He watched as a new school was built on the far north end of Colorado Springs, then painstakingly helped build a football program with tradition at Discovery Canyon.

And in their seventh season, the Thunder finally broke through, reaching the Class 3A state semifinals after two promising campaigns fell short in the form of consecutive first-round playoff setbacks.

In 2015, Thunder coach Shawn Mitchell will see how his program can reload, or rebuild, after a graduation took all 11 offensive starters and seven from the defensive side of the ball.

“We’re really inexperienced,” Mitchell said. “We have a lot of guys who, the last time they played, was on the junior varsity or in a backup role (on varsity). We had a lot of second-half guys. But it’s not the same as starting the game.”

The program is 30-5 during the past three seasons, highlighted by last year’s 12-1 run that was halted by eventual state champ Pueblo East.

Now, this year’s crop of seniors is ready to continue that momentum and legacy.

“When I was a freshman, we started to win some games, and it took off from there,” said senior Matt Call, who returns to his spot at linebacker but also will take the reins at quarterback. “It’s something we have to keep going. It’s great to have that playoff experience, but that’s in the past now. We have a motto that if you work hard, the results will come.”

Call has big shoes to fill. Last season’s starter, Andrew Hall, ran for 23 touchdowns, passed for 11 more and captained a dominant Thunder offense that produced an average of 42 points per game.

For Call, the season opener can’t get here soon enough.

“It’s a lot of responsibility to step in at quarterback, but that’s part of the challenge,” said Call, an all-league linebacker who chalked up 118 tackles last season. “As a senior, we’re going to have more of a leadership role. It’s going to be awesome.”

If Call has an awesome season, it’ll be in large part to a brand-new offensive line anchored by fellow senior and two-way starter Beau Beattie, who played only on defense in 2014.

“I see us having a great season,” Beattie said. “We have the work ethic to get it done. We had a great run, but we don’t want to look back. The bar has been set high, but this is a new team. I’m ready to come out and give just as much effort and see where it takes us.”

To reload, or rebuild? That’s the question.

“I know what it’s like to be 3-7 and 12-1; I’ve been down both roads,” Mitchell said. “Football is such a cyclical sport. You can go through years of being down, then you get that right combination of players with the right coach, and who knows what can happen. I would say we’re cautiously optimistic for this season. These guys have a bit of tradition on their shoulders and they want to uphold that legacy that has been laid down by the other guys. It’s their turn now.”