(Brad Cochi/CHSAANow)

Avery Shunneson’s senior year at Thomas Jefferson High School went from the slow pace of having the fall football season postponed to warp speed of having three sports crammed into his final semester of school. Avery and his teammates at TJ participated in the state basketball tournament in early March, started football practice the next week, hoisted the 4A Football Season C Championship trophy in May, and then Avery won two state track and field championships the last weekend of June.  Not a bad way to wind up your senior year – oh, and add being named 4A football Player of the Year and committing to attend Princeton University to this list as well.

Avery Shunneson is the 52nd winner of the Steinmark Award since it was established in 1972 (there were two winners in 1976 and 1979) and he continues the proud tradition of Steinmark Award winners. Avery learned a lot of the history surrounding Freddie Steinmark and the award from his football coach, Mike Griebel, who passed on stories about the accomplishments of Freddie Steinmark from his glory days in the mid-1960’s at Wheat Ridge High School and the hard work it took for Freddie to get a scholarship to play for the Longhorns. They talked about Freddie playing in the 1969 ‘Game of the Century’ against the Arkansas Razorbacks and then a week later being diagnosed with osteosarcoma in his left leg and the immediate amputation of the leg.

Most importantly, Avery recognized the hard work and dedication it took in the classroom and his community to really stand out as a Freddie Steinmark Award winner. Avery wrote, “I recalled the many times I would see Freddie Steinmark’s name as I explored the halls of Wheat Ridge High School in between my club basketball games at tournaments held at Wheat Ridge. I was only in middle school at the time, but I can still recall the pride the school had for such an amazing man who was not only a great athlete but also a good citizen and a dynamic leader.”

Avery was a natural leader in the hallways at TJ and the local community. Woody Bonner, assistant track coach at TJ, commented that “as a freshmen, Avery went out to the throw rings the first practice and was instantly the leader of that group of young men and women.” Having the respect of the other athletes and knowledge of the throwing events truly benefitted Avery this year as he stepped up to be the team’s throws coach when Coach Bonner was not able to be at practices during the season due to medical reasons. Coach Bonner also shared that he would “hear from Avery by text or call to check up on me and to fill me in on how the last game [or meet] went. This is something that was not required or asked for. This is something he does because of who he is and the outstanding character he possesses.”

Avery is also deeply involved in the Spanish-speaking community in Denver and helps as an interpreter and technology support for seniors in the community and clients of a local fishing outfitter. Avery learned to appreciate the importance of language and education at a very early age thanks to his parents, Alison and Arnold Shunneson, placing him in a fully Spanish-speaking 1st grade class. A review of Avery’s transcript shows no less than six Spanish Honors or Advanced Placement classes during his career at TJ. A weighted GPA of 4.78 ranked Avery in the top 10 of his class and a composite score of 30 on the ACT made Avery a top recruit of Ivy League colleges and almost every other top school across the country.

Avery is proud to be a product of TJ and the Denver Public Schools system and will carry that banner proudly with him to Princeton this year. Avery is also very proud to be the first Steinmark Award winner at TJ and the fourth recipient from Denver Public School – Mike Edwards, Kennedy (1976); Fred Harris, Montbello (1988); and Greg Jones, Kennedy (1992). Avery knows the challenges faced by urban schools and the students face many challenges every day. “The Steinmark Award means that one faces those challenges with faith and courage….and that you never give up. Horrible things happen in our lives, like Freddie Steinmark’s illness, but we have to dig deep and show courage so that we can inspire others to do the same. I would be honored to be the first to win the award on behalf of my school….and to represent the city of Denver.”

All of Avery’s academic and community service accomplishments may have moved his athletic feats to page 2, but they are no less impressive. During the 2021 Season D track and field season Avery threw the discus 196’ 8” to find a spot as the 6th best discus thrower ever in the state of Colorado. His throw of 192’ 6” set a 4A State Meet Record in the discus and put him on top of the podium, a spot he duplicated two days later by winning the 4A shot put with a throw of 54’ 2”. Avery’s progression in the discus is notable in that he was on the podium in both his 9th grade (a 6th place finish) and 10th grade (a 3rd place finish).

The spring football Season C found the undefeated TJ Spartans in the state championship game and trailing the Gateway Olympians at half time. The Spartans remained focused on their season-long goal of a team championship and came out victorious after a late-game touchdown and two-point conversion. Avery was one of the team captains and was proud of the Spartans’ determination throughout the entire season. The team focused on Coach Mike Griebel’s commitment to player safety and made sure that they did not have any COVID-related issues throughout the season. Avery was the team leader in rushing yards and tackles during the season and was recognized as the 4A Player of the Year by CHSAA. And what did Avery do to celebrate the team’s victory? He woke up Saturday morning and competed in the first track meet of Season D! Avery admitted that he was pretty sore, but he didn’t want to miss an opportunity to compete in a track and field meet. That is a true commitment to excellence!

