ARVADA — Evergreen’s girls soccer team is one win away from capturing another Class 4A Jeffco League champion title.

“League title would be huge for us,” Evergreen senior Myla Stewart said after a 2-1 victory against D’Evelyn at the North Area Athletic Complex on Thursday night. “With COVID last year we call it back-to-back. That league title is almost more important than state (qualifying) because we play in one of the hardest conferences in Colorado.”

Evergreen senior Jocelin Zimmerer (7) gets a pass away as D’Evelyn senior Kendall Dale (2) closes in Thursday night at the NAAC. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

Evergreen won the 4A Jeffco League title in 2019 on its way to a state runner-up finish in the 4A state tournament two years ago. The COVID pandemic completely wiped out the Spring 2020 season.

The Cougars — ranked No. 1 in the CHSAANow.com 4A poll — had to hang on against a desperate D’Evelyn squad that was coming off back-to-back losses to 5A’s No. 3 Valor and Green Mountain. The No. 5 Jaguars was in a must-win situation to have a chance to qualify for the 16-team state tournament.

“Playing D’Evelyn is always my favorite game of the year,” Evergreen coach Peter Jeans said. “I told the girls before the game I don’t believe in my 15 years either team has won by more than a goal. I love this game. It had a playoff feel to it.”

Stewart got Evergreen (9-0, 8-0 in 4A Jeffco) on the board early with a goal in the 16th minute. The ball came to the senior striker in the middle of D’Evelyn’s goal box and Stewart delivered her 9th goal of the season.

“I saw net and I took it,” Stewart said of her goal in the 16th minute. “When I turned around I had all 17 of my teammates cheering me on. I think this was one of the first games this year we’ve fully played as a team.”

Evergreen junior Rami Rapp (10) out runs D’Evelyn senior Kylee Ornstein (15) to the ball during the Class 4A Jeffco League game Thursday night at the NAAC.

The Cougars dominated possession against D’Evelyn (5-3-1, 5-2-1) for the majority of the first half. Evergreen extended its lead to 2-0 late in the first half with a penalty kick goal by senior Jocelin Zimmerer in the 35th minute.

D’Evelyn did make things interesting in the second half. Senior Lauren Cook hit the post off a direct free kick in the opening minutes. Senior Kylee Ornstein then had a header from point-blank range saved by Evergreen junior goalie Aubrey Huerta seconds later.

“Aubrey came off a big injury earlier this season and has been incredible,” Stewart said. “I couldn’t wish for a better keeper. She comes up with big saves when we need them.”

Stewart nearly made it a 3-0 goal lead in the 49th minute, but her shot rocketed off the cross bar. The posts and cross bar became the Cougars’ friend a couple of times in the second half.

“You have to have breaks, but we have also put ourselves in position to win the game,” Jeans said. “I thought we played well the whole game. To D’Evelyn’s credit they hung in there. They got a key goal at the right time.”

Cook ended the chance for Evergreen’s 8th shutout victory of the year after she gathered in an initial shot that hit the cross bar and put it in the back of the net in the 70th minute.

“Soccer is a game of inches,” D’Evelyn coach Reid Bervik said of the Jaguars nearly battling all the way back from a 2-0 deficit despite suffering a few key injuries that left D’Evelyn short-handed against Evergreen. “I’m proud of the girls. They fought their butts off and played with their hearts.”

D’Evelyn senior Eve Dalla (6) and Evergreen senior Lily Maus (14) both go airborne for a ball Thursday night at the NAAC. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

Evergreen was masterful controlling the ball in the corners in the final five minutes to run out the clock to clinch a top-2 spot in the 4A Jeffco League and automatic berth into the postseason.

“At the end we had to dig deep to just finish the game against a really good team,” Jeans said.

The Cougars wrap up their season against No. 7 Wheat Ridge (7-1, 6-1) next week on Wednesday, June 9 at Lakewood Memorial Field. That game will decide the conference championship.

“We know we are going to get a huge game from them,” Jeans said of Wheat Ridge. “I’m expecting another battle. Another playoff-like game.”

