CHSAANow

Month: February 2018

  • No. 3 Evergreen girls hoops outlasts No. 6 Golden in triple-OT

    EVERGREEN — Evergreen’s girls basketball teams has already accomplished something this season that last year’s Class 4A state championship squad didn’t do.

    The Cougars, ranked No. 3 in the final CHSAANow.com 4A girls basketball poll, officially wrapped up the 4A Jeffco League title with Tuesday’s victory over No. 8 Valor Christian. It’s actually the first conference title for the program since the 2002-03 season.

    “It feels amazing to win the league championship, especially since we didn’t even win it last year,” Evergreen senior Kristina Schreiber said. “It gives us so much more confidence going into playoffs.”

    Despite already having wrapped up the league title, Evergreen (21-2, 13-1 in league) didn’t want to end the regular-season Thursday night on a sour note. The Cougars got a huge test against No. 6 Golden at Evergreen High School and had to work overtime … three overtimes in fact … to come away with a dramatic 69-67 after three extra 4-minute periods.

    Evergreen’s Hannah Kennedy (10) gets a shot up over Golden’s Haley Prey. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    “Two hours of good, good basketball,” said an exhausted Evergreen senior Baylee Galan-Browne after the game that lasted two hours.

    The Cougars looked to be in serious trouble when 6-foot-2 junior Claudia Dillon fouled out with 4:41 left in the fourth quarter. Then another starter in Meriel Hahn fouled out late in the second overtime period. On top of that, sophomore Hayley Dillon became the third Cougar to foul out midway through the second overtime.

    Still, Galan-Browne hit a big 3-pointer late in the second overtime to tie things up at 63-63 and send it to a third overtime.

    “That was a definition of a team win,” Evergreen coach Amy Bahl said. “We had some girls who normally don’t play a lot of minutes come in at the end and play some big minutes. They did their job and did their role.”

    Schreiber stepped into a huge scoring role. She poured in a career-high 29 points in the win. Her final bucket was a key layup and foul with 1:22 left in the third overtime period. The senior guard converted the 3-point play to put the Cougars up for good 68-65.

    “Kris (Schreiber) had to take over and she took the job and did it,” Bahl said. “A lot of times when she knows we need her to do that. She performs and did outstanding tonight.”

    Golden’s Elli Garnet, front, drive past Evergreen’s Hayley Dillon. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    Golden (19-4, 10-4) was led by seniors Abby Garnett and Makena Prey. Both Garnett (29 points and 10 rebounds) and Prey (22 points and 13 rebounds) had double-doubles, but it wasn’t enough.

    The loss pushed the Demons into a three-way tie for second in the conference with Valor Christian (17-6, 10-4) and D’Evelyn (17-6, 10-4). Evergreen actually went 6-0 this season against Golden, Valor and D’Evelyn. The Cougars’ lone league loss was against Littleton.

    “It feels great,” Bahl said of being conference champs for the first time in 15 years. “It’s a huge momentum going into playoffs knowing we won our league.”

    It will be interesting to see where the top four teams in 4A Jeffco fall when it comes to the 48-team state tournament bracket that will be posted Sunday, Feb. 18, on CHSAANow.com. Before Thursday’s league finales Valor, D’Evelyn, Evergreen and Golden were No. 5-8 in the RPI standings. The Cougars were actually behind Valor and D’Evelyn, but the game against Golden could very well move Evergreen up in the final RPI rankings.

    “We just want to work hard and keep getting better,” Galan-Browne said about heading to the playoffs. “I’m so proud of my team and all the history we’ve been making throughout our career.”

    It’s highly likely defending Class 4A state champion Evergreen and Golden will get top-10 seeds when the state bracket is released Sunday. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

  • No. 4 Golden holds off No. 9 Evergreen to win 4A Jeffco boys hoops outright

    EVERGREEN — The Class 4A Jeffco League boys basketball title is heading back to Golden.

    “It was a pride thing. We wanted it back,” Golden coach Erik Buehler said of winning the league. “We’ve won it three out of the last four seasons. Now we want to carry this over into the playoffs.”

