MONUMENT — Tony Salazar had a goal and four assists to lead No. 4 Ralston Valley hockey to a 7-0 win over No. 7 Lewis-Palmer.
Jack Steffer added a goal and three assists for the Mustangs, while Joey Doig had 11 saves in notching a shutout.
[divider]
[WPS_photo_gallery id=”343″]
AURORA – Marc Reininger scored a team-high 17 points for the Regis Jesuit Raiders as they beat Legend 53-50 in a close Continental League showdown Friday night.
[divider]
[WPS_photo_gallery id=”344″]
COLORADO SPRINGS — State championship? Check. Division I college scholarship? Check. McDonald’s All-American? Check.
So what exactly does Kylee Shook have left to prove in the state of Colorado? At first glance, she’s done it all and she’s done it well.
Since her sophomore year at Mesa Ridge (and even well before that), she has turned heads each time she’s taken the court. The first thing that stands out is her size. At 6-foot-4, she towers over all other players on the floor.
But what makes her special is her ability to play as a guard and 3-pointer shooter as well as an inside post player. It’s a rare site to see in a player.
“I have never seen it with someone who is that accurate from long range,” Mesa Ridge coach Jeff Beatty said. “We played a game a couple days ago where they just let her stand out there and she knocked down seven 3’s. If you don’t guard her on the whole court, she’ll take advantage of wherever you leave her an open spot.”
It’s her ability to play anywhere on the floor that has made her the standout player in this year’s senior class. After several offers and plenty of debate, Shook decided that she wanted to play college ball at Louisville.
At the conclusion of this season, she’ll turn her focus to getting ready to compete at the level. Hopefully at that time she’ll be able to look back and marvel at all she’s accomplished in her time at Mesa Ridge. Among those accolades is being named a McDonald’s All-American, an honor she received on Monday.
“You always have to push and there’s always somebody out there working,” she said. “You have to always be working hard and not slacking off. It’s been enjoyable seeing all the accomplishments I have because it means that my work has paid off, but I have to keep working.”
If Shook is looking at the horizon and wondering just how far her basketball career is going take her, she’s not showing it. Her mind is completely focused on this season and then playing for Louisville.
But the long term prospects of her game cannot escape the eyes of Beatty. He doesn’t just think she play at the college level, he think she can excel at that tier and perhaps even shoot for international play.
“I hope (she becomes) an NCAA champion,” Beatty said. “Louisville’s been there a couple of times in the last four years, maybe she’s what helps them get over that hump. She can play at the highest level. That’s a kid that can end up on an Olympic team. She works that hard.”
For now, she’s putting all that work to help her team win its second state championship in three years. There is little doubt that the Grizzlies are talented enough to once again be the last team standing in Boulder, but Shook knows that nothing is handed out and that, like in 2014, it has to be earned.
“I think it’s all in our effort level,” she said. “It depends on how much time we put in, how much effort we put in and going out every game thinking it could be our last and putting everything out on the court.”
MONUMENT – With the state wrestling meet less than a month away, Air Academy picked up a big 54-27 dual win over Lewis-Palmer.
[divider]
[WPS_photo_gallery id=”337″]
Lyons senior Paul Roberts was named the boys cross country runner of the year in Colorado by Gatorade on Friday morning.
Roberts, who won the Class 2A championship in the fall in a course record of 15:33.7, was the 2A runner of the year on the all-state team in November. He helped lead his team to the 2A title, as well.
After the high school season, Roberts was fifth at the National Foot Locker Cross Country Championships, and 11th in the Nike Cross Nationals. He also placed third at the NXN Midwest Regional.
“Paul’s accomplishments are really just the tip of the iceberg,” Lyons assistant coach Jeff Boele said in a statement. “I consider myself fortunate to get to work with such a unique and gifted athlete. Even as a freshman, he responded brilliantly to the added pressures of being the top runner on the team, and he has continued to build on that foundation as a great role model the past three years.”
Roberts has signed with CSU-Pueblo for next season.
