THORNTON — The day began with records falling. Three of the first four races saw the Manitou Springs medley relay team and two individual swimmers come in with the best times ever for the 4A class. The landmark day ended with Evergreen hosting the state championship trophy at the Veterans Memorial Aquatic Center in Thornton.
The Cougars finished with an overall score or 368, besting runner-up Cheyenne Mountain by 92 points to successfully defend their 2014 title.
“We’re just really proud of our girls and we’re happy with how we swam today,” Cougars coach Jeanne Godaire said. “We had a lot of best times and the girls were ready for the meet.”
Through the first two events, the Cougars were without a win as Manitou took the 200-yard medley relay and Thompson Valley’s Eryn Eddy won the 200-yard freestyle. Both wins resulted in 4A records.
It was the third event when Lindsay Morrow finally got Evergreen on the board with a win. He took the 200-yard invdividual medley with a time of 2:03.42, almost three seconds better than than second-place finisher – and her teammate – Anna McDonald.
“Getting the individual wins were great, but to be able to celebrate this win as a team is such an incredible feeling,” Morrow said. “We all worked really hard in prelims and knew coming in today that we just had to move up one spot to be able to do well today.”
The win was anything but a given for the Cougars as they had the Indians on their tail much of the day. Cheyenne Mountain had finished in the top three at state three years in a row coming into Saturday’s meet and would prove to be force once again.
Freshman Cat Wright got the charge started for the Indians by taking the 100-yard butterfly, setting a state record in the process. It was the only win for the Indians on the day, but their consistency to finish in the top five boosted them into a firm second-place finish.
“Evergreen was so strong and they had so many horses in the early races,” Indians coach Kate Doane said. “We’re very happy with where we finished. We wanted a top-two finish and so as far as getting to No. 1, we swam the best we could and so did Evergreen.”
The Cougars recorded four wins on the day, with Morrow accounting for two of the three individual wins. The Cougars won the meet’s final event, the 400-yard freestyle relay, a fitting bow to tie on their state title.
“We had some top girls get us some good wins,” Godaire said. “We got a lot of points in the (consolation races) and the finals which helped.”
FORT COLLINS — When a team wins a title, they bring it home.
Fossil Ridge didn’t have far to travel on Saturday. In fact the Sabercats, by claiming the Class 5A state championship in girls swimming and diving, kept the crown at their own facility, Edora Pool Ice Center in Fort Collins.
“All our home meets are here and this is where we train,” Fossil Ridge coach Tasha Marchant said excitedly. “It makes it even sweeter.”
Any time a team wins a state championship, the joy is unequivocal for athletes and coaches alike. Any time a team runs over everyone else for the crown in the way Fossil did, the feeling for the opposition might be astonishment.
For Sabercat senior Bailey Nero, the meet was a wonderful bookend to a decorated career. Fossil Ridge won the school’s first title in the sport in 2012, Nero’s first year in the program. The Sabercats piled up 347 points on Saturday as Regis, who had won three of four 5A crowns, placed second with 277 points. Fairview was third with 226.5.
“Freshman year, it was a surprise to be state champions,” Nero admitted. “We talked about it, but we weren’t sure if we really had the talent to get there. This year, we all knew we had the potential to be champions. It was just a matter of being a team as a whole.”
As a whole, the squad won two of three relays and three individual events in claiming first in five of 12 events overall.
“I’m so happy for the girls,” Marchant said. “They set their focus at the beginning of the year. We revisited our goals and objectives throughout the season and they reminded me that we were almost there. It’s nice to see them accomplish everything that they wanted to accomplish.”
Nero certainly accomplished a lot for her team and for herself in her final swims as a Sabercat before competing for Auburn University.