The Steinmark Award was established in 1972 and honors Freddie Steinmark, who excelled in football, basketball, and baseball while attending Wheat Ridge High School in the 1960s. He was also an outstanding student and active in several school and community-oriented endeavors before attending the University of Texas, where he helped the Longhorns to the national football title in 1969. Freddie died from cancer in 1971 at the age of 22. Student athletes nominated for the award must be seniors who have maintained a GPA of at least 3.0 and participated in at least two varsity sports, having earned at least All-Conference in one sport and All-State in another.

Dave Logan of Wheat Ridge High School, and now the extremely well-known sports announcer for the Denver Broncos and other sports endeavors, was the first winner of the award in 1972.

In 2020, Caleb Rillos from Ralston Valley received the boys’ Steinmark and Emily Cavey of Berthoud was the recipient for the girls. The Colorado High School Coaches Association is proud to be the sponsor of the Freddie Steinmark Award and congratulates the athletes, and their coaches, who were nominated for this award.

Finalists for the 2021 Steinmark Award: Jake Boley, Cheyenne Mountain; Tyler Collins, Wray; Jack Pospisil, Pomona; and Zane Rankin, Lamar.

(Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)

ORLANDO – Dave Logan’s father coached him in both little league football and basketball, and that relationship ended up being the primary reason Logan grew up to become a coach himself.

Even at an early age, both of Logan’s parents ingrained in him that should he one day have an opportunity to work with kids that he must take advantage of the chance to guide younger generations and help them grow through sport. Logan took those words to heart and has spent decades doing exactly that.

On Thursday night at the 102^nd annual National Federation of State High School Associations Summer Meeting, Logan was inducted into the NFHS Hall of Fame for the wide-ranging impact he has made over his wide-ranging career in the world of sports.

“The idea of working with kids was ingrained in me when I was very young,” Logan said. “Even when my dad was coaching me, he talked about how, ‘You’re going to grow up and eventually, if you get the opportunity, you give back.’”

Logan was a three-sport standout – football, basketball and baseball – throughout his high school years at Wheat Ridge from 1969-72, and insists he never had a favorite despite his future professional career in football. His favorite sport, Logan says, was whatever he was playing a given time.

One of only three multi-sport players to be drafted by all three major sports organizations, Logan went on to be a two-sport star at the University of Colorado and then played nine years as a wide receiver in the NFL. He played eight of those years with the Cleveland Browns before playing his final season with the Denver Broncos, where he would eventually become the organization’s on-air radio voice on KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM.

Logan has been “the voice of the Broncos” for three decades and in 2019 signed an agreement to continue for another 10 years.

Since he returned to the high school coaching rankings, Logan has won nine state titles and 290 games over 28 years split between four schools, including Arvada West, Chatfield, Mullen and Cherry Creek. Most recently, he guided the Cherry Creek Bruins to an undefeated season and a second straight Class 5A state championship in the fall.

(Theodore Stark/tstark.com)

During his NFHS Hall of Fame acceptance speech, Logan reminisced on the many lessons he learned from his own high school coaches and teachers. Now going into his 29^th year coaching high school football, he remarked that he remains focused on imparting those same lessons and principles to the young student-athletes he now coaches.

“I think the life lessons you can learn as an athlete and a high school kid, many of those you carry with you and they shape in a lot of ways who you are and who you became,” Logan said. “They shape how you conduct yourself and what’s important to you, and what’s not important. I loved every single sport. I couldn’t wait when the season ended, the next day I was at whatever the next season was. I was able to carry what I learned from my high school experience into playing both basketball and football in college.

“But I think what we need to be able to recognize, and too often we don’t do this, is the importance and the impact that high school coaches, teachers and administrators – those who deal with our youth – have on young people. And even though it might not seem like it every single day, and I know I leave practice some days thinking, ‘I’m not sure they hear a word I said today,’ they do.

“They do.”

Logan entered the NFHS Hall of Fame 2021 class with a pair of other renowned Colorado athletes in former Colorado Rockies player Matt Holliday and former Denver Nuggets player Alex English.

(Theodore Stark/tstark.com)

The Season C all-state football teams are presented by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps.

These teams were created following a lengthy process which included nominations from leagues, and then a vote of head coaches across the state.

Players were placed onto the first team, second team and honorable mention based upon the number of votes they received. In 5A-2A, spots were reserved for linemen and one kicker/punter, while 8-man reserved spots for linemen.

CHSAA does not determine who makes or doesn’t make the team; they are created from the results of the coaches’ vote.

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(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

Class 5A

Player of the year: Ja’Derris Carr, Vista PEAK Prep

Coach of the year: Tony Lindsay Sr., Far Northeast

Honorable mention:

• Robert Barron, MLB/P/RB, Westminster, Senior
• Jonah Buerk, RB, Denver South, Sophomore
• Michael Bufmack, CB/MLB, Rangeview, Junior
• Joseph Capra, QB/FS, Denver South, Sophomore
• Jaylen Carrizales, WR/DB, Vista PEAK Prep, Senior
• Joe Connor, RB/LB, Fort Collins, Senior
• Cyrus Goldsmith, DT/OL, Far Northeast Warriors, Senior
• Elijah Graham, Boulder, Senior
• Dre’Monti Jackson, RB/DB, Far Northeast Warriors, Sophomore
• Max Jones, RB/DB, Fort Collins, Junior
• Elijah Lopez, G/MLB, Denver South, Senior
• Garrett Manning, OLB, Denver South, Senior
• Dorion McGarity, WR/DB, Fort Collins, Junior
• Julian Mechels, WR, Boulder, Junior
• Chris Nguyen, G/DT/DT, Westminster, Senior
• Armani Patterson, RB, Rangeview, Sophomore
• Leonardo Ramos-valles, DE/TE, Far Northeast Warriors, Junior
• Isaai Rubio, ILB/OG, Hinkley, Senior
• Andrew Seest, QB/LB, Fort Collins, Junior
• Blake Smotherman, TE/DE, Fort Collins, Junior
• George West, CB/RB, Hinkley, Senior
• Demario Williams, WR/FS, Rangeview, Junior

[divider]

(Brad Cochi)

Class 4A

Player of the year: Avery Shunneson, Thomas Jefferson

Coach of the year: Mike Griebel, Thomas Jefferson

Honorable mention:

• Daniel Ameyaw, HB/LB, George Washington, Senior
• Brian Chairez, OLB, Skyview, Junior
• Nolan Favreau, Falcon, Senior
• Jacob Nelms, MLB, Falcon, Sophomore
• Octavio Paredes, K, Kennedy, Senior
• Carlos Serrano, ILB, Kennedy, Senior
• Tre’Shawn Smith, Thomas Jefferson, Senior
• DaVonn Stevens, RB/LB, Harrison, Senior
• Owen Thornton, ILB/HB, George Washington, Senior
• Nestor Torrez, OL/DL, Harrison, Senior
• BJ Weatherford, WR/OLB, Aurora Central, Junior
• Jesse Weber, OL/DL, Harrison, Junior
• RJ Webster, RB/FB/LB, Gateway, Senior
• Blake Wilson, Thomas Jefferson, Senior
• Eddie Zygowicz, OLB/FS, Centaurus, Senior

[divider]

(Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com)

Class 3A

Player of the year: Kaden Wolf, Rifle

Coach of the year: Todd Casebier, Rifle

Honorable mention:

• Noah Akin, WR/CB, Aspen, Senior
• Trevin Beckman, RB/LB, Basalt, Sophomore
• Ty Blackmer, QB/SS, Montezuma-Cortez, Senior
• Garrett Dollahan, RB/SS, Glenwood Springs, Senior
• Isaiah Eliot, QB/SS, The Academy, Sophomore
• Almorion Germany, SS/RB, Sand Creek, Senior
• Ryan Hansen, OT/DE, Steamboat Springs, Senior
• Teddy Huttenhower, Glenwood Springs, Junior
• Dylan Kohlbrenner, MLB/FB, The Academy, Senior
• Kyler Krob, SS/WR/WR, Montezuma-Cortez, Senior
• Embrey Marantino, RB/DB, Rifle, Senior
• Sam Sherry, WR/LB, Basalt, Junior
• Storm Silich, Aspen, Senior
• Charlie States, RB/OLB, The Academy, Senior

[divider]

(Brad Cochi/CHSAANow)

Class 2A

Player of the year: Joah Armour, Manitou Springs

Coach of the year: Cory Archuleta, Manitou Springs

Honorable mention:

• Rai-zohn Bell, WR/RB/DB, Manual, Senior
• Tate Christian, , Manitou Springs, Junior
• Joshua Garduno, RB/FS, Ellicott, Senior
• JD McCown, WR/DT, Estes Park, Senior
• Kaden McFee, FB/OLB, Buena Vista, Senior
• Rylan Norton, , Buena Vista, Senior
• Jacob Phelps, RB/DE, Buena Vista, Sophomore
• Elijah Quinonez, C/DL, Manual, Senior
• Noah Rumbyrt, OL/DL, Flatirons Academy, Senior
• Isaac Sternhagen, OL/DL, Flatirons Academy, Senior
• Blake Thomas, RB/QB/OLB, Roaring Fork, Junior
• Elijah Josiah White, WR/LB, Manual, Junior

[divider]

(Marcus Hill)

8-man

Player of the year: Grant Arellanes, Hoehne

Coach of the year: Gabe Dasko, Hoehne

(PaulDiSalvoPhotography.com)

INDIANAPOLIS, IN (June 21, 2021) – Seven outstanding former high school athletes highlight the 2021 class of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) National High School Hall of Fame, including three who went on to earn gold medals in the Olympics and four others who excelled in professional football, basketball and baseball.

Joining the seven former athletes in this year’s class are three highly successful high school coaches, one former state association administrator and one speech and debate coach in the performing arts area.

