The recent Air Academy graduate capped her career in spectacular fashion by winning three individual championships, and also being part of a relay championship. Rainsberger won the 800 meters (2:09.97), the 1,600 meters (4:45.27) and the 3,200 meters (10:23.24) individually, and also helped Air Academy win the 4×800 relay in 9:14.28. The Kadets finished second as a team.
“I think her track accolades and what she did at the state track meet this year speak for itself,” said Widefield track coach Fred Marjerrison. “She absolutely dominated four events and put her team in position to capture some team hardware. We were very blessed to see a special talent like Katie and probably will have to wait a long time to see another dominant distance athlete like this young lady.”
She now becomes a finalist for the national girls track award, which will be announced later this month.
Rainsberger’s track season mirrored a spectacular season in cross country.
Outside of athletics, Rainsberger carried a 4.49 weighted GPA, and is a member of the National Honor Society. She has volunteered with USA Track & Field, as well.
AURORA — The annual gathering of the entire CHSAA membership is next month.
The 2016 All-School Summit runs August 1-2 this year at the Denver Marriott South. The keynote speaker, Don Yaeger, is set to talk about “What is your Why?”
Bethany Brookens, who oversees the Summit, sent out the following info about the two-day meeting:
Don is an award-winning keynote speaker, business leadership coach and seven-time New York Times best-selling author as well as a longtime associate editor for Sports Illustrated. Don Yaeger has fashioned a career as one of America’s most provocative thought leaders. As a speaker, Don has worked with audiences as diverse as Fortune 500 companies, professional and collegiate sports teams and cancer survivor groups. He shares his personal story and insight from among the best of the best, including John Wooden, Walter Payton, Warrick Dunn and Michael Jordan.
Joining Don at The 2016 Summit will be Jody Redman and Joe Ehrmann. Jody and Joe will be talking Shift Why at both sessions. In addition to updates and outlines for the upcoming school year, you won’t want to miss these empowering, motivational and information packed presentations.
Schools can RSVP for the 2016 All-School Summit via this link. Hotel rooms can be booked here — the rate is $124 if booked by July 8. The hotel can be reached at 303-925-0004.
Have you ever seen a half-used carton of buttermilk in the refrigerator and wonder; what is that and why is it so good for baking and our health?
Buttermilk originated as a by-product of butter churning, today’s cartons are filled with low-fat milk and active cultures. When these two combine, lactic acid is formed, which reacts with baking soda in baked goods to produce carbon dioxide. We have buttermilk to thank for fluffy pancakes and flaky biscuits—and it adds creaminess and tang to savory dishes as well.
It has a mildly sour taste and can be used to tenderize meat, add moisture to baked goods and to add creaminess to sauces and soups. Buttermilk is also lower in fat than regular butter or whole milk and supplies key nutrients.
Buttermilk is a good source of calcium, a cup of it supplies 282 milligrams of calcium toward your daily goal of 1,000 to 1,200 milligrams. The primary role that calcium plays in your body is to support the growth and maintenance of strong bones and teeth. The mineral also contributes to normal muscle function, nerve transmission and hormone secretion. During childhood and adolescence, the skeleton grows in both size and density. Up to 90 percent of peak bone mass is acquired by age 18 in girls and age 20 in boys, which makes youth the best time to “invest” in bone health. Visit WDA here to learn more on bone health.
Along with calcium, buttermilk also contributes to your Vitamin D daily requirements. This vitamin is critical for the absorption of calcium. Vitamin D also helps to maintain your phosphorus levels which in turn helps with bone health.
Another great nutrient that buttermilk has is protein. Every cell in your body needs protein to function properly. Protein plays an important role in tissue health because it provides you with amino acids – the building blocks you need to keep your tissues strong and for post-exercise recovery. Getting enough protein also supports your immune system, protecting you from infection.
Buttermilk also contains numerous B vitamins. B2 also known as riboflavin, assists in iron absorption, works with vitamin A to protect the digestive tract and is essential for the metabolism of some amino acids.
As a fermented milk product, buttermilk is considered a probiotic food, a food that contains live microorganisms that provide health benefits. Eating probiotics helps populate your intestine with health-promoting bacteria, which may improve immune function and reduce diarrhea, among other potential health benefits.
