CHSAANow

Category: Alumni

  • Christian McCaffrey, Valor Christian grad, selected in first round of NFL Draft

    (Michael Li/Flickr)

    Valor Christian graduate Christian McCaffrey was selected in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft on Thursday night.

    The Stanford product was picked by the Carolina Panthers with the eighth overall selection.

    “This is dream come true,” McCaffrey told the ESPN telecast. “It’s an unbelievable honor. … I’m out of words right now. I’m just so blessed to be a Carolina Panther.

    “It’s been a dream of mine to play in this league since I can remember.”

    He is the 13th former Colorado high school football player to ever be selected in the first round of the the NFL Draft, and the first since Buena Vista alum Nate Solder went 17th overall in 2011.

    At No. 8 overall, he is the highest Colorado product to be drafted since Fairview alum Tony Boselli went No. 2 overall in 1995. McCaffrey is the sixth to be selected in the top-10.

    McCaffrey entered the draft as a junior following a stellar career at Stanford. As a sophomore, he finished runner-up in Heisman Trophy voting. During the season, he set the NCAA’s single season record for all-purpose yardage.

    He is the first former Valor Christian player to ever be taken in the NFL Draft, and the first Stanford running back to be drafted in the first round since 1992.

    (Mark Adams)

    At Valor Christian, he set the Colorado high school record for all-purpose yards in a career while leading the Eagles to four-straight titles. Upon graduating in 2014, he finished his career second in career points, total touchdowns and receiving touchdowns.

    He twice was named the Gatorade player of the year for Colorado, and was the Class 5A player of the year as a senior.

    But McCaffrey wasn’t a single-sport athlete. He also starred in basketball, and qualified for the state track meet.

    The McCaffrey family is well-known in Colorado. His parents, Lisa and Ed, were star athletes at Stanford. Ed went on to play 13 seasons in the NFL, including nine with the Denver Broncos.

    McCaffrey’s older brother, Max, is on the Packers’ roster. His two younger brothers, Dylan and Luke, helped Valor Christian win the Class 5A football title in the fall, and the 4A boys basketball championship in the winter.

    Dylan is set to graduate this spring, and then play for Michigan. Luke will be a junior next fall.

  • Falcon alum Kalen Ballage ties NCAA record with eight TDs in a game

    Falcon's Kalen Ballage. (Tim Visser/MaxPreps)
    Falcon’s Kalen Ballage. (Tim Visser/MaxPreps)

    Falcon alum Kalen Ballage tied an NCAA record on Saturday with eight touchdowns in Arizona State’s 68-55 win over Texas Tech.

    Ballage, a 2014 graduate of Falcon who is now a sophomore running back for the Sun Devils, touched the ball just 15 times. He had seven rushing touchdowns (and 137 yards) on just 13 carries, and also caught a touchdown.

    He tied the record set by Illinois’ Howard Griffith in 1990.

    “I visited a lot of different schools but Arizona State is the place to be,” Ballage told CHSAANow.com of signing with Arizona State in 2014.

    In high school, Ballage played running back, wide receiver and linebacker for Falcon.

  • Danielle Page helps Serbia women’s basketball win bronze at Olympics

    (NBC Olympics screenshot)
    (NBC Olympics screenshot)

    Danielle Page, a 2004 graduate of Lewis-Palmer, helped Serbia women’s basketball capture the bronze medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics on Saturday.

    Page had 10 points, eight rebounds, three steals and two blocks as Serbia beat France 70-63 in the bronze medal match at Carioca Arena 1 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

    Serbia and France were tied at 27 at halftime, and Page was scoreless at that point. But she and her teammates came alive in the third quarter, jumping out to a 55-42 lead after the frame. They wouldn’t allow France to get any closer in the fourth quarter, and held on to win.

    (NBC Olympics screenshot)
    (NBC Olympics screenshot)

    Page knocked down two 3-point shots in the game.

    She averaged 10.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game during the course of the tournament. Page scored in double figures in six of Serbia’s eight games.

    This is the first time the Serbian national team has ever competed at the Olympics — let alone medaled. But the team is the successor of the former Yugoslavia women’s team, which won bronze in 1980 and silver in 1988. Yugoslavia split apart as national state in 1992.

    Page was an all-state player at Lewis-Palmer, averaging 22.0 points, 12.7 rebounds, 4.5 blocks, 4.3 steals and 2.8 assists as a senior. She then played at Nebraska for four seasons, and had a brief stint in the WNBA. She has played professionally in Bulgaria, Israel, Hungary and France.

