BROOMFIELD — Heidi Wendt and Morgan Menees each scored as No. 6 Jefferson Academy upset No. 2 Kent Denver in Class 3A girls soccer on Thursday.
Goalkeeper Kassidy Hastings had seven saves.
Shelby Schumacher had the goal for Kent Denver. Morgan McGonagle made eight saves.
BROOMFIELD — Broomfield, Centaurus, Estes Park, Mountain View and Thompson Valley all competed in a girls golf Patriot League meet at Eagle Trace Golf Course on Thursday.
LITTLETON — After a 4-3 loss to Arvada West on Monday knocked the Columbine baseball team from the unbeaten ranks, the Rebels felt they needed a solid game to get back on track.
What better way than to play another undefeated team and longtime rival?
Third-ranked Columbine scored in bunches on Tuesday to defeat newly-minted No. 1 Chatfield, 12-6.
Following come convincing victories early in the season, Rebels coach Chuck Gillman believed his team might have gotten a little lax on “some of the little things. We just got a little sloppy.”
Not that he felt the loss to Arvada West Monday was a fluke.
“They’re a good team,” he said of the Jeffco League-leading Wildcats.
That’s why it was important for his team to bounce back quickly. And they did, with a five-run first inning against the Chargers.
“It was huge,” Gillman said of getting off to a fast start as the Rebels strung together four hits and took advantage of three Chatfield errors.
They needed the cushion. Trailing 6-2 in the fourth, the two runs coming of solo home runs, Chatfield put a couple more on the board to make a game of it.
“They had the momentum,” Columbine third baseman Ty Mohr said of Chatfield.
With two outs, in the bottom of the sixth, the Rebels put a rally together, setting the table for Mohr with the bases loaded.
“I had to do something with the ball,” he said of his thinking when he stepped to the plate.
He did, putting the ball over the right field fence to give the Rebels a 10-4 lead.
From there, it was up to Rebels starting pitcher Blake Weiman.
Although he walked three batters in the seventh, Weiman eventually got the final strikeout, his ninth of the game, to secure the victory in pitching his first complete game of the season.
“We were ready for this one,” said Columbine center fielder Michael Tait, who had two hits, including a solo home run. “The loss (to Arvada West) woke us up a bit.”
The ensuring victory helped the Rebels point toward their goal this season.
“The state playoffs,” Tait said. “That’s what we’re shooting for.”
BOULDER — Fairview’s baseball team made such quick work of Greeley West in a win last Saturday — it took 57 minutes — that the Knights held batting practice afterward.
The win was a 10-0 affair in five innings, blown open by an eight-run fourth inning which included Jeff Clarke’s home run over the scoreboard in left field. Eight of their nine players recorded at least one hit, and seven had at least one RBI.
Sitting in their dugout after the game, a few players approached coach Rick Harig and asked if they could take batting practice. They didn’t feel like they’d been on the field long enough. Harig shrugged: “Sure, why not.”
So the Knights took hacks for another hour. Not that they really needed the practice. These guys can hit.
Saturday’s game was the seventh in a row in which Fairview’s lineup had produced double-digit runs, and Tuesday’s 15-0 win over Poudre made it eight straight.
Fairview now has four players with at least four home runs — Clarke, Cam Frazier and Walker Harris — and its 18 homers as a team is third-best in the state among all classifications.
Clarke is hitting .579 with 33 RBIs, Frazier is at .526 with 20 RBIs and Jacob Thoning is hitting .500 with 17 RBIs. No one who sees regular at-bats is hitting below .333. And this is a team which lost designated hitter Steve D’Epagnier to a torn labrum after five games.
The Knights lead Class 5A in team batting average (.447), slugging percentage (.698), RBIs (152) and runs (167).
For context, ThunderRidge led 5A in batting average and runs scored en route to the championship last season. Rocky Mountain, the runner-up, led 5A in RBIs, and was second in runs.
More context: 2012 champion Cherry Creek led 5A in RBIs and runs, and was second in home runs. 2011 champ Regis Jesuit led 5A in runs, home runs and RBIs.
But ThunderRidge, Cherry Creek and Regis also had great pitching staffs. In fact, Cherry Creek’s team led 5A with a 1.75 ERA in 2012. And pitching is what separates teams in the postseason, where seemingly everyone can hit.
Fairview’s arms have matured this season and become more consistent compared to prior years. As a staff, the Knights have a 2.23 ERA, which is third-best in 5A at this point.
Senior Ryan Kokora carries a 1.18 ERA in 29 2/3 innings, and is now 6-0. He started (and won) Fairview’s biggest win of the season, a 10-7 victory at Rocky Mountain on April 10. Kokora gave up seven runs that day, five earned, but hasn’t allowed anything else in any of his other appearances. In fact, outside of the Rocky Mountain game — in which he pitched well, make no mistake — Kokora has allowed just eight hits.
But one pitcher can’t carry a team through the postseason.
