Pueblo sports are a tradition unlike any other in Pueblo. This community is home to a rich and vibrant sports culture with its own deep history and exciting rivalries. When you first meet anyone in Pueblo, one of the questions you’ll hear is ‘which high school did you go to?’

Puebloans are deeply connected to their schools and the sports they play. Centennial and Central’s rivalry is the oldest running west of the Mississippi River. Every year they play the Bell Game at Dutch Clark Stadium in front of nearly 10,000 fans. It’s not just the football rivalry, they go toe-to-toe in all sports. Central boys’ basketball made the final four in 2022, and are currently playing in the elite eight of 4A.

The Cannon Game between East and South has gained popularity and importance over the years. Since 2014 the two schools have four football state championships between them, and countless deep playoff runs to add on top.

Shannon Lane has turned Colts boys basketball into perennial playoff contenders. They have clinched their spot in 5A’s elite eight for basketball. East’s wrestling team won their second straight state championship this year, continuing their dynasty.

Pueblo West has a long-time winning pedigree in all sports, specifically girls’ basketball where they went undefeated in South Central League play again this year. County has a terrific wrestling and baseball team. Swallows, Dolores Huerta and Rye also have teams that make noise year after year in Pueblo.

There aren’t just high school games in Pueblo. The CSU Pueblo Thunderwolves play a variety of NCAA Division 2 sports and have had many great teams. In 2014 the Thunderwolf football team won the NCAA Championship.

With the newly renovated Rawlings Field, the Pack baseball and softball teams are getting going into their new season. The Division 2 Track and Field Outdoor Championships are coming to the campus in May. Men’s soccer went on a run to the championship game, and women’s soccer begins their season right around the corner.

On top of all the school sports, the Pueblo Bulls hockey club has become a phenomenon in Pueblo. The Bulls first season was in 2019. Fans flock to the Pueblo Ice Arena to watch the United States Premier Hockey League. The team is a mix of Pueblo locals and players recruited from around the country and world to play junior hockey.

I’ve been incredibly honored to cover sports in Pueblo since 2017, and I’m incredibly excited to announce the Pueblo Star Journal’s new weekly sports podcast, ‘Pueblo Star Sports.’ I’m hosting the podcast with Brandon Samora. We are a weekly sports talk show focused on only Pueblo stories. We are doing interviews as well as keeping you informed on the sports happening in town.

It’s easy to miss when big games are coming, so we give a preview of the three biggest sporting events in Pueblo each week, so fans know where to go to see the game. Brandon also highlights a Pueblo player every week, called “Samora’s Star of the Week.”

Listen to the show wherever you get your podcasts by searching ‘Pueblo Star Sports.’ Or you can visit pueblostarsports.podbean.com. The show releases every Monday morning!

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