Longtime Denver Christian boys basketball coach Dick Katte, a coaching legend in Colorado, has published a book based on his career.
Dick Katte’s new book, Over Time: Coach Katte on Basketball and Life, will be available soon.
Katte, the state’s winningest basketball coach and a member of multiple halls of fame, now serves as a liaison and advisor to CHSAA.
His book, Over Time: Coach Katte on Basketball and Life, is set to release in local bookstores in the coming days.
CHSAA is hosting a book signing event with Katte at its office on Nov. 6 from 5-7 p.m.
A brief description of the book:
Coach Dick Katte’s secret is simple and straightforward; work very hard and demand the same from your team, adapt to the changes in players and parents over time and never waver from the core principles that make you one of the most honored and respected coaches in the nation’s high school basketball history. Katte survived two brushes with death: a brain aneurysm that burst during neurosurgery performed by the closest friend and a bout with cancer nine years later that required the removal of four feet in his small intestine. Katte turned aside numerous chances to coach on a larger stage, choosing his role as mathematics teacher, coach and mentor to young people as well as to remain very active in his church. This book is a unique blend of faith, biography and basketball as Katte explains in detail the philosophies and special strategies that have resulted in his 79% career winning percentage, among the highest in high school basketball history.
Katte is a longtime educator and coach, who set the same standards on the court as in the classroom. His teams won 79.3 percent of their games (876-233) from 1964-2012, placing him 26th on the all-time list nationally. He won eight state titles.
During his career at Denver Christian, Katte has served in a variety of teaching and administrative roles, but always remained a math teacher. At times, he was the school’s track, baseball, football and boys basketball coach. He was the school’s athletic director and assistant principal, as well.
Katte has numerous coach-of-the-year honors and has been honored by the state and national coaches associations, as well as for his work as athletic director. He is a member of the CHSAA Hall of Fame, as well as four others, including the National High School Hall of Fame (2004). He served on CHSAA’s Executive Committee (now Board of Directors) twice.
CHSAA commissioner Paul Angelico is featured in this month’s issue of Mile High Sports Magazine.
CHSAA commissioner Paul Angelico is featured in this month’s issue of Mile High Sports magazine.
In an interview with the magazine, Angelico delves into the purpose of high school athletics, and CHSAA’s role as an organizing body. It is a good look at CHSAA’s mission and values, and encompasses what the Association is about.
“A big reason that teams and athletes are held in such high esteem is because schools and the CHSAA have high standards for the participants,” he told Mile High Sports. “Without rules, all that we do would just be recess.”
Emily Moore hatched a plan to help — but the outpouring of support from her school, community, and even local rivals has been something of a surprise.
Earlier this year, the Chaparral junior was talking with her Spanish teacher about service-learning baseball trips some people take to the Dominican Republic. Then, something struck her.
“We just thought, ‘Wow, they play a lot of baseball. Do they play softball there?’” Moore said on Wednesday.
Yes, she quickly found out, they do. Moore’s mind continued to churn. As the starting shortstop on the Chaparral’s softball team, she wanted to do something similar to the baseball trips. Ultimately, she settled on gathering donations of equipment, which will be shipped to youth athletes in the Dominican Republic.
It’s now called the Diamond Project.
“We just thought of it,” Moore said. “I’ve never done anything like this.”
Her teammates soon joined in the effort, as did the Chaparral community. The next thing Moore knew, opposing teams, including traditional rivals, were dropping off equipment to be donated before or after games.
The softball equipment the Diamond Project has gathered so far. (Courtesy of Emily Moore)
“I was not expecting that at all,” Moore said.
This week, the entire Chaparral team came over to Moore’s house to take inventory.
“They were all so excited to count it,” she said. “They’ve been really supportive the whole time.”
Among the haul is 100 bats, 75 pairs of cleats and dozens of softballs. There are helmets; even catcher’s gear.
In partnership with Community Connection International, a non-profit founded by her Spanish teacher, and the Colorado Rockies, the gear will be transported to the Dominican and distributed.