D’Evelyn concludes its regular season against Wheat Ridge on Monday, June 7, at Lakewood Memorial Field. Unfortunately for the Jaguars it will likely be a season finale too.

“There is a very slim chance. We’d have to have a lot of cards fall into place,” Bervik said of the Jaguars’ postseason chances with the field limited to 16 teams instead of the normal 32 teams. “It’s definitely a bummer because (4A) Jeffco usually has five or six teams make the tournament. It is what it is. COVID has taken a lot.”

Evergreen senior Jocelin Zimmerer (7) gets boxed in by D’Evelyn freshman Camille Kollar, left, along with seniors Lauren Cook (18) and Eve Dalla (6). Zimmerer scored on a penalty kick in the 35th minute to give Evergreen a 2-0 lead. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

Kent Waryan, Laura Probst, Chris Peterson, Liz Armbrustmacher and Kevin Williams (not pictured) were inducted into the Jeffco Athletic Hall of Fame on Thursday at the Arvada Center. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

ARVADA — Laura Probst never won a state championship.

The 2002 graduate of Arvada West High School finished runner-up 11 times in state cross country and track individual races. However, 16 years after leaving Jeffco and after a stellar soccer career at Texas A&M University, Probst was inducted into the Jeffco Athletic Hall of Fame on Thursday afternoon at the Arvada Center — along with Chris Peterson, Liz Armbrustmacher, Kevin Williams and Kent Waryan.

“It’s incredibly special. Part of the reason it was so unexpected,” said Probst, who is now a primary care doctor at a Veterans Hospital in Albuquerque, NM. “Being a student-athlete in Colorado and Jefferson County was such an important time in my life, but it seem so far in the past.”

Despite all the second-place finishes, Probst’s attitude was always positive.

“I think you have to remember why you are doing it and what it is all about,” said Probst, who won the coveted Freddie Joe Steinmark Award in 2002. “For me I was competing against myself. As long as I knew I gave my best and left it all out on the track I was satisfied.”

Chris Peterson

The Jefferson High School graduate might have been a little ahead of his time. The sharp-shooting basketball guard led the state in scoring his senior year in guiding the Saints to an appearance in the Final 4 of the state tournament.

Peterson’s youngest son —Lakewood High School graduate Kolton Peterson — broke the all-time Class 5A 3-point record just a few years ago. All the scoring Chris Peterson did in his time in the mid-1970s came without the 3-point line in existence.

“I thought it was going to be a roast at first,” Peterson said during his speech. “My boys were all sitting around last tonight and said I would probably be the first basketball player to go into the (Jeffco) Hall of Fame who never made a 3-point shot.”

Peterson went on to coach softball at Green Mountain, along with boys basketball at Arvada West.

Liz Armbrustmacher

This Evergreen High School graduate was apart of the volleyball juggernaut the Cougars build under coach Lo Hunter in the 1980s, which included a 182-match winning streak.

Armbrustmacher went on to play Indiana University before returning to Jeffco. She led Lakewood High School to a remarkable run starting in the late 1990s.

“All of us in this room understand the impact of sports and activities,” said Armbrustmacher, who is still a teacher at Lakewood. “The lessons learned and taught on the field, the court, the pitch, the diamond and the track that those lessons learned expand far more than the game.”

Kevin Williams

Williams was a seven-time state champion in cross country and track at D’Evelyn Junior/Senior High School. He still holds the Class 4A state record in the 3,200-meter run that he set his senior year in 2008 with a time of 9:06.27.

“Looking back at my athlete career a feel very lucky to have attended Jefferson County and D’Evelyn,” Williams wrote in a statement read by his high school track coach Micah Porter. “When I arrived at D’Evelyn in 7th-grade and I no idea I would become a distance runner and how big of a role that would play in my life.”

Williams went on to run at the University of Oklahoma from 2008-13 where he had three consecutive top-10 finishes at the NCAA Cross Country National Championships. He is currently the head cross country coach at North Texas University and assistant track coach for the Mean Green.

Kent Waryan

Waryan came to Jeffco in the mid-1970s. He was a teacher, coach and administrator at a number of schools before retiring a handful of years ago from the district. He spent his final years at Jeffco at the athletic director at Wheat Ridge and Lakewood before sharing duties with Kevin Land as the Executive Director of Athletics and Activities in Jeffco.

