CHSAANow

Month: February 2018

  • No. 28 Cheyenne Mountain boys basketball beats No. 37 Thompson Valley in playoff thriller

    Cheyenne Mountain Thompson Valley boys basketball
    (Kelsey Lowry/CHSAANow.com)

    COLORADO SPRINGS — Cheyenne Mountain sophomore Javonte Johnson led the Indians with 23 points in Wednesday’s night win over Thompson Valley.

    The team’s 56-55 win will send them to the second round of the Class 4A state basketball tournament.

    “I did alright tonight, but I know that I can do better,” Johnson said. “We as a team came out tonight and played together and I’m really excited going forward.”

    The game started with Thompson Valley coming in hot and in control. Crisp passing and timely rebounds gave them a 18-12 lead over Cheyenne Mountain (10-14 overall) at the end of the first quarter.

    However, as the second quarter started, the Indians came alive and with five minutes left, they finally grabbed the lead. They were able to hold Thompson Valley (15-9) to just four points in the second quarter and went into halftime up 27-22.

    “This team battles,” Cheyenne Mountain coach Elgin Fitzgerald said. “We’ve had some adversary, but our group plays together as a team and they play for each other and I’m proud of them.”

    The game looked to be in Cheyenne Mountain’s favor going into the final quarter, but the Eagles refused to give in. With three minutes left, they came back fighting and cut the Indians lead to five points.

    Cheyenne Mountain Thompson Valley boys basketball
    (Kelsey Lowry/CHSAANow.com)

    Things really heated up when Thompson Valley’s Joey Schaffer made a basket and was fouled. Schaffer then made his free throw making it a 55-52 game with 20 seconds left.

    Cheyenne Mountain’s Will Louis came in with a clutch free throw that gave them a four point lead with 10 seconds left. Thompson Valley’s Jared Kasprzak answered with a three pointer and the Eagles fans erupted.

    The cheering was short lived when a free throw attempt from Schaffer slowly bounced the rim and fell to the ground and in a flash of a second, Thompson Valley launched the ball for a miracle shot that was stopped by the ceiling ending the game and the Eagles season.

    Thompson Valley was led by Justin Wiersema with 16 points. Darren Edwards added 12.

    “This game gives us a lot of confidence going forward,” Fitzgerald said. “We had come into this game losing six in a row, but I told them it’s a new game and everybody’s starting zero and zero and that we just need to keep that same mentality.”

    The Cheyenne Mountain boys not only proved that they are a team that is capable of overcoming challenges, but that they are ready to battle against any team and next up will be No. 5 Longmont in the second round of games on Saturday.

  • Photos: No. 24 Douglas County boys basketball gets first-round win over No. 41 Rocky Mountain

    CASTLE ROCK — Cam’ron Dunfee led with 17 points as No. 24 Douglas County beat No. 41 Rocky Mountain 61-44 in the first round of the Class 5A boys basketball tournament.

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  • Photos: No. 23 Cherry Creek boys basketball beats No. 42 Horizon in 5A’s first round

    GREENWOOD VILLAGE — The No. 24 Cherry Creek Bruins jumped out to a quick lead and cruised to a 68-39 win over No. 42 Horizon in the first round of the Class 5A boys basketball tournament.

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  • Riverdale Ridge adds three new coaches, including former Legacy football coach Wayne Voorhees

    Legacy Boulder football
    (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)

    Riverdale Ridge High School is set to to begin play in football in the fall of 2018. But before a single practice has taken place, before a roster has been submitted, athletic director Harry Waterman has made a splash.

    Waterman announced on Thursday that he has hired former Legacy coach Wayne Voorhees as the football coach at Riverdale Ridge.

    With the hire, he also announced Chelsea Crowell as the new boys tennis coach and Brian Franca as the new cheer coach. Both come to Riverdale Ridge from Brighton High School.

    All athletic programs will begin in the fall of 2018. Football will play in Class 2A.

    Voorhees led the Lightning to a 6-4 record in 2017. Legacy went 8-3 in 2016 amidst major adversity. A bus accident on the way home from an out of state game put Vorhees and some of his assistants in the hospital.

    Voorhees and his assistants would return to the team and help Legacy reach the 5A playoffs.

    The school is expected to announce more coaching hires in the near future.

  • Columbine girls hoops gets first playoff win since 2010

    LITTLETON — Columbine’s girls basketball team accomplished one big goal it had entering this season.

    The No. 20-seeded Rebels managed the program’s first playoff victory since 2010 with a 41-37 victory Tuesday night against No. 45 Eaglecrest.

    “It’s been like eight years since we’ve won a playoff game,” Columbine junior Maura Singer said. “It’s definitely super nice.”

