Air Academy’s Caleb Hicks. (Courtesy of Caleb Hicks)
[dropcap]L[/dropcap]ooking at Air Academy senior Caleb Hicks’ stats, he’s an intimidating presence. He was an all-American as a sophomore and again as a junior.
In last year’s Class 4A state meet, Hicks won the 100 butterfly with a time of 49.65, and was on two state championship relays – the 200 free and the 200 medley. He has two team state titles, and added his second all-state honor to his resume last year.
“Deep down inside it’s nice to be recognized, but you’ve got to stay humble through it all and just know you’re still not the best in the world,” Hicks said. “There’s still Michael Phelps out there. I’m just a state winner, that’s it. There’s fifty other states, so there’s fifty other winners.”
Air Academy took second place in 4A behind Cheyenne Mountain despite a dominant performance in the eyes of head coach Scott Newell.
“You can’t control your competition and last year I think you could argue that we kind of stole the show at the 4A meet without winning that trophy, which was totally bittersweet,” Newell said. “We had four individual all-Americans – including two by Caleb. For him to be able to put that out there and swim that well and fight that hard for the team, it’s pretty inspiring.”
Coming in second has only fueled Hicks more in preparation for this season.
“I would say coming in second is a shocker, it’s a reality check too,” Hicks said. “Just to let you know you’re not the best in the world. You have to do work in order to be the best.”
Hicks has been able to make such large impacts on the Air Academy swim program without attending a single class at the school. Hicks is homeschooled, and attributes the flexible schedule allowed by homeschooling as a huge reason for his success.
Hicks can go to morning practice without worrying about being late to school, he can balance swimming and schoolwork in time schedules that work for him as a student athlete.
At those morning practices, you won’t hear Hicks barking out orders or yelling at a teammate.
“I’m more of somebody you can look to follow,” Hicks said. “I haven’t been outright a leader like telling everybody what to do and where to be, I’ve been going by the motto of lead by example.”
His head coach agrees.
“He’s not up in your face, getting intense. It’s a lot more of the actions speak louder than words in how he sets an example as opposed to being that vocal leader,” Newell said. “Sometimes that’s kind of a refreshing thing because vocal leaders aren’t always the leaders that you want. You want that strong silent guy making some quiet noise. Caleb makes a lot of quiet noise. People definitely pay attention, and we’re seeing more kids emulate that.”
One teammate, Tommy Baker gives Hicks a run for his money in accomplishments. Baker is a two year All-American and two year all-state swimmer. He was on the 200 free relay team with Hicks that took the state championship in the event during last year’s 4A meet.
“He’s fast,” Baker said. “He always pushes me, and I push him so that’s just a good thing to have going because you both get faster.”
On Hicks’ leadership, Baker said, “The guy who steps in and draws the line between play and work is really a leader on the team, and Caleb does that.”
Newell elaborated on the effect on his teammates that Hicks has.
“They’ve really risen up. They’ve really stepped up their game because Caleb is there,” Newell said. “I think that’s the bigger part of it, is, everybody is influencing everybody else to just bring it better, bring it harder.”
What’s interesting is that Hicks almost wasn’t a Kadet. He contemplated staying on his club team instead of swimming for high school, but ultimately decided it was the right choice.
“He bought into the program right away. The culture of the team was perfect for his personality,” Newell said. “(Caleb) building a relationship and working within a team had a totally different dynamic than a kid that goes to school and has classes with kids.”
You would think that being homeschooled would be difficult to develop relationships with other teammates, but it was never a problem for Hicks.
“We’re good friends in and out of the pool,” Baker said.
Hicks started swimming about 10 years ago and has found the sport to be incredibly influential in day to day life.
“It’s affected my life in pretty big ways,” Hicks said. “I think swimming as a sport develops patience, endurance, as well as perseverance.”
He said he tries to stay humble and keep his wits about him, and never forgets to have fun.
“Have fun with what you’re doing,” said Hicks. “Even if it’s hard or you don’t want to do it that day, try to have fun while you’re doing it.”
It’s pretty easy to have fun with all the accolades Hicks has accumulated throughout his illustrious career.
“Caleb really rocks. He’s a great, solid kid. That’s a kid you’d want your children to be around and influenced by,” Newell said. “In the summertime when Caleb is lifeguarding, Caleb is the guy we want our kids swimming around in the pool.”