Jim Thyfault, current Executive Director of Athletics and Activities, said that Waryan served as a mentor to so many current athletic directors in Jeffco.

“The scoreboard is not the most important thing and communication,” Waryan said of the two valuable things his wife has taught him over the years.

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Pomona graduate Ryan Marquez, middle, stands with family members after receiving the 5A Jeffco Male Athlete of the Year and Freddie Joe Steinmark Award at the 32nd Annual Jeffco Athletics Hall of Fame Banquet on Thursday. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

Jeffco Athletics 2017-18 Awards

Athletes of the Year
Jeffco 5A Male: Ryan Marquez, Pomona
Jeffco 5A Female: Camilla Emsbo, Lakewood
Jeffco 4A Male: Adam Thistlewood, Golden
Jeffco 4A Female: Kristina Schreiber, Evergreen

Coaches of the Year
Jeffco 5A Coach of Male Sports: Jay Madden, Pomona
Jeffco 5A Coach of Female Sports: Tracey Boychuk, Pomona
Jeffco 4A Coach of Male Sports: Brian Kula, Valor Christian
Jeffco 4A Coach of Female Sports: Amy Bahl, Evergreen

Assistant Coaches of the Year
Jeffco 5A Asst. of Male Sports: Shane Fugita, Dakota Ridge
Jeffco 5A Asst. of Female Sports: Steve Hadley, Lakewood
Jeffco 4A Asst. of Male Sports: Brian Zehnder, Standley Lake
Jeffco 4A Asst. of Female Sports: Ali Meyers, Evergreen

Fred Steinmark Team Award
Jeffco 5A: Ralston Valley
Jeffco 4A: D’Evelyn

Paul Davis Sportsmanship Award
Jeffco 5A: Bear Creek
Jeffco 4A: Golden

A roundup of Jeffco prep highlights from January with Dennis Pleuss, Jeffco Public Schools’ Communication Specialist. This month’s edition features early Class 5A boys basketball action between Bear Creek and Dakota Ridge. Also, early girls basketball action featuring Golden in a non-league game against Heritage and D’Evelyn squaring off with Valor Christian. Arvada’s boys basketball team opened up its Colorado 7 League action against Skyview. We close with Pomona grabbing a trio of individual wrestling titles at the annual Arvada West Invitational.

Annie Kunz, Peter Horvath, Don McGatlin, Frank DeAngelis and Matt Rillos were inducted into the Jeffco Athletic Hall of Fame on June 9. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

ARVADA — The names conjure up thousands of memories of athletic accomplishments for those familiar to Jeffco Public Schools.

Annie Kunz, Matt Rillos, Don McGatlin, Peter Horvath and Frank DeAngelis were permanently immortalized Friday at the Arvada Center. The five former Jeffco athletes and coaches were inducted as the Class of 2017 to the Jeffco Athletic Hall of Fame.

“I get to come in with so many of your heroes,” McGatlin said of his entry into the hall of fame. “I appreciate so much Jim Thyfault (Executive Director of Athletics) and Jefferson County for allowing me to be apart of this wonderful group of people. It’s emotional today.”

Don McGatlin
(Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

McGatlin was one of the highlights in one of the strongest induction classes ever for the hall of fame. The longtime Green Mountain High School football and track coach guided the Rams to five state titles from his tenure from 1981 to 2005. Even after leaving Green Mountain, McGatlin hasn’t stopped coaching.

He is currently an assistant football coach at Chatfield High School under his son and head coach Bret McGatlin, along with being a track coach at Calhan High School.

“I can’t get away from it,” McGatlin said of coaching. “I’ll coach until I feel like I’m not doing a good job. Right now I could see coaching into my 70s.”

Kunz is also still chasing her athletic passions. The 24-year-old — arguably one of the best female athletes to come out of the Jeffco and maybe Colorado — is currently training at the Olympic Training Center in San Diego. She placed 8th in the Heptathlon at the 2016 Olympic Trails and holds the school records at Texas A&M University in both the Pentathlon & Heptathlon.