    Page became a Serbian citizen in 2015, and first played for the national team at EuroBasket 2015, where they won the competition.

  • Janine Beckie, Canada women’s soccer capture bronze at Olympics

    (Rovena Rosa/Agência Brasil)
    (Rovena Rosa/Agência Brasil)

    Valor Christian alum Janine Beckie helped Canada women’s soccer win the bronze medal at the Summer Olympics on Friday.

    The Canadians defeated Brazil, the host nation, 2-1 in the bronze medal match.

    Beckie, a 2012 graduate of Valor, scored three goals during the tournament.

    Canada also won bronze at the 2012 Olympics, but that is the only other time the team has medaled at the Games.

    Beckie started Canada off in an incredible way at the tournament, scoring 20 seconds into the first match with Australia. It was the fastest goal in Olympic history.

    Beckie went on to star for Texas Tech after graduating from Valor. She plays for the Houston Dash of the National Women’s Soccer League.

    https://twitter.com/janinebeckie4/status/766724271024529408

    (Rovena Rosa/Agência Brasil)
    (Rovena Rosa/Agência Brasil)

  • When to watch former Colorado high school athletes in the Olympics this week

    Rio Olympics
    (Wilson Dias/Agência Brasil)

    It’s the final week of the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. That means it’s the last chance to watch former Colorado high school athletes on the world’s biggest stage.

    We’ve broken down when to watch each former Colorado high school athlete in this week’s Olympic events.

    Find a complete list of former Colorado preps in the Olympics on this page.

    [divider]

    Monday, Aug. 15

    Women’s Track: 3000-meter Steeplechase final, 8:15 a.m. Emma Coburn, a 2008 graduate of Crested Butte, hits the track for her shot at an Olympic medal.

    Men’s Track: 800-meter final, 4:25 p.m. Widefield graduate Boris Berian is one of two Americans in the final race. He finished second in his heat in the semifinals.

    [divider]

    Tuesday, Aug. 16

    Women’s Basketball: Australia vs. Serbia, 8 a.m. Lewis-Palmer graduate Danielle Page and Serbia play in the quarterfinals.

    Men’s Track: 200-meter prelims, 8:50 a.m. George Washington alum Jeremy Dodson hits the track for the first time.

    Women’s Soccer: Canada vs. Germany, 1 p.m. Valor Christian alum Janine Beckie has emerged as a star for the Canadians, who now get a shot to advance to the final. Canada beat Germany during the group stage.

    [divider]

    Wednesday, Aug. 17

    No former Colorado high school athletes are in action on Wednesday.

    [divider]

    Thursday, Aug. 18

    (Tabercil via Wikimedia Commons)
    Adeline Gray. (Tabercil via Wikimedia Commons)

    Women’s Wrestling: Freestyle 75kg, 7 a.m. The entire bracket will play out on Thursday, with the qualifications beginning early in the morning, and the final in the afternoon, at 3:35 p.m. Bear Creek alum Adeline Gray will participate.

    Women’s Basketball: Semifinals, 12 p.m. Danielle Page and Serbia play Spain in the semifinals on Thursday.

    [divider]

    Friday, Aug. 19

    Women’s Soccer: Bronze Medal Match, 10 a.m. Janine Beckie and Canada will play Brazil for the right to win the bronze medal.

    [divider]

    Saturday, Aug. 20

    Women’s Basketball: Medal matches. If Danielle Page and Serbia continue to advance, they will play in either the bronze medal or gold medal match.

  • Crested Butte alum Emma Coburn captures bronze in steeplechase at Olympics

    (Courtesy of Team USA)
    Emma Coburn. (Courtesy of Team USA)

    Crested Butte alum Emma Coburn won the bronze medal in the 3000-meter steeplechase at the Olympics on Monday morning.

    She is the first American to ever win a medal in the steeplechase, according to USA Track and Field.

    Coburn finished in 9:07.63 at the Olympic Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, narrowly behind silver medalist Hyvin Kiyeng Jepkemoi (9:07.12) of Kenya. Bahrain’s Ruth Jebet took the gold in 8:59.75.

    Coburn’s time shaved off more than three seconds from her previous personal best of 9:10.76. Her new time is also an American record.