First, she swam a strong third leg of the winning 200-medley relay (1:43.03). Then, she beat a game Brooke Hansen of Loveland, a two-time state champion entering the weekend, in the 200-individual medley with a blistering 1:59.20. Next, Nero enthralled the crowd with an all-classification record in the 100 butterfly. Her time of 53.22 seconds was more than one full second faster than the previous record of 54.25. To cap it all off, the senior anchored the winning 400-free relay in 3:25.26 as Fossil nipped Regis’ 3:25.49.
“I’m pretty happy with how I swam,” Nero said. “I’m really excited about the 200 IM. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to whip that out, but I’m pretty happy about that. It’s fun to get the record in the fly too.”
“She’s just obviously top-notch,” Marchant added. “She’s first of all, a great person. The girls really look up to her and she loves to compete and she likes to win. She brings good positive energy to the team. Those kinds of girls are priceless.”
Asked if she knew a 53 in the 100-fly was possible, Nero’s coach didn’t hesitate.
“She’s got a lot of fast swimming still ahead of her. Nothing totally surprises me, but it was fast and it was fantastic.”
Bailey Kovac, a sophomore, added to her growing legacy at the school as well with a state championship in the 100 breaststroke, defending her title in the event from last year.
ThunderRidge’s Annie Ochitwa, a senior and future Arizona Wildcat, defended crowns of her own with victories in the 50 free (22.86) and 100 free (49.60). Her 50 was the fourth fastest in Colorado history, while her 100 was second fastest as she held off Loveland’s Hansen (49.97). Hansen’s time ranks fifth best ever.
Arapahoe’s Ella Moynihan won the 200 and 500 freestyle races and Regis Jesuit’s Mckensi Austin was first in diving with a 5A record performance of 540.305 points. The junior also won diving a year ago.
Fossil Ridge has earned both of the school’s state championships in girls swimming.
BROOMFIELD – Devin Rothrock and his Arvada West teammates are more than ready to finally head back downtown.
Having worked all season toward the goal of a second consecutive state championship, the Wildcats get their opportunity in less than a week. Rothrock was one of six regional champions for Arvada West at the Class 5A Region 1 tournament Saturday at Legacy High School. The team qualified 12 individuals overall for the 5A state tourney, which gets underway Thursday at Pepsi Center in Denver.
Rothrock, who is looking to secure a second individual title of his own, took down Coronado’s Ryan Strabala with an 8-3 decision in the 220-pound final.
“I definitely have a lot of work to do this next week, so I’m definitely going to be training harder,” Rothrock said. “I’m very excited though just to try and finish off on a good note.”
Arvada West was the runaway Region 1 team champion, compiling 280.5 points. Coronado was second with 198 points, followed by Legacy (153), Northglenn (132) and Castle View (117.5).
The Wildcats won the 2014 state title by 87 points and return two champions in Rothrock and Payton Tawater.
“They know they’ve had a target on their back since last year, and it really doesn’t bother them,” A-West coach Ron Granieri said. “They handle it better than I do. They know it’s time to go to work.”
Cody Fatzinger (113 pounds), Bennie Pachello (138), Jimmy Rothwell (145), Tawater (152), Taylor Berquist (170) and Rothrock each captured regional titles. Zach Gomez (195) placed second, and four more Wildcats took third.
“What really makes these tournaments important is those third and fourth places, because they do go downtown,” Granieri said. “As a squad, the whole team did really well.”
Coronado will send eight wrestlers to state, with Jess Hankin (132) and Zeb Foster (195) each claiming regional titles. Hankin pinned Northglenn’s Michael Garcia and Foster edged Gomez 6-5.
Legacy finished with three regional champions on its way to third and qualified six for state. Junior Ryan Deakin, who went undefeated a year ago on his way to a first state championship, pinned his way through four matches this weekend to win the 126-pound title.
Deakin pinned Northglenn’s Rocky Nava with three seconds remaining in the first period in the finals.
“It felt good, and I think it’s always nice to get one step closer to the final end-of-season goals,” Deakin said. “Hopefully I’ll have a good state tournament.”
