Mike Armentrout has been hired as third head football coach in Palmer Ridge High School history.

The 37-year-old physical education teacher and multi-sport coach was promoted to the position after a lengthy process. Armentrout takes over for Tom Pulford, who stepped down last month for personal reasons.

Armentrout is no stranger to Palmer Ridge football, having served as an assistant varsity coach and C squad coach in the program since 2019.

Palmer Ridge athletic director Lance McCorkle believes Armentrout will be a great fit as head coach.

“He’s a soft-spoken guy with a lot of energy, and he’s not about fluff,” McCorkle said. “We had a lot of applicants and he stuck out as the guy we needed. He’s a quality guy.”

Armentrout has coached football at the high school level since 2007, shortly after he graduated from the University of Northern Colorado. He served on the staff at Cheyenne Mountain from 2007 through 2017, primarily coaching running backs and tight ends.

“I’ve been blessed to coach at the high school level since I was 22 years old,” Armentrout said. “To get this opportunity is fantastic.”

As a player, Armentrout was a lineman on the 2000 Loveland state championship team.

Pulford had been with the program since the school opened in the fall of 2007, first as an assistant for five seasons before being named head coach in 2012.

Under Pulford, Palmer Ridge became one of the most consistent programs in the state at any level over the last half dozen years. The Bears won three consecutive Class 3A state championships from 2017-19.

The program moved to 4A in 2020 and advanced to the state title game last fall, where it lost to Loveland.

Palmer Ridge teams are a combined 60-12 since the start of the 2015 season.

Armentrout said that most of Pulford’s staff will remain in place — notably offensive coordinator Darren Grob and defensive coordinator Zach Carlson.

“They will make me look a lot better than I am,” Armentrout said.

Armentrout is arguably the busiest coach in the Pikes Peak region. On Monday, he takes over Palmer Ridge’s girls’ golf program. He currently is the C squad coach for the volleyball program. Last fall, he was an assistant boys’ golf coach while handling his duties with the football team. Last winter, he was on the boys’ basketball staff.

“I’m grinding. It’s great,” Armentrout said.

Armentrout and the Bears began spring football last Saturday.

“We’re going to get dialed in on things that are important to us,” he said. “The brotherhood stuff won’t happen in August. It starts now.”

Armentrout and his wife, Sarah, have two daughters and reside in the Cheyenne Mountain area.