Colorado native Karson Pike has been plotting his return to the Rockies for some time now. After coaching football at various Division Two and junior colleges around the midwest, Pike decided it was time for a change of scenery and a chance to return to his roots in Colorado.   

“I grew up in Golden, not too far from Aspen, in the foothills. I’ve always loved the mountains, so naturally I looked for job opportunities back in Colorado,” Pike said.

Pike, who most recently has been the football coach at Western Iowa Community College, accepted the post as the new AHS Head Football Coach, replacing Ryan Treice. Pike will also teach physical education.

Pike understands that being the head coach at AHS will be a significant shift for him, but he believes that leading the high school football team is an opportunity to apply what he has learned from coaching players at the college level.  

“I think Karson has a lot to offer the athletes of this school. He has a ton of experience coaching college football,” athletic director Jay Maher said. “I think the community and athletes of our school who currently play football or maybe haven’t played football in a while are going to meet coach Pike and really feel re-energized about the sport.”

Although the AHS football team has struggled to maintain a winning record in recent years, Pike sees a lot of potential in the upcoming roster of players. He has heard about the athleticism of the football team at AHS and hopes to expand the program and cultivate new athletes. He sees the versatility of the athletes at AHS as his biggest, untapped advantage. The success of the hockey, basketball, and lacrosse teams have convinced Pike that AHS has many athletes capable of playing outstanding football. In his view, it’s just a matter of identifying and then executing on both talent and opportunities.

“We are going to do some things different than what Aspen has done in more recent years,” Pike explained. “Obviously the school is good at lacrosse and there’s a big carry over between the two sports, so we will try and institute a more lacrosse style of play.”

Pike has taken the job at a transitional time for the AHS football program, which has been faced with new challenges and some attrition. In recent years, football players have gravitated towards other sports as a product of recurring injuries, particularly concussions.  But Pike feels confident that the concussion issue can be overcome.

“I don’t think that it’s a big issue anymore in the direction football is moving. With the spread offenses and doing things in a more lacrosse style of football, we will really limit the concussion issue,” Pike said. “Also the new rules and technology being set in place to prevent head trauma will really help.”  

Pike has high expectations for the fall 2016 season and plans on making some pivotal improvements and changes to the football program.  

“I know that AHS has experienced a tough couple of years in football,” Pike said. “But that doesn’t matter, because if we get the right kids to do the right things we will win a lot of games.”