These 12 individuals were selected in March 2020 and were scheduled to be inducted last year; however, the 2020 in-person NFHS Summer Meeting was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, these 12 honorees will be inducted July 1 at the 38^th induction ceremony of the National High School Hall of Fame, which will be held at the NFHS Summer Meeting in Orlando, Florida. The induction ceremony will take place at 6:00 p.m. EST on July 1 at the Orlando World Center Marriott in Orlando, Florida, and will be streamed live on the NFHS Network at: https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/events/nfhs/evtfb1ffdd8eb

The four high school athletes who went on to professional stardom are Dave Logan of Colorado, Tim Couch of Kentucky, Matt Holliday of Oklahoma and Alex English of South Carolina. Otherathletes in the class are three female stars who landed Olympic gold in the Olympics: Karyn Bye of Wisconsin, Maicel Malone of Indiana and Michele Smith of New Jersey.

Logan was a three-sport standout (football, basketball and baseball) at Wheat Ridge (Colorado) High School in the early 1970s and was drafted by teams in all three professional sports. He was a two-sport star at the University of Colorado and then was a wide receiver with the Cleveland Browns (eight years) and Denver Broncos (one year). In his second career also worthy of Hall of Fame notice, Logan has coached four different Denver-area schools to nine state high school football championships during the past 27 years.

Couch had a record-setting football career as a quarterback at Leslie County High School in Hyden, Kentucky, in the mid-1990s. Couch set three national career passing records – 872 completions, 12,104 yards and 133 touchdowns. He was named National Player of the Year as a senior. Couch also excelled in basketball, leading the state in scoring as a senior with 37 points per game. He had a stellar career at the University of Kentucky and played five years with the Cleveland Browns.

Holliday was a three-sport player – and two-sport star – at Stillwater (Oklahoma) High School in the late 1990s. As a quarterback in football for three years, Holliday passed for 68 touchdowns. He was a four-year starter in baseball and hit .443 as a senior with 12 home runs. He played with four teams during his 20-year professional baseball career, which ended in 2018 with the Colorado Rockies. Holliday was second in the MVP voting with the Rockies in 2007 and won a World Series in 2011 with the St. Louis Cardinals.

English is perhaps the greatest basketball player in South Carolina history. He was a three-time all-state selection and Player of the Year at Dreher High School in Columbia, and he was the leading scorer in University of South Carolina history. English played 16 years in the National Basketball Association, including 10 years with the Denver Nuggets when he scored 2,000 points in eight consecutive seasons.

Bye was a three-sport star at River Falls (Wisconsin) High School in the late 1980s and was a trailblazer for girls in the sport of ice hockey in the state. She was team captain and three-time all-conference while playing on the River Falls boys hockey team. She also played tennis and softball. She later excelled in ice hockey at the University of New Hampshire and played on the 1998 Olympic women’s ice hockey team that won a gold medal.

Malone was a track and field star at North Central High School in Indianapolis, Indiana, from 1984 to 1987. She won 11 of a possible 12 state titles in the three sprints (100, 200, 400)   during her four years at North Central.  She set state records in all three events and helped North Central to two state championships. She later won a gold medal in the 1996 Olympics as a part of the 400-meter relay team.

Smith was a three-sport athlete at Voorhees High School in Glen Gardner, New Jersey. She participated in field hockey, basketball and softball, which became her top sport. Smith had a 51-6 record with 11 no-hitters as a pitcher and helped her team to the state title as a junior. She had an outstanding career at Oklahoma State University with an 82-20 record and was the starting pitcher for the U.S. Olympic teams that won gold medals in 1996 and 2000.

Three outstanding high school coaches are a part of this year’s class, including Rickey Baker, who led Hopi High School in Keams Canyon, Arizona, to a national-record 27 consecutive state cross country championships from 1990 to 2017. Another coach in this year’s class is Charles Berry, who retired in 2018 after a 57-year career as a girls and boys basketball coach in Arkansas. With most of his years at Huntsville High School, Berry won 1,377 games as a boys and girls basketball coach. The final coach in the class is Terry Michler, the winningest boys soccer coach in history from Christian Brothers College High School in St. Louis, Missouri. Michler has won 1,004 games and nine state championships during his 48-year career.

Completing the 2021 class are Bill Farney, who served on the administrative staff of the Texas University Interscholastic League for 32 years, including 14 years as executive director, and Robert Littlefield, one of the top speech and debate educators in North Dakota and nationally for 45 years.

Following is biographical information on the 12 inductees in the 2021 class of the NFHS National High School Hall of Fame.

ATHLETES

Tim Couch

During his football career at Leslie County High School in Hyden, Kentucky in the mid-1990s, Tim Couch set three national career passing records – 872 completions, 12,104 yards and 133 touchdowns. He helped Leslie County to a 13-1 record as a junior while completing an amazing 75 percent of his passes – a national record that stood for 15 years. As a senior, he passed for 42 touchdowns and led his team to an 11-3 mark, and he was named Gatorade and USA Today National Player of the Year while earning Mr. Football honors in Kentucky. ESPN.com selected Couch the sixth-best high school athlete in history. Couch was equally dominant on the basketball court. He scored 3,023 points in his career, leading the state in scoring as a senior at 37 points per game. He was two-time all-state in basketball. Couch’s football prowess continued at the University of Kentucky, where he passed for 8,159 yards and 73 touchdowns in his final two seasons. He led Kentucky to the Outback Bowl after his junior season and was fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting. Couch was the No. 1 pick in the 1999 NFL draft by the Cleveland Browns and passed for more than 11,000 yards and 64 touchdowns in his five years with the Browns.

