Month: May 2015

Dove Creek claims 1A baseball title in final act of resilience

Dove Creek won 1A baseball on Saturday by beating Granada. More photos. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)

DENVER — He shook his catcher off in the bottom of the seventh inning, with the bases loaded, one strike away from winning a title.

It was a moment born from dreams: Two strikes, two outs, in the final inning. And Colin Hobbs, a junior from Dove Creek, knew exactly what he wanted to do.

“I like my curveball a lot,” Hobbs said on Friday night. “It’s my strikeout pitch so I like to throw it with two strikes.”

Colin Hobbs. More photos. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)

“I gave him the fastball,” said Alex Ogas, Hobbs’ catcher, “and he shook his head and he just started laughing. I knew, right then. Once I gave him the signal, I knew.”

Hobbs got Granada’s Jose Rodriges to strike out swinging. Moments later, he, Ogas and the rest of the Dove Creek Bulldogs were throwing their gloves into the crisp Denver air. They’d won the Class 1A baseball title, defeating Granada 8-5 at All-City Field.

“They hung tight,” said Curtis Garver, Dove Creek’s coach.

See, Dove Creek had a singular focus this season. It was almost exactly one year ago to the day that they’d lost the 1A title game to Caliche, and watched another team throw their gloves into the air.

As the 2015 season opened, they struggled somewhat, starting 1-4, and finishing the regular season 8-11.

“All throughout the season, we took our lumps, we took our lumps, and we identified what was wrong with our game,” Ogas said. “We were able to adapt it right at the beginning of the playoffs.”

Dove Creek qualified for the regional bracket by placing second in District 1, then beat Holly and Community Christian to return to the title game.

“We were a little sour after last year,” Garver said. “We wanted to come back and prove that we belonged here.”

Saturday was a day some in Dove Creek thought might never come — not only because of the road the Bulldogs took to get here, but because of multiple reschedules and headaches due to weather. It was only on Thursday that the title game was formally rescheduled for Saturday night.

The uncertainly didn’t faze Dove Creek one bit.

“This is the state championship, so everybody was really focused,” Ogas said. “It was really easy for us to stay prepared. It didn’t take too much out of us. It really didn’t. We were mostly scared about it raining today.”

“We were ready all day long,” said Dove Creek’s Jordan Ernst.

The rain, mercifully, held off on Saturday. And Dove Creek soon seized control of the title game. The Bulldogs grabbed a 3-0 lead in the top of the third, and just kept adding to it. Soon, it was 7-0 going to the bottom of sixth.

Ernst, Dove Creek’s star who earlier this season threw a five-inning perfect game in which he struck out every batter he faced, was magnificent to that point. He didn’t allow a hit until the bottom of the fourth, and ended up with eight strikeouts in five-plus innings of work.

But, in the sixth, Granada loaded the bases, and finally pushed a run across on a walk.

Dove Creek turned to Hobbs, who has been their go-to reliever this season. He struck out the first two batters he faced, but then walked two others. It was 7-3 at that point.

Then, Granada’s Davey Reyez lined a ball that seemed destined for the right-center gap, but Dove Creek second baseman Kyle Schultz snared the liner to end the threat.

More photos. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)

The Bulldogs added a run in the top of the seventh, but Granada would not go quietly into the night. The Bobcats got one back in the bottom half, then loaded the bases. Soon, the score was 8-5 with just one out.

With Granada’s Dalton Harris up, Hobbs threw a breaking ball in the dirt, but Ogas made a great block to keep it in front of him — and keep the runners where they stood. Hobbs went on to strike Harris out.

With two outs, and the title in sight, Hobbs quickly got two strikes on Rodriges. It was then that Ogas called for the fastball, which, of course, Hobbs shook off. He threw his curveball instead. And ended the game.

Hobbs was asked afterward if the two bases-loaded jams from which he escaped got to him. “A little bit,” he said. “It was not too bad.” Then he added with a wry smile, “I got out of them.”

The title is Dove Creek’s third. The school also won Class A (West) championships in 1977 and 1975 when it was then Dolores County. But this one was sweeter than most because of the loss last year.

“We’ve been fighting through — even like Little League, we’ve been going to the state tournaments, and we always come up short,” Ernst said. “We finally made it. After probably 10 years, we finally made it to the top.”

May 17, 2015
Group of senior girls will be hard to replace on the track

(Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)

LAKEWOOD — Senior classes are always difficult to replace. This particular group in girls track and field, not only for their teams but also state-wide, may leave a hole.

Sure, it’s not like the other grades lack for talent. Just look at Lauren Gregory (Class 5A 3,200 champion twice), Katie Rainsberger (4A 800, 1,600, 3,200 champion), Emily Sloan (5A 100-hurdle champion as a freshman), and Maya Evans (4A long jump champion as a freshman).

But this senior group has been one of the best — by any measurement — in Colorado history.

Take, for instance, where these young ladies will be competing in college. Valor Christian thrower Haley Showalter will be a Wisconsin Badger, Cherry Creek distance runner Jordyn Colter is a future California Golden Bear, Pine Creek sprinter Ally Watt has the opportunity to play soccer and run track for Texas A&M, Cherokee Trail sprinter Shayna Yon has signed with LSU, Shining Mountain Waldorf distance runner Ginger Hutton is off to Vanderbilt, Lewis-Palmer sprinter Nicole Montgomery will be a Kansas Jayhawk, and so on and so on.

On top of that, check out how many state titles they’ve won individually. Colter has six on the track and one in cross country. Montgomery has totaled seven. Hutton has even more with eight.

Hutton has shattered 1A state records and then shattered them some more. Colter finishes with two Colorado records in the 800 and 1600-meter runs. Montgomery is the fastest 400-runner in 4A history by a wide margin.

And that’s just state-wide. Nationally, Colter, Watt, Montgomery, Showalter and Rocky Mountain hurdler Carly Lester have ranked among the nation’s best in their respective events.

In this group’s last hurrah at the track and field state championships at Jefferson County Stadium, several rose to the occasion.

Colter anchored Cherry Creek’s 5A winning 3,200 relay in 9:07, won her third consecutive state championship in the 800 in a Colorado record of 2:04.56, and then claimed her third straight 1600 crown in another all-classification best of 4:46.22.

She is currently No. 1 in America in the 800 and No. 11 in the 1,600. The Bruin was ecstatic to see her time in the 1,600 and to be ahead of legends like Elise Cranny and Melody Fairchild in the record books.

“I was telling everyone, ‘Are you sure they got that right?’ because I didn’t believe it,” Colter said of her time. “I didn’t think I could get the record, because I was feeling kind of tired from yesterday.”

“I look up to them so much,” she said of Cranny and Fairchild. “They are amazing runners and just to be a part of that is so surreal.”

Montgomery anchored Lewis-Palmer’s 4A winning sprint medley in a classification record of 1:45.06. Then on Saturday, she won the sprint triple crown — the 100, the 200, and the 400. She became the first 4A girl to ever run sub-53 seconds in the 400 with a sizzling 52.95, a time that ranks No. 2 in the nation.

“It’s really exciting to end my senior season having a sweep in the sprints,” Montgomery said. “I run kind of to the crowd and when I hit that 52, it was my goal and it was so exciting.”

Showalter won the 4A shot put (47-00.5) and discus throw (158-05). Both marks were very close to 4A state meet records. She is top-15 in America in each event.

Hutton won the 400 (new 1A record), 800 (new 1A record), 1,600, and 3,200.

Yon won the 100, 200, and long jump in 5A and ran a leg on the winning 400-meter relay.

The only downside was that Watt had to pull out of the 100 and 200 on the final day of her prep career for Pine Creek with an injury and Lester scratched all her events at the state meet while nursing an injury herself.

Nonetheless, a sensational group of young ladies capped off their final high school seasons, most in style. Colter, Montgomery, and company won’t soon be forgotten.

May 17, 2015
Photos: First day of the 5A baseball state tournament

DENVER — The Class 5A state baseball tournament got underway on Saturday.

May 17, 2015
Photos: Dove Creek wins 1A baseball championship

DENVER — Dove Creek beat Granada 8-5 to win the Class 1A baseball championship on Saturday.

May 17, 2015
Photos: 5A boys swimming championships conclude

AIR FORCE ACADEMY — The second and final day of the Class 5A boys swimming and diving championships were on Saturday. Fossil Ridge won the team championship.

May 17, 2015
Photos: Chatfield beats Cherry Creek in 5A baseball tourney

DENVER — Chatfield’s Sean O’Dell hit a walkoff double to beat Cherry Creek 2-1 on Sunday morning in the Class 5A baseball tournament.

May 17, 2015
Aspen claims first-ever boys lacrosse championship in winning 4A

More photos. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)

DENVER — Trailblazers, always.

Aspen won the school’s first boys lacrosse championship on Friday evening by virtue of a 17-12 victory over Valor Christian in the Class 4A title game.

It was a fitting cap for a group of seniors who have been role models for countless youths in the region.

“They were the first kids to have lacrosse sticks in Aspen,” said Mike Goerne, Aspen’s coach who helped bring the game to the region. “We’ve been telling these kids, since they first picked up lacrosse sticks when they were in fourth and fifth grade: ‘You’re going to win a state championship. You’re going to bring the title home to Aspen.’