    The bronze medal is Coburn’s best finish on an international stage. She competed in the steeplechase at the 2012 Games in London, finishing ninth. She was 12th at the 2011 World Championships, and fifth at the 2015 World Championships.

    Coburn starred at the state meet in high school, winning the 1,600-meter race three times, the 800 meters twice, and the 3,200 meters once.

    She graduated from Crested Butte in 2008, and then went on to become a national champion in the steeplechase at the University of Colorado.

  • Valor Christian alum Janine Beckie helps Canada women’s soccer reach semifinals at Olympics

    Alemanha x Canadá - Futebol feminino - Olimpíadas Rio 2016
    Janine Beckie (16). (Andre Borges/Agência Brasília)

    Janine Beckie had a beautiful assist to set up what proved to be the game-winning goal as Canada’s women’s soccer team reached the semifinal round at the Olympics on Friday.

    Beckie, who graduated from Valor Christian in 2012, lofted a cross across the box to teammate Sophie Schmidt, who then volleyed the ball home in the 56th minute to give Canada a 1-0 lead:

    https://twitter.com/WSUasa/status/764239875939921921

    The Canadians held on to that lead, and beat France 1-0 in the quarterfinals. They advance to the semifinals next Tuesday to face Germany, a team they beat 2-1 in group play earlier in the Olympics.

    Friday’s performance was just the latest starring moment for Beckie, who had three goals in two games during group play.

    Beckie played at Texas Tech after graduating from Valor Christian.

    Another former Colorado high school player joined Beckie in the quarterfinals on Friday. Recent Mountain Vista graduate Mallory Pugh helped the United States to that round, but the U.S. was upset by Sweden in penalty kicks.

    Pugh had an outstanding tournament, including a goal against Columbia on Tuesday which made her the youngest American to score.

    (Andre Borges/Agência Brasília)
    Mallory Pugh. (Andre Borges/Agência Brasília)

  • Former Wheat Ridge stars return to provide advice on leadership

    Wheat Ridge High School graduates Nick Ossello and Annie Kunz returned to their alma mater Thursday, Aug. 11, to speak at a leadership symposium for all current Farmer student-athletes.
    Wheat Ridge High School graduates Nick Ossello and Annie Kunz returned to their alma mater Thursday for all current Farmer student-athletes. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    WHEAT RIDGE — Annie Kunz and Nick Ossello haven’t walked the halls at Wheat Ridge High School since graduating in 2011.

    Two of the most talented multi-sport student-athletes ever to come out of Jeffco made a return appearance to their alma mater Thursday, Aug. 11. Kunz and Ossello were on a panel of six WRHS graduates to speak during the two-hour leadership symposium that was mandatory for all Farmer student-athletes.

    “I really think it’s a special place that can really set you up for some future success,” said Ossello, who played football and lacrosse for the Famers before moving on to University of Notre Dame where he played lacrosse for four years and stayed for a fifth year to play football for the Irish. “I want to pass the torch along and let them know Wheat Ridge is a great place.”

    Ossello admits it wasn’t always easy at Wheat Ridge. The current midfielder for the Denver Outlaws in the professional Major League Lacrosse was the quarterback for the Farmers’ freshman football team that went 2-7.

    “It was a long road and there were definitely a lot of hiccups,” said Ossello, who helped Wheat Ridge to a football state title in 2008 and was the starting quarterback for the Farmers in their state runner-up season of 2010. “I had coaches and teachers here that really made me believe in myself.”

    A main point Ossello wanted to get across to the packed auditorium full of current student-athletes was simple.

    “I think it’s really important to enjoy high school sports,” said Ossello, who will play in the MLL playoff semifinals Saturday, Aug. 13, in Connecticut. “Once you get to the college and pro level it’s a job. It’s important to be a part of your community.”

    Current Denver Outlaw lacrosse player Nick Ossello speaks Thursday, Aug. 11, at Wheat Ridge High School.
    Current Denver Outlaw lacrosse player Nick Ossello. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    Kunz gave the Wheat Ridge community plenty of be proud of during her four-year prep run. She is one of the most decorated female athletes from Wheat Ridge winning six state championships and four runner-up individual titles in track and field.

    Soccer was actually her main focus in high school. Kunz powered the Farmers to state titles in 2009 and 2010 before heading to Texas A&M University to play soccer and compete in track and field for the Aggies.