Matt Hebel added to the Lightning’s haul with a 4-0 decision at 182, and Tui Faamausili pinned his final two opponents at 285.
Castle View had a pair of regional champs in Malik Heinselman (106) and Bevan Haycock (160). Haycock entered the tournament as the fifth seed at 160 but pinned top-seeded Vincent Casados of Arvada West in the semifinals before edging Boulder’s Martin Selby, the second seed, 5-4.
Haycock led 3-0 going into the third period, but a Selby reversal and takedown, sandwiched around a Haycock escape, tied the match at 4-4. A late escape point put Haycock back on top, and the senior held off Selby for the final seconds to take the victory.
“You want your hand to get raised, and you just want to be up by one point,” he said. “That’s all that matters. When he took me down I just knew I had to get out from on bottom and then kind of hold him off.”
Horizon junior Jackson Huffman won the regional crown at 120 with a 7-5 overtime victory over Northglenn’s Maurisio Garcia. A late reversal and back points tied the match, and Huffman got a takedown in the extra period to win.
Rampart’s Nicea Eliely (13) receives a pass during the first half of Friday’s win against Pine Creel (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow)
COLORADO SPRINGS — The Pine Creek faithful tried to force Thalia Buckley to rush her shot.
The junior guard kept search for her teammate, Nicea Eliely. Eliely wasn’t open. But a look at the basket was.
Buckley squared up and fired off a 3-pointer that fell in the hoop, giving Rampart girls basketball a 54-51 win over the rival Eagles on Friday.
“That’s not the play we drew up,” Rams coach Ashley Miller said. “But I’ll take that kid shooting a three any day of the week.”
The win was anything but easy for Rampart (16-4 overall, 9-0 5A Colorado Springs Metro League). The key for Pine Creek was to limit the damage that senior Cassidy Budge could cause on offense. In the first quarter, their man-to-man defense limited Budge to one shot, which she missed.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Eagles were able to distribute their scoring and build a 16-12 lead after the first quarter.
“We came in knowing that we had to ramp it up,” Eagles coach Kelley Stewart said. “We were coming into a contentious place to play and we got our (butts) kicked the first time we played them and our kids were not going to allow that to happen again.”
It didn’t take long at the start of the second quarter to get Budge involved offensively. She scored the first basket of the quarter, which helped spark the Rams into making a 13-4 run to take a 25-20 lead. Budge, who finished with nine points, ignited the spark, but it was Eliely who would fuel the fire most of the night for the Rams.
“I changed my mentality from knowing that it’s not always going to be just one person scoring,” Eliely said. “I knew Cassidy wasn’t feeling well so I took it upon myself to take it to the basket.”
But the Eagles found their offensive rhythm in the final two minutes and a 3-pointer from Jade Odom at the buzzer sent the game to halfitme with Pine Creek leading 30-27. When Stewart got her team into the locker room she stressed that the Rams wouldn’t quit and they would continue to fight.
“When we went in off that, we knew we couldn’t come out comfortable,” Stewart said. “We knew we had to play to win and not play to not lose.”
Eliely’s assault on the basket proved to be too much for the Eagles to counter. With the Rams trailing by six near the end of the third quarter, she scored two baskets to pull her team to within two.
Down two in the fourth quarter she once again scored two buckets, this time giving her team a two-point lead. A free throw from Victoria Mondy extended the lead to 51-48.
Pine Creek once again sought Odom to take the big shot and she knocked down another 3-pointer to tie the game at 51 going into the last minute. Miller took time to draw up the final play for team, only the situation didn’t go exactly as planned.
“The play was to pass it to Nicea, but she wasn’t open,” Buckley said. “I just heard in my mind ‘do not force it’ and I noticed I was open so I figured if I missed we would go to overtime anyway.”
But there was no miss. And there was no overtime. For Rampart, it was a big win over a rival and the kind of game that could propel them through the playoffs.
