Jeffco Stadium’s new videoboard has live video capability, and also displays results and lineups. (Dennis Pleuss)
Over the course of the past year, Jeffco Stadium has undergone a transformation. When the state track meet begins on Thursday, the facility will, in effect, cut the ribbon on a variety of new improvements.
Included: a resurfaced track, a new video scoreboard, a new timing system and a new drainage system.
“We made some real investment into it that’s really going to bring us into the future,” Jeffco executive director of athletics Jim Thyfault said Monday.
“Trust me,” added Ezra Paddock, manager of operations for Jeffco, “this has taken effort from every department in the district.”
A big driving force behind much of the improvements?
“We take seriously the opportunity we have to host the state track meet every year.” Thyfault said. “We feel like our part of that, besides providing a facility, is providing a quality facility.
“Time was rolling around where we needed to resurface the track. We felt if we could upgrade the surface and make it an even better one, then that’s what we’re going to do because we feel the state deserves that.”
The surface was part one to the project, along with the new drainage system. “Our surface was at the end of its lifespan,” Paddock said. The new surface is what’s known as a sandwich system and is used by many colleges and universities.
“It’s state-of-the-art,” Paddock said. “It’s the same thing colleges run on.”
And whereas before Jeffco workers often were reduced to five-gallon buckets to be rid of standing water during larger rainstorms, the new drainage system easily handles a lot of moisture. That was tested early on during last fall’s massive flooding.
Jeffco Stadium. (Dennis Pleuss)
At the same time of the resurfacing, Jeffco buried all wires that had once surrounded the track.
Next came the new videoboard. The process started last summer when Thyfault was talking with a track coach, who asked about running the timing clock on the scoreboard.
“It just got me to thinking, and I got talking to Ezra about it,” Thyfault said. “Anyway, I ran it by my immediate supervisor here, and he thought it was great idea.”
Eventually, Jeffco secured a board from Daktronics, a national company which provides videoboards for some of the biggest sporting facilities in the world — including the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Madison Square Garden and Auburn’s Jordan-Hare Stadium.
“Our job now is to go out and sell some advertising to help offset the funding,” Thyfault said.
The video board was first fired up about a week ago. It has live video capability, and also displays results and lineups.
“It really adds to the experience for our kids,” Paddock said. “It’s just such a big difference. We’ve only had it up for a week, and they enjoy it so much.”
During the state meet, the board will provide live results — delivered by the new timing system, which was the final piece to the project.
The Lynx system is “the same system that they use at the Olympics,” Paddock said, and is wired directly to the new videoboard.
Thyfault said Jeffco is mulling putting new videoboards at its other stadiums — the North Area Athletic Complex, and Trailblazer Stadium — as well.
“It just all depends,” Thyfault said. “We’re going to go out and meet with some businesses and hope to partner up with them, and try and make it a win-win for both of us. If it ends up being a good process, then it could move us into being able to get scoreboards.”
Among other future ideas? Family move nights, using Jeffco Stadium’s new video screen, during the summer.
Thursday will mark the 30th year of the past 32 that Jeffco has hosted the state track meet. It doesn’t look to be going anywhere else anytime soon.
“We love to represent Jeffco when CHSAA comes out and hosts the state meet here,” Paddock said. “We try to make it as first class as it can be.”
TJ grad listed as No. 5 prospect for MLB Draft
Baseball America released its top 100 prospects for the 2014 MLB Draft on Wednesday. Thomas Jefferson grad Kyle Freeland, a junior at the University of Evansville, is No. 5 on that list.
Freeland, a left-handed pitcher, is 9-1 with a 1.75 ERA in 12 starts this season, and has 111 strikeouts to just seven walks. His stock really took off during a breakout summer in the Cape Cod League, where he was an All-Star after leading all players in strikeouts (48 in nine regular season games, and another 10 in a playoff game).
Also making the top 100 is Regis Jesuit senior David Peterson, who broke his fibula just prior to the season but made a quick recovery to return and pitch in mid-April. Peterson is 1-0 with a 1.17 ERA in 12 innings pitched this season. As a junior, Peterson was 6-3 with a 3.26 ERA.
Peterson is committed to Oregon.
Short stuff
Valor Christian graduate Wyndham Clark was featured by the Golf Channel on Mother’s Day. Now at Oklahoma State, Clark shared the story of his mother’s battle with breast cancer and how he honors her through his game.
Kent Denver dedicated a new sports pavilion last night, naming it for longtime football coach and athletic director Scott Yates and his family. The new facility — known as the Yates Pavilion — will house basketball and volleyball, and seat 850 people this fall. Here’s a photo. Coaching icon Dick Katte, a longtime figure at Denver Christian, attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday, as did a number of former players and coaches. “It is gorgeous,” boys basketball coach Todd Schayes said of the facility. “Now I have to make sure to put a strong basketball product in there next year.”
Valor Christian swim coach Rob Nasser regularly puts out rankings during the season which essentially comprise the best times around Colorado. His most anticipated rankings come out just prior to the state meet, and are based upon the psych sheets. Well, they came out Wednesday and amount to a projected finish at state. The favorites are Air Academy in 4A and Regis Jesuit in 5A. Find the full rankings at cohsswimanddive.blogspot.com.
Joe Rausch, largely successful as the boys basketball coach at Sand Creek for the past four seasons, will take over the same position at Pine Creek, according to the Colorado Springs Gazette. Rausch was 73-30 at Sand Creek, and led the 4A Scorpions to the Final 4 in March.
Arapahoe’s Austin Shindoll scored an incredible behind-the-back game-winner in overtime during the 5A boys lacrosse quarterfinals. Check out this photo. There’s also video here; the goal comes right around 1:56.
If you missed it, here was what Jeffco Stadium looked like on Monday during the snowstorm. Presumably, the new drainage system had no problem with the melt.
Heading into the game, we knew it essentially would be the difference between hosting a 5A district this Saturday because of the way the Wild Card point standings were set up. But we thought the loser would end up as No. 9, or thereabout.
Instead, ThunderRidge dropped all the way to No. 12 the night of the game, and wound up as the No. 11 seed in the 5A tournament. That’s because, in the end, teams Nos. 9-12 were separated be a mere 0.158 points in the final Wild Card standings. So the Lobos will play at home as the No. 7 seed, while ThunderRidge must travel to No. 6 Arvada West — a tougher road for the defending champions.