He is the first athlete from Lyons to win the cross country honor.
On Thursday, Air Academy’s Katie Rainsberger was named the national girls cross country runner of the year by Gatorade.
Below are this week’s wrestling rankings from On The Mat.
[divider]
Tim Yount of On The Mat provides weekly wrestling rankings for teams and individuals in all weight classes. To see individual rankings, you can subscribe to On The Mat’s full rankings.
To subscribe via PayPal, choose your subscription option on this page click on the corresponding PayPal button. To subscribe by mail or fax and pay by personal check, click here for a printable subscription form. Email Tim Yount at tim@onthematrankings.com with questions.
To purchase individual weeks of the rankings (as opposed to the entire season), you will need to use the printable subscription form and pay by check. The season ranking subscriptions are offered at a discounted rate.
[divider]
Go to: 5A | 4A | 3A | 2A
| Class 5A | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RK | TEAM | PVS | |||
| 1 | Pomona | 1 | |||
| 2 | Pine Creek | 2 | |||
| 3 | Poudre | 3 | |||
| 4 | Legacy | 4 | |||
| 5 | Ponderosa | 5 | |||
| 6 | Cherokee Trail | 6 | |||
| 7 | Rocky Mountain | 7 | |||
| 8 | Fruita Monument | 8 | |||
| 9 | Grand Junction | 9 | |||
| 10 | Chaparral | 10 | |||
| Dropped out | |||||
| None. | |||||
| Class 4A | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RK | TEAM | PVS | |||
| 1 | Pueblo County | 1 | |||
| 2 | Greeley Central | 2 | |||
| 3 | Windsor | 3 | |||
| 4 | Thompson Valley | 4 | |||
| 5 | Discovery Canyon | 5 | |||
| 6 | Cheyenne Mountain | 7 | |||
| 7 | Pueblo East | 6 | |||
| 8 | Mesa Ridge | 8 | |||
| 9 | Longmont | 9 | |||
| 10 | Fort Morgan | 10 | |||
| Dropped out | |||||
| None. | |||||
| Class 3A | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RK | TEAM | PVS | |||
| 1 | Valley | 1 | |||
| 2 | Dolores Huerta | 3 | |||
| 3 | Berthoud | 2 | |||
| 4 | Olathe | 5 | |||
| 5 | Lamar | 6 | |||
| 6 | La Junta | 7 | |||
| 7 | Sheridan | 4 | |||
| 8 | Delta | 8 | |||
| 9 | Alamosa | 9 | |||
| 10 | Eaton | – | |||
| Dropped out | |||||
| Sterling (10). | |||||
| Class 2A | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RK | TEAM | PVS | |||
| 1 | Rocky Ford | 1 | |||
| 2 | Centauri | 2 | |||
| 3 | Meeker | 3 | |||
| 4 | Norwood/Nucla | 4 | |||
| 5 | Hotchkiss | 5 | |||
| 6 | Paonia | 6 | |||
| 7 | Highland | 7 | |||
| 8 | Buena Vista | 8 | |||
| 9 | John Mall | 9 | |||
| 10 | Ignacio | 10 | |||
| Dropped out | |||||
| None. | |||||
AURORA — It was never John Olander’s expectation to have his Eaglecrest Raptors jump out to an undefeated start after 13 games. But if those are the cards he’s been dealt, he’s happy to take them.
After trailing through most of the first half, the CHSAANow.com No. 2 Raptors topped No. 10 Cherokee Trail in a 55-51 thriller that might as well be another ho-hum Wednesday in the Class 5A Centennial League.
“It was huge, we lost this exact game last year,” Olander said. “We had a lead, gave it up and went to overtime. There was a huge crowd and we walked out of here with our heads down. To have this type of atmosphere and have our kids come out and perform in a high stakes game with huge league ramifications, I’m thrilled.”
For the Raptors (13-0 overall, 5-0 5A Centennial League), it was the ultimate definition of a team win. They found themselves down around six points for the bulk of the first and second quarters.
