Former Pueblo South football player Kamen Guida draws strength from the game during recovery

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO)--For most football players, resilience means bouncing back from a tough loss or overcoming adversity on the field.

For former Pueblo South standout Kamen Guida, resilience has taken on a much deeper meaning.

Almost three months after surviving a crash that nearly took his life, Guida returned to the football field that helped shape him, drawing strength from the lessons he learned as a Colt while continuing his recovery.

Standing on the sidelines as the 2026 Pueblo South football team prepared for the season, memories came rushing back.

Just one year earlier, Guida was wearing the uniform himself, preparing for his senior season.

Then, the night before graduation, everything changed.

Guida and three other passengers, including fellow teammate Braeden Sandstrom, were involved in a crash with a suspected drunk driver. Guida was one of the passengers thrown through the windshield, turning what should have been a celebration into a fight for survival.

"It was a big day, and then we got a call," said his father, Daniel Guida, recalling the moments before learning about the crash. "Going to the hospital was surreal because you never think it's going to be your kid."

The injuries were extensive and, at times, life-threatening.

"There were moments where my dad didn't know, I didn't know, and the doctors didn't know if they were going to be able to save my life," Guida said.

As he began the long road to recovery, Guida found himself leaning on the mindset that football and wrestling had instilled in him.

"How am I going to use football and wrestling? How am I going to use what I learned before to better myself now?" Guida said. "Waking up in the morning knowing it's a challenge. That's what football was. Waking up for practice was a challenge."

Those lessons helped give him purpose during some of his most difficult days. Seeing his former teammates and coaches again provided another source of motivation.

On Aug. 13, Guida returned to Pueblo South, a place he describes as holding some of the most important memories of his life.

"This field holds a lot of memories," Guida said. "I cried on this field. I got bashed on this field. I made so many memories here. When I saw it again, I knew I had to come back."

Watching the Colts prepare for a new season also reminded him of one lesson that continues to guide him through recovery.

"My coaches always told me, 'You're dirt. You've got to work your way up from that.' It's a beautiful thing to be dirt. That's what I live by."

While Guida's recovery journey is far from over, his return to the field served as a reminder of how far he has come. And as he continues to face challenges ahead, he is doing so with the same determination that once made him a competitor at Pueblo South.

Guida hopes that his story serves as a reminder not to get behind the wheel impaired.