University softball started the season strong with an 11-0 run-rule of Lyons. The Bulldogs did their damage with a six-run third inning.
Freshman Delaney Wienke went 2-for-3 with 4 RBIs, a triple and a homerun to spark the offense.
“We’re starting about seven sophomores and freshman on our varsity team, so they’re going to be young,” University coach Rocky Byrd said. “To start off like that was awesome, especially with one of those freshman hitting a triple and a homerun. That set the tone for what we’re hoping and expecting for the season.”
Alyssa Marquez got the win for the Bulldogs on the mound.
“Us being a second-year varsity program, to get that recognition preseason was awesome,” Byrd said. “Before, it was, we have nothing to lose. Now, we have a motivation piece to go out there and prove to them that we need to be in the top-10.”
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Seeking to further foster the sportsmanship that exists in high school sports, Mitchell High School has created an announcement that its athletes will read prior to home events.
The announcement, a brainchild of the Mitchell administration, was reviewed by the school’s head coaches, its student-athletes, the English department, and by other athletic directors within District 11.
The sportsmanship announcement will be read by students prior to their home events at Mitchell High School and Garry Berry Stadium this school year.
It will also be printed on the back of every program for home events, and will be distributed to parents during Mitchell’s Fall Sports Kick-Off event on Wednesday, as well as their back-to-school event on Aug. 31.
Here’s the text of the sportsmanship announcement:
Good afternoon/evening ladies and gentleman and welcome to Mitchell H.S./Garry Berry Stadium. My name is: (student’s name) and I am here to deliver your sportsmanship announcement for this event.
On behalf of my teammates, coaches, athletic program, school, and CHSAA, I want to thank everyone here for coming out to support us, the STUDENT-ATHLETES, who will be participating this afternoon/evening. We choose to participate because it is fun for us and we enjoy the friendly competition.
We ask that, YOU, the spectators, honor and respect the student athletes and this event. We PREPARE, PLAN, and PLAY to WIN, BUT WINNING is not our PURPOSE. Our purpose as players and coaches is to compete, to learn to work together, to manage adversity when it arises, and to accept the outcome of this event with humbleness and humility.
To the OFFICIALS, thank you for your sacrifice to this game. We realize you are human and you might make mistakes but we will not criticize you for them. Instead, we will respect you for your efforts and dedication to our sport.
To our OPPONENTS, we will compete against you as hard as we can because we want to win just as much as you do, but at the end of this event, we will respect you for being our competitors.
To the PARENTS and FANS, cheer for us in a positive manner, respect all of the players, coaches, and officials and remember, this is just a game and we are here to have fun.
Not everyone gets to win everything and there are some incredible LIFE LESSONS that can be learned from any outcome. With that being said, let’s have a fantastic event this afternoon/evening.
Nederland has forfeit its game against Hayden this week.
The two teams were scheduled to play at 1 p.m. Saturday in Nederland. But Nederland athletic director Rick Elertson informed the CHSAA office on Tuesday that his team will not have enough players who have hit the nine-practice minimum prior to Saturday’s game.
Both schools tried to reschedule the game, but it didn’t work out. As a result, Nederland has forfeit to Hayden.
After two seasons away, Deer Trail football is returning to the field.
Chris Wehner, the school’s athletic director and football coach, said that the Eagles will indeed have a program this season. They have eight games scheduled, and open the season Sept. 1 at home against Prairie.
Wehner and a group of others started a campaign to re-start the program during homecoming last season.
“We talked about how it would be great as a community and as a student body to have football back for homecoming.” Wehner said on Tuesday afternoon. “It was strange to have homecoming without a football game.”
Wehner is a former assistant at Grand Junction under Robbie Owens. He said he was drawn to the small small, where he and his wife both teach.
“We wanted to help this small community rebuild the program,” Wehner said.
Deer Trail plays in the 6-man classification, and will compete in the East Central League.
The Eagles were 0-8 in 2014, and 2-6 in 2013. But in the two years prior, the team went a combined 19-3, reaching the semifinal round each season.
There’s a hurt lingering in the chest of the Bennett football team.
Yes, they made the state semifinals last season, a triumph for the school. Yes, it was the best showing in program history. And, yes, as senior Montana Rodwell said, it was a pretty cool experience.
