BROOMFIELD — Coming off two straight wins in which they put up a combined 164 points, No. 2-seeded Valor Christian knew it was in for a tougher matchup against No. 1 Holy Family on Friday.
Fortunately for the Eagles, they had some players with prior playoff experience to lean on.
Powered by the performance of senior Kendall Bradbury, the Eagles pulled away in the second half to defeat Holy Family 53-37 and earn their second straight trip to the Class 4A girls basketball Final 4 at the Coors Event Center in Boulder.
“Second trip for me,” Bradbury was quick to correct when asked after the game how it felt to make it to the Final 4 for the first time. “First for my coach.”
If Bradbury plays the way she did Friday, it could spell trouble for the other squads in Boulder, because the third-team all-state player from a year ago dominated wire-to-wire Friday.
Bradbury led all scorers with 29 points and gobbled up plenty of rebounds to earn the Eagles second-chance shots, as well as providing a much-needed defensive anchor down low.
Both squads started slow out of the gate, with Holy Family struggling to break through Valor’s press defense, and the Eagles, despite getting loads of decent looks, failing to get shots to fall. At the end of one quarter the score was 12-12, and it looked like a defense was going to take over the rest of the evening.
Then both teams really got rolling. Things starting opening up for the Eagles, as Kendall, who had 8 points in the first quarter, started drawing most Tigers attention.
“Our girls really understood how to attack their zone and were very patient,” said first-year Valor head coach Jessika Caldwell. “We had a slow stretch for a bit but we continued to stay true to what we do, which was getting the ball to the high post and getting inside-outside, allowing our threes to work but not making that our whole focus.”
Meanwhile, Holy Family was starting to have some success busting through Valor’s press, but couldn’t find the bottom of the net. The Tigers missed four open layups at the basket in the first half – and down 27-21 at halftime, those freebies would have made all the difference.
The easy looks dried up in the third quarter, especially with senior Caroline Bryan, the Eagles’ other returning third-team all-state member, roaming the paint. She and Bradbury proved a tough tandem for the Tigers to find room against down low, and at the end of three, Valor led 38-32.
“Defense has kind of been our mantra. We know that we can score, so it’s been so important that we communicate on defense,” said Caldwell. “When we go through spurts where we’re not scoring, we have to defend, and they understood that tonight.”
From there, the Eagles slowed things down on the offensive end, holding the ball for a full minute and a half at one point in the fourth without shooting. That didn’t stop Bradbury, however, from racking up seven more points in the game’s final frame.
In the end, despite an impressive effort from Holy Family senior Maggie Spitzer, who finished with 11 points, the Tigers simply lacked the firepower to catch up with the surging Eagles.
For Caldwell, a trip to the Final 4 in her first year as coach is a feather in her cap, one she said she is definitely going to remember.
“I’m going to enjoy this,” said Caldwell. “This is my first experience, so I’m going to relish it and celebrate with the girls.”
Luckily, she has a few seniors who have been there before – and act like it.
“Whatever team we play next, we’re going to treat it just like any game we’ve had all season,” said Bradbury. “Just like we did today.”
Valor will take on Pueblo West at the Coors Event Center in Boulder on Thursday, with the winner advancing to a championship matchup against either Longmont or Sand Creek. Find a complete roundup of all Great 8 games here.
Eaglecrest is on to the Final 4 following its win over Legend. More photos. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
DENVER — Eaglecrest brothers Elijah and Colbey Ross took charge Saturday afternoon at the Denver Coliseum.
Elijah, a senior, and younger brother Colbey, a sophomore, combined for 42 points to lead the Raptors to a 64-49 victory over Legend in the Class 5A boys basketball Great 8. Eaglecrest, top seed in the Ray C. Ball Region, advances to the Final 4 next Friday, March 13, at the Coors Events Center in Boulder.
“(Legend) came out on us quick. Honestly, I think we were a little nervous at first,” Elijah Ross said of Legend snagging an early first-quarter lead before the Raptors went on runs of 13-0 and 17-0 during key stretches. “We just took over the game and took hold of it.”
A 3-pointer from Legend junior Danny Garrick with 1:10 left in the third quarter cut Eaglecrest’s lead to 37-36. The Raptors responded with an eventual 17-0 run that started and ended with buckets from senior Blend Avdili (16 points).