    “I couldn’t have scripted it to go any better than it did. To have the opportunity to do both (soccer and track) for four years and then do a fifth year of just track was incredible,” said Kunz, who broke the A&M school record in the women’s heptathlon with 6,038 points at the U.S. Olympic Trails in Eugene, Ore. last month. “It was a storybook ending for me.”

    The story isn’t over for Kunz, who placed eighth in the heptathlon at the trials to qualify for Rio. She will be in Colorado for about a month before deciding to go to either the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, CA or back to the College Station and Texas A&M to begin training for the 2020 Olympics to be held in Tokyo.

    Kunz added she wouldn’t have changed anything when it comes to her athletic career. While specializing in the heptathlon could have been an option in college, she feels privileged to have been apart of Texas A&M women’s soccer program that went to the Division I national championship semifinals for the first time in 2014.

    “I got such a rare experience that was so special,” Kunz said. “I’m so grateful for the opportunity. I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

    The message Kunz wanted to get across to the current Farmers was to take soak in every moment of their high school career.

    “You don’t realize how quick it goes by,” Kunz said. “I would do anything to go back and put that Wheat Ridge uniform back on. I wanted to emphasize every moment they get to do that, don’t take it for granted.”

    Wheat Ridge athletic director Nick DeSimone organized the symposium for the last handful of years to kick off the school year for the student-athletes.

    “I’m trying to get (students) to understand the depth that this high school has and how far it reaches,” DeSimone said. “In turn, they understand the responsibility of maintaining that.”

    Wheat Ridge student-athletes listen to athletic director Nick DeSimone during a leadership symposium Thursday, Aug. 11.
    Wheat Ridge student-athletes listen to athletic director Nick DeSimone during a leadership symposium. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

  • Missy Franklin earns gold as part of 4×200 relay team at Olympics

    (Chan-Fan via Wikimedia Commons)
    Missy Franklin. (Chan-Fan via Wikimedia Commons)

    Missy Franklin earned a gold medal on Wednesday night when the U.S. women’s swimming team captured the 4×200 freestyle relay final at the Olympics in Rio.

    Franklin, a 2013 graduate of Regis Jesuit, did not swim in the final — a surprising turn of events. She did swim the second leg of prelims in helping the U.S. to the fastest qualifying time for Wednesday’s final, and so she will get a medal.

    Franklin finished her prelim swim in 1:57.03, the second-fastest split of the American relay.

    But, like it did with the men’s relay, the U.S. opted to change three of the four swimmers in the final, going with Allison Schmitt, Leah Smith, Maya Dirado and Katie Ledecky. Schmitt was the lone holdover from the prelims.

    That group of four won the final in 7:43.03, beating out silver medalist Australia (7:44.87) and bronze medalist Canada (7:45.39). The men also won gold with a group that included former Regis Jesuit swimmer Clark Smith.

    The gold medal is Franklin’s fifth in her career, and sixth total medal. She won four gold medals at the 2012 Olympics in London just after finishing her junior year in high school, and also won a bronze.

    Franklin tweeted about the race shortly after it ended:

    Franklin finished 13th in the 200-meter race earlier in the week. She will finish her 2016 Olympic schedule with the 200 backstroke on Thursday. The prelims are at 11:41 a.m.

  • Regis Jesuit alum Clark Smith wins gold at Olympics

    Rio Olympics Aquatics Stadium
    (piviso.com)

    Regis Jesuit alum Clark Smith captured a gold medal when the United States men’s swimming team won the 4×200-meter relay at the Summer Olympics on Tuesday night in Rio de Janeiro.

    Smith helped the U.S. qualify for the final earlier Tuesday when he swam the lead leg in the preliminaries. His split was 1:47.20 as the Americans finished in 7:06.74, the second-best qualifying time.

    Regis Jesuit alum Clark Smith. (Courtesy of Team USA)
    Regis Jesuit alum Clark Smith. (Courtesy of Team USA)

    On Tuesday night, USA Swimming swapped out three of the four swimmers from prelims, inserting Conor Dwyer, Francis Haas and Michael Phelps, while keeping Ryan Lochte in the relay. That group of four won the final in 7:00.66.

    Because Smith swam in the prelims, he will get a gold medal.

    Smith graduated from Regis Jesuit in 2013, where he won 10 state championships in his career, including five individual titles.

    He is set to be a senior at the University of Texas this fall. In 2015, Smith won an NCAA championship in the 500-yard freestyle. He is a three-time All-American.