HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colo. — The ThunderRidge Grizzlies, led by head coach Doug Nisenson, showed the state why nobody should be writing off the Grizzlies in the upcoming seasons. The program lives off of preparation and culture, giving its players the best chance to win even before the game starts.

Coaching has always been in the blood of the Grizzlies head coach. In high school, he was allowed to call plays while injured. In college, he missed the game of football. Playing flag football wasn’t enough for him. He needed that competitive nature.

“That was when I first considered trying to find a coaching job,” Nisenson said. “I ended up doing that in February of my sophomore year in college. My first season as a coach was as a junior later that fall.”

After being promoted to head coach in 2017, Nisenson made it a point to always work on the culture of his team. In the 2021 state playoffs, the Grizzlies showed that. After struggling for three quarters, they came out and battled together in the fourth quarter, showing the heart that this team had. The belief that Nisenson instilled into his players is why they were never out of the fight.

“I think it starts and ends with culture,” Nisenson said. “You have to build something that kids love to be a part of and something that parents can see the value in for their kids as students, athletes and people. If you can create a place where kids look forward to coming to work and compete, something that demands they give effort in everything they do, and somewhere that kids also have fun, the wins will come.

“In order to do that, you have to be about the team first. Everyone has a role on Friday night. Even if your role is to support from the sideline, you are still a part of our energy and attitude. We can only put 11 on the field at a time, but no rule says we can’t have 90+ locked in on the mission on every play.”

Building a program to compete with the best teams in Colorado is not easy. To be the best, you have to outwork the best. But Coach Nisenson understands the need to step away from the game after the season. Young athletes can burn out fast, so focusing on other sports and activities allows them to come back to football with the best attitude.

“It is important to recharge,” Nisenson said. “Outside of our banquet, we won’t have anything for football in December. Then we get back to work with offseason workouts in the second week of January. Another one of our goals is to encourage kids to be multi-sport athletes. Anyone who plays an offseason sport focuses on that and is asked not to attend our workouts.”

We have to remember that these are still kids, and having a coach that recognizes that can only help the program. ThunderRidge is going in the correct direction. Nisenson’s attitude drives these players to be the best they can be.

With the 2022 season coming around the corner, Coach Nisenson has had the opportunity to apply goals for the offseason and next fall, giving his players and staff something to build towards.

“From a coaching standpoint, we will revisit the past season and decide on changes to all facets that we believe we need,” he said. “This could be adding or subtracting plays or schemes, adjusting practice and/or preparation schedules, etc. You have to be willing to constantly adapt. There is no one right way to do things and there is always something to improve on.”

The ThunderRidge Grizzlies will make all of the adjustments that they need to compete at a high level next season. Getting knocked out of the playoffs in the second round was not their goal. Expect them to come out next fall with an even bigger chip on their shoulders.

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