Photos by Lloyd Engen Centauri Falcons basketball coach Larry Joe Hunt (in middle) is joined by former Falcon and Philadelphia Soul Arena Bowl XXII champion Anthony Dunn, left, and former Falcon and Hunt’s assistant coach Josh Cantu, right. Hunt’s former players will honor him tonight with a Centauri Falcon alumni game at 6:30 p.m. in the Centauri Middle School gym. Admission is non-perishable food items that will be donated to the local Food Bank.

Hunt’s former players honor their coach



By LLOYD ENGEN

LA JARA — It will be a celebration of men’s basketball Larry Joe Hunt style tonight (Saturday) when his former Centauri Falcon players tip off at 6:30 p.m. in the Centauri Middle School gym.

Coach Hunt is entering his 21st season coaching the Falcons and 28th season of basketball coaching overall.

Tonight’s game is a time for fans and former players to honor and remember those 20 exciting years of Centauri Falcon basketball under coach Hunt’s leadership.

The special alumni game will also be a “Food Drive” event, with admission being non-perishable food items that will be donated to the local Food Bank to help people in need in the tough times ahead.

Over his 20 years of coaching Falcon basketball, coach Hunt’s teams have consistently been at the top or close to it in the tough Intermountain League and District Tournament, and have reached the upper tiers of 3A basketball in state tournament play, including several nail-biting runner-up finishes in state championship games.

Along the way, coach Hunt has developed demanding defensive schemes and non-stop hustle that have proven that defense, indeed, is the key to winning games and playing competitively against much taller and deeper opposing teams.

That was never more evident than last season when he Falcons traveled to Colorado Springs for the first round of the 32-team 3A State Tournament bracket, facing a Colorado Springs Christian team that had overwhelming size.

The Falcons lost, but by the time the game ended, they received a standing ovation from the crowd for their non-stop defense and hard work that kept the score close in a game that was supposed to be a blowout. Colorado Springs Christian (23-3) went on to the state championship game and lost to an equally tall Faith Christian team that finished the season with the Gold Ball and a 25-1 record.

A large number of former Falcons that made big differences on the court and packed the stands with their exciting brand of “Larry Joe Hunt” basketball will be on the court tonight.

Among them will be one of the most successful athletes coach Hunt ever produced, both on the basketball court and on the gridiron — Anthony Dunn.

Dunn, a highly successful professional football player in Arena Football, returns to La Jara this time as the Arena Bowl XXII Champion, a key defensive player at linebacker and defensive end for the National Champion Philadelphia Soul.

Dunn wore No. 4 for the Soul, playing on a team that finished the regular season 13-3 to win the East Division title, earning home field advantage for the playoffs. The Soul then defeated the New York Dragons 49-48 in the first round of the playoffs, and followed by rolling past the Cleveland Gladiators, 70-35.

That sent Dunn and his Philadelphia Soul teammates to Las Vegas for Arena Bowl XXII, the Super Bowl of professional arena football, facing the defending champion San José Sabercats. In a battle to the finish, the Soul became the new champions in a cliffhanger, 59-56, receiving the coveted Foster Trophy.

And it led to a celebration in Philadelphia, a city having quite a year what with the Phillies winning the World Series, as well. The Soul drew 131,817 fans for their home games this season, and tickets for next season are selling fast because this is a team that is intact for next year, not even needing tryouts to find new players.

Dunn’s Centauri Falcon alumni teammates will include Ron Dunn, Leroy Espinoza, Jason Espinoza, Brian Claunch, Sean Dexter, Jared Brady, Brandon Cantu, Shane Sowards and Jerry Shawcroft, with several others possibly added.

The opposing Falcon alumni team has loaded itself up quite well, thank you, and includes Kevin McCarroll, Josh Cantu, Mitchell Brady, Estevan Armenta, “Chino” Chacon, Ramon Espinoza, Jacob Jaramillo, Tate King, Ryan Sutherland, Dustin Doyle, and several others.

It promises to be a memorable night in the Centauri Middle School gym where coach Hunt and his players gave fans so many, many exciting times.

And it also is a night for the players, themselves, to honor their coach and to remember the excitement of playing under him in this very gym of memories, as well as show their appreciation for the ways coach Hunt has followed them and encouraged them throughout their post-high school careers.

In other words, this is one of those occasions that sometimes come around just once in a lifetime — a moment in time that stands by itself — a tribute to a truly great coach who has made a lasting positive impact in the arena of sports throughout the San Luis Valley and the entire state, and on his numerous Centauri players and students.

A word of advice — you don’t want to miss this one. Bring your cans of food and arrive early for a choice seat before the action and fun begins.