Familiar face takes over FLHS girls program

BY STEVE SMITH SSMITH@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

BROOMFIELD – Not far from where he made a soccer name for himself at Broom eld High School (37 career goals, 28 career assists and a class 4A state title in 2007), Kyle Reddy talked about his latest coaching assignment; heading up the Fort Lupton High School girls soccer program.

“ e girls? ey are something else,” he said. “ ey make me smile. I love these girls.” into applying. He also talked with one of his players, Jonathan Gonzales.

Reddy takes over for Archie Suniga, who has temporarily bowed out of all coaching.

“When I’m out on the eld with the girls, it’s second nature,” Reddy said. “It’s not a job. It’s a passion. I’m having fun.” me wrong.” use my jab step,” Justice said. “When I shot it, I thought it was holding me down.”

Reddy has coached girls’ teams in the past.

“We worked hard,” Aldana said. “It’s tough to lose with someone like him (Justice) not being able to play to his full potential. It was close late in the third quarter. We slacked o on the defense

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“I love the community,” Reddy said. “When I take (state Highway) 52 and see the Fort Lupton sign and see the sign on the baseball eld that says ‘Fort Lupton,’ I’m at home. I’ve had that experience with the boys’ team. It’s where I belong.”

A lobbying e ort by parents of both the boys and girls teams pushed Reddy

“ e only surprise was I didn’t know how they’d react to me,” he said. “I spent this week (the week of Feb. 27) putting names to faces. But I also told the girls the same thing I told the boys – ‘You can behave toward each other one way on the eld. But o the eld, we are still friends.’ We are playing for the same cause, the same community.

“It’s the same with the girls,” Reddy added. “We’re going to have the same mentality. I want everyone to challenge each other. I’m going to play 18 on the varsity team, but I’m ordering 22 jerseys. If I put a kid on the JV roster and she doesn’t think she belongs there, then she can prove

FLHS was 7-8 a year ago and 4-3 in the combined class 3A/4A Colorado League. Reddy is looking for contributions from such players as Lydia Vasquez, Rylee Balcazar (eight goals in 13 games in 2022), Yohana Chavez and freshman Hailey Vanf. e season and home opener, weather permitting, is at 4 p.m. Friday, March 10, against DSST-Byers. Reddy’s assistant coach is Jordan Harges. She played at Peak to Peak School and won a state championship while coaching at Fairview High School. e two met when Reddy asked her to come to play on a coed team. It turned out there wasn’t room for an extra player. Wins and losses are part of the ledger of any season. But Reddy said that’s not the only thing.

“I want to see how we come together collectively,” he said. “I want to see the players succeed. It’s about them. It’s not about me.”