LITTLETON — Playing early and playing often has worked like a charm for Chatfield’s girls basketball team.
The Chargers won their third game in five days Friday night with a 60-54 victory over Green Mountain at Chatfield High School. It’s been a busy, but successful opening week of the 2018-19 season for the Chargers.
“Being here for four years we’ve struggled the last three years,” Chatfield senior Emma Talbot said. “Starting the season off strong is really good.”
Chatfield senior Bailey Truex (2) and Green Mountain junior Maddie Phillips (25) go after a loose ball Friday night. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
It’s the first three-game winning streak for the Chargers since starting the 2016-17 season with three straight victories.
“This start really helps a lot,” Chatfield’s second-year coach Audra Lynn said. “Getting those live-action games is something you really can’t recreate in practice.”
Chatfield got off to a great start facing a Green Mountain team that was playing its first game of the year. The Chargers never trailed and pushed their lead up to double-digits midway through the second quarter.
Talbot and sophomore Madison Shepard were the driving forces on the offensive side. Both had 11 points at halftime. Talbot hit her fourth and fifth 3-pointers of the game in the first couple of minutes of the third quarter, but also picked up her fourth foul that forced her to take a seat on the bench.
“It was hard. They put me on (Green Mountain sophomore Courtney Hank). We watched some film of her and she is pretty good,” Talbot said. “She is a lot bigger than me. I did my best.”
Green Mountain sophomore Courtney Hank, left, drives on Chatfield sophomore Madison Shepard on Friday night. Hank scored a game-high 20 points, but it wasn’t enough as Chatfield took a 60-54 victory. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
Despite sitting for a good part of the second half, Talbot finished with 19 points before fouling out in the final minute. Shepard finished with a dozen points before fouling out and senior Tedy Reed also pitched in a dozen points.
The Chargers finished with nine 3-pointers. They have made 19 pointers during Chatfield’s first three games.
“We are definitely going to be a shooting team this year,” Talbot said. “We don’t have much size. We are going to have to rely on our shots to fall and our speed. We need to keep running.”
Chatfield pushed its lead up to 20 points in the third quarter, but had to hang on late. Green Mountain had 25 points in the fourth quarter after scoring just 29 points through the first three quarters.
“Chatfield was really comfortable on its home floor with a lot of energy and came ready to play,” Green Mountain coach Darren Pitzner said. “It took us 16 minutes to warm up, which you never want to see. Our girls did show what they can do, but you have to show that energy from the start.”
Green Mountain junior Riley Shoemaker, left, and Chatfield senior Tedy Reed battle for possession of the ball Friday night. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
Hank led the way for the Rams finishing with a game-high 20 points. Senior Savannah Hapke buried five 3-pointers on the way to 19 points for Green Mountain.
The Rams cut the lead to single-digits with under a minute to play, but Chatfield sophomore Ashley Long made a couple of key free throws in the final minute to ward off Green Mountain’s rally.
Green Mountain (0-1 record) has its home opener against Conifer on Tuesday, Dec. 4.
Green Mountain’s final game last season was a loss to eventual state champion Evergreen in the second round of the Class 4A state tournament. However, the Rams gave the now two-time defending 4A champs their toughest game of the tournament. Evergreen escaped with a 38-36 win.
“We have a really tough non-league schedule to get us ready for a tough league,” Pitzner said. “I’m excited about my team and I love my kids. I’m excited to see what we can do when we all get on the same page.”
Chatfield (3-0) had its first road test at Far Northeast on Tuesday, Dec. 4.
“We don’t want to get overconfident,” Talbot said. “We have some tough games coming up.”
Chatfield seniors Bailey Truex (2) and Emma Talbot (3) attempt to cut off Green Mountain senior Savannah Hapke’s path to the basket Friday night at Chatfield High School. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
FORT COLLINS — Kwane Marble scored 21 points as Class 5A No. 5 Denver East boys basketball got its first win of the season, beating Mountain View 83-40.
DENVER – Loveland’s decision to defer on the opening kickoff was just the first in a number of big moments Saturday.
The Indians gave the ball to Skyline to start the Class 4A state championship game. A squib kick got away from the Falcons, and Loveland recovered. One play later, quarterback Riley Kinney found the end zone, sparking a first-half scoring outburst that sent Loveland to an eventual 62-14 victory over Skyline at Broncos Stadium at Mile High.
