WESTMINSTER — Andrew Romero III had 34 points as Mountain Range boys basketball upset No. 8 Arvada West on Friday, 79-71.
Romero also had six rebounds and four assists in the win, while Max Castillo added 14 points.
Thomas Neff had 30 points in the loss for Arvada West.
ARVADA — It’s been awhile since Ralston Valley hockey has suffered a slipup on the ice.
The two-time defending state champions haven’t suffered a blemish since a 4-4 tie against Resurrection Christian back on Feb. 11, 2013. The Mustangs most recent loss is even further in a rearview mirror. Chatfield beat Ralston Valley 2-1 on Jan. 30, 2013.
“If no one would have told me I probably wouldn’t realize it,” Ralston Valley coach Matt Schoepflin said of the Mustangs’ winning streak after a 7-0 victory Friday night against Steamboat Springs. “It’s not something I think about or the guys (players) think about. It’s a new team every year. As of right now we are 2-0.”
Ralston Valley, the two-time defending champion which is ranked No. 1 in the CHSAANow.com preseason hockey poll, improved its winning streak to 31 games and unbeaten streak to 35 games with the Foothills Conference win Friday night at the Apex Ice Center in Arvada.
“We can’t focus on last year’s team,” Ralston Valley forward Kyle Valdez said of the Mustangs’ undefeated 23-0 record to a second straight state championship last season. “We lost 17 seniors. It’s a completely different team. We just go out there and focus on getting the ‘W’.”
Valdez perhaps had the best looking goal on the night. His shot at the 9:01 mark in the first period zipped just under the crossbar to give Ralston Valley a 2-0 lead. Forward Alex Meisner opened the scoring at the 7:45 mark with a hardworking goal down low.
Ralston Valley took a 2-0 lead after the first period outshooting Steamboat Springs 18 to 4. Steamboat Springs junior goalie Jackson Draper was busy all game in making 40 saves.
“We want to outshoot every team we play,” Schoepflin of his squad, which finished with a 47-11 edge in shots. “We kind of preach that there is no such thing as a bad shot.”
The Mustangs had remarkable scoring balance with seven different players scoring the seven goals. A total of 13 players found their way on the score sheet for Ralston Valley.
“Coach Schoepflin looks for all lines to produce,” said Valdez, who had a two goals and an assist in the Mustangs’ 6-1 victory over Lewis-Palmer in their opener Tuesday.
Forward Jeff Moffat and defenseman Colton Hellman led Ralston Valley with multi-point nights. Moffat picked up a second-period goal and assist. Hellman contributed three assists.
“People like playing for Ralston Valley,” Moffat said. “It’s a great team, great coaches. It’s a lot of fun.”
Ralston Valley dominated puck possession against the Sailors, allowing just the 11 shots on goal while killing off three 2-minute minor penalties. Steamboat Springs had its best scoring opportunity with a 2-man advantage for more than a minute in the second period, but Ralston Valley goalie Scott Albertoni was solid in net in recording the shutout.
“We really stress defense first,” Schoepflin said. “When it comes to playoff time and big games you need strong defensemen. You need to be strong in your defensive end and have good goaltending.”
Ralston Valley is back on the ice for its first road game of the season on Saturday. The Mustangs face Mullen at The Edge in Littleton with an 8:30 p.m. puck drop.
Steamboat Springs (0-2) stays in the metro area to face Denver East at 4 p.m. Saturday at Big Bear Ice Arena in Denver.
ENGLEWOOD — Three players scored in double figures as No. 8 Kent Denver beat No. 4 Moffat County 63-55 on Friday night in Class 3A boys basketball.
Rob Casey and Stone Delany each had 12 points, while Max Mehlman — CHSAANow.com’s 3A boys soccer player of the year — added 10.
CENTENNIAL — No. 2-ranked Regis Jesuit got two goals and an assist from Grant Johnson as the Raiders beat No. 9 Heritage 5-3 on Friday.
GOLDEN — The Golden Demons boys basketball team had no trouble with the Vista PEAK Bison, winning 67-47 in the first round of the D’Evelyn/Golden Preview Classic on Thursday night.
The Demons started the game with an 11-2 run and led 35-18 at the half on their way to the 20-point win.
