Denver Summit executive Lila Grant celebrated the club’s Week 1 victory in Richmond with a locker-room address that highlighted several record performances and urged players to treat the result as a foundation rather than a finish line.

The Summit, a new DFL franchise playing its first season, opened with a 35-27 win over Richmond, according to prior reporting. Grant’s remarks, later shared in a press release, emphasized the speed with which the team had moved from an expansion roster to a winning debut.

“One month ago, this team didn’t exist,” Grant told the players and assembled press, according to the release. “Just a name, a stadium, and strangers who’d never taken a snap together.”

Grant said the club’s opener produced multiple record-book performances. Quarterback Evander Holt threw for 282 yards, which Grant described as a single-game passing record. Gregory Johnson recorded 18 catches and set records for receptions and receiving yards in the same game, according to the release.

Running back Lawson Pike tied the rushing-touchdown record with five scores, Grant said. The executive also referenced criticism of Pike’s $2 million price tag, arguing that his opening-day performance justified the investment.

The address gave particular attention to Dallas Key, whom Grant said the organization had explored moving during the offseason. Key responded in the opener with 10 receptions for 113 yards and broke the career receptions record, according to the press release.

Grant acknowledged the team’s prior efforts to find another option at the position and praised Key for continuing to work through those discussions. “Today he broke the career receptions record,” she said. “A message to everyone — including me — who didn’t think he had more to give.”

The Summit’s opening victory came on the road against a Richmond side Grant said competed throughout both halves. The 35-27 score reflected a close game despite Denver’s offensive output and the individual records cited in the release.

Grant also credited the organization’s staff and supporters, saying the team had been assembled in a short period and that fans had committed to the franchise before it had played its first game. She referenced support at the team’s home venue, known as The Peak, as well as the road turnout in Richmond.

“We told you Denver doesn’t do small,” Grant said. “Today, we showed you exactly what that means.”

The executive tempered the celebration by noting that the opening result represented only one game of the regular season. She told players to enjoy the win but to return prepared for the next challenge.

“This is one game,” Grant said. “Fourteen more, then whatever comes after. But remember how this felt — this isn’t the ceiling we’re chasing. This is the floor we’re building on.”

The Summit’s next game was not detailed in the release.