Fortunately for Fairview, the Knights have what amounts to two aces. Ryan Madden, a junior, is 6-1 with a 3.37 ERA and 31 strikeouts against just five walks in 35 1/3 innings.
Mike Vlasity is the team’s closer with a 0.88 ERA, and has 21 strikeouts to two walks in 16 innings.
Johnny Feauto or Jacob Kearney will likely be Fairview’s third starter should they need one in the postseason. Neither have been needed since early April.
All of them have flourished under the guidance of senior catcher Cannon Casey, who calls pitches all game, and has since he was a sophomore.
It’s all amounted to this: Fairview is unbeaten in Colorado so far this season (11-0), with the lone loss coming over spring break in Arizona. The Knights already have 14 wins, which is the most since going 16-5 during the 2008-09 season. That is also the last time they won a postseason game. Fairview beat Arvada West in the first round of districts that season, but then lost to Grandview in the second round.
As far as recent history goes, the Knights lost in the first round of districts in 2013 and 2010, and didn’t even make the postseason in 2012 or 2011. In fact, Fairview’s last trip to the Final 8 came during the 2007 season, when it went 1-2.
So this is quite a turnaround. As of Thursday, Fairview is No. 2 in CHSAANow.com’s 5A baseball poll and No. 3 in the wild card points standings.
The school made a surprise trip to football’s championship game in the fall. Is its baseball program next?
DENVER — No. 5 Arapahoe trailed 5-4 at halftime, but exploded in the second half to top No. 8 Mullen in boys lacrosse Tuesday, 13-8.
The Warriors got three goals and three assists from Zach Runberg, while Brian Wilson had two goals and three assists. Dylan Caulkins made six saves in net, and Charlie Leonard picked up six ground balls.
Arapahoe won 16 of 22 faceoffs in the game.
Dave Ryder, Pueblo East’s longtime boys basketball coach, retired after winning the Class 4A championship in March.
The Eagles didn’t wait long to name a successor — nor did they step outside the program. On Wednesday, Pueblo East announced it had hired Mike Massaro, who has been an assistant at the school for ten seasons, all of them under Ryder.
Massaro graduated from Pueblo East, and then CSU-Pueblo. He went on to play minor league baseball for nine years.
“We are thrilled to have coach Massaro as our new head coach,” Pueblo East principal Patrick Krumholz said in a statement. “He is a hard worker and we are confident that he will be a positive role model for our student athletes.”
Added Mike Bayer, the school’s athletic director: “Coach Ryder will be missed, but we feel coach Massaro is the right man to lead the program forward.”
Pueblo East beat Denver South in the 4A title game, capping a 23-5 season. Senior Dylan Gavin was a first-team all-state selection after the season, and fellow seniors TJ Gradisar and Jimmy Valdez were third-team picks.
Next season, the Eagles will miss those three, who were the team’s leading scorers. Also graduating are Alex Jara and Ryan Armijo — the Nos. 4 and 5 scorers from this season.
CENTENNIAL — Cherry Creek’s lineup exploded for five home runs, including two from Jack Gillett, as the Bruins upset No. 7 Arapahoe 14-2 in baseball on Tuesday.
Gillett finished with five RBIs. Ryan Robb, Parker Jax and Matt Rindal also homered for the Bruins.
Justin Jeronimus pitched four scoreless innings in improving to 2-0 this season.
Arapahoe’s Ted Ramirez was 2-for-3 and drove in two runs. The Warriors won the teams’ earlier meeting on March 20, 10-6.
LAKEWOOD — Wheat Ridge continued its domination in the boys’ lacrosse Class 4A Foothill League on Monday at Trailblazer Stadium.
The defending 4A state champion Farmers handled fifth-ranked Thompson Valley in conference action with a 13-2 victory. Wheat Ridge, No. 1 is this week’s CHSAANow.com 4A boys lacrosse rankings, all but wrapped up the league title improving to 6-0 in conference play with only Golden left on its league schedule.
The Farmers (10-3) have outscored their league opponents 97-12. Wheat Ridge’s only in-state loss this season came against 5A’s No. 2 ranked Cherry Creek.
“They (Wheat Ridge) are very good,” Thompson Valley coach Rich Modesti said. “They have been ranked No. 1 in 4A all year long because they deserve it.”
Wheat Ridge scored the first seven goals of the game, taking a 7-0 lead into halftime. Senior John Roach and junior Dima Makarov led the Farmers’ offensive attack with four goals each on the game.
Roach also added three assists and Dima Makarov had a pair of helpers.
“We are clicking on all cylinders,” Roach said. “I think the chemistry has real come together this time of the season. I’m excited about what we have coming.”
Senior Tyler Knott picked up a pair of goals for the Farmers. Max Marcum, Bennie Pachello and Dan O’Connor each added a goal for the Farmers in their sixth straight victory.