But first, the Diamond Project will collect donations at the state softball tournament. Moore’s Wolverines are in the 5A bracket, so she and her team will have a booth set up at the entrance to Complex B at Aurora Sports Park from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. They’ll then play Grandview at 12:15 p.m.
In addition to softball equipment, financial contributions will also be accepted.
Greeley West football has gone from 1-9 in 2013 to 7-0 and ranked No. 4 this season. (Martin B. Hamilton/CHSAANow.com)
GREELEY —
[dropcap]A[/dropcap] 7-0 start this season certainly has distanced Greeley West from its football fortunes of a year ago.
Make that misfortune, since the Spartans won just once in 10 outings last fall.
Now in a new league, West is atop the Class 4A Longs Peak Conference with a 2-0 record following last Friday’s 44-6 victory at Adams City. The Spartans share first place with Longmont (4-3, 2-0), with a head-to-head meeting coming up later this month.
Much of their roster endured a disappointing season just a year ago, which begs the question, What’s changed?
Coach Jason Renouf, now in his eighth year coaching football at GW and second as the Spartans’ head coach, said, “That first year was rough,” adding that his team lost four times by seven points or fewer.
“We were close in a lot of games if you look back,” he said while watching his team in a walk-through practice Monday. “But the kids made so much improvement as we were going. Morale was surprisingly high.”
It got better as many team members participated in offseason training and weightlifting, both coaches and players said, and morale remained on an upward trend when the Spartans attended the CSU-Pueblo team camp last summer.
“We had a great camp. We banded together,” said quarterback Javier “A.J.” Lopez, who started last year as a sophomore. “We’ve had fire in our bellies since the team camp.”
“During our offseason, we went a lot harder,” added senior defensive back Matt Bruning. “It’s a different atmosphere.”
That means West is playing differently, too.
While the defense established a foothold a year ago, the offense went from electing to pass to emphasizing the run.
Senior running back Alex DeLaCroix (pronounced “deh-la-quah") has already rushed for 893 yards and 13 touchdowns. That includes a 244-yard performance in a 49-35 win over Northridge to start the season and a 199-yard night in West’s 31-14 win over cross-town rival Greeley Central.
The Spartans’ ground-based attack has amassed 2,070 yards on 290 rushes and scored 25 touchdowns.
Greeley West players gather around coach Jason Renouf, left, and offensive coordinator Travis Peeples, center, after practice on Monday. (Martin B. Hamilton/CHSAANow.com)
Renouf credited Travis Peeples, who coordinated last year’s defense but is now the offensive coordinator, for much of the turnaround.
“We run 10 jillion formations,” Renouf said. “But the emphasis is to establish the run instead of pass.”
Renouf said the Spartans “threw a ton last year, but our statistics were pretty good until we got to the red zone. We’re a lot better this year.”
Looking to take control of games early, West has outscored opponents 72-9 in seven first quarters this season and is winning games on average by more than 26 points per game.
Renouf said it’s defense and the running game that’s set the tone.
Lopez hasn’t thrown more than eight passes in any one game but is 27-of-37 for 547 yards and 10 TDs. West’s top receivers are Joel Huskerson (eight catches, 147 yards, six TDs) and Darren DeLaCroix (six for 120, three TDs), the latter the little brother of the senior running back.
“The spread offense doesn’t fit our set,” the elder DeLaCroix said. “We’ve been put in a better position to win by our coaches. We rely on defense and try to run the ball to maintain the clock.”
That’s a tried-and-true method, kind of “old school,” Bruning said, adding, “It’s the kind of kids we’ve got. Our offense (last year) couldn’t get going, but our defense was always good.”
This year’s defense averages 48.6 tackles per game. It’s led by Alex DeLaCroix (6.3 tpg), sophomore Caleb Vannest (6.1), seniors Trevor Watson (5.7) and Logan Trzeciak (5.0) – each a linebacker – along with Bruning (5.2) and senior Zach Lish (4.6) in the secondary.