“We saw an opening, and we knew that my squibs are kind of hard to handle,” Rakoswky said. “I think it showed and it worked out perfect in the end.”
It was the Indians’ first state championship since 2003 and put the exclamation point on an undefeated season. The title comes three years after Loveland lost to Windsor in the 4A championship game, and two years after they missed out on the postseason despite having a 9-1 record.
Last fall the team was undefeated during the regular season but was upset by Broomfield in the state quarterfinals.
“We were all freshmen the last trip we came here, and we saw what was happening,” said Loveland senior Zach Weinmaster, who led the team with 117 yards Saturday and scored two touchdowns. “We knew that we wanted it more than anybody else by the time we were juniors and seniors, and I think we showed that well today.”
The Indians (14-0) rushed for more than 300 yards on the day. Kinney had 108 of those yards and scored five touchdowns on runs of 25, 17, 1, 1 and 22 yards.
One play after recovering the opening kickoff, the Loveland quarterback put the Indians up to stay with a 25-yard touchdown run, faking the pitch and taking the ball up the right sideline.
Rakoswky intercepted Skyline’s Chase Silva on the Falcons’ second play from scrimmage and returned it to the Skyline 17. One play later it was Kinney again faking the pitch and keeping the ball for the touchdown.
The Indians intercepted Silva four times on the day. Isaiah Meyers returned one of those picks 22 yards for a touchdown.
(Ismael Gomez)
“We knew when they kind of get close to the sticks they were going to try those curls and we had it in our gameplan,” Rakowsky said. “Me and Isaiah were playing those hard on the outside. I was just in the right place at the right time.”
Skyline (10-4) used a 12-play drive, capped by a 10-yard pass from Silva to Nate McGregor, to get back into the game. But the Indians put together three consecutive scoring drives that ended in the end zone. Weinmaster and Kinney scored on one-yard runs, and Rakowsky followed up a 32-yard catch with a nine-yard scoring run.
“That was the biggest thing … (Skyline) came back and scored, and they could have changed it,” Loveland coach Wayne McGinn said. “I was thinking our guys need to stand up and not let that happen, and that’s what they did.”
After Jeremy Hollingsworth – who rushed for 68 yards – scored midway through the second quarter, Weinmaster answered with a 7-yard run to make it 48-14 at the half. A Collin Morrison interception early in the third quarter led to Kinney’s fourth touchdown and enforced the running clock, and the quarterback added a 22-yard run early in the fourth quarter.
“Coach always told us to envision it,” Kinney said. “Envision it the night before, the week before, just making plays, and then it will happen.”
Skyline was making its first championship game appearance since 1999. The Falcons, who lost leading wide receiver Kyle West to an injury on the opening kickoff, got big games from Jack Wathen (71 yards) and McGregor (42 yards and a touchdown).
The Longs Peak League teams had played not quite a month before in the regular-season finale, a game Loveland won 42-14. The 62 points scored by Loveland on Saturday was a season high, and put the Indians above 600 points for the season.
It also tied Hinkley’s 1997 championship team for the second-most points scored in a 4A title game.
“I knew our kids were ready to play. They’re great students of the game and have great character,” McGinn said. “I was more confident than I’ve ever been, but to come out and do what they just did, I didn’t expect that.”
The longtime Denver East head man joined Dick Katte (formerly at Denver Christian) as the only Colorado boys basketball coaches to claim 800 wins.
“There’s so many people involved in this; coaches, parents, players, and teachers,” Carey said. “I’m just one component of it.”
He achieved the milestone when the Angels handled Thompson Valley 74-27 in a Fossil Ridge Tip-off Classic game on Saturday, improving their season record to 2-1.
“This says a lot about the kids we’ve had in the program, about the coaches we’ve had, and about the contributions of the community,” Carey added. “We feel like we’ve been a bright light for a community that has sometimes lived in darkness. We’ve never allowed that light to go out.”
Poudre did delay the achievement just a little, upsetting the fifth-ranked team in 5A by a score of 51-43 during Wednesday’s opener. But the Angels shined again over the weekend, returning to a trademark with unrelenting, pressure-filled defense in wins over Mountain View and Thompson Valley.
During Friday’s 83-39 victory against Mountain View, East had 34 steals as Kwane Marble (21 points, 11 assists, 10 steals) and freshman Langston Reynolds (17 points, 5 steals) led the way. Their tenacity carried over to Saturday, leading to the monumental win.
“We have high expectations on and off the floor for our players and it’s basically student-driven,” Carey said. “They buy into their own success.”
One of those high-achievers is Kwane Marble, a 6-foot-5 senior guard who scored his team’s first 19 points against Thompson Valley, which included a two-handed dunk and a trio of three-pointers. Marble will be asked to lead an Angels contingent with plenty of speed and shooting ability.
It will be a process though as they graduated Daylen Kountz, now a Colorado Buff, and his 24 points per game as a senior.
“We have three or four kids injured right now,” Carey said. “We’re young and have some work to do, but I think we’ll be better in February.”
Marble, who finished with 28 points against Thompson Valley, seems to ensure that. Carey says he’s probably one of the top three players in the state, but the senior (four Division I offers) is only the latest in a long line of all-state level players.
Carey was an all-state guard for Denver East himself and graduated in 1970 before competing for Colorado State University. His son, David, was an all-stater in the 1990’s while playing for the elder. They have coached together for many years.
“As a community and as a staff we have created a culture of success,” Carey said. “I’m a fraction of this. I had no idea I would be around for 800 wins.”
During a head coaching career that began at Manual in 1979, Carey has nine state titles to his name (three at Manual, six at East). That’s tied for the state record with Ron Vlasin (formerly at Merino, Arapahoe, Littleton).
The Bears rallied and scored 20 points in the quarter to propel themselves to a 47-38 victory Saturday at the Neta & Eddie DeRose ThunderBowl on the Colorado State University-Pueblo campus.
“Adversity helps us develop perseverance and perseverance helps define our character and our character can give us hope,” Palmer Ridge coach Tom Pulford said. “When we get tested on the field we know it is refining us into becoming something better, a better version of ourselves and I think we came out of this game a better version of ourselves. I’m proud of the way our kids responded in those adverse moments and this was a great accomplishment.”
Palmer Ridge capped its memorable season with a 12-2 record and avenged a 28-21 loss to the Eagles Sept. 7. East ended its season 11-3 and was trying to win its fourth state title in five years.
“East is a good football team and I knew they were going to score,” said Palmer Ridge quarterback Ty Evans, who is signed to play at the University of Colorado-Boulder. “We had to be calm, cool and collected the whole way and I wanted to be steady for everybody else. This is surreal to win again.”
Evans finished the game 14-of-25 passing for 185 yards, quite a difference from his five-interception performance in the loss to the Eagles earlier this season. Bears’ Running back Raef Ruel was superb rushing for 132 yards and three scores and was named the game’s Most Valuable Player.
“This is very rewarding,” said the 5-foot-10, 175-pound junior Ruel. “Most people don’t win one state championship and winning two is insane.”
The win was a hard fought one for the Bears.
To start the second half, East took the early momentum, thanks to a trick play. On second down and eight from their own 22-yard line, quarterback Andrada tossed a quick pass to the right sideline to Marvin London, who ran forward for a moment, but while he was still behind the line of scrimmage, tossed a 78-yard pass to Patrick Gonzales who was wide open down the field. East failed on the two-point conversion pass, giving them a 32-27 edge with 11:15 in the third.
Trailing 32-27 early in the third quarter, the Bears went to work.
(Lance Wendt/LanceWendt.com)
Palmer Ridge answered with a strong mix pass and run and took the lead 33-32 on 5-yard touchdown run by Ruel with 7:37 left in the third quarter. Palmer Ridge extended its lead 40-32 when defensive end Aidan Cullen intercepted an Andrada screen pass and returned it 22 yards for a touchdown at the 7:12 mark of third.
“What changed the momentum big time is when Aiden got that pick-six because no one expected that to happen,” Ruel said.
After a failed fake punt by East, the Bears had the ball at the Eagles’ 25-yard line. Noah Brom made East pay with an 8-yard scoring run to give the Bears a 47-32 edge with 5:30 of third.
East couldn’t get closer than nine points the remainder of the game.
“I think it was missed opportunities,” East coach Andy Watts said. “We failed to convert in a couple of situations and we made a couple of bad decisions. I just couldn’t be happy with the way my boys played. They fought tooth and nail to the end and Palmer Ridge is a good team and you spot a team like that 14 points and expect to win.”
