CHSAANow

Category: Columns

  • Mohrmann: Air Academy basketball title brings a feeling of tradition

    Longmont Air Academy boys basketball
    (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)

    BOULDER — Air Academy’s locker room used to be plain white. There’s not much tradition to that. So Barry Clark began having his team paint specific bricks to highlight the accomplishments of past basketball teams.

    “The first one we painted was the 1989 state championship team,” Clark said in the bowels of the Coors Events Center. That brick was the only one designated for a state championship.

    Hopefully there’s room next to it.

    The Kadets are state champions. They beat undefeated Longmont 64-59 in overtime Saturday night to earn that moniker. They’ll have a brick in the locker room dedicated to them.

    “During timeouts I was asking my players if they were having fun,” Clark said. “The score wasn’t a factor to them. They just thought (the game) was awesome.”

    It seems that the Kadets have all the makings of a calm, cool and collected bunch, but that hasn’t been the case all year. During a 65-53 loss against Sand Creek on Jan. 9, Clark was upset with his players for taking too many 3-pointers. Their full-court press wasn’t working and they looked like a team that was going to struggle in the Pikes Peaks Athletic Conference. They did’t look like a team ready to hoist a state title.

    It wasn’t until Air Academy traveled to Sand Creek that they looked like the squad that was on display Saturday.

    “I think we were better (than some teams that had beat us) and we weren’t getting settled,” Clark said. “(At Sand Creek) we went up big, they came back and we stopped it. At that point we thought ‘It’s over, it’s done. We’re going all the way.’”

    Knowing that they could go on the road and beat a team like Sand Creek gave them the confidence they needed to get through a tough 4A field. The meat grinder that was the PPAC this season helped prepare them for that, but to even get to a state title game, they had to face a familiar foe.

    Friday night, they stood face-to-face with the Lewis-Palmer Rangers who had split their season series with the Kadets.

    “We had beaten them pretty badly (earlier this year) so we knew we could do it,” Kadets guard James Sims said. “We just knew that we had to give it our all.”

    But Clark reminded them that they needed to have fun. It’s how this team got to where they were. In fact, he was so insistent that his guys go out and just play to have fun that he let them in on the secret of how they could lose.

    “I told them if if they play to win, they would struggle,” he said.

    What he saw during Saturday night’s thriller was a team that was having fun. Even after the Trojans started clawing their way back from a 10-point deficit, the Kadets were enjoying every minute of it.

    The extra four minutes of play only added to the legacy of this team.

    “It’s a better story to tell your kids,” Clark said with a smile. “If you look at James Sims and he’s smiling, you’re in trouble because that’s how he plays with intensity. He’s out there laughing and having a good time.”

    That’s the kind of environment Clark has created and hopes and maintain at Air Academy. If he’s successful, his team will be painting a lot more bricks in the future.

  • Borgmann: Explaining baseball’s new pitch count proposal

    ThunderRidge Cherry Creek baseball
    (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)

    AURORA — The CHSAA baseball committee and CHSAA ad-hoc baseball pitching committee agree that arm overuse in baseball is a serious issue in Colorado and the rest of the country.

    It has been discussed at all levels of the sport. All levels of the sport have begun to take action to address this epidemic of arm overuse. It is not a life-threatening problem, but it is a life-altering issue that many players are facing.

    The biggest challenge is mandating the rest that those arms need and that is what this new rule does.

    This is a significant change in philosophy and will be challenging to implement. It may require addressing some schedule changes for schools with limited pitching staffs, as well. It most certainly will require the way baseball programs look at pitching, but the change is about doing what we can to provide your players with a safe playing environment.

    Here are some quick points that need to be considered:

    • This is a player health issue that the entire sport is having to address – pre-Little League and Little League, Legion, Connie Mack, NCAA, MLB – all levels. As Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan wrote, "It’s too late to save this generation. At the highest levels of research into the pitching arm, almost all the top minds agree that baseball for the next decade, and probably more, is going to be a non-stop parade of injuries, disappointments and bewilderment. This horrifies them. It should."
    • The Baseball Committee is recommending these limits based on the experience of the coaches in the room and on the committee. It reflects health and rest at the forefront of the need for the rule. These limits are close to what many coaches are already placing on their pitchers. These recommendations are about rest and developing pitching depth.
    • USA Baseball has already issued it recommendations. Its maximums are 95 pitches for players ages 15-16 and 4 days mandatory rest after 76 pitches thrown; for players 17-18 the maximum is 105 in a day, plus the four days’ rest after 76 pitches. There are varying degrees of mandated rest depending on numbers of pitches thrown. Here is a link to those recommendations.
    • CHSAA once had one of country’s stronger pitching limitations (12 innings over 72 hours, with no limit on pitches), but now, after research has shown that using an innings limitation is unhealthy for pitchers, it has become one of the weakest and most potentially damaging rules for pitchers.
    • The NFHS is exploring its own version of these requirements and will have its recommendations for states after this summer, but Colorado felt like it needed to be out in front of those decisions so that any NFHS decision was made based on Colorado’s situations, not what is happening around the rest of the country.

