After wins over Air Academy and Liberty, Steamboat Springs has broken into the CHSAANow.com hockey rankings this week.
The Sailors won the two games by a combined score of 16-6, improving to 6-2-1 on the season. They are ranked No. 10.
Regis Jesuit keeps its familiar spot as the No. 1 team in state, the spot they have occupied all season long.
Cherry Creek (No. 2) Ralston Valley (No. 3) and Valor Christian (No. 4) all climbed one spot from where they sat a week ago.
After suffering its first lost of the season, Fort Collins dropped to No. 5. They lost 5-2 to No. 7 Mountain Vista on Tuesday.
Monarch and Resurrection Christian hold their spots at No. 6 and No. 9 respectively and Dakota Ridge drops one spot, landing at No. 8.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. During the regular season, the poll will release each Monday.
FREDERICK — Every plant needs to be seeded before it can grow.
Over the years, the participation numbers of girls in Colorado high school wrestling has only grown. There are questions as to what it would take for the numbers to reach the point that girls wrestling can become it’s own sport.
And as with any new venture, there are concerns of the reception of the idea and how much early success will play a role into its growth.
If the overall support that the first girls-specific wrestling tournament is any indication, something special may have just been planted at Frederick High School.
The Warrior Invite featured seven girls only brackets consisting of 80 wrestlers representing 42 schools. Athletic director Ernie Derrera didn’t host the tournament to gain recognition. As the chairman of the CHSAA wrestling committee, he had to be willing to do what we he was asking of others.
“One of the things I felt as chair of the committee was that if I was going to ask somebody else to do it, it was probably right for me to be able to step up and do it,” Derrera said. “We have the facility, we have great volunteers who help us do this and we had a tournament that we were running anyway. So it made sense for us to be able to carry two of them up and get it done.”
Hosting is only part of the battle though.
Participation numbers for girls wrestlers have only increased with each year. It’s not uncommon anymore to see a girl wrestling on the floor at Pepsi Center in the state tournament.
But if girls wrestling is to become its own sanctioned sport, there has to be support from multiple sides.
“In the past, if you see a girl wrestling in a boys tournament you hear the chatter in the stands of, ‘Hey, she’s pretty good for a girl,’” Golden assistant coach Brooke Sauer said. “They don’t mean anything negative by it, but (the girls) out of their element when they aren’t given the same opportunity as the guys are.”
Sauer knows what she’s talking about. A 2006 graduate from Golden, she is the first girl in Colorado history to qualify for the state tournament. Now, just over a decade later she’s coaching in the sport in which she excelled and to see it grow to the point that girls are able to compete in their own tournament is mind-blowing.
“Today, to hear how much positive talk there was, it took the (inequality) out of the equation,” she said. “To see that speed planted, that girls can wrestle girls and that there’s this big of a turnout, is huge.”
Holyoke’s Jessica Mosqueda received the honor of being the first girl to win an all-girls championship with a fall victory over Liberty’s Naliah Rosales in the 101-pound final.
The overall feeling may not have sunk in yet in the moments following her win, but the impact of that victory did not escape her.
“It’s amazing,” Mosqueda said. “Wrestling girls, we know that we can do more and it just feels really special right now.”
Even with seven girls brackets in the tournament, there were still girls who felt more comfortable competing against the guys and opted for that route. It paid off for Roosevelt’s Angel Rios who came away with the 106 championship. There was no boy that could stop her on Saturday.
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
“When I first started, I was 3-years-old and there weren’t many girls,” Rios said. “I basically grew up wrestling boys my whole life. It feels more like home.”
Her first-place victory was a unique feat either as she had come away with a championship in the Roosevelt Invitational back on Dec. 10.
Saucer was quick to point out her accomplishment and acknowledge that she anticipates seeing Rios at Pepsi Center in February.
But for now, based on the results and turnout of the Warrior Invite, the idea of girls wrestling is not as far-fetched as it was even a month ago.
“I’ve had several coaches come up to me and say, ‘Hey, what’s next? Are you starting a girls team,’” Sauer said. “I think that’s huge to have the support from everybody here.”
She also pointed out that Derrera, Frederick and CHSAA took a huge leap of faith by moving forward with the tournament. But they all simply planted the seed. Only time will tell what will sprout as a result.
Pomona wrestlers and coaches gather for a photo after winning the team title at the Arvada West Wrestling Invite on Saturday. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
ARVADA — Pomona sophomore Theorius Robison had enough in the tank Saturday night to do a backflip after winning the 132-pound title at the Arvada West Wrestling Invite.
“Wrestling can get emotional,” Pomona coach Sam Federico said about Robison’s match which was the highlight of the finals. “You try to keep things calm, but you never know. Sometimes it goes crazy. A finish like that is always exciting.”