“We have eight returning starters on defense,” said Bruning, who is among 4A’s interception leaders with three. “The defense was always good.”
But to many onlookers heading into this season, last year’s 1-9 record indicated ineptitude, leaving little to expect in 2014.
“People who said that didn’t see the work we put in in the offseason,” Lopez remarked. “We all feel like we’re underdogs, because of the 1-9 season.”
Last season ended with a 14-0 road loss in Windsor, but GW began this month with a win over the Wizards by the same score. In that time, fans and fellow students have begun to recognize the Spartans’ achievements.
“We’ve had great crowds (at District 6 Stadium), and the school spirit has been very cool,” Renouf said, “and we’ve had two pep rallies. It’s been awesome.”
West hasn’t had a winning season since 2011, when it finished 8-4 overall and advanced to the 4A state quarterfinals. The Spartans’ current seven-game win streak is their longest since 2008, when they went 11-0 before losing to Wheat Ridge, 35-31, in the 4A state championship game.
Greeley hasn’t won a state football title since 1959, when the city’s only school defeated Golden, 25-13.
This year’s team knows its history and yearns to add to its legacy.
“What’s left?” Lopez asked. “Win state. Win all the games we can. If we do (lose), it’ll just wake us up and reality will set in.”
The reality is, if West wins just once in its last three regular-season games — including Friday’s home matchup against Thompson Valley — it clinches a playoff spot.
Then the team, and the town, will turn around and take it from there.
Arvada West sophomore Brendan Patterson (18) gets a shot past Lakewood junior goalkeeper Hector Moreno (far left) as Lakewood sophomore Andrew Efaw (3) looks on Monday at Lakewood Memorial Field. Patterson’s goal helped A-West score a 2-0 victory against the Tigers. (Dennis Pleuss)
LAKEWOOD — Arvada West has to play the waiting game after finishing off its regular season Monday night at Lakewood Memorial Field.
The three-time defending Class 5A Jeffco League champions scored a 2-0 victory against Lakewood. The win locked up a postseason berth for the Wildcats (9-6, 6-1 in league).
“We did what we had to do in winning out,” A-West coach Troy Gette said of his team winning four straight conference games after losing to league-leading Ralston Valley in overtime two weeks ago. “As long as we are getting better and building momentum toward the playoffs that’s our goal at this point.”
Lakewood junior Logan Pocsik (18) elevates for a header over Arvada West junior Dylan Snyder (20) during the first half Monday at Lakewood Memorial Field. A-West took a 2-0 victory to clinch a postseason berth. (Dennis Pleuss)
Ralston Valley (8-5, 6-0) plays its league finale against Columbine at 4 p.m. Friday at Lakewood Memorial. The Mustangs scored four second-half goals Monday night at the North Area Athletic Complex to defeat Bear Creek 4-0 for their eighth straight victory and come one win away from running the league table.
“It shows you how good (5A) Jeffco is this year,” A-West junior goalie Andy Fendel said of the balance in the conference this season. “I think realistically we could have four or five teams in the playoffs this year. It will be really interesting to see how the seeding shakes out.”
A-West has had a rollcoaster season. The Wildcats went through a five-game losing streak during a 10-day stretch in early September, but closed the regular season winning seven of eight games.
The Wildcats kept their positive momentum going Monday against Lakewood (6-8, 4-3). The Tigers had won four straight coming into Monday’s game and were eyeing a fifth to claim one of the three automatic playoff bids 5A Jeffco receives. The remainder of the squads will have to hope they get one of the 11 at-large bids.
“Both teams knew what they were playing for,” Gette said. “It was a playoff atmosphere game.”
A-West broke the scoreless tie late in the first half. Sophomore Brendan Patterson knocked in a rebound off a header from junior teammate Kyler Fowkes in the 38th minute. Lakewood senior Sergio Gomez tried to clear the shot from Patterson right at the goal line, but the sideline official ruled the ball crossed the line.
