Sheridan star RB Colson Coon makes most of his 鈥榯ime to shine鈥�
SHERIDAN, Wyo. (BVM) 鈥� The Sheridan Broncs have won five Class 4A state championships over the past seven Wyoming high school football seasons, and a running back with the last name Coon has played a big role in several of those titles.
It began with Evan, a two-time all-state selection who graduated in 2016 after leading the Broncs to the 2015 state title 鈥� the first of what turned into three consecutive championship seasons for Sheridan. Evan鈥檚 younger brother Garrett, a three-time all-stater, was part of two of those championship teams and he graduated in 2020 after winning the 2019 Gatorade Wyoming Player of the Year award.
Meanwhile, as the youngest of the three Coon brothers, Colson waited for his opportunity.
鈥淚 wanted to be like them,鈥� Colson Coon said. 鈥淏ut not only that, they also helped me and I learned from them and they made me better.鈥�
Colson may have been last in line, but he could end up being the best Coon yet. Still only a junior, Colson has already been recognized as Wyoming鈥檚 top high school football player. He was named the 2021 Gatorade Wyoming Player of the Year after rushing for 1,648 yards and 22 touchdowns while also catching 18 passes for 305 yards and four more TDs and leading the Broncs to their seventh state title in 13 years.
鈥淭his season meant a lot,鈥� Colson said. 鈥淚n my family, it was my time to shine and go out there and show what I could do.鈥�
The 5-foot-10, 180-pound junior running back/linebacker is comparable to his older brothers, but his skills and strengths are somewhat different. All three Coons are fast and powerful, but as the most 鈥渟hifty鈥� back in the family, Colson might be the hardest to tackle.
鈥淗e understands how to make people miss in open space,鈥� Sheridan head coach Jeff Mowry said. 鈥淭he way he reads a defense and understands where he can get find a small crease to get positive yards, he doesn鈥檛 go backward. He gets positive yards on every single play whether it鈥檚 just a fourth-and-1 or a toss out in open space, the guy just knows how to get downhill.鈥�
鈥淐olson Coon is an all-around unreal player,鈥� Cheyenne East head coach Chad Goff said in a . 鈥淭he stuff he can do with the ball in his hands is incredible.鈥澛�
Colson鈥檚 strengths as an athlete don鈥檛 only translate to the football field. He鈥檚 also a standout wrestler and soccer player for Sheridan. He finished second in Class 4A in the 160-pound weight class at the state wrestling tournament last winter and he had a team-best 16 goals and 10 assists last spring for Broncs鈥� soccer team, which won a regional title and qualified for the state tourney.
鈥淭he guy can just move on the field and on the wrestling mat,鈥� Mowry said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 a strong competitor and he learns how to compete in different situations, so I think multiple sports definitely helps him.鈥�
But football has been Colson鈥檚 favorite sport since he was a young child and that鈥檚 what he plans to play at the collegiate level. With Garrett now playing for Division I FCS program Montana State, Colson is strongly considering the possibility of following in his brother鈥檚 footsteps and heading to Bozeman after his Sheridan career is over. But with another year and a half of high school left, it wouldn鈥檛 be surprising if Colson begins to draw the interest of recruiters from bigger college football programs.
鈥淚 think the more publicity he gets, the more attention people are going to put on him, not only for college recruits but also for other teams next year,鈥� Mowry said. 鈥淓verybody鈥檚 aware of who he is in the state and rightly so. He鈥檚 a phenomenal football player who鈥檚 worked really hard to get where he is and now the challenge is out there for him to go do it again.鈥�
