Grand Junction hired Justin Little as baseball coach on Monday. (Tom Hoganson)
Grand Junction announced on Monday that it has hired Justin Little to be its next baseball coach.
Little is a 2009 graduate of Colorado Mesa and has been involved with club baseball in the area. He graduated from Legacy in 2005, where he was a two-spot athlete, playing baseball and football.
Little replaces Donnie Alexander, who resigned in the middle of this past season with multiple restrictions facing the program. Jeff McLaughlin took over on an interim basis, and led the team to the district round.
Little starred at CMU from 2006-09 and still holds the school’s record for career hits (271) and runs (229). He is also second in school history with 66 steals and 106 walks.
Grand Junction was 13-7 last season. The Tigers will return a solid core of players next season, including juniors Tyson Zanski and Tyler Mantlo, and sophomore Jaxon Nourse.
Gene Bunnelle, pictured during his induction to the CHSAA Hall of Fame in 1996. (CHSAA file photo)
AURORA — A legendary figure in the Colorado High School Activities Association from 1965 until his retirement in 1988, Francis “Gene” Bunnelle had at various times during his tenure the primary administrative responsibility for each of the sports and activities sanctioned by the CHSAA.
Bunnelle passed away June 7 following a lingering illness. He was 88 years old.
He served as the state’s rules interpreter in baseball and basketball from 1965-88, as well as assisting with football rules interpretations throughout his career. He was a registered as an official in all three sports in both Colorado and Iowa.
Bunnelle officiated in the CHSAA state basketball tournament in 1962 and 1963 and was the state track and field meet games chair for 23 years. Widely respected for his rules knowledge, he worked on the National Federation of State High School Associations rules committees in all three sports, serving nine years on the baseball and basketball committees and one in football.
Of great pride to Bunnelle and the Association was his work with the late Dr. Earl Reum to develop the nationally-recognized student leadership workshops and conferences. Both Bunnelle (1996) and Reum (1990) are members of the CHSAA Hall of Fame.
Bunnelle had few peers when it came to the development of and interpretation of CHSAA rules and regulations. He a unique ability to see what was needed and to write rules to the need.
His work with Colorado’s football and basketball officials’ associations has given the state better officials and strong, leadership-oriented organizations.
A member of numerous organizations, he earned lifetime achievement awards from the Colorado High School Football Officials Association, IAABO Board No. 4 Basketball Officials and the Colorado High School Baseball Umpires Association, the highest honor the three organizations award. He earned the NFHS Interscholastic Officials Association’s Distinguished Service Award in 1995.
Prior to his CHSAA tenure, Bunnelle was an administrator on the Western Slope, serving as a teacher/coach at Fruita Junior High School from 1957-60. From 1950-60, Bunnelle was principal at Roaring Fork High School in Carbondale.
Following his retirement, Bunnelle served as the official starter for several state golf championships, along with assisting the assignment of officials at numerous state basketball championships.
Bunnelle is a native of Rankin, Ill., and graduated from Rankin Township High School in 1945. He received his bachelor’s degree from Buena Vista College in Storm Lake, IA, in 1950. He earned his master’s degree in 1959 from Western State College in Gunnison.
He is survived by his wife, Vivian, and two children.
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Service information
The internment ceremony for Gene Bunnelle will be at Fort Logan National Cemetery (4400 W. Kenyon Ave, Denver, 80236) on June 23, at 10 a.m. All mourners should enter through the North Gate and then take Drive A to the parking holding area for escort to gravesite. Gene was a member of the United States Navy.
Monarch girls basketball will have a new coach next season. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Monarch announced on Monday that it has hired Bill Bradley as its next girls basketball coach.
Bradley was the coach at ThunderRidge from 2003-13, and twice won Class 5A titles in his time there (2004 and 2005).
At ThunderRidge, Bradley coached Abby Waner, considered one of the best girls basketball players in state history, as well as other stars like Emily Fox, who would later be drafted by the WNBA, and Carlie Needles, now a starter at Florida.