Buttermilk is a great addition to your cooking as well as your health. Incorporating buttermilk into your daily healthy eating regimen could enhance your recovery and performance. For more information about proper nutrition for athletic performance please visit the Sports Nutrition page at Western Dairy Association.
INDIANAPOLIS — The 97th annual National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Summer Meeting will be held June 28-July 2 at the Peppermill Resort in Reno, Nevada. The NFHS is the national leadership organization for high school athletic and performing arts activities and is composed of state high school associations in the 50 states plus the District of Columbia.
More than 900 individuals are expected to attend the Summer Meeting, including staff members and board members from the 51 member associations. That includes the entire CHSAA administrative staff, as well as its Board of Directors.
Several CHSAA staff members will have prominent roles at the meeting:
Commissioner Paul Angelico will be interviewing Megan Bomgaars, her mother and coach during opening general session. Megan and Evergreen High School were first recipients of the Heart of the Arts Award. She is a special education student who was on the cheerleading squad.
Associate commissioner Tom Robinson is moderating the assistant/associate directors roundtable.
Assistant commissioners Harry Waterman (lacrosse) and Bud Ozzello (hockey) will moderate sport roundtables.
Assistant commissioner Bert Borgmann will be a part of the NFHS Network leadership circle, the first time the group is set to meet.
The 34th annual induction ceremony of the National High School Hall of Fame and discussion of several key issues affecting high school sports and performing arts highlight this year’s agenda.
Twelve individuals will be inducted into the National High School Hall of Fame, including Steve Spurrier and Marlin Briscoe.
Spurrier was one of the best multi-sport athletes in Tennessee history at Science Hill High School in Johnson City before his rise to prominence as a Heisman Trophy quarterback, a National Football League quarterback, and as one of the nation’s top college football coaches. Briscoe was an All-City running back in football as a senior at Omaha (Nebraska) South High School before becoming the first African-American starting quarterback in modern NFL history.
Other athletes who were chosen for this year’s class are Joni Huntley, a three-sport athlete at Sheridan (Oregon) High School in the early 1970s who later competed in the high jump at two Olympics; Tom Southall, who overcame a physical disability to become one of the best athletes in Colorado history at Steamboat Springs High School (1979-81), and the late Ken Beardslee, one of the top pitchers in high school baseball history during his three years (1947-49) at Vermontville (Michigan) High School.
Chuck Kyle, who has won 321 games and 11 state championships in 33 years as football coach at Cleveland (Ohio) St. Ignatius High School, is one of four coaches selected for the 2016 class. Other coaches who will be honored this year are Peg Kopec, who retired last year after winning 12 state championships in 42 years as girls volleyball coach at St. Francis High School in Wheaton, Illinois; Pete Boudreaux, who has won an amazing 44 state championships in cross country, indoor track and field, and outdoor track and field at Baton Rouge (Louisiana) Catholic High School; and Jack Holloway, who led his wrestling teams at New Castle (Delaware) William Penn High School to seven state championships and 13 undefeated seasons during his 25-year career.
Two administrators are part of the 2016 class – Tim Flannery, who served on the NFHS staff for 16 years and was responsible for starting the highly successful NFHS Coach Education Program; and Ennis Proctor, who retired in 2011 after 20 years as executive director of the Mississippi High School Activities Association. Rounding out the 2016 class is the late Eugene “Lefty” Wright, a cross country and track and field contest official in Minnesota for almost 50 years.
Among the topics that will be discussed at the 52 workshops during the NFHS Summer Meeting are inclusion of athletes with disabilities, multi-sport athletes, innovative marketing ideas, conflict resolution, transgender inclusion, social media public relations, competitive equity vs. school size and emerging sports.
The Summer Meeting will kick off on June 29 with the Opening General Session featuring a “We Are High School®” student program. Along with the ninth annual National High School Spirit of Sport Award ceremony, the NFHS will present its performing arts counterpart – the National High School Heart of the Arts Award – for the third time.
Ashley Carson of Ord (Nebraska) High School will receive the National High School Spirit of Sport Award, and the Midland City (Alabama) Dale County High School Marching Band and Band Director Sherri Miller will receive the National High School Heart of the Arts Award.
