Gaining an interest in athletics was easy for Escalante High School’s Cody Russom, for a few reasons.
“Growing up, there were always kids up and down the block from sunrise to sunset,” Russom said. “I grew up right next door to two of my best friends, so we were always outside playing football or basketball.”
The other reason being, his father, Bill Russom, coached Cody in basketball at Escalante.
“Some would call being coached by your dad lucky and others would call it unlucky,” Cody Russom said. “However, I call it a blessing. He has a great mind for basketball and being around him at home instead of just practice allowed me to understand his method of thinking.”
Bill Russom coached middle school basketball before he took the head job at Escalante when Cody Russom was in the fifth grade. His coaching duties often conflicted with his son’s basketball games, but that didn’t stop Bill Russom from integrating his son into the high school system early on.
“His sights were set on high school at a young age,” Bill Russom said. “He started coming to practices (high school) when he was in the seventh grade. He would run drills and get involved and he just loved it.”
The father and son duo went 85-34 during Cody Russom’s four years on the basketball team and made the state tournament each season.
The Lobos made it all the way to the semifinals as a two-seed in Cody Russom’s freshman season, before losing to the three-seed, Logan High School. The following three years all ended in second round defeats.
“The atmosphere of the state basketball tournament is one of my favorite athletic moments,” Cody Russom said.
He also excelled on the football field along with the rest of his Lobo teammates, who had an even more impressive resume with winning two state championships and only losing five games in four seasons.
Cody Russom played various positions on both offense on defense, including quarterback.
“I preferred playing slot receiver because I enjoyed running routes,” he said. “I also preferred receiver because I had the mentality that no one could cover me, which gave me a lot more confidence.”
He credited his mentality to head coach Dusty Giles and his coaching style and his method of preparing players.
“Coach Giles was unlike any other coach I ever had,” Cody Russom said. “He creates relationships with each of his players and was always willing to give anyone advice on football or just life in general. His style of coaching allows everyone he puts onto the field to excel at their position.”
Giles said that Cody Russom was “extremely coachable” and always took all his instruction to heart.
“Anything you told him he would listen,” Giles said. “He would really do everything to a tee — and that’s what I think helped him shine on the football field.”
Cody Russom said the attitude of Escalante players is what helped set them apart from the pack.
“I remember an article written about our football team this year in which an opposing coach said, ‘They come at you and they just don’t stop,’” he said. “I believe this quote sums up Escalante football perfectly.”
Now that this chapter of his son’s life has come to a close, Bill Russom reflected on the time they were able to spend together on the court.
“He was just an excellent student-athlete,” he said. “A 3.8, 3.9 GPA, he didn’t lack, he excelled on the court, field and the classroom. That was the time of my life that I’ll never forget, especially being able to coach my own.”
Now Cody Russom will tackle business school at the University of New Mexico this fall.