CHSAANow

Month: August 2016

  • Softball preview: Lauren Foster channels inner major leaguer on Valor Christian’s quest for third title

    Valor Christian Wheat Ridge softball state title
    (Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com)

    Not sure if Rockies pitching coach Steve Foster knows this or not, but his daughter gushes over the Blue Jays.

    Lauren Foster says her MLB team is “the Colorado Rockies, of course,” then hushes her light Texas cadence as if trying to tell a secret without Steve overhearing, “but this year the Toronto Blue Jays are my favorite.”

    Foster loves her dad and his team. But Valor Christian’s all-state shortstop is in love with one of the majors’ top batting lineups, and aims to come out swingin’ like Josh Donaldson this season as she tries to help the Eagles secure a third straight Class 4A softball title.

    The University of Wisconsin pledge returns with fourth-year head coach Dave Atencio and seven other core members of last year’s state championship squad. After a junior campaign that ended with a tie for third-most home runs in the state and the most RBIs, regardless of classification, Foster feels confident as a player and leader to guide the Eagles on another title quest.

    Lauren transferred last year from Legacy Christian Academy in Frisco, Texas after Steve Foster was hired by the Rockies in late 2014 and her family moved to Colorado. She went from a tiny school and softball team that didn’t ever make playoffs, to hoisting a state trophy for Valor — a school “that’s good at everything and everyone hates.”

    Foster didn’t think much of the early “everyone hates Valor” warnings, but after a big softball game against league rival Wheat Ridge last season — the Eagles’ only blemish on a nearly perfect schedule — is when Foster realized the animosity was very real, starting with postgame backlash on Twitter.

    “I’ve never seen anything like it,” Foster said. “Valor won a lot of state championships last season, and I understand it could be frustrating for some schools, but our softball team works hard, and we win fairly.”

    Coming off its back-to-back state championships, the Valor softball team is up to 17 players on the roster from 12 the past two seasons, and could possibly field a JV team this season, which would be the second time in the school’s nine-year history.

    “We’re a very small program,” Atencio said. “Some schools have upwards of 50 players try out, and the last two years we’ve had 12 players total with varying degrees of talent, including two who never played before.”

    Heritage softball coach Pablo Severtson coaches Foster on the Colorado Styxx Gold 18U club team with Atencio as his assistant. Severtson said Valor will be tough to beat, and Atencio has done a great job with developing the program.

    “The difference between club and high school is in club, the players are already good,” Severtson said. “But in high school, coaches really have to develop their players and what they’re given, regardless of skill or experience level.”

    Even before Foster’s first practice with Valor, Atencio knew the 5-foot-4 shortstop was a special player.

    “I watched her play last summer before she came to Valor when her Texas club team came to Colorado for a tournament,” Atencio said. “She had been enrolled at Valor for the fall, and as an incoming junior, she already had the skill set of a collegiate ball player: first rate instincts and approach at the plate, and very disciplined.”

    With major league blood in her veins, Foster started out throwing and hitting baseballs with Steve, who has also coached for the Royals and Marlins. But she found her own love for softball on a rec league in Dallas the summer after her third grade.

    “You can tell she’s definitely been around big league people with the way she plays,” Severtson said. “She leads by example, and she’s one of the best ball players I’ve coached in 25 years.”

    Now comfortable with her role on the team, Foster will continue to lead by example and hopes to become more vocal this year as she channels her inner Josh Donaldson on the chase for another state title.

    [divider]

    Softball Preview

    “There are no days off. … You gotta bring it everyday, or you’re gonna get beat.” — Pablo Severtson, Heritage softball coach

    Class 5A defending state champion Mountain Range sits at the top of the preseason rankings and returns 5A’s player of the year Hunter Huser, one of the state’s best pitchers. Mountain Range will take on the 4A defending state champion and reigning two-time 4A player of the year Ali Kilponen in a highly anticipated game on August 27 at Metro State.

    A few other favorites in 5A this season are Fossil Ridge, Legend, Eaglecrest, Ralston Valley, ThunderRidge and Douglas County, and teams that have been rebuilding and reloading the past few years, like Legacy and Loveland, could shine.