Wheat Ridge girls soccer coach Dan Watkins, left, introduces Annie Kunz. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

“2020 is the ultimate goal,” the Wheat Ridge High School graduate said about the Olympics three years from now in Tokyo. “Building up to that and hopefully peaking at the right time.”

The spring belonged to Kunz during her time at Wheat Ridge. She not only was a track star, but led the Farmers to three straight Class 4A girls soccer state championship games with Wheat Ridge winning two state titles.

Despite going on to Texas A&M where she helped the Aggies women’s soccer team advance to the NCAA National semifinals her senior year and being a two-time All-SEC first team selection, Kunz was a surprised when she got the call that she had been selected for induction.

“Definitely not so soon,” Kunz said about being one of the youngest Jeffco Athletic HOF inductees ever. “I joked with my mom that I don’t feel like I’ve done anything yet to deserve to be in the hall of fame. I’m definitely just grateful, honored and humbled to be apart of such a wonderful group. Being apart of the Jeffco community means the world to me.”

It was the 32nd year Jeffco has added to its athletic hall of fame that started in 1986. The names of nearly the 100 athletes, coaches and contributors who have been inducted are displayed on plaques at the atrium at Jeffco Stadium.

Matt Rillos

A four-sport (football, basketball, track and baseball) athlete at Golden High School from 1992-1996. Was Golden’s valedictorian his senior year, along with winning the Freddie Steinmark, Gold Helmet (The Denver Post) and Jeffco Male Athlete of the Year honors.

Ralston Valley football and track coach Matt Loyd, left, and Golden graduate Matt Rillos. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

“He (Rillos) had an unbelievable senior year,” said current Ralston Valley football coach Matt Loyd who coached Rillos at Golden.

That incredible senior year included Rillos coming out for baseball. It was his first year playing high school baseball and Loyd joked about how Rillos showed up for the first practice with a borrowed glove and wood bat. However, he turned out to be the best player on the team that season and was an all-conference selection.

Rillos went on to play football at the Air Force Academy. He was a running back on the Falcons’ 1998 team that were Western Athletic Conference champions with a 12-1 overall record while finishing No. 8 in the nation.

Currently, Rillos is the owner of Financial Counsel Associates in Golden.

Peter Horvath

Horvath was the boys and girls head varsity soccer coach at Columbine High School from 1983-2008.

During his 25 years of coaching the Rebels’ soccer programs Columbine won 19 Jeffco League titles, grabbed eight state runner-up trophies and the boys team won three state championships (1986, 1993 and 2002).

Ed Woytek hugs former Columbine soccer coach Peter Horvath. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

Horvath talked during his induction speech about his goal when he first began coaching — “To create an experience and environment for our players and athletes that wasn’t just based on soccer. It was about life experiences and developing our players into people, not just players. It was about character and values. I think I did a good job doing that.”

Horvath was named coach of the year several times and was inducted into the Colorado High School Coaches Hall of Fame in 2016.

Frank DeAngelis

While being remember mostly as Columbine High School’s principal for 18 years, DeAngelis has a rich background in athletes.

Frank DeAngelis
(Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

He was an assistant football coach at Columbine and the head baseball coach for the Rebels from 1981-1994. Three times he was selected at the Jeffco’s baseball Coach of the Year.

During his acceptance speech, DeAngelis said being a coach for so many years before stepping into the role of principal helped him lead the school and community after the tragic shooting at Columbine High School in 1999.

Fittingly, just before DeAngelis retired as principal at Columbine the Rebels’ girls soccer team won the first girls state team title in the school’s history claiming the 2014 Class 5A state championship.

A roundup of Jeffco prep highlights, interviews and schedules with Dennis Pleuss, Jeffco Public Schools’ Communication Specialist. This month’s edition features baseball action between Columbine and Pomona, along with an extra inning battle on the diamond between Arvada West and Dakota Ridge. Also, Columbine girls soccer defeats Ralston Valley to take a step closer to a fourth straight 5A Jeffco League title, Pomona student-athletes sign their National Letter of Intent, lacrosse returns to the North Area Athletic Complex and footage from Jeffco’s Adapted Athletics Softball Day from the Gold Crown Field House.

