Aspen had seven golfers finish in the top ten of the Skiers Invitational at Aspen Golf Club.
Dominic Lanese IV placed the highest with a two-over second place finish.
The Skiers took the next six spots in the individual standings for a team total of +12 and a runaway team win.
Eagle Valley placed second as a team at +43, while Battle Mountain (+57) and Buena Vista (+72) rounded out the finishers.
Eagle Valley’s Barrett Jones (-2) won the invite with the only score under par.
Jones shot a double-bogey and another bogey to fall from three-under to even. Jones followed with birdies on two of his last three holes to come away with the victory.
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Fossil Ridge wins Eagle Classic
Three golfers tied atop the Eagle Classic field as Fossil Ridge got the team win.
Fossil Ridge’s Josh Caridi, Broomfield’s Adam Tilger and Resurrection Christian’s Micah Ramirez shot even par to land in first place.
The Sabercats had other two other top-five finishers in Dillon Stewart and Jack Hastings, both at two-over.
Resurrection Christian, Loveland, Evergreen and Frontier Academy made up the top five.
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Pueblo County takes narrow Centennial Invite
Just two strokes separated the spots one through seven as Lamar’s Brock Reedy and Trinidad’s Lance Peters finished tied for first at two-over.
Andrew Egan’s third-place finish and Brock Rodrigues’ fifth-place finish paced the Hornets to the team win.
Cheyenne Mountain came in second behind Pueblo County, and Lamar took third.
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But, the last out of the game was recorded on a baserunning error. Silver Creek finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Jetta Nannen gave up three earned runs in a complete game effort for Silver Creek.
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Mead scores six runs in top of seventh to shock Holy Family
Mead softball was down to it’s final three outs, facing a four-run deficit.
The Maverick scored six runs in the seventh inning to beat Holy Family 11-10 on Wednesday.
Mead sophomore Erin Hanafin went four-for-five with six runs batted in, two runs scored and a homerun.
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DENVER — Denver East boys golf won the third Denver Prep League tournament with a team score of 216. The Angels’ Kailer Rundiks and Ryan Sangchompuphen finished in first place with scores of two-under.
In looking for its new baseball coach, Rock Canyon has planted some seed from the Marc Johnson tree.
Athletic director Thomas Brieske announced on Twitter Thursday that Garrett Duman has been hired as the new coach of the Jaguars.
Duman spent 11 years on the Cherry Creek coaching staff and says he’s ready to take charge of a job that hasn’t been far off his line of sight.
“It’s a job that I’ve always had my eye on,” Duman said. “I always felt it was a great place. The community is similar to Cherry Creek so that transition won’t be so hard. It’s a place that’s still relatively young, but already had success. It’s a proven winner.”
The Jaguars’ new coach played for Johnson in high school and played collegiately at Nebraska Wesleyan University. Upon returning to Colorado, he threw himself back into baseball, joining Johnson’s staff where he eventually learned the ins and outs of coaching from one of the best Colorado has to offer.
“I’d be hard-pressed to find a better mentor,” Duman said. “What I admire most about Coach J is throughout all of his success, he’s had other opportunities to coach in college or professionally, that he’s been committed to staying in his community at Cherry Creek.”
Duman now leaves that community and will try to entrench himself with a new one. But he’s a baseball-minded guy and he knows that as long as he has kids that are willing to work hard, he’ll reach a level of success that can’t be measured in wins and losses.
And along the way, he’s embracing perhaps the biggest challenge that comes with coaching in high school. He doesn’t just want to teach the kids about baseball, he wants to help them develop life skills.
“I want to give the kids a good experience on the baseball field and develop as people,” Duman. “That part is going to be rewarding. As a head coach, you feel like you’re responsible for that and I’m excited about that task.”
Ralston Valley’s boys lacrosse team will be in its second year as a varsity program next spring. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
ARVADA — Heading into its second season of fielding a varsity team, Ralston Valley’s boys lacrosse team will have a new coach next spring.
Nick Lewis, who spent the last two years as the head boys lacrosse coach at Prairie View High School in Henderson, has been named the new boys lacrosse coach for the Ralston Valley Mustangs.
“I’m extremely excited to be a Mustang,” said Lewis, who guided the Thunderhawks to a 9-6 record last year.
