Sterling softball coach Bob Knudson admits he is glad Strasburg has graduated several key cogs from the Indians’ back-to-back Class 3A state championship squads.
“They (Strasburg) have had our number the last couple of years,” Knudson said. “They had a dominating pitcher in Logan Losh. We never were able to get anything going offensively.”
The Sterling Tigers reached a softball championship game for the first time in the program’s history last October at Aurora Sports Park, only to have their district rival score a 3-0 shutout victory. The win gave Strasburg a perfect 24-0 record as the Indians claimed back-to-back state titles.
Sterling gave Strasburg one of its toughest tests of the season with the Indians taking a 7-4 victory in 12 innings.
“We battled really hard during that game,” said Sterling senior pitcher Dallas Magnusson, who pitched 11 innings in the epic game. “Coach (Knudson) kept us all relaxed. We all stayed positive. Even when it came to the end and we lost. We stayed positive.”
The two-time defending 3A state champs graduated a trio of all-state players in Losh, Danni Klein and Vic Wilson. Despite those losses, Knudson still has high regards for the Strasburg club that has a 6-0 record against Sterling during the past two seasons.
“They are very well-coached and will put out a really good team again,” Knudson said.
Sterling has plenty of returning pieces from its squad that finished with a 19-5 record and was the 3A state runner-up. Magnusson, an all-state selection last season, is back for the Tigers. Magnusson will lead Sterling’s pitching contingent that includes juniors Kylie Ross and Alexis Rutz.
“We have three really good pitchers,” Knudson said. “I’m not afraid to use any of them in a game.”
Magnuson had a 10-2 record last season with a solid 1.38 ERA. The Tigers’ offense wasn’t shabby either. Sterling scored double-digit runs in 13 games last year. Juniors Jenna Knudson and Rutz combined for 77 hits, 69 runs and 47 RBIs last season.
“I think our team is going to be amazing this year,” Magnusson said. “We are a really good group of girls. We all click together as a team.”
Before advancing to the title game last year the Tigers made it to the 3A state quarterfinals in 2012. Valley — eventual state runner-up — ended Sterling’s postseason run with a narrow 1-0 victory.
Sterling poses with last season’s runner-up trophy. (Jack Eberhard)
Magnusson points to Valley and Eaton as a pair of conference rivals that will be tough again this season. Sterling split a doubleheader against Valley and came away with a couple of one-run victories versus Eaton last season.
“We are just really excited,” Magnusson said. “We can’t wait for that first practice and first game to begin.”
While on paper the Tigers look like a logical favorite to take the next step and win its first state softball title, Sterling’s coach knows it’s a long road to the championship game.
“We hope it’s our year,” Knudson said. “Softball is a funny sport. One bad game or a great game by the other team can change everything.”
Dawson School poses for a picture after winning the 3A boys golf championship last season. (Bert Borgmann/CHSAANow.com)
The conclusion of the 2013 Class 3A boys state championship saw The Dawson School Mustangs hoisting the team state championship. Led by Cole Folwell and Cameron Conner, the Mustangs finished with a total score of 445 over the two-day tournament, 26 strokes ahead Peak to Peak and Lutheran who tied for second place.
Entering this season, the Mustangs have every intention of defending their state championship. Despite losing Conner, The Dawson School returns Folwell and sophomore Yale Kim, who shot 10-over at state and finishing 10th in the individual field.
“We are going to be defending our state championship based on how Cole and Yale play,” coach Arnold Lewis. “It’s absolutely up to them.”
Lewis considers Folwell to be a favorite for the individual title as well as the foundation for a back-to-back team championship for the Mustangs.
After round one of the state championship, Folwell was tied with Conner for first. He sat two strokes ahead of eventual individual champion Tristan Rohrbaugh. Rohrbaugh shot a 71 on the second day and Folwell finished his second round with a 77.
“I had somewhat been in contention my sophomore year, but the biggest thing I learned last year is that I was way too intense, way too caught up in results,” Folwell said. “I just forgot to go out and play. I think just have to have fun this year.”
Folwell won’t be the only one hoping to learn from last year’s state meet. Kim returns as a sophomore to build off an impressive freshman campaign. Kim — who resides in South Korea with his family in the summer — lives with his uncle and honed his skills at the driving range as getting access to quality courses wasn’t easy for him growing up.
“I think access to public golf courses in South Korea is cost prohibitive. He told me that to get on a decent course, it costs four or five hundred dollars,” Lewis said. “He puts the time in at the driving range, he goes to one of those double-decker, triple-decker places and just works and works.”
Lewis is impressed at Kim’s ability to compete at this level despite not always having resources that have become available to him in the United States and is excited about what the youngster will provide to the team this season.
He’s also excited about what another senior is going to bring to the roster. Peter Teegardin joins Folwell as the other senior captain of the squad and will prove to be an integral part of a team looking to defend its title.
Teegardin should have no problem phasing into the four-man squad as he and Folwell play together often.
“I play with Peter a lot because we’re members at the same golf course,” Folwell said. “I’ve been giving him some mental tips because he’s a good player. He’s got a good swing, he has a good short game, he has everything he needs, he just needs to put it all together.”
Practice begins this week for the Mustangs as they tee off Aug. 14 at the Eaton Invitational to begin their 2014 season.
