Originally written for Denver (Iowa) Community High School, Fall 2015

Head coach Mark Guenther didn’t necessarily enter the 1995 Denver football season with great expectations, but he knew he expected his team to be better every week. Looking back now after 20 years, Guenther says he was careful to avoid the word “win,” never telling his players they had to win anything. But in the end, the squad won and won big. The 1995 Cyclones went 11-2 and recorded the first and only state championship in Denver’s history.

 

It was an auspicious start to the season, as Denver battled back to best Grundy Center 21-14 in an overtime thriller. The next week, the Cyclones suffered defeat at the hands of perennial power Wapsie Valley, 22-8, before rattling off an impressive string of six dominant victories. A season-ending loss to Riceville made the Cyclones district runners-up, but they earned a wild card berth to the playoffs. The Cyclones stepped into the playoffs with two losses and an underdog label but, as Coach G was fond of saying to his players before each game: “We’re not chopped liver. They may think we are, but we’re actually pretty good.”

 

Pretty good didn’t begin to describe the Cyclones’ performance in the playoffs. They rolled over North Tama in the opening round to earn a rematch with Riceville. And this time Denver triumphed, 26-14. The Cyclones advanced to play Pocahontas in the state semifinals and were dominant, pitching a 28-0 shutout that set up one of the most exciting Class 1A championship games in state history.

 

After trailing Madrid 12-0 early, the Cyclones scored three unanswered touchdowns – including a 70-yard punt return by junior Dave Devine -- to take a 20-12 lead. But Madrid answered back with consecutive touchdowns to put Denver on the ropes once more. But it was Devine who scored his third touchdown of the game – a 26-yard scamper – that put Denver in the lead for good, 26-24. The Cyclones would go on to hoist the championship trophy in the UNI-Dome before a crowd of inspired supporters. The underdog had gone all the way.

 

“Our team had a great sense of unity,” Guenther said of his 1995 Cyclones. “We played one game at a time, and we never looked past our next opponent.”

 

Quarterback Tim Fossey finished the season with 1,085 passing yards and 13 touchdowns, while wide receiver Brock Traetow led Denver with 30 catches for 553 yards and five touchdowns. Kicker Aaron Tripolino converted 21 of 32 PATs, and Devine rushed for a school-record 1,964 yards on 266 carries with 31 touchdowns, in addition to racking up 267 yards and two touchdowns on his 13 punt returns.

 Several Cyclones received postseason honors. Lineman Ben Bruns received all-district, all-state, and elite all-state honors and was named the Class 1A Player of the Year. In 2011, Bruns was inducted into the Iowa High School Football Hall of Fame.

 

Devine, lineman Wade Geary, and linebacker Jim Wilmot all received all-district and all-state honors.

Fullback Andrew Fober, Fossey, lineman Neal Thurm, Traetow, and tight end/linebacker Ian Wass were all-district selections.

 

To this day, 13 school records are still held by members of the 1995 Cyclones, including Jim Wilmot’s 167 season tackles and Dave Devine in multiple categories: season and career rushing yards, season and career rushing attempts; and game, season, and career touchdowns scored. The 1995 team also still holds the school record for total yards in a season with 4,127 and season points scored with 393.

 

Please help us welcome these Cyclone greats back to Denver tonight as they celebrate the 20th anniversary of their historic state championship.

 

Welcome back…Go, Cyclones!