Vote for the Blue FCU Fort Collins-area boys sports Coach of the Year

[ASFN Admin]

The Coloradoan is proud to present our weekly Athlete of the Week series, partnering with Blue Federal Credit Union to honor the best Fort Collins-area high school athletes.

And it's another special edition of our weekly series. This time, it's the coaches' turn.

Who was the best coach for a local high school boys team during the 2025-26 school year? You tell us.

There were plenty of great options here, as these Fort Collins-area coaches spurred special seasons and high-end achievements in boys sports.

You can find the ballot at the bottom of the page. Voting is open until 11:59 p.m. on July 5, with the winner announced July 6 at coloradoan.com/sports.

Meet the nominees: Fort Collins-area boys sports Coach of the Year​

• Jeff Brennan, Fort Collins track and field: The Lambkins had a historic season on the track, led by the Colorado Class 5A Coach of the Year. Fort Collins won the 5A team title for the first time in 15 years and did it in blowout fashion with record-breaking relays and dominant distance runners. All told, nine Lambkins made 5A all-state teams with over a dozen podium finishers.
• Dave Fox, Wellington baseball: The Eagles soared to new heights this season, making the state tournament for the first time in program history. No. 22 Wellington pulled a magical upset run through regionals and then very nearly made the 3A semifinals, even pushing eventual champion University harder than any other team did in the 3A bracket.
• Brian Gustafson, Timnath basketball: It was a season to remember on the hardwood for the Cubs. Gustafson helped lead Timnath to the program's first-ever 4A semifinal appearance, winning a home regional and going 23-4 with 13 league wins in the process. Even the Cubs' only loss to a 4A squad came in the state semifinals to juggernaut state champ Kent Denver.
• Chris Jones, Windsor football: Jones has authored some special seasons out in Windsor, and the 2025 campaign is now among them, even without a state title. Windsor was undefeated to the final whistle, going 13-1 and finishing as 3A runner-up to Pomona on a walk-off field goal in the 3A title game. The Wizards won their first 12 games by double digits, beat teams by 32 points per game and allowed just 96 points all year.
• Kyle Lundy, Heritage Christian basketball: It was a landmark winter for the Eagles on the basketball court with Lundy at the helm. Heritage Christian made its first-ever 2A semifinal appearance, winning the third-place game with a 21-7 record and 12-0 league mark. Lundy even got to coach his senior son, Alec, who was a 2A first team all-state pick.
• Riley Nelson, PSD ice hockey: The former Colorado Eagles legend keeps putting PSD among Colorado's elite on the ice. Nelson guided the Stars to a second straight 5A runner-up finish after a regular season that led to an 18-3-1 record and the top seed in the 5A postseason with 14 wins over top-10 teams and a 76-goal scoring margin.
• Travis Peeples, Wellington football: The redemption tour was perfect. After a controversial title-game loss in 2024, Peeples had the Eagles ready last fall and left no doubt about who was the rightful 2A champion. Wellington went 13-0, pitched seven shutouts, got revenge on The Classical Academy and allowed just 19 points in four postseason wins as Peeples was named Colorado's 2A Coach of the Year.
• Matt Yemm, Fort Collins football: A swan song for the Lambkins' legend was a fitting one. Yemm, who stepped down after the season to become a firefighter, led Fort Collins to a 9-3 campaign. It included a rare 5A playoff win, Colorado's leading rusher in Jack McKeon and a city sweep. Yemm left the Fort Collins program on an upswing with some of Northern Colorado's top gridiron talent.

VOTE HERE:​

Chris Abshire covers high school and community sports for the Coloradoan.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Vote for the Blue FCU Fort Collins-area boys sports Coach of the Year

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