Returning All-State athletes: Behrod Keshtavar (Sr.) Peak to Peak, Cole Flowell (Sr.) Alexander Dawson, Yale Kim (So.) Alexander Dawson, Gary Schlatter (Sr.) Kent Denver
Lutheran football has a new coach in Blair Hubbard this season. (Kevin Keyser/KeyserImages.com)
Perhaps no football coaching change this offseason was as major as Blair Hubbard leaving Faith Christian for Lutheran.
Hubbard won three state championships in 15 seasons as head coach at Faith Christian, a perennial power in the Class 2A ranks. His teams were 148-30, made the playoffs 14 times and won 10 league titles.
But in the offseason Hubbard was looking to tackle something new. Lutheran — a 3A team since the school was formed by a merger of the old Denver Lutheran and Lutheran-Parker schools prior to the 2012 season — was a fit.
“I was just kind of looking for a new challenge, so when the opportunity presented itself I took some time to think about it, talked it over with my wife and some other wise council and decided to go ahead,” Hubbard said. “This was a good opportunity to make the change. I’m excited about this season and just the future of Lutheran High School football in general.”
Faith Christian moved quickly to hire Ralph Nance, Hubbard’s defensive coordinator, as his successor. It meant that Hubbard’s staff — which had been together for “over 10 years,” he said — was not going to stay intact.
“I’ve hired a completely new staff,” Hubbard said. “That was a specific challenge. And it was a good process.”
Hubbard’s new staff at Lutheran comprises 10 assistants — five of whom are in the building.
“I feel very comfortable with the coaches that we have on staff,” Hubbard said. “We’ve just got a good cohesiveness together. Everybody’s on the same page and is there for the same reason. We’re there to help build young men into men, boys into men. We’re not there necessarily for the wins and the losses. If we do our jobs, those kinds of things will hopefully take care of themselves. Our purpose is to have an effect in young men’s lives.”
Lutheran was 31-11 in former coach Daryl Moe’s four seasons, including three playoff appearances. So Hubbard is inheriting a great program.
Lutheran quarterback James Willis. (Kevin Keyser/KeyserImages.com)
Included are quarterback James Willis and receiver Josh Clausen, both seniors and four-year varsity members, who combined for more than 1,000 yards and nine touchdowns through the air last season.
Willis, entering his third year as the starter at quarterback, threw for 2,306 yards and 24 touchdowns last season.
“He’s someone that’s just a humble leader, he’s a hard worker,” Hubbard said. “That’s the kind of athlete we’re looking to model our program after. Someone’s that just has that blue-collar work ethic and is humble and willing to help other kids out along the way.”
Clausen already has 2,312 receiving yards in his three seasons, which is just outside the top-10 in the state’s career record book.
“He’s (6-foot-4) and he’s got very good speed and great hands,” Hubbard said. “He’s getting some looks from some of the area Division I schools, so it’s exciting to work with him. He’s got that same kind of work ethic that we’re looking for, as well.”
A group of linemen also return.
“They have been very consistent in the weight room, and whenever you’ve got the kids up front that are dedicated to spending time in the weight room, you’re going to have a good opportunity to win some battles up front,” Hubbard said.
Lutheran opens the season in Houston, playing at Lutheran South Academy — a Division II school in Texas which went 8-3 and made the playoffs last season. It’s an opportunity for everyone to get to know one another really well, really quick.
“It will be a fun experience for the kids and for the coaches,” Hubbard said. “There’s a lot of logistics involved and we’ve gotten a lot of outstanding administrative support from the school.
“They’re of the mindset that they’re there for the athletes and the athletic program and want to do as much as they can to help the young men and women out in the athletic programs to have a great experience in their time at Lutheran.”
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Short stuff
During its transition to a regional program, the former Montbello High School athletic department will be known as the Warriors (Montbello). Eventually, the plan is to simply call the teams the Warriors — without including the Montbello clarifier.
Last week at the All-School Summit, a new approach to the classification structure was discussed. Every impression I’ve gotten seems like this is where the state will head this fall — though there was some resistance voiced during the classification breakout session at the Summit. We’ll see if that initial uneasiness turns into action ahead of CLOC’s November meeting.
Valor Christian’s Eric Lee Jr. and Pine Creek’s Avery Anderson, both defensive backs, will enroll at Nebraska early, the school announced.
Regis Jesuit offensive linemen Tim Lynott’s father tweeted out his official offer letter from Colorado. Lynott is a CU commit, and was recently moved up to a 4-star recruit by Scout.com.
Here’s a neat picture of Windsor’s football team playing in a flooded field near its school during storms last week. (Coach Chris Jones was quick to urge safety to his players: “Be smart about the water in front of the school,” he tweeted.)
Tony Ramunno had been the head football coach at Lewis-Palmer for 25 seasons, but he resigned late last month. “I really like Friday nights; it’s probably the best job a guy can have in the country,” he told the Colorado Springs Gazette. Former defensive coordinator Dustin Tupper will replace him.
Grandview hired Patrick Chapla as its boys lacrosse coach. He had been an assistant at Mountain Vista, and is also a club coach at 3d Lacrosse. “We are excited to add his passion, experience and love of the game to our program,” Grandview athletic director Jamee Ulitzky wrote in an email.
Eagle Ridge has a new girls basketball coach, according to the Brighton Blade: Vern Rathbun, who has been coaching for more than 30 years.
The numbers from the NFHS Network are in from the past school year, and the most popular events were as follows: Arapahoe-Fossil Ridge boys basketball in the 5A tournament; Overland-Denver East boys basketball in the 5A tournament; and the state track meet.
