Pine Creek football has bigger goals than seven wins
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO)--Pine Creek football believes it is on the verge of something special.
After a strong 7-3 season in 2025, the Eagles enter this fall with heightened expectations and a chip on their shoulder.
Head coach Trevor Hudson, entering his second season at the helm, has brought stability and continuity to a program that was searching for direction. For the players, that familiarity has made a significant difference.
“Building that connection from last year onto this year, it's really a game changer for real,” senior running back Xavier Lukes said.
Senior athlete Brady Walden praised Hudson's impact, noting the challenge of taking over a program after previous coaching turnover.
“It's hard to come in when you have two coaches out and then you have to come in and fix the program and turn it around, but he's done a great job,” Walden said.
Hudson has embraced the team's blue-collar mentality and isn't interested in settling for incremental improvement. Despite last year's success, the Eagles remain hungry.
“Everybody says 7-3 had a good year. It's not good enough for us,” Hudson said. “We're staying thirsty. We've got to get after it. Our goal is the state championship.”
That motivation stems in large part from last season's 21-18 playoff loss to Mullen, a defeat that continues to fuel the Eagles throughout the offseason.
“It felt like we left a lot on the table in the playoffs,” Walden said.
Now, Pine Creek enters 2026 with renewed determination and confidence. The Eagles believe they have the talent and experience to compete with anyone in Class 5A and are embracing a challenging schedule that will test them from the start.
“For all 10 games of the regular season, we're just flying violent wherever we go.” Lukes said.
Despite outside expectations, the Eagles are comfortable being overlooked.
“We know everybody counts us out, and we're okay with that,” a Hudson said. “Please don't talk about us. We don't need any of it. Keep sleeping on us, and we'll see you there.”
Pine Creek will have an opportunity to make an early statement when it opens the season on the road in Florida on Aug. 28, beginning what the Eagles hope will be a championship-caliber season.
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