LAKEWOOD, Colo. — Mesa County Valley School District 51 said three students and one coach from Central High School's boys wrestling team are still recovering in the hospital after the team's bus was involved in a crash with an SUV in Lakewood on Saturday.
The school's athletics schedule shows the team was competing in a tournament at Arapahoe High School in Centennial on Saturday.
Lakewood police said the crash happened near Kipling Street and W. 6th Ave. around 7:30 p.m. Saturday. West Metro Fire said a total of 14 people were taken to the hospital, including all four people in the SUV, eight students on the bus and two wrestling coaches.
D51 school leaders said they would not share information about the medical conditions of the team members still in the hospital out of respect for their privacy.
Denver7 spoke with Javier Quintana, head wrestling coach at Eaglecrest High School in Aurora, who said he went to visit some of the team in the hospital over the weekend. Quintana said he has formed close relationships with Central High School's coaching staff through wrestling tournaments over the years.
"I really respect the connections they have with their community and their kids," Quintana said. "They just really care about whole child development and their well-roundedness of the kids is at the forefront of their programming."
He said he has been communicating with about a dozen other wrestling coaches since the crash to figure out ways they can support the team during their recovery.
"I want those kids to get back and healthy and be back and be normal high school students as soon as they can, and whatever we could do to provide that. As a lifelong educator... I would just kind of reflect back on how that would have impacted my community," Quintana said.
Denver7 is still working to get an update on the conditions of the four people in the SUV who were taken to the hospital.