    Colorado can be a leader in determining the direction of its own limitations, rather than having to be forced into a certain direction.

    Our pitching recommendations are reflective of a great deal of research that included input from baseball doctors, trainers, high school coaches and even major league players.

    Long discussions were held on the smaller school issues and the limited rosters those schools occasionally have. The result of those discussions noted that these limitations will require all schools to develop greater pitching depth than they currently have. A second piece to this was that it may take several seasons for schools to develop that depth. Those challenges could be overcome by adjusting schedules to ensure that time is available for the mandated rest.

    The recommendations in the report were reviewed by two major committees – the Baseball pitching ad-hoc committee and the CHSAA baseball advisory committee. Not everyone agreed with the final determination, but all agreed that it needed to be addressed.

    The Baseball pitching ad-hoc committee, which did the bulk of the research had two MDs (including one of the country’s top expert in pitching injuries), two trainers, seven coaches (including small school, mid-size and big school coaches), several top club/private pitching coaches, as well as input from two former major leaguers.

    (Bert Borgmann/CHSAANow.com)
    The pitching committee met three times over the past few months. (Bert Borgmann/CHSAANow.com)

    The committee met three times, and recommended a more stringent rule, but the CHSAA baseball committee amended their recommendation to get a start on this switch in philosophies. It can be adjusted after it has been in place, as needed. Additionally, while the report calls for immediate implementation, it could be delayed to the 2016 season.

    One of the issues that this does not address is the outside influence issue. CHSAA can only control the 25 percent of the year that is high school, but the committee is developing an educational video that will highlight the issue with overuse of arms, the medical needs, the importance of proper training, the need for communication between high school coaches and club coaches for the health of the player, and will conclude with former Colorado prep players who are in MLB recounting why playing more than one sport got them where they are and the need to rest the arms.

    It will also have information from collegiate and professional scouts to help give perspective that only 6.8 percent of high school players will ever play in college. The baseball committee stresses that CHSAA can only do what it can.

    Here are the limitations, requirements that accompany them and a recommendation to enhance the regulations:

    Varsity
    Pitches Required Rest
    86-110 3 Days
    61-85 2 Days
    36-60 1 Day
    1-35 0 Days*
    Junior Varsity
    Pitches Required Rest
    61-85 3 Days
    36-60 2 Days
    26-35 1 Day
    1-25 0 Days^

    * – Additionally, no pitcher may throw more than 60 pitches over two days. If they throw 60 pitches in two days, there will be one day of required rest.

    ^ – No sub-varsity pitcher can throw more than 35 pitches over two days. That limit will result in one day of mandated rest.

    A pitcher will be allowed to finish a batter if they hit the limit (110 in varsity play; 85 in sub-varsity) during an at-bat, but must exit the game after the hitter.

    It is strongly recommended that once a pitcher is removed, consideration be given to what position he is assigned once he is done pitching. Consideration should be given to the throwing requirement of the fielding position once the pitcher vacates the mound.

  • Mohrmann: Basketball season starts off with a bang

    Overland Regis Jesuit boys basketball
    (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)

    Betcha didn’t see that one coming.

    After making quite the impression last year as a sophomore, Overland junior De’Ron Davis took the court with his No. 1-ranked Trailblazers for the first time last night. But things didn’t exactly go as planned.

    Davis finished the game with 22 points, but it was his five fouls that played a bigger part in his team’s undoing. Regis Jesuit — the No. 2-ranked 5A team in the state — pulled out the upset and knocked off the top-ranked Trailblazers 61-45 Tuesday night.

    Meanwhile, across town, it was the Regis Jesuit girls who shared the same fate as Overland. After starting their season with a 67-59 win over D’Evelyn, the Lady Raiders were upset on their home floor by Monarch, which is sitting just on the outside of 5A’s top 10.

    Just like we drew it up.

