Category: History

State gymnastics roundup: Standley Lake, nearly cut, wins 4A title

Standley Lake’s gymnastics program made a big turnaround from nearly being cut to a state title. More photos from the meet. (Pam Wagner/CHSAANow.com)

THORNTON — State championship teams are often asked if they knew winning the title was possible. The gymnasts at Standley Lake asked if they would have a program this year.

“As of January, our team was cut from the program” due to low numbers, long-time Standley Lake coach Kristen Larrington said. “We didn’t even have a team from January through March, so we fought to get these girls to come out.”

At Thornton High School on Friday, Standley Lake, competing with eight girls, made an incredible turnaround from six months ago by winning the Class 4A state championship by a narrow margin over Elizabeth, 179.05 to 178.35. See complete results from the state meet here.

“Coming into this year, we only had three girls and so we just kept trying to get as many girls as we could to come out,” Larrington said. “We have five seniors, one junior, and two freshman. So we fought. We wanted it from day one.”

Once the Gators got their full arsenal of competitors, they were an impressive team throughout the year and had the best score of any team at the 4A regional championships.

“The fact that we even got enough girls to compete is still unbelievable and then actually winning is even better,” Standley Lake’s top girl, senior Jordan Ireland, said.

Ireland, a senior, provided individual excellence for the Gators Friday with a second-place finish in the all-around competition (36.975 points). Freshman Rachel Cody was right behind Ireland in third place (36.575). Senior Maddi York placed seventh in the all-around (35.3).

Standley Lake poses with the Class 4A gymnastics trophy. More photos from the meet. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

Team-wise, Standley Lake won the beam (46.1 points) and the bars (43.1) to kick off their competition, a great start — especially knowing the two events had been the weaker of the four for the Gators throughout the year.

Larrington was ecstatic.

“We came out today and hit six for six,” Larrington said of the beam and the bars. “That is very rare at any level of performance, let alone for our team to do it.

“Then heading into the last two events, we knew they were our strongest,” she said. “But, we actually didn’t have our best performance on our best two events, so we were pretty nervous about that.

Standley Lake placed second in the floor exercise (44.925 points) and a fourth in the vault (44.925).

In the end, Standley Lake’s score was enough to nip out Elizabeth and earn the school’s second state championship in any sport. They also won 5A wrestling in 2002.

“We won leagues a couple of years ago and that was kind of the first banner that went up at Standley Lake,” Larrington said. “We won Regionals this year. I mean, other than that I don’t think there are any other titles for a long time up in our school. Standley Lake needs this. They need something good in the school right now.”

The 4A all-around competition was also a story of triumph as Thompson Valley’s Alyssa Carroll, who was injured for several years, won her second straight state championship as a senior.

“It feels really good,” Carroll said of defending her all-around title. “It’s just kind of mind blowing that I could do it twice.”

Carroll, who suffered from a wedging of the spine for several years, was overjoyed to return to her favorite sport in 2013.

“Back in sixth grade, I couldn’t get out of bed,” Carroll said of her injury. “I took four years off and then I did cheerleading my first two years of high school and my back didn’t hurt during that. I was like, ‘Oh I might as well try gymnastics again,’ because I’ve always felt that little hole in my heart since I haven’t been doing gymnastics.”

On Friday, Carroll displayed her immense talent in each event, winning the floor exercise (9.575 points), the uneven bars (9.7), the vault (9.7), and the balance beam (9.575). Her all-around score was a dominating 38.55 points, well ahead of Ireland’s 36.975.

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Overland notches another title in 5A

(Whitney Webermeier/CHSAANow.com)

In the evening session, Overland, the defending 5A state champions, won their fourth state title in the past six years thanks in large part to their ability to finish.

Despite winning the crown in 2013, Overland coach Lisa Sparrow and her girls weren’t completely satisfied with last year’s performance. On Friday, this year’s Trailblazer team secured the title in style.

“The success of this team came because our goal for the season was to compete to complete,” Sparrow said. “Where we had struggles last season was showing up at a meet and completing a meet and competing strong on all four events. This year that was something that we were able to do repeatedly at leagues, at regionals, and here today.”

Overland started the evening with a fall on the floor exercise, but closed with their best vault of the season, a strong performance on beam, and “then we absolutely tore it up on bars,” Sparrow said excitedly.

The final tally had Overland with 184.975 points, nipping out Broomfield (184.5) and Mountain Range (184.4).

Overland has now won five state titles overall in gymnastics.