That district — it’s District 8 — could be among the most entertaining in 5A. The potential title game matchup between T-Ridge and Arvada West is an interesting storyline.
On one hand, you have Arvada West, winner of eight games in a row. I saw the Wildcats in early April during a 9-1 loss to Fairview, and they didn’t look like a team that would host a district. Needless to say, A-West has come a long way since then and is at this point a different team.
On the other, there’s ThunderRidge, the early favorite and a mainstay at No. 1 in CHSAANow.com’s poll for much of the early part of the year. But the Grizzlies had a rough week — three losses in four days — in late April which changed the complexion of their season. So this district is really their chance at redemption, of sorts.
Other interesting storylines in baseballs districts, which are this Saturday:
How will Chatfield respond to the criticism thrown its way about to the Chargers getting 5A’s No. 1 overall seed? Seems like a good source of motivation. Chatfield, for what it’s worth, has never won a baseball title, though it has appeared in two championship games.
What will Montrose do? The Indians are 4A’s No. 1 seed — but the program hasn’t reached a title game since 1959, and its last championship was 1952.
Either Eaton or Holy Family have played in 3A’s title game for each of the past seven seasons. Will that trend continue? Fittingly, Eaton is 3A’s No. 1 seed; Holy Family is No. 2.
Which of the non-hosts can emerge from a district? Will there be a, say, No. 23 seed making the Final 8 in any of the classifications? That was Cheyenne Mountain in 4A during the 2011 postseason — those Indians went on to win a title. Last year, Mountain View won 4A as the No. 27.
Spring weather bothers soccer, but no issue for tennis
The NAAC saw its share of weather on Wednesday night. (Dennis Pleuss)
Much of 4A girls soccer’s postseason was interrupted by a major storm moving through parts of the state Wednesday night.
At the NAAC, Wheat Ridge and Discovery Canyon had to suspend the start of overtime roughly an hour and a half because of lightning and golf-ball sized hail. That pushed the start of Green Mountain-Longmont to close to 9 p.m.
Up north, Windsor and Palisade actually had to suspend their game with 32 minutes left in the second half to 11:30 a.m. Thursday. There were reports of softball-sized hail in that area.
All that had our office worried about Thursday’s start to the 5A girls tennis state tournament. Rain was in the forecast, and the area was soaked with an overnight drizzle. It was 45 degrees when players began to arrive.
But the tournament kicked off on time Thursday morning — after workers squeegeed any remaining water off the courts. By 11 a.m., the sun was out and the jackets were off. Such is life in this state.
Update:Alas, the rain did not hold off forever for 5A girls tennis. Some first-round matches were delayed to Friday. 4A was also affected by rain.
St. Clair moves to Rampart
J’on St. Clair has resigned as Cheyenne Mountain’s boys basketball coach, according to the Colorado Springs Gazette. He was 57-20 in three seasons, and led the Indians to the 4A final four this past season.
Update: Later Thursday afternoon, Rampart announced it had re-hired St. Clair. The veteran coach headed that program from 2004-10 before leaving to take the Doherty girls job for one season and then eventually landing at Cheyenne Mountain.
In St. Clair’s final season at Rampart (2009-10), the Rams went 23-3 and advanced to the 5A Great 8.
Short stuff
Girls golf’s regionals started on Monday, and it meant the return of live scoring via a partnership with iWanamaker. Live scores, a hit during the boys postseason in the fall, will also be back for the state meet.
2A’s Sedgwick County baseball came up to Greenwood Village to scrimmage 5A’s Cherry Creek last Friday as both teams prepared for the postseason. It’s something Cherry Creek has done in recent years — the Bruins scrimmaged 2A’s Rye last season.
Denver Public Schools has been planning to field a hockey team next season. Now, that district program has a home: Denver East. The Angels will play in the Peak Conference, essentially replacing Bishop Machebeuf, which dropped its program.
Grandview’s boys basketball job, briefly accepted by Arapahoe’s Dan Snyder before he stepped away from coaching, has been reposted. Candidates should apply through the Cherry Creek School District website.
A rule change for boys and girls basketball, beginning next season: During free-throw attempts, players in marked lane spaces can move into the lane once the shooter releases the ball. Previously, players couldn’t move into the lane until the ball hit the backboard or the rim.
Erie hired Bill Giampietro as its girls basketball coach, replacing Noel Potter, who resigned. Giampietro is an alum, and has been an assistant there. The school had 16 applicants for the job. “He is dedicated to our school and basketball program,” athletic director Richie Wildenhaus said. “Those are just some of the factors that set him apart from the rest of the field. Bill is a great motivator of young people, and his high energy and positive approach will be a great fit for our program.”
Dayspring Christian Academy is looking for a boys basketball coach, as well as a girls basketball assistant. Info is available via athletic director Harley Lowe: hlowe@dayspringeagles.org.
Former Rampart football coach JJ Owens has landed a job at Dallas’ Woodrow Wilson High School. Owens, who resigned in November, will teach and be an assistant for the Wildcats, who are coming off a 10-2 year in which they won Texas’ 4A Region II District 12. The team returns eight players on both offense and defense. Sounds like a great situation for one of the better guys in the coaching ranks.
Green Mountain’s Lindsey Hendon set the state record with her 40th career shutout on Tuesday. (Carl Auer, MaxPreps)
Green Mountain goalkeeper Lindsey Hendon has made 221 saves in her career. She carries a 0.631 goals-against average, and has 55 wins for the Rams. But most impressive is what happened Tuesday.
Hendon.
Hendon, a senior, set the Colorado record with her 40th career shutout during a 10-0 win over Colorado Springs Christian on Tuesday.
CHSAA does not maintain soccer records, but the National Soccer Coaches Association of America has extensive data. According to that record book, Hendon broke the mark of 39 career shutouts set by Overland’s Lisa Griffin after the 1988-89 season.
Ten of Hendon’s 40 shutouts have come this season. She notched 11 as a junior, 10 as a sophomore and nine as a freshman.
Hendon, an Iowa State recruit, is now 55-6-6 in net.
