Colin Gillen recalled those cold and bitter days in January.

The veteran football coach and his next starting quarterback would dodging tables and trophy displays in the hallways of Cedar Cliff High School.

“We couldn’t get in the gym because of basketball, but we worked on play fakes and foot work,” Gillen said.

“The kid has put a lot of time in. He deserves a moment like this.”

That kid, junior quarterback Jalen Hinton, had just guided the Colts (6-5) to the program’s first District 3 6A victory, a 35-6 opening round triumph vs. Cedar Crest last Friday.

And Gillen was making the easy connection between Hinton’s commitment to becoming Cedar Cliff’s on-field leader and distributor.

And the execution, well, Hinton will lead the Colts into Friday’s district quarterfinal at top-seeded C

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