    Erie, ranked No. 2 in preseason, seems to be the biggest threat of dethroning Valor in 4A behind the dominant arm of ace Rio Sanchez. Wheat Ridge, Frederick and Mountain View will also be very tough teams to beat.

    Coming off a perfect season in 2015, Strasburg is the indisputable preseason favorite in 3A. Coach Michelle Woodard and the Indians have gone 89-4 the past four years and will be gunning for a fourth state title in five years.

    Class 5A

    • Defending champion: Mountain Range
    • Season begins: August 19
    • Playoffs begin: October 15
    • Championship: October 22 at Aurora Sports Park
    • Returning all-state players: Malory Eldredge, Ralston Valley, LF, senior (first team); Hunter Huser, Mountain Range, P, senior (first team); Lindsey Malkin, Broomfield, 3B/C, senior (first team); Jesse Smith, Legend, senior (first team); Melisa Gellermann, Grand Junction Central, P/OF, senior (second team); Shea Mauser, Arvada West, P/1B, junior (second team); Tatum Rembao, Loveland, OF/P, senior (second team); Sloane Stewartson, Rock Canyon, C, senior (second team); Emily Taggart, Legacy, senior (second team); Alexandra Velazquez, Grandview, RF/C/P, senior (second team)

    Class 4A

    • Defending champion: Valor Christian
    • Season begins: August 19
    • Playoffs begin: October 15
    • Championship: October 22 at Aurora Sports Park
    • Returning all-state players: Lauren Foster, Valor Christian, SS/UTIL, senior (first team); Alexandria Kilponen, Valor Christian, P/1B, junior (first team); Rio Sanchez, Erie, P/INF, senior (first team); Jessica Bellatti, Evergreen, SS, senior (second team); Alicia Hernandez, Frederick, P/OF, senior (second team); Mikayla Marquez, Kennedy, P/LF/CF, junior (second team)

    Class 3A

    • Defending champion: Strasburg
    • Season begins: August 19
    • Playoffs begin: October 15
    • Championship: October 22 at Aurora Sports Park
    • Returning all-state players: McKenna Gubanich, Faith Christian, SS/UTIL, senior (first team); Dakota Stotyn, Strasburg, P/1B, junior (first team); Lanessa Amador, The Academy, C/P/2B, senior (second team); Selena Medina, Rocky Ford, P/INF, senior (second team)

  • Fall practice begins in earnest as 10 sports kick off their seasons

    Pine Creek Pueblo West football generic
    (Matt Daniels/MattDanPhoto.com)

    The 10 remaining fall sports can begin practice on Monday. It marks the start of the 2016-17 season for boys and girls cross country, field hockey, football, boys golf, gymnastics, softball, spirit, boys tennis and volleyball.

    Each of those sports will also begin their competition season shortly. Boys tennis can begin matches on Thursday, and softball can begin games on Friday.

    Cross country, field hockey, gymnastics, boys soccer, spirit and volleyball can begin scrimmages on Saturday. Each of those sports can begin contests on Aug. 25.

    Football’s annual Zero Week is Aug. 25, which is also the first day teams can scrimmage. Teams are also allowed to play games that week, and an increasing number of them do. Week 1 begins on Sept. 1.

    Boys golf started practice last Monday, and contests last Thursday.

  • When to watch former Colorado high school athletes in the Olympics this week

    Rio Olympics
    (Wilson Dias/Agência Brasil)

    It’s the final week of the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. That means it’s the last chance to watch former Colorado high school athletes on the world’s biggest stage.

    We’ve broken down when to watch each former Colorado high school athlete in this week’s Olympic events.

    Find a complete list of former Colorado preps in the Olympics on this page.

    [divider]

    Monday, Aug. 15

    Women’s Track: 3000-meter Steeplechase final, 8:15 a.m. Emma Coburn, a 2008 graduate of Crested Butte, hits the track for her shot at an Olympic medal.

    Men’s Track: 800-meter final, 4:25 p.m. Widefield graduate Boris Berian is one of two Americans in the final race. He finished second in his heat in the semifinals.

    [divider]

    Tuesday, Aug. 16

    Women’s Basketball: Australia vs. Serbia, 8 a.m. Lewis-Palmer graduate Danielle Page and Serbia play in the quarterfinals.