The Second General Session on June 30 will feature NFHS President Tom Welter, NFHS Executive Director Bob Gardner and Lance Taylor, executive director of the Arkansas Activities Association who will present the 2016-2021 NFHS Strategic Plan. The Closing General Session on Saturday, July 2, will feature Murray Banks, an educator and world champion athlete.
The Summer Meeting Luncheon will be held at 12 p.m. on July 1, and will feature the presentation of NFHS Citations to 12 individuals. State association honorees include Nina Van Erk of New York, Butch Cope of Kentucky, Gene Menees of Tennessee, Gina Mazzolini of Michigan, Kevin Merkle of Minnesota, Peter Contreras of Texas, Marc Ratner of Nevada and Brad Garrett of Oregon.
Other Citation recipients are Harold Cooper of Missouri (NFHS Officials Association), Richard Robertson of Alabama (NFHS Coaches Association), Jay Dunnahoo of Texas (NFHS Music Association) and Pam McComas of Kansas (NFHS Speech/Debate/Theatre Association).
The Summer Meeting will conclude at 6 p.m. July 2 with the induction of the 2016 class of the National High School Hall of Fame.
As a junior for Regis, Sloan went 2-0 with a 3.73 ERA in six apperances. He threw 20 2/3 innings, and struck out 24 batters against 15 walks.
Sloan, who is listed at 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds, is the 12th Regis Jesuit baseball player to make a Division I baseball commitment since the 2014 class. He is the first Raiders player from 2017 to do so.
He is also a member of Regis Jesuit’s football team, and had a team-high 10 sacks to go along with 36 tackles last season.
The winners of this year’s contests to have their art on the cover of the 2016-17 Directory of Member Schools and Handbook were announced on Friday.
The winning entries were from Mariah Daley, a Regis Jesuit student whose work will appear on the handbook, and Jordan Eckstadt, an Elizabeth student whose work will appear on the Directory.
Daley’s photo was taken on the Booth Falls hike near Vail.
“The image not only contains the colors of Vail in October, but also includes the iconic Booth Falls,” she wrote of her entry.
Here is the final version of Daley’s submission as it will appear on the Handbook (which includes CHSAA’s constitution and bylaws):
(Photo: Mariah Daley)
Eckstadt also submitted a photo for her entry.
“We have a flower bed in out front yard in Elizabeth, and with the snow so late in the season it looked like the perfect picture,” she wrote of her entry. “That pink flower always looks beautiful when the early spring snow hits, so I thought it would be a good symbol of Colorado’s beautiful but crazy weather.”
Here is the final version of Eckstadt’s entry as it will appear on the Directory:
Although the fall season just ended, schools are not wasting any time in looking ahead to the 2016-17 seasons. A prime example would be Jefferson Academy announcing the hirings of two new coaches.
Kyle Tycksen was named the new volleyball coach and Gino Carbajal will take over the baseball program.
Tycksen brings 20 years of coaching experience with him as he will lead the Jaguars volleyball program in the fall. He has spent time on staffs at Faith Christian, Mead and Standley Lake.
His top aim is to develop players of character into graduates of excellence while winning championships along the way.
Carbajal has spent a lot of time in both the high school and baseball coaching ranks. He served as the head coach at Faith Christian from 2006-10 and led the Eagles to the 2007 Class 3A state championship.
He then went on to join the coaching staff at Regis University, maintaining his ties to the Denver area.
“Carbajal is excited to bring his vision to Jaguar baseball and looks forward to leading the Jags to championships in the coming years,” athletic director Michael Wilson said in an email.
The Jaguars did not not make the state playoffs in either volleyball or baseball last season, a trend that it hopes to change with the new hires.
The Adams 12 school district will not be fielding teams in boys or girls lacrosse during the next two-year cycle. District athletic director Lee Peters informed the CHSAA office of the change on Thursday.
Adams 12 was due to offer a boys team at Mountain Range, and a girls team at Horizon, during the 2016-18 — which includes the 2017 and 2018 spring seasons. Both programs were set to be new teams.
