Month: February 2015

Standley Lake boys hoops’ buzzer-beater upends Wheat Ridge

Standley Lake senior Connor Durant (35) looks for an shot over Wheat Ridge senior Anthony McGinnis (24) during the first half Friday night at Standley Lake High School. The Gators went on a 12-0 run to end the game and take a 52-50 victory over the Farmers. More photos. (Dennis Pleuss)

WESTMINSTER — Standley Lake junior Brodey Hoffman was at the right place at the right time Friday night.

Hoffman’s offensive putback with two seconds left finished a 12-0 run to end the Class 4A Jeffco League game, giving the Gators a remarkable 52-50 win on their home court against Wheat Ridge.

“It was crazy. The atmosphere afterwards was probably just as crazy,” Hoffman said of his tip-in that resulted in the Gators’ student section storming the court after the buzzer sounded. “I couldn’t breath afterwards. I was in awe.”

The Gators (7-12 overall, 5-6 in league) called a timeout with 16 seconds left and the game tied 50-50 to set up a final play. The plan was to get the ball into senior AJ Ater, who ended with a team-high 13 points. However, Wheat Ridge’s defense denied Ater the ball. Senior Connor Durant ended up firing a fall-away jumper near the top of the key that hit the back of the iron.

Standley Lake junior Eric Turner (3) takes a shot over Wheat Ridge senior Jordan Jones (1) during the first half Friday. More photos. (Dennis Pleuss)

“Everyone was standing around looking at the shot,” said Durant, who finished with 11 points. “He (Hoffman) was the one who crashed. It was just a great hustle play. It was awesome.”

Hoffman, who finished with six points, was the only player in the paint to tip the ball into the basket for the game-winner.

“The last play wasn’t exactly like we drew it up,” Standley Lake coach Mike Puccio admitted. “Wheat Ridge did a great job just giving up a shot going away from the basket. When I saw it go up I figured it was overtime, but Brodey Hoffman is a ball magnet. A guy who is in the right place at the right time.”

It’s been a string of close games for the Gators recently. Standley Lake’s last four conference games have all been decided by two points or less. Those included losses to Evergreen and D’Evelyn, along with wins over Green Mountain and now Wheat Ridge.

“It’s been an up-and-down season for sure with a lot of close losses and close wins,” Puccio said. “They stuck together and that’s what I’m proud of the most.”

Standley Lake looked to be headed to a loss midway through the fourth quarter against the Farmers, who were riding a four-game winning streak. Wheat Ridge (13-6, 6-5) led 50-40 with 3:55 left in the fourth quarter when senior Vedin Kozic buried his eighth 3-pointer of the game.

Kozic finished with a season-high 38 points, but the Farmers failed to score in nearly the final four minutes of the game.

“When you have a guy go off like that you get a lot of guys standing around watching him,” Wheat Ridge coach Tommy Dowd said of Kozic’s big scoring night. “That’s what happened.”

The rest of the Farmers combined for just 12 points. Another issue was Wheat Ridge’s free-throw shooting.

“You’ve got to make free throws. I think we were 9-for-18 from the free-throw line,” Dowd said. “That’s been our Achilles heal all year long.”

Despite the loss, Wheat Ridge is almost guaranteed to finish second behind D’Evelyn in one of the two divisions in 4A Jeffco and earn one of the four automatic playoff berth out of Jeffco. The top two teams in the divisions are locks for the 32-team 4A state tournament that begins Feb. 27.

“We are still going to the playoffs. That’s the bottom line,” Dowd said. “We’ve got D’Evelyn on Tuesday. Our kids will be excited to go down there.”

Wheat Ridge has back-to-back conference games next Tuesday and Wednesday. The Farmers get a second crack at D’Evelyn, ranked No. 8 in this week’s CHSAANow.com 4A basketball poll. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday on the Jaguars’ home court before Wheat Ridge hosts Arvada the following night.

Standley Lake has a pair of home games next week facing Arvada on Tuesday followed by No. 3 Golden on Thursday. Both are 7 p.m. starts.

“We definitely need to win the next two games, maybe the next four to make it in,” Hoffman said of his thoughts on the playoff picture. “Hopefully this game will lead up to that and gets us ready to go.”

Barring some upsets, the Gators will likely finished third in their division and finish with games against Evergreen and Conifer to close out the regular season.

“They (players) want to be apart of the 32 (state tournament). We talk about it every day,” Puccio said. “We’ve got a lot of season left.”