Eaglecrest pushed its biggest lead to 19-points late in the fourth quarter thanks to a brilliant effort at the free-throw line. The Raptors went 14-for-15 from the charity stripe in the final quarter. Sophomore Colbey Ross was 8-for-8 in the fourth quarter on his way to a game-high 23 points.
“Sometimes I get a little too mad at guys. I’m still learning as well,” Eaglecrest’s floor general Elijah Ross (19 points) said. “I let him (Colbey) do whatever he wants to do out there. I have faith in all my guys. I just try to keep everyone positive and have fun.”
Eaglecrest captured the 5A state championship in 2013. That same year Legend advanced to its first Final 4 in the program’s history.
“I’m thinking about the next game first, but obviously that the ultimate goal for me,” Elijah Ross said of the Raptors two wins away from another state title. “As a player my senior year that would be the best thing ever.”
Legend got off to a hot start shooting in the opening minutes making its first three field goals. However, the Titans cooled off and finished the first half just 2-for-13 from 3-point range.
Legend junior Jared Small (18 points) took over the game at times for the Titans by attacking the rim and scoring seven points in both the second and third quarters to help Legend cut the Raptors’ lead to 39-36 going to the fourth quarter.
“Jared is a great player. I just told everybody you are on an island out there,” Elijah Ross said of handling Small and the Titans’ outside shooters. “You have to guard your man.”
Eaglecrest’s defense tightened up in the fourth quarter. Legend didn’t score in the final quarter until there was 2:25 left in the game and outscored the Titans 25-13 in the decisive quarter.
— Dennis Pleuss
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(1) Overland 64, (2) Mountain Vista 36
Overland returned to the Final 4. More photos. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Overland sealed its second straight Final 4 by clipping Mountain Vista’s wings in a dominant 64-36 effort.
The Trailblazers tamed the Golden Eagles’ potent offense by eliminating their points off turnovers (four), something they thrive off of, taking them out of transition, and making every offensive look difficult in the half-court.
During several stretches, the Continental League challenger appeared rattled while forcing off-balance, contested jumpers. Mountain Vista only shot 13-of-57 from the field, a 22 percent clip, and went 1-of-10 from beyond the arc.
Senior point guard Austin Conway, a four-year starter for the Trailblazers, said his team was able to smother the Eagles thanks in large part to their transition defense.
“We did a good job containing their speed and containing their offense and capitalizing every time we stopped their offense,” Conway said. “We had five guys locating every man in transition, making sure they weren’t getting easy buckets. That was our focal point. We made sure to sprint back on defense.”
Meanwhile, Mountain Vista was unable to get many second chance opportunities as Overland dominated the boards 51-35 with a clear advantage in size and leaping ability.
More than anything, Conway and company displayed their seasoning Saturday. A year after losing in the state semifinals to eventual champion Denver East, Overland wants more.
“I think it was a mature win by us,” Conway said. “We came in and showed that we have experience. We grew up as a basketball team and we played a mature basketball game.”
On offense, the ‘Blazers were balanced, another of their attributes this season, as Reggie Gibson (14 points), Conway (12), Ryan Swan (10), Padiet Wang (8), and De’Ron Davis (7) all contributed.
Vista never got into rhythm as their leading scorer, Ray Beresford (17.3 ppg), was held to three. Brady Subart did lead all scorers with 16 points. Beresford and Subart, key members of last year’s Final 4 run, are seniors.
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(1) ThunderRidge 52, (3) Chaparral 47
ThunderRidge players their Final 4 berth with fans. More photos. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
With a trip to the 5A boys basketball Final 4 on the line, ThunderRidge turned to its defense Saturday at the Denver Coliseum.
Chaparral senior Chris Moody buried a long 3-pointer with 2:13 left in the fourth quarter to tie the game, 44-44. ThunderRidge proceeded to hold the Wolverines without a point for the next two minutes while making 8-of-10 free throws in the final minutes to take a 52-47 victory.
“We are a defensive program and that’s our strength,” ThunderRidge coach Joe Ortiz said after the Grizzlies advanced to its seventh Final 4 in the program’s history. “It was just a battle possession by possession.”
ThunderRidge (23-3) was led by senior Zach Pirog’s 21 points. However, Noah Szilagyi, Austin Mueller and Troy Brady were all key down the stretch combining to go 7-for-8 from the charity stripe in the final minutes.
