Colorado Springs Mourns Loss Of High School Football Coach
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (CBS4)- A beloved high school assistent football coach in Colorado Springs is among the victims in a deadly car crash near Franktown.
Jeff Lobato was killed in the crash on Monday night on Highway 83 about six miles south of Franktown. His wife and child have serious injuries.
"The holidays are supposed to be a joyous time. In Sparta, it's going to be tough this year," said Doherty High School Athletic Director Chris Noll.
The Colorado State Patrol says a car and an SUV crashed into each other head-on. Both drivers were killed and three others were seriously hurt.
Troopers say the car driven by Stephen Edwards, 70, of Peyton crossed the center line and struck the SUV. Investigators believe excessive speed contributed to the crash.
Lobato wasn't just a member of the high school coaching staff, his entire family was involved in sports.
"Jaylin is a freshman in college at CSU Pueblo and plays soccer down there. And then he has a freshman son here that is a basketball player and a football player," said Noll.
Noll said losing Lobato is like losing a member of the family in this tight-knit community, "We have over 50 freshmen out for football and Jeff's been working with that group since they were little boys. We have a saving at Doherty, 'We before me' and Jeff truly exemplifies that."
In one day, donations for the Lobato family topped more than $30,000 on the GoFundMe page.