Karyn Bye

Karyn Bye was a three-sport star at River Falls (Wisconsin) High School in the late 1980s and was a trailblazer for girls in the sport of ice hockey in the state. Amazingly, Bye was a three-time all-conference and team captain of the boys ice hockey team at River Falls. With the formation of girls hockey teams still almost 20 years down the road, Bye became one of the state’s top players on the boys team. She also earned four letters in tennis and was a three-time state qualifier, and she was captain of the River Falls softball team and was three-time all-conference and all-state as a senior. She batted over .500 in both her junior and senior seasons. Bye was the leading scorer all four years on the women’s ice hockey team at the University of New Hampshire and was team captain in her final two seasons. Bye was a member of the USA National Ice Hockey Team for many years and was Player of the Year in 1995 and 1998. She was a member of the U.S. Olympic teams that earned a gold medal at the 1998 Games in Japan and a silver medal at the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City.

Alex English

Prior to his stellar college and professional careers, Alex English was one of the top high school basketball players in South Carolina history during his days at Dreher High School in Columbia. English was a first-team all-state selection three consecutive years, Player of the Year in South Carolina in 1971 and 1972, and he was a two-time all-American. He set the all-time scoring records at Dreher, and his No. 22 jersey was later retired. English stayed home for his college career and is still known as the greatest player in the University of South Carolina history. He ranks first in scoring and third in rebounding in Gamecocks’ history and was a two-time all-American, and he had his second No. 22 jersey retired by USC. While he played for four teams during his 16-year professional career, English will always be remembered for his decade of the 1980s with the Denver Nuggets. He was the NBA’s leading scorer in the 1980s with 19,682 points and was the first player in league history to score 2,000 points in eight straight seasons. English set 31 records in 10 seasons with the Nuggets and is the team’s all-time leader in points (21,645) and assists (3,679). English was an eight-time all-star – all with the Nuggets – and was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1997.

Maicel Malone

As a member of the girls track and field team at North Central High School in Indianapolis, Indiana, from 1984 to 1987, Maicel Malone was one of the most decorated athletes in Indiana high school track and field history and was, perhaps, the first superstar in any Indiana girls sport. She was an 11-time state champion in the 12 sprint events during her four years of competing in the state track and field meet. She won the 100 and 400 meters all four years and the 200 meters three years (finished second as a sophomore). She is still the Indiana state record holder in the 200 (23.12 in 1986) and the 400 (52.42 in 1986), and her 100-meter state record (11.52 in 1986) stood until 2015. She is the only Indiana female athlete to set three state records (100, 200, 400) in the same meet (1986). Malone (now Maicel Green) helped North Central to two state championships – as a freshman in 1984 and in her senior season in 1987. She was a four-time NCAA champion in the 400 meters (three indoor, one outdoor) at Arizona State University, and she was a member of the 400-meter relay team that won a gold medal at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. She won five other gold medals in international competition and was inducted into the Indiana Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1993.

Matt Holliday

Matt Holliday would rank high on a list of the top high school athletes in Oklahoma history, thanks to his days as a three-sport player and two-sport star at Stillwater High School in the late 1990s. He was a three-year starter at quarterback in football and led his team to a 30-6 record while passing for 6,211 yards and 68 touchdowns. In baseball, he was a four-year starter at third base and he also was a pitcher. He hit .438 as a junior and .443 as a senior with a combined 18 home runs. In between those sports, he was a three-year starter on the basketball team. Holliday was highly recruited in both football and baseball by a number of top universities, including his hometown choice of Oklahoma State University, but he was drafted in the seventh round of the 1998 Major League Baseball draft and embarked on a 20-year professional baseball career that ended in October 2018. Holliday played for the Colorado Rockies, Oakland A’s, St. Louis Cardinals, New York Yankees and returned to the Rockies to close his career. In 15 major league seasons, Holliday hit 316 home runs and finished with a .299 career average. His best season was 2007 when he hit .340 with 36 home runs and 137 runs batted in for the Rockies and finished second in the MVP voting. He was a member of the 2011 Cardinals team that won the World Series.

Dave Logan

In a state rich with standout high school athletes, Dave Logan was second to none during his days as a three-sport star at Wheat Ridge (Colorado) High School from 1969 to 1972. And with his eight state championships as a high school football coach the past 26 years, Logan has become the face of high school sports and activities in Colorado. He was two-time all-state in football as a wide receiver and defensive back and received the Gold Helmet Award as a senior as the state’s top senior player, scholar and citizen. He was a three-year starter in basketball and was Colorado Sidelines Player of the Year after averaging 24.1 points per game. In earning three letters in baseball, Logan hit .380 and was 7-2 as a pitcher as a senior and claimed all-state and team MVP honors. And if that wasn’t enough, Logan was a trombone player in the school band. He was one of only three multi-sport players who was drafted by all three major sports organizations. Logan was a two-sport star at the University of Colorado and then played nine years as a wide receiver in the National Football League, including eight years with the Cleveland Browns and his final season with the Denver Broncos. Logan has coached four schools to nine state football titles, including the 2020 championship with Cherry Creek High School in metro Denver. Finally, Logan is the radio voice of the Denver Broncos and hosts a popular midday radio talk show.