    The Demons, No. 4 in the final CHSAANow.com 4A boys basketball poll, won the conference title outright Thursday night with a 58-48 road victory against No. 9 Evergreen.

    “All week we’ve had a little saying, ‘don’t share’. We wanted to keep it to ourselves this year,” Golden senior Adam Thistlewood said of finishing a game ahead of Valor Christian and two games above Evergreen in the conference standings.

    Evergreen’s Jack Patterson, left, and Golden’s Jack Moore battle for the ball. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    The victory likely solidified a top-4 seed for Golden (20-3, 13-1 in league) heading to the 4A state tournament that begins next week.

    “Evergreen is a great team and are going to go far in the playoffs. Playing them right before playoff was big for us,” Thistlewood said. “We can get ready for the intensity, the environment and playing against good players.”

    The conference and regular-season finale for both teams was the second game of a varsity doubleheader. Players had to sit around awhile as the girls’ varsity game went three overtimes. The boys’ game didn’t start until 8:45 p.m.

    When tipoff finally happened, Golden grabbed an early lead on Evergreen (18-5, 11-3). Senior Colin Mulligan had a great first quarter pouring in seven points to give the Demons a 18-9 lead after the first eight minutes.

    However, Evergreen was riding a 6-game winning streak and kept hanging around. Senior Bridger Tenney drained a 3-pointer with 2:33 left in the third quarter that gave the Cougars’ a 39-38 lead. Tenney finished with 18 points and fellow senior Jack Patterson added 10 points.

    Golden quickly responded with a driving layup by Thistlewood (18 points) and a 3-point play by Mulligan (18 points) to give the Demons back the lead.

    Evergreen’s Bridger Tenney (10) had a team-high 18 points for the Cougars. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    “Obviously, we didn’t play as well as we would have liked,” Evergreen coach Scott Haebe said. “We just seemed a step slow defensively and we really never got into a rhythm offensively.”

    Golden junior Ilja Bubukin started the fourth quarter with a 3-pointer to widen the lead to 46-39. The Demons’ defense took care of the rest holding the Cougars to just nine points in the final quarter.

    “We have kind of taken the mantra at the end of the season at every possession on offense and defense is a 0-0 game,” Buehler said. “We just want to win every 0-0 battle. Having a senior-laded team they know when to slow it down, speed it up, control it and make the right play at the right time. It’s a lot easier on me.”

    The Cougars nearly handed the Demons a loss in their first conference meeting on Jan. 24. A trio of shots in the final seconds didn’t fall for Evergreen as Golden escaped its gym with a 58-57 victory.

    Golden will take an 11-game winning streak into the state tournament next week.

    “They have taken on the challenge. They don’t want anything to get in their way,” Buehler said of his team that has overcome a lot this season.

    Now the waiting game begins. The Colorado High School Activities Association will post brackets for the 48-team 4A state tournament Sunday, Feb. 18, on CHSAANow.com.

    “We’ll get a first-round bye and have a week to get ready,” Haebe said of his Cougars.

    Golden and Evergreen hope to get top-10 seeds for the Class 4A boys basketball state tournament. Brackets will post Sunday on CHSAANow.com. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

  • Replay: State wrestling tournament’s second day

    DENVER — The 2018 state wrestling tournament continues with quarterfinals, semifinals and consolation rounds on Friday. We will have live coverage throughout.

    Tournament info:

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    Live Blog 2018 state wrestling, Day 2
     

  • Photos: First day of the 2018 state wrestling tournament

    DENVER — The 2018 state wrestling tournament kicked off on Thursday with the preliminary rounds in all classes.

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  • No. 5 Mesa Ridge girls basketball concludes regular season with win over Sierra

    (Kelsey Lowry/CHSAANow.com)

    COLORADO SPRINGS — Mesa Ridge had a lot to celebrate after its 73-49 win over Sierra in their final regular season game Thursday night.