Mueller (nine points) actually had the Grizzlies’ lone field goal in the fourth quarter with 3:12 left in the game.
“It was huge. We needed some momentum because everything was just still,” Mueller said of his bucket. “We picked it up. As a team we hit the free throws in the end and played good defense.”
Moody (14 points) missed his final four shots of the game as ThunderRidge’s defense stiffed late. Senior Jake Holtzmann (13 points) also finished in double-figures for the Wolverines (18-8).
The quarterfinal between the Continental League foes was actually their third meeting of the season. ThunderRidge cruised to a 15-point victory over Chaparral in the first week of the season in the ThunderRidge/Chaparral Tip Off Tournament.
The Wolverines took a 24-point victory in the conference battle on Feb. 17. Moody was dominating for Chaparral with 32 points and 13 rebounds to even the season series.
“Third time playing (Chaparral) we knew it would be tough,” Mueller said. “Holtzmann and Moody are great players. I’ll miss playing against them. I told them that after the game.”
Pirog had a big second quarter with 10 points to help give the Grizzlies a 29-26 lead at halftime. Holtzmann had a quiet first half until scoring the Wolverines’ final seven points in the last couple of minutes before halftime.
“I thought we started to separate in the second quarter, then both of them (Moody and Holtzmann) hit 24-footers,” Ortiz said.
ThunderRidge’s last Final 4 appearance was in 2009. The Grizzlies won back-to-back 5A championships in 2002 and 2003.
“It’s great. Anytime you get into the Final 4 it’s a great feeling,” Mueller said. “I’m really happy for my teammates and the program.”
ThunderRidge squares off against Eaglecrest in the semifinals March 13, at the Coors Events Center in Boulder.
— Dennis Pleuss
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(6) Denver East 53, (1) Regis Jesuit 48
Brian Carey (11) led Denver East to the Final 4, again. More photos. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
For most of Denver East’s Great 8 showdown against No. 1 seed Regis Jesuit, Brian Carey just couldn’t get in rhythm.
The senior point guard, the state’s leading scorer, did finish though. Carey went on a late scoring frenzy with 10 points in the final frame to seal a 53-48 thrilling win for the Angels. East will be making their third straight trip to the Final 4.
“I couldn’t really find it throughout the whole game,” Brian said of his shooting touch. “But, I was able to knock a couple down in the fourth. Everyone else stepped up in the meantime.”
A season after losing four starters, including all-state talents in Dominique Collier and Ronnie Harrell, the defending 5A champions have gelled the new group around Carey and Jordan Willis, the lone returning players from the 2014 rotation. Several Angels have stepped up in the playoffs.
One such player, Samba Dioum, helped turn the tide for East after Regis held early leads of 13-2 and 16-7.
The Angels decided to start a smaller lineup with four guards surrounding forward Willis to counter Regis’ talented backcourt. The plan backfired as Regis bullied East on the glass 25-8 in the first half as they held a 15-3 advantage in offensive rebounds alone.
The Denver Prep power calmed the early storm shooting 10-of-22 from the field, but still trailed 28-27 at the half.
Then Dioum started the second half, grabbed six rebounds, and teamed up with Willis to bring down several “grown man” boards and eliminate Regis’ early advantage.
But in a game with 11 lead changes, Regis held in as Taylor Kallsen hit timely triples in scoring 17 points and the Raiders were rigorous defensively. Plus, Carey hadn’t found his touch yet. When he did the Angels, a rather shockingly low six seed, clinched a win over the Raiders, giving Regis (23-3) only their third loss of the season.
East (17-10) and Overland will have a Final 4 rematch from 2014 when they face off at the Coors Events Center on Friday, a contest the Angels won 77-65 before beating Fossil Ridge in the state finals. This year will be a role reversal as the Trailblazers are the favorites.
East lost 10 regular season games, three to out-of-state opponents and several in heartbreaking fashion to top-flight teams while trying to incorporate new talent. But, they’re back in a familiar position now.
“We felt a little disrespected,” Carey said of earning a number six seed, “but we always feel like no matter what seed we get, we can win the whole thing. We’re not done. We can be happy, but we’re not satisfied.”
The point guard only shot 10-of-27 from the field, but scored 25 points. Jack Buckmelter chipped in 11 and Willis grabbed nine rebounds for East.