Green Mountain is 12-1-1 this season in Class 4A.
Cherry Creek boys lacrosse in driver’s seat
Cherry Creek boys lacrosse had probably its biggest win of the season on Tuesday night — and what a time to have it.
The second-ranked Bruins beat No. 1 Regis Jesuit 10-7 and are now 10-0 against in-state competition.
Cherry Creek has finished runner-up each of the last two seasons. Should they beat Kent Denver in the Friday’s season finale, it seems very likely that the Bruins end up as the No. 1 seed of the Class 5A field. In that scenario, I think Regis — 12-1 against in-state teams — would still wind up as the No. 2 seed.
Other high seeds should include Mountain Vista, Kent Denver and Colorado Academy.
Boykins talks new Douglas County job
New Douglas County boys basketball coach Earl Boykins, the former Denver Nugget, is a weekly guest on 104.3 The Fan. Tuesday, he talked about his new job.
“I’ve always wanted to teach young people basketball,” he said. “That’s always been a desire of mine and something I wanted to do. That’s why I started Boykins Basketball Academy. While doing the Academy, I decided I should take it to the next level, and the next level would be high school.
“It’s been a process that I’m enjoying and I look forward to the next basketball season.”
Douglas County went 3-20 last season, and actually hasn’t had a winning season since 2007-08. That’s also the last time the Huskies made the state tournament. Over the past six seasons, the Huskies are 29-110.
“I believe in Earl, I’ve seen him coach in person,” said Alfred Williams, co-host on 104.3. “I believe the guy’s going to be a great coach. Can’t wait to see it all come together.”
Arapahoe girls soccer turns it around
(Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com)
Arapahoe’s girls soccer team finished the regular season 11-3-1 and won the Centennial League by virtue of a win over Cherry Creek on April 15.
It was quite a one-season turnaround for the Warriors, who went 3-11-0 a year ago and lost seven of their final eight games.
Though, these guys didn’t exactly come out of nowhere. Arapahoe was 14-3-0 in 2012, and made the 5A title game in 2010.
Short stuff
In an abrupt change, Dan Snyder will not become Grandview’s new boys basketball coach. The longtime Arapahoe coach decided instead “to step away from high school coaching for awhile,” according to the Aurora Sentinel.
Prairie View baseball senior Caleb Dameron now has 22 steals this season with three games yet to play. That is believed to be a big-school state record.
Sedgwick County’s Chase Dunker threw his third no-hitter of the season on Saturday. This time, he struck out 16. Earlier this season, Dunker struck out 19 of the 21 batters he faced while tossing a perfect game.
County Line remained unranked in the final 2A baseball poll of the regular season, but the Rivals — it’s a co-op between Wiley and McClave — are now 13-3, including a double-header sweep of then-No. 1 Swink on Saturday.
Grand Junction boys basketball coach Dutch Johnson resigned to become an assistant at Colorado Mesa next season, according to this tweet.
Longmont volleyball coach Holli Stetson has resigned, according to BoCoPreps.com, following a difficult season during which she endured the death of her father and had a variety of health issues.
Spring championship season around the corner, and most of the events will be carried on the NFHS Network. The Network recently released an official app — download it here.
Ponderosa’s booster club tweeted out new jerseys the team will wear next season under first-year coach Jaron Cohen. Here’s away, and home.
Brandon Bailey, a 2013 graduate of Broomfield, was named the West Coast Conference’s baseball player of the week on Monday. He pitched a complete-game win over Saint Mary’s last Saturday, allowing just one earned run on eight hits. He also struck out a career-high seven batters. Bailey, who didn’t pitch his senior season because of an arm injury, is now 4-5 with a 3.24 ERA for the Bulldogs as a freshman.
Greeley West is looking for boys and girls basketball coaches. Apply here.
BOULDER — Fairview’s baseball team made such quick work of Greeley West in a win last Saturday — it took 57 minutes — that the Knights held batting practice afterward.
The win was a 10-0 affair in five innings, blown open by an eight-run fourth inning which included Jeff Clarke’s home run over the scoreboard in left field. Eight of their nine players recorded at least one hit, and seven had at least one RBI.
Sitting in their dugout after the game, a few players approached coach Rick Harig and asked if they could take batting practice. They didn’t feel like they’d been on the field long enough. Harig shrugged: “Sure, why not.”
So the Knights took hacks for another hour. Not that they really needed the practice. These guys can hit.
Saturday’s game was the seventh in a row in which Fairview’s lineup had produced double-digit runs, and Tuesday’s 15-0 win over Poudre made it eight straight.
(Pam Wagner)
Fairview now has four players with at least four home runs — Clarke, Cam Frazier and Walker Harris — and its 18 homers as a team is third-best in the state among all classifications.
Clarke is hitting .579 with 33 RBIs, Frazier is at .526 with 20 RBIs and Jacob Thoning is hitting .500 with 17 RBIs. No one who sees regular at-bats is hitting below .333. And this is a team which lost designated hitter Steve D’Epagnier to a torn labrum after five games.
The Knights lead Class 5A in team batting average (.447), slugging percentage (.698), RBIs (152) and runs (167).
For context, ThunderRidge led 5A in batting average and runs scored en route to the championship last season. Rocky Mountain, the runner-up, led 5A in RBIs, and was second in runs.
More context: 2012 champion Cherry Creek led 5A in RBIs and runs, and was second in home runs. 2011 champ Regis Jesuit led 5A in runs, home runs and RBIs.
But ThunderRidge, Cherry Creek and Regis also had great pitching staffs. In fact, Cherry Creek’s team led 5A with a 1.75 ERA in 2012. And pitching is what separates teams in the postseason, where seemingly everyone can hit.
Fairview’s arms have matured this season and become more consistent compared to prior years. As a staff, the Knights have a 2.23 ERA, which is third-best in 5A at this point.
Senior Ryan Kokora carries a 1.18 ERA in 29 2/3 innings, and is now 6-0. He started (and won) Fairview’s biggest win of the season, a 10-7 victory at Rocky Mountain on April 10. Kokora gave up seven runs that day, five earned, but hasn’t allowed anything else in any of his other appearances. In fact, outside of the Rocky Mountain game — in which he pitched well, make no mistake — Kokora has allowed just eight hits.