“It gives us a lot of energy,” Eliely said. “We know we can beat them and we know that they’re not better than us.”
No. 1 Regis Jesuit and No. 3 Ralston Valley battle for a loose puck Friday night at the Family Sports Ice Arena. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com) More photos.
CENTENNIAL — At this point, when Regis Jesuit takes the ice, they know they are getting their opposition’s best shot.
Such was the case again on Friday night, as the No. 1 Red Raiders (16-0-0 overall, 12-0-0 Foothills Conference) would need a goal with less than a minute to go to tie the No. 2 Ralston Valley Mustangs (15-1-1, 11-0-1) 2-2 after an explosive back-and-forth affair.
“I’m real proud of the way these guys are as a team,” Regis coach Dan Woodley said of his team. “It was nice to see them stay together and weather those storms as a team, and to see it pay off with the late goal at the end when we were really under the gun.”
The late goal from team captain Jack Jordan may have saved the point, but the team weathered the storms from the Mustangs due in large part to goaltender Sam Gartner, who once again showed that he has a flare for stepping up in big games by stopping 24 of 26 shots on net.
No. 3 Ralston Valley’s Tony Salazar (18) celebrates his goal that gave his team the lead with just two minutes to go. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com) More photos.
“Sam has great mental capacity that helps him get into his highest playing level,” Woodley said. “He’s played a lot of minutes for us in preparation of what’s awaiting us here at the end of the season.”
The first period began like many other top-notch schools taking on the Foothills Conference top dogs. Pace of play and precision passing fueled an early onslaught for the Mustangs, while Regis used their size to dictate physical play and create turnovers.
Ralston’s top line of leading scorers Jeff Moffat, Tony Salazar, and Stefan Fruhwirth led the way, providing their team’s sustained pressure midway through the period.
However, with just a few minutes left in the period it was Regis’s Grant Johnson and John Kane that managed the best scoring chance of the period, turning a speedy transition into a 2 on 1 break that Mustang goaltender Scott Albertoni, who made 13 saves of his own in the contest, barely managed to get a pad on.
The teams continued to trade blows in the second, but a careful pace had replaced the breakneck speed of the first period. The result was a series of shifts of sustained pressure by both schools, with no shortage of scoring chances. Every time the Raiders looked like they were finally bullying Ralston into submission, the Mustangs came back with a series of flurries that pushed Gartner to his limits.
Finally, with just 1:40 to go in the period, a routine shot from the point from Regis defenseman Spencer Chuck found the stick of Connor Brennan in front of the net, who tipped it just inside the right post for the first goal of the game.
Down 1-0 with a 17-8 shots on goal advantage entering the third, the wind had left the sails for Ralston in the third period. The Raiders’ physical play had taken its toll, and the stifling team defense that had frustrated the Raiders started to break down through the middle of the ice.
Then, with less than eight minutes to play in the game, a prolonged stint in the Regis zone put Gartner under fire, and Ian Snedden of the Mustangs fired in a loose rebound to tie the game 1-1.
No. 1 Regis Jesuit celebrates a goal on Friday night. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com) More photos.
“I think the whole thing is staying positive,” Ralston Valley coach Matt Schoepflin said. “We were playing a good hockey game and doing the right things. With this group it’s all about staying with the gameplan and in the third period we finally saw that pay off.”
From there, it was back to the pace of the first period, with both teams trading furious rushes up and down the ice.
Ralston then would tally again with a goal by Tony Salazar with two minutes to go in the game, representing the first breakthrough for the Mustang’s top line. But despite the tilted ice for his top unit, Schoepflin insisted that this thriller was a team effort through and through.
“I thought everyone contributed in their own way in this game,” Shoepflin said. “To make a run in this league, you need everyone to contribute and I’m proud of the way that this team stays together.”
Just as all seemed lost for the Raiders, Jordan fired home the blocker-side shot with 44 seconds remaining to force the game into overtime, where despite trading a few chances, the teams looked as evenly matched as they had all game.