But if you head east on I-70 from the metro area, pass the airport, take a left before the Kiowa exit, and stare out over a brilliant green field where 40 white jerseys are practicing, you can sense it: There’s a fire here. It’s burning inside these kids.
Semifinals are not enough. Not here.
Which is undoubtedly ambitious. Bennett has never appeared in a state football championship game, let alone win a championship. It is not among the recent titans of 1A — Strasburg, Buena Vista, Paonia, to name a few. Not yet, anyway. But that’s exactly where Bennett’s expectations lie.
“State,” Rodwell said simply. “That’s always the goal, isn’t it?”
(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
To a player, at least the returning ones, that hurt lingers. They remember that Class 1A semifinal game, a 34-24 loss to Meeker.
34-24.
34-24.
34-24.
“We were one game away,” said Jarett Brown, a senior defensive end and fullback. “That just hit us deep in the stomach.”
“Every time I come out here,” Trever Miller, a junior, said after practice on Friday morning, “there’s still that little pain that gets me up and going, makes me want to do my best every play.”
Added Alec Packard, a senior lineman: “We’ve got that sour taste in our mouth now.”
When Bennett stepped on that semifinal field, the nerves were evident, players said.
“We didn’t know what to expect,” running back Mason Wakeham said. “We had never made it that far.”
But this season? Now they’ve reached that stage.
“Now we know what to expect,” Wakeham said. “I think we know what we need to do, how we need to fix it.”
The result is that spring and summer workouts were highly attended. Coach Rick Jacoby, entering his tenth season, said that allowed the staff to install their system earlier than usual, which in turn led to a first week of practice that was “one of the best we’ve had in a long time.”
“Where this week usually has been a lot of teaching,” Jacoby said, “I feel like this year it’s been a lot of sharpening.”
Seniors Rocky Lechman and Jesse Rodriquez — both quarterback/running back hybrids — were first-team all-state last season. Jadyn Brown, a two-way lineman, made the second team along. And the Tigers return every starter on the defensive line, and four of five on the offensive line, along with the senior Packard, who played a lot last season.
That last part is especially notable, Rodriquez points out, because “I think we had the best offensive line in the state last year. And this year, I think we’re even better.”
So the Tigers — keep in mind their expectations — believe they should be ranked first in that preseason poll.
“Our program doesn’t believe that you should ever be content with where you are,” Jadyn Brown said. “If someone says you have potential to be something good, what they’re really saying is, ‘You’re not good right now, and you have to keep working at it.’ So we’re going to never be OK with where we’re at.”
The 40-man roster is down slightly from previous seasons, but it’s a group that has total buy-in.
“We’re not that big, but we’re mighty, that’s for sure,” Rodriquez said. “We’ve got a lot of hard workers. We’ve got a lot of cowboys that are ready to put on their boots and go to work.”
Freshmen and sophomores are eager to learn, and upperclassmen are eager to teach.
“We do a lot of non-football things together, and it really helps bring those younger kids in,” coach Jacoby said. “They’re a part of that family, a part of that brotherhood — and not only are they being coached, they’re allowing themselves to be coached by their teammates.”
“They’ve got heart,” Rodwell, a lineman, said of the underclassmen. “They’re all taking seniors on (in practice), it’s pretty cool.”
(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Added Jake Floryancic, a senior who plays center and defensive tackle: “Everybody pushes each other to be better.”
It’s a group that has been together since most of them were young. They played Pee Wee football alongside one another. And now, for the 14 seniors at least, this season is their last chance to line up next to their friends.
“We all live around here, we all know each other really well,” said Elam Laing, another senior who plays tight end and defensive end. ” I think it’s really fun just playing with your friends and your buddies.”
“We know each other and it’s a family,” Rodwell added later. “It’s a brotherhood bond.”
That word — brotherhood — comes up a lot with Bennett. It’s even on the back of their jerseys. After practice, each coach names a player who stood out, and that player walks up for a congratulatory hug.
“No one gets left behind, so we’re going to bring everyone with us,” Jadyn Brown said. “If one man’s going to keep fighting, you need to help keep fighting with him.”