The decision to not field the teams was made because of the “limited time for planning, preparation and funding,” Peters said.
Instead, the plan now is to “continue to work on this in order to re-apply for the 2018-20 cycle,” according to Peters.
Through all the moments that we saw, we complied a list of some of our favorites moments from the past year.
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Cherokee Trail overcomes tragedy to take Class 5A volleyball title
The Cherokee Trail volleyball team began the season dealing with something no high school kids should have to deal with. Before the season, a friend and teammate, Celeste James, passed away.
West Grand gives football coach Chris Brown 306th win
Chris Brown. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
Playing with heavy hearts following the death of a teammate earlier in the week, West Grand football gave coach Chris Brown career win No. 306 last fall to tie a state record.
The 8-man team played just three days after quarterback JD Guess was killed in a car accident while driving home from practice.
“The win tonight had little to do with me,” Brown wrote in an email afterward. “First, credit goes to Eric Guess [JD’s father] and Will [his brother, and a former player at West Grand], our amazing assistant coaches, an unbelievable crowd, and a tremendous effort from our kids.”
Christian McCaffrey finishes second in Heisman voting
Christian McCaffrey. (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
A whirlwind of a regular season put Valor Christian alum Christian McCaffrey in the national spotlight. The Stanford star was named a finalist for the 2015 Heisman Trophy and finished as the runner-up to Alabama running back Derrick Henry.
McCaffrey was in the national spotlight again less than three weeks later as he helped the Cardinal roll to a 45-16 win in the Rose Bowl. The former Eagle record 368 all-purpose yards in the game and scored two touchdowns.
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Holy Family, Chris Helbig has record-setting start to football season
Chris Helbig. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
The start of the 2015 football season was a sprint, not a marathon for Holy Family quarterback Chris Helbig. The senior set a state record by throwing for 607 yards in the Tigers first game of the year in a win against Mountain View.
Helbig’s season came to a disappointing end as he tore his ACL and was unable to finish the football season or compete during the basketball season. Despite the injury, Helbig aims to continue his football career at the University of Colorado.
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Meeker’s T.J. Shelton win fourth wrestling title
Despite trailing early in his match, Meeker’s T.J. Shelton became the 19th wrestler in state history to win his fourth wrestling title.
Shelton accomplished the feat with a 16-7 major decision over Centauri’s Chris Martin.
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Houtsma recovers from crash to win nordic skate
Graham Houtsma. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Graham Houtsma took a nasty spill and lost one of his poles when he was leading the nordic skate at the 2016 state skiing championships.
He recovered, was a given a new pole by a teammate, and went on to win the race by one-tenth of a second.
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Kent Denver coach Scott Yates wins 300th game
Kent Denver’s Scott Yates. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Longtime Kent Denver football coach and athletic director Scott Yates won his 300th career game in October.
“It’s not a one-guy deal. That’s all there is to it,” Yates said after the game. “The school’s been great. The program has been a lot of fun. And the coaches and the kids that we’ve had the pleasure to work with is really what makes it.”
Yates was the fourth coach to reach the mark.
But like Brown’s 306th win, this milestone came in a wake of school tragedy. Kent Denver teacher Kristin Brown had passed away a week earlier, and the loss weighed heavy on the school.
“I don’t know if you heard him after the game, but after winning 300 games, he didn’t even talk about that,” said Kent Denver running back Will McKissick. “He talked about Ms. Brown, who we lost this week, and he talked about how there are more important things than football. I think that’s not your average guy.”
Kent Denver advanced to the 2A semfinals in the fall, which puts Yates’ career mark at 304-74. The state record, held by Brown and Pat Panek, is 306 wins.
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Regis Jesuit boys basketball coach Ken Shaw wins No. 700
Regis Jesuit players pose with coach Ken Shaw after he won his 700th game. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
The greens at the Pueblo Country Club are no joke. But with a championship on the line, Silver Creek senior Erin Sargent refused to let them stop her from claiming the 4A girls golf championship in May.
She sank a birdie putt on 18 to top Caroline Jordaan and end her high school career as the best 4A golfer in the state.