Defensively, senior goalie Jensen Makarov didn’t allow a goal in the first half. He also managed a shot on goal himself that was saved by Thompson Valley keeper Tim Zimmerman. Jensen Makarov officially signed with the University of Maryland this year after giving a verbal commitment after his sophomore season. The Terrapins (10-2) are currently ranked No. 4 in the Division I.
The Eagles (9-4, 5-1) prevented the Farmers’ starting goalie from grabbing his third shutout victory of the season early in the third quarter. Senior Jonah Warren was able to get a shot past Makarov with 10:28 left in the third quarter.
Wheat Ridge stopped any momentum Thompson Valley had with its first goal by scoring the next six goals to extend its lead to 13-1 early in the fourth quarter.
“The unforced turnovers and us trying to push things got the better of us in the first half,” Wheat Ridge coach Chris Knott said. “Once we got settled down and got things going the way we wanted to things started to fall for us.”
Senior Chris Tuuk played the final handful of minutes in net for the Farmers. After a goal by Eagles’ senior Michael Murray with 5:57 left in the game Tuuk was solid in net with several saves.
“It’s great,” Jensen Makarov said of watching his teammate in net. “He (Tuuk) is a senior and doesn’t get much playing time. It’s great to see how much how he has improved and see what he can do out there.”
Wheat Ridge closes the regular season with a pair of non-league games against Grandview and Highlands Ranch, with facing rival Golden sandwiched in the middle. Coach Knott wants to use the next few weeks to get his team playing to its fullest potential.
“We want to fine tune things,” coach Knott said. “When we do that we’ll be playing our best ball. That is where our focus is, to fine tune things.”
The 4A state tournament is schedule to begin May 7 and the Farmers are clearly focused on defending their state championship.
“We just need to play our game,” Jensen Makarov said. “We know we have a well-off team and have the talent to beat anyone if we play our game.”
Proper meal planning should always carefully include healthy snacks. Snacks are particularly important for athletes who need a constant source of healthy energy.
Athletes benefit from choosing snacks that include multiple food groups to help them meet daily recommended intakes of all Five Food Groups. The following is a list of easy snack ideas for athletes. Each snack provides a source of carbohydrate (energy for athletes) and includes multiple food groups to help round out the overall diet.
• Trail Mix: Mix a whole grain (granola, toasted oat cereal or pretzels) with a protein (soy nuts, sunflower seeds, almonds, walnuts, or peanuts) and stir with a tasty dried fruit for added flavor and a nutrient boost. Try dried cranberries, blueberries, mangos, apples or raisins — each are a healthy carbohydrate source and can be found in the bulk sections of most grocery stores.
• Peanut Butter and Jelly with Chocolate Milk: Half of a peanut butter and banana (or jelly) sandwich served with a cup of chocolate milk provides a source of whole grain, protein and dairy. Adding banana to your sandwich rounds this snack out with four of the Five Food Groups.
• Bran muffins: Take a nutritious bowl of milk and cereal on the go with an easy bran muffin recipe. Check the side of a box of bran cereal or the cereal’s website for a muffin recipe. Most recipes require combining milk, egg, oil, flour, baking soda and cinnamon to the cereal to create a fiber-rich snack to go.
• Cottage Cheese: This commonly forgotten snack food can be served with a variety of mix-ins. Looking to add more fruit to your diet? Add peaches to a ¼ cup of cottage cheese (add a pinch of cinnamon for extra flavor). Or enjoy with whole grain crackers (even your favorite flavored types) which can be a delicious way to scoop cottage cheese as an afternoon snack.
• Yogurt Dip: Pre-slice an apple, strawberries, pineapple or take along grapes and your favorite berries to school. Enjoy the sliced fruit by dipping them into a regular or Greek yogurt before practice. Sliced fruits are even more tempting to eat when they are paired with a creamy yogurt. Fruit and yogurt deliver carbohydrates, and yogurt is a serving of dairy which provides protein.
• Homemade Pita Pockets: Add shaved carrots, broccoli or cauliflower, diced ham and cheese to a whole grain pita. Keep it wrapped and in a lunch bag kept cool with an ice pack (or plastic bag of ice). Enjoy cool or try heating in the microwave 1-2 minutes. Homemade wraps are delicious any time of the day.
• Cheese Skewers: Foods are more fun to eat when you eat them off of a stick. String cheese or sliced block cheese is a nutritious and filling add-in that provides protein needed by athletes. Pack a skewer full of cheese and vegetables or try them dissembled in a bag in your chilled lunch sack.
• Greek Yogurt: Greek yogurt’s high protein content makes it a perfect snack for athletes. Remember to choose a yogurt that provides some carbohydrate, as well. Greek yogurt will provide energy and help fill you up, staving off hunger. Don’t like the taste quite yet? Opt for regular yogurt (it, too, provides protein) or try adding your own fruit or honey to the yogurt for a different taste.
• Oatmeal: Keep bags or packages of pre-measured oatmeal in your backpack for a quick snack anytime. Mix dried oatmeal with milk and cook in the microwave as a pre-practice snack.