It seems like this is a weekly occurrence now, but here’s another reminder to kids that how you act on social media can have a very negative effect on your recruitment.
Fruita Monument wrestler Jacob Seely earned All-American status with his seventh-place finish at a national tournament in Fargo, North Dakota last month.
Doherty is holding a golf tournament at Colorado Springs Country Club on Aug. 18, and is seeking teams to participate. That’s the same course where the Class 5A state meet will be held. Interested schools should contact Doherty AD Chris Noll: CHRISTOPHER.NOLL@d11.org.
Likewise, Jefferson Academy is seeking schools for its golf invitational on Sept. 2 at Omni Interlocken Golf Club Resort. Contact Jags’ AD Michael Wilson: mwilson@jajags.com.
Horizon is inviting schools to its annual Popsicle Run at the Adams County Fairgrounds on Sept. 5. It’s a 4k course, and offers popsicles at the end. Contact: Antonio.Ricciardi@adams12.org.
Kim and Branson will co-op in football (ineligible for the playoffs), boys golf, volleyball, boys and girls basketball, as well as track. They will be the Kim Mustangs in all sports but football, where they will compete as the Branson Bearcats.
Alumni short stuff
Heritage alum Shane Opitz, now playing minor league baseball, was interviewed by the Dunedin Blue Jays’ radio network about a recent rehab of an injury, but also spoke about hailing from Colorado. “There’s a lot of talent coming out of Colorado, but people don’t necessarily recognize that because we don’t play year-round,” Opitz said. “There’s not a lot of good weather during the winter time, we’re under snow. But there’s a lot of talent.” A 2010 grad, he’s hitting .280 at Dunedin in 13 games so far this season.
Chaparral alum Shane Callahan has been cleared to play immediately for CU following his transfer from Auburn. Here he is in a video speaking with the media after practice. “I’m proud to wear Colorado on my jersey, this is my hometown,” he said. “Excited to have the chance to play for my home state this year!” he wrote on Twitter on Wednesday.
Kalen Ballage, a 2013 Falcon graduate, is “turning heads” as Arizona State opens football camp. Coach Todd Graham said he’s “the most impressive freshman running back we’ve ever had. Ever.”
Bobby Dalbec, who graduated from Legend in 2013, tore it up at the Cape Cod Baseball League this summer. He had five home runs and 18 RBIs in just 29 games, and hit .228. He also took part in the home run contest during All-Star festivities. Dalbec just completed his freshman season as the starting designated hitter/first baseman and reliever at Arizona. He hit .266 with two home runs and 30 RBIs for the Wildcats, and also had a team-best 2.13 ERA in 22 appearances. Dalbec did tell the Arizona Daily Star that his future is as a position player: “If we really need a guy to be a starter, I’d obviously do it. But I like my future after Arizona to be with the bat. I’m not real big on pitching. I do it and compete, but I prefer to be in the box.”
2003 Golden graduate Mark Melancon, a three-sport star in high school, returned to Colorado as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates late last month, and picked up a save at Coors Field. It was the third save he’d gotten against the Rockies in nine days. “Always fun playing on the field I grew up dreaming of playing on as a Big Leaguer,” Melancon tweeted.
This was neat: Former Grandview boys basketball star Eric Garcia pointed out that he (now at Wofford), Denver East alum Dom Collier (CU) and former Regis Jesuit player Josh Perkins (Gonzaga) will all be on national television at the same time during the college basketball season.
The medalists from the 2013 4A boys golf tournament. (Jenn Roberts-Uhlig/CHSAANow.com)
Coronado junior Isaac Petersilie has started to hear from colleges. It started with Colorado colleges and he’s got feelers out to some out-of-state ones as well.
But don’t get ahead of the present, Petersilie insists.
It’s not how the reigning Class 4A boys golf champion got here. It’s what he’s focused his game on since he won the state tournament at Hiwan Golf Club with a 4-over, two-day total of 144.
“Last year I was trying to play best I could,” Petersilie said. “This year, mainly I’ve been focusing on each shot at a time.”
That’s included revamping his pre-shot routine and a renewed focus on his wedge play.
As he’s started to fill into his body, Petersilie has seen his approach shots become shorter.
The emphasis on the short game has made him better, but he again points to the mental aspect as his strongest part.
Coronado’s Isaac Petersilie. (Jenn Roberts-Uhlig/CHSAANow.com)
“I’m trying to take all the variables taken out of it. Then just hit the shot,” he said. “I’m taking out the guesswork — the distance, the slope, what I want to do with the shot, how it will come out of a lie. Everything that can change the shot.”
Last year Petersilie showed that mental game.
Petersilie said he thought around even par would win the thing. Where others in contention blew up, Petersilie never had worse than a bogey in the 36-hole championship.
He finished one shot ahead of Cheyenne Mountain’s Wilson Belk. The two each went into No. 18 tied. Petersilie admits he thought he had to make a par to send it to a playoff. He didn’t realize Belk’s bogey on 18 had given him the win.
Thinking he needed a par to send it to a playoffs helped “focusing a little bit and helped me not get ahead of myself,” Petersilie said.
The junior, however, will have a loaded 4A field to compete with.
Belk returns as do Valor Christian all-staters Jake Staiano and Valor Christian’s Ross Macdonald; Montezuma-Cortez’s Jakob Rudosky; and Silver Creek’s Jackson Solem.
“There are a lot of great kids returning,” Petersilie said. “That’s definitely a good thing.”
Although Petersilie wants to be in the now, and said he’s focusing on consistently doing well each tournament, he does think about that state championship in September.
“I mean, I would say (winning state) would be one of my goals,” he said.
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Class 4A boys golf
Defending individual champion: Isaac Petersilie, Coronado
Defending team champion: Valor Christian
Returning all-state athletes: Petersilie (junior), Cheyenne Mountain’s Wilson Belk (senior), Valor Christian’s Jake Staiano (senior), Valor Christian’s Ross Macdonald (senior), Montezuma-Cortez’s Jakob Rudosky (senior), Silver Creek’s Jackson Solem (sophomore).
Regular season begins: Aug. 7
Regionals: Date: Sept. 16 and 18.
State meet: Sept. 29-30, Walking Stick Golf Course in Pueblo.
Regis Jesuit’s entire team celebrates winning the 2013 5A boys golf championship, the Raiders’ fourth in a row. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Regis Jesuit’s boys golf team comes into the 2014 season in a familiar and comfortable position — as defending state champions, a title they’ve captured for four consecutive seasons.
That type of consistency is considered rare in high school sports, where student-athletes come and go so quickly.
The turnover presents a unique challenge this year for head coach Craig Rogers, who had an excellent returning squad in 2013 to lean on. Now, four golfers from last year’s state championship squad are playing golf at Division I colleges, which means the Raiders will be forced to reload if they want to repeat.
“It’ll be fun, because it’s very wide open. Going into last year, we really had three guys who were exceptional golfers. There wasn’t a lot of mystery who our best players would be,” Rogers said. “This year there’s a lot of good young players who have the opportunity to step up.”
If past accomplishments are any indication, the Raiders possess the perfect road map for remaining on top. According to Rogers, the key to sustaining success is developing his players as young men first, and as golfers second.
“The mission of our team is the same as in school — to become better people and develop character. I’ve already been in conversation with (our captains) about how they really want to focus on making sure we have a bond as a team,” Rogers said. “The older guys look after the younger guys and they take care of each other and develop as gentlemen.”
Senior Jack Lazzeri, one of the team’s three captains, returns after placing in a tie for 26th in last fall’s state meet. And Rogers, who has a long history of defending championships to point to as proof, knows where character and consistency comes from — it’s passed down from one class to the next.
“What we’ve done really, really, well is just get kids who are enthusiastic, good character kids, who kind of fall in love with the game,” Rogers said. “They see the older kids that are having a lot of success, how they carry themselves, and how they work at it. And they kind of see themselves being that guy someday.
“If we do a really good job with character first, golf will follow.”
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Class 5A bolf golf
Defending individual champion: Spencer Painton, Regis Jesuit (graduated)
Defending team champion: Regis Jesuit
Regular season begins: August 7
Regional meets: September 15-19
State meets: September 29-30 at Colorado Springs Country Club
Skyview’s football team has never stepped onto its home field under the lights. This season, the 27th in school history, that changes.
Due in large part of a grassroots community effort, as well as determination from its school board, Skyview has installed lights onto George DiTirro Stadium in Thornton. Those lights will turn on August 29, a Friday, when the Wolverines open the season against Summit.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
“Playing on Friday nights is going to be awesome,” Skyview coach Bill Nelson said on Thursday. “Everybody’s excited.”
Skyview had been relegated to playing Saturday afternoons ever since the school was founded when the old Mapleton and Highland high schools combined in 1988. Mapleton had lights on its football field, but the new school moved to Highland’s campus. That stadium didn’t have lights.
So Saturdays became the norm when playing at home for Skyview. Early in the season, that meant dealing with heat. It usually always meant playing in front of sparse crowds.
“Saturday afternoons were wicked,” Nelson said. “I love coaching there, the people are good to me. But playing on Saturday afternoon just killed me.
“We are hoping attendance is going to go up,” Nelson added. “Even sometimes (entire) visiting team’s (crowds) didn’t come. A lot of our people didn’t come.”
(Pam Wagner)
The Wolverines have six home dates this season. All games are scheduled for 7 p.m. on Fridays.
“It just puts a different tone on our program,” Nelson said. “It’s more of a typical high school setting. We’re going to try to do some new traditions. Either have a meal or have some kind of session that we didn’t normally do.”
The school’s other teams that use the facility will also benefit from the lights. Notably, soccer games can start later. Those athletes had been leaving classes at 2 or 3 p.m. to prepare for a 4 p.m. start.
“Getting out of school just to play a home soccer game?” Nelson said. “Now we’re not going to have to do that.”
As part of the agreement to put lights up, the City of Thornton will also have access to the facility.
But on a Friday night in late August, DiTirro stadium will belong to the Wolverines. There’s a public Facebook group inviting alumni to attend.
Chris Kemm, Skyview’s girls basketball coach and a 1991 alum of the school, is a driving force behind the night.
“The only time we ever pack the stadium is for graduation,” Kemm said.
That may soon change. A full house is expected for the opener.
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MLB draft picks sign
Ralston Valley graduate Jordan Holloway. (Dennis Pleuss)
The MLB’s deadline for 2014 draft picks to sign was July 18.
Among those starting professional careers were Freeland and 2014 graduates Brock Burke (Evergreen), Max George (Regis Jesuit) and Jordan Holloway (Ralston Valley).