The Cougars (9-4, 3-2) were paced by senior forward David Thornton who scored 15 of his game-high 27 points in the first half.
“He’s played well all season long,” Cherokee Trail coach Morgan Gregory said. “It’s not any surprise. We have to find a way to get him the ball more often. He gets a lot of attention from defenses, but he’s been good for us all year long.”
Trailing 20-14, it was a charge taken by junior forward Nate Bokol that turned the tide for the Raptors. He was able to set his position before Deon Barfield went for the layup, but Barfield soared through the air and his knee caught Bokol right around the eye. He wouldn’t return to the game.
But at that point, Eaglecrest went on an 8-0 run, with every player getting in on the scoring effort. The game went into halftime tied 22-22, with nine different players scoring for the Raptors.
“It’s a big family, we don’t care who scores the most,” Eaglecrest guard Colbey Ross said. “We just want to win. That’s all we do.”
Ross and sophomore Victor Garnes led the Raptors with 12 points on the night. It was a big 3-pointer from Garnes that pushed the Eaglecrest lead to 35-31 in the third quarter and really gave the Raptors as much momentum as anyone was going to take.
Cherokee Trail would continue to battle and a K.J. Sapp 3-pointer cut the Eaglecrest lead to 46-43 and gave the home crowd something to get on its feet for. Jazzed Lottie added a basket to make it a one-point game, but Ross and Garnes would make their free throws down the stretch to clinch the win and keep the Raptors in control of the Centennial League.
“Every game in this league is tough,” Ross said. “We just have to come out and work hard. We have to expect it now. Everyone is going to give us their best shot and we have expect that from here on out.”
Even though they have been on the wrong side of a few games recently, the Cougars have a strong sense of where they are as a team and how close they are to getting over the hump.
“We’re close, we lost to Rangeview by four and we lost to these guys by four,” Gregory said. “A few shots here and there, a few plays here and there, a little bit of focus and we’re not far off. We have to keep working on it.”
AURORA — No. 10 Cherry Creek girls basketball went on the road and beat Overland 58-49 on Wednesday.
[divider]
[WPS_photo_gallery id=”336″]
AURORA — The contract to be the official ball supplier during CHSAA postseason games is open to bids through Jan. 26, assistant commissioner Jenn Roberts-Uhlig said this week.
Currently, the contract is owned by Wilson, and has been for more than 25 years.
The bid process is open to any ball manufacturer or company that can support the needs of all sports where the balls would be used. Sports covered under the contract include football, basketball, golf, tennis, softball, volleyball, baseball and soccer.
Once selected, the new contract would go into place starting with the 2016-17 season. All balls used in the postseason would be mandated by CHSAA under the new contract.
Specific questions can be directed to Roberts-Uhlig at jrobertsuhlig@chsaa.org.
Air Academy star Katie Rainsberger was named the national girls cross country runner of the year by Gatorade on Thursday.
She is the first national honoree in girls cross country from Colorado since the award was created in 2007.
Rainsberger, who won the award for Colorado for the second time last week, set the course record in winning the Class 4A championship in the fall when she finished in 17:39. Along with the individual win, she helped the Kadets win the 4A team title.
A senior, she is signed to run at Oregon.
“Despite Katie’s remarkable talent, she’s humble and puts her team before herself,” said Air Academy coach Steve Rischling in a statement. “She is a once-in-a-career runner, but she’s still a better person than she is a runner.”
After the high school season, Rainsberger won the Nike Cross Nationals Final. She also won the NXN Southwest Regional title.
“Success doesn’t happen over night but, instead, through layers of consistent, positive training,” Rainsberger told Gatorade. “Working hard and having fun are the keys that will lead to the greatest enjoyment and longevity.”
Rainsberger continues the trend of Colorado athletes to be honored with national awards. Last spring, Mountain Vista’s Mallory Pugh was named the national girls soccer player of the year. That followed Lewis-Palmer’s Alexa Smith being named the national volleyball player of the year by MaxPreps.