The community plays a large part in that, too.
Bennett’s practice field, a sprawling natural turf, was built by local farmers. It’s helped their gameday field stay in pristine condition. And the support from superintendent Robin Purdy and the school administration also played a large role in “helping us get the facilities to match the quality of program that we’re putting together,” Jacoby said.
“The town really rises around the football team,” Jacoby added.
Now, the next step is to have the results match Bennett’s expectations. It’s the fire inside of each Tiger, one they hope eventually burns away last season’s hurt.
“We’re all hungry, and we want that title,” Lechman said. “We want a ring.”
First team: Willy Boatman, Kent Denver, OT/DL, Sr.; Peter Flack, D’Evelyn, MLB/OL, Sr.; T.J. Love, Kent Denver, DT/OT, Sr.; Joshua McDonald, Kent Denver, FB/LB, Sr.; Charles McKissick, Kent Denver, WR/FS, Sr.; Jon Nuschy, La Junta, QB, Jr.
Second team: Mitchell Black, Faith Christian, G/DT, Sr.; Logan Church, Delta, OL/DL, Sr.; Ryan Phelps, Bayfield, DT/OT, Sr.; Josh Reeder, Delta, TE/DE, Sr.; Cole Sienknecht, Manitou Springs, QB/CB, Senior; Trevon Wehrman, Platte Valley, QB, Sr.; Cole Wood, Bayfield, G/MLB, Sr.; Taylor Wright, Manitou Springs, G/DT, Sr.
Arvada West’s cross country team returning nine all-conference selections from last season. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
ARVADA — Without question it’s a pack running mentality for Arvada West’s boys and girls cross country teams.
“I teach the kids not to get really nervous or put a lot into any one meet. The focus is to get the job done,” A-West coach Todd Moore said. “If you are having a bad day hopefully someone will step up and take your place. I try to take all the pressure off the individuals. It’s a group mentality.”
Moore’s group on the boys and girls side this fall has a ton of returning faces — including nine Class 5A Jeffco League all-conference selections from last year.
Seniors Colin Berndt, Andres Perez, Jacob Valdez and junior Drew Craig are all back on the boys’ side. There is even more returning depth on the girls’ side. Seniors Civianna Gallegos, Katie Doucette, Claire Pauley, Amber Valdez, junior Sadie Haymond and sophomore Emily Burg were all 5A Jeffco all-conference selections last year.
“I have never had these many kids coming back at one time, especially four senior girls that are all about the same,” Moore said. “Those top four girls can probably run with anyone in the state.”
Berndt won the 5A Jeffco League boys individual title as a sophomore and finished second to Dakota Ridge’s Austin Vancil last season. Losing to Vancil at the conference championships at Clement Park is something that still sticks with Berndt.
A-West senior Colin Berndt is focused on retaining the 5A Jeffco individual title. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
“That is actually my main goal,” Berndt said of retaining the 5A Jeffco individual league title.
Berndt bounced back at state with a 10th place finish and is looking forward to making a move up the leaderboard at state coming up Oct. 28 at Norris Penrose Events Center in Colorado Springs.
“I’m going to try as hard as I can. I want to be up really high at state. I want to be among the top-5 if possible,” Berndt said. “I’ll keep training as hard as I can and see what happens.”
A medical diagnosis should help Perez lower his times dramatically this season. Perez as had problems breathing and was coughing after races during last spring’s track season. He was diagnosis with asthma and after using an inhaler he dropped his mile time to 4 minutes, 32 seconds and broke 2 minutes in the 800.
“My junior year in cross country wasn’t exactly what I wanted,” Perez said. “This year I know this whole team will be underdogs and we’ll have fun with it.”
Despite A-West’s boys team being three-time defending 5A Jeffco League champions and finishing 4th as a team at state, Dakota Ridge might have the inside track on dethroning the Wildcats.
The A-West girls are two-time defending conference champs. The Wildcats placed 5th at state last year.
“We are definitely aiming to win league and regionals again,” Doucette said. “Hopefully we’ll place higher in state then we did last year.”
Gallegos, Doucette, Pauley and Valdez all finished in the top-8 at the Jeffco League championships and in the top-50 at state.
