The 2021 all-state girls swimming teams are presented by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps.
These teams were created based upon results at the state meet. The swimmers and divers of the year, as well as the coaches of the year, were also selected based upon the state meet.
Jeffco Preps With Pleuss is a monthly roundup of Jeffco prep highlights hosted by Dennis Pleuss, Jeffco Public Schools’ sports information director. The Season B sports wrapped up in March. The highlight of the winter season in Jeffco was without question girls and boys wrestling. Chatfield and Pomona were dominate in the first CHSAA sanctioned girls wrestling state tournament. The Chargers won the team title and the Panthers grabbed a pair of individual titles. On the boys side, Pomona captured yet another Class 5A state team championship. Pomona, Chatfield and Columbine all grabbed individual state titles to finish off the wrestling season. Evergreen’s girls swim team won its third straight Class 3A state team championship. Green Mountain’s girls basketball team made another Class 4A state semifinal appearance.
LAKEWOOD — It was one final time to play basketball with your friends and even some old foes on the hardwood Thursday night at the Gold Crown Fieldhouse.
“Getting to play with my teammates (McKenna Nichols and Brooklyn Seymour) one more time and play with people who have been competitors for four years was nice,” Ralston Valley senior Sydney Bevington said after the conclusion of the girls’ Jeffco High School Senior Basketball game. “We needed redemption from that last game. It felt good to get out there one last time.”
Columbine senior Adrienne Harnum tries to get a shot up over Littleton senior Avery Bergscheider during the Jeffco HS Senior Basketball Games on Thursday night at Gold Crown Fieldhouse. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
Bevington didn’t what her final memory of her stellar prep basketball career be Ralston Valley’s Class 5A state quarterfinal loss to Highland Ranch on March 16. The versatile Mustang led the White squad to a 70-58 victory.
Bevington scored a game-high 24 points. Green Mountain’s Courtney Hank, Columbine’s Adrienne Harnum and Nichols each had 10 points in the victory that was coached by Green Mountain’s girls basketball coach Darren Pitzner.
Golden senior Erika Dowell had a huge final quarter for the White team. The Demon scored all of her seven points in the final quarter.
It wasn’t an easy victory for the White squad that had a solid height advantage on the Blue squad. The White led 28-13 early in the second quarter, but the Blue team coached by Arvada West’s girls basketball coach Brady Meeks chipped away at the lead to keep within striking distance.
“The White team was good. They definitely had the height,” Arvada West senior Alexis Folks said. “I think we did a good job battling with them.”
Folks led the Blue squad with 12 points, all on 3-pointers. She was the only player in double-digits for the Blue team, but the squad had 10 different players score as they tried to rally from the double-digit first-half deficit.
“It was great having the team come together even a lot didn’t know each other,” Folks said. “We came together and worked hard.”
Littleton senior Avery Bergscheider goes up against Columbine senior Adrienne Harnum (10) and Ralston Valley senior Brooklyn Seymour (15) on Thursday night at the Gold Crown Fieldhouse. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
The White team buckled down defensively in the final minutes holding the Blue scoreless for the final two minutes after the White’s lead was trimmed to 63-58 with 2 minutes to play.
“They knocked down a lot of 3-pointers and then we kind of stopped playing defense,” Bevington said. “We figured it out and got the win.”
Bevington and Folks were named the MVPs of the game.
“It was a great experience. Especially being able to play with my teammate (A-West senior Madison Manson) one last time and to have (Meeks) coach us one last time,” Folks said. “It was really fun and a great experience.”
The annual senior basketball games that have been put on by the Gold Crown Foundation since 2018 was canceled last season right as the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown all sports around the world.
The crowd was limited this year and everyone inside the Gold Crown Fieldhouse wore masks, but being back on the court was the most important thing for these seniors to close out their high school careers.
“It was the best four years of my life playing with my teammates,” said Bevington, who will continue her basketball career at Santa Clara University. “My coaches and teammates were always there for me. I’m headed off, but I’ll be back. I’m maintain those friendships for the rest of my life.”