“They’ve been fighting for this the last 10 years. This is the final piece.”

Friday, it was a barrage of goals spanning the first and second quarters that proved to be the difference. Aspen, the top seed, went on a 7-0 run in the first half to build a 9-1 lead. They led 9-2 at halftime.

“It was huge,” said the Skiers’ John Heaphey of the run, “but it’s pretty dangerous to be up by that much because you become complacent.”

And, in fact, No. 2 Valor opened the second half with a 5-0 run of its own to make it 9-7 with 2:38 to play in the third quarter.

But, as it turned out, that only served to set the stage for the game’s defining moment. Heaphey scored with 1:07 to play to give Aspen some breathing room — and then served up a dagger with a goal 1 second before the quarter ended.

It was Heaphey’s fifth and final goal of the game, which led all players.

More photos. (Tim Visser/TimVisserPhotography.com)

“Momentum is just so important, such a key part of this game,” Heaphey said. “They really had a little momentum at that point, so I just knew if I could get a couple of goals, I would stop that momentum.”

Added Goerne, now in his seventh season: “They rattled us a little bit. They took away that momentum in the beginning, and we just held strong and took that momentum back up. We knew that our bunch of goals was going come. And when it came, it came right when we needed it to.”

Tyler Tick added four goals for the Skiers, while Matt Gregory, Jonathan Wells and Trey Robinson each added a pair. Arthur Kelso was stellar in net, as well.

Valor Christian was led by Don Provost’s four goals. Ryan Russell had three.

The title is the Aspen’s first in boys lacrosse, and 17th overall. Thirteen of those previous championships have been thanks to the school’s prestigious ski team — seven boys and six girls. Two were cross country titles.

It is the school’s second championship in a so-called team sport, following hockey in 2007. So this is rare territory for Aspen, which has an enrollment of 563 students.

“I’m just extremely proud that small little Aspen High School can come and compete at the state level for the title and take it away,” Goerne said. “These boys have built up for this, and they captured it.”

“It’s huge, not just for us, but for our region,” Heaphey said. “A mountain team’s never even been to the state championship, so it’s just awesome. I hope that this legacy keeps up.”

Aspen went unbeaten (14-0) against 4A schools. It was 17-2 overall, but the losses were to 5A’s Arapahoe and Grandview — both playoff teams.

May 16, 2015
Ponderosa standing tall after first day of 4A state baseball tournament

Ponderosa had a big first day of the Class 4A baseball tournament. More photos. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)

LAKEWOOD – Jesse Feldhaus provided the spark that ignited Ponderosa’s baseball team Friday afternoon.

Parker Eischen and Nate Whalen simply kept that flame going.

Feldhaus hit a walk-off, bases-loaded single in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Mustangs a 4-3 victory over D’Evelyn in the first round of the Class 4A state tournament at All-Star Park. Ponderosa followed that up with an impressive showing against Evergreen, riding a home run from Eischen and four dominant innings of relief from Whalen to a 3-1 triumph over the Cougars.

“We want to keep our season going for as long as possible,” said Whalen, who didn’t allow a hit and struck out eight. “Especially being a senior.”

Ponderosa (15-8) advanced to the winner’s bracket game, which will take place Monday afternoon after inclement weather threw a wrench into the mix. The tournament’s other site, Machebeuf, only had one game completed – a Green Mountain victory over Erie.

Lewis-Palmer led Wheat Ridge 2-1 in the sixth inning when poor weather forced that game to be postponed until 10:30 a.m. on Saturday at All-Star Park. The winner will face Green Mountain immediately after for the right to play Ponderosa.

Saturday’s original schedule was moved to Monday in its entirety, because neither All-Star Park nor Machebeuf were available for play Sunday.

Ponderosa coach Bob Maloney said the extra day wouldn’t have much impact on his team, other than he may be able to use the three pitchers who threw Friday for an inning each Monday.

The Mustangs’ rotation provided a big lift Friday, allowing only four runs in 16 innings of work. Whalen come on in relief of Alan JeanJacquet with Ponderosa up by two runs over Evergreen, and the only baserunner the Cougars managed off the 6-foot-5 senior came on a walk.

Whalen struck out the final five hitters he faced, catching three of them looking.

“He was outstanding. The potential is there,” Maloney said. “That was his best outing of the year. He saved it for the right time.”

Evergreen (17-6), which edged Windsor 3-2 in Friday’s first game, fell behind Ponderosa early on a sacrifice fly by Rider Ghidotti. The Cougars tied it up in the second inning on a run-scoring single from pitcher Eli Ausman, but the team stranded seven runners in the first four innings.