When it was all over, both coaches were proud of their teams, but wary of the progress yet to be made.
“With our success,” Woodley explained, “we have to find a way to keep matching (our opponents’) speed, intensity and work ethic.”
So far, the Raiders have been up to the task, but Ralston Valley certainly made their case on Friday night.
“(Regis) is a very opportunistic team,” Shoepflin explained. “We have to adjust a few things before we play them again but I’m excited to see where we’ll be in the next few weeks.”
Add in Bayley Stewert, another Sabercat who earned her way to championship finals in two events, the trio comprise a core hoping to claim the school’s second 5A crown. They won it all in 2012.
“It’s ironic definitely that we have three Bailey’s and it’s kind of funny that we’re all in different strokes too,” Bailey Nero, an Auburn University recruit, said with a laugh. “It’s really fun on the medley relay, because we’re basically cheering for ourselves. I really do enjoy those girls on my team.
“Everyone is always saying Bailey, Bailey, and it’s really hard to figure out who they are talking to. We made nicknames. Bailey Kovac is ‘BK’, Bayley Stewert is ‘B. Stewart’, and I’m ‘B. Nero.’ It makes it more fun knowing that we’re all named Bailey and that we’re all giving a lot to the team.”
Giving a lot to the team as in providing the necessary firepower needed to make a run at the crown.
Fossil Ridge is undefeated in its last four years of dual meets. The Sabercats have won five-straight Front Range league titles. They’ve claimed several individual state titles.
By all accounts, the Fort Collins-based school has been a dominant force in the sport, but the ultimate achievement has eluded them the past two seasons as Regis Jesuit won the title.
One of the two powers will likely bring home the hardware on Saturday after a Friday prelims that saw the teams combine to earn the number one seeds in six of 11 events. Both squads also qualified individuals in bunches for either the championship finals, boasting the top-8 girls in each prelim, or the consolation finals featuring the nine through 16 finishers.
Fossil Ridge, who nipped Cherry Creek 244-243 in 2012, knows titles can be won by the slimmest of margins.
“Every point counts,” Nero said. “It’s really awesome that tonight we got some sneak-ins. We got some girls in 8th and 16th. They were right on the edge, but we got them in.”
“We need to be as good as we were today, if not better,” Fossil Ridge coach Tasha Marchant added. “We still have diving and we need to be strong in that. As a team we just need to stay united and stay supportive of each other and that’ll hopefully get us where we want to be.”
Fossil Ridge placed third in 2014 and second in 2013.
In prelims of Class 4A, the Evergreen Cougars set the tone for what could be their second consecutive state championship.
With five Division I signees in the senior class and four all-state returners, Evergreen placed second in the 200-yard medley relay, Lindsay Morrow and Anna McDonald placed first and second in the 200 IM, Katelyn Kenchel placed second in the 200 free and third in the 100 free, and Kate McDonald placed first in the 500 free.
Morrow and Kara Coughlin placed first and second in the 100 back and the Cougars earned the one seed in the 400 free relay, as well.
Evergreen is poised for another run at the title on Saturday, but Valor Christian also excelled in prelims as the Eagles earned the one seed in the 200 medley relay and 200 free relay.
Individually, Valor’s Brooke Stenstrom and Thompson Valley’s Eryn Eddy could both earn multiple crowns. Eddy nearly broke her own 200 free classification record in prelims.
Lakewood sophomore Kolton Peterson (3) drives on Dakota Ridge senior Cody Pittman (3) during the fourth quarter Friday night. (Dennis Pleuss)
LAKEWOOD — The final sprint toward the Class 5A boys basketball Jeffco League title looks to be a photo finish.
The picture got a little clearer Friday night. Dakota Ridge, No. 6 in this week’s 5A boys hoops CHSAANow.com poll, remained atop the conference with a 65-44 victory on the road against the Lakewood Tigers.