Regis, a senior laden group, got 17 points from Kallsen. Geoff Kelly had 9 points and 13 rebounds.
“There’s no loser here. Of course, we won the game, but I’m so proud of these young men,” said Cherry Creek coach Jeff Mielnicki. “They played so hard. We had guys completely dehydrated, drinking whatever they could, but we somehow found a way.”
It is the longest game in hockey game in the 39-year history of the sport in the state, beating a four-overtime affair between Resurrection Christian and Mountain Vista a few years ago. It was so long, in fact, that CHSAA officials were discussing options of how to suspend it due to player safety concerns.
At the time the winner was scored, CHSAA assistant commissioner Bud Ozzello and the athletic directors from both schools were on their way to an impromptu meeting in the hallways outside the locker rooms. It is likely that, had the game continued much further, it would have been suspended and made to complete at a local rink on Friday ahead of Saturday’s championship.
“We were going to discuss it with the athletic directors,” said Ozzello, who oversees hockey.
“These are student-athletes,” said Dakota Ridge coach Alex Hines. “They all played as hard as they could. Both sides were dragging. The puck was bouncing tonight. It took a toll on our boys. It was probably a dangerous situation if it kept going that way.
“You saw that, that was a grind,” Hines added later. “We basically played — that was two games, right?”
It was close. A regulation game is 51 minutes. The teams played five full five-minute overtimes, then 36 seconds of the sixth — making for 76:36 on the ice.
You want long? Mielnicki said he was involved in a game in Canada a few years ago where they would take players off the ice after overtime periods. They eventually got down to 1-on-1. “But it doesn’t match anything like this,” he said, shaking his head.
“That’s the longest game I’ve ever been a part of,” Hines said.
In between the fifth and sixth overtimes, Mielnicki said he told his guys that “it was going to be getting past my bedtime and I wouldn’t mind seeing this things end.”
“I think sometimes a team is going to play off of how the coaches feel,” he continued. “I was just having a good time. I was enjoying this. There was no fear, there was no worry, there was none of that. It was more of, ‘Let’s go out, we can do this. Why not us?’”
It felt like the two teams could play forever. And maybe they would’ve. Ultimately, it was just a shame someone had to lose.
“They’re never going to forget this opportunity to play in front of all of these fans,” Hines said. “They’re not going to leave here with their head hanging at all. … The work ethic, the boys worked their butts off and I couldn’t be prouder of them.”
Cherry Creek players celebrate the winning goal against Dakota Ridge after the sixth overtime. More photos. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)
LOVELAND — After their respective performances in the quarterfinals, the stakes were high for goaltenders Brady Mielnicki and Joey Owston. Neither would disappoint.
The two combined for 69 saves in a back-and-forth battle that saw Cherry Creek (18-4 overall) finally defeat Dakota Ridge (18-4) by a final of 3-2 in the unprecedented sixth five-minute overtime period on Chris Nitchen’s game-winning goal. The win means Cherry Creek advances to the state championship game.
Following his spectacular 41-save performance against defending champion Ralston Valley, Mielnicki’s night was no easier against the Eagles, who peppered the Bruins’ netminder with 32 shots.
“He’s had outstanding focus,” Cherry Creek head coach Jeff Mielnicki said of his goaltender. “You know he worked really hard this summer, knowing what the opportunity could be and he didn’t play baseball and instead was on the ice six days a week, working to be where he is now.”
He was matched on the other end by Owston, who made 39 saves of his own in a losing effort.
Chris Nitchen celebrates his winning goal. More photos. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
Despite Owston’s success, it would be Creek that opened up the scoring in a very physical first period, when Bruins’ defenseman James Shelton unleashed a high blast from the point that snuck past the screened Eagles goalie on the short side.
Dakota Ridge would waste little time answering though, as Zach Ross would bury a nice centering pass from teammate Zach Williams behind the net to tie the game at one with just over five minutes remaining in the first period.
And the Eagles weren’t done in the opening frame either. Just a few minutes later, a slapshot by Ross glanced off of a partially screened Mielnicki (who finished with a whopping 30 saves of his own), leaving a fat rebound that was slammed home by Eagles forward Graehm Konsella.