    Besides the fact that it was senior night, at halftime it was announced that the Mesa Ridge girls had won their third straight league title and that Ashley Bowen had reached a major milestone in her basketball career.

    Bowen not only provided key rebounds, but also made history by scoring her 1,000th point in a Grizzlies uniform. With this being her last season with Mesa Ridge before she moves to Texas next year, this win and accomplishment was the icing on the cake.

    “I was honestly very nervous,” said Bowen. “I realized I was in range about three weeks ago when I was 20 points away from it, so I set that as my goal and was really trying to reach 1,000 points.”

    The Class 4A No. 5 Grizzlies started and ended the game with a high run of points and compliment the offense with a sound defensive performance.

    “We didn’t let their shooters get hot and our girls were concentrated the whole game,” Mesa Ridge coach Jeff Beatty said. “We shot really well and were able to make some shots that we normally may not hit.”

    Mesa Ridge (20-3 overall, 16-0 4A Colorado Springs Metro League) was led by Bowen and Chloe Welch who both scored 18 points. Serin Dunne provided a useful 17 points of support.

    The Stallions had difficulty overcoming the height disadvantage against Mesa Ridge. For every missed shot, Mesa Ridge’s Bowen was there to rebound.

    (Kelsey Lowry/CHSAANow.com)

    Sierra (15-8, 11-5) never gave up though and fought till the last second of the game. D’nae Wilson led Sierra with an impressive 22 points and Aubrey Robinson put up 12 points.

    Undefeated in league play, this game was a perfect summary of the successful season the Mesa Ridge girls basketball team has had.

    “This season went really well,” coach Beatty said. “I think we’re playing our best basketball and I think we’re ready to go deep.”

    With the bracket scheduled to be released on Sunday, the Grizzlies aren’t worried who they’ll be facing because they know they can go out and play great basketball against anyone.

    “We can do it,” Bowen said smiling. “Our team just clicks, and I think that as long as we continue to work and have a great team relationship, we can make it to state.”

  • Mick Holmes returns as the football coach at Dayspring Christian

    Dayspring Christian won the 2013 title under Holmes. (Dennis Pleuss)

    Mick Holmes is coming back to Dayspring Christian as football coach.

    Athletic director Craig Shenkenberg announced the hire on Friday morning. 

    “Coach Holmes’ return is outstanding for Dayspring Christian Academy, Greeley community and high school football,” Shenkenberg said in a statement.

    This will mark Holmes’ third stint as head football coach at the school. He led the Eagles from 1994-99 and 2006-15. Holmes was also an assistant at Greeley West from 2000-05 and 1992-93.

    Prior to that, Holmes was an assistant and head football coach at Greeley Central, as well as an assistant at Valley. He is a 1966 graduate of Lincoln, and later played football at Northern Colorado. He was inducted into the UNC Hall of Fame in 2013.

    During his time as coach, Holmes was twice named conference coach of the year, as well as state coach of the year. He won three state titles, and led his teams to two other championship appearances. Holmes won 141 games and never had a losing season.

    Holmes replaces John Schwartz, who was 18-12 in three seasons.

    Follow all of the football coaching movement this offseason in our coaching changes tracker.

  • Arapahoe names Rod Sherman its new football coach

    Valor Christian Pomona football Rod Sherman
    (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)

    Arapahoe has named Rod Sherman its new football coach, athletic director Pat McCabe announced on Thursday afternoon.

    Sherman was the head coach at Valor Christian from 2013-17, winning three state titles. Prior to that, he was the athletic director an offensive coordinator for the Eagles, where he was part of four state titles.

    Sherman is going to meet his new team on Thursday afternoon.

    In a letter sent to Arapahoe parents, Sherman wrote, “Please know how excited I am to begin my tenure as an Arapahoe Warrior. I have always been extremely impressed with the pride and tradition of the Warriors, and I hope the Sherman family can play a small role in the continued development of the football program.”

    Sherman stepped down from Valor Christian in December. He was 57-11 in five seasons as coach of the Eagles, including time coaching Christian McCaffrey.