Freeland has made three starts for the Rockies’ Rookie-A affiliate in Grand Junction, but has thrown just nine innings. He has a 1.00 ERA, seven strikeouts and hasn’t allowed a walk.
Burke has thrown three innings for Tampa Bay’s Rookie-A affiliate, and hasn’t allowed a run.
George is with Freeland at Grand Junction and is hitting .303 with three home runs and 13 RBIs in 21 games. He hit for the cycle on July 13.
Holloway has yet to play a game.
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Short stuff
MaxPreps recently ranked the 20 “most dominant” football programs in Colorado since 2004. The top three are not exactly a surprise: Mullen, Valor Christian and Columbine. Those three schools have won all but two Class 5A titles since 2004.
Earlier this month, we wrote about the Nate Ekhoff Kicking Camp. Campers got an awesome surprise when Broncos kicker Matt Prater showed up as a counselor. “Matt worked with the kickers for over four hours and never left the turf,” Marshall Ekhoff wrote in an email.
Jefferson Academy’s Jennifer Kupcho, the reigning Class 4A girls golf champion, lost during the match play portion of the U.S. Girls Junior Golf Championship in Flagstaff, Ariz. this week. Kupcho did finish in a tie for eighth at 1-under during the two-day stroke play portion, and was the highest Colorado finisher. Dakota Ridge’s Gillian Vance (+12), Regis Jesuit’s Jaclyn Murray (+21), Dakota Ridge’s Sydney Merchant (+22) and Skyline’s Erin Sargent (+27) also took part in the stroke play event, but missed the cut for match play.
Eaglecrest’s Jordyn Poulter and Lewis-Palmer’s Alexa Smith both won a gold medal while competing for the United States at the Under-20 NORCEA Continental Championship, an international volleyball tournament.
The inter-Colorado Springs coaching swaps continued when boys basketball coach Jarris Krapcha moved from Mitchell to Doherty last week.
New Denver Bronco DeMarcus Ware helped Doherty’s football team during its fundraiser.
Former Columbine athletic director Ed Woytek will remain in his advisory role with Valor Christian this season.
Front Range Christian and Jim Elliot will co-op in football for the 2014-15 school year.
Coveted 2016 big man De’Ron Davis of Overland added an offer from Oregon, according to his club team. Among his offers: Arizona, Indiana, UCLA and Wake Forest.
Valor Christian graduate Alex Kozan was a Freshman All-SEC pick as a redshirt freshman at Auburn last season. A guard, he’s now landed on the Outland Trophy watch list, given annually to college football’s top interior lineman.
Last year’s event featured 13 volunteer coaches who had either college or NFL experience. (Courtesy of the Ekhoff family)
It’s an event to honor his memory, but the Nate Ekhoff Kicking Camp also aims to help local kickers, punters and long snappers.
The camp honors former Ponderosa kicker Nate Ekhoff, who was diagnosed with leukemia just after his senior season in 2011. He died from complications of the disease less than a year after that.
Last summer, Nate’s family started the Nate Ekhoff Kicking Camp. It featured 13 current and former college/NFL kickers, punters and long snappers as volunteer coaches. Thirty Colorado high school players took part. Ultimately, the camp provided $4,000 in college scholarships to four Colorado athletes who went on to play at the Division II level.
(Courtesy of the Ekhoff family)
“Our family is very excited to help them out a little,” Marshall Ekhoff, Nate’s dad, wrote in an email.
This year’s event is Saturday at Sports Authority Stadium in Parker from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Registration is $125 and includes lunch and a t-shirt.
Coaches include former Northglenn and Colorado State punter/kicker Jimmie Kaylor; former Mullen and CSU long-snapper John Treacy; former Arvada West and CSU punter/kicker (and current A-West baseball coach) Matt McDougal; former Oregon State and NFL punter/kicker Sam Paulescu; former Arapahoe and CSU kicker Jason Smith; and former Nebraska punter/kicker Dan Wingard.
In addition, there will be a concurrent tailgate party from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. in the parking lot at Sports Authority Stadium. Admission is free. The tailgate will feature games, music, grilled food and there will also be a silent auction and drawings.
Donations will be accepted, as well, on behalf of the Nate Ekhoff Kicking Scholarship Fund.
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Local short stuff
John Hickey will be the new football coach at Flager. He has more than 25 years of coaching experience, most of it in DPS. He was Denver South’s interim coach in 2006, and has also headed Stratton. His stops as an assistant include Denver North, Denver East, Denver South and Alameda. His son, Johnny Hickey — who played at Broomfield — will serve as defensive coordinator.
North Park hired Chad Carlstrom as its football coach.
Cherry Creek hockey announced it has hired Brent Tollar as an assistant coach. Tollar was Steamboat Springs’ head coach last season as the Sailors went 10-7-1.
Denver East graduate Chyna Ries will head to the University of Texas instead of USC. “Initially I verbally committed to USC but was unable to get in,” Ries told co.milesplit.com. “Texas was one of my favorites as well but I had some additional work I needed to do to get in there. This was a long process and I want to reinforce to others to take your academics serious day one.” Ries won the long jump, was second in the 200 meters and third in the 100 at the Class 5A state track and field meet this past spring.
Fossil Ridge boys lacrosse’s Jake Frane committed to Notre Dame. He will be a sophomore this coming season.