Wheat Ridge senior Vedin Kozic (3) is covered by Standley Lake senior Connor Durant (35) during the third quarter Friday night. Kozic scored a season-high 38 points, but it wasn’t enough as Standley Lake ended up on top with a 52-50 victory. More photos. (Dennis Pleuss)

February 7, 2015
Photos: No. 5 Rock Canyon boys hoops rallies to beat Mountain Vista

HIGHLANDS RANCH — No. 5 Rock Canyon boys basketball rallied from down 35-34 at the start of the fourth quarter to beat Mountain Vista 55-44 on Friday.

Mountain Vista also led 30-24 at halftime. It was the Golden Eagles’ first loss at home this season.

February 7, 2015
Photos: Standley Lake boys hoops beats Wheat Ridge in final moments

WESTMINSTER — Standley Lake boys basketball beat Wheat Ridge 52-50 at the buzzer on Friday night.

February 7, 2015
Photos: Pearson, McCabe lead Mountain Vista girls hoops over Rock Canyon

HIGHLANDS RANCH — Chelsea Pearson scored 12 points, Molly McCabe added 11 and Mountain Vista girls basketball beat Rock Canyon 60-45 on Friday.

McCabe also had 10 rebounds, while Pearson added seven.

Delaney Sullivan paced Rock Canyon with 14 points.

February 7, 2015
Photos: No. 1 Regis Jesuit hockey beats No. 9 Lewis-Palmer

CENTENNIAL — A three-goal second period proved to be the difference as top-ranked Regis Jesuit hockey beat No. 9 Lewis-Palmer 6-2 on Friday.

Tied at 1 after one, Thomas Jahde broke the tie at 7:22 of the second, and Connor Brennan followed that with two goals to make it 4-1 before the third.

Kyle Nelson had two goals and an assist for the Raiders, who also got 18 saves from goalie Bret Jahde.

February 7, 2015

Cheyenne Mountain joins 4A wrestling rankings at No. 10

Cheyenne Mountain joined this week’s wrestling rankings at No. 10 in Class 4A.

The No. 1 teams all stayed put in On The Mat’s rankings this week. Those are Arvada West (5A), Thompson Valley (4A), Brush (3A) and Paonia (2A).

Complete team rankings for all classes are below.

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On The Mat Wrestling Rankings

Tim Yount of On The Mat provides weekly wrestling rankings for teams and individuals in all weight classes. To see individual rankings, you can subscribe to On The Mat’s full rankings.

To subscribe via PayPal, choose your subscription option on this page click on the corresponding PayPal button. To subscribe by mail or fax and pay by personal check, click here for a printable subscription form. Email Tim Yount at tim@onthematrankings.com with questions.

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Go to: 5A | 4A | 3A | 2A

Class 2A
RK	TEAM	PVS
1	Paonia	1
2	Norwood/Nucla	2
3	Meeker	3
4	Rocky Ford	4
5	Centauri	5
6	Sedgwick County/Fleming	7
7	Swink	6
8	Ignacio	8
9	Crowley County	10
10	Hotchkiss	–
Dropped out
Burlington (9).

Class 3A
RK	TEAM	PVS
1	Brush	1
2	Valley	2
3	Lamar	3
4	Delta	4
5	Dolores Huerta	5
6	Olathe	6
7	Fort Lupton	7
8	Sterling	8
9	Sheridan	9
10	Platte Valley	10
Dropped out
None.

Class 4A
RK	TEAM	PVS
1	Thompson Valley	1
2	Pueblo County	2
3	Windsor	3
4	Greeley Central	4
5	Pueblo East	5
6	Air Academy	6
7	Pueblo South	9
8	Pueblo West	7
9	Mesa Ridge	8
10	Cheyenne Mountain	–
Dropped out
Fort Morgan (10).

Class 5A
RK	TEAM	PVS
1	Arvada West	1
2	Pomona	2
3	Pine Creek	3
4	Grand Junction	4
5	Coronado	5
6	Rocky Mountain	7
7	Ponderosa	8
8	Mountain Range	6
9	Cherry Creek	9
10	Fruita Monument	10
Dropped out
None.

February 6, 2015

Former CU Buff gives area athletes signing day hope
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

CENTENNIAL — In the space where Matt McChesney spends his time screaming and swearing at high school football players, the owner and operator of Six Zero Strength and Fitness took the time to praise the efforts of a senior class that had just finished a day of signing National Letters of Intent.