But one pitcher can’t carry a team through the postseason.
(Pam Wagner)
Fortunately for Fairview, the Knights have what amounts to two aces. Ryan Madden, a junior, is 6-1 with a 3.37 ERA and 31 strikeouts against just five walks in 35 1/3 innings.
Mike Vlasity is the team’s closer with a 0.88 ERA, and has 21 strikeouts to two walks in 16 innings.
Johnny Feauto or Jacob Kearney will likely be Fairview’s third starter should they need one in the postseason. Neither have been needed since early April.
All of them have flourished under the guidance of senior catcher Cannon Casey, who calls pitches all game, and has since he was a sophomore.
It’s all amounted to this: Fairview is unbeaten in Colorado so far this season (11-0), with the lone loss coming over spring break in Arizona. The Knights already have 14 wins, which is the most since going 16-5 during the 2008-09 season. That is also the last time they won a postseason game. Fairview beat Arvada West in the first round of districts that season, but then lost to Grandview in the second round.
As far as recent history goes, the Knights lost in the first round of districts in 2013 and 2010, and didn’t even make the postseason in 2012 or 2011. In fact, Fairview’s last trip to the Final 8 came during the 2007 season, when it went 1-2.
In recent months, Regis Jesuit’s 6-foot-4, 295-pound offensive lineman Tim Lynott has hauled in the scholarship offers. Thursday, the 2015 grad was offered by Wyoming. That followed an offer from Utah State on Monday. He’s now up to 12 total, and counts Miami, Oregon, UCLA, Arizona State and Kansas State among his offers. CU and CSU have both offered, as well.
He’s a 2016 graduate, but Legacy quarterback Matt Lynch committed to Colorado State during the Rams’ spring game this past Saturday, according to BoCoPreps.com. “It did shock me a little bit,” Lynch told BoCoPreps of committing early.
Eaglecrest picked Tom Brennan as its girls basketball coach. He was an assistant at the school this past season, and was also on the staff at ThunderRidge when it won 5A titles from 2003-05. “We are confident coach Brennan can take this program to a different level of success moving forward while also providing long term stability and consistently high expectations year in and year out,” Eaglecrest AD Vince Orlando said in a statement. In addition, the school hired Rhonda Appleton-Webb as an assistant.
Ralston Valley’s Jordan Holloway went 4-for-4 with three home runs and nine RBIs in a win over Standley Lake last Saturday.
Dakota Ridge golfer Sydney Merchant set the course record at The Meadows Golf Course on Monday when she shot a 63. Just another golfer to watch for in the loaded 5A field.
The Colorado 7 League added an eighth team during the 2014-16 realignment, but will keep its name.
Rule change for swimming: In the backstroke, “any part of the swimmer’s body must be on or above the water at the finish.” This will take effect in the 2014-15 season. Previously, the swimmer could be underwater.
The Sedgwick County senior threw his second no-hitter of the season on Thursday, this one a perfect game against Holyoke in which he struck out 19 batters in a seven-inning game. Two balls were put into play — one a groundout to second, another a groundout to third. He threw just 82 pitches.
He was also 3-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored.
Dunker, 5-foot-9 and 147 pounds, is now 5-0 with 77 strikeouts against just four walks. In fact, Dunker has faced 99 batters this season, meaning he’s striking them out more than three-fourths of the time.
Dunker hasn’t allowed an earned run in 28 2/3 innings so far this season, and has given up just two total runs — and four hits. He also no-hit Wray on April 5, striking out 14 of the 16 batters he faced that game and throwing only 56 pitches.
Sedgwick County is now 11-1, and ranked No. 6 in CHSAANow.com’s latest 2A poll.
In his career, Dunker is now 17-3 with a 1.01 ERA. He hasn’t allowed an earned run since last May.
Dunker has signed with Northeastern Junior Collge in Sterling.
Short stuff
Regis Jesuit, already likely to move into Class 5A baseball’s No. 1 spot next Monday following ThunderRidge’s loss to Mountain Vista, got a big piece back Thursday when left-handed pitcher David Peterson returned to the mound in an 8-1 win over Ponderosa. He threw just one inning. Peterson, an Oregon recruit, fractured his right fibula before the season and was originally expected to miss the entire season. “Great to get back on the mound last night for the first time. Can’t thank my team enough for being the most supportive guys through all this,” he tweeted. Regis, meanwhile, has won eight-straight games.
On its Facebook page, Castle View announced it has hired Russ McKinstry as boys basketball coach. The move could shake up the Continental League a bit, where Castle View hasn’t been much of a contender in recent years. The SaberCats are just 29-62 since the 2010-11 season, including 9-32 in the Continental. They haven’t ever finished higher than eighth in the league. McKinstry led Lewis-Palmer to back-to-back 4A titles in 2012 — that team included CU’s Josh Scott — and 2013, but resigned last summer. “I’ve always felt like there was a very high ceiling for potential growth in Castle View’s boys basketball program,” McKinstry told the Facebook page.
Another big boys basketball coaching move: Douglas County tabbed former Nugget Earl Boykins, according to Basketball Colorado. Boykins played in Denver from 2003-07, and played in the NBA for 16 seasons.
MaxPreps’ computer rankings have made their spring debut in many sports. Included are baseball, boys lacrosse and girls lacrosse. Girls soccer‘s rankings were already up and running. Because the computer rankings uses a complex algorithm, a certain number of games are needed before the data is unveiled.
In mid-February, Chatfield sent out a release announcing the hire of baseball coach Brandon Stone.
Stone was up against it. Chatfield’s first game was exactly 30 days away.
Well, Stone’s Chargers are now 11-0, and sit atop Class 5A baseball’s Wild Card points by a sizable margin. Through the weekend’s games, Chatfield has 114.091 points; second-place Regis Jesuit is at 111.364, third-place ThunderRidge has 109.000.
We’re only at the midpoint of the 2014 season, but Chatfield is just two wins away from matching its entire total from all of last season, when the Chargers went 13-10.
Still, that record is somewhat deceiving. Chatfield cruised through the district round to reach the final eight last year (where they went 0-2). Now, they’re carrying the momentum on through to this spring.
