DENVER — Down two runs going into the sixth inning, Kate Fuhr drove in two runs and Angi Reed drove in one as D’Evelyn softball rallied to beat Standley Lake 3-2.’
Katie Henesey was 1-for-3 with two RBIs for the Gators.
Sabercat Nation showed up in force tonight. Thank you for the support. It was a big win against a very good opponent. #leavealegacypic.twitter.com/Udqj02MnWJ
From the first set of No. 1 Castle View volleyball’s win over No. 3 Mountain Vista, the teams were exchanging blows.
A 28-26 set went Mountain Vista’s way in the first set, but Castle View rallied to win two straight sets, 25-15 and 25-18. The Golden Eagles wouldn’t go down easy as they forced a fifth set with a 25-18 win.
In the deciding set, Castle View took a 15-11 advantage and the match win.
Castle View had four players with at least 10 kills. Kate Menz lead with 17, while Holly Schmidt followed with 14. Ashley Echols had 13 kills and Genna Ryan-Piasecki had 10.
Lauren Lowry had 50 assists, and Leanne Lowry had 37 digs.
Of all the improbable scenarios that could have played out in the first few weeks of the boys soccer season, Douglas County’s first six games may have topped them all.
After an overtime victory Sept. 7, the Huskies stood at 6-0 overall and even made an appearance in the Class 5A boys soccer rankings.
Now consider that some 10-plus months ago, Douglas County was wrapping up an 0-14-1 campaign, and realize just how unbelievable that previous sentence must seem.
Even after dropping three consecutive games recently in Continental League play, what Douglas County has already accomplished four weeks into the 2017 season defies the odds.
“It’s such a drastic change going from 0-14 to even 6-2,” Douglas County senior Bradley Van Egeren said before the Huskies fell by a 2-1 decision in double overtime to Regis Jesuit on Tuesday. “Even after our first win, I think a lot of seniors and players on the team last year, we were all mind-blown. We hadn’t experienced that in over 12 months.”
(Carl Auer/MaxPreps)
The change started with the hiring of a coach with a championship pedigree. Randy Freeman helped guide Smoky Hill to 5A state titles in 1999 and 2001, and he took over a Huskies program that made the playoffs two years ago but was on its fifth coach in eight seasons.
Douglas County scored only nine goals in 15 games in 2016, and the lone bright spot was a 1-1 tie with Chaparral. So Freeman set out to change the culture of the squad.
“What I mean by that is giving the kids confidence in taking chances and being okay with making mistakes,” he said. “It’s trying new things and getting confidence in trying to win a soccer game.
“When you go 0-14 and have 56 goals against you and only score nine, that’s quite a difference. It’s quite a thing to fight against. I just tried to create confidence within them, little by little and step by step.”
It didn’t take long for the players to buy in to Freeman’s message. Douglas County opened the season with a 3-0 triumph over Pomona, and followed that up with a 6-0 shutout of Vista Ridge.
Those two games matched the offensive production from the entire 2016 season.
“The first game at Pomona, it was 0-0 at halftime. In the second half we scored a goal, and you could feel the excitement and see the excitement,” Freeman said. “From then on it kind of carried on.”
The momentum came to a halt though after falling by a 2-0 margin to Chaparral and then again by the same score to rival Castle View.
Van Egeren, who leads the team with seven goals after changing positions, said it was a good news-bad news scenario for the Huskies.
“After the first three weeks of playing we were 6-0 and looking at state rankings. Our confidence was just really high, and we were focused on going 7-0 into CV (Castle View),” Van Egeren said. “I think that was the mistake we made. We weren’t focusing on Chaparral and just continuing to improve. We were focused on our record and I think we got distracted.
“I think we just have to rebound and realize we’re not going to be perfect. We just need to continue to improve and focus more on one game at a time instead of looking at the future.”
(Carl Auer/MaxPreps)
It isn’t just Van Egeren driving the offense. Junior Noah Johnson – who was a freshman on the 2015 playoff team and is the only current player from that season – has four goals and two assists. Sophomore Sam Hying has three assists, and junior goalkeeper Thomas Hoy has four shutouts in net.
So now the question becomes can the Huskies do enough in the Continental League to earn a spot in the 32-team playoff bracket? That is the mission the Huskies face with only six regular-season games remaining.