    Arapahoe went 3-7 in Class 5A last season. Former head coach Mike Campbell resigned this offseason, and is now the head coach at Englewood.

    Follow all of the football coaching changes this offseason in our coaching changes tracker.

  • No. 2 Air Academy girls basketball enjoying the journey to get to state playoffs

    Air Academy Lewis-Palmer girls basketball
    (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

    U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY — Air Academy girls basketball coach Phil Roiko can’t help himself. His eyes are constantly glued to CHSAANow.com, checking polls and RPI ratings.

    “Probably a little too much, according to my wife,” Roiko says with a laugh.

    Privately, he stays very up to date as to where his girls rank. With only days left in the 2017-18 regular season, every point, every position change can have an impact on where his No. 2 Kadets will fall on the bracket. He’ll look Thursday morning when the results of Air Academy’s 49-42 over Lewis-Palmer is factored in.

    But he never discusses any of this with the team.

    “We haven’t,” he said. “There are so many outside pressures and pressure you can put on yourself, that we just talk about the journey. Enjoying one game at a time, one practice at a time. Enjoying being together and seeing how good we can get.”

    It’s been a heck of a journey this year.

    Air Academy Lewis-Palmer girls basketball
    (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

    The Kadets (21-1 overall, 13-0 Pikes Peak Athletic Conference) have played good basketball this season. They’ve averaged nearly 46 points per game over the course of this season. But the strength of the team lies on the defensive side of the ball. When a team averages 46 points on offense but only surrenders 32 per game on defense, it’s not hard to see why many regard it as a top team in the state.

    “We do take pride in our defense,” senior Mary Parchinski said. “We help each other out, we get backside help and cover for each other.”

    Wednesday night, Air Academy was looking to remain unbeaten in PPAC play, hosting Lewis-Palmer. The Kadets had gotten the better of the Rangers earlier in the year, but the 48-29 score is a little misleading.

    It was a two-point game heading into the fourth quarter before Air Academy pulled away. The Rangers came out strong at the start of the game, grabbing an early 9-3 lead. The conference foes battled back and forth with the Kadets taking the lead at halftime only to head into the fourth quarter down one.

    They eventually got the win, but had to fight and earn it, something that hasn’t happened in about two weeks. With playoff brackets out this weekend, it may have been the right time for the Kadets to have to battle a bit.

    “It was really good for us to come out against a team that gave us a really good game,” junior Liza Louthan said. “We were a little complacent in the beginning and then we started to pull ahead. You need a game like that coming into the playoffs because not all of them are going to be easy.”

    Championship level teams are the ones who are able to not lose sight of their ultimate goal and battle through some adversity en route to achieving it. Perhaps what was most impressive about the Kadets in the win was their ability to maintain composure when things weren’t going their way.

    “At this time of year, because we had already played this team, we know what they’re good at,” Parchinski said. “Just having to adjust when they are hot and knocking down those shots is really important for us do.”

    Air Academy hosts Cheyenne Mountain Friday night to conclude regular season play. After that, the fate of the team will be handed to the 4A basketball seeding committee. In years past, the brackets are released the Sunday following the state wrestling tournament.

    If anyone needs Roiko at that time, he’ll be in front of his computer, examining the bracket as a whole. He’ll start figuring how his girls will work their way the maze of teams and hopefully emerge as a state champion.

    He has no problem looking at the big picture as long as his players know that in order achieve their desired result, they have to go on the journey. And hopefully, they continue to enjoy it.

  • Photos: No. 3 Chaparral boys basketball takes down No. 8 Regis Jesuit in double OT

    PARKER — Ronnie DeGray III’s 34 points led the way as Class 5A No. 3 Chaparral navigated through two overtimes to beat No. 8 Regis Jesuit on Wednesday. Elijah Martinez led the Raiders with 19 points.

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  • Photos: Staib helps Mountain Vista boys basketball beat Douglas County

    CASTLE ROCK — Connor Staib had 19 points to help Mountain Vista boys basketball beat Douglas County 69-63.

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