Hicks committed to the University of Missouri in early December of 2015 and is currently declared as a biology major.
“Swimming has taught me to be grateful for what God has given me as an athlete, student and a person,” Hicks said.
Hicks and Air Academy begin their journey to redemption – and a team overall four state titles in five years – with their first meet vs. Rampart on March 11 at 4 p.m.
The Thunderbolts, overwhelming favorites to win 2A this spring, trailed Hotchkiss 6-0 in the semifinals before rallying to take a lead just before a thunderstorm delayed the game and forced the teams to switch fields in the sixth inning. When they resumed, Rye pulled off a hidden-ball trick (video via KRDO) to seal its 9-8 semifinal win.
Rye pitcher Junior Ortiz faked throwing a ball away on a pickoff attempt, and his fielders reacted accordingly. The Hotchkiss runner took off toward third, but Ortiz was able to tag him out.
“We weren’t real sure if it was going to work,” Rye coach Stacey Graham said of the hidden-ball trick. “We practice it quite a bit and we ran it one time successfully, and it worked again. It’s a tough play to do and the guys executed it real well.”
We very nearly erased the football record book and started it over after Air Academy and Sand Creek met on the football field last September.
The two teams accounted for 130 total points, and countless records, in Sand Creek’s 68-62 win. Included in the record performances were 553 yards and nine touchdowns rushing for Sand Creek’s Daniel Quin, and 589 yards passing from Air Academy’s Adam Brown.
In all, four records were set outright, and another 14 entries were made in the record book.
“At the end of the game, the kids were so tired, they could barely shake hands,” Sand Creek coach Rod Baker said. “It was like a brotherhood between them, what they’d been through. It was an amazing event. The high school spirit was amazing tonight for both teams. And they just battled.”
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56-yard field goal to win in football playoffs
Ralston Valley, a No. 1 seed, was 3.4 seconds away from being the first major upset victim in the Class 5A football playoffs.
The Mustangs had one shot at advancing, and it was slim: A 56-yard field goal.
“There’s no loser here,” Cherry Creek coach Jeff Mielnicki said. “They played so hard. We had guys completely dehydrated, drinking whatever they could, but we somehow found a way.”
Chaparral, holding onto teammate’s memory, wins Jazz title
Thousands of fans packed into the Denver Coliseum in early December to watch the state spirit championships. It’s often a raucous affair. But when Chaparral’s jazz team took to the stage, a hush fell across the arena.
Many knew Chaparral’s story: Taylor Llewellyn, their friend and teammate, passed in October. The Wolverines’ routine, narrated by Taylor’s mother, honored her memory.
The routine itself was a powerful moment, eclipsed only by the announcement of the team’s championship later on.
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Jesse Reed wins fourth wrestling championship
Paonia senior Jesse Reed became the 18th four-time wrestling champion in state history in February when he won the 2A 126-pound championship.
“Before my match, all I could think about is, ‘I’m one match away, I’m one match away from being up there with all the elites,’” Reed said. “It’s an honor, it truly is.”
Cherry Creek and Valor Christian’s matchup in the 5A football title left long lines of people waiting to get in. Once they did, they saw Cherry Creek win an epic 25-24 back-and-forth game.
The deciding moment? A two-point conversion with five minutes to play.
“It was a gamble,” Cherry Creek coach Dave Logan said after the game, “and the kids made it work.”
“I knew I could do it,” said DJ Luke, who scored the conversion. “I just wanted to help my team win. It’s the greatest feeling ever.”
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Standley Lake wins gymnastics title after program is nearly canceled
Standley Lake won the 4A gymnastics championship last October. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
In January 2014, there was to be no more Standley Lake gymnastics program. Yet, come October, it was Standley Lake holding up the 4A championship trophy.
How?
“Coming into this year, we only had three girls and so we just kept trying to get as many girls as we could to come out,” Standley Lake coach Kristen Larrington said. “We have five seniors, one junior, and two freshman. So we fought. We wanted it from day one.”
The Gators were led by Jordan Ireland, who finished second in the all-around competition.
“The fact that we even got enough girls to compete is still unbelievable,” Ireland said. “Actually winning is even better.”
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Chaparral boys basketball wins 2OT game with four players
Chaparral beat Denver East in an epic game in January. (Kevin Keyser/KeyserImages.com)
In January, Chaparral and Denver East boys basketball met in a highly anticipated game.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen that,” Chaparral coach Rob Johnson said the morning after the game. “There were so many crazy things that happened just to even go to that point.”