“The start we had was not even in the wheelhouse of ours, but now that we’re here, we’re going to grow together and we need to put some wins together,” Freeman said. “If we can’t win league, we have to go through the RPI system. Let’s get some more wins, roll the dice and see what happens with RPI.”
Below is an interactive database of boys golf’s state qualifiers in classes 5A, 4A and 3A during the 2017 season. These golfers qualified out of their respective regionals.
Getting up in the morning can be tough, especially after a big game or a long practice the night before, but that shouldn’t stop you from enjoying breakfast every morning. Breakfast is a very important meal, considering it provides 1/4 to 1/3 of your daily calorie needs.
Many people miss breakfast because they are rushed for time or because they eat late into the night, so when they wake up they’re not hungry. Breakfast is essential because it provides your body with the energy and nutrients it needs to function properly. The morning meal has also been shown to help improve academic performance as well as focus and attentiveness throughout the day, and may provide health benefits such as a reduced risk of obesity and a reduced risk of nutritional deficiencies.
Including dairy foods as part of your morning meal is an easy way to ensure you’re getting the essential nutrients your body needs. Did you know that milk provides 9 essential nutrients, including calcium and protein, in just 8 ounces?
Breakfast can be simple and quick to prepare in the mornings, and can even be made the night before. So don’t let the work of preparation turn you away! Try some of the breakfast ideas below when you’re crunched for time…they’re sure to help you start your day right.
Overnight oats – These are simple, easy, quick, and versatile! All you have to do is place your favorite type of oats in a container and add equal parts milk and yogurt. Put the container in the refrigerator overnight, and in the morning, it will be ready to eat. This breakfast can be made differently each day depending on the toppings you add. Fruits, nuts, seeds, and spices all make great additions. Try strawberries, slivered almonds and chia seeds, or diced apples, walnuts and a sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar. This breakfast is great for people who are short on time and need a quick grab-and-go option!
Waffle Sandwich – Grab 2 of your favorite whole grain frozen waffles and pop them in the toaster. Once they’re done, layer cottage cheese and berries between them, and you have yourself a waffle sandwich. Other waffle sandwich ideas include peanut butter and bananas, or a slice of cheese and some breakfast Canadian bacon.
Parfait – Layer your favorite yogurt, berries, and granola in a glass and you’re set… it’s as simple as that! Use a paper or plastic cup and take it to-go if you’re in a hurry.
Freezer Breakfast Burritos – Take whole grain tortillas, add some protein (scrambled eggs, bacon, chicken), include some veggies (peppers, onions, or tomatoes), and cheese, roll them up, put them in a Ziploc bag or Tupperware and place them in the freezer. These can be prepared ahead of time, so that in the mornings you can just heat one up in the microwave and it will be ready to eat. It takes some planning and preparation, but your morning self will thank you!
Toast with cream cheese, fruit, and chia seeds – If you like to keep it simple, you can always enjoy whole grain toast topped with cream cheese, fruit (strawberries, banana, blueberries, etc.) and chia seeds. This breakfast provides protein, fiber, and several vitamins and minerals!
Holly football beat then-No. 2 Hoehne last Friday in what head coach Dayne Eaton called the biggest win the program has had for as long as he’s been around.
Here’s a little insight into the type of person that Eaton is:
The team bus got back from Hoehne at about 1 o’clock in the morning. One of Eaton’s players had a car that wouldn’t start. So, Eaton gave the player a ride home.
After getting home at about 2 a.m., Eaton had to turn around and get his son to a football game in Lamar at 8:30 a.m. Eaton and his son got there safe, sound and on time. And they won.
Previous stops: Holly assistant (1997); Holly head coach (1998-99); Holly assistant (2003-05); Holly head coach (2014-present).
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Question: Why did you become a coach?
Eaton: Do you want the funny story or the straight up?
It goes this way: When you can no longer play, you referee. When you can no longer referee, then you coach. When you can no longer coach, then you’re the loud mouth on the end of the field. I can no longer play, so I referee basketball and now I’m coaching football.
More than anything, the story of me coaching football is kind of interesting. When I student taught, they found that I played football and basketball and baseball in high school, and they needed a junior high coach, so I coached junior high for — jeez, I guess it’s been 20 years.
As far as high school, I’m sitting with my son, we’re a 1-8 team, and we’re watching the high school play. He says, “Why don’t you help them?” Because our junior high was so successful. I said, “Well, that’ll be less time that I can spend with you,” but I agreed to come on as an assistant. At that point in time, the varsity coach had some health issues with his child, so he stepped down and I was all by myself. So then I ask a guy, a local farmer, to help me.