Leading the way has been junior Kyle Winkler, who is batting .559 with a team-high 18 RBIs, five doubles and a home run. It’s a dangerous lineup, which features seven players hitting .390 or above, and five kids with double-digit RBIs. The latter group doesn’t even include Blake Moore, who has three home runs.
The staff, led by a trio of seniors, has been good, too. Nick Chamberlain has a 1.33 ERA in a team-high 21 innings pitched. Patrick Barder carries a 2.58 ERA in 19 innings, while Travis Schnoor is at 3.50 in 12 innings.
Chatfield hasn’t won a game in the final eight since 2008. Does that change this year?
He’s the third local football player from the class of 2015 to commit publicly thus far. Pine Creek defensive back Avery Anderson and Valor Christian defensive back Eric Lee have both pledged to Nebraska.
East went 13-1 last season, with the lone loss coming in the Class 4A championship game. The Leopards feature senior-to-be Christian Folau, a linebacker who has committed to Stanford.
The two teams will play on Sept. 5 at Valor.
It is the third out-of-state team the Eagles will play next season. They’ll open up at Bonneville, Idaho, on Aug. 22 (Zero Week), before returning home to play Pomona on Aug. 29. The East game is the following week, and then Valor — a five-time defending champion across classes 5A, 4A and 3A — hosts Chandler (Ariz.) on Sept. 12.
Denver East’s Carey gets his own day
Gov. John Hickenlooper and Rep. Angela Williams proclaimed April 10 “Rudy Carey Day” for the Denver East coach.
Here’s a picture our Tom Robinson snapped at the announcement last week:
On a related note, Collier’s Angels finished at No. 10 in MaxPreps’ national rankings. It’s the highest finish for a boys team in this state since the ranking started in 2005-06.
Regis Jesuit’s girls basketball team finished at No. 11 in those same rankings. It, too, is the highest finish ever for a girls team from Colorado. That ranking started in 2005-06, as well.
Cherry Creek baseball coach Marc Johnson won the 700th game of his career on Wednesday. Friday, the Bruins’ Brian Perry won his 200th as boys lacrosse coach.
Here’s an interesting take on youth sports from Changing The Game Project, where they examine “an adult driven, hyper competitive race to the top in both academics and athletics that serves the needs of the adults, but rarely the kids.” This culture, they argue, “produces bitter athletes who get hurt, burnout, and quit sports altogether.”
Mountain Vista is a No. 1 seed in the Ray Ball Region. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
Ball Fever is a regular installment written by Thomas Trotman which rounds up boys basketball action in Class 5A and 4A.
Colorado prep hoop fans! What an exciting time in Colorado as our big school divisions have produced one memorable regular season with some excellent team play and amazing individual performances, as well.
The buzz about Colorado hoops is legit and we can thank a growing basketball community for that from our peewee rec leagues to competitive club ball, increasing individual personal training opportunities and truly dedicated high school staffs. The basketball product hitting the Colorado hardwood is improving and colleges of all levels are taking notice! Great time to be a part of Colorado hoops and now lets get to the madness!
Now, on to the tournament previews:
[divider]
Class 5A
Ray Ball Region
The top seed coming out of this region is an extremely hot Mountain Vista (22-1) squad which is riding a 14-game winning streak. That includes their Continental League-clinching overtime thriller vs. Highlands Ranch to cap the regular season. The confident, Denver-bound Jake Pemberton leads Vista’s fast-paced attack which keeps opponents gasping for air.
Our Fever Crew discussed Chatfield playing with a bit of a chip on their shoulder in this region after going 14-2 in league and winning the Jeffco but earning a No. 3 seed.
Eaglecrest celebrates winning the last year’s 5A basketball championship. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
The defending champs? Oh yes, the Eaglecrest Raptors again have a balanced attack with numerous athletes who are likely very hungry to taste the title again. Junior Blend Advili continues to be a jack of all trades for the Raptors, while LaDerian King and Jaisean Jackson’s senior leadership will make the defending champ a scary matchup.
Favorites: Mountain Vista and Eaglecrest. In our opinion, both are Boulder-capable teams but only one will get there.
Watch out for: Fort Collins can be a sneaky No. 4 seed here in our opinion. Colorado State commit Toby Van Ry and his running mate Will Duggan (Black Hills State commit) will not go down without a fight. Possible Sweet 16 match-up with Mountain Vista for Fort Collins.
Chatfield was discussed above and they may have to face a tough, well-coached ThunderRidge squad right away. Coach Joe Ortiz and crew will use the lessons learned in the tough Continental League and be prepared should that game become reality.
Chauncey Billups Region:
Fossil Ridge is No. 1 seed in the Chauncey Billups Region. (Pam Wagner)
One year ago, we sat in the Fossil Ridge gym and watched that 2013 team battle Arapahoe to exciting last-second finish. While looking at their roster all one could think was, “This squad is going to be tough next year!”
That turned out to be a huge understatement as the SaberCats have posted a perfect 23-0 season with their first league title and many voting them as our state’s No. 1 team. The SaberCats’ lead man is Alex Semadeni, who leads their balanced attack with 14 points per game. Our Fever Crew got to see many of these young men playing club ball together as well in tough venues such as Indianapolis and Las Vegas.
Regardless of how things end up for the SaberCats, congrats are in order for coach Matt Johannsen and the entire Fossil Ridge hoops family.
With all the attention Mountain Vista and Highlands Ranch got towards the end of the season, it may have been easy to overlook Regis Jesuit but don’t make that mistake as coach Ken Shaw will have his crew prepped for postseason action. The Raiders have a No. 2 seed but some tough potential opponents in Smoky Hill, Standley Lake and possibly an Arapahoe if both can advance to Sweet 16.
Favorites: Fossil Ridge and Regis. After a tough two-point loss to Mountain Vista, Regis has quietly ran off seven in a row. Many feel Fossil Ridge/Regis have similar rosters and would love to see the two great coaches match wits as well.
Watch out for:
A fun first-round match up in Rock Canyon and Lincoln. If you like guard play check out Lincoln’s leader Michael Sparks vs. the Jaguars tandem of Tyler Garcia and Mitch Lombard.