Michele Smith

Michele Smith was an accomplished three-sport athlete at Voorhees High School in Glen Gardner, New Jersey, in the early 1980s. As a pitcher in softball, she was 51-6 and recorded 11 no-hitters. She helped her team to the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Group 3 state softball title as a junior with a 23-1 record, 0.17 earned-run average and 229 strikeouts. She was selected to the all-state softball team three consecutive years. In field hockey, Smith was named first team all-conference as a junior and senior, and in basketball, she scored 1,114 points in her career and was a two-time all-conference selection. At Oklahoma State University, Smith compiled an 82-20 record as a pitcher, and her career batting average was .343 with 15 home runs. She was a three-time All-Big Eight Conference selection and was a two-time Division I All-American. She was a member of the U.S. Olympic softball teams in 1996 and 2000, and she was the starting pitcher for both gold-medal winning teams. She also played on three gold-medal winning World Championships teams and two teams that won gold medals at the Pan American Games. Smith joined ESPN in 1995 and has been the lead college softball analyst since 1998. In 2012, she was the first woman to serve as commentator for a nationally televised Major League Baseball game.

COACHES

Rickey Baker

Rickey Baker has become one of the most successful boys cross country coaches in the nation since his arrival at Hopi High School in Keams Canyon, Arizona in 1987. Three years later, Baker led Hopi to its first state boys cross country championship, and his teams didn’t lose another state title until 2017 – a streak of 27 consecutive team championships. The 27 consecutive state cross country titles is a national record and is third all-time when considering all sports (girls swimming and boys swimming). Baker’s 1999 team scored a perfect 15, which means Hopi runners finished 1-2-3-4-5. Perhaps most amazing about the streak is that Hopi continued to win despite moving into larger classifications. Hopi won 11 straight 2A titles (1990-2000), six consecutive 3A titles (2001-2006) and 10 straight 4A titles (2007-16). Since the streak ended, Hopi has finished runner-up the past three years. Baker started coaching the girls cross country team three years ago and has led his teams to two second-place finishes. He has also coached Hopi’s boys basketball team for 18 years, with a 2A state title in 1997, and the girls and boys track and field teams for the past 10 years. Nine of his track and field athletes have won individual state titles. During his days as a high school athlete, Baker was Arizona’s one-mile champion in 1977 while attending Winslow High School, and he was a member of Winslow’s state cross country team in 1976.

Charles Berry

Charles Berry retired in 2018 after an amazing 57-year career as a boys and girls basketball coach in Arkansas. After four years in the Hector School District and two years in Plemerville, Arkansas, Berry moved to Huntsville in 1967 and remained for 51 years. He resurrected a dormant boys basketball program upon his arrival and coached the boys team for the next 20 years. In 1978, he established the girls basketball team, which he coached until his retirement in 2018. Berry’s overall combined record as a high school boys and girls coach was 1,377-686, with a 1,116-619 record at Huntsville. Along the way, he won two Arkansas Activities Association state girls basketball championships (1997, 2008), and his girls teams finished second two other times (1984, 2013). Berry’s teams made 30 appearances in the state tournament, and they won 16 conference championships and six regional titles. The Huntsville High School gym was renamed Charles H. Berry Gymnasium in 2006, and Berry was inducted into the Arkansas Coaches Hall of Fame in 2016.

Terry Michler

Terry Michler is the winningest boys high school soccer coach in history, and in 2019, he eclipsed the 1,000-victory mark in his 48^th season at his alma mater, Christian Brothers College High School in St. Louis, Missouri. After graduating from Rockhurst College in Kansas City and playing professional soccer for three years, Michler returned to CBC in 1972 to direct the soccer program. After the 2019 season, Michler’s career coaching mark stands at 1,004-284-117. His CBC teams have claimed 31 district championships and have won nine Missouri State High School Activities Association State Soccer Championships in 15 appearances. Michler’s state titles have been distributed throughout his career, with his first in 1983 and his last in 2018. His teams have been ranked nationally in 13 different seasons, and he has had about 300 former players who played at the college level and more than 30 who played professionally. Michler has written – or helped to write – four books on soccer, and he has been inducted in numerous other halls of fame, including the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame and the CBC Sports Hall of Fame.    

ADMINISTRATOR

Bill Farney

Bill Farney retired as executive director of the Texas University Interscholastic League (UIL) in 2009 after leading the nation’s largest state association staff for 14 years. Farney joined the UIL in 1977 and served as an assistant director and athletic director for 18 years before assuming the executive director’s position in 1995. During his tenure at the UIL, Farney developed the academic and fine arts programs into the most expansive offerings of any state association. He also helped to expand more opportunities for girls by adding team tennis, soccer, softball and wrestling as sanctioned sports. Farney also developed a waiver process to help disadvantaged students with unavoidable circumstances, and he also implemented the Coaches and Officials Positive Expectations (COPE) course for coaches and players to learn proper sportsmanlike conduct. Farney was a teacher, coach, principal and superintendent at schools in Oklahoma and Texas for 15 years before joining the UIL, including the final seven years as superintendent of schools in Crawford, Texas. Farney earned his bachelor’s degree from Tulsa University and his master’s and doctorate from Baylor University in Waco, Texas. He was a member of the NFHS Board of Directors, NFHS Basketball Rules Committee, NFHS Swimming and Diving Rules Committee and the NCAA Football Rules Committee.

