VALLEY — The Colorado High School Coaches Association has announced its 56th annual Hall of Fame class.

The  2019 induction ceremony is scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m. and will be held on March 30 at the Radisson Hotel Denver Southeast, 3155 S. Vaughn Way in Aurora. Dinner and induction will begin at 6:30 p.m. Tickets for the event may be purchased at the CHSCA web site at www.colohsca.org.

The San Luis Valley's own Edward Atencio and David Forster are among those to be recognized come March.

Edward Atencio, cross-country/track & field, Centennial High School, San Luis:

This coach’s home and heart have always been in the Southern San Luis Valley of Colorado. Born in Red Wing Colorado his parents moved to the Trinchera Ranch near Fort Garland when he was one and he still gets his mail in Fort Garland today. Most would say that he was a coach to all of the students in the San Luis Valley.

Centennial High School in San Luis paid for his services as “coach” for 43 years. He also served as the schools athletic director for 31 years. He graduated from nearby Sierra Grande High School in 1963. He traveled to Alamosa to earn BA and MA degrees at Adams State University. He coached cross-country and track & field, but when called on he coached other sports.

Included in the list were baseball, basketball and football. He has received numerous awards as coach and educator. Two of the most prestigious were The Warren Mitchell Award for outstanding track coach and induction into the Adams State University Educators Hall of Fame.

David Forster, girls basketball, Centauri High School:

Since graduating from Adams State College in 1981 Dave has been a basketball coach in the surrounding area. He more than left his mark on the Centauri girls basketball program. From 1998-2018 the Forster-coached teams went 323-103 and made their way to the Great Eight 10 times.

They took home the state championship trophy in 2006 and played in the final four in four other years. Forster made coaching stops at Sangre De Cristo and Sierra Grande prior to his tenure at Centauri. In addition to his work with girl’s basketball, he has coached football, boy’s basketball, track, and cross-country.

He has been honored with the Intermountain League coach of the year award many times. He received the Step 4 Ring for 335 wins from the CHSCA as well as the Step Watch for 425 wins. The CCCGS presented him the prestigious Helen McCall Coach of the Year Award.

For a full listing of those to be inducted visit the Colorado  High School Coaches Association website.