Mesa Ridge football met by racist & homophobic messages in lockers at Montrose HS before game

MONTROSE, Colo. (KRDO) - Members of the Mesa Ridge varsity football team tell KRDO13 Investigates that prior to their playoff game held at Montrose High School over the weekend, they were shocked to find a slew of racist, and homophobic words and messages, including the use of a swastika, drawn inside the lockers they were supposed to use.

The Mesa Ridge Grizzlies made the long trek, just over 5 hours, to play the Red Hawks of Montrose in the Colorado High School Athletic Association (CHSAA) Class 4A playoffs on Saturday, Nov. 22.

Prior to the game however, the Grizzlies arrived in the visitor's locker room at Montrose High School, where players and coaches say they noticed inside the lockers there were various racist and homophobic words and phrases drawn into the dust that coated the shelves of the lockers.

The N-word, along with another slur used to describe those in the LGBTQ community, could be seen in cell phone video and photos captured by parents and players from the team. One snapshot also shows a swastika, a symbol associated with Nazism, drawn alongside the N-word.

Parents, who will be speaking with KRDO13 Investigates this afternoon, say that the discovery was unacceptable, and the total shock that their children and the rest of the team faced before the big playoff game left them rattled mentally.

Head Coach for the Grizzlies Varsity football team, Jerami Calip, spoke with KRDO13 Investigates on the phone on Sunday afternoon, explaining that as an African-American man himself, he was immensely disappointed by the situation, adding this type of incident should not be happening in 2024.

He stated that the Athletic Administration's for both school districts were having discussions over the incident, and that the situation had been brought to the attention of the CHSAA.

A CHSAA spokesperson on Monday morning told KRDO13 Investigates that it is "a local matter that is being handled by the two schools."

A Montrose School District spokesperson sent KRDO13 the following statement:

Montrose County School District (MCSD) has conducted a thorough investigation into the incident involving racist and homophobic language written in the dust on lockers in the room used by the visiting Mesa Ridge football team during last weekend's playoff game.

As part of this investigation, we reviewed surveillance footage from the 24 hours prior to the football game. The footage confirmed that no Montrose High School football players entered the locker room in question. 

While our investigation confirms there was no targeted action against Mesa Ridge football players or their team, hate speech has no place in our schools or our community, regardless of who was responsible for the words. 

Meanwhile, a letter sent by Mesa Ridge High School Principal Levka Craft, to families of the players on the team, was shared with KRDO13 by a District 3 spokesperson:

"Grizzly Families,

The treatment our student-athletes experienced at Montrose High School on Saturday is abhorrent and unacceptable. No person, and especially no child, should ever be subjected to such conduct. Our athletes deserve to compete in a safe and supportive environment, free from hate and intimidation.

As you know, the incident was reported to law enforcement. We have reached out to both Montrose High School and the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA). We are waiting to hear from both about their next steps.

I stand in support of our students, our coaches, and our families. I will keep you informed as we navigate this situation, and I am available to our students, coaches, and families if you have any questions or would like to talk. As always, I am happy to meet or to speak on the phone. I am in the office today and Tuesday, and my direct office number is 719-391-3660.

We stand together."

UPDATE: Mesa Ridge High School has been contacted by Montrose High School's administration that they are investigating the situation. 

Saturday's game was the second time the two teams had met in the 2024 season. The first matchup, on October 18, saw Montrose claim a narrow 32-28 victory over Mesa Ridge. The Red Hawks would ultimately come out on top in their second duel, with a 53-21 win on Saturday, following the shocking incident for Grizzlies players pre-game.