Last year’s 126-pound 5A state champion and top ranked 132-pounder in Tim Yount’s On the Mat rankings let his emotions get away from him a little bit after defeating No. 2 ranked Grand Junction’s Dylan Martinez. However, Robison was clearly focused on the future moments after the come-from-behind victory.
Pomona senior Jason Romero, right, takes a quick look at the clock during his title match. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
“That was a big win, but I’ve got to just keep on getting ready for state. I know he (Martinez) is already working on stuff to get me back at state,” Robison said. “I’m trying to defend my title at state. I’ll keep working hard, but that was a big win.”
Robison trailed 5-0 late in the second period. It appeared he scored a 1-point escape, 2-point takedown and 3-point near-fall in the final moments of the second period, but after the two officials talked it over the near-fall was ruled to have happened after time expired in the period.
Martinez led 7-6 with 8 seconds left in regulation time and with a restart in the neutral position. Robison made one last-ditch effort to take the victory. The sophomore was able to get a last-second takedown to grab a 8-7 victory.
“I kind of knew he was going to back up,” said Robison, who improved to 18-1 on the season. “I came in hard and it just happened the way it happened. That’s the way is was supposed to go.”
Robison was one of four Panthers to take home first-place titles at the annual A-West Invite. Sophomores Justin Pacheco (113) and Colton Yapoujian (120), along with seniors Jason Romero (160) and Brandon Micale (285) joined Robison on top of the podium at the end of the night.
“All in all we wrestled pretty good,” Federico said. “We still have some improvement to do like everyone else here. We are wrestling pretty good.”
The Panthers had seven wrestlers in the finals and captured the team title with 196.5 points. The top-ranked team in 5A faced a tough field with 5A’s No. 2 Grand Junction, No. 3 Grandview, No. 6 Castle View, No. 7 Coronado and No. 9 Adams City all at the tournament that has been called the “mini-state” in the past.
The Panthers weren’t completely at full strength. Pomona was missing its 106 and 145 pounders.
Pomona senior Uriah Vigil, right, attempts to lift Coronado’s Jimmy Weaver. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
Pacheco won one of the deepest brackets in the tournament. Five of the top seven ranked 5A wrestlers at 113 pounds made it a tough road for everyone. The sophomore took a 4-0 decision over Coronado’s Steve Dabelko in the final.
Yapoujian could likely moved up to No. 1 at 120 after winning another competitive bracket. The sophomore pinned Jefferson’s Jimmy Ramirez III in the championship bout at the 59 second mark.
Romero, a two-time state runner-up, had a tough match against Grand Junction’s Jay Skalecki. The senior was able to take a 4-2 victory on his journey to hopefully that first state title.
“Going up to 160s for the first weekend was a little different,” Romero said. “I was a little banged up from the tournament we just came from, but I was able to finish strong.”
Pomona senior Brandon Micale wrapped up the tournament with a 6-3 victory over Castle View’s David Nuriyev in the heavyweight bout. Micale came in ranked No. 4 at 220, but wrestled in the heavyweight class on Saturday.
“He (Micale) is a strong kid, but you are having to push around some big kids,” said Federico, who added he might keep Micale at heavyweight for the rest of the season. “He is used to doing it in football, but it’s a little different in wrestling. We’ll see.”
The next tournament up for Pomona is the two-day Top of the Rockies Tournament at Centaurus High School this coming Friday and Saturday.
Pomona sophomore Theorius Robison, right, does all he can from being pinned by Grand Junction’s Dylan Martinez. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
Arvada West Wrestling Invite results
Team scores (top 10)
Pomona 196.5, Grand Junction 165.5, Grandview 137.5, Adams City 107.5, Castle View 103.5, Coronado 91, Discovery Canyon 69, Jefferson 65, Arvada West 61, Mountain View 56
Championship finals
106- Malik Heinselman (Castle View) over Patrick Allis (Discovery Canyon), TF 21-5.
113- Justin Pacheco (Pomona) over Steve Dabelko (Coronado), 4-0.
120- Colton Yapoujian (Pomona) over Jimmy Ramirez III (Jefferson), fall :59.
126- Polo Garcia (Denver East) over Cody Fatzinger (Arvada West), injury default 1:54).
132- Theorius Robison (Pomona) over Dylan Martinez (Grand Junction), 8-7.
138- KJ Kearns (Coronado) over Joshua Boulton (Fort Collins), 7-0.
145- Josiah Rider (Grand Junction) over Erik Contreras (Mountain View), fall 2:37.
152- Gavin Deaguero (Adams City) over Xavier Herrera (Pomona), fall 3:14.
160- Jason Romero (Pomona) over Jay Skalecki (Grand Junction), 4-2.
170- Tate Samuelson (Castle View) over Seth Latham (Grand Junction), fall 3:34.