The last Wolverine (Peter Wilson) fouled out with 25 seconds to play in the second overtime.
“I said, ‘Peter, you cannot foul, we don’t have any players left on the bench.’ He goes in there and gets a foul,” Johnson said, laughing.
Chaparral won 82-78.
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Regis Jesuit’s Kyle Goodwin wins fourth diving title
Regis Jesuit’s Kyle Goodwin. (Cliff Lawson)
Kyle Goodwin was marked for stardom before he even began his high school career. By the time it was over? Well, he had accomplished more than any other male diver in state history.
Included: The boys’ all-classification record going down twice in 45 minutes.
Cheyenne Mountain’s William Mayhew ran 1:50.74 to win the 4A event on May 15. That broke the record of 1:51.20, which was set by Smoky Hill’s Blake Yount two weeks earlier.
“Records are meant to be broken,” Mayhew said after his race.
That they are.
Less than an hour later, Yount went 1:50.59.
“Time means more to me,” he said. “There’s kids in other classifications, like Mayhew and (Lyons’ Paul Roberts) — there are people who can race fast across the state. Time is a universal measurement to compare everyone.”
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Chatfield volleyball’s stunning run at state
The Denver Coliseum, site of the state volleyball tournament. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Chatfield volleyball didn’t even host a region during the 2014 season. But the Chargers, a No. 17 seed, advanced out of their region to make the state field of 12.
Once there, Chatfield rallied from down 0-2 in its second match of pool play to force a tiebreaker against Eaglecrest and Cherry Creek, their poolmates.
The Chargers had to beat Cherry Creek in a winner-moves-on set (they did, 25-22), and then Eaglecrest (they did, 25-21) to reach the semfinals.
The crowd only kept buzzing when Chatfield beat Rampart 3-1 in those semifinals to advance to the title game — the lowest seed to ever do so. Ultimately, Grandview ended Chatfield’s run there when the Wolves repeated as champion.
“I loved watching Chatfield progress through the tournament,” said Grandview senior Haley McLaren. “They fought their way through.”
“I couldn’t be more proud of my team. They never gave up,” Chatfield coach Stephanie Schick said. “The believe my girls have shown this day has been amazing and a memory forever.”
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Air Academy stuns Longmont in 4A boys basketball championship
Air Academy won the 4A boys basketball title. (James Bradbury)
Longmont, for all intents and purposes, was the favorite to win the 4A boys basketball title this season. And, in fact, the Trojans rolled to a 27-0 record en route to the title game in March.
Yet Air Academy had some championship experience in their corner. Five players, including three cousins, had helped the Kadets win the 4A boys soccer title in the fall. And Air Academy jumped out to a 26-8 lead.
Longmont did rally, tying the game at 34 late in the third quarter. Ultimately, the two teams went to overtime, where Air Academy pulled out a 64-59 win.
“Most of us had already played in two state championships,” said Air Academy star David Louthan. “I think it helped us stay more composed. We were used to the pressure.”
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Colorado Academy’s streaks stretch in field hockey
Colorado Academy won yet another field hockey championship. (Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com)
Colorado Academy won a third-straight field hockey championship last fall. In the process, the Mustangs extended their winning streak to 41 games, as well as an unbeaten streak to 52 (50-0-2).
Colorado Academy went 17-0-0 during the 2014 season, and outscored opponents 7-0 during the postseason.
“They’re a damn good team,” said Palmer Ridge coach Paul Lewis, whose team faced CA in the final.
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Vail Mountain wins first 2A girls soccer title
Vail Mountain players await the 2A trophy. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Girls soccer is growing in Colorado. That necessitated the creation of a fourth classification — 2A — this season.
It wasn’t only the first-ever 2A title contested. It was also the first girls championship of any kind for Vail Mountain.
“This has been a season of a lifetime,” said Vail Mountain’s Tess Johnson, who was later named 2A player of the year.
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Broomfield girls basketball sends coach out on top
Broomfield players surround coach Mike Croell after winning the 5A title. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Mike Croell is an iconic girls basketball coach in Colorado. And what better sendoff for an icon than a title?
Broomfield beat ThunderRidge in March to claim the 5A crown, and give 20-year coach Croell another championship just before his retirement.
“It means so much,” said Broomfield senior Brenna Fankell. “Being Croell’s last year, we wanted to win it for him.”
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Aspen wins first-ever boys lacrosse championship
(Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)
It was a group of boys who started playing lacrosse together for the first time 10 years ago. According to their coach, Mike Goerne, “They were the first kids to have lacrosse sticks in Aspen.”
In May, they became the first with a title, too.
Aspen beat Valor Christian 17-12 to win the 4A championship behind a barrage of early goals.
“They’ve been fighting for this the last 10 years,” Goerne said. “This is the final piece.”
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Softball equipment for a cause
The Diamond Project, setup at state softball. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Chaparral junior Emily Moore hatched a plan to donate softball equipment to less fortunate players in the Dominican Republic during the 2014 season.
The effort culminated at the state tournament, where Moore, her teammates, and her family, set up a booth to gather donations from across the state.
“I’ve never done anything like this,” Moore said.
Ultimately, all kinds of bats, cleats, helmets, catcher’s gear and softballs were sent down to the Dominican.
Two freshmen rose to the top of the girls tennis world this spring. Fairview’s Amber Shen won No. 1 singles in 5A and Steamboat Springs’ Tatum Burger did the same in 4A.
“Even now, I don’t believe I won,” Shen said after her match. “Even at match point I wasn’t sure if I was going to win or not.”
Said Steamboat Springs coach John Aragon of Burger: “She’s like a little pitbull. She’ll fight to the end.”
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Fossil Ridge boys swim wins title on a relay
(Ray Chen/CHSAANow.com)
Late during the 5A boys swimming and diving championships in May, Fossil Ridge needed a win in the 200-yard freestyle relay to secure a title.
The Sabercats got just that, edging out Cherry Creek by one-hundredth of a second, and beating Regis Jesuit — the team they were battling for the title — by 17-hundredths of a second.
“We knew we needed to win one of the two free relays,” Fossil Ridge coach Mark Morehouse said. “We didn’t know which one, but what we knew is that we couldn’t make a mistake.”
Fossil Ridge’s girls also won the 5A championship in the winter.
The 2015 all-state boys swimming teams are presented by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps.
These teams were created based upon results at the state meet.
Swimmers of the year were selected based upon the number of team points they produced at the state meet. This means that they received the full amount of team points from individual events they swam in, as well as one-fourth of the total points earned by the team in relays they swam in.
Finally, in order to be considered for swimmer of the year, athletes must first have made the all-state team by winning in a championship.
Divers of the year were selected by finish at the state meet, as were coaches of the year.
Scroll down to see the teams, or use the menu below to navigate to the class of your choosing.
With Fossil Ridge clinging to a slim lead heading into the 200-yard freestyle relay, they needed a win. More importantly they needed a win over the team that was swimming to their right. Regis Jesuit came into the event as the favorite to win the team title, but the Sabercats had other plans.
In a race that brought competitors and the crowd to their feet, Fossil Ridge came won the relay in epic fashion. They touched the wall one hundredth of a second faster than Cherry Creek and 17-hundredths of a second faster than the Raiders. In the end, Fossil Ridge scored 297 points to win the state championship.
“We swam pretty well in the front half of the meet, but Regis was swimming pretty well too,” Sabercats coach Mark Morehouse said. “We had it projected out and we knew we needed to win one of the two free-relays. We didn’t know which one, but what we knew is that we couldn’t make a mistake.”
The Raiders looked to regain some ground in the 100-yard breaststroke, but the title would ultimately be decided in yet another relay race. The day’s main event, the 400-yard freestyle relay, gave Fossil Ridge the 34 points they needed to clinch the 5A team title.
“We just wanted to continue the momentum and see how fast we could go,” Sabercats swimmer Walter Dauksher said. “I was fortunate that my teammates worked hard to get me a lead. I’m not necessarily a swimmer but I put all I had into that relay.”
Daunter anchored both the 200 and 400 freestyle relays that were essential in clinching the championship for Fossil Ridge.
The Raiders may have fallen short in their pursuit for the team title, but they certainly had plenty to celebrate during the meet.
During the diving finals, all eyes were centered on senior Kyle Goodwin. The diver was the three-time defending state champion and was making a run at both a fourth championship, and a state record.
Regis Jesuit’s Kyle Goodwin. More photos. (Ray Chen/CHSAANow.com)
His final dive of the day scored at 167.9 to net him a total score of 611.85, good enough to break Aaron Feight’s 10-year-old state record of 608.20.
