It had been 21 years since Denton High School’s football team started a season 5-0, and not only are this year’s Broncos’ winning ways breeding confidence on the field, but their success has infused the school with a spirit and pride that haven’t been seen in a long time.
Under coach Kevin Atkinson’s guidance in his third season, the Broncos already have more wins than they did in each of his first two seasons. They went 3-7 in 2012 and 4-6 in 2013.
Dan Ford became Denton’s principal in February 2012, and hiring Atkinson was among his first moves. Ford said the winning culture that Atkinson and the team have developed has been spilling into the hallways for some time.
“There is a feeling of team from the whole school,” Ford said. “Not just the football team or the volleyball team that is doing extremely well — it’s every student coming together. It’s high-fives in the halls. It’s ‘great game the other night.’ It’s ‘I’m looking forward to this week.’ It’s almost as if the family has been unified now.
“The culture of winning is really everywhere in our school. It’s in our athletics, academics, our fine arts. Everybody feels that this is the year of the Bronco.”
Ford attends nearly all Bronco athletic events — pumping up fans, chatting with students and even donning gold hair and a purple face from time to time — something he thinks is integral to his job.
Ford said the days of needing to prod the fans to get excited are long gone now that winning has caught on in football and other sports.
“We had to train our people how to cheer over the past 3 1/2 years,” Ford said. “We’ve had to train people to get excited. I can sit back now and watch them. They take over. I’m just involved now because of the excitement of it. We have kids painting their faces.
“I don’t have to do anything now. These kids are great.”
Alejandro Ruiz, a 17-year-old senior, is one of four drum majors in Denton’s band. He is a well-known presence on game days, waving his arms to conduct the band.
“It’s become a huge deal,” Ruiz said. “I remember freshman year we won like two games, and now we’re an undefeated team. Everyone’s talking about it around town, so it’s really cool seeing how our team has gone from an average football team to something everyone’s talking about. It’s the craze right now around school. It’s cool.”
Ruiz said he has noticed a significant increase in school spirit that has galvanized students into a family and restored a lost sense of pride.
“My freshman year, it was like, ‘oh yeah, I go to Denton High School,’” Ruiz said. “No big deal. [Now] I’m proud to say that I go to Denton High School. There’s a lot going on here. There’s a lot of culture. It’s very much like a family for us.”
Ruiz’s band director, Brian Wilson, has seen a stark change in interest from his band and students since he arrived at Denton in 2006.
“I do remember those times where I had to get them excited about football games and I had to encourage them to remain positive and cheerful and support the football team as best they can,” Wilson said. “Now we’ll get close to a football game and I don’t have to hype it up that much. The kids are already excited about it.”
Wilson said he has noticed the student and home sections have seen a dramatic increase in game-day excitement throughout Denton.
“The success of the football team infiltrates and affects everybody on the campus as well as the community, and it brings out those people that wouldn’t normally come out,” Wilson said. “That makes it a better crowd for the band, for the drill team, for the cheerleaders, for the student section, for everybody involved.”
The Broncos won both their season opener and their first district game for the first time under Atkinson.
With a homecoming showdown against Fort Worth Brewer on Friday, they have a chance to move to 6-0, which they haven’t done since 1987, according to Denton school district spokesman Mario Zavala Jr.
On the football field, Atkinson said, everything is falling into place.
“Our practices are better,” Atkinson said. “Our kids are more focused. It’s like one of those early morning clear days where visibility is high and everything we do feels like you’re on the right path.”
PATRICK HAYSLIP can be reached at 940-566-6873 and via Twitter at @PatrickHayslip.