PERFORMING ARTS

Robert Littlefield

Robert Littlefield has been one of the top speech and debate educators in North Dakota and nationally for more than 45 years. After beginning his career as director of forensics and fine arts in the Barnesville (Minnesota) Public Schools in 1974, Littlefield worked at the high school and college levels in North Dakota until 2016, when he moved to the University of Central Florida. In addition to serving as debate coach at Shanley High School in Fargo, North Dakota, for eight years, Littlefield was the state planner and coordinator for speech clinics for high school teachers and students for more than 20 years. He also coordinated summer speech and debate camps for high school students and was founder and executive director of the Valley Forensic League. During his time at Shanley, Littlefield revitalized the program and had teams regularly place at regional, state and national competition. Littlefield has been involved in national leadership positions with both Pi Kappa Delta National Forensic Honorary and the National Speech and Debate Association. In addition to service on boards and committees with these organizations, Littlefield’s research, development and publication in scholastic journals and instructional workbooks has been extensive. During most of his time in North Dakota, Littlefield was a professor at North Dakota State University and directed the NDSU Speech and Debate Invitational for 25 years.

(Scott Gerrard)

The last year of high school athletics has been a mixed bag of emotions. Seasons were postponed and the calendars were adjust as necessary as administrators and coaches were tasked with trudging the waters of an unprecedented global catastrophe.

But kids are resilient and a lot of the athletes around the state took the chance to expand their competitive nature and participate in as many sports as possible.

Strasburg’s Garrett Gerrard was one of them. The onslaught of COVID-19 gave Gerrard the opportunity to compete in new situations and gave him a chance to contribute to high school athletics in a way that is dear to his heart, all after he had been diagnosed with Type I Diabetes.

Gerrard’s mother passed away when he was just two years old, but he’s known his entire life that that she a had a big passion for helping those with special needs. She was involved in the Special Olympics when their family lived in Hawaii. That desire appeared to be hereditary as Gerrard jumped at the chance to help the Strasburg unified bowling team when the season began earlier this year.

“It wasn’t something I was planning on doing from the start,” Gerrard said. “I was planning on taking the chance to just lift weights after school. But from prior experience that I had with special needs children, I just thought back to that and realized it was something I wanted to do.”

His prior experience was working with a special needs baseball camp. He found immense pride in helping the kids find joy in the game and realized it was an experience that he wanted to continue when the opportunity to compete with the unified bowling team.

And he was naturally going to compete wherever he could. He was facing a personal challenge through it all as he got his diabetes diagnosis in his junior rear, right when the pandemic was starting to hit the United States.

“It was in February, right after basketball,” he said. “I didn’t want being a diabetic to be an excuse to not do anything.”

So he powered on and competed in five sports throughout the year.

(Scott Gerrard)

When football was initially pushed back to Season C in August, Gerrard found himself getting recruited to pick up the golf clubs and join the team on the links.

“Because I didn’t have football, it was my first and only chance to play high school golf,” he said. “I took it and I ended up competing at regionals.”

He didn’t quite qualify for the Class 3A state tournament at Dos Rios in Gunnison, but as luck would have it, the timing worked out well. At the time, COVID numbers had dipped and the CHSAA staff advocated for football to be moved back to the fall.

Gerrard jumped back onto the gridiron and was there when Strasburg advanced to the 1A title game against Limon. From there he went out for basketball. Strasburg made it to the 3A state tournament, but lost to Faith Christian in the first round.

He helped the unified bowling team advance to regionals and then as the weather got (somewhat) better, he was out for the baseball team. He plans on sticking with baseball through the duration of the spring, despite graduating from Strasburg earlier this month.

“It’d be hard to throw away an opportunity at my last chance to play a sport that I’ve played since I was four years old,” Garrett said. “I wanted to embrace my final chance to play one of the sports that I love.”

That’s the epitome of his high school experience his senior year. Despite the challenges thrown his way from COVID, he was there every step of the way for his school and his teammates. And he’ll have a story to tell years down the road when recollecting his high school experience.

“It’ll be a pretty big one,” Garrett said. “One, for having played five sports in one year and also for making it through a pandemic where we weren’t in school every day. I wasn’t able to build that camaraderie with my teammates when I wasn’t sitting in the classroom with them.”

But the kids all did okay. And Garrett has a senior year experience that he’ll never forget.

(Scott Gerrard)

On May 15, 2021, the Far Northeast football team beat Boulder in the Season C state championship game at CSU-Pueblo’s Thunderbowl to capture the program’s first title. Filmmaker David Parfitt captured the action.