Individually, Pomona’s Kelsey Boychuk, by placing first in the vault (9.85), first in balance beam (9.725), and second in floor exercise (9.55), captured the all-around state championship. Boychuk’s 38.325 total points were enough to inch out Cherry Creek’s Samantha Simon (38.125) and Arvada West’s Veronica Vasina (38.075).

October 31, 2014
Colorado Academy field hockey locks up three-peat with shutout in title game

Colorado Academy celebrates its third-straight field hockey championship. (Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com)

DENVER – Celebrating state championships is nothing new for Colorado Academy’s field hockey team, but there was something about Saturday night that just felt a little sweeter.

The Mustangs capped a perfect season at All-City Stadium with a 2-0 shutout of Palmer Ridge in the championship game. It was a third consecutive title for the program. Over the last three seasons Colorado Academy is a remarkable 50-0-2 – the team’s previous loss came in the 2011 state championship game. Included are 41-consecutive wins.

But sending the team’s six seniors out on top meant more to the players and coaches than perhaps anything else. Seniors Julia Murphy and Henley Hall scored the two goals, and the seniors were all smiles after the game as they posed together with the trophy one last time.

“It’s amazing especially because the seniors have been such a key part to our team these last three years,” junior defender Emma Richards said. “The fact that they can win it their last year in high school is just amazing.”

Saturday’s finale was the third meeting between the two teams this year. The Mustangs (17-0) had won the previous two by scores of 2-1 and 3-1, but the defense played lights out when it mattered most. Palmer Ridge (12-4-2) had 11 penalty corners compared to only two for Colorado Academy, but the Bears struggled to get a shot off on those opportunities.

“We really worked on the corners these last couple weeks. We knew how they set up, and we know how to score on them. It’s just getting that final execution,” Palmer Ridge coach Paul Lewis said. “A tap here or there and it’s in and we’re back in it.

The Mustangs are 50-0-2 over their past 52 games. (Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com)

“It was just not our night. They were able to keep us out.”

It was the fifth consecutive shutout for Colorado Academy, which outscored opponents 7-0 in the three postseason games. Bridget Sutter had a handful of stops in net, and Richards and senior Caroline Reisch were among the defenders who didn’t give the Bears many clean looks on the night.

The performance was that much more memorable given that Colorado Academy lost its top defenders to graduation a year ago, but Mustangs coach Veronica Scott knew the squad was in capable hands.

“I am so proud of our defense,” she said. “Gradually throughout the season … the defenders themselves have become more confident, but everyone else has had more confidence in them. I think when your teammates believe in you and trust you, you play better.”

While the Bears were unable to take advantage of their penalty corners, Colorado Academy scored on its very first chance. It took less than 11 minutes to find the net, as Richards sent a short corner straight ahead to Murphy, who ripped a hard shot past Palmer Ridge goalkeeper Cheradyn Pettit.

“The fact that we could get a stick there and get it in the goal,” Richards said, “it was just exhilarating.”

Hall added an insurance goal with less than eight minutes remaining in the first half. “Henley’s goal was a higher class. That movement that she did to receive, turn and just put it in the corner? That’s not a high school goal,” Scott said. “That’s a college and international goal.”

Colorado Academy was coming off a 1-0 overtime victory over Denver East on Wednesday that may have helped the team get off to such a strong start against Palmer Ridge.

“That East game was really good to shake out any complacency or anything like that we had on the team – not that we really carry much like that,” Scott said. “But what was really awesome was that it set us up mentally that we knew we had to come out hard.”

While Colorado Academy will lose six seniors, Palmer Ridge has 10 on its squad. The Bears, who also fell to the Mustangs in the 2012 title game, knocked off 2013 state runner-up Cherry Creek in the quarterfinals before edging No. 2 seed Kent Denver in the semifinals.

Lewis said this senior class is the final one at the school that got its start in the sport as freshmen, with the middle-school program now helping the incoming players gain experience prior to high school.

He was also proud of how his team battled Colorado Academy on all three occasions.

“We want to play the best. That’s how you get better,” Lewis said. “They’re a darn good team, and so are we.

“It’s about getting better, and as a program as a whole, we’re getting stronger.”

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Photos

October 26, 2014
Boys cross country roundup: Roberts, again, leads Lyons to title

(Jenn Roberts-Uhlig/CHSAANow.com)

COLORADO SPRINGS – Once again, Paul Roberts had no peers at the Class 2A state cross country meet.

The junior won his third title in a row with a dominating 16.131-second time, which also was a new 2A record at the 3.2-mile course at the Norris Penrose Event Center.