Bradley is 435-230 in his 25-year career, and spent the past two seasons at the head coach at Milan High School in Tennessee.
At ThunderRidge, Bradley’s teams also made two other appearances in the state title game, and made eight total trips to the Final 4.
Bradley replaces a legend at Monarch in Gail Hook, who retired in early May. Hook was the only coach in Monarch’s girls basketball history.
Monarch is coming off of a 24-3 season in which the Coyotes reached the Final 4. The team loses two of its three leading scorers, but returns 10 players who saw game action last season.
Also on Monday, Monarch announced it has hired Jenny Huettl to as both its boys and girls tennis coach. Huettl had been at Port Washington High School in Wisconsin, where she was the head boys and girls tennis coach for the past three seasons.
PUEBLO — After guiding the Pueblo East baseball program for 14 years, head coach D.J. Latino has chosen a different career path.
Latino has accepted a job as the athletic director at Mesa Ridge High School in Colorado Springs.
“I sincerely appreciate the confidence Mesa Ridge and the Widefield School District has placed in me,” Latino said. “I am excited to begin this new chapter in my professional career. I am very excited to become a part of the administrative team and to work with and for the staff, coaches, club and activity sponsors, student body and community of Mesa Ridge. I hope to bring to the ‘Grizzly Way’ the same energy, effort, work ethic, and passion I have extended to the Pueblo East Community over the years.”
Latino compiled a 143-132 record with the Eagles — 99-64 since 2007. His wins (143) and years coaching (14) were second-most in East baseball history. This past season East finished with a 14-7 record, losing to Wheat Ridge in the Class 4A District 7 championship, 7-0.
“I have been humbled and honored to have been East’s head coach for the past 14 years and I am sincerely grateful to all past and current players for their hard work, dedication, and contributions to the program,” Latino said. “It has been my privilege to have coached many fine young men. The relationships that were built with these players mean more to me than they will ever know and have actually resulted in several former players returning to help coach in our program.”
The Eagles made seven playoff appearances with Latino at the helm, including six out of the last seven years. East was the South-Central League champion in 2014 and Latino also was tabbed S-CL Coach of the Year that same season.
Latino also developed plans, organized and led efforts resulting in over $50,000 in baseball field and facility renovations at East. During Latino’s tenure, East has produced 23 college student athletes (11 at Colorado State University-Pueblo).
“I am proud of the perseverance it has taken to rebuild this present program and to continue to move it towards the now stable, successful, perennial state playoff team it has become,” Latino said. “My only regret is in not being able to see the journey through to a state championship, which I believe may very well be in the near future as the cupboard is full of talent and the field and facility have been acknowledged statewide and awarded the Colorado Dugout Club’s Colorado Field of the Year Award (in 2012) even before final projects were recently completed.”
Brush, the defending Class 2A football champion, has hired former Wheat Ridge head Reid Kahl to be its next football coach.
The move was approved at the Brush School District board meeting on Tuesday night. Kahl will take over for Randy Dreitz, who resigned in March.
Kahl was the coach at Wheat Ridge from 2006-13 before he was let go by the Farmers. He went 79-19 in eight seasons, including 4A championships in 2006 and 2008. He also took the Farmers to the title game in 2010.
Kahl is a 1986 graduate of Fort Morgan, where he was a star football player. He later played at Northern Colorado for four seasons. He was also the head coach at Coronado (2002-03), and assisted at Fort Morgan (2004-05).
Brush beat Kent Denver with a goal-line stand to win 2A last fall. Dreitz had been the coach at Brush for 13 seasons before resigning, and he was named coach of the year in 2A in 2014.
The Beetdiggers graduate a lot off of that title team, including 2A player of the year Kyle Rosenbrock at quarterback, as well as their top returning running back, and top three receivers.
The defense does return two of its top three tacklers, however.
The 2015 all-state boys track and field teams are presented by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps.
These teams were created based upon results at the state meet.