“I came in looking to get that fourth title and to get points for the team,” Goodwin said. “Although we didn’t get the team points, it still feels pretty good to come out on top for four years in a row.”
Rounding out the top five on the day were Cherry Creek (209), Boulder (177) and Fairview (149). For Boulder, it was only the second time the team has ended with a top five finish. Fairview didn’t quite come as far as they had last year (third place overall), but coach Amy Webb was pleased with the performance.
“This is kind of a young team now, but we swam out of our minds today,” she said.
Individual honors were also handed out at the conclusion of the meet. Chris Loftis from Cherry Creek was named coach of the year while one of his swimmers, Sam Coffman, was named swimmer of the year. Coffman won the 200-yard freestyle, the 100-yard freestyle and anchored the Cherry Creek team that won the 400-yard freestyle relay.
Goodwin was an obvious choice for diver of the year and setting a state record and walking away with his fourth individual diving title. Smoky Hill’s Erik Seaver was named the diving coach of the year.
THORNTON — Daniel Carr learned a valuable lesson during this spring’s boys high school swim season.
“High school swimming is so much fun,” the Cheyenne Mountain sophomore said.
After spending his freshman year training for nationals instead of swimming for his high school, Carr took a page from Missy Franklin’s playbook and stuck with his high school friends.
It paid off Saturday as Carr set a pair of state records in helping the Indians capture the team title from three-time champion Air Academy.
Cheyenne Mountain scored 354 points to outdistance the Kadets by 34.5 points. Thompson Valley was third with 199 points.
Carr set the tone in the day’s third race, establishing a new 4A state mark in the 200-yard individual medley. His time of 1 minute, 48:93 seconds bettered the old standard by nearly two and a half seconds.
Carr swam the second leg for the Indians in the finals’ first race, the 200 medley relay. They finished second to Air Academy, which shattered the state mark it had set in Friday’s preliminaries.
Cheyenne Mountain celebrates its title. (Tom Robinson/CHSAANow.com)
“It made me mad,” Carr said of his performance in the relay. After Air Academy’s Tommy Baker pulled off a mild upset, setting a 4A record in winning the 200 freestyle, Carr was up again for the IM.
Carr followed that up with a time of 44.67 in the 100 freestyle, good for a new state mark by more than three-quarters of a second.
“I knew at the beginning of the meet I wanted the 100 free,” Carr said.
The Indians capped off the meet and secured the state title by winning the 400 freestyle relay in record fashion on 3:06.60, bettering the five-year old 4A mark by more than two seconds.
Cheyenne Mountain came into the state meet with a lot of confidence, having gone unbeaten during the regular season.
“We were hoping that our (with) our depth, the fest of the guys would come in and score a lot of points,” said Indians coach Kate Doane, whose team won its first boys state swimming championship since 2002.
Doane was named the 4A coach of the year.
Air Academy’s Caleb Hicks pulled off a mild upset by winning the 100 butterfly in a 4A record time of 49.63 seconds. Teammates Tommy Baker and Hunter Doerr claimed state titles in the 200 and 50 freestyles, respectively.
The Kadets claimed their second state relay record in winning the 200 freestyle in 1:23.24, more than three seconds under the previous mark.
Thompson Valley dominated the diving competition, capturing three of the top four places – including boasting the state champion, senior Kyle Pape, who edged teammate Collin Williams by less than four points for the title.
The Eagles also got a victory from Liam Gately in the 500 freestyle and from John Thorne, who broke his day-old record by winning the 100 backstroke in 44.30 seconds.
D’Evelyn’s Daniel Graber defended his state title in the 100 breaststroke.
AIR FORCE ACADEMY – Dealing with adversity is a concept Cherry Creek High School’s Sam Coffman knows all too well.
The talented senior missed his entire junior season while recovering from rotator cuff surgery on his right shoulder.
“It was awful,” the 6-foot-2, 175-pound Coffman said. “I forgot how to swim and it was very, very tedious work and very annoying at the same time. I had no strength and I could barely go through the water.”
Coffman is back and better than ever, and he’s trying to win his inaugural Class 5A state swimming titles in the 100-yard and 200 freestyle events.