That was always the plan. For both McChesney and the players sitting down and listening to him speak of the hard work that had just paid off.

Wednesday night, 26 football players gathered to celebrate their commitments to play football in college. Some went Division I (FBS). Some went Division II. Some went the junior college route.

But regardless of level, they have all succeeded.

“If you look at the NFL, the league is 40 percent underrated kids from small schools,” McChesney said. “It doesn’t matter how you get there in the NFL and it doesn’t matter how you get there are the college football level either.”

A former CU Buff and Denver Bronco, McChesney’s Denver ties are strong. He first opened Six Zero Strength and Fitness with the sole intent of giving high school athletes a fighting chance of continuing to play the sports they love at a higher level. He preaches technique, endurance and most of all, mental toughness.

“There have been some times where I’ve (lost my lunch) and thought about rethinking my life when I’m here,” said Arapahoe wide receiver Alex Tennant, who signed with Montana State. “But when you look at the wall and you see pictures of all the guys that have made it to the next level, you just tell yourself it’s all worth it.”

The commits that made that made their way through McChesney’s program all took part of their school organized signing day activities, then converged to what’s affectionately known as “The Dungeon” to celebrate with each other.

Matt McChesney (left) poses with CU commit Frank Umu Thursday night. (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

As McChesney stood in front of his players and their families, he preached about the drive he has to commit to them. When they come to the gym at 5 a.m. to grind, it gives McChesney the motivation to continue his work and help as many kids and families as possible, regardless of their talent level.

“You can give me the worst athlete in the room and if he wants it, I can turn him into a player,” McChesney said. “That’s what good coaches do. You give me a shell; I’ll give you a football player.”

With signing a letter of intent being the ultimate goal for the athletes that walk through his door, for McChesney, he wants to build quality human beings first and football players second.

“The first three things I ask for when kids walk through my door are height, weight and grade-point average,” he says.

If a player comes in with anything under a 3.0, he’ll find them the help they need to boost it. If a player under his watch falls below a 3.2, they’re not welcome back until it gets back above that level.

Once they have all the due diligence in place, McChesney turns to his director of recruiting and quarterbacks coach Warren McCarty and the two start to open doors on the recruiting front.

“We utilize relationships,” McCarty said. “Contrary to popular belief, recruiting is about relationships. There are thousands of good football players. Getting a player looked at and truly evaluated and considered often comes down to relationships and trust.”

Looking across a room full of future college football players, it’s hard for one to argue that those relationships don’t pay off in the long run. In the gym at their schools, the players get to celebrate with their classmates and coaches. Wednesday night, they got to stand together, as a Dungeon Family, and enjoy the fruits of their labor.

“This is probably the biggest day of my life in the 18 years I’ve been here,” said University of Colorado commit Frank Umu of Heritage. “I get to celebrate with other people who have the same goals and have gone through the same experiences and that’s special.”

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Six Zero’s 2015 commitment list:

See a full list of Colorado commits in our database
- Frank Umu (Heritage) – Colorado
- Dillon Middlemiss (Pomona) – Colorado
- Matt Gaiter (Chatfield) – Air Force
- Bubba Watkins (Valor Christian) – Air Force
- Rope Ruel (Douglas County) – Colorado Mesa
- Alex Tennant (Arapahoe) – Montana State
- Alex Keys (Highlands Ranch) – Western Michigan
- Brandon Leahy (Chaparral) – Eastern Michigan
- Cody Blair (Highlands Ranch) – Texas A&M-Kingsville
- Cameron Knight (Grandview) – West Hills Community College
- Tyler Dalton (ThunderRidge) – Chadron State
- Zak Lawler (Pomona) – West Hills Community College
- Patrick Healy (Littleton) – North Dakota
- Bryce Blair (Cherry Creek) – North Dakota
- Bull Parker (Cherry Creek) – CSU-Pueblo
- Tony Bello (Bear Creek) – New Mexico State
- Brandon O’Donnell (Valor Christian) – Utah State
- Sebastian Sock (Valor Christian) – Kansas
- Tanner Wilkey (Longmont) – University of San Diego
- Josh Salazar (Rangeview) – Chadron State
- Joe Sartini (Chatfield) – East Coast Prep
- Adam Schacht (Mullen) – West Hills Community College
- Kyle Gallup (Chaparral) – Marshall
- Brandon Biggs (Valor Christian) – University of Northern Colorado
- Kyle Winkler (Chatfield) – Miami of Ohio (Baseball)
- Joey Drennan (Littleton) – Commitment is pending acceptance into U.S. military academies
February 5, 2015
No. 4 Overland pulls away from No. 3 Eaglecrest in 5A boys hoops

(Danielle Ennis/CHSAANow.com)

AURORA — With De’Ron Davis sitting on the bench, it was up to Austin Conway and Ryan Swan to lead Overland boys basketball over Eaglecrest.

