Steven Croell preparing to lead CSU-Pueblo back to championship heights
BOULDER, Colo. (BVM) — Colorado State University-Pueblo’s football program has developed a strong winning tradition since its return from a 23-year hiatus in 2008. Under the leadership of head coach John Wristen, the Thunderwolves have finished in the top 20 of the AFCA Division II coaches poll in eight of the past nine seasons, including an NCAA Division II national championship in 2014.
After taking last season off, along with the rest of Division II football due to the COVID-19 pandemic, CSU-Pueblo is back, and it could have a new face at the helm of its offense as it chases a second ring.
Steven Croell, a lefty quarterback out of Broomfield High School, started as a redshirt in 2019, but he embraced that role coming out of high school.
“Coming in knowing that you’re going to redshirt it’s easier because it’s just getting a hold of what everything is like and learning everything,” Croell said. “You’re on scout team the whole year, so you’re just helping out the rest of the team. So it’s not too bad because you’re still helping out the team in some way.”
With Croell looking to take on a bigger role in 2020 and the Thunderwolves looking to reclaim their spot at the top of the RMAC conference, and the country, the pandemic quickly changed the outlook of the season before eventually eliminating it for good.
“It was a different change,” Croell said. “My first season without football since I was probably 8. Finding things to do was tough, and not having anything to look forward to after working and preparing for a season was hard.”
Regardless, Croell kept working and pushing through the extended offseason and the pandemic, and has now been taking snaps with the first team offense as he looks to lead CSU Pueblo through another season.
Croell has skyrocketed up the Thunderwolves’ depth chart this spring, and he says that having two years of not seeing any game action has fueled a lot of that work to become a major contributor.
“After a redshirt year, I wanted to be able to contribute and play,” Croell said. “You just have to put in all the extra little detailed stuff. … It’s nice knowing that you’re moving up and all the work you’ve put in is paying off.”
Even with plenty of experience playing quarterback, Croell knows that playing, and playing well, at the next level will take a heightened level of hard work and dedication. For a program that has built the winning tradition and culture, he will need to hit the ground running if the Thunderwolves are going to meet expectations this fall.
“For me, it’s just doing the little things,” Croell said. “First it was knowing the playbook and getting that down, and then at this level it takes a lot more. Our wide receivers coach talked to me and said, ‘To be where you want to be you have to know what every position is doing so that you can answer their questions. Once you know what everyone is doing, the offense will flow a lot better.’”
CSU-Pueblo’s 2019 season was its first without at least a share of the RMAC championship since 2015, and Croell is looking forward to returning the team to those heights. He has never come to a mountain that he didn’t feel he could climb before, and this one is no different.
