On November 15th, 1980 Two Rivers Washington High School won their first football state championship
Published for the 40th Anniversary, That Championship Year celebrates not just winning but growing up in a special time in a special place
Denver, CO. November 10th – Jody Pritzl, with the help of the 1980 football players and Coach Jerry Bonino, celebrates the grit and effort of Two Rivers winning their first state football championship in 1980. More than just football, That Championship Year celebrates the childhood freedom of growing up in a small town during the 1960s and 1970s. It is a story of community with the Raiders supported by the cheerleaders, marching band, teachers, local businesses and fans all wanting to be winners.
Moms waved good-bye to school age kids in the morning with a simple instruction to be home in time for supper. Riding bikes without helmets, kids made lifelong friends on playgrounds, at Neshotah Beach, and fishing on the East and West Twin Rivers.
Boys grew tall and strong enough to join Junior Ramblers youth football. Sticking together on the field of growing up, friends gelled into the 1980 Washington High School Raiders. At the small school, guys knew they might have to play both ways, sometimes on offense, on defense and on special teams. Wilting during two-a-day summer practices, the guys learned that winning had a twin called effort.
The Raiders were conditioned and coached by scrappy Jerry Bonino. Once a small town high school player himself, Coach Bonino knew how to grind out a win and mold the character of young men. Honoring the coach, this book devotes a chapter to his football legacy and the Raiders of 1981 and 1982.
That Championship Year details the big plays, close calls, and bad breaks of each Raiders football game during the 1980 season.
Jody Pritzl was born in Manitowoc, Wisconsin and raised in nearby Two Rivers. After moving to Denver, Colorado and completing a corporate gig, in 2019 she published her award winning book Immigrants, Ornaments and Legacies-A Story of American Made Glass Christmas Ornaments. Jody sits at her computer every day with two thoughts in mind. The first is to write well researched true stories of underdogs. The second intent is to “put a bow” on the story. She follows the advice of her high school English teacher who admonished, “Potatoes are done, people are finished.” For Jody, a book isn’t done until the reader knows how the story finishes.
On November 15th, 2020 That Championship Year was published through Amazon.com