Along with dropping their first league go-around with Lakewood, the Eagles (19-2, 10-2 5A Jeffco) were coming off a 10-point loss to Chatfield earlier in the week.
“When we lose we know why we lose. It’s a learning experience,” Dakota Ridge senior Cody Pittman said after scoring a game-high 16 points. “Mainly it’s our defense. We worked on it. We had to get back to who were are, which is defense and transition.”
Dakota Ridge junior Devante Jones (23) looks for an open teammate while guarded by Lakewood senior Louie Schadler during the first quarter Friday night. (Dennis Pleuss)
Dakota Ridge’s tenacious defense set the tone early causing eight Lakewood turnovers in the first quarter. Senior Mason Grothuesmann led the way with six points in the opening quarter.
“I thought Mason was awesome with the steals and deflections, especially early on,” Dakota Ridge coach Curi Yutzy said. “It was all about defense. I’m proud of their effort and how they responded here.”
The Eagles took a 28-15 lead going into halftime, but Lakewood was able to hang around just as the Tigers did in their come-from-behind victory on Dakota Ridge’s home court Jan. 26
Lakewood pulled within 10 points at 49-39 with 5:30 left in the fourth quarter. Sophomore Jacob Storey scored four straight points for the Tigers to give a bit of déjà vu feeling.
“This time we took care of the ball and made Lakewood come get us,” Yutzy said of the final five minutes. “We made some free throws and made the plays we needed to make.”
Dakota Ridge went on a 9-0 run in the matter of a minute to push its lead to 62-43 with less than two minutes to play to secure the victory.
The Eagles’ bench played a big role in the victory. Junior Thomas Bravo (10 points) and Jeff Kania (seven points) provided a big lift.
“Our bench really brought the energy today,” Pittman said. “All of them did a great job of stepping up today.”
Grothuesmann finished with 12 points and junior Devante Jones pitched in seven points. Ten Eagles got into the scoring column as they edged closer to their first boys basketball league championship since the 2003-04 season.
“Dakota Ridge knew what we had and great job to Curi (Yutzy) preparing them for this game,” Lakewood coach Daryl Johnson said. “They wanted this game. They wanted us bad.”
Storey (11 points) and fellow sophomore Kolton Peterson (12 points) led the Tigers (9-12, 6-6) in scoring. The young Lakewood squad has proven to be dangerous this season.
“These Lakewood Tigers are like a box of chocolates. You don’t know what you are going to get,” Johnson said. “Our goal was to compete in league and go to the playoffs. That’s what we want.”
Lakewood closes out its regular season with a pair of road games against Arvada West (Wednesday, Feb. 18) and Columbine (Friday, Feb. 20).
A-West got an important 64-55 victory on the road against Chatfield on Friday night. The Wildcats (15-5, 10-2) remain tied with Dakota Ridge for the conference title, but the Eagles hold the tiebreaker defeating A-West in both league meetings.
A few weeks ago Dakota Ridge held a 14-0 record and seemed primed to capture its first boys hoops league title in over a decade. However, losses to Lakewood and Chatfield reeled the Eagles back to the pack.
If Dakota Ridge takes care of business in its final two conference games the league title will become a reality.
“We’ll do our best to enjoy these two (league) games. We aren’t going to put pressure on ourselves to win those games,” Yutzy said. “We are going to enjoy those games and enjoy the time we have with this group. Hopefully we’ll keep getting better.”
Dakota Ridge hosts Bear Creek on Wednesday before traveling to Ralston Valley on Friday to face the Mustangs. Brackets for the 48-team state tournament is slated to be released Sunday, Feb. 22, on CHSAANow.com.
Dakota Ridge senior Jeff Kania (10) dribbles the ball as Lakewood sophomores Dallas Bailey (0) and Tyrone Thompson (10) get back on defense Friday night. Kania scored seven points off the bench for the Eagles in a 65-44 victory. (Dennis Pleuss)