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Mountain Range wins 5A softball title
Mountain Range won the 5A softball championship. (Tim Visser/TimVisserPhotography.com)
The 5A softball title went to a team that had never even reached the state tournament before. Mountain Range started play in 2009 and made the state tournament for the first time in 2015.
The Mustangs made the most out of the opportunity, coming away with the 5A championship with a 12-2 win over Pomona. It was only the second overall state championship in school history.
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Valor Christian avenges early-season loss to claim 5A football title
Pomona was good enough to beat Valor Christian in the regular season. But the Eagles proved to be tougher to handle with gold on the line.
Valor forced a turnover with less than three minutes left and was able to capitalize on it to come away with its sixth championship in seven seasons.
“In our program, we don’t want to focus too much on peaks and valleys,” Valor coach Rod Sherman said. “We lost a close game like this last year and tried not to be too devastated about it, and this year we’ll try not to be too over the moon.”
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Castle View’s co-ed spirit title felt like a win for all
In perhaps the year’s best example of all for one and one for all, the Denver Coliseum exploded with cheers for Castle View when it was announced the Sabercats had won the 4A/5A co-ed title.
The reason was easy, coach Heather Acampora has become known for actively rooting on all teams at the event, competition or not. With Acampora’s desire to see all teams succeed at the highest level, it was easy to be happy for her own team’s victory.
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Rainsberger caps incredible career
Katie Rainsberger. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
The 2016 state track meet proved to be the perfect sendoff for Air Academy senior Katie Rainsberger. After bringing home the cross country title in the fall, the Oregon commit swept the 800, 1,600, 3,200 and 3,200 relay to end her high school career as one of the top runners the state has ever seen.
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Sanford ties record for winning streak
Sanford won the 2A boys basketball title. (Jeff Tucker/jefferywtucker.zenfolio.com)
Sanford boys basketball won its third-consecutive 2A championship in March, and in the process extended its winning streak to 73 games. That ties the state record held by Ridway in 1993-96.
The winning streak dates to the middle of the 2013-14 season.
Sanford beat Resurrection Christian 63-58 in dramatic fashion to win the 2A title.
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Oliana Squires ties state tournament scoring record
Sand Creek’s Oliana Squires. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Oliana Squires put on an historic performance during the 4A girls basketball Final 4. The Sand Creek senior tied a state tournament record by scoring 43 points in the Scorpions loss to Evergreen.
Valor Christian went on to win the girls 4A title, but the scoring effort by Squires in the semifinals was the standout performance of the tournament.
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Gifs used to help pass time for 5A basketball bracket release
I might be tough to recall games off the tops of our heads, but the fun we all had while waiting for the basketball selection committee to release the 5A boys basketball was definitely one of the top moments of the year.
Vista Ridge, Sand Creek produce wild ending in boys hoops
In one of the craziest endings all year, in any sport, Sand Creek battled back from a 20-point deficit in the second half to take its first lead of the game on a Jordan Phillips 3-pointer (video above).
The Scorpions forced a turnover and possessed the ball with 10 seconds remaining, but a steal led to an open shot for Raymon Harper who would knock it down, giving the Wolves a huge win over their district rivals.
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Juarez throws a gem to give Holly first baseball title
Seven innings of dominance on the mound gave Holly its first baseball championship in school history, as the Wildcats came away with the 1A crown.
Ricardo Juarez threw seven innings, allowing only four hits while striking out six Fleming hitters in the win.
“Ricardo’s been our guys since he was a freshman,” Holly coach Dayne Eaton said. “We’ve been so close. Two years ago we knocked off a great Stratton team and then last year we tried to save Ricardo and got beat by Dove Creek and they went on to win it.”
Holly had fallen to Fleming in the 2013 1A title game.
The Lewis-Palmer girls soccer team finally got the state championship that barely eluded them a year ago. After falling to Cheyenne Mountain in penalty kicks in 2015, the Rangers needed to find the back of the net only once in 2016.
Annica Fletemeyer scored the only of goal of the game as the Rangers topped Valor Christian 1-0.
“I didn’t want to miss it, that’s what was going through my mind,” Fletemeyer said. “It was a great ball by Brianna (Alger). I didn’t want to miss it because I didn’t want to let my team down. It was just such a rushing feeling of emotion, so I’m just really glad I could put it away.”