Trailblazer Stadium in Jeffco will host more than 100 lacrosse games this spring. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

LAKEWOOD — For more than 20 years, Trailblazer Stadium has morphed with the changing demands of prep sports in Jefferson County.

The most evident change came in the summer of 2008. The stadium located just south of Jeffco Stadium in Lakewood had synthetic turf installed due to the increasing demand of one of the quickest growing sports — lacrosse — in Colorado.

It’s the only all synthetic turf at Jeffco’s four stadium complexes — North Area Athletic Complex, Lakewood Memorial Field, Jeffco Stadium and Trailblazer Stadium.

“The growth of lacrosse was the driving force to make Trailblazer a synthetic surface,” said Ezra Paddock, Manager of Stadium Operations for Jeffco Public Schools. “The popularity of the sport lead to more and more schools adding lacrosse programs, which meant we would host more games.”

Ten years ago, Trailblazer hosted 35 boys lacrosse games on its then natural grass surface. This spring, the stadium that opened in 1996 will host more than 100 boys and girls lacrosse games during just more than a 60-day stretch.

Trailblazer Stadium set up for Jeffco’s Adapted Athletics Soccer Day in the fall of 2016. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

“Couple that with the time of year lacrosse is played (March & April), synthetic surface was definitely the right choice for our schedule,” Paddock said. “Our synthetic surface has also been a great tool for our athletic department. We have been able to host additional rentals and juggle our schedule around when necessary.”

While Trailblazer has been the workhorse when it comes to the spring lacrosse, the stadium is also busy during the fall hosting nearly 30 football games. The facility was originally planned to replace the old Reed Street Stadium in Wheat Ridge that was demolished in the mid-1990s to make way for the Stevens Elementary/Wheat Ridge Middle School campus.

Trailblazer also had numerous rentals throughout the year which includes Colorado Christian University men’s and women’s soccer programs. However, the first priority for the facility is to serve the students who attend Jeffco Public Schools.

The Adapted Athletics program run by Bryan Wickoren, Adapted Physical Education Coordinator for Jeffco Public School, had utilized Trailblazer with the growth of its district-wide program.

Jeffco’s Adapted Athletics Football Day at Trailblazer Stadium. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

“The student-athletes with special needs that participate in the Jeffco Adapted Athletics benefit greatly in the availability of having an outstanding facility such as Trailblazer Stadium,” Wickoren said.

Trailblazer is the site of Jeffco’s Adapted Athletics’ Soccer Day and Football Day.

“The facility allows for multiple games to be played at once which allows students with physical ability to participate alongside their peers,” Wickoren said. “The artificial turf allows students in manual wheelchairs, power wheelchairs and walkers to participate with success. Trailblazer Stadium is a facility that was constructed in mind to allow maximum participate with minimal barriers for students with disabilities. It’s a first class facility.”

Green Mountain High School graduate Tyler Dirschl has been the stadium manager at Trailblazer since July 2015.

“It’s kind of my dream job,” said Dirschl, who graduated from Green Mountain in 2012.

Dirschl started working for the school district as a hurdle boy for track meets at Jeffco Stadium when he was 15. He stayed within the athletic department at Jeffco after graduating from Green Mountain.

So what does the future hold for Trailblazer Stadium?

Jim Thyfault, Executive Director of Athletics, hopes that seating expansion will be possible. Paddock and Dirschl agree that there could be some upgrades for the versatile athletic complex. Adding more bleachers, building a new press box and restructuring the team building to include locker rooms, restrooms and concessions all in one building are some of the future modernizations hopefully in store for Trailblazer down the road.

NOTE: This is the third part of a four-part series this school year on Jeffco Public Schools’ stadium venues — North Area Athletic Complex, Lakewood Memorial Field, Trailblazer Stadium and Jeffco Stadium.

It’s been almost nine years since Trailblazer Stadium’s synthetic surface was put in. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

Lakewood Memorial Field stadium manager Chris Gray paints the lines at LMF earlier this fall. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

LAKEWOOD — A mix of new technology and innovations has been applied to one of the oldest prep sports venues in Colorado.