    Men’s Track: 200-meter prelims, 8:50 a.m. George Washington alum Jeremy Dodson hits the track for the first time.

    Women’s Soccer: Canada vs. Germany, 1 p.m. Valor Christian alum Janine Beckie has emerged as a star for the Canadians, who now get a shot to advance to the final. Canada beat Germany during the group stage.

    [divider]

    Wednesday, Aug. 17

    No former Colorado high school athletes are in action on Wednesday.

    [divider]

    Thursday, Aug. 18

    (Tabercil via Wikimedia Commons)
    Adeline Gray. (Tabercil via Wikimedia Commons)

    Women’s Wrestling: Freestyle 75kg, 7 a.m. The entire bracket will play out on Thursday, with the qualifications beginning early in the morning, and the final in the afternoon, at 3:35 p.m. Bear Creek alum Adeline Gray will participate.

    Women’s Basketball: Semifinals, 12 p.m. Danielle Page and Serbia play Spain in the semifinals on Thursday.

    [divider]

    Friday, Aug. 19

    Women’s Soccer: Bronze Medal Match, 10 a.m. Janine Beckie and Canada will play Brazil for the right to win the bronze medal.

    [divider]

    Saturday, Aug. 20

    Women’s Basketball: Medal matches. If Danielle Page and Serbia continue to advance, they will play in either the bronze medal or gold medal match.

  • Crested Butte alum Emma Coburn captures bronze in steeplechase at Olympics

    (Courtesy of Team USA)
    Emma Coburn. (Courtesy of Team USA)

    Crested Butte alum Emma Coburn won the bronze medal in the 3000-meter steeplechase at the Olympics on Monday morning.

    She is the first American to ever win a medal in the steeplechase, according to USA Track and Field.

    Coburn finished in 9:07.63 at the Olympic Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, narrowly behind silver medalist Hyvin Kiyeng Jepkemoi (9:07.12) of Kenya. Bahrain’s Ruth Jebet took the gold in 8:59.75.

    Coburn’s time shaved off more than three seconds from her previous personal best of 9:10.76. Her new time is also an American record.

    The bronze medal is Coburn’s best finish on an international stage. She competed in the steeplechase at the 2012 Games in London, finishing ninth. She was 12th at the 2011 World Championships, and fifth at the 2015 World Championships.

    Coburn starred at the state meet in high school, winning the 1,600-meter race three times, the 800 meters twice, and the 3,200 meters once.

    She graduated from Crested Butte in 2008, and then went on to become a national champion in the steeplechase at the University of Colorado.

  • Owen Pasvogel, Discovery Canyon start boys golf season with win at Spartan Invite

    COLORADO SPRINGS — Owen Pasvogel couldn’t help himself. On the 12th tee box, his curiosity got the better of him, so he asked the scorekeeper a simple question.

    “What’s the low score right now?”

    He was told the low score was 2-over.

    “Well I’m at 1-over.”

    Well then, the low score is 1-over.

    So with three holes left to play, the senior-to-be from Discovery Canyon changed his approach and decided to play like he had a lead.

    “I saw a lot of kids at 1-under during the round so I thought that I needed to make a couple of birdies to finish,” he said. “Once I knew (that I had the lead), I knew I just had to hit fairways and hit greens.”

    And he did just that to end with a 1-over-par 72 on Monday to come away with the individual championship at the Doherty Spartan Invitational.

    To top it all off, his teammates added plenty of support and it was the Thunder who also came away with the team title, shooting 226 as a unit.

    “It felt great just to see what the kids were going to do,” coach Mark Liggett said. “They’ve been playing all summer and in a lot of tournaments and it’s carrying over to right now.”

    For the most part, it was never a question as to which team was going to come away with the win. Pasvogel and Caleb Blackburn each had their name atop the leaderboard at least once throughout the round and Hayden Fry was consistently near the top as well.

    Fry finished at 4-over while Blackburn ended his day at 5-over.

    So it was the individual race that provided most of the drama at the Colorado Springs Country Club. Palmer’s Arick Roberts sank a birdie on the 18th to move to 2-under, which was tied for the lead at that point. With his day over, all he could do is wait around to see if anyone would be able to beat that number.

