First year Grandview head coach Tom Doherty is off to a great start in 2021.
First, Coach Doherty and his Wolves started the season with a last second 30-29 win over Pomona in a battle of top-ranked teams in the High School Football America Colorado Top 10, powered by NFL Play Football. That win led to Doherty being named the Denver Broncos first High School Coach of the Week for th 2021 season.
Grandview is currently ranked No. 3 in our Top 10.
The Broncos coach of the week is selected in partnership with Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA).
Below is Doherty’s bio from the Broncos’ website, plus a Q&A.
Denver @Broncos high school football coach of the week: Grandview's Tom Doherty #copreps https://t.co/tUPivQMzKF
— CHSAA (@CHSAA) August 31, 2021
Tom Doherty bio
Years as Grandview head coach (record): First Year (1-0)
Previous coaching experience: Eaglecrest head coach, Cherry Creek defensive coordinator, Smoky Hill defensive coordinator, Mullen defensive coordinator, Pomona assistant coach
Question: Why do you coach?
Doherty: “I student taught in the social studies department at Pomona HS in 1996 and since I played college football, I figured I should trying coaching too…I was hooked immediately. I love the relationships with the kids and the coaches, I love the strategy involved, and the competition on Friday night is awesome.”
Q: Why do you coach the way that you coach?
Doherty: “It’s the only way I know how. You have to be yourself.”
Q: What do you think it’s like to be coached by you?
Doherty: “I know it has evolved over the last 25 years. I think my players know I care about them and that I love the game of football.”
Q: What was it like coaching Grandview for the first time after spending so much time opposing them?
Doherty: “It was a bit surreal at the beginning but it now just seems right. I’m a Grandview Wolf.”
Q: What was going through your mind on that final touchdown to win the game?
Doherty: “This is why we lift all summer, we have to move the pile. We called a timeout and our QB, Liam Szarka, said ‘let me run it in, we got this’…so we ran a QB sneak and the boys found a way.”
Q: What are you taking away from week one that can help you throughout the rest of the season?
Doherty: “I was proud of the determination and toughness our team showed. We talked all week about hanging in there throughout the game and preserving, and we did just that.”
Q: What can a win like this do for your program going forward this season?
Doherty: “We shall see…all I know is we found a way to win a close game against a great team.”