Athletes of the year were selected based upon the number of team points they produced at the state meet. This means that they received the full amount of team points from individual events they participated in, as well as one-fourth of the total points earned by the team in relays they participated in.
Finally, in order to be considered for athlete of the year, they must first have made the all-state team by winning in a championship.
Scroll down to see the teams, or use the menu below to navigate to the class of your choosing.
The 2015 all-state girls track and field teams are presented by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps.
These teams were created based upon results at the state meet.
Athletes of the year were selected based upon the number of team points they produced at the state meet. This means that they received the full amount of team points from individual events they participated in, as well as one-fourth of the total points earned by the team in relays they participated in.
Finally, in order to be considered for athlete of the year, they must first have made the all-state team by winning in a championship.
Scroll down to see the teams, or use the menu below to navigate to the class of your choosing.
Grandview’s four girls championships were the most in the state for that gender, while Creek’s four boys championships led the way.
Eaton, Colorado Academy, Lyons and Valor Christian all won three total team championships.
In all, 65 teams won at least one team title in 2014-15, with 17 winning at least two.
Rank
School
Girls
Boys
Total
1
Cherry Creek
1
4
5
2
Grandview
4
0
4
2
Cheyenne Mountain
3
1
4
4
Eaton
2
1
3
4
Colorado Academy
3
0
3
4
Lyons
0
3
3
4
Valor Christian
2
1
3
8
Rock Canyon
1
1
2
8
Mountain Vista
1
1
2
8
Fossil Ridge
1
1
2
8
Palmer Ridge
0
2
2
8
Paonia
1
1
2
8
Overland
1
1
2
8
Air Academy
0
2
2
8
Broomfield
1
1
2
8
Kent Denver
0
2
2
8
Alamosa
0
2
2
18
Cheyenne Wells
1
0
1
18
Vail Christian
1
0
1
18
Bishop Machebeuf
1
0
1
18
Manitou Springs
1
0
1
18
Bennett
1
0
1
18
Glenwood Springs
1
0
1
18
Ponderosa
1
0
1
18
Castle View
1
0
1
18
Chaparral
1
0
1
18
Green Mountain
0
1
1
18
Rye
0
1
1
18
Dove Creek
0
1
1
18
Regis Jesuit
1
0
1
18
Aspen
0
1
1
18
Vail Mountain
1
0
1
18
Fountain-Fort Carson
0
1
1
18
Lutheran
0
1
1
18
Springfield
0
1
1
18
Cherokee Trail
1
0
1
18
Niwot
1
0
1
18
Heritage Christian
1
0
1
18
Colorado Springs Christian
0
1
1
18
Sanford
0
1
1
18
Holly
0
1
1
18
Pagosa Springs
1
0
1
18
Akron
1
0
1
18
Idalia
1
0
1
18
Arvada West
0
1
1
18
Thompson Valley
0
1
1
18
Valley
0
1
1
18
Rocky Ford
0
1
1
18
Battle Mountain
0
1
1
18
Summit
1
0
1
18
Evergreen
1
0
1
18
Pine Creek
0
1
1
18
Pueblo East
0
1
1
18
Brush
0
1
1
18
Caliche
0
1
1
18
Arickaree/Woodlin
0
1
1
18
Lewis-Palmer
1
0
1
18
Resurrection Christian
1
0
1
18
Fleming
1
0
1
18
Standley Lake
1
0
1
18
Mountain View
0
1
1
18
Fort Collins
0
1
1
18
Coronado
0
1
1
18
Sterling
0
1
1
18
La Junta
1
0
1
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Individual titles
Thompson Valley totaled 14 individual championships in 2014-15, including five wrestlers. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Thompson Valley had eight boys and six girls win individual championships in 2014-15 to account for its state-best total of 14.
Cherry Creek was second with 13, and Pomona was third with 10. Lyons won eight, while Air Academy and Cheyenne Mountain each captured seven individual crowns.
A total of 131 schools had at least one individual win a championship. Of those, 73 schools had at least two champions, and 10 had as many as five.
Below is a complete breakdown of individual championships this season.
