COLORADO SPRINGS — For a fall competition, the elements on Friday presented anything but a crisp autumn day for cross country runners.
On Friday, 89 teams converged at the Norris-Penrose Event Center for the Cheyenne Stampede cross country meet. The site will once again host the state cross country meet which will be held in October.
The hope for many teams in attendance is to get their runners a glimpse of what the state championship course looks like so that there aren’t any surprises to the athletes. For teams such as Alamosa, it can be a long trek for such a short competition window.
“We’ve done this every year for the past four or five years,” junior Lilly Lavier said. “It’s really helped the girls coming up to varsity really recognize the course a bit for when they run it at the end of the year.”
It certainly helped Lavier. In a very competitive Class 3A girls race, she claimed first place, beating out Holy Family sophomore Alyssa Wells who finished sixth in last year’s state meet.
Last year Wells show competitive grit in coming into her first year of high school competition and finding her way onto the podium. The Tigers had a loaded senior class and ended up finishing fourth as a team at state.
Part of that was the seniors leaning on their star underclassman, something that Wells hopes not to do in 2018.
“Honestly, the first year don’t put so much pressure on it,” Wells said. “It’s really hard coming into (this level of competition in) high school your first year. I don’t like to put a lot of pressure on freshmen because last year my team didn’t put a lot of pressure on me. But that’s when I thrive the best.”
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
She thrived on Friday with her second-place finish. The familiarity with the course aside, the biggest thing she and the other runners had to battle was the heat. The temperatures in August (low- to mid-80’s at race time) are much different than what they’ll see in October during the state meet.
“It’s a lot hotter right now,” Wells said. “That’s the thing about October is there’s more shade, it’s a lot cooler. I think it makes a big difference.”
The fact that the temperatures were high — yet manageable — wasn’t news to the teams. If there is one benefit of competing on this course now to prepare for October, it’s that the head can introduce a mental barrier that the runners can face head on.
“For me I had a plan in my head to go a certain speed in between the second and third mile and you feel the heat getting to you by then,” Lavier said. “It affects you mentally and if you can somehow push through that, it won’t affect (your performance) too much.”
The next time this many runners will compete at Norris-Penrose will be on Oct. 27 at the 2018 state cross country meet.
There are times where the first week of the football season often provides a slate of can’t miss game. This year is no exception as 6-man No. 5 (and defending state champion) Peetz makes its way to No. 3 Otis in a battle of two favorites vying for the 6-man state championship this year.
“To me the biggest key to this game is going to be which group of supporting staff contributes better,” says KPMX Sports Director Ben Blecha, who will be providing play-by-play on 94.5 The Ranch. “Long wasn’t the feature the way Miracle was last season but both guys have the ability to take over the game and both coaches know that. So it may not be the Long-Miracle showdown many initially anticipate.”
Peetz vs. Otis can be streamed online at 945theranch.com or on the Tune-In Radio App.
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2A: (7) Resurrection Christian at Sterling
With Sterling losing a lot to graduation, the Tigers will have to find another way to remain competitive in 2A. They’ll be put to the test early this year, starting the season against a Resurrection Christian team who grabbed wins over Kent Denver and Faith Christian in the 2A playoffs last year.
“The road team has won the meetings between these two teams the last two seasons so the home field advantage isn’t always what one might think it would be in the opening season,” Blecha said.
The game can be heard on 105.7 KPMX (online at kpmx.com) with Chris “Bull” Brom on the call.
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5A: (10) Highlands Ranch at (7) Eaglecrest
The 5A state runner-up opens with a top-10 matchup with Highlands Ranch. Highlands Ranch will look to ride running back Dominic Bettini, a 1,600-yard rusher last year. Eaglecrest lost some of the playmakers from last year’s team, but new quarterback Dylan James will have the protection of Barrett Miller and Jake Wiley.
The game can be heard on Orange and Blue 760 or online via iHeartRadio. Chad Andrus and Matt McChesney will have the call.
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4A: Montrose at Grand Junction Central
Montrose is hoping the momentum of 2017 can continue into this year. The Indians won six of their final seven games before meeting eventual 4A champion Pueblo South in the first round of the playoffs. The Warriors are coming off a 4-6 season, but went 3-2 in league play in 2017.
Ryan Casey, the director of digital media for CHSAA, sits down with our Brad Cochi to talk about the many changes CHSAA has put into effect this season, possible future changes, football and more.
GREENWOOD VILLAGE — Down 4-2 heading into the fifth inning, Class 5A No. 8 Arvada West softball scored 12 runs in the final three innings to beat Cherry Creek 14-9.