Green Mountain senior Courtney Hank is able to split Chatfield seniors Madison Shepard and Keyana Sande (14) during the Jeffco HS Senior Basketball Games hosted by the Gold Crown Foundation on Thursday night. The White squad took a 70-58 victory. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
LAKEWOOD — Valor Christian senior Amondo Miller’s final dunk finished off a fun night Thursday at the Gold Crown Fieldhouse.
The Blue squad took a 130-124 victory in the boys’ Jeffco High School Senior Basketball Game. The annual game featuring the top seniors in the Class 5A and 4A Jeffco Leagues didn’t take place last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
While dunks and optional defense was in full force, the 3-point shooting was particularly sharp by the co-MVPs. Columbine senior Garrett Rogers and Wheat Ridge senior Westin Miller poured in seven 3-pointers each to lead both of their teams in scoring.
Valor senior Amondo Miller goes up for a dunk Thursday night. Miller had 25 points for in the Blue’s 130-124 victory. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
“I was just shooting and having a good time,” said Rogers, who had a game-high 29 points. “I appreciate Gold Crown for putting this on. It was amazing.”
The Blue squad actually trailed 97-91 heading into the final 10-minute quarter. However, the Blue team scored 39 points in the final quarter to win going away. Green Mountain senior Austin Peterson got hot from 3-point range hitting a trio from long range in the final quarter.
Valor’s Miller and AJ Kula combined for 14 points in the final quarter and Rogers canned a pair of 3-pointers for good measure to pull out the come-from-behind victory.
“It was just really fun playing with all the guys. You play them during league and you know them because of club,” Rogers said. “It is always a great time getting out there and playing together.”
Wheat Ridge senior Westin Miller watches the ball after releasing a 3-pointer Thursday night. Miller had seven 3-pointers on his way to MVP honors for the White squad. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
Wheat Ridge’s Miller started the game off with a 3-pointer in the opening seconds. The Farmer has being getting ready for the upcoming high school baseball season, but getting one last chance on the hardwood with fellow Wheat Ridge teammate Dominic Cross was special.
“It was awesome. I got to play one more basketball game,” said Miller, who has signed to play baseball next school year at Regis University. “I’ve been practicing baseball, so it was nice to get back out on the court. Most of us are competitors, but when it comes to this they are your teammates now.”
There were more than 40 3-pointers made in the game. Almost every time down the court it was either a bomb from long range or a driving dunk.
“It was a good shooting night for both of us,” Miller said of him and Rogers combining for 14 3-pointers. “I had no idea who he was at first, but he was ripping every shot he took.”
Green Mountain senior Austin Peterson tries to beat Evergreen senior Griffin Lauritano (13) off the dribble Thursday night. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
Lakewood’s Michael Bennett, Dakota Ridge’s Gino Corridori, Bear Creek’s Liam Franks, Evergreen’s Griffin Lauritano and Jared Stiller, Cross along with Westin Miller were all in double-digits for the White squad coached by Evergreen’s boys basketball coach Jeff Dolan.
Rogers and Amondo Miller combined for over 50 points. Ralston Valley’s Blake Butvidas, D’Evelyn’s Luke Kjellsen, Kula and Peterson all reach double-digit points for the victorious Blue team.
It marked the end of the prep basketball season in Jeffco that had its challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It shows how much we have progressed through this tough time,” Rogers said of having the game return to close out the basketball season.
Columbine senior Garrett Rogers was the leading scorer pouring in 29 points, including seven 3-pointers, during the boys’ Jeffco High School Senior Basketball Game on Thursday night at the Gold Crown Fieldhouse. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
COLORADO SPRINGS — Mead felt like it had all the necessary tools to capture a boys basketball state championship. Then at the oddest time, life decided to throw a curveball. Nick Basson, the third leading scorer for the Mavericks, suffered a stroke.
He was loaded onto Flight for Life and taken to Children’s Hospital in Aurora. Just over a week later, he sat on the bench to watch his teammates battle to a 68-44 win over Montrose to capture the Class 4A boys basketball championship, the first for the team since 1957.
“It was just over a week ago that this happened with Nick and this team is just so connected,” coach Darin Reese said. “To get the news of Nick, it was shocking to everyone and it’s still hard to believe. It made us tighter after we found out that he was going to be ok.”