As the second period began, a full two-minute 5-on-3 power play put the Bruins right back in the driver seat. Although they didn’t score during the advantage, Cherry Creek brought their shot total from three to 13 in under seven minutes as a result of their newfound momentum and would carry it through the end of the period.
Ironically, the Bruins’ best chance to score during their dominant second period had very little to do with their overall play. During a race for a dumped puck that didn’t quite make it to an icing call, Sam Harris leaned in to swat the puck towards Owston and away from his defensive counterpart. The bizarre nature of the play may have surprised the Dakota Ridge netminder, but luckily the puck fluttered harmlessly high.
The third period saw the two teams return to equal footing, as the penalties slowed and Dakota Ridge regained their composure at even strength. While the two teams went blow for blow though, the overall atmosphere of the third period was fairly cautious.
Then, with less than seven minutes remaining in the regulation, a flurry in front of the Dakota Ridge net turned into a tie game as Max Tennant slipped the puck past Owston.
It was only fitting that these two teams would end it in overtime. But then a first overtime turned into a second, where early on a hand pass waived off a would-be game-winner by Dakota Ridge. Then a second overtime turned into a third, then a fourth where Nick Chavez of Cherry Creek took a breakaway left to right in front of Owston, who just got a pad on the puck to make the save.
The teams weren’t finished either, and would ultimately play into the sixth overtime before Nitchen of Cherry Creek managed to turn a routine breakout into a partial breakaway with a burst of speed, then fired the puck over a sprawling Owston into the top left corner to seal the win for Cherry Creek.
“I remember that (Nitchen) was in a little video we did,” coach Mielnicki said, “and all he said was, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool to win the state championship game?’ And he put us there.”
For the Bruins, their return to the championship marks the school’s first trip since 1981, a 3-1 loss to Arapahoe. Cherry Creek’s hockey program was shut down shortly later and just started up again two seasons ago.
But although the night belonged to the Bruins, few could argue that it was Owston’s outstanding play in net that stole the show. Asked after the game what the future might hold for the senior netminder, Owston seemed content to take it one day at a time.
“We’ll just see what comes next,” Owston said. “I’ve really enjoyed competitive hockey but I don’t know yet if it’s something I want to do in college. Maybe club.”
The guess here is that the kid will find a place to play if he wants it.
As for Cherry Creek, they will face the winner of the second semifinal game between Regis and Monarch. For the Bruins though, it’s all just gravy after the support the hockey team has been shown by the school.
“Our district head, our principals, our assistant principles, our ADs, you know these people are supporting hockey,” Mielnicki said of the support. “We’re going to continue to grow because of that.”
That may be true, but on Saturday, Cherry Creek will play for the state championship, and that has to feel even better.
LOVELAND — When Monarch hockey fell to Regis Jesuit 4-1 just over a month ago in league play, the feeling was there that we hadn’t seen the last of the two-time runner-up.
After the Coyotes (17-3-1 overall) returned the favor with a 5-1 victory over the Raiders (19-1-1) in the state semifinals, head coach Jimmy Dexter says he always knew they’d be back.
“I didn’t know if we’d be playing them or (Ralston Valley), but I know we were always hoping it would be (Regis),” said Dexter. “I thought we outplayed them in the first game.”
The first period took on a familiar air, looking much the same as the last meeting between the two teams. Monarch’s system-oriented attack was on full display early on, with Regis using their depth of talent to simply roll through lines and capitalize on turnovers.
It was Regis’s game plan that paid dividends first when Jack Jordan took a pass from Jack Kilkenny and sniped the top left corner of the net from below the faceoff circle.
As the second period began, it was obvious that this would be a battle to the end. Quality shots were had on both sides, but neither team’s defense had the type of breakdown that results in high-quality scoring chances during even strength hockey.
After Regis’s Connor Brennan blasted a slapshot off the crossbar on an early power play, the teams settled in until Monarch leading scorer Blake Bride would create his own chance by zig-zagging through neutral zone traffic, fighting off a final Regis defender even as he maneuvered a one-handed shot through the legs of Raiders goalie Sam Gardner.
And Monarch wasn’t done in the second either. A few minutes later, Bride would thread a pass through to linemate Andrew Pickner, who picked the bottom right corner at a tough angle, but still managed to score the Coyotes’ second goal of the game.