PARKER — No. 2 Chaparral volleyball beat No. 4 Cherokee Trail 3-1 in a top-10 matchup in Class 5A on Wednesday. The Wolverines won, 25-21, 18-25, 25-23, 25-22.
Take notice, softball world: Douglas County is here to make some noise this season.
The Huskies, state tournament participants in Class 5A a season ago, are off to a 4-0 start, including wins over 5A No. 2 Fossil Ridge, and defending 4A champion and preseason No. 1 Mountain View.
“It scared me a little bit looking at the schedule,” said second-year Douglas County coach Dane Craig. “I was like, ‘Geez, did I put too much on thrm?’ But they’ve played well. The teams we’ve played, especially the last two, have been really good. And Mountain Range is going to get better as they go on. I mean, we’ve caught some of these teams a little early. These are good teams, and we’re going to face a couple more here this week, and I’m pretty excited about what we can do.”
There’s a different feeling around the program this season, even from last season. Craig, the longtime coach at Mountain Range who won a state title in 2015, was hired in mid-July of 2017, mere weeks before the season. It didn’t leave him a whole lot of time to put his own stamp on the program.
Even still, parents from last year’s team indicated that the felt a shift in the culture, and that the players were having more fun.
“That’s when I knew that not only was this going to work, I needed to change it even more,” Craig said. “And that’s what took us to where we are today. I’ve had nothing but support from every one of my parents and athletic director.”
(Courtesy of Nadine Kirk)
This offseason, Craig and the program’s supporters set out to further change the culture. They put school flags up around the softball stadium, and installed a new windscreen around the outfield. It features a pair of Husky eyes staring back toward the batter.
“When I went out there the first time — the field’s nice, but there was nothing that really felt like home,” Craig said. “Now they’ve got somewhere they can call home.”
They bought brand new uniforms.
They changed the schedule, and will play in the prestigious Erie Festival of Champions this season. On Thursday, they’ll play perennial power Legacy under the lights at Metro State.
“I wanted to make sure that they felt special, and that they are a cornerstone” of the school’s athletic department, Craig said. “And I think it’s helping, because our first game against Liberty, our stands were packed. I mean there were kids everywhere. It was a lot of fun to watch.”
All the changes have also meant the girls on the team are having more fun.
“The culture is very positive,” said Douglas County athletic director Jeff Gardella. “He’s putting the stamp on this program as his program, and the girls are having fun.”
Of course, winning is also a big part of that fun. And those girls have a lot to do with those wins.
Alley Kim and Savanna Reiners, two seniors, serve as captains this season.
Kim, a third baseman, is hitting .417 with four RBIs. She’s also stolen three bases. “She’s started off amazing so far,” Craig said.
Reiners is 4-0 as the team’s primary pitcher, and her 33 strikeouts rank fourth in 5A. Craig said that she’s “throwing the ball better than I’ve ever seen her throw. She really helped improve herself over the offseason, and that’s paying off so far.”
(Courtesy of Nadine Kirk)
Other major contributors early include center fielder Abby Stallcup, another senior (“Her confidence has grown tremendously,” Craig said); as well as junior shortstop Taylor Griffin, who has a .571 average. Katie Hilsman, a junior catcher, is “stepping up this year as a leader and power-hitter,” Craig said.
“The kids who were all juniors and sophomores last year are the standout leaders this year,” Craig said.
Youth is also a big factor.
Genevieve Bower, a sophomore, is playing first base, but can also catch and play third base.
“She’s the only kid that’s hit a home run on the team so far,” Craig said. “She’s the one that put it a good distance over the fence. She’s going to be the one that pops up as a surprise that nobody knows.”
Alyssa Gutierrez, a freshman, has “instantly become my leadoff batter,” Craig said. But her impact goes beyond that: “She’s fit in with the team like she’s been there for year,” the coach said. “It’s really helping out the cohesiveness of the team.”
It’s made for a close group of girls.
“They’ve all bonded together so quickly,” Craig said. “It’s been fun to watch.”
The foundation of the entire program got stronger with the addition of Jessica King and Elsie Billick as junior varsity coaches. Both used to play softball at Douglas County.
“They own that program,” Craig said. “They’re just running with it. It’s fun to watch what they’re doing with those kids. They’re just enjoying every second of it.”
So while the 4-0 start is great, what’s been better is the shift in culture. The Huskies are looking forward to what’s ahead.
“It’s been a blast,” Craig said. “I’m really looking forward to the future.”
There may be some good football games all around the state of Colorado as high school play opens up for real this week. But in terms of a pure rivalry that pits nearly all of a city’s kids against each other, it won’t get much better than Fairview-Boulder on Friday night at Recht Field.
On Aug. 29, Loveland Classical will reach another milestone when it plays its first official game as a member of the Colorado High School Activities Association.