Arapahoe and Smoky Hill have impressive “Centennial-tough” league wins and wouldn’t mind playing for a rubber match after splitting their season matchups.
Jim Baggot Region:
Denver East’s Dom Collier. (Kevin Keyser/KeyserImages.com)
The season had to have a bit of a “rock star” feel for this region’s top seed Denver East Angels while they had the opportunity to play top national competition in Utah, Florida and Nebraska.
The Angels finished the season with a 19-4 mark with each loss coming out of state. CU-bound Dominique Collier and Creighton commit Ronnie Harrell lead a very celebrated starting five who all have NCAA Division I college interest and potential.
East tasted great success last year but as we all know they came up short in the title game. They haven’t lost in Colorado this year and we’re sure coach Rudy Carey’s Angels don’t plan on it.
Highlands Ranch suffered a 20-point post-winter break loss to Denver East in January and they would love a rematch now that the Falcons are healthy and at full strength. The No. 2 seed is led by big Zach Braxton (Weber State commit) and he has serious perimeter help with a healthy Evan Motlong along with Riley Stewart playing well.
Favorites: Clearly Denver East and Highlands Ranch in this region. Lots of work to be done but the city vs. suburbs fanatics would love to see this possible Sweet 16 matchup happen.
Watch out for:
Horizon will have its hands full with No. 10 seed George Washington.
Thomas (20 points per game) and Luke Neff over at Arvada West can heat up and cause lots of trouble in the bottom half of this region.
Twitter-verse seemed to show a lot of surprise at Grandview earning a No. 3 seed and they will be tested right away if the Arvada West match up plays out.
Heard a lot of good things about Broderick Robinson, senior averaging 20 points per for Grand Junction, and a possible match-up vs. Cherokee Trail young guns could be intriguing.
Bill Weimar Region:
Rangeview is on a 10-game winning streak. (Kevin Keyser/KeyserImages.com)
The Danny Fisher-coached Overland Trailblazers (17-6) suffered a tough one-point home loss to Eaglecrest in January, but have since run off seven straight, including avenging that loss to the Raptors to lock up the Centennial League title in OT last Friday.
The young Blazers talent is well documented with two-sport stud Austin Conway running the show, big De’Ron Davis on the inside, and guards Reggie Gibson, Jervae Robinson making more consistent impact. Don’t be surprised if you hear that senior T’Aren Williams steps up for Overland somewhere during this playoff journey.
The EMAC conference hasn’t gotten a lot of respect lately but one player who could make us all take notice on any given night is future CSU Ram Jeremiah Paige. The Rangeview Raiders look good as a No. 2 seed on a 10-game win streak which includes a road victory over 4A’s No. 1 ranked squad Valor Christian to finish the season.
The Raiders could be in for a real battle if Montbello can get the win over visiting Liberty. Montbello is playing much improved ball lately and have a starting five that can compete with any in the state. The question with the Warriors will be their depth.
Favorites: Going with the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds as the favorites here as well. Giving a slight edge to Rangeview over No. 3 seed Chaparral here as they beat them head-to-head, but that was a very different Chap team early in the season. Overland carrying some serious momentum into tourney.
Watch out for:
Speaking of young talent, Overland may just see some if Aurora Central and their young guard Ladarius Thomas can lead the Trojans to a win over Boulder.
More strong guard play with Dakota Ridge potentially facing Monarch.
As mentioned above, Chaparral could easily be a favorite in this region. Jake Holtzman, who reportedly just picked up an offer from Denver University, leads a Chap squad who won seven of their last eight. Only recent loss coming to Continental champ Vista.
Senior DJ Miles is a player to watch as Bear Creek visits Cherry Creek to see who gets Chap. The Creek Bruins had a fast start and proved they can play with the best (senior Griffin Parr at 12 points per game, Ceasar Jones and Will Bower lead the strong junior class). Lets see if they can regain the steam at the right time.
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Class 4A
All season, Valor Christian has been looked at as the favorite in 4A. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
Richard Tate Region:
The consistent No. 1-ranked team most of the season in 4A has been Valor Christian and that’s hard to argue with. The Eagles have a senior-heavy roster that has gotten close to that “gold ball” and seem primed to make another Boulder run this year.
Senior Chase Foster (San Francisco commit; 20 points per game) is Mr. Versatility for the Eagles and he has a strong cast of sweet-shooting Garrett Baggett along with the toughness football studs Christian McCaffrey and Marcus Wilson bring.
Valor hoops is 19-4 and their only Colorado loss comes to 5A Rangeview.
Pueblo East got the No. 2 seed in this region. Dylan Gavin is averaging 20 points per game for East and had the team on a five-game winning streak before a season-ending loss to league champ Pueblo South.
A player who can spark his team to a run in this region is Vista PEAK’s Romello Washington. Washington can light it up, has recent games of 25, 31, 27, with a season average of 18 per game for Vista, who are undefeated league champs.
Favorites: Valor Christian and Pueblo East.
Watch out for: Ponderosa played in the brutal 5A Continental League but now look to make some noise in the 4A tourney. Will be interesting to see how Valor handles one of our states best “bigs” in 6-foot-10 Wyoming commit Jonathon Barnes should Pondo get by Mountain View.
Guy Gibbs Region:
D’Evelyn is the No. 1 seed in the Guy Gibbs Region. (Dennis Pleuss)
The D’Evelyn Jaguars have a strong duo who have both averaged close to 20 points per game the entire season in Ty McGee and Grant Witherspoon. The 18-5 Jags had two late season losses to Thomas Jefferson and Wheat Ridge but their 13-1 Jeffco 4A league record won the league title and got them the No. 1 seed.
The No. 2 seed Sand Creek in this region has a real play maker of their own in Air Force commit Dylan Clark (averaging 20 points per game, as well).
Favorites: Have to add Denver West as a serious problem for folks in this region along with the two top seeds. Coach Ray Valdez has the Cowboys playing fundamentally sound and with a lot of fight. Sophomore Alpha Diallo is an up and coming play maker with nice court vision, scoring ability for West.
Watch out for: Would love to have a front row seat for a potential Sweet 16 match up of Denver West vs. Sand Creek.
Mark Randall Region:
Thompson Valley’s Collin Smith. (Brock Laue)
Two more deserving, tough Nos. 1 and 2 seeds here as well.