    “I wasn’t playing great all day and I had to finish strong,” Roberts said. “I always like to start out strong because you can always fall back and relax when you get a good score out there.”

    It was only a few minutes later that Pasvogel sank his birdie on the 11th. He nearly pushed the lead to two strokes on the 12th green, but just ran the ball past the hole on his downhill putt.

    “I knew I put a good stroke on it, I just hit it too firm,” Pasvogel said. “I had nice, easy, uphill, right to left breaking putt (after that) which is my favorable putt.”

    Rampart ended with the best score of all the Class 5A teams in the tournament, ending the day at 238. They finished second place overall, only behind Discovery Canyon. It was an encouraging sign for the Rams to see early success against a lot of teams from the Colorado Springs Metro League.

    “We emphasize that the offseason is important so I want my kids to play well in the summer,” coach Scott Blatnick said. “So to come out and play like this in their first round, it shows that they worked hard all summer.”

    Cameron Como had the best finish for the Rams, ending his day at 4-over.

  • 2017 girls swimming and diving state meet qualifying standards

    4A girls state swimming underwater generic
    (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

    Girls swimmers and divers qualify for the 2017 state meets by meeting the following standards during the regular season:

    Class 3A Class 4A Class 5A
    Event Yards Meters Yards Meters Yards Meters
    200 Medley Relay 2:08.00 2:22.85 2:05.00 2:19.5 2:02.00 2:16.15
    200 Freestyle 2:14.00 2:28.47 2:08.00 2:21.82 2:02.50 2:15.73
    200 IM 2:35.00 2:52.05 2:26.00 2:42.06 2:19.00 2:34.29
    50 Free 0:27.50 0:30.66 0:26.60 0:29.66 0:25.80 00:28.77
    100 Butterfly 1:10.00 1:17.77 1:06.30 1:13.66 1:02.50 1:09.44
    100 Free 1:00.50 1:07.28 0:58.10 1:04.61 0:56.00 1:02.27
    500 Yard/400 Meter Free 6:08.00 5:22.81 5:46.00 5:03.51 5:32.00 04:51.23
    200 Free Relay 1:54.00 2:07.34 1:51.00 2:03.99 1:48.00 2:00.64
    100 Back 1:10.00 1:17.77 1:06.80 1:14.21 1:03.20 1:10.22
    100 Breast 1:19.00 1:27.85 1:15.50 1:23.96 1:12.80 1:20.95
    400 Free Relay 4:13.00 4:41.84 4:06.00 4:34.04 3:59.00 4:26.25
    *Diving-6 Dives 180 (9.5) 195 (9.8) 220 (10.1)
    **Diving-11 Dives 290 (11.1) 310 (11.2) 345 (12.1)

    * – In order to qualify under the 6-dive standard, the diver must meet the qualifying standard two times during the season.

    ** – In order to qualify under the 11-dive standard, the diver must meet the qualifying standard only once during the season.

  • Valor Christian alum Janine Beckie helps Canada women’s soccer reach semifinals at Olympics

    Alemanha x Canadá - Futebol feminino - Olimpíadas Rio 2016
    Janine Beckie (16). (Andre Borges/Agência Brasília)

    Janine Beckie had a beautiful assist to set up what proved to be the game-winning goal as Canada’s women’s soccer team reached the semifinal round at the Olympics on Friday.

    Beckie, who graduated from Valor Christian in 2012, lofted a cross across the box to teammate Sophie Schmidt, who then volleyed the ball home in the 56th minute to give Canada a 1-0 lead:

    https://twitter.com/WSUasa/status/764239875939921921

    The Canadians held on to that lead, and beat France 1-0 in the quarterfinals. They advance to the semifinals next Tuesday to face Germany, a team they beat 2-1 in group play earlier in the Olympics.

    Friday’s performance was just the latest starring moment for Beckie, who had three goals in two games during group play.

    Beckie played at Texas Tech after graduating from Valor Christian.

    Another former Colorado high school player joined Beckie in the quarterfinals on Friday. Recent Mountain Vista graduate Mallory Pugh helped the United States to that round, but the U.S. was upset by Sweden in penalty kicks.

