A wrestling coach is the smartest person in the room, until his wife walks in. So before Cutter Garrison floated an idea to his boss, he ran it by Terrica, his better half, at the dinner table. What if we just gave the money to Central? The headline — At least 15 injured in Lakewood crash involvin g school bus — plunged like a rusty dagger. Each sentence they read twisted the blade. More than a dozen student athletes from Grand Junction and two coaches were injured Saturday in a Lakewood crash involving their bus, according to the school district … All 13 students were members of the Central High School wrestling team in Grand Junction, traveling back from a tournament in the Denver area … “We kind of kept hearing the severity of it,” Garrison recalled. After talking to Central wrestling coach Clint Trujillo on Sunday night, Garrison wanted to do something. Anything. Cutter’s Cedaredge Bruins wrestling program was slated to host Buena Vista and Meeker in a tri-meet this past Thursday. The event included a paid soup dinner and barbecue, with proceeds going back to the Bruins wrestling program. Then it hit him. What if we just gave the money to Central? Terrica nodded. “A leader of young men needs to participate in that,” Mrs. Garrison said. “You should do this.” Related Articles Grading The Week: Avalanche need to avoid first-round dogfight vs. Dallas, Quinn Hughes in Stanley Cup Playoffs Keeler: Broncos remind ex-Denver RB C.J. Anderson of Super Bowl 50 champs, right down to disrespect Renck vs. Keeler: Is Broncos underdog status at home vs. Packers ultimate sign of disrespect? Keeler: Think Broncos are NFL playoff frauds? Not when Sean Payton calls game like he did vs. Raiders. Grading The Week: Deion Sanders’ hire of Brennan Marion as CU Buffs OC reminds us of Sean Lewis. That’s a good thing. So they did. Garrison, Cedaredge’s wrestling coach, ran it up the chain to his athletic director, Brandon Milholland. What if we just gave the money to Central? “I think we should use this as an opportunity to show grace,” the coach explained. “And keep (Central) in our thoughts and prayers.” Milholland agreed. Garrison went to peers Jared Todd, Buena Vista’s wrestling coach; and Stryker Lane, the head coach at Meeker, to get them on board. What if we just gave the money to Central? “Let’s do it,” Todd said. “Let’s do it,” Lane replied. Which is how a little tri with Cedaredge, Buena Vista and Meeker got a big heart. How three wrestling communities became #CentralStrong. ‘It’s an important life lesson’ Dark, chilly Front Range night? Strange, unfamiliar streets? Garrison had been there. Todd and Lane had, too. Wrestlers look after their own. A bond built over early mornings, sleepless nights, title and thankless, winding roads that can go on forever. Especially in the dead of winter. On Dec. 6, before the crash, Trujillo’s Warriors had been competing at Arapahoe High School in Centennial. According to Lakewood police, the Central bus was attempting a left turn when it was struck by an SUV moving at a “very high rate of speed.” The driver of the SUV, a 22-year-old Denver man, was arrested on Dec. 11, per Lakewood police, who believed that speed “played a major role” in the incident. Authorities reported via social media Friday that several victims, including team members, remain hospitalized. A campaign to raise money for the wrestling program on GoFundMe.com, launched by Central High principal Zeb Hayward, had received roughly $46,600 in donations as of early Friday evening. “We’ve just preached being grateful and being thankful for the opportunity to compete on the mats,” Garrison said. “I think it’s an important life lesson to teach kids — to give back.” ‘Always the same mud’ Wrestlers’ parents brought soups. Buena Vista brought a check. So did Meeker’s wrestling club. Officials working the event agreed to donate their pay to the #CentralStrong pool. Garrison said they raised about $1,100. “That’s what it’s all about,” said Todd, who’s been coaching the Demons for almost three decades. “It takes a back seat to the wins and the losses. It’s really about giving back. “It might be different blood, but it’s always the same mud.” Same paths. Same goals. Same dreams. Garrison had known Trujillo, a Grand Junction native, for years through tournaments, coaching clinics and summer camps. “Just a guy you could talk to,” Garrison said, “(about) just what it takes to build a good team and a good program.” A gift of $1,100 may seem like a drop in the bucket. But wrestling coaches (and moms) know how to squeeze half a dollar out of every nickel. That $1,110 ‘is about 6% of the Cedaredge High School’s wrestling budget. Garrison said he typically piles up expenses of roughly $20,000-25,000 over a given season, and that the school district usually chips in for about $2,000 of that. It takes an awful lot of soup and brisket to get a team from fall to February. Ordinarily, Thursday might’ve netted about $600 for the Bruins. They just gave the money to Central instead. “It’s not a lot,” Garrison said. “But it’s something to let them know that we’re thinking of them and have each others’ backs. “It’s a tight group of (coaches) and athletes. It’s more of a community than a sport.” ‘The community is special’ And #CentralStrong will go on. The Grand Junction school will hold its Warrior Classic on Friday and Saturday as scheduled, even though Trujillo admitted that canceling the event “crossed our minds.” “That’s just the dedication that Central has, that Meeker has, that Buena Vista has, that we just try to do (at Cedaredge) what’s best for the kids and the sport,” Garrison said. “You lose track, as coaches, how many times my assistants have driven so many buses and sacrificed time and things like that .. (We knew) there was an additional something that we thought we could do to recognize the bigger picture that every coach preaches in sports.” At this time of year, the best gifts aren’t about the size of the box. They’re about the size of the person who gave it. “It’s an awesome group of people in general,” Trujillo said. “The community is special.” To the last. May the angel who answers your prayer have been a wrestler in another life. Or, better yet, married to one. Want more sports news? Sign up for the Sports Omelette to get all our analysis on Denver’s teams. ...read more read less