Eischen belted a 2-run home run to right field in the fourth to give Ponderosa a lead it wouldn’t relinquish.

He almost never had the opportunity. D’Evelyn (20-2) led 3-0 in the fifth inning of the first game before the Mustangs broke through with three runs to tie it up.

The Jaguars had runners at the corners with no outs in the seventh inning. The Mustangs notched one out on a strikeout, then shut the door on the scoring threat after turning a double play on an attempted squeeze bunt.

With two runners on and one out in the ninth inning, the Jaguars intentionally walked Thomas Green to load the bases for Feldhaus. The senior lined a fastball through the infield to give Ponderosa the victory.

“I knew they wanted the forceout,” Feldhaus said. “I wanted that moment.”

“We were kind of dead and needed something to really boost us,” Whalen added. “That really did it.”

[divider]

Other games from Friday:

Evergreen 3, Windsor 2

The Wizards took a 2-0 lead, but Evergreen found a way to rally.

After knotting the score up at 2-2, the Cougars scored the go-ahead run in the sixth inning and held on for the victory.

Green Mountain 5, Erie 4

The Rams led 5-0 early before the Tigers responded with four runs only to see the rally fall just short.

It was a third-consecutive one-run victory for the defending state champions.

May 16, 2015
Records fall in exciting series of 800-meter races

More photos. (Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)

LAKEWOOD — Inspiration wasn’t hard to find Friday.

During the second day of the state track and field championships at Jefferson County Stadium, one event was as spectacular as any in recent memory.

The 800-meter run, with every classification running back-to-back, had five classification records and three all-Colorado records — three, because the boys record was broken in 4A, then about forty-five minutes later, broken again in 5A.

William Mayhew of Cheyenne Mountain, a senior with an impressive resume, but no state championships to show for it, earned his first crown, his first 4A state meet record and his first all-classification record with a time of 1:50.74. He also became the first 4A boy to run sub-1:52, not to mention sub-1:51, in the 800.

“The state championship means more to me, because that’s been the goal for so long,” Mayhew said. “Records are meant to be broken. Winning the race was all that was on my mind.”

Pueblo West’s Zack Retzlaff finished second in 1:53.35.

Mayhew, who said his time was icing on the cake, kept the all-time Colorado best for less than an hour as Smoky Hill’s Blake Yount stepped onto the track for the 5A finals.

Yount, another senior and a future Oklahoma Sooner, held the all-classification record before Friday with a 1:51.20 at the Cherry Creek/Grandview Invite two weeks ago. He was also the record holder last season with his 1:51.63.

Cherry Creek’s Jordyn Colter is all smiles after winning the 5A girls’ 800-meter race Friday. (Brock Laue/CHSAANow)

He knew what it was like to be on top in the record books, but he had never won a state crown either, finishing only as a 5A runner-up in 2014. Even though, like anyone, Yount wanted the title, the senior’s main focus was snatching back his all-classification best.

“Time means more to me,” he said. “There’s kids in other classifications, like Mayhew and Paul (Roberts) in 2A, there are people who can race fast across the state. Time is a universal measurement to compare everyone.”

Yount proved too much for a field of Monarch’s Isaac Green (1:52.62), Denver East’s Hayelom Fitsum (1:52.86), Fountain-Fort Carson’s Dylan Day (1:53.79), and Cherry Creek’s Daniel Book (1:54.30), perhaps the most competitive group in 5A history. The Smoky Hill star cruised 1:50.59, a new 5A and Colorado record, and joined Mayhew as the only high school boys to ever post 1:50.

The University of Oklahoma recruit said he has been hoping to race Mayhew for awhile. While they aren’t in the same classification, they did test themselves against one another.

“I wanted to race him head-to-head on the same track on the same day,” Yount said. “Today was the closest we’ve gotten.”

“It would be interesting to race him,” Mayhew chimed in. “I would like to go at it.”

Big schools tend to get the most attention, but the smaller classifications can’t be ignored, especially on a day with exceptional performances at every level.

Erick Enriquez-Acosta of Idalia, only a sophomore, became the first sub-two minute runner in 1A history with a 1:57.86. The all-time best was set in 2012 by Robert Ryland of Sierra Grande, who went 2:00.53.

On the girls side, Shining Mountain Waldorf’s Ginger Hutton, who already held the 1A record in the 800 with a 2:15.95 at the Liberty Bell Invite this season, dropped a 2:12.81 to finish nearly 12 seconds ahead of Heritage Christian’s Rebekah Rairdon (2:24.00). The time would have placed fifth in 5A.