“We came out the same way in the second period against Mountain Vista,” Pickner said after the game. “We know we’re a second period team. We’d been getting chances, we were as comfortable as they were, and we knew they’d start going in eventually.
The early in the third, the Coyotes would bury Regis for good. Several individual battles off of a faceoff in the Raiders’ end created some open ice in front of the net. As the puck trickled through, Bride managed to find himself in the right place again, and lifted the puck over Gardner’s left shoulder. Late in the period, Monarch would add two more from Adam Tybor and Andrew Pickner sealing the no doubt victory for the Coyotes.
For Monarch, it will be their third straight trip to the championship game, coming up short in each of the last two at the hands of Ralston Valley.
This season, Dexter will take a team into the championship game after losing 17 players from his 2013-14 roster. But for some guys, the new roster is a sense of pride.
“It’s exciting. We got some really talented kids this year,” said Pickner. “Some guys didn’t play as big of a role last year; I didn’t play as big of a role last year. It’s just really cool to see these guys stepping up huge.”
For Dexter though, it’s all about the task at hand.
“To beat Regis like this in three straight years,” Dexter said, “it’s just unbelievable. But those guys in there know we’re not done. We’ve got one game left, no doubt about it. Looking forward to it.”
Arapahoe baseball graduated the overwhelming majority of its roster from last season. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
The Arapahoe Warriors are a team in transition. 19 seniors made up the core of last year’s baseball squad that finished 15-6 overall and 11-3 in the competitive Continental League are gone, and while this season’s group is again laden with seniors, the Warriors won’t have much varsity experience in the dugout to start the season.
And as the season creeps closer and closer, weather hasn’t helped Arapahoe coach Luke Muller discover what kind of team he’ll be working with this year. Like most teams in the state, snow has made practice difficult at the best of times, and tryouts even more so.
Although that isn’t necessarily a bad thing according to Muller.
“We’ve made cuts and formed our teams on Monday, and (Tuesday) was really the first day of practice,” said Muller. “We have 21 guys on our roster mainly because of that reason. We just haven’t seen everybody play.
“But I think I have more talent this year than I did last year as a whole. It’s just not knowing, that a lot of these guys it’s their first varsity season, how they’ll respond.”
Muller talks about “his” team, and “his” guys, and if that sounds possessive, it’s because Muller is firmly entrenched in the school and the Arapahoe community. This will be his tenth season as head coach of the Warriors, and that’s not including his two-year stint as assistant coach and the four years he spent as part of the team when he attended Arapahoe in the nineties.
Muller was a three-time all-state player at Arapahoe, and was named Colorado player of the year in 1998. Arapahoe has only had two coaches in the past 16 years – Muller, and his predecessor Had Bradbury. From his time in the dugout as a player to now as a head coach, Muller has seen Arapahoe baseball from all sides, and remains convinced that this year’s team has a chance to surpass even last season’s best-ever second place finish in the Centennial League.
He highlighted a number of players who have a chance to make an impact this season.
“I’ve got a leftfielder, a senior named Max Whitehead that’s a good player. A centerfielder named Clay Hansen – he wrestled too,” said Muller. “Jacob Hilton is a sophomore – he’ll be the only sophomore on varsity. He’ll be our shortstop and pitch.”
While Muller has been almost a constant in the Warrior dugout for almost two decades, he’s seen a lot of changes when it comes to baseball in the state of Colorado.
Those changes are reflecting in the makeup up this year’s Warriors team. Muller said that his roster includes 21 players – many of them primarily pitchers, which he attributes to players recognizing that pitching is the easiest way to make a college squad.
“The trend in baseball is going towards pitching. There are guys who are coming into high school that tell us, ‘We just want to pitch,’” said Muller. “I think people are trying to chase a dream. I have seven guys who just pitch, and I know of several guys who are going to have 25 guys on their roster. But when you have a lot of guys who just pitch that’s ok.”
If more and more young players are leaning towards specialization in pursuit of a college scholarship, Arapahoe might be the place to be. Arapahoe has gotten a reputation for sending players off to college programs – 33 in the past eight years. The hope this year is that some of that individual talent turns into playoff run, and possibly the team’s first Centennial League championship – although an element of the unknown remains.
“I think one-though-nine we should be fairly competitive. From that perspective, I feel like we’re going to compete in our league and be better talent wise,” said Muller. “It just depends on how these guys react to their first season.”
