By Bryce McKinnis
To Destry Lujan, actions speak louder than words.
Though Lujan lived in Piedmont when he started playing football at the peewee level, he opted to play in Yukon. That decision paid off for Lujan, now a Yukon High School senior, who stars for the Millers at linebacker and fullback.
“I think I really started to enjoy playing back then when I realized I could be rough with the other kids and not get in trouble for being myself,” Lujan said. “I later knew I loved the sport when I grew to realize that I played a sport that let me honor the guys around me. I just show them by supporting them on the field, at practice and by working my hardest to help my team succeed. My best friends have come from the bonds I’ve built from sports, not just football.”
You would have a hard time meeting a teenager with more school pride than Lujan. A three-sport athlete also wrestling and playing rugby, to Lujan, Yukon is family.
“I try to stay engaged with my school and community; working to help organize and/or host school events as well as trying to inspire younger generations of athletes and students to work to be their best selves.”
There’s no better way to inspire the next generation than on the football field. Lujan is the reigning conference linebacker of the year.
“I would say that my absolute proudest accomplishment so far would be winning the Santa Fe game towards the end of last season — Not just because it felt good to win, not just because it was our first in-season visiting win in like 4 years, but because of the pride that I saw on my teammates faces. In my time at Yukon, I haven’t seen that very often,” Lujan said. “The Yukon Millers have always been the laughingstock of other teams, teams that would schedule us for their homecomings because they never believed we were even worthy of being called a football team. That insult wore off on our program for a long time, leaving a stain of low self-respect and motivation. But since that win at Santa Fe, I know for a fact that everyone at that game felt a sense of pride to be called a Yukon Miller. What makes me even happier is I’ve seen throughout this offseason that guys really want to play football, that guys are putting in harder work, fueled by that pride. I only hope that by our outreach and efforts the community and school of Yukon will keep supporting us and cheering us on.”
As the Millers have picked up a handful of memorable wins over the past few seasons, like Santa Fe last year and against Stillwater the year before, Lujan believes the Millers are on the cusp of greatness, and his final season will be his best opportunity to leave a lasting legacy at YHS.
“I know that Yukon is on the verge of a huge break,” Lujan said. “We had a really strong team last year but multiple injuries just really slowed us down. This year could truly prove that the Yukon program has been turned around for good and is one worth supporting.”
A Western Colorado University commit, Lujan has worked hard to earn his future in all aspects. Boasting a 33 ACT and 4.4 GPA, Lujan believes his legacy should be all-encompassing, and what he accomplishes on the gridiron is as important as what he accomplishes in the hallways and classrooms at YHS.
“I believe it is extremely important to take pride in everything that you do. I do have academic success, but that is only because I really apply myself,” Lujan said. “Academics should be very high on everyone’s priority list. For example, almost half of my scholarship to Western Colorado consists of purely academic scholarships. Being able to understand other people and help others understand yourself can be a very useful tool.”
