After Columbine's opening game last season, Curtis Cunningham was quick to admit he did not think the Rebels ultimately would win the Class 5A state football championship.

Columbine lost its season opener to South Metro League rival Lakewood, and Cunningham, a 6- foot-2, 270-pound two-way lineman, was a bit in shock.

The Rebels quickly recovered, though, and went on to finish the season with a 13-1 record after beating Mullen 13-10 in the championship game for the school's fourth title.

"We overlooked Lakewood," said Cunningham, the only returning Class 5A player from the 2006 Rocky Mountain News All-Colorado team.

"They had just jumped from 4A to 5A, and we were expected to win and didn't. They were pumped. It was a disappointing loss but one that got all of us pointed in the right direction."

It's a new season for Columbine, which lost only four starters to graduation, and it begins the season ranked No. 1.

"We ended up with a tremendous season after all," said Cunningham, who also earned All- Colorado honors in baseball at first base and has started every game on the diamond for the Rebels since his freshman year.

"Our seniors have played together since we were in the little leagues and we have great team chemistry. We're in a tough league, I think the best overall, and it's not going to be easy this year."

Coach Andy Lowry, beginning his 15th season at Columbine, knows he has an outstanding player, team leader and school leader in Cunningham. He just wishes he had him back for a couple of more seasons.

"Curtis is as strong as a bull," Lowry said. "He has a tremendous work ethic, trains hard and I've never seen him look for an easy way to accomplish a job. His leadership abilities are unquestioned, and I can think of no drawbacks, physically or mentally.

"At the Hog Olympics at Heritage (last month), he set a record, benching 185 pounds 40 times. That's pure strength," Lowry said. "I have had several coaches tell me Curtis has the best hands of any defensive lineman they have seen, and I agree."

That being the case, it's possible Cunningham also might line up at tight end this season.

Cunningham, who said math is his favorite subject, sports a 3.6 grade-point average. He has committed to Colorado.

"My family, dad (J.C.), mom (Tammy) and my older sister (Lyndsey) have been the biggest influences on my life," he said.

"My personal goals are to just keep getting better. But I want to be a team player, and the success of my teammates is far more important than any of my individual goals."

Cunningham has plenty of talented teammates. The Rebels are ranked No. 28 nationally by Student Sports magazine.

Included are defensive back/ running back Jeff Cicchinelli, the Rocky's most valuable player in the championship game, and all-staters in defensive end Ben Tedford and defensive back/kicker Scott Anundsen.

Cunningham said he wants to improve on his 40-yard dash speed of 4.85 seconds, especially since he has put on an additional 10 pounds since the baseball season ended.

"But it's good weight and I'm happy with it," Cunningham said.

"I just want to be a bit quicker. The faster you are, the harder you are to block, and that's the situation I want to put myself in."

NOTEBOOK

• It can be somewhat beneficial when a coach can point to a specific player as a "coach on the field." Perhaps it might be a bit more advantageous when that player is the coach's son - and the quarterback, at that.

That could be the case this season at Bear Creek, Boulder and Heritage, where the sons of the head coaches could be the starting quarterbacks. All three are sophomores.

Zach Thenell is expected to call the signals at Bear Creek for his dad, Tom. At Boulder, Kain Coulter might take snaps for his dad, Spencer. Rounding out the trio is Mitch Griebel, who will play quarterback at Heritage for his father, Mike.

Speaking of quarterbacks, there is little doubt a lot of eyes will be on Cherry Creek's Jack Elway. The son of NFL Hall of Famer John Elway passed for nearly 1,000 yards last season but missed four games because of injury. If healthy, the Bruins, 6-5 last season, could be highly successful.

• The 5A state playoffs will have a new look, one the majority of the state's coaches believed was necessary in the first place.

Teams from the same league matched up against each other six times during the first round of the 32-team playoff bracket last season. This year, the Colorado High School Activities Association will set up the playoffs to avoid league rematches in the first round, if possible.

"It will be nice to see same-league teams avoid each other in the first round," Columbine coach Andy Lowry said. "But after that, when they are down to 16 teams, it will not make a difference. We didn't play a team outside our league all season until the state semifinals."

There were three games in the second round in which league opponents faced off, two in the quarterfinals. The final four was composed of Columbine (South Metro), Mullen (Centennial), Douglas County (Continental) and Fort Collins (Front Range).

• Lakewood will be finding itself in the valley of the giants this season, as the Tigers of coach Mark Robinson might not have a player on the roster who weighs more than 200 pounds.

"It's downright scary right now," said Robinson, who guided Lakewood to the 5A quarterfinals last season. "We are extremely tiny this year. I've seen 4A and 3A teams that have been small, but nothing like this in 5A in a long time."

As practice kicked off, the largest players on the roster are center Michael Miller (6-foot-2, 198 pounds) and linebacker Ben Falls (6-1, 195). The smallest starter might be receiver Tanner Stansbury (5-6, 145).

Yet, there are a bevy of other competitors who play well beyond their size. A few of the more notable mighty mites: Stansbury's teammate, Dillon Kimber (5-6, 190) on the offensive line; Gateway linebacker Ashton Campbell (5-5, 150) and defensive back/wide receiver DiAngelo Liberatore (5-7, 145); Thomas Jefferson defensive back Devon Fitzgerald (5-5, 160) and Chatfield running back Brennan Gallegos (5-6, 180).

• There is good reason why Fruita Monument coach Bill Moore is excited this season. Joining the coaching staff is Mesa State graduate Clarence Ross, who will be the defensive coordinator for the Wildcats.

While an assistant at Palisade High School with Joe Ramunno, the two directed the Bulldogs to four consecutive state championships from 1994-1997.

"Clarence is a wonderful addition to our staff," Moore said. "The kids know of him and what he has accomplished while coaching. We're real excited he will be working with us."

• While many might have expected the opposite, Mountain Vista coach Ric Cash expected his program's jump from 4A to 5A would be easier than the one from 3A to 4A. His reasoning was somewhat correct.

Mountain Vista, beginning its eighth year, beat Horizon and Thomas Jefferson in the playoffs in its first year in the big-school ranks before being eliminated by Douglas County in the quarterfinals.

• Few coaches will shed tears because three-time state finalist Mullen graduated 34 seniors. The Mustangs return five players ranked among the top 25 in the state by recruiting site Rivals.com.

Offensive lineman Bryce Givens is the No. 2-ranked player, with defensive back Nolan Brewster at No. 3, Jimmy Miller at No. 8 and Alec Johnson 12th. That makes the situation sweet for running back Jonathan Gaye, No. 10 on the list.

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