Conway and Swan, both seniors, put 27 points on the board, and a late entry by junior point guard Reggie Gibson, who scored 15 points in the second half alone, ultimately led to a 74-61 win on Wednesday.

Davis was relegated to the bench for much of the rematch due to foul trouble. He reentered the game midway through the fourth quarter — no longer a quiet player — and showcased his talent and size when it mattered most. With rebounds, blocks, and low-post moves, he put seven points on the board in under three minutes.

“De’Ron came in with points and rebounds late. Reggie played so well. It was teamwork and staying focused,” said Conway, who put the ball in everyone’s hands. “It was our home court and our amazing crowd, but we knew a great game was guaranteed against them.”

Wednesday’s win gave the No. 4-ranked Trailblazers something of revenge for an earlier loss to No. 3 Eaglecrest.

The two foes last matched in early January, where the Raptors won on their home court 66-54. Eaglecrest looked to keep their conference record of 8-0 untarnished but the Trailblazers upended that, handing them their first lost in 10 games.

All eyes were on Davis, the 6-foot-9 junior, a top Colorado player, and a top 50 national prospect for the 2016 season. In the last contest against Eaglecrest, he sat out with a injured knee.

This time, he spent the majority of the game on the bench, as well, due to early foul trouble. Davis started strong with four points and a block, but shortly after was called for a charge and a defensive foul that sent him to the sidelines for the remainder of the first half.

With the big man out, the game was all about speedy guards on both squads running layups and answering nearly every play of the opponents.

At half, Overland led 32-26.

At the start of the third, Davis took the court, only to foul a third time within seconds, sitting him down yet again.

(Danielle Ennis/CHSAANow.com)

That was when the senior/sophomore sibling duo of Elijah and Colby Ross took the momentum for the Raptors. The brothers tallied 13 and 18 points, respectively. Senior guard Peter Anderson added two clutch 3-pointers and 15 points.

They kept the game close for the majority of the second half, but it wasn’t enough to defeat the equally talented Trailblazers.

The last five minutes were dramatic, as expected, but in the final bits, the Blazers kept possession and sealed their defeat.

With five regular season games left for the two conference leaders, the last stretch is about improvement, said Eaglecrest coach John Olander.

“We are both great teams. We won on our floor and they won on theirs,” he said. “They faced us without Davis and we faced them without Nate Bokol.

“We could have rebounded and boxed out more, and we had too many turnovers towards the end. We need to watch film, find the open player and find out where we can make plays,” he added. “It’s all about all the little things.”

February 5, 2015
No. 7 Dakota Ridge takes driver’s seat in 5A Jeffco boys hoops

Arvada West senior Thomas Neff (15) and Dakota Ridge senior Mason Grothuesmann scramble after a loose ball in front of the Wildcats’ bench during the first half Wednesday night during the Class 5A Jeffco battle. (Dennis Pleuss)

LITTLETON — It was a simple mathematical equation on the basketball court Wednesday night at Dakota Ridge High School.

The winner of Arvada West and Dakota Ridge would vault atop the Class 5A Jeffco League and snag one-game lead in the conference with five league games to go.

It all added up for Dakota Ridge, ranked No. 7 in the current CHSAANow.com boys hoops poll. The Eagles (17-1 overall, 8-1 in league) had a key 10-0 run in the third quarter to help them cruise to a 62-48 victory against the Wildcats (13-5, 7-2).

Dakota Ridge junior Matt Newkirk (11) looks for room to work against Arvada West senior Caleb Robble on Wednesday night. (Dennis Pleuss)

“It’s a huge win,” said Dakota Ridge senior Mason Grothuesmann who had a game-high 20 points. “This game really meant a lot in the conference.”

