Before every Vista Ridge football game, a lone wolf howl is played over the loud speakers, signaling the Wolves’ seniors to run out on the field.

A few seconds later, more howls blended together bring out the rest of the team.

“Many wolves, one pack,” the coaching staff preaches to the players.

“It represents that the team is here and ready to compete,” coach Matt Wibbels said of the howl. “We respect the individual but when we come together on game night with that howl it’s about the group.”

Vista Ridge is 3-0, and with a win Thursday at Denver South, it would be the first time the Wolves start the season 4-0 since 2015. With a “pack mentality,” the team is confident in its chances of making history.

It will be the Wolves’ first road game of the season.

“We talk about it each week,” Wibbels said. “We are honest with the kids about expectations and wanting to be successful. Even though we are taking it one week at a time it’s always in the back of your mind to want a good start. We believe in competing for conference championships and we want to play as far into the playoffs as we can. We don’t shy away from that.”

The “pack mentality,” described as putting the team before yourself, has changed the team culture since a change in coaching staff, including Wibbels, two years ago.

It is also what has contributed to them achieving an unblemished record, including a win over 5A powerhouse Columbine.

“A lot of change over the last two years and our upperclassmen has bought into the pack mentality and that has made our difference,” Wibbels said.

“It’s a lot more positive, there was a lot more negativity before,” senior Gabe Herman said of the culture. “That has shifted our focus as a football team as well.”

Part of the pack mentality is no team captains, but rather leaders from all grades as part of a leadership council that takes on different roles like picking out uniforms for the week and helping resolve issues.

“I think everything should be a group effort,” Wibbels said. “They are the players that lead in the offseason and show up the most. It takes pressure off coaches because they are willing to step up.”

After beating Columbine 24-14 in week one, Vista Ridge has a newfound confidence for the rest of the season.

“It was a great win for our program and accelerated our momentum a ton,” senior Aiden Vanaman said. “After that game, boys were trusting one another a lot more and believed we could do what we wanted if we were willing to put ourselves on the line and be willing to outwork the other team, which is what we focused on for the next couple of weeks.”

While the Wolves shut out Denver South 26-0 last season, some players still have a bitter taste in their mouth from losing to them by one point in the first round of state playoffs in 2023.

The team will be going into Thursday’s away game with a goal of domination, but that shutout last year also taught Vista Ridge not to take anything for granted.

“I remember that game (in 2023). With our culture being bad not a lot of people came and we lost by one point, so it’s always been personal to me and my teammates that we come out to beat them,” Herman said. “It shows the change in culture but we still have to take care of business.”

Whether the Wolves come out victorious or not Thursday, the team’s bond is a lot stronger with a mindset of playing for each other.

That is a win within itself.

“We don’t get caught up in the individual stuff, don’t worry about stats, we are worried about the team and the team has bought into that,” Wibbels said. “I think that’s what makes them special versus other programs.”