182- Jimmy Weaver (Coronado) over Uriah Vigil (Pomona), fall 6:24.
195- Robert Woods (Grandview) over Travis Gallagher (Castle View), 5-3.
220- Shawn Garcia (Grand Junction) over Oscar Lopez (Jefferson), fall 5:24.
285- Brandon Micale (Pomona) over David Nuriyev (Castle View), 6-3.
Pomona senior Brandon Micale, left, takes down Castle View’s David Nuriyev in the heavyweight bout final. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
LITTLETON — Saturday Night, on rivalry weekend, Cherry Creek boys and girls basketball took down Centennial League Rival Arapahoe in enemy territory.
The No. 7 Cherry Creek girls team took a 72-55 victory over the Warriors. Both teams were able to find a grove after scoring a combined 10 points in the first quarter. The Warriors were shutout for the first seven-plus minutes of the contest.
All told it was the fourth quarter that won the contest for Cherry Creek, who put up 28 points compared to only 10 for Arapahoe.
“It feels awesome that we came together as a team in the second half, we pulled it together and did what we had to do to get the win,” junior forward Jaela Richardson said. “It feels great to come together as a team, we need to continue (coming) together as and focus on our goal.”
In the boys game, the intensity and crowd energy were high and Arapahoe came out with a great first half.
(Max Potter/CHSAANow.com)
The Warriors were shooting well and dominating on the glass, building a 31-27 lead at the break. The second half, on the other hand, belonged to the Bruins. They put up 20 points in the third quarter and once they grabbed a lead, they never looked back. The game ended with a final score of 69-57 in favor of Cherry Creek.
“It was a team win, everyone was scoring and passing and getting open looks,” junior Rashon Johnson said. “We were slow in the first half, then we can out strong in the second half.”
The Bruins have a very tough week coming up with Eaglecrest on the road and Grandview at home.
“We need to treat it like every week, come in and practice hard, get the game plan down and try to get the win,” Johnson said. “We (also need to) keep our heads, not act bigger than we are and play Creek basketball.”
The Bruins will be back in action with a doubleheader at Eaglecrest Wednesday, and a doubleheader versus Grandview Saturday.
As for Arapahoe both the boys and girls teams will face Smoky Hill on Wednesday and Cherokee Trail on Saturday.
COLORADO SPRINGS — Olivia Florek’s 3-point attempt was off to the side. St. Mary’s was able to corral the rebound and with the Manitou Springs players out of position, she got another crack at it.
Her second attempt was good. This one came at the end of the third quarter. It gave No. 2 St. Mary’s momentum and a 10-point lead.
They kept the momentum and only increased the lead as the Pirates beat the No. 10-ranked Mustangs 59-41 in a battle of two Class 3A top-10 teams.
“It feels good,” St. Mary’s coach Mike Burkett said. “They’re a good team and Shelby (Megyeri) makes them great. It’s hard to defend them.”
Megyeri scored a game-high 16 points and Calleen Sienknecht added 12, but it just turned out not to be enough.
The Pirates (8-0 overall, 3-0 Tri-Peaks) opted to try and take away the threat from behind the arc. They primarily sat in a 2-3 zone with the guards extended out to deny the shooters an open look. Sienknecht and Megyeri we were able to combine for five triples on the night, it was scoring from the inside that proved the most difficult.
“We needed to be stronger in the post to get the ball movement going,” Megyeri said. “If the post was hitting down low, we’d be able to spread (that zone) out more.”
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
The third quarter turned out to be the major turning point as Manitou made only one field goal and scored just five points.
And while the Mustangs’ (4-5, 1-1) scoring effort was concentrated, the Pirates were able to spread theirs out more.
Florek’s 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter was one of only two field goals she made on the night, yet she led her team with 13 point, eight of which came from the charity stripe.
Seneca Hackley had 12 and Josephine Howery added 10. Natalie Godec and Makenna Bodette just missed out on double-digits, coming away with eight points apiece.
“We just play as a team and we’re not selfish,” Florek said. “We just pass the ball around and we really don’t care who scores or who looks the best. We just want to win and play as a team.”
It’s the second-straight Friday that the Pirates’ leading scorer got the majority of her points at the free throw line. Howery scored 15 of her 19 points in last week’s win over Lamar off free throws.
But that’s the way of the world for the Pirates right now. Whether it’s off free throws or 3-pointers and whether it’s Florek’s 13 on Friday or Bodette’s 28 in a win over Pueblo East earlier this week, they are going to get the points needed to add to the win column.
Unlike the last few seasons, Manitou has been learning to deal with early losses. Their five defeats this season nearly match their losses for the last two years combined. But they are still competing with top-ranked teams.