    With the departure of Dom Collier and Ronnie Harrell from Denver East, it only made sense that Overland was the team to beat on the boys’ side. Davis is considered to be one of the top recruits in the state and showed flashes of dominance in his sophomore year. I’ll even admit that in the waning days of last year’s state basketball tournament, a colleague and I pondered just how successful the Trailblazers would be.

    Neither of us dreamed that they’d start 0-1.

    Oops.

    “It was a great win. Not a great game, but a great win first game out,” Regis head coach Ken Shaw told CHSAANow writer Zach Marburger after the game. “We competed hard. They’re hard to look good against.”

    You could certainly make the argument that they looked better than good. This wasn’t a case in which the Raiders made a run after Davis had fouled out of the game. In fact, Regis held a comfortable 11-point lead at the time Davis was forced out of the game.

    The Lady Raiders’ woes nearly mirrored those of the Trailblazers. Senior Diani Akigbogun is gone, but there was no doubt Regis was the the state’s top team last season. By all accounts they should’ve started quick out of the gate as they began the defense of their 2014 state title. After keeping the game close for most of the game, the Raiders found themselves on the bad end of a 13-1 run.

    And with that, the Raiders have already lost more games to in-state opponents than they did all of last year.

    Call it early season jitters or whatever you would like, but the two 5A teams that were regarded as the class of the state fell early.

    The Regis girls and the Overland boys could easily bounce back and live up to their early-season billing. But right now, we just don’t know.

    What we do know is that both of those teams can be beaten, and everyone in the state knows it.

    Buckle up, kids. Basketball season is going to be a roller coaster ride.

  • Mohrmann: Cherry Creek and Valor Christian football live up to title fight expectations

    Valor Christian Cherry Creek football
    Cherry Creek’s Milo Hall had a big run in the fourth quarter to help Cherry Creek win the 5A title. More photos. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)

    DENVER — He wasn’t present at Sports Authority Field, but Michael Buffer would’ve fit right in. With all the hype surrounding Saturday’s 5A state title game, a rambunctious crowd at the home of the Denver Broncos was certainly ready to rumble.

    And the players followed suit.

    Two years removed from Valor Christian’s 9-0 win over Cherokee Trail for their first 5A title, the Eagles found themselves in another fight. And it was one that Colorado high school football fans desperately wanted.

    Dave Logan’s Cherry Creek Bruins perfectly played the part of Muhammad Ali in their 25-24 win over Valor Christian, ending the Eagles’ run of 26-straight postseason wins. In fact, Saturday was the first time the Eagles had ever lost in the postseason.

    “This was a special game when you consider the ebb and flow of it,” Logan said. “Valor’s a great program. They have great players and they’re very well coached so we knew this was going to be a heavyweight fight. We were going to get hit and we were going to get rocked and you have to have the ability to withstand that and gather yourself and go back out there.”

    The Eagles landed the first jab with a 38-yard field goal early in the second quarter. But after a low-key first quarter, Milo Hall landed two straight hay makers in the form of a 35-yard run followed up immediately by another long burst, this one going 30 yards and for a the lone touchdown of the first half.

    On those two runs, the Bruins had stung like a bee.

    And just when it looked like Hall was going to land the knockout punch, he swung and missed. He fumbled on the Valor one-yard line, allowing the Eagles to regain possession and prevent the Bruins from taking a two-score lead. That hurt when two series later, Dylan McCaffrey connected with Ben Waters for a 61-yard touchdown pass, tying the game at 10-10.

    And the battle raged on.

    Valor Christian Cherry Creek football
    More photos. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)

    “If I had stayed down I knew my team would’ve stayed down as well and I couldn’t let them see me like that,” Hall said. “I had to bounce back quick and help us win.”

    But that was easier said than done. McCaffrey soon found Danny Rambo on a 15-yard pass to give the Eagles a 17-10 lead, putting the Bruins on the ropes.

    But midway through the fourth quarter, it was quarterback Joe Caplis who found his opening, connecting with Joseph Parker on a 53-yard pass. That pass put the Bruins on the six-yard line where Caplis punched it into the end zone two plays for the game-tying score.

    But the tie game was short-lived as Rambo landed another crushing blow, returning the ensuing kick-off back 89 yards for a touchdown, once again giving Valor a seven-point lead.

    “They went down in an emotional way in the fourth, twice, by seven,” Logan said of his team. “To be able to battle back and find a way to win is a tribute and I’m really proud of those kids.”

    After exchanging haymakers for three-and-a-half quarters, Logan had to dig into his back of tricks and start aiming for strategic punches, rather than knockout blows.