Nick Lewis has been hired as the new boys lacrosse coach at Ralston Valley. (photo provided)
Lewis is originally from New York and played lacrosse at SUNY Oneonta in New York. He has been coaching lacrosse for the past 16 years and moved to Colorado in 2015. Lewis said the potential and the number of students at Ralston Valley is a reason why he was interested in the position.
“Ralston Valley is lucky to bring on a coach of Nick’s caliber to move our program forward,” said Jim Hynes, Ralston Valley’s Athletic Director. “His east coast background as a player, and his track record of turning around a previous program were factors in his hiring.”
Ralston Valley had a 1-14 overall record and 0-6 mark in the 5A Front Range League last season. It was the first year at the varsity level for the young program. Ironically, the Mustangs’ season finale last year was a close 8-7 loss to Prairie View and the Mustangs’ new coach.
“I want to build a culture and community around Ralston Valley lacrosse,” Lewis said. “We want to build a program that we have pride in and perform to the best of our abilities on and off the field.”
Ralston Valley had just two seniors on its squad last season. Being the lone Arvada-area high school to have a boys lacrosse program currently, there is plenty of potential for the program to grow and draw talent from across the north-Jeffco schools.
It may not be the flashiest, but it’s arguably the most necessary.
No, they’re not going to rush for 1,800 yards or find a receiver that makes a tip-toe catch at the pylon. What they will do is make all that possible. They’ll create the hole, they’ll protect the pocket for the quarterback to make that throw.
They’re offensive linemen and the depth Colorado has at the position is unbelievable. And it will be for the foreseeable future.
“The talent this year is very deep in the younger ranks,” said former NFL offensive lineman Matt McChesney, owner of Six Zero Strength, which trains many of the top linemen in the state. “I think the state of Colorado is very deep with big guys, especially offensive linemen.”
Take the 1,590 yards Highlands Ranch’s Kobe Eller rushed for in 2016.
“Pretty much any running back in the state would love to run behind this line,” Highlands Ranch coach Mark Robinson said. “You’d have to be crazy not to want to run behind them.”
Eller had Austin Johnson, Drake Nugent and Jaden Walker creating holes and taking defenders multiple yards up the field.
“Austin Johnson might be the best player in the state of Colorado,” McChesney said. “He’s a fifteen-year-old grown man. He thinks differently, he acts differently. (Nugent) is the same way. They’re best friends, they feed off of each other.
“Both of those kids are absolute freaks, and the work ethic of both of them is just ridiculous. That’s what sets them apart.”
Robinson spoke on Walker and his role with the Falcons.
“Jaden Walker, he’s at center, guard combination,” Robinson said. “I don’t think there’s a better one in the state of Colorado.”
As for leadership, Robinson said Nugent is more of a vocal leader than Johnson and Walker.
“Drake is more of the vocal leader,” Robinson said. “Austin Johnson is a leader, just through his actions. They’re both very explosive off of the ball.”
Robinson added on the three linemen, “You put those three together, what it gives us is a lot of confidence having those guys in front of them.”
Johnson, Nugent and Walker lead in a different way. They lead in the weight room, they lead with their work ethic.
(Renee Bourcier/CHSAANow.com)
“What they really do is they push you in the weight room. They’re great weight room leaders,” Robinson said. “It pushes the rest of the team. They just go to work. I call them ‘bring your lunch pale’ type guys.”
For No. 9-ranked Highlands Ranch, the strength of the team lies in that offensive line.
“As far as our biggest strength, I would say, definitely our offensive line,” Robinson said. “You can break it right down and pinpoint it to that. A really solid offensive line.”
The athletes at offensive line across the state span from Mullen’s Florian McCann III, a CSU committ, to Air Force committ Blake Carrette.
“(Carrette) is a very multidimensional player that plays tackle for Mike Campbell at Arapahoe,” McChesney said. “He’s one of my guys in here that’s been grinding for almost three years for his opportunity.”
Said McChesney on McCann III: “He’s really a damn fine player, big body.”
McChesney, an alum of Niwot High School who played at CU, is excited about this wealth of talent, which should say a lot coming from a former NFL offensive lineman.
“Gavin Singer is a big tackle at Columbine,” McChesney said. “He might be the nastiest guy in the state. Very versatile, he can play right tackle, guard, center. It’s just a matter of time before the Mountain West or a Power 5 school gets a hold of him.”
Eaglecrest has a 6-foot-6, 265-pound lineman in Barrett Miller.