It also gave the team an emotional boost that they sustained all the way through the postseason. And they walked onto the floor of the Broadmoor World Arena, each player donned a warmup shirt with No. 1 and “Basson” on the back, keeping their teammate — a teammate they would’ve loved to have on the floor — on their mind.
But the game had to go one. Elijah Knudsen was electric in the first quarter, scoring 13 of the Mavericks (15-3 overall) 21 points in the quarter.
“He’s gotten so good at understanding what a good (shot) is and when to get his teammates involved,” Reese said. “When he hits one or two, you want to give him a little bit of space because he can get going.”
Montrose (18-1) found their footing in the second quarter and closed the Mead lead to just four points at halftime, but the Mavericks turned the jets back on in the third and never looked back.
Despite not having JP Shiers on the floor for much of the second and third quarters because of foul trouble, Mead was able to play at their pace and continue to knock down open shots.
“I enjoy doing that,” Knudsen said. “But definitely my teammates are a bunch of help. Marcus Santiago, our senior, we don’t win this game if he doesn’t show up the way he did tonight.”
Knudsen led all scorers with 30 points and Santiago had 18. Ashden Oberg led Montrose with 17.
Once the Mavericks had the lead and they knew the emotional implications that would come with a win, there was no choice but to finish the game strong. What made the quest all the more important was that Basson was able to be on the bench, actively rooting for his guys as if he was sitting out for a sprained ankle.
“I actually got to go and surprise the guys at practice (last week),” Basson said. “Seeing the Final 4 was great and being able to come down here and be a part of this, it was exciting. It was fun.”
COLORADO SPRINGS — As Kindyll Wetta walked off the floor, she grabbed Valor Christian coach Jessika Caldwell and wrapped her up in a big hug. The two have been through a lot together. Caldwell watched for two years as Wetta lost some or all of a basketball season because of separate torn ACLs.
But on a snowy, late-March night in the Broadmoor World Arena, the pain all felt worth it. The top-seeded Eagles had clinched a 67-42 win over No. 2 Regis Jesuit to claim the Class 5A girls basketball title.
“When she came off the court, I was really fighting back tears,” Caldwell said. “Just watching her walk through what she’s walked through and the road that she’s traveled and to see her play with such confidence and toughness, it looked like a kid out there having fun.”
She even got to have fun with her sister. Ali was the surprise of the game, scoring 14 points to double her season average. Overall, the Eagles (16-0 overall) had four players in double figures as Macey Huard (14) and Jenna Siebert (10) also had good nights.
When 2:16 remained in the first quarter, the Eagles led Regis 8-7. Then they closed that frame with a quick 7-3 burst that gave them a 19-10 advantage after the first quarter.
Ali Wetta scored five points in the quarter after coming off the bench and it was just the start of her own breakout party, a party where she finished with 14 points.
“I went in and my teammates were able to find me,” Ali said. “I had some great passes from my teammates and I just wanted to go in and give my all for the seniors.
The Eagles stretched their lead to 29-18 at halftime, thanks to another small spurt — 5-0 — to end that quarter.
Feeling a championship in their grasp, the Eagles kept up the pressure on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball. Kidyll scored 13 of her game-high 17 points in the second half. She also finished the game with 10 assists to get a double-double in her last high school game.
“There isn’t a better way (to end a career),” Kindyll said. “Now that my sister’s playing after missing a year (with a torn ACL), to win it this year with her is incredible.”
The Eagles also clamped down on Regis guard Avery Vansickle, holding her scoreless in the third quarter as they stretched out their lead. Vansickle eventually finished with 14 points and will go down as one of the great Regis Jesuit players of all-time.
Caldwell couldn’t help but get emotional for her players as their cheered her championship victory, but there was an element of the win that was special for her as well. She played basketball at Coronado before playing collegiately at Baylor.
She embraced her star guard on the same floor where she walked for high school graduation, showing when the time is right, it’s possible to go home again.
“This is where I picked up a basketball for the first time,” she said. “It’s where I fell in love with the game and where my dad taught me and coached me. It was kind of the beginning of my career so to be able to come back and coach these girls and stand on this sideline is pretty special.”