Lakewood Memorial Field (10th Ave. and Wadsworth Blvd. in Lakewood) wraps up another regular season of boys soccer games this week. LMF, one of four district stadium complexes run by Jeffco Public Schools, hosted 56 prep soccer games this fall season.

This was the third boys soccer season with the new XtraGrass at LMF that was installed in the summer of 2014. The hybrid surface is a combination of synthetic fibers and natural grass to provide more durable surface for the field that hosts nearly 150 events in a calendar year.

Lakewood Memorial was the first field in the United States to have XtraGrass.

“It’s been everything we wanted it to be. I’ve been very impressed with it,” said Chris Gray, who became the stadium manager at LMF during the summer of 2014. “It plays true and plays stable. You can definitely tell the field takes a lot more games with less wear and tear. It recovers a lot quicker.”

The field at LMF has drawn plenty of attention from around the country with more than just other school districts looking into going with the same hybrid field on their own facilities.

The new scoreboard was installed before the start of the boys soccer season at LMF. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

“Turf managers from across the nation, which includes NFL, MLB, college, high school and recreation districts have traveled to LMF to learn more about this product,” said Jim Thyfault, Jeffco’s Executive Director of Athletics. “In all cases, our stadium managers are praised for their commendable work.”

While the playing surface has been a huge upgrade, there is still the old classic feel for the stadium that initially hosted track and football games for Lakewood High School and Lakewood Junior High School when both of those schools were located at 10th and Wadsworth.

The field was dedicated in 1946 to Jeffco Public Schools graduates who lost their lives in World War II. In 1977 the stadium became a dedicated soccer venue for Jeffco, along with hosting junior high football games until Lakewood Junior High School closed after the 1988-89 school year.

“It’s a heritage field. I played here when I was in high school,” said Paul Moline, D’Evelyn boys and girls soccer coach that graduated from Columbine High School. “There are generations who have played on this field that I think is really cool.”

Moline credits Thyfault for seeing the need for an upgrade of the field at Lakewood Memorial. The playing surface was native grass before the XtraGrass was put in.

“Especially teams that come outside of our county can’t believe how great our fields are, the North Area Athletic Complex (Highway 93 and 64th Parkway in Arvada) and Lakewood Memorial. We are very fortunate to have these fields,” Moline said. “They keep them in such good shape. The kids look forward to playing on these field. There are college pitches that aren’t this great. We are very lucky.”

Wheat Ridge girls soccer coach Dan Watkins has seen the upgrades in the stadium in recent years, which includes the replacement of the original scoreboard this fall. There was also a secondary scoreboard placed on the concession stand building before the start of school year.

Lakewood Memorial Field hosted 56 regular-season varsity boys soccer matches this fall. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

“The new field and scoreboard has turned a great soccer only venue into an absolute first-class soccer stadium,” said Watkins who guided the Farmers to back-to-back Class 4A girls soccer state titles in 2009 and 2010. “Former players who have gone on and played at college have come back and marveled at the facility.  Chris Gray does a remarkable job making everything about LMF a first-class experience.”

The most memorable game Watkins recalled at Lakewood Memorial was in 2009 when Wheat Ridge faced rival Golden in the state quarterfinals.

“Playoff games under the lights at LMF have always been special events, but playing our rival made it that much sweeter,” Watkins said recalling the game. “I remember the crowd being at capacity with all of the seating full and people standing on the hill and along the fence. It was probably the loudest and most energetic I remember.”

Lakewood Memorial Field has stood the test of time with generations of Jeffco families using and seeing the upgrades to the classic stadium.

“With the addition of the XtraGrass field and the new scoreboards at LMF, we are extremely grateful to district leaders for allowing us to take one of the oldest high school stadiums in the state and converting it into, arguably, the nicest facility for players and coaches,” Thyfault said.

Lakewood Memorial Field was dedicated in 1946 to Jeffco Public Schools graduates who lost their lives in World War II. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

NOTE: This is the second part of a four-part series this school year on Jeffco Public Schools’ stadium venues — North Area Athletic Complex, Lakewood Memorial Field, Trailblazer Stadium and Jeffco Stadium.