“It went in by a couple of inches,” Fowkes said. “It was past the line.”
Fowkes found the back of the net in the 68th minute scoring his team-leading 10th goal of the season to give the Wildcats a 2-0 cushion. Senior Brandon Oeltjenbruns did some nice work in the corner before getting the ball to Fowkes.
“I was just trying to get in a place where I could help him (Oeltjenbruns) out,” Fowkes said. “Once he got it to me I was able to get past a defender and finish it.”
A-West would like to finish it season in better fashion then the previous three years where the Wildcats have been bounced from the playoffs in the first round.
“Get out of the first round and see how it goes from there,” Fowkes said of A-West’s focus.
The Wildcats will have time to heal up before postseason play begins Oct. 23. Gette hopes to get senior and starting center back Drew Bender back for the playoffs. Bender has been out with a shoulder injury.
Lakewood wraps up its regular season with a non-league road game 7 p.m. Wednesday at Fountain-Fort Carson. It will be the last chance for the Tigers to make their case to the seeding committee. Pairing for the 32-team state tournament will be posted on CHSAANow.com on Sunday.
Lakewood senior Juan Lujan (5) and Arvada West sophomore Ethan Weslar (8) battle for control of the ball Monday at Memorial Field. (Dennis Pleuss)Arvada West junior Kyler Fowkes (10) looks to make a move at midfield Monday in the regular-season finale for the Wildcats. Fowkes scored his 10th goal of the season in A-West’s 2-0 victory against Lakewood. (Dennis Pleuss)
AURORA — The Colorado High School Activities Association Hall of Fame has announced its 26th Hall of Fame class, featuring a four-time state wrestling champion, a star-studded boys’ basketball team, a girls’ athletics pioneer coach, a long-time officials’ assignor, a veteran media broadcaster and a medical professional who has assisted high school athletes for nearly 50 years.
The CHSAA Hall of Fame’s Class of 2014 includes four-time champion Jonathan Archuleta (Alamosa) and the legendary undefeated Manual High School Boys’ Team from 1966, along with Bernie Goss, a wrestling official and all-sports officials assignor from Grand Junction. Joining those three entries into the hall are girls’ athletics pioneer and Colorado Coaches of Girls Sports founder Helen McCall, former media maven Marcia Neville and Dr. Darwin Strickland, who for 50 years has been the physician for high school athletes in Adams County District 12.
“The latest class of the CHSAA Hall of Fame is one that reaches all aspects of high school sports, from the medical side to the media side to a founding figure in girls’ athletics, to the officials who maintain fair and equitable competition. Rounding out this class are some special athletes, the reasons the CHSAA was founded. Winning four state wrestling championships is special and speaks for itself, but so does a team going through an entire season undefeated. Like the 25 previous classes, this class is special to who and what Colorado prep activities are,” CHSAA Commissioner Paul Angelico said in making the announcement.
“As we look to our second quarter century of honoring those people who have make up high school athletics and activities, it is important to note the impact that each of these inductees, like those that came before them, had had in their respective areas of the state. The 26th class reflects the efforts, passion and love Colorado has for high school activities,” CHSAA Hall of Fame administrator Bert Borgmann said.
The Class of 2014 will be inducted during a ceremony on Wednesday, January 28, 2014, at the Red Lion Hotel Denver Southeast (I 225 and Parker). Individual tickets may be purchased for $50 each by contacting the CHSAA. The festivities get underway at 6:30 p.m. Seating is limited.
The selection of the one student participant to the CHSAA Hall of Fame puts the total number of participants in the hall at 57. There are now 60 coaches, 27 administrators, 16 officials and eight significant service contributors enshrined in the CHSAA Hall of Fame that began in 1989. There are also four teams in the hall. The Hall of Fame now features 172 inductees.
