent my first five seasons of coaching there at Overland. Now it’s come full circle, and now I’m on the other side of the Wagon Wheel. We were lucky enough to get it last year, and we’re hoping to retain that trophy,” Alconcel said.
Posted 9/7/2023.
