Hayden Tigers Advance to Second Round With 8-1 Season

Steamboat Springs —“I think it’s going to be the brotherhood and the relationships I’ve built going through this program,” senior Peyton Johnson said. “I’ve lived here since I was four years old, and I’ve played football forever.”

Those words from the Craig Daily Press capture the shift happening in Hayden this fall. The Tigers didn’t just win games; they built a culture. After finishing 18th in the rankings last season — two spots outside the postseason field — the team entered 2026 with what Johnson called a chip on their shoulder. Now, sitting at 8-1 in the regular season and having defeated Crowley County in the first round of the state playoffs, they are looking toward the next round with a different kind of energy.

Head coach Scott Mann, who guided the Tigers through this standout run, points to the offseason as the real turning point.

“Every year they’re at summer weights and doing seven-on-seven in the summer, and they’re an easy group to get together because they love football and they want to be there,” Mann told the Daily Press.

It’s a simple explanation for a complex result, but it holds up when you look at the roster. The confidence wasn’t manufactured; it was earned in weight rooms and on practice fields long before the first snap of August.

The math holds up, too. Hayden’s lone regular-season loss came against West Grand in a two-point homecoming defeat. That narrow miss stung, but it didn’t break the team’s resolve. Instead, it sharpened their focus for the postseason.

Carson Campbell, a key voice on the squad, identified the moment the team truly believed in its potential.

“That’s when it became reality when we were like, I think we can go far with this one,” Campbell said.

He was referring to the opening victory against Norwood, a playoff-caliber opponent that served as an early litmus test. Passing that test validated the months of preparation.

For folks around here, this isn’t just about a high school football team advancing in the bracket. It’s about a community that watched its local program narrowly miss the playoffs last year and then respond with grit. The Daily Press noted that for players and coaches, the accomplishments extend beyond the scoreboard.

The question is whether this momentum can carry them deeper into the state tournament. The Tigers have proven they can handle pressure, having survived a tough start and a close loss to West Grand. Now, with the second round looming, the focus shifts from building confidence to sustaining it.

Mann’s approach has been rooted in accountability and teamwork, but the players seem to be driving the engine. They view their greatest achievements as still ahead, a sentiment that rings true for any team that refuses to let last year’s disappointment linger.

The road to the second round began in summer weight rooms, but it continues now, on the field.

“We went into this season with a lot of confidence and with a chip on our shoulder that we need to go far this year,” Johnson said.