“I’d much rather play teams of this caliber every time,” coach Ed Longfield said. “We’ve had Sterling, we’ve had Pagosa, Denver Lutheran and (St. Mary’s) is a really good team. It’s absolutely better for us to play this level of competition.”
But now, all indications are that the Tri-Peaks title goes through St. Mary’s. With wins over Lamar and Manitou Springs, the Pirates feel they have all the momentum at this point.
“I think that it shows how improved we are from last year and throughout the season,” Florek said. “We’re a force to be reckoned with.”
Dakota Ridge junior Cole Binder (21) backs down Pomona junior Noah Clark (11) during the first quarter Friday night. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
LITTLETON — Improvement from game-to-game is what Dakota Ridge and Pomona boys basketball programs are focused on attaining this season.
Dakota Ridge and Pomona entered Friday night’s Class 5A Jeffco League game at Dakota Ridge High School with a combined 5-17 record. The Eagles (3-10 record) were able to improve to 2-2 in conference play with a 65-61 home victory over Pomona (3-8, 0-4).
“We played a lot of good basketball tonight,” Dakota Ridge coach Curi Yutzy said after the Eagles broke a 2-game league losing streak. “We’ve got to continue to be more consistent. We’re young, so we are continuing to work on that.”
Dakota Ridge had an 11-point lead with a minute to play, but Pomona had a furious rally in the final 60 seconds. Pomona junior Noah Clark hit a 3-pointer and a pair of layups off Dakota Ridge turnovers to cut the Eagles’ lead to 65-61.
Pomona junior Ryan Marquez, right, puts on some defensive pressure against Dakota Ridge. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
Another turnover gave the ball to the Panthers in the final seconds, but a 3-pointer didn’t fall as Dakota Ridge escaped with the 4-point victory.
“It rings kind of hollow because we are always close and competitive, but we can’t seem to find the silver bullet to put us over the top,” Pomona coach Jon Baskin said after the 19th straight 5A Jeffco League loss.
Clark did everything in his power to attempt to break the losing streak dating back to the 2014-15 season. The junior finished with a game-high 24 points, including 13 points in the final quarter. The Panthers posted 27 points in the final eight minutes after scoring just 34 points through the first three quarters.
“He (Clark) is one of our just basketball guys and he is pretty heady,” Baskin said. “He does a lot of good things and have been pretty consistent for us all year. He has come a long way from being a JV guy to a starter this year.”
Baskin has several multi-sport athletes and it has been a struggle to get things going during the hoops season at Pomona. The Panthers’ success on the football field the last two seasons making it to the 5A state championship game sets the basketball team back on having its complete team together to even practice together until after the conclusion of the football season.
“For us, being a football school, anytime we’re competitive it’s great,” said Baskin, who has also coached at Westminster and Standley Lake.
The Eagles have had great success on the court that past three seasons with an impressive 26-8 conference record, but after graduating 11 seniors last season Dakota Ridge found itself with a lot of new faces on varsity this year.
Dakota Ridge junior Drew Dominic goes up for a jumper in the lane. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
“It’s definitely a reload,” Dakota Ridge’s lone senior Greg McNulty said. “There are a lot of guys who swung varsity and all of us played together on JV. We knew what we could do individually. The speed is the only problem we had adjusting to.”
McNulty (17 points) and junior Antonio Norton (14 points) were up to speed in the fourth quarter. The duo combined for 16 points in the final quarter to help the Eagles hold on for the victory.
“I thought Greg (McNulty) was awesome in terms of attacking their pressure and making the next pass,” Yutzy said. “It’s about growth and this was a step in the right direction.”
Juniors Cole Binder and Drew Dominic both had their moments for the Eagles with 13 points each. Binder buried a pair of 3-pointers in the opening quarter and Dominic got hot in the second quarter with a trio of 3-pointers.
Dakota Ridge heads to Ralston Valley to face the Mustangs on Wednesday, Jan. 18, next week before getting a crack at rival Chatfield, ranked No. 4 in the CHSAANow.com boys hoops poll, on the Eagles home court Friday, Jan. 20.
“This really helps to boast our confidence,” McNulty said. “This will really boast us toward going up to Ralston Valley on Wednesday to have the mindset to beat them.”
Pomona hasn’t had a winning record since the 2010-11 season when hoops standout Alex Welsh helped lead the Panthers to a 16-5 record during his senior campaign. Welsh went on to star at the Division II level at the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs for four years and is currently playing professionally in Europe.
“Ultimately, I would really like to see us get not than just a couple wins,” Baskin said of hopefully breaking its conference winning drought. “We are capable of beating most of the teams in the league.”
The Panthers host Lakewood on Wednesday, Jan. 18, before traveling to face rival Arvada West on Friday, Jan. 20.
Pomona junior Riley Govan, right, tries to maintain control of the ball when driving the lane. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