Big news in the administrative realm: Russ McKinstry, the very successful boys basketball coach, has taken over as the athletic director at Monarch. Said McKinstry, to BoCoPreps.com: “There are high standards and expectations, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
The Colorado Athletic Directors Association has a new twitter account: @CoAD_Assn.
Doherty boys basketball coach James Lane resigned in late June. He was there for three seasons, and went 16-8 last spring as the Spartans made 5A’s second round.
Dakota Ridge teammates Gillian Vance and Sydney Merchant, Regis Jesuit’s Jaclyn Murray, Jefferson Academy’s Jennifer Kupcho and Silver Creek’s Erin Sargent (who plays for Skyline) all qualified for the U.S. Girls Junior Golf Championship, set to be held July 21-26 in Flagstaff, Arizona. Denver East’s Sarah Hunt is an alternate.
Kyle Freeland, the Thomas Jefferson product who went No. 8 overall to the Rockies in this summer’s MLB Draft, made his pro debut on Wednesday night. He pitched just two innings, but didn’t allow a run and struck out two against three hits. He also topped out at 96 mph. “When I got done with that second (inning), I just felt like I was getting in my groove,” Freeland told the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, “but they said, ‘We’re done after two. You threw 17 pitches, your two innings are up, we’ll just prepare for the next start.’”
In mid-June, Mead’s baseball and softball fields were vandalized by “unidentified youths” who sliced up the Mavs’ windscreen with a knife. The damage was estimated to be roughly $5,000.
Genoa-Hugo and Karval will co-op once again in 2014-15 in volleyball, football, boys and girls basketball, as well as baseball.
One school district in South Carolina has voted to prohibit parents from coaching their own kids at the varsity and junior varsity levels. According to The Post and Courier, a newspaper which covers the district, that extends to volunteer coaches, as well. There is a waiver, however, which would allow a parent to coach their kid if they are “determined to be vital to the existence of the program.”
Ohio is revamping its classification system. Some are hailing the change as a solution to competitive balance, though it only affects football, volleyball, soccer, basketball, baseball and softball. Essentially, enrollment numbers are being adjusted based upon if a student’s parents reside in the attendance zone or not, and if the student has been in the same district since seventh grade. Here are more details from theSuburbanite.com.
There’s an interesting transfer case brewing in Pennsylvania. It revolves around a Philadelphia-area football player.
AURORA — Girls golf may be in for a revolutionary change. The idea of introducing a Modified Stableford Scoring system is being kicked around.
Now, the idea hasn’t even been presented to the girls golf committee yet — they meet Oct. 7 — and it would also have to clear the Legislative Council in order to be integrated into the sport. But there is gathering evidence to suggest the Stableford system would create a better experience for all players, and also speed up the pace of play.
The Stableford system awards points for strokes in relation to par on a hole-by-hole basis, as opposed to the traditional method of simply counting strokes.
For example, in the unmodified version, a par is worth two points, a birdie is worth three, an eagle is four, and so on. The inverse is true, as well, meaning a bogey is worth one point, and a double-bogey is worth zero. Those points are then added at the end of a round, and the player with the highest total wins the tournament.
The major advantage here is that once a player reaches the stroke limit which awards no points — in the example above, that would be two-over-par — they simply pick up their ball and move on to the next hole. There would be no more 17s on a par-5.
Currently, some girls golf tournaments can last as long as six hours. With golfers having the ability to pick up after a certain number of strokes, the Stableford method could drastically speed things up.
The Stableford system also helps those just learning the game. For example, if a girl were to record a 4 for a hole on her scorecard when she actually made a 5, she would simply not get the Stableford points that hole. Normally, she would be disqualified from her entire round or tournament.
(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Additionally, the system means every golfer is viable late in the tournament as a potential impact on the team score — and, more importantly, there would be no more disqualifications at regionals. (Currently, CHSAA allows coaches to decide to pull players from regionals if they are at or near double-par after nine holes.)
Colorado would not be the first state to use a Modified Stableford System. Utah’s girls have been using it for a number of years now, and their rounds average about 4 to 4 1/2 hours.
Utah’s system awards five points for par, meaning a golfer is awarded zero points at 5-over-par and therefore picks up their ball at that point. That also puts a birdie at six points, an eagle at seven, and a double eagle at eight. A bogie is worth four points, a double-bogie is three, a triple-bogie is two and a quadruple-bogie is one.
Using Utah’s version of a modified system, CHSAA staff did a comparison of stroke play to Stableford scoring from the 5A and 4A state tournaments, as well as all regional events. Initial research showed that the Stableford system, while likely a more advantageous system for the general player, would not impact the top golfers.
At the state level, the order of the top 10 individuals remained the same in both classifications, even down to those who tied. The team state champions did not change, either.
At the regional level, the champions and top-10 remained the same.
Utah’s scoring method will be the basis of the conversation when the Stableford system is brought up in the committee meeting. Colorado could input its own system — say, picking up at 4-over-par — but that’s the type of detail the committee would hammer out if it chose to go the Stableford route.
This change is only being talked about for the girls’ game, where it would have the greatest impact. If the committee moved a Modified Stableford System through, the next step would be the Jan. 29 Legislative Council meeting. Conceivably, if passed there, that would be enough time to install it prior to the 2015 girls season.
Ultimately, the girls golf committee is seeking ways to speed up its tournaments. Another option is to cut rounds down to nine holes, which would allow for afternoon events where students don’t miss school time.
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We released the rest of our all-state teams last week. Find every team from the 2013-14 season on our All-State homepage.
