Two Colorado Springs School Districts Forfeit Football Games Against Lutheran High School Over Racism Allegations

Two Colorado Springs school districts have now refused to play football games against Lutheran High School, citing concerns about racism that have not been formally resolved. District 11 announced Monday that Coronado High School will not take the field Thursday, October 15, against Lutheran. Earlier this month, District 20's Air Academy High School forfeited its homecoming game against the same opponent.

The decisions follow allegations from two other COS high schools — Sand Creek (D11) and Rampart (D20) — that Lutheran players made racist remarks and gestures during games. Lutheran has denied the allegations. The Colorado High School Activities Association has opened an investigation, and that investigation is still ongoing.

The Broader Picture

The Air Academy forfeit earlier this month has a slightly more complicated history. Initial reports indicated the official reason given by D20 was a lack of available coaching staff. Later reporting connected the decision to concerns about the racism allegations, though D20 has not issued a statement as direct as D11's.

At least one specific allegation — that Lutheran players struck opponents with a belt — appears not to hold up. A Gazette investigation found that the students reportedly involved were not from Lutheran High School. That doesn't speak to whether other alleged incidents occurred, but it does illustrate the complexity of what CHSAA is being asked to sort out.

Sand Creek and Rampart have both said their players experienced racist remarks and gestures from Lutheran opponents. Lutheran has denied those accounts. CHSAA is in the position of investigating competing claims with significant consequences for a school's season and reputation.

Quick Reference

Talking to Your Kids

For families whose students are watching this play out in real time — at school, on social media, in their own athletic programs — this situation raises some genuinely hard questions. It's not a clean story with a confirmed villain and a verified set of facts. It's a situation where serious allegations are being investigated, institutions are making decisions under pressure, and students on multiple sides are affected.

A few angles worth exploring with older kids and teenagers:

• What does it mean for an institution to stand by its values before all the facts are in?
• What's the difference between taking sides on an allegation and taking a stand on standards?
• How do you respond when you're accused of something you believe you didn't do?
• What do the students on Coronado's team — who aren't personally accused of anything — experience when their season is affected by this decision?

There are no easy answers here, and that's part of what makes this conversation worth having.

What's Next

CHSAA's investigation is the piece that matters most for where this goes. The association will need to determine whether the specific allegations are substantiated, and what — if any — consequences follow for Lutheran's program. There's no published timeline for when findings will be released.

D11 has left the door open to revisiting its position if CHSAA or Lutheran issue a statement that meets the standard it set. Until that happens, Coronado's remaining schedule against Lutheran is in question.

Watch local sources including KRDO, the Gazette, and Fox21 for updates as the investigation progresses. If you have a student in any of the affected programs, their school's athletic director is the best source for information about what this means for the rest of the season.