Thompson Valley, 22-1 with only loss coming to 5A’s Fossil Ridge, haven’t tasted defeat since mid-December. 6-foot-5 senior Collin Smith paces the Eagles with 19 points and six rebounds per game.
Got to take a look at Thompson Valley’s balanced play when they visited a squad with a strong senior leader of their own in Cheyenne Mountain’s Ghassan Nehme (Montana State commit). Nehme, who averages almost 27 points per game, has the Indians on a five-game streak headed into tourney play.
Favorites: Top two seeds look good here but Longmont and Mesa Ridge very capable of mixing things up. Senior Austin Kemp will attempt to get Longmont back on track after two late-season losses.
Watch out for: Ghassan Nehme is an electric scorer who can put his squad on his shoulders if needed.
Maceo Broadnax Jr. Region:
Denver South is the No. 2 seed in the Maceo Broadnax Jr. Region. (Mark Adams)
Pueblo South lost their first two games of the season and have impressively ran off 21 wins in a row. Now that’s momentum headed into the tourney.
Another impressive stat is that the Colts have four players averaging double figure scoring, led by Brian Pratt and Jared Baros right at 13 each per game.
Denver South holds this region’s No. 2 seed and their big man in the middle, Ibrahim Sylla (Northern Colorado commit), is a double-double highlight machine above the rim. Sylla averages 14 points and 14 rebounds per game.
Favorites: Hard to call in this extremely tough region. Stacked with competitive teams like Golden (won 10 of their last 11 games with sophomore Ryan Blodgett at 12-point and eight-rebound average) at the No. 3 seed and a No. 4 seed in Thomas Jefferson who could beat any of the top 3 if they bring their “A” game as they did in a late season win over No. 1 seed D’Evelyn.
Watch out for: “Watch your head” as the players would say when South’s Sylla or Thomas Jefferson’s Trey Andres take flight. Two of our state’s “freakish” athletes. Denver South played a strong season finale vs. 5A No. 1 Denver East. They could carry that momentum into a tourney run. Guards Lorenzo Snoddy and Tyson Purifoy capable of big games as well. This region is tough!
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Whew! Get ready for some fun tourney action folks.
Denver East/Fossil Ridge in 5A? Valor/Thompson Valley in 4A? Many have said it could play out just that way. Those have been your top big school squads all season, but we happen to remember a young man by the name of TreShawn Wilford who led the Eaglecrest Raptors on a special tournament run in 2013.
Who could be the Wilford of this years playoffs? We’ll be watching to find out! Enjoy …
This season’s 5A basketball Selection Show is set for 3 p.m. Sunday at the WMDC Building just behind the Red Lion Hotel in Aurora.
The Selection Show will reveal the 5A girls and boys tournament brackets on a team-by-team and region-by-region basis. The room can accommodate 150 people, though the Selection Show will also be shown on the NFHS Network. Additionally, the brackets will be concurrently unveiled on CHSAANow.com.
Coaches, players and fans are welcome to attend the event.
The 4A brackets will be posted immediately following this event, which should end around 5 p.m.
Wheat Ridge announces Reardon as new coach
In a release sent over email on Tuesday, Wheat Ridge officially announced that former Poudre coach Dan Reardon will head the Farmers’ football program.
Reardon, 5-14 over the past two seasons at Poudre, has a long history of coaching. Included was a seven-year stint at Ursuline High School in Ohio, where he was 68-26 and won three state championships. From 2007-10, Reardon’s teams went 53-6. This past year, Ursuline, a private catholic school, had an enrollment of 507 kids.
“Dan Reardon is a man of quality character and quality football knowledge and experience,” Wheat Ridge said in a statement. “He is an excellent role model that will help develop character and leadership with our students and athletes. He will be an asset to Wheat Ridge High School.”
Reardon replaces Reid Kahl, who had a very successful nine seasons at the school, including 4A championships in 2006 and 2008 and a runner-up finish in 2010. Kahl was 85-24.
Football adds targeting rule
Dangerous hits will be further penalized in high school football.
The NFHS last week added a targeting rule, meaning hits that take “aim and (intiate) contact to an opponent above the shoulders with the helmet, forearm, hand, fist, elbow or shoulders,” will be penalized by a 15-yard penalty.
The change was made “in an effort to reduce contact above the shoulders and lessen the risk of injury,” according to a release from the NFHS.
The NFHS rules committee also added the following definition of a defenseless player: “A defenseless player is a player who, because of his physical position and focus of concentration, is especially vulnerable to injury.”
Additionally, the committee limited the number of players that can line up on each side of the kicker during a kickoff, which should help avoid injury — especially in onside kick situations.
Short stuff
Awards from this past weekend’s state swim meets: Ralston Valley’s Maddie Myers was named 5A swimmer of the year; Douglas County/Castle View’s Kaitlin Costello was named diver of the year; Regis Jesuit’s Nick Frasersmith was name swim coach of the year; Regis Jesuit’s Kim Hagger was named dive coach of the year. In 4A, Niwot’s Marjorie Driscoll was named swimmer of the year; St. Mary’s Academy’s Alexa Beckwith was named diver of the year; Manitou Springs’ Roy Chaney was named swim coach of the year; St. Mary’s Academy’s Lisa Kafka was named dive coach of the year.
A slight rule change in boys and girls soccer requires a goalkeeper to leave the field when they are injured and the referee has stopped the clock. Previously, an injured player in the field was required to leave when injured and the referee had stopped the clock, but goalkeepers were not.
All tickets for this weekend’s Class 5A state swimming meet have been allocated to schools for Friday’s preliminaries. It means the 5A swim meet, set for Feb. 14-15 in Thornton, is effectively sold out on Friday.
Parents of swimmers may obtain tickets to the prelims through their school. The general public may wait in line starting at 2:30 p.m. on Friday to buy tickets should they go unused by a school.
A limited number of general public tickets remain available for Saturday evening’s finals — that line opens at 12:30 p.m. Saturday — and a good amount of tickets are available for dive prelims on Saturday morning. These tickets will only be sold on Saturday.
Again, parents may go through their school to buy tickets to the finals.
Plenty of tickets are available both days for the 4A meet.