“(Miller) is very fluid, heavy hands, good feet, super athlete and great hips,” McChesney said. “He’s a huge prospect at Eaglecrest. He’s another nasty one. I always have to tell him we can’t hurt people in the gym, and to back off.”
McChesney spoke on the offensive line talent that Cherry Creek has with Mike Lynn and Carson Lee.
“(Lynn has) an extremely good punch, violent hands,” McChesney said on the six-foot-seven, 300 pound tackle. “He works five days religiously on top of what he does at Cherry Creek.”
“(Lee) is just born nasty. He’s got three more years to develop. The sky is the limit for Carson, he’s got big legs, broad shoulders.”
There’s returning first team all-stater Max Bruner at Ponderosa, Jacob Wilton at Brighton and many more.
McChesney builds a family with these big linemen and often utilizes the phrase, “Dungeon Family.”
“When I say Dungeon Family, it’s truly a family,” McChesney said. “I have your back, you have my back. You’re going to sell out for me, I’m going to sell out for you.
“Family holds eachother accountable, family helps eachother, family has eachother’s back.”
These linemen will be able to showcase their true talent on the field starting on Thursday, the beginning of Zero Week.
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Big-school football preview
Important dates
Regular season begins: Aug. 24 (Zero Week); Aug. 31 (Week 1)
First team: Max Borghi, Pomona, RB/CB, Sr.; Victor Garnes, Eaglecrest, RB/CB, Sr.; Jake Heimlicher, Regis Jesuit, DE, Sr.; Dimitri Stanley, Cherry Creek, WR/CB, Sr.; A jon Vivens, Mullen, WR/CB, Sr.
Second team: Gunner Gentry, Grandview, WR, Sr.; Luke McCaffrey Valor Christian, QB/DB, Jr.; Barrett Miller, Eaglecrest, DE/OT, Jr.
4A:
First team: Marcell Barbee, Pueblo South, Sr.; Maxwell Bruner, Ponderosa, G/NG, Sr.; Griffin Moss, Chatfield, DT/DE, Sr.; Brandon Ramirez, Windsor, WB/KR, Sr.; Isaak Rolfe, Pine Creek, DE, Sr.
Second team: Jesse Bridge, Sand Creek, K/P, Sr.; Steve Brock, Pueblo South, RB, Sr.; Payton Dietrich, Wheat Ridge, RB/LB; Mason Knighton, Ponderosa, OT/DE, Sr. Christion Louis, Pine Creek, DT, Sr.; Jayden Manu, Loveland, OL, Sr.; Devyn Morgan, Pueblo West, RB; Quinton Ostdahl, Ponderosa, RB/LB; Sterling Ostdahl, Ponderosa, QB, Sr.; Zach Watts, Windsor, DT/OT
3A:
First team: Nathan Mackey, Mead, RB, Sr.; Trey McBride, Fort Morgan, TE/DE, Sr.
Second team: Ty Evans, Palmer Ridge, QB/FS, Jr.; Austin Hassler, Longmont, LB, Sr.; Gavin Mestas, Durango, WR/FS, Sr.; Stone Samaras, Holy Family, QB, Jr.; Derrick Smashum, Vista Peak Prep, QB, Sr.; Sean Willden, Holy Family, OL/DL, Sr.
ERIE — Kara Kovets came to bat with the bases loaded and a chance to break a top-10 softball matchup open in the first inning, but grounded into a fielder’s choice.
In her second at-bat of No. 5 Erie’s 11-5 win over No. 9 Frederick, she didn’t miss.
“I knew what I had to do,” Kovets said. “I just had to trust my hands and wait until a ball got into my zone to hit it as hard as I can.”
Kovets hit a two-run homerun to dead center to give Erie a 7-2 lead over Frederick.
“Kara has a lot of power,” Erie coach Harold Simmons said. “She hit a lot of homeruns last year, so she’s a big time player. That’s kind of her thing, you know, she gets a good launch angle and hits the ball out of the park.
“Anytime you tack on those runs in an inning like that, I think there were two outs at that time, you need those two runs.”
Maddie Leach pitched a complete game for Erie in the win. It was Leach’s first game as the No. 1 starter for the Tigers as she replaced the standout Rio Sanchez.
“It’s tough, right,” Simmons said. “It’s nerve-racking replacing somebody like that. You just have to be yourself and compete, and I thought she did.
“It was a good opening outing for our new pitcher replacing a girl that’s been a legend in Colorado softball.”
Erie continually hit the ball hard, chasing Frederick’s starting pitcher Makenna Goodard from the game in the third inning.