Wheat Ridge girls lacrosse’s Gianna Ossello, a first-team all-state pick, was the lone Colorado player picked to the Under Armour All-American games. The midfielder, who is headed to Duke, will play on the South Team. She’ll play in the game on July 12 in Baltimore.
Chaparral’s Colton McCaffrey was the 5A boys lacrosse player of the year, and is also an All-American. He played in the Adrenaline All-American Game on June 7 — along with Cherry Creek’s Matt Goettelman, Wheat Ridge’s Jensen Makarov, Mullen’s Nick Phillips and Arapahoe’s Nick Runberg. McCaffrey, bound for DU, had two goals.
Loveland swimmer Brooke Hansen committed to Texas last week, according to the Loveland Reporter-Herald. She is a two-time state champion, winning the 100 breaststroke as a sophomore, then the 200 individual medley this past winter. Hansen will be a senior this fall.
Mountain Vista baseball’s Jack Strunc, a shortstop, announced on Twitter that he committed to Washington State. Strunc is an outgoing senior. He’ll join teammate Nick Leonard in Pullman.
Greg Maestas, the only wrestling coach Grandview has even known, retired earlier this month. He was at the school for 16 years, and spent 38 coaching in the sport. “He has left a legacy that will be missed,” athletic director Jamee Ulitzky said in a statement. “Words cannot express our appreciation for all of his work and commitment to the sport.” Said Maestas, to the Aurora Sentinel: “It’s time. I enjoyed it, I had some great kids, great parents and good administrators.”
Ashour Peera has left Gateway’s football program to become the coach at East Ridge in Florida, according to the Sentinel. He spent one season as the Olympians’ coach, and went 6-4. East Ridge is a 7A school in Florida, meaning Peera will return to the state where he coached prior to moving to Colorado. Here’s our updated list of football coaching changes this offseason.
Former Grand Junction defensive end Austin Berk has left the Colorado State football program after his freshman season. He told the Fort Collins Coloradoan that he needs “some time to get my body back to 100 percent.” Berk has had problems with his hip.
Is 2014 the most athletically-gifted class to graduate from this state in recent years? Or ever?
Well, maybe.
It’s tough to find real perspective when it comes to recruiting, seeing as how real data has only been kept since about 2002 at the earliest. Even then, not many commitments and signings were reported at that time, and even fewer were reporting from sports like lacrosse, volleyball and even baseball.
So while the data from the 2014 class absolutely blows away anything that we’ve been able to dig up, we can’t say how it stacks up to, say, the class of 1995. Still, it’s astounding where this year’s crop of seniors will head.
A total of 905 athletes have signed to play their sport(s) in college.
Of those, 343 will head to Division I programs.
Baseball features an astounding 45 Division I players in this class. I was able to find data as far back as 2006. The next-highest output of D-I guys from Colorado came in 2008, when the state had 28. This year’s 45 Division I seniors, by the way, came from more than 20 different schools.
Boys basketball has 12 Division I guys this go-round. That, too, is the most since data was kept, going back to 2002.
Likewise, girls basketball has 18 Division I players. Again, it is a high-water mark, though I only found reliable data back to 2010.
Football will send 31 players to D-I FBS schools, which is the most since 2008 (33). Another 16 will head to D-I FCS programs.
Other sports, like boys lacrosse, girls lacrosse and volleyball were right at or above their average Division I outputs over recent years.
In every instance, these sports are reporting the most college signings across all levels. Now, that is undoubtedly because we’re getting more kids to report their college commitments and signings than ever before. (Additionally, our lists only include athletes who are arriving on campus as scholarship athletes. There are dozens of other walkons headed to colleges.)
Even so, the data backs up that the 2014 class will be one to remember.
Valor Christian offensive lineman Isaiah Holland, a senior, had committed to Army to play football, but was recently denied admission “due to a medical issue,” according to 9News. Instead, he has signed with Colorado. “I love this state and I love that I get to be one of the cool Colorado kids that gets to go,” Holland told 9News.
Another late college switch: Chaparral baseball’s Keenan Eaton tweeted that he will head to Wichita State instead of Vanderbilt. This season, the Shockers featured five Colorado products.
Arapahoe selected assistant Brad Jansen as its next boys basketball coach. He takes over for Dan Snyder, who was massively successful for the Warriors before stepping away from coaching this offseason. Snyder briefly accepted the job at Grandview before changing his mind. Grandview has since hired Michael Rogers, formerly of George Washington.
Grand Junction hired Isaac Madison as its boys basketball coach, the school announced on Tuesday. Madison was an assistant for the Tigers for the past 11 years. “We look forward to the leadership that he will bring to our men’s basketball program, and the contributions that he will make to the Tiger coaching staff,” athletic director Ned Pollert wrote in an email.
How epic was last week’s 2A baseball semifinal battle between Rye and Sedgwick County? The two pitchers accounted for a combined 32 strikeouts. Rye’s Trenton Hughes had 17, Sedgwick County’s Chase Dunker finished with 15. Sedwick County won 4-1 in eight innings, but then lost to Resurrection Christian in the title game.
Reagan Todd’s two-out, walkoff grand slam to beat Mountain Vista in the 5A baseball tournament last weekend is one of the craziest finishes to a game I’ve seen at any level.