Vista PEAK will face Frederick tomorrow at 5:30 p.m., while Golden will host Pueblo Central at 7 p.m.
DENVER — The bleachers were packed for this early season match-up, where all the anticipation fated Thomas Jefferson and Rangeview for a close basketball game.
The Raiders (0-1 overall), ranked No. 9 in Class 5A, hit the hardwood fresh and full of range. But 4A’s No. 4 Spartans (1-1), having lost by just three to Aurora Central two days prior, came away with the 60-57 victory.
There was no doubt the game would be physical throughout, with scrambling players on the floor merely seconds after the opening tip.
After two minutes of scoreless play, the Raiders lit up the scoreboard with a dunk. But then it was four consecutive blocks on both ends, heightened energy, and a few sloppy plays before both coaches called for their squads to slow it down. At the end of the first quarter, the Spartans led 15-12.
In the second quarter, Thomas Jefferson junior Evan Gould had the hot hand, hitting two identical threes, then hustling for a loose ball to begin the Trojans run. They were consistent, and held a lead throughout, closing the first half with a 12-point advantage.
But just like in the beginning, Rangeview started the second half with speed and height, throwing an alley-oop to ignite their catchup. From then, they went on a 6-0 run, forcing the first timeout of the game for Thomas Jefferson. At the end of three, the Spartans led by seven and the raiders were right on their heals.
An odd parallel had both teams’ 6-foot-4 guards — both donning No. 1 on their uniforms as their top scorers. Thomas Jefferson sophomore Ravel Moody had 19 points and four steals, while Rangeview senior Jalen Davis tallied 13.
The fourth quarter was a long eight minutes of edge-of-your-seat play. Davis made two threes in a row to bring the game to a one point difference, and with five minutes left, they took the lead at 50-49–for the first time since early in the 1st quarter.
The Raiders answered, and in game fashion, the Spartans answered back.
With just under two minutes, Mooney stole the ball and found the easy whole down low to put the Spartans ahead 58-56. Davis drove to the hoop and was fouled, and with three seconds left he went to the line to tie the game. He made the first, but the second bounced off the rim, sending the gym into roaring cheer. The Spartans inbounded the ball, got fouled and added two points to seal the deal at 60-57.
“We hung in there when the Raiders took the lead,” said Spartans coach Grant Laman. “We didn’t panic. We knew the Raiders defensive pressure would be intense but we kept holding onto the ball.”
Thomas Jefferson take on Littleton on Saturday. “Friday’s practice will be all about man-to-man offense,” says Laman. “We struggled with that tonight.”
Below is a schedule for the 2014 state spirit championships at the Denver Coliseum.
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In August, Heritage lineman Frank Umu committed to Colorado State. But he recently decommitted from the Rams, and on Thursday night, he committed to Colorado.
Kyle McCall of Rivals and Umu’s trainer Matt McChesney both reported the decision on Twitter.
https://twitter.com/kyle_mccall/status/540694819174383616
PrepColorado.com and BuffStampede.com both confirmed the commitment, as well.
Colorado State head coach Jim McElwain was named Florida’s coach on Thursday.
Umu joins linemen Tim Lynott (Regis Jesuit) and Dillon Middlemiss (Pomona), as well as Rocky Mountain kicker Alex Kinney, as in-state commits for the Buffs this cycle. In 2014, CU had five in-state signees.
Umu, a defensive tackle and nose guard, had a team-leading 81 tackles, 12 hurries and five forced fumbles for Heritage this season. He also made 3.5 sacks, blocked two punts and a field goal.
Umu stands 6-foot-5 and is 275 pounds. He also had the offer from Colorado State, as well as offers from Eastern Washington and Weber State, according to his Rivals profile.
He was named first-team all-South Metro League after the season.
AURORA — No. 2 Regis Jesuit boys basketball, fresh off its win over No. 1 Overland, handled Columbine 80-44 on Thursday evening.
Four players scored in double figures for the Raiders, led by Tony Caseria’s 18. Colton Ksiazek had 14 points.
WESTMINSTER — Adams City, ranked No. 9 in Class 5A, wrestling won a dual meet with Westminster on Thursday, 70-3.