“I feel like this team is really strong,” Kovets said. “Our hitting has gotten a lot better and our fielding, we all have eachother’s backs.”
(Cannon Casey/CHSAANow.com)
It was Erie’s Kat Sackett that started the scoring. A line drive just under the glove of a diving Aspen Dufour drove in one, before Leach knocked one into the gap with runners on first and second.
After two throwing errors, Leach stood on third with the score 3-0 Erie.
Frederick battled back in the bottom of the inning, as Lorenna Hernandez singled down the third base line to close it to a one-run game.
In the second, an error and a fielder’s choice put the score at 5-2 with Kovets up to bat and a runner on.
Sackett and Erie added three more runs of insurance in the top of the seventh before Leach closed out the 11-5 win.
“Anytime you get a win against a top notch program and a rival game, it feels good,” Simmons said. “We had some good timely hitting, got a little bit soft there in the middle of the game bat-wise where we didn’t stay on them.”
Jacob Smith recovers from his lone double-bogey with an eagle and cruised to a win at Tuesday’s Rifle Invitational.
He ended his day with a four-under-par 68, winning the tournament by a staggering 13 strokes. He couldn’t lift his team to the title, however, as Summit was able to edge Rifle by just three strokes.
But it was Smith who impressed the most on the day. He went three-under going out, including an eagle on No. 2, a 477-yard par five.
His second eagle on the day came on No. 17, a hole after he made double-bogey. He recorded only two holes over par through the entire round.
Tyler Horii was the top player for Summit, shooting a 81 to help lead his team to a win.
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Prairie View dominates the top of the EMAC North leagerboard
Prairie View had four of the top five finishers at Tuesday’s EMAC North tournament at Coyote Creek Golf Course.
The only spot they couldn’t grab in the tournament was the top one. Jay Audette-Smith shot a 76 to grab the win, beating Thunderhawks senior Terrance Barrios and freshman Tyler Jenson by just one stroke.
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Mead’s T.J. Shehee stands tall at Highland Meadows
Mead’s T.J. Shehee and Sterling’s Brayden Lambrecht each shot a 69 at the Trial-Valley tournament at Highland Meadows on Tuesday.
According to iWanamaker, it was Shehee who came away with the win.
Lambrecht didn’t go home empty-handed, however, as Sterling grabbed the team win, shooting only four-over as a team.
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Eaglecrest’s Shayelyn Allen had four RBIs to spark her team’s offense as the Raptors beat Douglas County 14-4 in an early-season showdown in Class 5A softball.
Eaglecrest, ranked No. 2 in the preseason poll, also got six strong innings in the circle from senior Braelyne Crenshaw, who struck out five, and allowed just one earned run.
Brandee Morris also went 3-for-5 for the Raptors, who pounded out 21 hits as a team.
Douglas County, ranked No. 6, was led by Abbey Montoya, who went 2-for-2 with two RBIs.
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Strasburg opens season in style
Top-ranked Strasburg opened its season with a statement, beating No. 9 Sterling 15-2.
Strasburg, which finished runner-up in 3A last season, jumped out to a 6-0 lead after three innings, and then really broke the game open with a seven-run seventh inning.
Sterling’s Brooke Polenz went 2-for-3 with two RBIs. The Tigers moved to 0-2 after losing to Scottsbluff, Neb., in extra innings on Monday.
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Notables
Weld Central’s Bella Dreher and Idania Jacobo combined to toss a perfect game during a 21-0 three-inning win over Jefferson. Dreher (six) and Jacobo (three) struck out every batter they faced.
Pine Creek’s offense got off to a roaring start: The Eagles beat Doherty 23-4 in five innings. Katie Spieth had eight RBIs as part of a 4-for-5 day, and she hit two home runs. Lourdes Martinez added five RBIs.
Valor Christian senior Ali Kilponen, a three-time player of the year, had 19 strikeouts as 4A No. 1 Valor Christian beat Cheyenne Mountain 4-1.
Legend’s Cailey Oldemeyer drove in seven runs as the Titans beat Dakota Ridge 21-4.
Rampart senior Shelby Shepherd had quite the game. She struck out 10 in the circle, allowing just one hit, and also had four RBIs at the plate as the Rams beat Palmer 19-1.
Sophomore Torie Bass helped Fountain-Fort Carson win a slugfest over Coronado. She homered and had four RBIs.