(Tracy Renck/CHSAANow.com)

“There really wasn’t any more pressure on me this year,” Roberts said. “I’ve been here before and our team just needed to come out here and race well. We wanted to come out here and take care of business, that was our goal, and that’s what we did.”

Lyons won the 2A team crown with 22 points. See complete results here.

Corey Lewenkamp of Custer County Central was second at 17:02.30.

“My coaches said to sit with the pack a little bit for the first mile and just make sure you get to the top of the hill feeling good,” Roberts said. “Then they said go as hard as I could that last half. I felt like everybody on our team went out and did that.”

Roberts’ effort powered Lyons to its third state title in a row. Roberts’ teammate Matt Dillon was fifth.

Roberts acknowledged he has already been thinking about what it would mean to be a four-time Colorado state cross country champion.

“My goal since I was an eighth grader was to win four high school state championships,” Roberts said. “That’s a goal I want to reach.”

In the Class 4A race, Palmer Ridge also doubled its pleasure.

Eric Hamer, a senior, claimed his inaugural state title with a Class 4A record time of 16.17.7 seconds on the challenging course.

“It wasn’t my plan, I just wanted to go out and run the best that I could,” Hammer said about setting a new record. “This was about me doing my part and it feels great to help the team win. My coaches were yelling at me how much do you want second place to have to earn it. So, I just ran as fast as I could.”

Cheyenne Mountain’s William Mayhew, a fellow senior, was second at 16:49.7.

Thanks to Hamer’s victory the Bears won the team title with 94 points, this was their first state boys cross country title since the school opened six years ago. Niwot was second in the team race with 106 points.

“My coaches had a vision for me to win state and I accomplished this goal,” said Hamer, who was sixth a year ago.

Like Hamer, SkyView Academy’s Ben Butler also won the 3A race in a class record-breaking fashion with a 16.18.20-second performance.

“That’s awesome,” Butler said after he was informed he set a 3A record. “The preparation was there, but the difference was I came in here with the thought of winning in my mind. I wanted to stay humble, but at the same time I wanted to believe it was possible and it happened for me.”

Butler, a junior, finished fourth in the 2A state race last year. SkyView Academy is based in Highlands Ranch.

(Tracy Renck/CHSAANow.com)

The 5A race didn’t see any records get broken, but that didn’t dampen the excitement of Pomona’s Marcelo Laguera.

The senior won his first state championship with a time of 16.19.40

“Last year my body broke down and I finished like 71st,” Laguera said. “I just worked really hard to get back here and to win state means everything. All those days of training and hard work I put in paid off. It is an amazing feeling.”

Laguera said he took the lead for good in the race at the 2-mile mark. Thornton’s Joshua Joseph was second at 16:42.8 seconds.

“This course was brutal and all that mattered was who got to the line first,” Laguera said.

Mountain Vista won the 5A boys team title with 114 points, followed by Fort Collins at 156 points.

October 25, 2014
Girls cross country roundup: Fort Collins’ Gregory lives up to expectations

The lead pack at the 5A girls race. (Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)

COLORADO SPRINGS — Lauren Gregory, a sophomore phenom at Fort Collins, entered Saturday’s cross country State Championships at the Norris-Penrose Event Center in Colorado Springs as the 5A defending champion. She was undefeated on the season and relatively untouched.

Gregory was projected to win and did in dominant fashion with a time of 18:55, 30 seconds ahead of Fairview’s Maya Browning and the field.

What wasn’t expected was for her teammates to join her on the podium as champions, but the Lambkins surprised with 113 points, five points ahead of second place Monarch. See the full results here.

Fort Collins’ Lauren Gregory. (Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)

All Fort Collins had to do was unseat a Monarch team attempting to become the first 5A girls cross country program to win four state titles in a row. Fort Collins, 2010 state champions and a top-two team finisher at the State Meet every year since 2007, had placed second to Monarch the previous three seasons.

The Lambkins certainly faced a daunting task, especially after a relatively shaky regular season by the program’s lofty standards.

“We were not picked to win today,” Fort Collins first year coach Mike Callor, who won one boys and one girl’s state title at Dakota Ridge, admitted. “We knew we had it in us, but the kind of season we had. We started out really rocky and it was tough. It was the toughest state title I’ve ever been a part of honestly. We were hoping that all those finished feeling they had given it everything they had. If they did that and ran the plan, something special was certainly possible.”