The NAAC has won two national awards in the past two years. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

ARVADA — Over the past three years the North Area Athletic Complex — Jeffco Public Schools’ football and soccer venue in Arvada — has raked in national awards.

The NAAC’s soccer field was named the Schools and Parks Soccer Field of the Year by the SportsTurf Mangers Association in 2014. The football field earned STMA’s Schools and Parks Football Field of the Year in 2015. Both are national awards with applicants from all over the United States.

NAAC stadium managers Sun Roesslein and Christi Clay, along with former stadium manager Don Frantz — at NAAC from July 2012 to August 2014 — have taken the complex that opened in 2000 to a new level of excellence.

“Sun, Christi and Don over the past three years have made the NAAC facility the best it has ever been,” said Ezra Paddock, Manager of Stadium Operations for Jeffco. “The recognition for them is absolutely deserved.”

Roesslein joined Jeffco Public Schools in 2005 and has always served as a stadium manager at NAAC.

“It’s super exciting to be chosen,” said Roesslein, who begins her 12th school year at NAAC. “It definitely shows we are doing the right things to create safe playing fields and doing the best we can do with our resources.”

(Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

Roesslein put herself into an elite field over the summer when she passed the Certified Sports Field Manager test to become one of just over 200 CSFMs in the country. She is just one of eight females to currently hold the CSFM accreditation.

“I wanted to challenge myself as a professional and my knowledge of turf management. A big part of becoming a CSFM is the commitment to continuing education, professional development and community service,” Roesslein said. “Taking the test isn’t the end of the process, it’s really the beginning.”

The process and evolution of NAAC is always ongoing. A new soccer scoreboard was installed over the summer to replace the original scoreboard.

“I think it just added another ‘aw’ element to the soccer side,” said Clay, who has been a stadium manager at NAAC since August 2014. “I’ve heard so many comments on it already this season.”

NAAC’s soccer field is scheduled to have 49 regular-season boys’ soccer games this fall.

(Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

Next on the plate is a video scoreboard to be installed on the football side within the next month to replace its original scoreboard. The video scoreboard will be similar Jeffco Stadium’s that was new a few years ago.

Jeffco has worked on getting sponsorships on the new scoreboards. The money from the five-year contract for advertising on the scoreboards will go toward maintenance and upkeep at the stadiums, as well as supplies for Jeffco’s athletic trainers from each high school.

“The scoreboard is going to be a great addition. It will really bring us a step forward,” Roesslein said. “With the video board we’ll be able to personalize it to whoever is playing.”

NAAC’s football field will host 24 regular-season games, along with the Pomona Band Festival on Saturday, Oct. 1. Pomona, Arvada West, Ralston Valley and Standley Lake will all have their homecoming games at NAAC.

A future desire is to replace the original track around the football field and install a timing system so NAAC could host varsity track meets in the spring. This could become a reality if the proposed $535 bond for Jeffco Public Schools passes in November. There is also the probability that lacrosse games will be played on NAAC’s football field in the future.

“It would be fantastic to have a new track. People like to come here and run just from the community,” Roesslein said. “Having a new track and timing system would take some of the pressure off Jeffco Stadium.”

Christi Clay, left, Cooper Loyd during paint day on NAAC’s football field. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

Moving forward is something Jeffco’s stadium managers are always zeroed in on. Providing the best experience for student-athletes, coaches and spectators has always been the goal for the district’s four stadiums.

“Sun and Christi are perfectionists. They want this place to be perfect. There is absolutely room for improvement, always,” Paddock said. “With our whole athletic stadium staff, I don’t know if they will ever be satisfied.”

Executive Director of Athletics and Activities Jim Thyfault concurs, “Jeffco is very fortunate to have two people the quality of Sun and Christi. All our stadium managers are ultimate professionals — not only turf experts, but event managers and organizers. Coaches and the community comment about our great stadium managers constantly.”

NOTE: This is the first part of a four-part series this school year on Jeffco Public Schools’ stadium venues — North Area Athletic Complex, Lakewood Memorial Field, Trailblazer Stadium and Jeffco Stadium.

Sun Roesslein in is her 12th year as a stadium manager at the NAAC. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)