Story by CAYDEN SANDERS Photo by GILLIAN LYNCH
Tiger Media Network
After a loss against Angelo State to open the season, the Fort Hays State University football team will play yet another reigning conference champion in its second game today as the Tigers travel to Pueblo, Colorado, to face 2024 RMAC Champion CSU-Pueblo. https://tigermedianet.com/?p=88966
FHSU managed just seven points in their loss to the Rams last week; however, FHSU Head Coach Chris Brown feels the team has put the opening loss behind them as the Tigers prepare for another tough test.
“I think they bounced back. I think they did a really great job of looking at the film, and they did a good job at practice for two days,” Brown said. “[It] seems like they are locked in and focused on the task at hand. They want to play better this week than they did last week.”
In their 2024 season, CSU-Pueblo finished 10-2 and earned the top seed in the NCAA Tournament before losing to Minnesota State-Mankato 26-23 in the second round. Makato went on to represent Region Four in the semifinals.
This year, FHSU and CSU-Pueblo are both in Region Four. CSU-Pueblo leads the Tigers 9-7 in the all-time series and Brown and FHSU hope to play well on the road against an opponent they have not competed against since 1978.
“The team that showed up last week is not the typical Tiger team that you usually see on the football field. We just did not jell or mesh that day. We have to bring that cohesiveness back,” Brown said. “We have been on roadtrips before, yes, it is a different opponent, but that should be exciting for us. I like the idea of going out somewhere else than where we have always played, and playing someone else. I think it should be an exciting time for us.”
CSU-Pueblo defeated fellow RMAC foe South Dakota School of Mines 43-0 on the road to open the season. Brown wants his team to use this week’s game to forget about the feelings that accompany a loss.
“We all hate losing, it just leaves a sick feeling in your stomach constantly, it’s a week-long thing until you play again,” Brown said. “I don’t want to feel this way next week. It just does not feel right, but you have to get out of that. We have to move on to the next game. But you have to remember that feeling when you lost.”
Colorado Connections
This week will be a homecoming game for six players on the FHSU roster who hail from the Centennial State.
“We have a few Colorado kids now, I know Cale (Cormany) is excited about it, I know Ryan (Allen) for sure, that’s their home state,” Brown said. “They are team captains, and they picked that game was theirs to walk out on the field.”
Cormaney, a senior tight end for FHSU, graduated from Rampart High School in Colorado Springs in 2021.
“When I saw the schedule, I couldn’t be happier, right? This will be a special game for me, it’ll be the first game of my college career, where I’ll play back home, about 45 minutes from where I’m from. I will be playing a ‘home game’ in front of my friends and family and my high school coaches for the first time, so it’s a really big game for me,” Cormaney said. “Playing a lot of kids I played against in high school, I got a lot of respect for their program in general.”
Allen, a senior wide receiver, graduated from Lutheran High School in Parker, Colorado, in 2022.
“I think it’ll be fun. I know a few guys on the team from high school. We used to go down there every year for a high school team camp, so I’m familiar with it,” Allen said. “I think it’ll be good. I should have a lot of family there, but I’m just looking forward to going up there with my teammates, competing.”
Sophomore wide receiver Keyshawn Dooley graduated from Vista Ridge High School in 2023. Dooley talked about his thoughts on playing back home and competing for and against two programs that recruited him out of high school.
“Coming out of high school, I had plenty of offers, plenty of Division II offers. And one of those, of course, being Fort Hays, and one of the other ones being CSU-Pueblo, which is where I live, 30 minutes from CSU-Pueblo,” Dooley said. “I know a lot of my teammates, a lot of kids that play at my high school, go to CSU-Pueblo. So it’s gonna be a dogfight, for sure, they’re in a playoff every year. Their top seed always wins the RMAC. So I’m looking forward to a good game.”
On the other hand, junior safety Donovan Guyton is a transfer from CSU-Pueblo. Guyton played three years for the ThunderWolves. Last year, he appeared in five games and recorded five tackles, one interception, and a sack.
“My time at CSU-Pueblo was good. I made lots of friends and good people out there,” Guyton said. “It was just my time to leave. I wanted something new, a new opportunity, and I got the chance to come to such a great place like Fort Hays State. I’m happy to be here, and the expectations I had came here are even more than what I came in with.”
Tigers to ThunderWolves Coaches
Three former Tigers are now on the ThunderWolves coaching staff: Philip Vigil, Jordan Dodge, and Chance Fuller.
“They know us pretty well, we kind of know what they do pretty well,” Brown said. “It will be interesting to see the chess match that we play during the football game. I am sure they are putting a couple of things in. We are going to put some new things in as well.”
Vigil, who is the current head coach for CSU-Pueblo, was on the Tigers’ coaching staff from 2015- 2018 as a passing game coordinator and recruiter. Vigil helped FHSU claim MIAA championships in 2017 and 2018.
“(Philip) Vigil, I follow quite a bit with his path. He has done well everywhere he has been. It is cool to see those things, but on Thursday, I want to beat him,” Brown said. “I love him to death, but for that day. But it is cool to see guys do their thing.”
Dodge spent his undergrad at Fort Hays, graduated in 2015. He is now the assistant offensive coordinator, along with being the tight ends coach at CSU-Pueblo.
“Even guys that have been here, gone on, and get full-time jobs of their own. It’s cool to see their change and move up in the ranks as well. You always want your guys to take the next step, and we have guys doing that,” Brown said.
Fuller spent time as a quarterback at FHSU before transferring to play his final season at CSU-Pueblo. During his time as a Tiger, Fuller claimed two All-MIAA honors and an All-Region honor in region three. Fuller left Fort Hays State as the leader in passing yards and passing attempts in a career.
At CSU-Pueblo, Fuller became an All-RMAC player and an All-Region semifinalist for the NFF William Campbell Trophy. After his playing career, he became the quarterbacks coach for the ThunderWolves.
“Chance (Fuller) was really good to me my freshman year. He really helped me a lot when I was a freshman, learned a lot from him. I have not talked to him in a while. I was close to his brother as well,” Cormaney said. “But, just a good family, good guy in general. He’s a great coach, and I’m excited to have a good game against them and talk after the game.”
FHSU and CSU-Pueblo kick off at 6 p.m. MST tonight in Pueblo, Colorado.
“It is going to be neat going out that way, it is a beautiful area. Pueblo is nice, the mountains, and those different things that go into play. Just a different venue, and a different area to play,” Brown said. “A couple of years ago, during Covid, we went out to Colorado School of Mines, and that was awesome to go out there during the spring. Just something different that we weren’t used to give the kids a different experience.”