HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colo. — The Mountain Vista High School (MVHS) football team is off to a 2-0 start, but they wouldn't be undefeated without help from head coach Garrett Looney's daughter.
Braelynn Looney is not new to the football field. She helped lift the Golden Eagles to a flag football state championship in 2024.
To start the 2025 season, the boys were down a kicker and Braelynn stepped up.
“There was no one," Braelynn Looney, a senior at Mountain Vista High School, said. "I guess they turned to me because I used to play soccer”
“As soon as I ran out there [the announcer introduced me, saying] ‘Braelynn Looney!’ and I thought 'this is unreal.' All the student section went crazy, and I was like, OK don’t miss.”
Looney did not miss, making all five of her extra points. As her dad watched on the sideline, he knew she was ready for the challenge.
“Here’s what I love about her," MVHS head football coach Garrett Looney said. "She has a tenacious competitive edge to her. She’s going to find a way to make the kick when she needs to. I thought she was going to be much more nervous to be honest with you, but she went out there and was completely calm. I knew as soon as she ran out there she was going to be fine.”
Luckily for Looney, he wasn't sending his daughter out on the field alone.
“It was pretty normal for us just being together I guess," Braelynn's younger brother, Kade, said. “The first one I was very nervous, but after that it was fine.”
Kade Looney is a freshman at MVHS and a rising quarterback on the football team. As he sharpens his skills under center, his job is to hold the football during kicks.
Having her brother by her side meant the world to the Golden Eagles' newest kicker.
“I wanted that, because it’s a lot of trust," Braelynn said. "All these kids are running at you, so you need the snap to be good and you need the hold to be good. Having that trust there, and having that trust on the sideline, it really helped me have confidence in [kicking].”
Not only was this the first game of the season, Mountain Vista was facing a juggernaut from California — Liberty High School.
Turns out, they were no match for the Looneys.
“I thought it was pretty cool," Kade said. "Five for five is pretty good."
It's the best you could possibly do on five kicks, and it happened to be the difference in the football game.
Mountain Vista went on to beat Liberty, 49-45.
“They ended up being pretty huge points," Coach Looney said.
Football is foundational in the Looney family, but what made this moment special wasn't just the final score.
"As a dad, I couldn’t be more proud," Coach Looney said. "What an opportunity as a father to have both your kids being able to help you in a moment like that. It was a really special deal, it was really cool.”
Eventually, Mountain Vista will find a new kicker to take over PAT's, but maybe not too soon.
“I hope she keeps doing it because she’s good at it," Kade said.
“I’m just the place holder right now," Braelynn said. "But if they need me, I’m here for it.”
