A day before Littleton High School’s season opener, the team’s new coach wanted to make sure his players knew what they were getting into.

There are risks, like concussions, to playing this game, Jay Lukes explained to the young men. So pay attention. Take this seriously.

“Football is not a recreational activity,” Lukes told a visitor after dismissing the team for the afternoon. “Football is a contact sport.”

As a former offensive lineman at Arapahoe High School and the University of Idaho, Lukes understands the nature of collisions on the field. Wearing a sleeveless shirt with the Idaho Vandal tattooed on his left shoulder, he looks like he could still pave the way into the end zone.

But his task now is leading players as a head coach, hardly a recreational activity in its own right — but one he has wrapped his rather large arms around.

“I knew this was a job I wanted to go for,” said Lukes, 38. “I grew up in Littleton. My wife and I have always been connected to the Littleton community.

“I thought this was a great opportunity.”

Lukes took over the post in the spring after Chad Koepke stepped down. He comes to Littleton High after having been an assistant coach at Arapahoe for three years. Before that, he coached in the college ranks, including five years at Utah State.

Lukes joins a program that has been competitive in recent years, usually finishing above .500 but rarely finding playoff success.

The Lions lost several of their top players to graduation off last year’s 6-4 team, including Mister Jones, an all-state running back who took his talents to Texas A&M.

Players Lukes is looking to for leadership and high-quality play this year include a quartet of seniors: quarterback Jay Barrow, defensive end Skyler Dodson and wide receivers Jon Edmunds and Denzel Washington.

The coach plans to spread the field from the shotgun formation, so the ball should fly through the air more this season.

The Lions, who continue to play 4A ball, faced mostly north metro-area teams the past few years, but now find themselves in the tough South Metro League.

They’ll face dangerous foes like Ponderosa, Rock Canyon and Valor Christian, which moves up a class after winning the 3A state championship last year.

“Our league is definitely more difficult than what Littleton has had historically,” said Lukes, who splits his days between working as a social studies teacher at Arapahoe and a dean of students at Littleton.

Littleton started its season with non-league action, falling 33-0 to Brighton on Sept. 3.

The team is a bit thin on overall numbers and depth could be a concern at some positions. But Lukes believes this squad has something very important going for it.

“Our toughness,” Lukes said. “We’re pretty tough.”