    Pugh had an outstanding tournament, including a goal against Columbia on Tuesday which made her the youngest American to score.

    (Andre Borges/Agência Brasília)
    Mallory Pugh. (Andre Borges/Agência Brasília)

  • Boys tennis preview: Discovery Canyon is a team on the rise

    Discovery Canyon tennis
    Discovery Canyon’s Nick Lorenz during the 2015 4A state tennis tournament. (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

    In 2014, the Discovery Canyon boys tennis team walked away from the Class 4A state championships scoring a total of zero team points.

    Last season, they scored 27. And the Thunder believes it can do better this year.

    It’s not hard to see that on the boys tennis scene, Discovery Canyon is quite simply the next big thing. Not bad for a school that only opened back in 2008.

    It opened only two years after the club at Flying Horse which is where most of the Thunder’s players grew to love the game and adopt it as their fall sport of choice.

    “All of these of these kids that we have had in the program (at the club) are starting to come into high school,” coach Mike Humphrey said. “These are kids that are putting a lot of time in themselves in traveling to tournaments.”

    And the results are paying off quickly once those kids are hitting the course.

    The Thunder’s top three players all advanced to at least the semifinal matches. Freshman Nick Lorenz came the closest to reaching gold as he fell in the No. 1 singles final match. Kent Denver’s Casey Ross, a junior, got the better of Lorenz 6-3, 6-1 to claim the title.

    The Sun Devils also came away with the team championship last fall.

    Looking back on last year’s result, Lorenz knows that there is plenty of work to do both physically and mentally if he wants to stand in the first place spot on the podium.

    “Casey’s a really good player too and he’s getting better as well,” Lorenz said. “I know I’m going to have to have the mindset that I can win if I’m going to him.”

    But unlike any competition he sees outside of the school season, the results of his matches don’t just factor into his standing, but his teammates’ as well.

    The bulk of the Thunder’s team points last year came in all the singles brackets. Dustin Bohuslavschi advanced to the No. 2 singles semis before falling and Tanner Jones made it just as far in the No. 3 singles bracket.

    In order for Discovery Canyon to continue it’s upward trend, those three returning players will have to continue their run of success and rely on each other in order to obtain some hardware at the end of the season.

    “It’s more pressure than USTA tournaments, which are all individual,” Lorenz said. “But it’s more fun playing for a team.”

    Kent Denver has firmly been in control of 4A tennis for the last three seasons. The Sun Devils finished with 89 points last year, 17 better than Colorado Academy who came in second.

    Then there was a huge gap for third place as Niwot totaled 35 points. The Thunder finished fourth with their 27, of which 26 came from their singles players.

    Discovery Canyon has put itself on the map, and now it’s time to try and earn its place with the state’s top programs.

    “The strength of a team is in the depth of a team,” Humphrey said. “It’s getting our doubles players playing more and taking tennis to that next level of what they’re doing now. Just getting those kids to play a little more, getting those touches on the ball so that they’re more adept to playing tennis and being in situations that they usually aren’t in.”

    If Humphrey can do that and his singles players can maintain or exceed their current level of success, Colorado high school tennis could find itself in the middle of a nasty Thunderstorm.

    [divider]

    Boys tennis preview

    Class 4A

    • Defending state champion: Kent Denver
    • Regular season begins: Aug. 18
    • Regional tournaments: Oct. 8
    • State tournament: Oct. 13-15, Pueblo City Park Tennis Complex
    • Returning all-state players: Nick Lorenz, So., Discovery Canyon; Jack Moldenhauer, Jr., Kent Denver; Casey Ross, Sr., Kent Denver; Brendan Schwartz, Sr., Colorado Academy; Garrett Sutter, Sr., Colorado Academy

    Class 5A

    • Defending state champion: Cherry Creek
    • Regular season begins: Aug. 18
    • Regional tournaments: Oct. 8
    • State tournament: Oct. 13-15, Gates Tennis Center in Denver
    • Returning all-state players: Luca Abbott, Sr., Regis Jesuit; David Glazer, Sr., Denver East; Ryan James, Sr., Cherry Creek; Mitchell Johnson, Jr., Cherry Creek; Ben Murray, Jr., Cherry Creek; Erich Nuss, Sr., Regis Jesuit; Patrick Seby, Jr., Regis Jesuit; Kap Smith, Jr., Boulder