Biographies of the newest additions to the hall:
Jon Archuleta
JON ARCHULETA (Alamosa High School): Colorado’s seventh four-time state wrestling champion, Archuleta graduated in 1995. He posted a record 125-4 during his high school career and was ranked number one in the nation at his weight during his senior year. He was a four-time district and regional champion for the mean moose.
He was named Colorado’s 4A Outstanding Wrestler as a senior and Male Prep Athlete of the Year in 1995. He was a four-time national qualifier while at Cal State-Bakersfield and advanced to the NCAA’s round of 12 as a junior. A former high school coach, Archuleta now owns a plumbing business in Bakersfield.
[divider]
Bernie Goss
BERNIE GOSS (Western Slope): For the last 50 years, Bernie Goss has been involved with the State Wrestling Championships as either an official, rule interpreter or officials’ liaison. His list of accomplishments as a wrestling official is lengthy and includes the NFHS Distinguished Wrestling Officials Award, induction in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, plus many more. That only tells part of the story, as Goss has been instrumental in official assigning across the Western Slope for nearly 20 years. In 1994, Goss was selected as High School Counselor of the Year by the Council on College/High School Relations.
He was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2005, was given the 2008 Lloyd Gaskill Award by the Colorado High School Coaches Association and the 2013 Colorado Athletics Directors Association Community Service Award.
[divider]
Manual boys basketball
MANUAL THUNDERBOLTS (1966) BOYS’ BASKETBALL: Since the State Basketball Championships began in 1922, there have been few undefeated teams, but the 1966 Manual Thunderbirds are one of those teams. In fact, they became the first “big” school undefeated champions when they capped a 20-0 season in 1966.Three players were named to the All-Tournament Team – Carl Ashley, Don Edwards and Horace Kearney. One DPL historian considers this team to be the “best ever” from Denver.
They were coached by one of DPS’ legendary coaches, Al Oviatt. The players on the team included Ashley, Lewis Brown, Edwards, Kearney, Issac Lee, Charles Maloy, Harold Minter, John Osborne, Orzo Riley and Tim Wedgeworth.
[divider]
Helen McCall
HELEN MCCALL (Westminster): One of the most effective pioneers in girls’ sports, the late Helen McCall was instrumental in the formation of the Colorado Coaches’ of Girls Sports. She developed the concept for CCGS while on sabbatical from Westminster and attending the University of Denver. She held many positions in CCGS over the years and served on numerous CHSAA committees in the 1970s. As a coach, her teams enjoyed success on the floor, finishing second in the state basketball tournament in 1976 and third in 1978.
McCall was awarded the coveted Dorothy Mauk Award by the Sportswomen of Colorado and was instrumental in creating the Rocky Mountain League for Women’s Athletics when she moved on to coach and teach at the University of Denver.
[divider]
Marcia Neville
MARCIA NEVILLE (Denver): For 26 years, Marcia Neville was the face of high school sports in Colorado. There wasn’t an athlete, coach or school that didn’t know who Neville was and embraced her passion and enthusiasm for prep sports. She put coverage of high school sports on the same level as the colleges and professional sports teams. A friend to CHSAA, she was the host of many of the Association’s events, including serving as MC for nearly half of the CHSAA Hall of Fame induction banquets. Her list of Emmys is lengthy and she has been honored by the Association with its Distinguished Service Award.
Since leaving the career she called the “best job in the state” in 2009, she has worked in production television with High Noon Entertainment and in non-profit with Women’s Bean Project. Currently, she’s in her third year with the University of Colorado at Denver’s Anschutz Medical Campus, working as a media relations and community engagement specialist in the university’s Office of Communications.
[divider]
Dr. Darwin Strickland
DR. DARWIN STRICKLAND (Northglenn): Dr. Darwin Strickland’s impact on the students in Adams School District 12 is immense. For the past 48-plus years, Strickland has provided free sports physicals for district students, averaging nearly 500 each year. He consults individually with each student and his/her parents. He has been on the sidelines of as many games as he can during that time. He continues to serve the students of the Five Star District and can be found attending to student athletes at any playoff game a district school is involved with.