The MLB Draft, set for June 5-7, should be interesting for locals. Thomas Jefferson graduate Kyle Freeland, now pitching at Evansville, is expected to be a top-10 pick, and others like Regis Jesuit’s David Peterson and ThunderRidge’s Brody Westmoreland figure to be selected early. Peterson drew a crowd of scouts while pitching last weekend.
Dr. James Andrews — who has performed countless Tommy John surgeries — and a colleague are releasing an app which seeks to lower the risk of arm injury to youth baseball players. It will be called Throw Like a Pro, and will suggest guidelines on how to manage pitching — such as number of rest days and maximum number of pitches — based on a player’s age.
Former Chaparral offensive lineman Shane Callahan will transfer from Auburn to one of the in-state schools, according to the Montgomery Advertiser. The paper cited a desire to play closer to home. Callahan will be a redshirt sophomore.
Cherry Creek is building a swimming pool. Here’s a pic from AD Jason Wilkins on Twitter.
The lead group was two holes away from finishing at the Class 5A girls golf championship Tuesday when some violent weather rolled through Raccoon Creek Golf Course in Littleton.
First, a nearby lightning strike pulled the golfers off the course. Roughly 10 minutes later, marble-sized hail pounded the area. Check out this comparison to a golf ball:
(Tom Robinson/CHSAANow.com)
Here’s what it looked like from inside the tent where players were gathered:
Following an hour-and-15-minute delay, players returned to the course. The greens were cleared of all hail with blowers and there was no visible damage to the course.
Up until the storm, Raccoon Creek was an absolutely gorgeous setting for the championship:
(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
But as it turned out, Tuesday was a mere glimpse of what was to come this week.
Wednesday, a set of fierce storms rolled through the Denver metro area and produced multiple tornadoes, as well as hail and rain. Girls soccer’s 4A and 5A championship matches were scheduled for 5 and 7 p.m. at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City — but playing those games seemed increasingly unlikely as the evening drew near.
That’s because the field looked like this around 2:45 p.m.:
(Courtesy Paul Evans)
The playing surface was coated with nearly four inches of hail. Almost immediately, CHSAA assistant commissioner Bud Ozzello and DSGP staff met to determine if either of the games could be played that night. The grounds crew was confident it could clear the field because DSGP has a fancy suction system which whisks moisture away from the field.
But about a half an hour later, the power to the stadium — and that suction system with it — went out. The 4A game was pushed back to 6 p.m., and the grounds crew brought out snowplows to clear the field manually. As that work went on, the 4A game was pushed back to 7 p.m. — and 5A, after some discussion, was moved to 5 p.m. Thursday to avoid a start after 9 p.m.
A half-hour prior to kickoff of the 4A game on Wednesday, the teams came out to warm up on a field wiped free of any hail. Even on field level, the surface looked immaculate. True to their word, the grounds crew had done a great job.
Had the field not been ready, the 4A game was set to move to 1 p.m. or 7 p.m. Thursday. Looking at Thursday’s forecast, however, the 5A game may again be fighting severe weather — so it’s a good thing 4A is in the books.
Here are a few more photos from Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on Wednesday:
About 15 miles to the south Wednesday night on the campus of the University of Denver, girls lacrosse’s title game had a relatively quiet evening in comparison. There was slight concern in the second half when lightning struck a few miles away, but it wasn’t close enough to cause a delay and the storm quickly moved out of the area.
Don’t be shocked if severe weather also affects the weekend’s baseball championships.
According to the National Weather Service, thunderstorms are very likely in the Denver metro area Friday and Saturday after 1 p.m. — which could wipe out play in 5A and 4A. All-City Field is hosting 5A in Denver; 4A is at Lakewood’s All-Star Park. Those fields need time to dry out from this week’s moisture, as well.
Likewise, thunderstorms are also likely in Greeley (site of 3A) Friday and Saturday afternoon; and it’s the same story in Pueblo (2A’s host) on Saturday.
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Hockey’s state championship game will have to find a new venue next season. The title game and semifinals are set for March 6-7, 2015, but the dates conflicts with the Denver Coliseum, which has hosted the championship the past few seasons. Among possibilities are the Pepsi Center, the University of Denver and the Air Force Academy, as well as other venues.
Sedgwick County’s Chase Dunker struck out 21 batters in a win over Lutheran during the 2A baseball quarterfinals last weekend. Yes, there are 21 outs in a seven-inning game — but two of those strikeouts reached base on dropped third strikes. Dunker also had two groundouts. He allowed just two hits, and had two walks. Dunker now leads the entire state, regardless of classification, with 129 Ks.
Grandview’s boys basketball opening has been filled. The school hired former George Washington coach Michael Rogers last week. Rogers led the Patriots to the 5A title game in the 2008-09 season, where they lost to Regis Jesuit. “We look forward to the future of boys’ basketball under the leadership of coach Rogers,” Grandview AD Jamee Ulitzky said in a statement. The Wolves originally hired Arapahoe coach Dan Snyder in April before he changed his mind nine days later to step away from coaching for a bit.
Eaglecrest has an opening for a boys lacrosse coach. Contact AD Vince Orlando for more info: vorlando@cherrycreekschools.org.
I spent much of my time at the girls lacrosse championship Wednesday with former Denver Christian boys basketball coach Dick Katte, who volunteers at many CHSAA events. Katte could not be more enthusiastic about the sport, and drew many parallels with basketball. He spent much of the final minute of a tense game hooting and hollering along the rail at the edge of the field. It was neat to see.