  • Former Wheat Ridge stars return to provide advice on leadership

    Wheat Ridge High School graduates Nick Ossello and Annie Kunz returned to their alma mater Thursday, Aug. 11, to speak at a leadership symposium for all current Farmer student-athletes.
    Wheat Ridge High School graduates Nick Ossello and Annie Kunz returned to their alma mater Thursday for all current Farmer student-athletes. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    WHEAT RIDGE — Annie Kunz and Nick Ossello haven’t walked the halls at Wheat Ridge High School since graduating in 2011.

    Two of the most talented multi-sport student-athletes ever to come out of Jeffco made a return appearance to their alma mater Thursday, Aug. 11. Kunz and Ossello were on a panel of six WRHS graduates to speak during the two-hour leadership symposium that was mandatory for all Farmer student-athletes.

    “I really think it’s a special place that can really set you up for some future success,” said Ossello, who played football and lacrosse for the Famers before moving on to University of Notre Dame where he played lacrosse for four years and stayed for a fifth year to play football for the Irish. “I want to pass the torch along and let them know Wheat Ridge is a great place.”

    Ossello admits it wasn’t always easy at Wheat Ridge. The current midfielder for the Denver Outlaws in the professional Major League Lacrosse was the quarterback for the Farmers’ freshman football team that went 2-7.

    “It was a long road and there were definitely a lot of hiccups,” said Ossello, who helped Wheat Ridge to a football state title in 2008 and was the starting quarterback for the Farmers in their state runner-up season of 2010. “I had coaches and teachers here that really made me believe in myself.”

    A main point Ossello wanted to get across to the packed auditorium full of current student-athletes was simple.

    “I think it’s really important to enjoy high school sports,” said Ossello, who will play in the MLL playoff semifinals Saturday, Aug. 13, in Connecticut. “Once you get to the college and pro level it’s a job. It’s important to be a part of your community.”

    Current Denver Outlaw lacrosse player Nick Ossello speaks Thursday, Aug. 11, at Wheat Ridge High School.
    Current Denver Outlaw lacrosse player Nick Ossello. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    Kunz gave the Wheat Ridge community plenty of be proud of during her four-year prep run. She is one of the most decorated female athletes from Wheat Ridge winning six state championships and four runner-up individual titles in track and field.

    Soccer was actually her main focus in high school. Kunz powered the Farmers to state titles in 2009 and 2010 before heading to Texas A&M University to play soccer and compete in track and field for the Aggies.

    “I couldn’t have scripted it to go any better than it did. To have the opportunity to do both (soccer and track) for four years and then do a fifth year of just track was incredible,” said Kunz, who broke the A&M school record in the women’s heptathlon with 6,038 points at the U.S. Olympic Trails in Eugene, Ore. last month. “It was a storybook ending for me.”

    The story isn’t over for Kunz, who placed eighth in the heptathlon at the trials to qualify for Rio. She will be in Colorado for about a month before deciding to go to either the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, CA or back to the College Station and Texas A&M to begin training for the 2020 Olympics to be held in Tokyo.

    Kunz added she wouldn’t have changed anything when it comes to her athletic career. While specializing in the heptathlon could have been an option in college, she feels privileged to have been apart of Texas A&M women’s soccer program that went to the Division I national championship semifinals for the first time in 2014.

    “I got such a rare experience that was so special,” Kunz said. “I’m so grateful for the opportunity. I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

    The message Kunz wanted to get across to the current Farmers was to take soak in every moment of their high school career.

    “You don’t realize how quick it goes by,” Kunz said. “I would do anything to go back and put that Wheat Ridge uniform back on. I wanted to emphasize every moment they get to do that, don’t take it for granted.”

    Wheat Ridge athletic director Nick DeSimone organized the symposium for the last handful of years to kick off the school year for the student-athletes.

    “I’m trying to get (students) to understand the depth that this high school has and how far it reaches,” DeSimone said. “In turn, they understand the responsibility of maintaining that.”