    He deployed Hall onto the kickoff team, where he was able to return the ball close to midfield. A reverse to Parker put the Bruins inside the 30. Hall finished off the drive, dragging Eagles cornerback Quinton Holley into the end zone for the touchdown.

    But through all the vicious blows endured through the game, it was the two-point conversion run by D.J. Luke — a subtle jab — that did the Eagles in for good.

    “I’m sure much will be written now that we’re 26-1 in the playoffs,” Eagles coach Rod Sherman said. “It’s still about the journey. It’s about the journey whether the season ends and you’re a state champion or the season ends and you’re in second place.”

    Regardless of placement, the journey of both the Cherry Creek Bruins and the Valor Christian Eagles will be remembered as one of the greatest games in state championship history. It will serve as fuel to a rivalry in still in its newborn phase. Creek will recall the battle back from two separate seven-point defects to pull out the win for their ninth state title. Valor will use it as a reminder that greatness is never sustained and they must always continue to fight.

    It was a battle that high school football and a state title deserved.

    A slugfest for the ages.

  • Welcome back letter from the comissioner

    You Can Play, Colorado! Paul Angelico
    CHSAA commissioner Paul Angelico. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)

    Dear Coaches,

    As we start fall sports competitions, I want to take a minute to welcome you back and express my heartfelt warm wishes for all of you that are coaching and teaching our students. On behalf of so many of us that are no longer in the trenches working with kids, please know that we are envious of your jobs and the opportunities you have every day to effect students’ lives.

    I would like to remind you that as you go about teaching X’s and O’s, don’t forget to also teach the Y’s of life. You, as coaches, have the ability to affect young lives more than anyone except parents. In doing so you are making a difference in the attitudes of your students, parents and your communities.

    The reason we offer sports in our schools is this: Sports programs, when run appropriately, offer the opportunity to develop our student athletes into men and women of integrity and character. They can then lead responsibly and ultimately make their communities better.

    Sports can and should provide for the social, emotional, moral and ethical wellbeing and development of our young people.

    Our purpose is to develop and send our students out into the world that are committed and equipped to make a difference in our communities.

    Remember that the essential thing is not knowledge, but character, because when we can build good people, all the rest will follow.

    We have distributed over 900 copies of Joe Ehrmanns’ book, InSideOut Coaching, and these concepts are taught so well in that book.  Joe talks about the purpose of what we do in addition to the goals that we all set for ourselves. Joe’s purpose for coaching states it best. His purpose “is to help boys become men of empathy and integrity who will lead. Be responsible, and change the world for good. “

    For more information about this great book please go to CHSAANow.com/whyweplay.

    I encourage you to find your purpose for coaching not just with the goal of winning, but to make sure that there are many reasons you are out there making a difference in our kids’ lives every day.

    Best of luck and a safe season to all of you and again thanks for all you do.

    Sincerely,

    Paul Angelico

  • Casey: Once again, the Student Leadership Camp proves its value

    CHSAA Student Leadership Camp
    This year’s attendees to CHSAA’s Student Leadership Camp. (Troy Rivera) More photos »

    FORT COLLINS — This week was a great reminder that this Association is about more than just athletics.

    Monday brought the return of the annual CHSAA Student Leadership Camp to CSU. It was something I was exposed to for the first time last summer, and it was slightly overwhelming then — hundreds of eager, high-energy students just waiting to be involved. In anything.

    These kids are, quite literally, the best-of-the-best when it comes to leadership in Colorado’s high schools.

    CHSAA student leadership
    (Troy Rivera) More photos »

    Last summer, the thought crossed my mind that this Leadership Camp was the best thing CHSAA does. This year’s trip only reinforced that notion.

    Think about CHSAA’s stated mission — in large part, to “provide an environment that enhances personal development through sporting behavior, character education, teamwork, leadership, and citizenship.”

    The annual camp — this summer actually marked the 50th anniversary — ticks all those boxes. Students attend keynote speeches, they have breakout sessions on a variety of topics, they absorb seemingly everything they can about leadership in four jam-packed days. And then they take it all back to their schools and disseminate it to their respective student bodies.

    The camp is the epitome of the Association’s overriding goal: to create better students and citizens. It is something special, and offers a unique view at our state’s future.

    A major part of this is the kids who attend. Like I said, they are the type who want to learn, who want to be involved. They make great pupils for Rashaan Davis, Harry Waterman, Troy Rivera and the dozens of other staff members who put the camp together.

    When the four days are up, and the camp concludes, the staff has to drag the students out of their dorms. Because with so many like-minded individuals in one place, the camp forms a kind of lasting bond among its attendees.

    Just ask them: