BROOMFIELD – Not far from where he made a soccer name for himself at Broomfield High School (37 career goals, 28 career assists and a class 4A state title in 2007), Kyle Reddy talked about his latest coaching assignment; heading up the Fort Lupton High School girls soccer program.

“The girls? They are something else,” he said. “They make me smile. I love these girls.”

Reddy takes over for Archie Suniga, who has temporarily bowed out of all coaching.

“I love the community,” Reddy said. “When I take (state Highway) 52 and see the Fort Lupton sign and see the sign on the baseball field that says ‘Fort Lupton,’ I’m at home. I’ve had that experience with the boys team. It’s where I belong.”

A lobbying effort by parents of both the boys and girls teams pushed Reddy into applying. He also talked with one of his player, Jonathan Gonzales.

“When I’m out on the field with the girls, it’s second nature,” Reddy said. “It’s not a job. It’s a passion. I’m having fun.”

Reddy has coached girls teams in the past.

“The only surprise was I didn’t know how they’d react to me,” he said. “I spent this week (the week of Feb. 27) putting names to faces. But I also told the girls the same thing I told the boys – ‘You can behave toward each other one way on the field. But off the field, we are still friends.’ We are playing for the same cause, the same community.

“It’s the same with the girls,” Reddy added. “We’re going to have the same mentality. I want everyone to challenge each other. I’m going to play 18 on the varsity team, but I’m ordering 22 jerseys. If I put a kid on the JV roster and she doesn’t think she belongs there, then she can prove me wrong.”

FLHS was 7-8 a year ago and 4-3 in the combined class 3A/4A Colorado League. Reddy is looking for contributions from such players as Lydia Vasquez, Rylee Balcazar (eight goals in 13 games in 2022), Yohana Chavez and freshman Hailey Vanf.

The season and home opener, weather permitting, is at 4 p.m. Friday, March 10, against DSST-Byers. Reddy’s assistant coach is Jordan Harges. She played at Peak to Peak School and won a state championship while coaching at Fairview High School. The two met when Reddy asked her to come play on a coed team. It turned out there wasn’t room for an extra plater.

Wins and losses are part of the ledger of any season. But Reddy said that’s not the only thing.

“I want to see how we come together collectively,” he said. “I want to see the players succeed. It’s about them. It’s not about me.”