    Wheat Ridge student-athletes listen to athletic director Nick DeSimone during a leadership symposium Thursday, Aug. 11.
    Wheat Ridge student-athletes listen to athletic director Nick DeSimone during a leadership symposium. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

  • Evergreen boys golf focused on staying in the moment

    Evergreen senior Lenny Urbas eyes his drive during practice Aug. 11 at Hiwan Golf Club in Evergreen.(Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
    Evergreen senior Lenny Urbas eyes his drive during practice.(Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    EVERGREEN — It’s an exciting time for Evergreen’s boys golf team.

    The Cougars have never won a state team championship in boys golf. However, with three returning players — seniors Lenny Urbas, Blake Kuzava and junior Bridger Tenney — all having finished in the top 30 last year at the Class 4A state tournament, Evergreen is lining up a shot to hoist a state trophy Sept. 27 at River Valley Ranch Golf Club in Carbondale.

    “That culture of winning and doing it the right way is here now. I’m probably more excited about this group from top to bottom then any team we’ve ever had,” Evergreen coach Michael Kuzava said during practice Thursday, Aug. 11, at Hiwan Golf Club in Evergreen. “Each day we have to get better. Our theme last year and carrying over to this year is: ‘We are going to win by not thinking about winning.’ It’s that important. The more they can stay in the moment the better they are going to do.”

    Evergreen was on the tail of now three-time defending 4A team champion and 4A Jeffco League rival Valor Christian all last season. The Eagles were able to win their fifth team state title since 2009 distancing themselves from third-place Evergreen by 31 strokes.

    Kuzava does believe the door is ajar when it comes to knocking off Valor, which graduated all of its state competitors last year. Kuzava, who is in his 16th season coaching the Cougars, has also changed his mindset about facing the private school from Highlands Ranch during all league tournaments along with state.

    Evergreen senior Blake Kuzava works on his short game Aug. 11 at Hiwan Golf Club in Evergreen. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
    Evergreen senior Blake Kuzava. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    “Valor is the measuring stick for us,” Kuzava said. “A few years ago I really disliked having Valor play with us for various reasons, but then a couple of years ago I thought to be the best you have to beat the best. To play well you have to play against good competition. The more we play with Valor the better.”

    Urban might prove to be one of the favorites to contend for an individual title at state. The Cougars’ top golf broke the school record last season firing a round of 66 at Fox Hollow Golf Course and placed seventh at the state tournament.

    “It definitely helps to go out and shoot a round of 66,” said Urbas, who shot a round of 65 at Fox Hollow during tryouts Aug. 8. “It’s nice to know you have that in our forte to be able to go out and shoot that low of a round to help the team.”

    While there is pressure with the opportunity ahead for Evergreen, the fact remains that golf is a sport where experience of being in tense situations is something the Cougars have with their three returning state qualifiers.

    “There is pressure, but I don’t think I feel it that much anymore because it’s my senior season,” Urbas said. “We’ve all been here before.”

    Tenney finished his sophomore campaign strong with a solid performance at regionals and going on to tied for 20th at state. The key contributor on Evergreen’s boys basketball team last season believes the Cougars have the tools to make it a historic season, but he doesn’t what to get too far ahead of himself.

    “We know what we are capable of as a team, but at the same time you can’t be thinking about that mid-round,” Tenney said. “You have to focus on every shot.”

    Blake Kuzava, the coach’s son, believes the team chemistry is strong to push the Cougars over the top this season.

    “I think everyone in tournament golf feels pressure,” Blake Kuzava said. “I do think we are such a tight knit-team that we can rely on one another to distribute the pressure. It’s all about how you deal with it.”

    One setback for Evergreen heading into the season was senior Liam Short deciding not to play his senior season. Short placed tied for 22nd at state. Senior Tyler Simon and sophomore Nolan Miller help with fill the void.

    The 4A Jeffco League tournament schedule begins 8 a.m. Monday, Aug. 15, at Deer Creek Golf Course in Littleton.

    Evergreen junior Bridger Tenney hits on the driving range Aug. 11 at Hiwan Golf Club in Evergreen. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
    Evergreen junior Bridger Tenney. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)