Central senior John Deti's first touchdown had added significance

Oct. 28—CHEYENNE — One thought raced through John Deti's mind as Cheyenne Central broke the huddle near the goal line Sept. 23 in Laramie.

"I had to score, because I wasn't sure if I was going to get another shot like that," the senior fullback said.

Deti did just that, getting in from one yard out for the Indians' first touchdown during a 42-6 victory at Deti Stadium.

Deti is the grandson and great grandson of the men the stadium is named for.

"Being the first Deti to play on that field was special, getting the touchdown made it even better," Deti said. "It was a really special experience for me and my family to have my first touchdown happen there."

The Deti name still resonates throughout Wyoming, especially in football circles.

John E. Deti guided Laramie to 208 wins and 14 state championships between 1944 and 1976. His win total remains the third-highest in Wyoming history. His son, John R. Deti, took the reins in Laramie from 1977 to 2002, and posted 188 wins and two state championships. The younger Deti has the fourth-most wins of any coach in the state.

The Deti Stadium name carried over when the new Laramie High opened in 2016.

Naturally, John F. Deti often gets asked about his relationship to Cowboy State football royalty.

"A lot of people have talked to me about how they played football for my grandpa, or that he taught them how to drive," said Deti, whose father, John T. (Travis) Deti, is the head of the Wyoming Mining Association.

"Anybody who grew up in Laramie or went to high school there has some sort of John Deti story."

Deti has played sparingly during his Central career. He posted an assisted tackle during his junior campaign and has two carries this season. He also has notched 1 1/2 tackles (one solo stop and half a tackle for loss) this fall.

Many high-schoolers would have hung up their pads and moved on to other endeavors if they had only seen spot playing time by the end of their junior campaigns. Deti never thought about quitting.

"My dad might have killed me if I didn't stick with it for four years," he said with a laugh and wide smile. "I've never been the biggest or strongest guy, but I love being here in the brotherhood of football.

"I love playing football. It's in my blood, and in my family. I'm not the most naturally gifted, but I work hard, and I've gotten the most out of it."

Central coach Mike Apodaca describes Deti as a "program kid."

"He hasn't gotten a lot of playing time, but he's here at practice every night, doing the right things," said Apodaca, who played against Deti's dad in high school. "He has worked his way through, never complained and always came to work.

"He is the essence of high school football. In that sense, he's a tribute to his family and how they've handled themselves in the game of football."

Apodaca started installing T-formation principals into Central's offense early in the season because he thought it could be a good way to utilize the Indians' personnel. It's an offense the Indians and many other Wyoming teams — including Laramie — ran while Apodaca wore a Central uniform.

Junior Jaxon Lobatos was the Indians fullback in that formation, but suffered a concussion the week before they faced Laramie. Deti had gotten reps as the backup, and stepped into Lobatos' role.

"Everything fell into place for John to get that touchdown. Getting him a touchdown at Deti Stadium wasn't something we had planned before the season," Apodaca said. "The football gods were watching, as far as I'm concerned."

While it was nice for Deti to score a touchdown in a stadium bearing his surname — and out of a formation his relatives used with such success — the touchdown was special for other reasons.

"I felt like I had done something for a program that has done so much for me," he said. "Playing football kept me invested in school. I have to keep my grades up to play football, so it's motivated me to work hard in the classroom. It's also kept me in the weight room.

"Football has kept me busy, instead of getting into other things."

Jeremiah Johnke is the WyoSports editor. He can be reached at jjohnke@wyosports.net or 307-633-3137. Follow him on Twitter at @jjohnke.