One rung at a time: Hayden football builds a season on brotherhood, grit and Tiger pride

For the Hayden High School football team, the road to the second round of the Colorado eight-man state playoffs began long before the first snap of the season. It began in summer weight rooms, at football camps and on practice fields where a group of young men decided that this year would be different. After narrowly missing the playoffs last season, the Tigers entered 2026 with unfinished business. Now, following an 8-1 regular season and a first-round playoff victory over Crowley County, Hayden has transformed that determination into one of the program’s most memorable seasons. But for the players and coaches, the accomplishments extend beyond the scoreboard. “I think it’s going to be the brotherhood and the relationships I’ve built going through this program,” senior Peyton Johnson said. “I’ve lived here since I was four years old, and I’ve played football forever.” That brotherhood has become the foundation of a team that believes its greatest achievements are still ahead.

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