Gregory, seniors Heather Holt (8th place), Devynn Miller (21st place), Kiri Michell (50th), and junior Claire Hooker (54th) brought home their 7th state championship in girls cross country, third most of any school in the state behind The Classical Academy (10 titles) and Lake County (9).

Gregory was ecstatic about the team crown.

“It means so much more than the individual title,” Gregory said. “It’s incredible to know my team was right there with me and they get to celebrate with me. It’s amazing.”

In class 4A, Mountain View’s girls felt they had some unfinished business of their own. The Mountain Lions, one of the favorites to win the 2013 crown, finished fourth as cross-town rivals Thompson Valley won their 4th girls title in the past eight seasons. In 2011, Mountain View placed second as Thompson Valley won.

The Mountain Lions finally overtook their nemesis as three of their girls finished ahead of Thompson Valley’s number one. Mountain View, with 127 points, held off Thompson Valley (139), Palmer Ridge (144), and Evergreen (144).

Lauren Offerman (4th place), Riley Cooney (6th place), Abby Stewart (14th), Katie Benner (65th), and Alison Peters (66th) led the ladies from Loveland to their first state championship since 2004, and third title overall in the sport.

“To me personally, I could not be more excited for that group of young ladies,” Mountain View coach Kevin Clark said. “Those girls as freshman finished second to Thompson Valley. Our seniors, they were our backbone to make sure that we never lost sight. They wanted a shot at it too and I couldn’t be more excited for that group of girls.”

4A girls top-10 individual finishers. (Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)

Air Academy junior Katie Rainsberger, after coming within a second of winning state two years ago and finishing second behind Niwot’s Elise Cranny in 2012 and 2013, captured her first crown in a time of 18:50. Denver North’s Kayla Young placed second in 19:03.

“It’s more joy than redemption,” Rainsberger said of winning the title. “Losing to Elise Cranny isn’t something that one should be ashamed of. She’s a role model, someone I can look up to, and we’re really good friends,” Rainsberger said of the Stanford Cardinal freshman.

In another fantastic team finish, Alamosa’s girls pulled a mild upset over 3A defending champion Salida, 91-95, as Mean Moose freshman Tara Sowards outleaned Salida’s Sydney Fesenmeyer in a time of 21:22.8 to 21:22.9 for sixth place. The state title was Alamosa’s first in girls cross country since they won 4A in 2009.

Estes Park sophomore Lily Tomasula-Martin (20:31) held off Basalt’s Hailey Swirbul (20:35) for the 3A individual championship.

In 2A, West Grand senior Tabor Scholl, a multiple time state champion in track, was looking for her first cross country title since winning 3A as a freshman in 2011. Scholl (19:59) delivered in dominant fashion as Lyons’ CeAnn Udovich placed second in 20:20.

“Winning it freshman year was such a privilege and an honor and I was really grateful,” Scholl said. “Working for it for two years just makes this year so much more special to know that I put in the work and it finally paid off.”

Lyons, for all their success in cross country and track, had never won a state title in girls cross country. That changed Saturday as the Lions held off Telluride by a slim margin, 20-24.

5A girls top-10 individual finishers. (Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)

October 25, 2014
La Junta rallies to claim 3A softball title over Strasburg

AURORA — Facing the two-time defending state champions, the La Junta softball team had an uphill battle, trailing Strasburg 2-1 in Saturday’s Class 3A state championship game.

Rather than succumbing to the pressure, the Tigers embraced it.

La Junta pushed two runs across in the top of the seventh inning to overtake Strasburg 3-2 and earn the school’s first state title since 1999.

Both teams won compelling semifinals to advance to the title game.

Strasburg took a 4-0 lead on Sterling, then held off the Tigers to win 4-3 as Sterling had runners on first and second with no outs in the seventh and couldn’t get a runner across.

It was the Indians’ third one-run victory over Sterling this season.

In the other semifinal, La Junta scored a run in the fourth and made it hold up – despite Valley loading the bases with two outs in the bottom of the seventh.

The Tigers actually took the early lead in the title game, going up 1-0 on an RBI single by Sierra Russell.

But Strasburg entered the game with a 51-game winning streak, a number of those wins coming by one run.

The Indians tied the game in the fourth, then took a 2-1 lead an inning later on a steal of third and an overthrow with nobody covering the bag.

More photos. (Kelly Thornburg/MVPSportsPics.com)

Still, La Junta pitcher Whitni Oquist was doing an effective job on the mound against a good-hitting Indians squad.

“She keeps them off balance,” Tigers coach Justin Weber said of his senior right-hander.

“We just worked inside-out,” Oquist said. “My team played great defense behind me.”

