Nick Colgate has been named the next head football coach at Moffat County High School.

Colgate, who has been an assistant with the football program the last four seasons, will take the reins following the departure of head coach Lance Scranton, said incoming executive director of secondary education Ryan Frink.

“The passion and enthusiasm coach Colgate shows for our students, both as athletes and as students, really stood out,” Frink said. “He’s got a connection to the community, having been here the last few years with his wife. He’s teaching in the district, and our committee of parents, students and staff members agreed he was the unanimous candidate that everyone wanted moving forward in this position.”

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Colgate played college football at Chadron State College in Nebraska, taking the field as a special teams player and a defensive back. He attended high school in Nogales, Ariz., and he’s coached receivers and defensive backs at Moffat County High School previously.

“Becoming an assistant coach here in Moffat County has been one of the best things I’ve ever done,” Colgate said. “The last few years under Coach Scranton, he’s been a great role model to me. I’ve been learning coaching, watching the models he’s used. One of the big goals in my life, since I was really young, was to be a high school football coach. My dad was a high school coach; my grandpa, my uncle were all in coaching. Just about everyone I’ve ever known has been involved in football in some way, so I knew that’d probably be my path too.”

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Colgate has been part of a successful Bulldogs team the last four years, with winning records in each of the last three seasons and 15 victories over the last two seasons combined.

“This program has gotten better and better each year,” Colgate said of his time in Craig. “Kids are really excited to get to work, and I’m glad to be a part of that. I’m looking forward to trying to be a bridge, if you will, to their success. I’m excited for the future, excited to see what goals these kids have in store for themselves, and to see how we can help the community as a team.

It’s not just a football team or just a school district — we can be a big part of helping the community in our position. We want to make this a better place.”

Colgate said one of his focuses is on helping his players be successful students and grow into successful young men.

“I care about community outreach, and about getting kids in the weight room, and we want to win a state championship,” Colgate said. “That’s the goal. But I feel it’s also really important to be working toward getting kids educated after they graduate high school. I want them to have that avenue, whether that’s going to the military, going to college, or to a trade school, we want them educated after high school. It shouldn’t just end with high school.”

Colgate, whose wife just gave birth to the couple’s second child last week, studied physical education at Chadron State and has been teaching P.E. and outdoor education at Craig Middle School for the last four school years. He said he’s looking to move to the high school in the fall.

“The excitement level is very high,” Frink said. “He’s got experience with the program, and though he’s a young guy in his first year as a head coach, his head’s in the right spot. He’s in it for the kids. He’s about instilling values in young men to build high moral character. This program will succeed with coach Colgate and with the coaches who are around him and the community engagement we’ll have with this team going forward.”