Dakota Ridge is one of four teams playing at the Pepsi Center on Wednesday. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
Four teams will play at the Pepsi Center on Wednesday night, and are selling tickets that can be used to at an upcoming Avalanche game.
Battle Mountain and Dakota Ridge will face off at 5 p.m., followed by Mullen and Bishop Machebeuf at 7:30 p.m.
The teams are selling two tiers of tickets:
$20 includes a ticket to the high school games, as well as an upper-level ticket to an Avs’ game, and a $5 donation to a high school hockey team of their choice.
$45 includes a high school ticket, a lower-level Avs ticket and a $5 donation.
There are two options for Avalanche games with this package: Feb. 26 against the Los Angeles Kings, or March 10 against the Winnipeg Jets.
Rampart hired Rob Royer to be its new football coach late last month. The Rams sifted through 60 applicants before making the choice. Royer has been a head coach at Summit, and also served as an assistant at Southlake Carroll in Texas — a team that won that state’s 5A Division 1 title in 2011. Most recently, he was the offensive coordinator at Woodland Park for the past two seasons. He was introduced to the Rampart community on Monday night. Here’s a list of all of the coaching changes this offseason.
A number of coaches were honored by the NFHS Coaches Association’s Awards Program. Colorado coaches of the year include: Gunnison’s Shana Benson (volleyball), Monarch’s Phil Bravo (football), Mountain Vista’s Theresa Echtermeyer (girls soccer), Sheridan’s Linda Elliott (spirit), Legacy’s Dawn Gaffin (softball), Discovery Canyon’s Michael Humphrey (boys tennis), Pueblo South’s Shannan Lane (girls basketball), Air Academy’s Scott Newell (boys swim), Thompson Valley’s Matt Norton (girls track), Eaglecrest’s John Olander (boys basketball), Paonia’s Andy Pipher (wrestling), Loveland’s Paul Quere (boys track), The Classical Academy’s Alan Versaw (girls cross country), ThunderRidge’s Joe White (baseball), and Alamosa’s Larry Zaragoza (boys cross country).
The Colorado High School Coaches Association announced its 2014 class earlier this month. Included: Cheyenne Mountain’s Carl Fetters (football, basketball); Durango’s Ron Keller (track, cross country); Cheyenne Mountain and Palmer’s Mike Provenzano (hockey); Otis’ Bonnie Wallin-Kuntz (volleyball); and Poudre’s Randy Yaussi (cross country, track).
CHSAA’s Legislative Council is meeting on Jan. 30. Assistant commissioner Bert Borgmann breaks down how the meeting works in this Asked & Answered:
Typically, after these meetings, you’ll hear, “CHSAA did X.” What does that really mean?
The CHSAA is an organization made up of 343 individual high schools, found in 197 communities across Colorado. The CHSAA membership has over 190,000 student participants and 7,000 coaches in nearly 30 different sports and activities.
Often, when a reference is made to “CHSAA did X,” that person is referring to the CHSAA staff — perhaps without having any knowledge of how the Association works. What is missing with this perception is the knowledge of the CHSAA as an organization with an established democratic process similar to that of a state government. The CHSAA staff cannot change rules or bylaws.
Before a CHSAA rule or a playoff format can be implemented, it has to go through this process. So, “CHSAA did X,” really refers to this democratic process.
Can a CHSAA administrator simply decide to change a rule and have it be done at the snap of a finger?
No. The role of the CHSAA staff is to interpret and implement the Association Constitution and Bylaws. Commissioner Paul Angelico has the ultimate authority on the interpretations and implementation of the rules. He is supported by six Assistant Commissioners who carry out that authority. The Assistant Commissioners — Bert Borgmann, Tom Robinson, Bethany Brookens, Harry Waterman, Bud Ozzello and Jenn Roberts-Uhlig — also administer the various activities within the organization and may be asked to address situations for the Legislative Council and Board of Directors on proposals that impact their activities. But, the staff does not have the authority to change a rule.
Can you explain the process of how the legislative council works?
The Legislative Council is made up of 73 representatives from the CHSAA member schools’ 36 leagues, along with three representatives from the Colorado Association of Secondary School Administrators, five from the Colorado Association of School Boards and three from the Colorado Athletics Directors Association. Each league automatically receives one LC representative. A league is eligible for additional LC members when that league has 10-19 schools or has 10,000 or more students in its member schools. A league with 20 or more schools receives four representatives on the LC.
Each member has a single vote and is allowed to vote on any constitutional or administrative proposal or committee report brought before the Legislative Council. The LC meets twice a year, once in January and again in April. Its role is to establish the rules and regulations that the Association will operate under for the next year. It is also responsible for approving or altering the playoff formats that have been submitted by the various sports, activities and administrative committees.
What’s the difference between proposals set forth in the agenda and those from the floor?
Only a league or the CHSAA Board of Directors may propose a change to the CHSAA Constitution and Bylaws. Those proposals must be submitted 60 days in advance of the LC meeting. Those proposals must be voted on as written and no amendments can be made to a constitutional or administrative proposal once it is submitted. No constitutional or bylaw proposal may be brought up from the floor. Constitutional proposals require a two-thirds majority of those voting to pass, while administrative bylaws require a majority vote to pass.
Any committee report may be amended. If the amendment to the committee report is received 60 days in advance, then a majority vote is required for its passage. Committee reports may also be amended from the floor, but will require a two-thirds majority for passage.
How much involvement does CHSAA staff have on amendments/proposals?
The CHSAA staff’s role in the Legislative Council can come in a variety of ways. The Commissioner and his assistant commissioners serve as liaisons on all committees — sports, activities or administrative — and each has assignments within those committees. They assist the committees in the development of playoff formats in sports, the various state events for non-athletic activities and the support information for the administrative committees like Budget/Property Administration, Tournament and Playoff Finance, Sportsmanship, or other committees.
Because of the staff’s statewide perspective from their roles with the office, the staff may also be asked by the Board of Directors and leagues to assist with the wording of amendments and proposals. Leagues and the Board may also seek their perspective on issues as they relate to bylaws based on experience from a more global perspective.
The staff cannot submit bylaws on its own, but would have to have Board of Directors approval for any they might wish to see the membership consider.