    Columbine (17-7 record) moves into the second round of the Class 5A state tournament. No. 13-seeded Doherty, who earned a first-round bye, will host the Rebels at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 23, in Colorado Springs. The Spartans (20-3) have a 16-game winning streak heading into Friday’s game.

    Eaglecrest’s Hidaya Thornton drives into traffic Tuesday night against Columbine. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    Despite the task of playing on the road, Columbine’s first-year coach Greg Bolding Jr. is feeling good heading to Colorado Springs at the end of the week.

    “I love our match-up with Doherty. I think we match-up well with them,” Bolding said. “Hopefully are nerves calm now and we got that out of the way.”

    Nerves definitely were an issue in the opening half for Columbine. Eaglecrest (9-15) forced several turnovers with pressure from the Raptors’ guards.

    However, Singer banked in a 3-pointer at the buzzer to end the first half to give the Rebels a 15-11 lead going into halftime.

    “That 3-pointer did help,” Singer said of her bank shot from long-range. “It wasn’t the prettiest thing. I just kind of threw it up. It got us pumped.”

    Columbine extended its lead to 25-16 midway through the third quarter thanks to a 10-0 run. Sophomores Kaitlyn Mayberry and Quincey Baum both hit a pair of 3-pointers during the run.

    The Rebels actually scored more than half of their points on 3-pointers, draining seven. Eaglecrest was also sharp at time from long range. The Raptors poured in six 3-pointers. Junior Raquel Turner (14 points) and senior Jordan Stoner (9 points) had three 3-pointers each for the Raptors.

    Eaglecrest actually took a 35-34 lead with 4:06 left in the fourth quarter after junior Hidaya Thornton (10 points) made a runner in the lane.

    Columbine’s Maura Singer (20) goes up for a shot in the first half Tuesday. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    Despite playing with four fouls, Singer came back into the game midway through the fourth quarter in an attempt by the Rebels to stop the surging Raptors.

    “I just knew I had to play smart,” Singer said playing with four fouls. “I stopped gambling. It paid off.”

    The gamble by Bolding to get his 6-foot-4 post back into the game paid off. Eaglecrest didn’t make a field goal in the final four minutes and on three consecutive trips down the court Singer had blocks as the Rebels hung on to a slim lead.

    “When she (Singer) was in there she was big for us,” Bolding said.

    Baum made a drive layup with 7 seconds left to give the Rebels a 4-point lead and put the game on ice. Baum finished with a team-high 12 points.

    “There was no flow. I think the nerves had a lot to do with that,” Bolding. said. “None of these girls have won a playoff game. The nerves were there. I think they were trying to do a little too much early.”

    The first-round playoff game was actually a rematch from a non-league game back in December. Columbine edged Eaglecrest 45-40 back on Dec. 2. Baum led the Rebels the first time around with a game-high 17 points. The Raptors were led by Turner’s 16 points.

    Sophomore Quincey Baum (33) and the rest of the Rebels will attempt to upset No. 13-seeded Doherty on Friday in the 2nd round of the 5A state tournament. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

  • Photos: No. 10 Kent Denver hockey cruises by No. 23 Pine Creek in playoffs

    DENVER — No. 10 Kent Denver wasted no time building momentum for a playoff run. The Sun Devils beat No. 23 Pine Creek 8-1 in the first round of the state hockey tournament.

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  • Photos: No. 19 Arapahoe girls basketball beats No. 46 Arvada West in 5A’s first round

    CENTENNIAL — No. 19 Arapahoe moved on to the second round of the Class 5A girls state basketball tournament after beating No. 46 Arvada West 68-38.

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  • Photos: No. 9 Standley Lake edges No. 24 Summit in state hockey tournament

    WESTMINSTER — Standley Lake is still alive in the state hockey tournament. The No. 9 Gators held off No. 24 Summit 5-3 in the first round.

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  • Evergreen names David Leek its new football coach

    Rifle Evergreen football
    (Lance Wendt/LanceWendt.com)

    David Leek will be Evergreen’s new football coach, athletic director Tony Barnett announced on Wednesday.

    Leek spent the final five games of the 2017 season as Evergreen’s interim coach, and prior to that was a Cougars’ assistant for three seasons. He coached linebackers, running backs, defensive backs, and was the special teams coordinator.

    Evergreen went 4-1 in those games under Leek last season, and reached the Class 3A playoffs. The Cougars were 9-2 in 2017.

    Leek played college football at Army.

    Follow all of this offseason’s coaching movement in our coaching changes tracker.

  • State skiing: Start lists for nordic and alpine events

    Complete starting lists for the 2018 state skiing championships in Leadville, which are Feb. 22-23.

    Find a schedule for the championships here.

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