Coffman took a big step toward reaching the state pinnacle Friday as he qualified No. 1 in the 100 free (45.64 seconds) and 200 free (1:40.21) at the Class 5A swim and dive state championships at the Air Force Academy.
Diving prelims begin at 9 a.m. Saturday and the finals in all events start at 2 p.m.
The road back to competitive swimming wasn’t easy, but despite his struggles, Coffman wasn’t about to quit.
“I told myself that I was going to get better and better each day,” Coffman, who had surgery in the spring of 2014 on his rotator cuff. “Every day I gave myself a new goal. I was going to do another dive off the block or another push-up, whatever it may be. I kept putting the work in and I was finally able to get back in the pool and nothing compares to high school (swimming).”
Coffman was seeded No. 1 in the 200 freestyle and No. 2 in the 100 free behind Boulder’s Christian Feiler. Feiler was second in 100 free prelims at 46.07 seconds.
Coffman also swims the anchor legs on Creek’s 200 free and 400 free relays.
“The plan for (Saturday) is stick with my team and cheer them on as loud as I possibly can,” Coffman said. “When it comes to be my turn, I hope the team does the same thing for me. It would mean quite a lot (to win an individual state title). Anyone coming back from an injury who can win an individual state event would be very, very proud.”
Jerry Ma, a fellow Creek senior, praised his teammate Coffman.
“I’ve swam with Sam for four years and he’s been one of my best friends,” Ma said. “Since his freshman year I’ve continued to see him grow and this year he has really stepped up as a team leader for us. He represents Cherry Creek really well in and out of the water. He’s a great guy. One of my vivid memories of Sam was last yearwhen he couldn’t swim because of his injury, but he was still at every practice cheering the team on. He was standing there with the coaches and helping kids with their form. He was still very involved even though he couldn’t be in the water.”
In the team chase, Regis Jesuit High School, is the squad to beat Saturday
The Raiders have won 20 state championships, and the last four have been in a row. All of Regis’ state crowns have come since 1992.
No matter what unfolds for Coffman Saturday, his future is set as he has signed to swim for the University of Missouri.
“I’m very, very excited to go and swim for Missouri,” Coffman said. “The goal I have is that they can get me to my final step in swimming which is one day swimming on the U.S. Olympic team and winning gold.”
Doerr began the day by swimming the backstroke leg of the 200-yard medley relay. The Kadets set a 4A state record, breaking a 16-year-old mark by nearly a half second.
He followed that up by setting a 4A standard in one of the meet’s signature events, the 50 freestyle. Doerr’s time of 20.28 seconds bested the previous mark by 77/100ths of a second.
He capped that off by swimming the fastest preliminary time in the 100 butterfly.
Doerr learned four years ago that sprints were his forte.
“I’m a hundred percent fast-twitch (muscles),” he said.
But with all the enery he releases in the water, the key, he said, is staying as calm as possible right up until he stands on the blocks.
“I think about lying on the beach (and) relaxing),” he said of his thought process before a race.
Doerr’s best previous state finish was second place in the 50 at last year’s meet. He focused on two things this season to change his fortune. The first, of course, was to stay calm.
“Second, I worked on my flip turns,” he said.
Fortunately, he only has to do that once in the 50.
“It’s only one (turn), but it’s the most important thing,” he said.
The Kadets have been pushed all season by Cheyenne Mountain. He’s friends with many of the swimmers in the meet, but when he enters the pool, it’s a different story.
“I swim my best when I think about the guy next to me,” he said of opponents giving him motivation.
Air Academy coach Scott Newell said this year’s senior class set the standard as freshmen.
“Six freshmen four years ago made it a team event,” said Newell, whose squad is seeking its fourth consecutive 4A team title.
Cheyenne Mountain has dominated Air Academy for much of the season, but Newell reminded his team of something this group had done the previous three years.
“We’re not perfect all year, but we finish strong,” Newell said.
The two are expected to go neck and neck in Saturday’s finals.
As well as he swam on Friday, Saturday’s finals, which begin at 2 p.m. at VMAC in Thornton, will bring about a different mentality for Doerr.
“Today I wasn’t thinking about strategy,” he said. “Tomorrow I will.”
But tonight, he’ll think about anything but swimming. That helps him relax.
One other 4A state record was established. Thompson Valley senior John Thorne set a new standard in the 100 backstroke, winning by more than four seconds in a time of 48.44, nearly a half second below the mark he set in winning the gold medal last year.