Still behind by one entering their last at-bat, Oquist coaxed a one-out walk.

“Yep, (I was thinking), just get on base,” she said as Strasburg pitcher Dakota Stotyn never gave her anything to hit.

That set the table for Sarah Zamora.

“I was thinking, just hit the ball,” Zamora said.

She drilled a shot into right field, scoring Oquist from first.

“Right when (the pitch) came, it was the perfect pitch for me,” she said as she took the outside pitch to the opposite field.

As for Oquist, she knew what she had to do.

“Even if (Weber) was telling me to stop, I was going home,” she said.

With Zamora on third, that brought up Kurstian Whatley, who was hitless in the game to that point.

“It grew my momentum,” she said. “The fact that it’s my senior year, I thought, this is my chance. I just went up there and cleared my head.”

She promptly lined a double to left, driving in the go-ahead run.

“We had what we wanted up,” Weber said of having the heart of his order coming to the plate in the seventh.

As for producing in the clutch, “It’s what they’ve done all year,” Weber said.

For Zamora, in may not have sunk in yet what they’d achieved, but she was going to relish the moment.

“It feels pretty darned great,” she said of bringing a championship trophy back to La Junta.

Oquist just wanted to end her prep career on an upbeat note.

“My biggest thing was to come out and have fun,” she said.

Besides Oquist and whatley, the Tigers graduate only center fielder Brooklyn Waddles.

“Hopefully they can build on this,” Weber said of his returning squad.

In the meantime, they’re going to relish the moment.

“We’ll enjoy this,” he said as his team celebrated behind him.

October 18, 2014
Grandview enjoys view from top with 5A softball championship

AURORA — It was all about timing for Grandview in the Class 5A state softball championship game Saturday afternoon at Aurora Sports Park.

The No. 6 seeded Wolves (19-6) cranked out three hits while utilizing three walks and three fielding errors by top-seeded Fossil Ridge (22-2) to score six runs in the top of the third inning. The six-run inning was all Grandview needed offensively to take a 6-2 victory to win the school’s first state softball trophy.

“It the best feeling in the world,” said Grandview senior Emily Supercynski, who had an RBI single and scored on one of the three errors in the game-deciding third inning. “I can’t even explain it.”

Grandview sent 12 players to the plate in the third. Junior Jordyn McDaniel started the scoring with a two-run single. Supercynski and senior Ande Troutman followed up with RBI to take the Wolves from a 1-0 deficit to a 6-1 lead.

“I saw (Fossil Ridge) making some mistakes and getting frustrated,” said Grandview coach Dave Thies, who is in his third year guiding the Wolves’ program. “When they called a couple of timeouts we got our girls together and told them to keep the pressure on. We wanted to force them to make more mistakes.”

It was the third straight state appearance for Grandview, but the first time it has advance past the state quarterfinals.

“I think this year we felt more confident,” Supercynski said. “We were ready for it. There were no nerves, just a lot of excitement.”

Grandview junior Courtney Browne picked up the victory in the pitching circle for the Wolves. She struck out three and gave up six hits in the complete-game win.

The Wolves defense committed three errors, but once Grandview grabbed the lead the defense buckled down.

“I was extremely happy that my teammates were backing me up at the plate. I knew they had my back and were picking me up,” said Browne, a three-year starter for Grandview. “I had 100 percent confidence in everyone behind me. It’s probably the best team I’ve ever played with. It’s the best group of girls ever.”

Fossil Ridge scored a run in the first and third. The SaberCats ended up stranding seven and were retired in order in the bottom of the seventh inning to snap their 18-game winning streak.

Thies admitted he was “surprised” his squad was in the position to win the school’s first state softball title.

“It’s very, very difficult to win. It takes a lot of hard work and the ball to roll your way basically,” Thies said. “It was going to come down to the team that played the best in the end and made the fewest mistakes and hit the ball.”

More photos. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)

Thies was an assistant coach at Wheat Ridge for five years. The Farmers won four 4A state championship during that period. Thies credited that experience in helping him guide his team this weekend.

“I worked with Marty Stricklett (Farmers coach) from Wheat Ridge and he was the best teacher I could have. He was a great teacher,” Thies said.

Grandview’s state semifinal Saturday morning was much tighter than the championship game. The Wolves took a 3-2 victory over Broomfield in a 10-inning affair.

Fossil Ridge advanced to the title game with a 2-1 victory in extra innings as well. The SaberCats from Fort Collins took a 1-0 lead going into the seventh inning, but No. 4 Castle View from Castle Rock rallied to plate a run with two outs in the bottom of the seventh to send the game into extra innings.