“It’s really nice and our times are always really close together so we can push each other a lot,” Doucette said. “That really helps with training.”
It’s not all business for A-West. The Wildcats make sure that the summer training sessions were productive and enjoyable.
“It’s really fun because we all get along and know each other really well,” Valdez said. “Practices are really fun. We just always have fun.”
Pauley said the team would train six or seven days a week all summer. Individuals came to the school by 7 a.m. as a team almost every morning.
That dedication has built A-West into a cross country powerhouse.
“They train all year-round. It has been one of those things were success breeds success,” Moore said. “Nobody wants be the one who lets the team down. Nobody wants to be the class that doesn’t get it done.”
A-West will host its annual Wildcat Invite on Sept. 15 at Stenger Soccer Complex in Arvada this season. Moore designed the course with a snaking style where it’s easier to coach the runners during the race by seeing them multiple times.
“It gives more opportunities for kids to compete in meets,” Moore said of his reasoning for A-West to host a meet. “Nowadays there is a problem because there aren’t that many meets because it’s hard to get a facility.”
Clement Park will be the site of the Jeffco League championships Oct. 12. A-West heads to the Northwest Open Spaces Park for its regional meet Oct. 19.
As the sun set on the 2016 boys soccer season last November, so too did the proverbial cloud that had hovered over The Classical Academy.
The Titans walked away from Dick’s Sporting Goods Park with the school’s first state championship in the sport after coming up just short in the title game in five of the previous six seasons.
But somewhat lost in the shuffle of the Titans’ ride to the top was the story of the final two teams TCA had to get past in order to win the championship. A pair of teams from the Western half of the state earned its way into the Final 4, as Battle Mountain and Durango showcased the talent that can be sometimes overlooked, given its location.
(Michael Hankins/TGWstudios.com)
“It feels like whoever is the last team on the Western Slope is carrying the torch,” Battle Mountain coach David Cope said. “Last year it was really cool to see us both in the semifinals.”
Battle Mountain returned to the state championship game for the first time since winning the 2012 crown. The Huskies couldn’t slow the offensive juggernaut that was TCA – two of Battle Mountain’s three losses came to the Titans by a combined score of 13-1 – but the reigning Western Slope League champions continue to prove that they belong in the upper echelon of the 4A classification.
“The standard at our program is pretty high since we’ve been to the finals in two of the last five years,” Cope said. “There’s a feeling like the boys feel we’re one of the teams in the state that can make a deep run in the playoffs.
“There’s also a feeling of after getting to the state final and graduating a lot of kids, the kids who were sitting on the bench or playing JV feel like they could’ve done it too. Now it’s their chance.”
Durango’s run to the state semifinals was its deepest since making the 4A quarterfinals in 2010. The Demons, who captured the 5A/4A Southwestern League crown, hadn’t been to the semis since 2007 when the squad was in 5A.
“We’re really excited to be consistent. We’re not looking to say ‘Let’s go win this whole thing starting in August,’” Durango coach Dalon Parker said. “We’re just trying to say ‘Let’s be consistent, and consistency starts with a lot of different things.’”
While The Classical Academy graduated its high-octane trio of Player of the Year Titus Grant, Jaden Borja and Jeremy Baldes – who combined to score 69 of the team’s 121 goals – both Battle Mountain and Durango return its leading scorers. All-state forward Juan Macias led the Huskies with 20 goals and 16 assists, and Eli Fenton led a balanced Demons attack with 11 goals and 14 assists.
Both teams are also solid in other areas. Defender Tony Velasco and goalkeeper Alan Villegas – who had nine shutouts – are among those back for Battle Mountain. Durango’s Max Wilson was second on the team with nine goals as a junior, and Leland Heinicke played in 20 games as a freshman. Keeper Trey Furnas recorded 13 shutouts in his junior season.
Cheyenne Mountain, which was the top seed a year ago, enters 2017 as the preseason No. 1. Teams like TCA, Air Academy and D’Evelyn are always strong, and Valor Christian returns all-state keeper Ryan Pierce from a squad that reached the quarterfinals.
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
Battle Mountain is ranked No. 2 in the preseason, while Durango is No. 4.
