Wrestling icon Bill Goldberg paced the sidelines as drones buzzed overhead, but for 8-year-old Domingo Bueno, the real show took place between the white lines.
“Hey, there’s Shedeur!” the Columbian Elementary student shouted as he saw CU Buffs quarterback Shedeur Sanders sprint past their bleachers at the 35-yard line at All-City Stadium on Friday night.
“Do you see him running?” Domingo asked his mother Alejandra Ramirez-Bueno excitedly. “White studs!”
When the Tyler Childers/Shakey Graves concert at Folsom Field on Saturday forced CU to change its preseason program, the Buffs turned the scheduling conflict into an evening of community service in the heart of the metropolis.
“I love Boulder,” CU coach Deion Sanders said after practice. “I don’t want to leave Boulder. I just wanted to change the atmosphere and come here from Denver.”
An estimated 3,500 fans came to watch a free, public workout that gave Denver kids and parents a chance to get an up-close look at CU stars like Coach Prime, his sons Shedeur and Shilo, top offensive line recruit Jordan Seaton and cornerback/receiver Travis Hunter.
“This is probably the biggest crowd – I would never have played (in front of such a large crowd) in high school,” the elder Sanders said after practice. “But I’m glad we were able to get deep into the community.”
Hunter – sorry, Shedeur – is actually Domingo’s favorite buff.
“Because he is just fast,” enthused Bueno. “He can catch the ball. He is the best in the offensive And Defense.”
Domingo’s older brother Dezi, 11, was torn between Shedeur and Hunter, which CU player impressed him more.
“(Sanders) is a pretty good quarterback,” the elder Bueno said. “And Hunter is a pretty good cornerback. I just like him because I see videos of him talking trash – and he always backs up his word.”
For the boys’ parents, Alejandra and Miguel, the Buffs’ visit to the home of DPS football was a welcome bridge to fans from the metropolitan area who don’t often drive up the Turnpike.
Plus, it’s a pretty good price considering tickets for CU’s home opener against North Dakota State were available at TickPick.com as of Friday night at $101 per seat. The cheapest ticket price for the Buffs’ second home game against Baylor on Sept. 21 was $159 per ticket.
“We’re all for Denver Public Schools,” said Alejandra, who works at Columbian Elementary. “So I thank (CU) for giving my kids the chance to experience this.”
“It’s cool because you don’t get to Boulder (often),” Miguel added. “You can’t make it to Boulder (on Saturdays) because the kids are training, so it’s pretty convenient that they came here (to Denver). The kids can watch them train – it’s pretty good to see how they work, how they train and do their drills.”