Senior Murphy McRoberts drove in the game-winning run for Fossil Ridge in the bottom of the eighth inning with an infield ground out. McRoberts also picked up the win in the pitcher circle striking out 14 Sabercats.

Castle View senior pitcher Savannah Heebner, who will play at the University of Houston next year, took the loss despite striking out 14.

October 18, 2014
Valor Christian rallies in seventh inning to win 4A softball title

AURORA — Valor Christian opened its doors in 2007. In 2013, the Eagles made the Class 4A playoffs in softball for the first time, but lost 17-2 to Mountain View. This season, they capped off a dominant campaign with the 4A state championship after a three-run seventh inning rally boosted the Eagles to a 7-4 win over Frederick in the finals.

The state title was the first in Valor Christian history in the sport.

Throughout the fall, Valor rode freshman phenom Alexandria Kilponen, a shutdown pitcher with dominant stuff. Kilponen entered the day number one in 4A in earned run average by a large margin (0.36). In the title game, Kilponen impressed early with four strikeouts in the first two innings and a shutout through three.

“Allie Kilponen is just a flat-out stud,” Valor Christian Coach Dave Atencio said. “She just turned 14 back in the spring and she was something special when she came in. She’s just unreal. The kid can flat-out throw and I’m so glad I have her for three more years.”

Valor’s offense also took advantage of Frederick’s miscues early as the Warriors committed three errors and left six runners on base after four innings.

But the Warriors, who beat defending champion Wheat Ridge 8-6 in the semis, showed they were 24-0 headed into the final game for a reason. A two-run blast from one of their best hitters, Paris Woods, to cut the deficit to 4-2 with no outs in the bottom of the fifth. Then, Kilponen and company shut the door on further damage in the inning with a fly out, a strikeout, and a diving grab by second baseman Abigail Zuschlag.

Frederick wasn’t done, though. In the bottom of the sixth, freshman catcher Lorenna Heath cranked a two-out clutch double. She advanced on the throw. Next batter, shortstop Alex Dufour had an RBI single to tie the game up. Kendra Hanneman then hit an infield single, but Dufour was thrown out at the plate.

The pressure was back on Valor Christian. And the Eagles delivered.

More photos. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)

After two groundouts to start the top of the seventh, Zuschlag started the rally with a single. Then, Shelby Mann singled. Then, Makenna Roth singled in a run and Valor took the lead, 5-4. A two-run RBI triple by Alexandra Kinder broke the game open at 7-4.

Kinder, who’s been playing on a torn calf, delivered at the plate Saturday.

“All season I’ve been struggling,” Kinder said. “My calf is torn, so I shouldn’t even be playing. I’ve been struggling hitting beyond belief, but my coaches believed in me. They said, push through it. This is it, this is your last chance. I came up big.

“Two outs, all the pressure’s on you,” Kinder added. “You have to come up big for your team and that happened today.”

“She had a huge day,” Atencio said of Kinder. “First game (in the semifinals), she hit a home run. She came up big this game and she made some great plays at third base. Starting the season, she wasn’t even a third baseman. She was a first baseman by trade, but I needed a third baseman and she turned into a quality player.”

Kilponen did the rest in the bottom of the seventh, forcing a groundout, then giving up a single, before a groundout and a fly out gave Valor the 4A crown.

“I don’t have words for it,” Kinder said of winning the title. “It’s ridiculous.”

The Eagles, who only have 12 players on their roster, were challenged by Atencio before the season to overcome their lack of depth. They displayed their grit Saturday.

“This is my second championship and it never gets old,” said Atencio, who also won the 5A title in 2001 as the Dakota Ridge coach. “I glorify these girls. We only had 12 kids on the entire team. We called ourselves the dirty dozen and they never, never stopped playing. 24-1 and we were just blessed that they gave us that season.

“Everyone was like, ‘You can’t get that far with only 12 players,’” Kinder added.

“That’s all we’ve got this year,” Kilponen said of the small roster. “It’s a blessing to have these girls as my dirty dozen.”

Valor Christian’s softball program — which took down traditional powerhouse Erie, 11-time champions in the sport, in the semifinals 3-1 — is new to the scene as a 4A power.

“There was a reason I went to Valor,” Atencio said. “After 17 years at Dakota, I made the decision to go there two years ago. There was a reason for it. Build another program, build a championship quality program and we did it in two years.”