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Colorado Academy wins fourth-consecutive field hockey title
Colorado Academy field hockey has won 70-straight games. (Lance Wendt/LanceWendt.com)
For the seniors on Colorado Academy’s field hockey team, the feeling of not winning a state championship will never be felt.
The Mustangs increased their winning streak to 70 games and captured their fourth state field hockey title in as many years.
“It’s definitely not routine,” Colorado Academy coach Veronica Scott said. “It’s beautiful for the seniors because there’s eight girls here who have not lost a game in four years. It’s their fourth championship. For them, that’s extra special.”
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Pueblo West finishes quest for first boys basketball title
Pueblo West was not among the early favorites to come away with the 4A boys basketball title. But that didn’t stop the Cyclones from storming through the bracket.
The win gave the Cyclones their first boys basketball championship in school history.
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Fairview girls tennis ends Cherry Creek’s 19-year state title run
Fairview girls tennis won this year’s 5A championship. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
For 19 straight years, Cherry Creek was the talk of 5A girls tennis. That run ended in may as Fairview became the first team since the Bill Clinton administration to best the Bruins for the team title.
Thanks to Sophie Pearson’s win in No. 3 singles, the Knights edged Cherry Creek by three points. But it took some time for the feat to sink in for Fairview coach Susan Stensrud.
“I’m not one hundred percent,” she said. “I don’t believe it one hundred percent. It hasn’t sunk in, but I’m so glad it’s this team of girls.”
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Valor Christian wins twice on a Sunday to capture 4A baseball
Valor Christian baseball won 4A. (Tom Robinson/CHSAANow.com)
Weather (shockingly) pushed the completion of the 2016 baseball championships back one day. So it was on a Sunday that Valor Christian was able to beat Pueblo West twice to come away with its first baseball championship.
It was the seventh team championship on the year for the Eagles which led all schools.
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Limon’s sportsmanship helps Rocky Ford en route to softball tourney
The Rocky Ford softball team returned to Limon in May to thank the community for its sportsmanship. (Tom Robinson/CHSAANow.com)
Rocky Ford softball was on the way to the 3A state tournament last fall, and when it passed through Limon, the team was met with a road block — and a banner directing the team to a parking lot.
The Rocky Ford team had two players who recently lost their parents, and the tragedies were “widely and deeply felt,” according to coach JC Carrica.
Limon’s community rose up. They prepared goody bags for each player, took the time to talk with the players who recently lost their parents, and then sent Rocky Ford off with honking horns and more banners.
“The girls were hanging their heads out of the bus window, yelling, smiling, of course taking pictures and selfies,” Carrica said. “It was just the encouragement and lift we needed. As we left Limon and entered the interstate, there was not a dry eye on the bus.”
Loveland ends Pine Creek football’s 37-game winning streak
(Josh Watt/CHSAANow.com)
Pine Creek football was a juggernaut this season, storming it was through the 4A ranks.
But then the Eagles ran into Loveland, a No. 13 seed which stunned Pine Creek with a 26-14 win in the semifinals. The loss ended a 37-game winning streak for Pine Creek, which spanned two championships.
Loveland advanced to the 4A title game, where it lost to Windsor.
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Regis Jesuit stuns Monarch to win hockey’s championship
Regis Jesuit won hockey’s championship in the winter. (Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com)
Monarch was the team in Colorado hockey this season, entering with a 21-0 record, and beating teams by a combined score of 20-4 on its way to the championship game.
The Coyotes even took a 1-0 lead 13 seconds into that championship game, against Regis Jesuit in March.
Oh, but. The Raiders stormed back with six unanswered goals to stun Monarch and win the title, 6-1.
The CHSAA office is working on creating record books for team sports that don’t currently have them. But we need your help.
We’re working on record books for the following sports:
Baseball
Boys lacrosse
Girls lacrosse
Softball
Hockey
If you know of stats that may be noteworthy for any of these sports, please email them to rcasey@chsaa.org.
Each record book will have categories for teams (things like winning streaks, and cumulative season stats), players (games, seasons and careers), and coaches (careers).
