Legacy High School football coach Wayne Voorhees has returned to practice, a little more than two weeks after the team’s bus collided with a concrete pillar outside Denver International Airport in a crash that killed the driver and injured Voorhees and 17 others.
Voorhees was in good spirits out on the field, and he noted how appreciative he was for the outpouring of support he and his team received in the wake of the ordeal.
“The overall outreach has been unbelievable — from our district to our district administration, to our building administration, to the community, to our school, and also the whole football community in the state of Colorado,” Voorhees said at a news conference at Legacy on Wednesday. “I’ve heard from people all over the country, and even the Chino Hills (Calif.) coach came out and saw me in the hospital on Monday, so I’m real appreciative of everything everyone has done for us.”
The 13th-year head coach also made sure to give props to the job done by interim coach Matt Craddock while he was recuperating, as Legacy has reeled off consecutive wins over Prairie View and Horizon since the accident on Sept. 11.
“Craddock’s done an unbelievable job — he’s been a head coach before, and he knows all the requirements and what it takes,” Voorhees said. “I’m just really proud of our whole staff for coming together and making adjustments as we needed to, because three of our five offensive coaches were out.”
Legacy is back in action on the road against Overland on Friday, the last nonleague test of the season before Mount Antero Conference play begins at No. 6 Regis Jesuit on Oct. 7.
In the meantime, Voorhees — who suffered a concussion and three facial fractures in the crash — remains focused on getting back into the coaching rhythm. He’ll continue to evaluate when he’ll return to his role teaching physical education at the high school, and most importantly, he’s just thankful to be back roaming the sidelines.
“I look at life as being a little more precious, and I understand the importance of what everything means — friends and family and all that kind of stuff that you cherish a little bit more than you previously did,” Voorhees said.
Police said they found no mechanical issues with the bus, which was one of three buses carrying Lightning players back to the school following a road game in California. The cause of the crash that claimed the life of driver Kari Chopper is still under investigation.