Grothuesmann was key during a 10-0 run by the Eagles in the third quarter. A-West led 32-31 with 5:34 left in the third after a bucket by senior Zach Kuhlmann. However, the Wildcats wouldn’t score until senior Thomas Neff hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

The Eagles’ defense created several turnovers and capitalized with buckets in the paint to eventually take a 41-35 lead heading to the fourth quarter.

“I’m so proud of the way our guys were so scrappy,” Dakota Ridge coach Curi Yutzy said of the second half. “We just found ways to get the 50/50 balls, the deflections and rebounds. Mason was a huge part of that.”

Grothuesmann was masterful in the paint with several left-handed layups. Junior Devante Jones, who was limited in his minutes with early foul trouble, combined with Grothuesmann to score 19 of Dakota Ridge’s 21 points in the fourth quarter.

“When you give it away against a good team they are going to penalize you,” A-West coach Jeff Parriott said after the Wildcats had their six-game winning streak snapped. “Their guys did a great job. They pressured us and we didn’t handle it very well. The better team won tonight.”

The Neff brothers, Thomas and Luke, led A-West combining for 24 points. Luke Neff had the hot-hand early with eight points in the first quarter, but Dakota Ridge senior Cody Pittman’s tight defense limited the junior guard to just two points the rest of the game.

Thomas Neff finished with 14 points in having to work hard to get shots off against Dakota Ridge’s tough defense.

“We struggled to score, especially in the second half,” said Parriott as his Wildcats were held to 21 points in the second half.

Dakota Ridge edged A-West 67-62 on the Wildcats’ home court nearly a month ago. The Eagles nearly allowed a 22-point first half lead slip away before making key free throws in the final minute to hang on for the victory.

The Eagles made sure the game was less dramatic the second time around with A-West. It was the third win in a row for the Eagles after having their undefeated record blemished with a home loss to Lakewood on Jan. 26.

Dakota Ridge senior Mason Grothuesmann (31) has the ball knocked out of his hands by Arvada West senior Thomas Neff (15) during the second quarter Wednesday night at Dakota Ridge High School. Grothuesmann scored a game-high 20 points as the Eagles took a 62-48 victory. (Dennis Pleuss)

“That Lakewood loss was tough, but I think it took off a lot of the pressure from being undefeated,” Grothuesmann said. “It really put it in perspective that we’ve just got to play. It was a good learning experience for us.”

While the loss makes it an uphill battle for A-West to win a league title, Parriott knows it’s not a season-buster.

“You want to win a league title, but really the focus needs to be being the best team at the end of the season,” Parriott said. “We would love to win a league title and it would have been sweet to win tonight, but the reality is there are bigger things at the end of the year that we have to be prepared for.”

A-West stays on the road Friday with a league game at Pomona. The Wildcats should get a challenge when they return home next Wednesday to face Columbine (12-6, 7-2). The Rebels are now tied for second in 5A Jeffco with A-West.

Dakota Ridge squares off against Columbine on Friday night on the Eagles’ home court. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

“We will just continue to try to get better everyday. We are happy with our results,” Yutzy said when asked about taking sole possession atop the conference. “I want to make sure the players know the results are coming because of the work they put in.”

Dakota Ridge junior Devante Jones (23) has his shot blocked by Arvada West junior Will Wittman (14) during the opening quarter Wednesday night. Jones scored 10 points in the fourth quarter to help the Eagles put away a 62-48 victory. (Dennis Pleuss)

February 5, 2015
Photos: No. 5 Jefferson Academy boys hoops upsets No. 1 Lutheran

Lutheran’s Brendan Edgerley (23) throws down a break-away dunk. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)

BROOMFIELD — Class 3A No. 5 Jefferson Academy boys basketball upset No. 1 Lutheran, 56-53, handing them their second loss of the season Wednesday night.

Lutheran just took over the top ranking this week. Their loss marks the third straight week No. 1 has lost.

Jefferson Academy was carried by Andrew Ullman’s 21 points. He got help from Joe Raff, who scored 14.

Brendan Edgerly scored Lutheran’s first 9 points and led all scorers with 22 points. James Willis added 12 points for the Lions.

Jefferson Academy moves to 13-3 (4-2 3A Metro League), while Lutheran drops to 13-2 (3-1).

The Jaguars will travel to Denver Jewish Day next Monday and Lutheran will face off with SkyView Academy in Highlands Ranch on Friday.

February 5, 2015

Month: February 2015

On The Mat Wrestling Rankings

Six Zero’s 2015 commitment list: