The Cherry Creek Bruins are back in the state Colorado state 5A football championships, but for one student athlete, this weekend is about far more than the quest for another title.
A win Saturday would give senior center Cayden Lee the chance to extend one of Colorado’s most unusual football traditions: becoming the fourth player across three generations of his family to win a state championship. All three generations went undefeated that season.
The legacy began during the 1968-69 season when Lee’s grandfather, Greg Lee, won a state title as a senior at Laramie High School in a 48-0 victory over Worland. Football, Greg said, became more than a game. After serving in the Vietnam War and being discharged in 1974, he returned home carrying the weight of his service — and leaned on football to help lift it.
“It was our escape,” he said.
The sport became a bond between Greg and his son, Shane Lee, who carried that connection into his own senior year. Shane won a state championship in 1988, when Grand Junction defeated Durango 23-13.
More than three decades later, Shane’s son Carson Lee continued the tradition, helping Cherry Creek to a title his senior year.
“That season was just incredible,” Carson said. “You see what Cherry Creek has turned into now, and I think that year is what kind of kicked it all off.”
Now it’s Cayden’s turn. The senior center has helped lead Cherry Creek to its eighth straight championship appearance, as the Bruins look for their sixth title in that span.
“We’ve all bought into this goal of winning a state championship,” Cayden said. “We’ve put in a lot of work in the offseason, in the summer and during the season. We’re very excited to compete for this.”
A win would also give Cayden a personal milestone — a four-peat.
For the Lee family, championships have become tradition, a legacy handed down from one generation to the next.
“It’s incredibly rare to have that as a family legacy,” Cayden said. “It means everything to me.”
Carson, now completing his college career, said he believes his younger brother is ready to carry the legacy forward.
“This would be his third state championship, and he’d have a chance to continue the generational run our family has going,” Carson said. “I’m so proud of him and the hard work he puts in every single day.”
Cherry Creek faces Ralston Valley on Saturday – the Mustangs’ first-ever state championship appearance.
For Cayden Lee, the game offers more than a shot at another title. It’s a chance to add his own chapter to a remarkable family history.