Season C was a campaign unlike any other and the unusual championship season was as memorable as ever. Champions were crowned in field hockey, football, gymnastics, boys soccer, unified bowling and girls volleyball. Here’s a recap of how all the Season C championships went.

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Field Hockey

(Brad Cochi)

• • Regis Jesuit tops Cherry Creek in 2OT to claim title
  • Photos from the state championship game
  • State tournament bracket
  • Complete playoff coverage at the field hockey page

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Football

(Brad Cochi)

• 5A: Anderson does it all as Far Northeast beats Boulder for state title | Bracket | Photos
• 4A: Thomas Jefferson comes back to beat Gateway for title | Bracket | Photos
• 3A: Rifle erases the clock to beat TCA for state title | Bracket | Photos
• 2A: With torn ACL, Caleb Allen leads Manitou Springs over Flatirons Academy | Bracket | Photos
• 8-man: Hoehne builds big lead, tops John Mall for title | Bracket
• Complete playoff coverage at the football page

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Gymnastics

(Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com)

• Overland claims first 5A title since 2014 | Photos
• Elizabeth claims third 4A team title in four years | Photos
• Overland’s Dolan shines to claim 5A all-around title
• Niwot’s Curry repeats as 4A all-around champion | Photos
• Complete results from the state championships
• Complete playoff coverage on the volleyball page

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Boys Soccer

(Brad Cochi)

• 5A: Mazur’s deep strike gives Fairview first state title | Photos
• 4A: Windsor caps undefeated season with state championship | Photos
• 3A: Colorado Academy tops Frontier Academy to win fifth title | Photos
• 2A: Late goal gives Crested Butte second title in three seasons | Photos
• Complete playoff coverage on the boys soccer page

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Unified Bowling

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

• History made as Pueblo East crowned CHSAA’s first Unified Bowling champion
• Team results from the state championships

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Girls Volleyball

(Brad Cochi)

• 5A: Rampart completes standout season with first-ever championship | Bracket | Photos
• 4A: Palmer Ridge tops Mead for program’s first title | Bracket | Photos
• 3A: Eaton claims seventh title in the past decade | Bracket | Photos
• 2A: Wiggins claims first championship in program history | Bracket | Photos
• 1A: Merino roars back to claim first title since 2001 | Bracket | Photos
• Complete playoff coverage at the girls volleyball page

(Brad Cochi)

PUEBLO — Tony Lindsay Sr. can’t help but smile when he talks about community and family. To him, those make up the foundation of a solid football program. And he wanted to display that in his first championship game as the coach at Far Northeast.

His family was there. His sons followed from Denver South, wanting to partake in the task of rebuilding the school formerly known as Montbello.

“I told my sons that they could stay there,” Lindsay said. “One of them could get the head coaching job there.”

But they wanted to follow dad and do something special.

On May 15, 2021 they got to do just that. The Far Northeast Warriors claimed their program’s first football title with a 34-0 win over Boulder to claim the Season C Class 5A title. What was more special was how Lindsay got to watch more family contribute to that special moment.

Emmit Anderson got himself a rushing touchdown in the first half, but Gregory did it all. He ran for a touchdown, caught one, threw for one and even had an interception on defense.

A jack of all trades and the game’s Most Outstanding Player as a result.

“It’s a team sport, it’s not just me,” Gregory said. “The linemen block, the quarterback makes the passes, the running backs make great runs. It’s not just me, I was just contributing.”

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

He as just contributing at a high level that will go down in legend when people recount how the Warriors earned the trophy that will sit in a display case for all to see.

Gregory got the Warriors (5-2 overall) on the board with a 24-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. Emmit made it a 13-0 game with a touchdown run in the second and then Gregory created his own opportunity. He picked off a Tristan Langenegger pass and was rewarded when Andy Martinez found him on a deep route to make it a 20-0 game.

“To end off my senior year like this, not a lot of people get that opportunity,” Gregory said. “I’m blessed to do it with these guys, my brothers. I love them.”

The Warriors’ first touchdown of the second half came on an Anderson throw as he took the handoff and found Jaylen Byrd streaking down the sideline. The throw was perfect and the lead increased to 27-0, giving the Warriors a feeling that a championship was well within their grasp.

All that was needed was one last defensive stand, which the Warriors got by applying consistent pressure to Langenegger. With the ball back in their hands, Martinez went to the air one more time, finding Leonardo Ramos-Valles for a touchdown.

The offense played well, Gregory Anderson was spectacular and the defense as a whole was stellar.

“That’s the heart; that is our heartbeat,” Lindsay said. “Those five guys down there (on the defensive line), you watch any game it’s all them. Defense wins championships.”

Perhaps the biggest source of pride for Lindsay through it all was that he felt the joy coming from the kids that reside in the community. These were Far Northeast kids doing something special at Far Northeast.

He was aware of the challenge that he was facing when he took the job. But it was a challenge he was excited to face.

“That’s why I went there,” he said.

The first step to building a program back is easy in his mind. A team has to start winning. He stood on the field of the Neta and Eddie DeRose Thunderbowl in Pueblo and soaked in what his guys accomplished. They won.

Now the real work begins.

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)