FORT COLLINS | The Colorado High School Activities Association announced that the state championship games in Class 5A and 4A football will be played in Fort Collins next season.
The games have had a stay of nearly two decades at Empower Field at Mile High — home of the Denver Broncos — but will now be contested at Canvas Stadium, the 36,500-seat home of the Colorado State football team that opened in 2017.
CHSAA Commissioner Mike Krueger commented at a small press conference at the stadium about the change. It confirmed speculation from earlier in the week when the press conference was announced. The 5A and 4A championship games will be played on Dec. 2 at Canvas Stadium.
“Obviously, an incredible number of considerations come into play when it comes to a decision of this magnitude,” Krueger said in a statement. “As we learned more and continued dialogue with CSU, it became apparent that CSU and Canvas Stadium was going to be a great fit for our schools and membership as a whole.”
“We also understand that the benefits will go beyond CHSAA. We have seen the positive impact that bringing events to communities around our state can have on cities and towns. We look forward to the city of Fort Collins opening their arms and embracing these championships like the city of Pueblo has done at the Thunderbowl for the 6-man, 8-man, 1A and 2A classifications. I believe it is a strength when we recognize the diversity in our State and acknowledge that our kids come from all over. Bringing this championship event to Fort Collins continues our efforts to build upon that strength.”
Lower classifications have played their championship games on the campus of Colorado State-Pueblo, which has come into regular use since the arrival of the coronavirus pandemic. That will continue for 2023, but Krueger announced that the 3A title game will move to Fort Collins in 2024 as well, while 2A through 6-man games will remain at CSU-Pueblo.
Added CHSAA Assistant Commissioner in charge of football John Sullivan: “We are proud to have worked with and established strong relationships with the Denver Broncos and Colorado Sports Hall of Fame. Moving forward, we are excited to give our CHSAA football schools the opportunity to see the same things that attracted our team to CSU. The facilities are fantastic, the fact that the stadium is in the heart of a college campus, and the ability for us to include 3A into the 4A and 5A game day schedule after the fall of 2023 made this new partnership so inviting.”
The last Aurora school to appear in a state championship game was Gateway, which made the 4A title game in 2021 in the spring, which was a separate season due to the pandemic. The last Aurora-area school to play in a fall football final was Eaglecrest, which lost to Pomona 56-49 in the 5A title game in 2017 at Empower Field.
As part of a statement issued via social media, Colorado State director of athletics Joe Parker said: “We are thrilled that CHSAA has chosen to host these football championships in Fort Collins and Canvas Stadium.”
Via Twitter, Empower Field at Mile High’s account (@EmpowerField) wished CHSAA well: “Thank you to CHSAA for 17 memorable and special years hosting the 4A and 5A state football championships at Empower Field. Along with the Broncos, we look forward to continuing our work with CHSAA in support of youth football, health and wellness initiatives.”
Courtney Oakes is Sentinel Colorado Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@sentinelcolorado.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
