The Denver Broncos are donating new helmets to the EHS football team. Players are excited, and thankful and know it means a safer season for future athletes. Freshman Uziah Vigil plays wide receiver and linebacker, “I think it’s really huge for us as a school. It can make us look better as a team and make the players take safety seriously.”
The idea came from the Denver Bronco Foundation, which announced Tuesday that 15,516 Riddell Axiom helmets and Riddell Insite Analytics subscriptions will be donated to the 277 high school tackle football programs around Colorado.
They came up with the number of helmets to cover the heads of the 15,000 Colorado high school tackle football players who take the field every season.
Englewood will receive 44 helmets, 11 every year for the next four years, from the “ALL IN. “ALL COVERED” program.
“Oh man, I am super excited,” Englewood Head Football Coach Wade Auld said.
“This year we’re getting 11. I just got the call from Rydell. We’re going to fit the kids, probably mostly seniors, on Monday morning. This is a Rydell axiom helmet. So they are top of the line. I’ve only actually seen them at clinics. I’ve never been on a team. So not only are they getting nice helmets, they’re getting top-of-the-line helmets, and we are truly blessed and thankful here at Englewood High School.”
Safety is Coach Auld’s priority. His athletes wear guardian caps but he believes they need more protection, “I don’t know if you guys know the guardian caps that go on. Some of the football players wear them. They add protection. This helmet is more safe than the ones with the big guardian cap.”
The donation also helps the program financially, “Number one, it’s protecting the kids. We’re getting our kids great, great helmets, and number two, it’s really helping our program from a financial standpoint,” Auld said.
Senior Romeo Gonzalez played wide receiver and corner this past football season, “I’m very happy because then I can wear those helmets and not get hurt when I’m on the field. The Axiom really helps you when you get hit. It forms around your head. So it’ll be better for us.”
Vigil has a few years to wear the updated gear. “If the helmets are better quality and have better padding inside, it could prevent a lot of head injuries. Some athletes don’t like the current helmets because they’re uncomfortable or they say they hurt their heads. So with these new helmets, they could provide a better experience for everybody who wants to try the game,” said the freshman athlete. “I think that’s really genuine of them to show love to schools like us.”
Sophomore Daniel Cullins will also benefit from the gift for a few years, “We have older helmets. We haven’t had updated helmets in a while, so it’s an extremely great opportunity, especially being able to get those helmets for free. They’re the most modern helmets, and they’re going to be the safest for our heads.”
Cullins says the new headgear will make the football program safer, “The reason most people don’t play football is because of the damage you can do to your head with things like concussions. So having the safest technology just makes a huge difference and makes it much safer to be playing football.”