October 18, 2014
Kent Denver holds off Colorado Academy for second straight 4A boys tennis title

Kent Denver’s team gathers on the podium and celebrates their 4A tennis title. (Zach Marburger/CHSAANow.com)

PUEBLO — Mother Nature may not have cooperated, but nothing could put a damper on the smiles of Kent Denver’s boys tennis team this weekend.

Ignoring the ugly weather and holding off a surging Colorado Academy squad, Kent Denver captured its second straight Class 4A boys tennis championship Saturday at Pueblo City Park.

Heavy rain Friday caused major delays and forced the tournament to run late into Saturday afternoon, setting up a tension-filled final few hours for Kent Denver head coach Randy Ross.

“Are you sure we got it?” asked Ross in the waning minutes of championship action. “I’m very excited obviously. This is what we work for and play for. It’s great that it turned out to be such a close margin actually. It’s great for high school tennis. We had a lot of good battles out there today. It was fun.”

Kent Denver finished with a total score of 86. Colorado Academy finished in second with 78 total points. Find complete 4A results here.

Both squads captured three individual championships Saturday. For Kent Denver, it was their dominance in doubles that secured the overall team victory. Duo Andrew Thompson and Travis Rase won the No. 3 doubles bracket, brothers Blake Parsons and Drew Parsons came out on top in No. 2 doubles, and Kevin Adams and Niko Hereford won the No. 1 doubles bracket.

Colorado Academy’s Fletcher Kerr and Noah Forman won the No. 2 and No. 3 singles bracket, respectively. John Barron and Tyler Fairbain also added a championship to Colorado Academy’s tally in No. 4 doubles.

In third place with 54 total points was Niwot, thanks in large part to the work of senior Spencer Lang, who defeated Kent Denver’s Willie Gold 6-4, 6-2 to capture the No. 1 singles championship.

Niwot’s Spencer Lang, right. (Zach Marburger/CHSAANow.com)

For Lang, who came in third in last year’s No. 1 singles bracket, it was a taste of redemption in the final tennis match of his high school career.

“Last year was really heartbreaking. It really wanted it,” said Lang after his victory. “Coming into this match I was pretty nervous. Last high school match. I’ve had this goal for a very long time and I just wanted to control what I could control.”

What Lang controlled over and over again was his powerful serve, though after the match said the biggest key was his ability to stay away from opponent Gold’s strength.

“My serve was really good today. Probably the best it’s been all tournament,” said Lang. “I thought I was really good coming in, catching with my volleys, not letting him dictate. I know he (Gold) has a really good forehand.”

With the state championship, Lang joins his brother Harrison in the state record books. The elder Lang bother won the No. 1 singles championship for Niwot in 2012.

For state champion Kent Denver and Ross, Saturday was the culmination of a season in which they knew they had a target on their backs. According to Ross, his team of veterans didn’t mind one bit.

“We knew this would be a good year for us, but so did everybody else in the world,” said Ross. “Therefore, every time they played us, they brought their best tennis, and that’s good. It made my guys live up to their reputation.”

The championship is Kent Denver’s fourth title since 2008, and Ross’ seventh overall. Thanks to the wacky weather and dramatic finish, Ross believes that this year’s title is particularly memorable.

“Yesterday was a challenging day, just sitting around the hotel and trying to keep the boys from doing anything they weren’t supposed to do,” said Ross with a laugh. “But it was a great evening last night, playing under the lights.

“This was a memorable tournament. People are going to be talking about this one for years. This tournament here brings out the best in a lot of people. I love this place. I love this tournament.”

October 12, 2014
Fairview’s Castelino, three-time runner-up, rallies to win 5A boys tennis title

Fairview’s Ignatius Castelino. More photos. (Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com)

DENVER — Finally. Finally. After three years, after seemingly always being second, Ignatius Castelino is a state champion.

The Fairview senior, appearing in his fourth-consecutive state championship match at the Class 5A boys tennis tournament, beat Cherry Creek’s Ethan Hillis, 1-6, 7-6 (1), 7-5 in a title bout that will long be remembered. For many reasons.

For starters, Castelino entered the match having been a runner-up each of the past three seasons. He was second in No. 3 singles as a freshman, second at No. 2 as a sophomore and second at No. 1 last season.

Then, on Saturday, again in the No. 1 singles final, Castelino dropped the first set, 6-1.

It was enough to where at the break between sets, “I was thinking, ‘Might as well pack up my bags and go home.’ I thought I was done,” Castelino said afterward. “I told my mom, ‘Second place for the fourth year in a row.’”