Ginger and Birdie Hutton, a 2012 grad from SMW and currently a runner for the Princeton Tigers, are sisters who hold the classification records in the 400, 800, 1,600, and 3,200.

“She was one of the main reasons why I came out for track freshman year, because all through middle school, she was like, ‘you have to come run,’” Ginger Hutton said. “Then, I came out in high school and fell in love with it. It was her from the start.”

“I always try to beat her state records,” she added with a laugh.

Ginger, a senior, claimed her third consecutive state championship in the 800 and her sixth title overall. She hopes to add to her legacy on Saturday in the 400 and 1,600.

If the 800 hadn’t dazzled enough already, Cherry Creek’s Jordyn Colter was in the final heat.

Colter, of 800 supremacy with the Colorado record of 2:05.48, the nation’s No. 1 time this season, ran 2:04.56 on Friday to easily win 5A.

The senior fed off the momentum.

“I was warming up and I kept hearing all these records,” she said. “I feel like it’s the best thing to get a record on this track at the state meet. I’m so glad I was able to pull it off. The crowd is so awesome.”

Monarch’s Elissa Mann was the runner-up in 2:10.39. Lauren Gregory of Fort Collins, after defending her 3,200 crown in 11:01 earlier in the day, finished third in 2:11.45.

Colter also won her third consecutive championship in the 800 and fifth overall on the track. She won cross country as a freshman and will look for another 1,600 crown on Saturday.

Air Academy’s Katie Rainsberger was the 4A 800 champion in 2:08.87, just off Elise Cranny’s 4A state meet record time of 2:08.50. Rainsberger was the 3,200 winner and helped lead Air Academy to the 3,200 relay championship on Thursday.

May 16, 2015
Cherry Creek’s Coffman makes a splash at 5A state swimming

More photos. (Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com)

AIR FORCE ACADEMY – Dealing with adversity is a concept Cherry Creek High School’s Sam Coffman knows all too well.

The talented senior missed his entire junior season while recovering from rotator cuff surgery on his right shoulder.

“It was awful,” the 6-foot-2, 175-pound Coffman said. “I forgot how to swim and it was very, very tedious work and very annoying at the same time. I had no strength and I could barely go through the water.”

Coffman is back and better than ever, and he’s trying to win his inaugural Class 5A state swimming titles in the 100-yard and 200 freestyle events.

Coffman took a big step toward reaching the state pinnacle Friday as he qualified No. 1 in the 100 free (45.64 seconds) and 200 free (1:40.21) at the Class 5A swim and dive state championships at the Air Force Academy.

Diving prelims begin at 9 a.m. Saturday and the finals in all events start at 2 p.m.

The road back to competitive swimming wasn’t easy, but despite his struggles, Coffman wasn’t about to quit.

“I told myself that I was going to get better and better each day,” Coffman, who had surgery in the spring of 2014 on his rotator cuff. “Every day I gave myself a new goal. I was going to do another dive off the block or another push-up, whatever it may be. I kept putting the work in and I was finally able to get back in the pool and nothing compares to high school (swimming).”

Coffman was seeded No. 1 in the 200 freestyle and No. 2 in the 100 free behind Boulder’s Christian Feiler. Feiler was second in 100 free prelims at 46.07 seconds.

More photos. (Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com)

Coffman also swims the anchor legs on Creek’s 200 free and 400 free relays.

“The plan for (Saturday) is stick with my team and cheer them on as loud as I possibly can,” Coffman said. “When it comes to be my turn, I hope the team does the same thing for me. It would mean quite a lot (to win an individual state title). Anyone coming back from an injury who can win an individual state event would be very, very proud.”

Jerry Ma, a fellow Creek senior, praised his teammate Coffman.

“I’ve swam with Sam for four years and he’s been one of my best friends,” Ma said. “Since his freshman year I’ve continued to see him grow and this year he has really stepped up as a team leader for us. He represents Cherry Creek really well in and out of the water. He’s a great guy. One of my vivid memories of Sam was last yearwhen he couldn’t swim because of his injury, but he was still at every practice cheering the team on. He was standing there with the coaches and helping kids with their form. He was still very involved even though he couldn’t be in the water.”

In the team chase, Regis Jesuit High School, is the squad to beat Saturday

The Raiders have won 20 state championships, and the last four have been in a row. All of Regis’ state crowns have come since 1992.

No matter what unfolds for Coffman Saturday, his future is set as he has signed to swim for the University of Missouri.

“I’m very, very excited to go and swim for Missouri,” Coffman said. “The goal I have is that they can get me to my final step in swimming which is one day swimming on the U.S. Olympic team and winning gold.”

May 16, 2015