Then, we just instilled the same kind of things that we were doing in junior high. That you want to work to get better, you always have to show good sportsmanship. You know, just instilling the hard work and that they journey is more important than wins and losses. Learning to work hard and being rewarded for that.
Q: Is there a reason you coach the way you do?
Eaton: I guess, more than anything, I’ve been on both ends of it. I’ve coached those teams that didn’t have much talent, and our goal for the season was to improve. Right now, we’re kind of on an upswing as far as talent, so we’ve got to make sure that we’re doing things right as far as sportsmanship, as far as setting good examples for the young kids in our community.
I have the luxury of coaching the high school, junior high and the peewee football team. I get all of them, and I try to include other people to help out.
You asked me how I coach the way I do, and I really wish more people got to see this. My high school put on a youth camp, and the players and my assistant coaches would go through this camp.
Everyone had a buddy, they went through the same stretches and warm-ups that our varsity team does. We talked about fundamentals and three-point stance. The high school guys, I was amazed at how well they worked with 6-, 7-, 8-year old kids. It’s like they instantly found a best friend.
Q: What would you say it’s like to be coached by you?
Eaton: Number one, they know that I care about them most as a person. I’ve been in a number of weddings of former players. They call on me when they’ve lost a job or when they’re in a rough time. A number of my players have had their parents pass away. They come by and just talk.
I try to be there for them number one as a person. They know that I care about them as a person.
Number two, I’m a little bit of a jokester. We like to have fun. I tell the kids, if we’re not going to have fun, then we’re out here for the wrong purpose. That’s probably most important as far as my philosophy.
They know how much I care about them, and then two, they know that we’re going to have fun out here. We’re going to work hard, but if we’re not having fun, then we’re in the wrong place, and they need to be doing something else.
Q: Is there a favorite moment or memory you have as a coach?
Eaton: Coaching in general. You could say, “Hey, it’s when we won the state championship in baseball.” That isn’t necessarily it. It’s when we have the comebacks. The game Friday night against Hoehne, and for as long as I can remember, we hadn’t even come close to beating them.
And then, Friday night, it was a huge homecoming crowd there at Hoehne. We were down 14-7 at halftime, and kids just looked at each other and said they were just going to give all they’ve got. When the kids were saying that, I knew we had a chance.
Of course, the game turned out our way, but what makes you feel good as a coach is when the kids are being the leaders and not blaming others.
One of our big sayings is “Who’s got my back?” Everybody has your back. We really had that. We had guys going down with soreness and injuries, and our reserves basically won the game for us because they did their job.
Q: To start the season 3-0, and to beat the then-No. 2 team in the state in Hoehne, what does that mean for your season?
Eaton: You could say a lot of different things. One of the big things is the way that we won it as a team and the enthusiasm that we had. Just the belief in one another. Afterwords, we said that we didn’t want it to be the end of our season or the high point. We want bigger and better things.
I told them that this was the biggest win that I have ever had in my football coaching career, and I thanked them. I believe in them, and we’ll see how far this run will take us.
This was the biggest win of our program for as long as I’ve been around.
Q: Can you point to one thing that has stood out to you the most this season?
Eaton: I bought this sign in June, right after school. It says, “Football” Around it, it says, “Attitude, effort and commitment.” I said, “Boys, this needs to be our mantra.”
This summer, we went to the Denver Broncos 7-on-7 competition. I thought I was going to get maybe seven or eight guys. I had 13 jump in the van. It was a 15-passenger van. So, we went to Denver which was about a four-and-a-half hour drive in that van.
We did really well. We tied once, and we won four of them. It felt like we could really compete.
We got done early, so we got Rockpile tickets and went to the Rockies game. They ended up winning that game in the ninth, so we had a good time there.
Then, we went to a team contact camp. You never know how many guys are going to be able to get off during baling season in July, and we had some guys take some time off. It was three days up at Buena Vista. That was a great team-builder. We went white water rafting, we went on the ropes course, and then we did a lot of fundamental football. We slept on the gym floor.
Putting in that extra time, just making that commitment made me really think we had something special this year.
These RPI standings help in determining postseason fields for each sport.
All RPI standings are unofficial until they are finalized prior to the release of each postseason bracket in their respective sports and classifications.
