Slideshow: Denver-area high school football stadiums after snowfall

DENVER - Playing in the snow is a very rare occurrence for football players in states like California, Texas and Florida. But for athletes in Colorado, it's normal playing conditions this time of year.

The Denver metro area was hit by its first snow storm of the season last Wednesday night, which left many high school stadiums covered in white Thursday morning. The Denver area received 3-4 inches of snow overnight on Wednesday and about another 3 inches Thursday night into Friday morning.

Many school and stadium workers hustled to clear snow from the stands and the fields before games were played last weekend, including a few held Thursday night.

One Colorado stadium in particular – Shea Stadium in Highlands Ranch - had workers rushing around Thursday afternoon clearing as much snow as possible before ThunderRidge (Highlands Ranch) faced Mountain Vista (Highlands Ranch) later that night for the Continental League championship.

Despite the snow and cold conditions, the football game went off as planned and ThunderRidge claimed the league title outright with a 52-14 victory in front of a large crowd.

Shea Stadium, which is located in Redstone Park, seats 3,000 and hosts football and soccer games, as well as special events for the Highlands Ranch community. The stadium is used for football games by four different high schools – ThunderRidge, Mountain Vista, Rock Canyon and Highlands Ranch.

MaxPreps Director of Photography Todd Shurtleff, along with Colorado photographer Paul DiSalvo, traveled around the greater Denver area Thursday after the first snow had fallen and captured these images from four different stadiums:{PAGEBREAK}  

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