Fairview’s Ignatius Castelino. More photos. (Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com)

Said Chad Tsuda, Fairview’s coach, “I told him, ‘Ethan just pretty much outplayed you that set.’ The nice thing about tennis is you always get another chance.”

But Hillis nearly put Castelino away. Ever so nearly. Twice, the Cherry Creek sophomore had match point, leading 5-4 in the second set. Castelino staved both off, then went on to win the set in a tiebreaker.

“He came as close (to losing) as you could,” Tsuda said. “The thing Ignatius maintained was that he didn’t really cave. He’s been in so many situations where it may have just been easier to say, ‘Ah, it’s not my day again.’ But he kept fighting.”

By the time the third set opened, every other court at the state championships was done playing. So the duo on center court took center stage in front of a big crowd.

Castelino jumped out to a 5-2 lead in the set, though Hillis battled back to knot it at 5-5. In the next game, they went back and fourth, and back and forth, and again, with Castelino finally emerging to take a 6-5 lead.

Then, knotted 30-30 in what proved to be the final game of the final set, Hillis made an unforced error to give Castelino a 40-30 lead. The sophomore then slammed his racket on the ground, and was given a point violation. He had been warned in the first set. The violation meant Castelino won the game, and the set, and the match.

Castelino was a champion. Finally. Perhaps no other player has deserved it more.

“He’s had a very good career which any one would be happy with,” Tsuda said. “I think just getting so close so many times, this has to feel so special for him, especially being a senior — kind of knowing this was his last chance. It added, definitely, more pressure to him, but pressure that he handled well.”

Ultimately, Castelino also drew energy from the crowd — including his teammates, who were courtside.

“I fed off my team, for sure,” he said. “I loved it, it was great.”

After all the near misses, after seemingly always leaving the state tournament with a lingering taste of defeat, Castelino has his championship.

“This feels amazing,” he said. “It’s something that could’ve happened the last three years, but finally happened. I’m happy it happened finally. It’s the best way to go out, senior year, as a state champ.”

October 11, 2014
Chauncey Billups announces retirement from NBA

Chauncey Billups is retiring from the NBA after 17 seasons. (Kevin Keyser/KeyserImages.com)

Chauncey Billups, the 1995 George Washington graduate who went on to play 17 seasons in the NBA, announced his retirement on Tuesday night in an interview with Yahoo Sports.

Billups, 37, was inducted into the National High School Hall of Fame in 2013. He also entered CHSAA’s Hall of Fame in 2012.

“It’s just time. I’m happy, excited,” he told Yahoo Sports. “The game was very, very good to me. I felt like I was equally as good to the game the way I played it and the way I respected it and the way I carried myself through the process.”

At GW, Billups became a transcendent star for the state. He averaged 23.8 points per game in his high school career and led the Patriots to two 6A championships, in 1993 and 1994. He was a four-time player of the year, and a McDonald’s All-American.

During his induction to the National Hall of Fame, he talked about the great impact high school sports had on his life.

Chauncey Billups with CHSAA commissioner Paul Angelico. (Randy Orr/NFHS)

“You never know how long those relationships will ever last, and you find out once you get older that the relationships are for a lifetime,” Billups said then. “No matter how my career or any of my other ex-teammates’ careers go, or went, or where their lives take them, we always have that time of our lives in common.

“It was just so pure at that time. It was just a beautiful time, and I will always remember that.”

He remains an icon, and an ambassador for high school sports in this state. And not just for basketball. His work in the community is widely known.

“Not a lot of guys made it in basketball from this state,” Billups said in 2013. “So I carry that chip on my shoulder everywhere I go and everywhere I play, no matter what team or what the letters on the front of the jersey say, I always just carry that pride with me — knowing that I probably wasn’t supposed to be here.”

Graduating from George Washington. (Courtesy photo)

After graduating from George, Billups played at Colorado where he was a second-team All-American in 1997. His No. 4 is retired by the Buffs.

He was then the third overall pick in the 1997 NBA draft.

Billups led Detroit to the 2004 NBA championship, where he was named Finals MVP. He was also a five-time all-star, and won the league’s Sportsmanship (2009) and J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship awards (2008).

In his 17 seasons, he played with Boston, Toronto, Denver (twice), Minnesota, Detroit (twice), New York and the Los Angeles Clippers.

He averaged 15.2 points, 5.4 assists and 2.9 rebounds in 1,043 NBA games.

(Kevin Keyser/KeyserImages.com)

September 10, 2014