Denver Catholic

Football coach boosts team's morale, reverses dismal record BY NISSA LAPOINT Rumor has it the strategy be- hind Adams City High School's stunning comeback from a woeful eight-year losing record is one football coach's passing on of a little faith. The Commerce City public school and community took notice of the Eagles 4A team that halted a 4-76 record since 2006, one victory being a forfeit, and launched this season with a 4-1 record. The last time the team had a winning record was in 2005 when it finished 6-5. Team members say the dif- ference this year isn't simply the new equipment or more rigorous practices. New football coach and practicing Catholic Dan Jajczyk formed a family at- mosphere and instilled a sense of worth. "They don't care whether we win or lose—they just care about us," said junior Juan Zazueta. "We're really doing things different than we did all the other years. It's paying off." Fellow junior Joseph Gonza- lez said, "The coaches this year are treating us right." The 2,000-student body has a reputation for high drop-out rates, teenage pregnancy, gang activity and poor academic per- formance. All of the students qualify for the free and reduced lunch program, a governmen- tal assistance for low-income families. Eighty-five percent are Hispanic with English being the second language for many, said the school's communication specialist Autumn Jones. The team, and school, suf- fered from hopelessness, said Jajczyk, who is also supervisor of security for Adams County School District 14. "These kids felt like they weren't worth anything. These kids felt like nobody cared about them," he said. "A lot of these kids are just looking for someone to love and looking for someone to be loved by." Jajczyk said it's his ministry to give the students hope and dignity by being an example of a faith-filled Catholic man of God. "I think God got me here to give them that hope, to give them that vision, to give them that reality that they are worth something," he said. The team shares meals to- gether and "takes a knee" to pray before and after games. The staff and students hold each other accountable if a practice is missed or grades are falling. "We're trying to teach them life lessons that they'll carry well beyond a silly football season," Jajczyk said. The change is apparent and it's infectious. "From the teacher perspec- tive, we see it spreading in the classrooms. It's not just the football team that's caring. I see ownership and pride in school," said Amanda Gonzalez, the school's learning specialist. Jajczyk, 56, said his own con- version plays a part in his ability to guide the football team. "I was a '70s rebellion kid," he said. "I just made some bad choices back then and got hooked up with the wrong people." He said he looked for accep- tance and love in all the wrong places. The pleasures of sex and drugs consumed his life and for 10 years he regularly smoked INDEX Archbishop's Column ......................2 The Catholic Difference ..................4 Editor's Column ................................4 Letters to the Editor .......................4 Vatican News ....................................6 Bulletin Board ...................................9 Service Directory ....................... 10-11 A Commerce City comeback PHOTO BY ROBERT LINN/DCR ADAMS City High School football coach Dan Jajczyk leads the team during a practice at the Commerce City school last week. Jajczyk is credited with halting the team's losing streak and letting his Catholic faith guide his coaching practices. OCTOBER 1, 2014 114 Years of Service to the Gospel Volume XC - No. 33 www.DenverCatholicRegister.org I Follow us on INSIDE ELECTION RESPECT LIFE PAGE 2 PAGE 3 I'm a teen mom with a future DCR FILE PHOTO On Catholics and politics MEDIA CATHOLIC LIFE PAGE 5 PAGE 8 Broken woman made whole again 'It's been my heart the last 16 years' See Jajczyk, Page 7

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