His list of honors is lengthy and all are related to his work with students. He remains active in his solo private practice, often ending his days seeing patients well after 10:00 p.m.
[divider]
In addition to the induction of the Hall of Fame class, the Association will honor Dick Nelson (Denver Public Schools) and Ron Johns (Chatfield Swimming) with its Distinguished Service Award and Les Schwab Tires with its Colorado Tradition Award. The Colorado Tradition Award is special recognition that goes to an organization that has distinguished itself through its support and loyalty to CHSAA, its mission and students. The CHSAA Distinguished Service Award is presented to persons whose efforts are in support of, rather than the focus of, an activity.
Members of the CHSAA Hall of Fame Selection Committee include: Dick Katte (chair, Denver Christian); John Andrew (DPS); Ed Hartnett (Adams 12 SD); Dina Fuqua (Vanguard); Bob Marken (CHSCA), Mary Kay Mauro (NFHS Network/CET Productions), Leslie Moore (CHSAA HoF); Dale Oliver (Hi-Plains), Jodi Reinhard (Standley Lake); Denny Squibb (Fruita Monument); CHSAA staff liaison is Assistant Commissioner Bert Borgmann.
For athletes, even recreational exercisers, starting practices, running programs or a training regimen can disrupt the body’s natural ability to quickly heal and recover. Depleting glycogen (muscle carbohydrate) stores can do that to a person.
However, paying attention to the foods that you choose post-exercise may positively impact your body’s ability to recover, and help you to better enjoy the activities in which you participate.
When choosing recovery foods, including post-exercise snacks and meals, remember the following:
Carbohydrates are your friends. During exercise, the body uses mostly carbohydrate as energy. Carbohydrate-rich foods provide energy for the body before exercise, a source to burn, but are also necessary to consume afterwards to rebuild the stores. Enjoying these foods in combination with other foods (Sorry, carbo-loading is out.) rebuilds energy levels which are needed to continue activity. Other foods contribute calories, protein and fat to your body so that the carbohydrate-rich foods you consume can be used as energy.
Eat protein. Protein-rich foods provide amino acids, the building blocks for muscle, which are broken down during exercise. While this is a natural result of strenuous activity, future athletic performance in practices and games is largely impacted by how well our muscles rebuild and resynthesize new muscle fibers after a workout. Protein aids in this recovery effort. Protein-rich foods are also linked to a reduction in muscle soreness. 10-20 grams of protein is recommended post-exercise.
Recovery Food
Approximate Protein (grams)*
8 ounces Greek yogurt
12
8 ounces plain yogurt
8
1 cup (white or chocolate) milk
8
2 tablespoon peanut butter
7
½ ounce beef jerky
7
¼ cup cottage cheese
7
1 ounce canned tuna fish
7
1 scrambled egg
7
½ cup edamame
7
1/3 cup hummus
7
½ cup beans
7
*Check Nutrition Facts Labels on specific foods for exact amount, some products can vary significantly.
Choose color. Colorful fruits and vegetables are natural sources of many vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. While extra or supplemented amounts of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants are not necessary as part of a recovery diet, consuming adequate amounts of these foods is still important for an overall healthy diet. Think about color when choosing and preparing recovery snacks and meals to improve diet quality.
Never hungry immediately post-exercise?
If the thought of eating post-exercise rarely seems tolerable, you’re not alone. Thankfully, most sports nutrition recommendations allow 45 minutes post-exercise for a refuel snack and encourage even as little as 100 calories when doing so. Any amount of carbohydrate and protein can help the body to refuel and repair and is still encouraged. Including recovery foods in meals throughout the day is also encouraged.
Loaded Baked Potato (with cheese, beans and veggies)
X
X
X
Hummus, Vegetables and Crackers
X
X
X
Chef Salad
X
X
Athletes can train harder and perform better with proper nutrition. Visit WesternDairyAssociation.org to read more about milk as an exercise recovery beverage and learn how to eat for peak athletic performance.