If the 4A classification has proven anything, it’s that any number of programs can rise to the challenge and emerge victorious at season’s end. While The Classical Academy has appeared in three consecutive 4A title games, over the past 11 years there have been 10 different state champions.
No team has repeated since Dakota Ridge did in 1997-98, something Cope pointed to as why 4A is so competitive each year.
“I think that’s good for soccer, and I think that’s good for our 4A classification when we can get multiple teams into the Elite 8 and Final 4s,” Parker added. “I think it makes for a stronger 4A classification when a lot of schools are having success.”
In Class 5A, Boulder enters the season ranked No. 1 after defeating Front Range League rival Broomfield in a thrilling 14-round shootout last November. It was the Panthers’ first state title since 2012. Boulder’s fellow FRL teams Broomfield, Fairview and Fossil Ridge, along with Denver East, come into 2017 ranked in the top five.
COLORADO SPRINGS — For a few, brief moments on Monday, golfers competing at the Cheyenne Mountain Invite stopped focusing on golf and turned their attention to a natural phenomenon.
Monday’s much-hyped eclipse was a great reminder that life exists outside the athletic realm and sometimes, especially for high school kids, the sight of such a rare event can be a welcome distraction to those looking to remain competitive through the day.
“I actually thought it was kind of cool,” Discovery Canyon’s Luke Trujillo said. “It gave me something to talk about with the guys I was playing with and with the coaches. I guess when something bad goes wrong, (the eclipse) can get my mind off it.”
Trujillo came away with the win, shooting a one-under-par 70, winning his second tournament in a seven-day span. The Thunder also grabbed the team win, shooting 223 as a whole.
As the two seniors who came away with a state title last year, Trujillo and Caleb Blackburn know the feeling of coming away with a win, but doing iit during such a rare moment will hang with them for a long time.
“(The rarity of the eclipse) hit me a little bit, but I didn’t realize the gravity of it,” Blackburn said. “I think the eclipse, since it comes every 40 years, is such an amazing thing to happen. And to be able to play golf while the eclipse is out there is such a cool experience.”
And it was something that all golfers, regardless of score or level, could come together and enjoy. Often, players were seen hitting their shots and then while waiting for the others in the group to hit, throwing on their eclipse sunglasses to track the progress of the moon’s orbit relative to the sun.
“Our principal actually bought them for the entire school, so that was pretty neat,” TCA’s Ryan Beckman said. “They got handed out to every student.”
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
It seemed to be the norm for the kids at the Country Club of Colorado Springs. While the progress of the eclipse was being tracked as the tournament went on, when it was at its designated peak around 11:47 a.m., most golfers took a minute to put their bags down and take in the spectacle.
And the coaches were able to revel in the same moment. As much as the players weren’t completely focused on their next shots, the coaches were taking just as much time to gaze into the sky.
“One my assistants sent me a message and asked when the last time I was out golfing during an eclipse,” Falcon coach Greg Morris said. “The answer is never. And for these kids, it will never happen again, at least in their young lives.”
Pueblo County boys golf shot nine-over as a team to win the Pueblo County invite on Friday at the Cattails Golf Club.
Brock Rodrigues led the Hornets by shooting even par, while Andrew Egan (+3) and Anthony Romero (+6) also had scoring rounds.
Individually, Colorado Academy’s Thomas Messner won the tournament by shooting 1-under. His round included four birdies and an eagle. Rodrigues finished second, while Colorado Academy’s Christian Agelopoulos was third.
Colorado Academy placed second as a team, shooting 10-over.
Montezuma-Cortez (+35) was third, host Alamosa was fourth (+37) and Pagosa Springs (+46) rounded out the top five.
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Thompson Valley, Dwyer capture Northern League match
Thompson Valley cruised to a win at Friday’s Northern League match held at Boomerange.
Nate Dwyer led the Eagles and also won the individual tournament with a 1-under 71. Darren Edwards (+4) and Chase Corlett (+9) also scored for Thompson Valley.
Mountain View’s Wes Weber was runner-up individually at 1-over, while Edwards and Loveland’s Brady Mueller tied for third at 4-over.
Mountain View was second as a team at +30, and Eaton (+35) was third.
Find complete results of all the day’s golf tournaments on this page.