The Eagles were led by seniors – Andrada and UCLA-bound receiver Kain Medrano. Andrada had 278 yards passing and three scores, all to Medrano, who had six catches for 129 yards.
The game was an endless roller-coaster ride from start to finish.
Ruel got the scoring going with a 29-yard touchdown with 10:36 left in the first quarter. East countered when Andrada tossed a 23-yard scoring reception by Kane Medrano along the right sideline with 3:18 remaining in the first quarter. East botched the extra point giving the Bears a 7-6 edge.
Then, the Bears answered with a 13-play, 71-yard march that culminated with a touchdown run by Noah Brom. The cheering had barely stopped for the Bears’ fans when Anthony Roberson II had a 23-yard pick six at the 10:40 mark of the second quarter to put Palmer Ridge up 21-6.
“We got the job done and we can’t wait to go celebrate,” said Roberson II.
East caught a break when Evans mishandled a bad snap and it was recovered by the Eagles’ Buddy Almintakh at Palmer Ridge 18-yard line. That led to Andrada lofting a 17-yard TD pass to Medrano in right corner of end zone at 7:18 of second.
The Eagles kept rolling and moved the ball 46 yards concluding with Andrada’s one-yard scoring sneak at 3:51 of second quarter.
East scored again with some trickery. The play developed this way – Andrada tossed an 8-yard pass over the middle Kaden Bowman. Then, Bowman flipped it to Medrano, who was coming on a hook and ladder and Medrano sprinted the final 50 yards into the end zone to give East a 26-21 advantage with 2:08 until halftime.
As stagnant as the Bears’ offense was in the second quarter it came alive in its final possession. Palmer Ridge drove 89 yards on nine plays and Evans had a 5-yard scamper around the right corner with no time showing on the clock.
“Every single moment felt like a movie and you are just hoping that you weren’t the wrong side,” Evans said. “We played as brothers and we played four quarters and that’s why we won.”
DENVER – Winning state championships is not a new thing for Valor Christian’s football team, but Saturday’s accomplishment may have meant just a little bit more.
The Eagles captured their eight state title in 10 years on Saturday – their fifth in Class 5A – with a hard-fought 24-14 victory over Cherry Creek at Broncos Stadium at Mile High. Valor Christian capped off an undefeated season and gained a measure of revenge in the process – the Bruins were the only team to defeat the Eagles in a championship game back in 2014.
“We were underestimated a little bit throughout the whole season. To finally be able to play the guy that they were saying is the top dog was something really special,” said Valor senior quarterback Luke McCaffrey, who finished with 169 yards passing and a touchdown and also rushed for 68 yards. “It’s something we used as motivation week in and week out, and we finally got to show it.”
(David Harvey/ImageProPhotography.com)
Jack Howell rushed for 79 yards and scored two touchdowns for Valor Christian (14-0) in the first half, including a 39-yard run early in the second quarter.
Howell took the ball through the left side and sprinted up the sideline for the score.
“There was a hole as big as a truck,” Howell said. “It opened up and I just saw it and hit it. Our line was blocking great out there.”
The sophomore spent much of the year at wide receiver, but made the switch to running back given Valor’s injuries at the position.
“The last few weeks we’ve had some injuries and he’s been playing halfback,” McCaffrey said. “He comes out here and has two touchdowns and rushes all over the place.”
The Eagles were just as tough on defense. Valor Christian sacked Cherry Creek’s Alex Padilla six times – including three on the final drive of the game – and Roger Rosengarten had a crucial interception late in the third quarter.
McCaffrey had just put the Eagles up 21-8 with a perfectly-placed throw that dropped over the shoulder and into the hands of Chase Lopez from eight yards out. The Bruins responded with their best drive to that point, moving 54 yards in only five plays.
Padilla had a pass tipped at the line though, and the 6-foot-7 Rosengarten snared it at the Eagles’ 24. That led to an 11-play drive that went into the fourth quarter, with Brian Brogan kicking a 32-yard field goal to make it a 16-point game.
“He definitely changed the course of this entire game, by allowing the offense to get back on the field,” said Valor senior defensive lineman Cian Quiroga, who had three sacks. “He’s just such a great athlete, we love having him.”
The teams traded punts, and a bad snap on Valor Christian’s attempt was recovered at its own 18. One play later Padilla found Vance Brazile for a touchdown, but the Eagles denied the two-point conversion to keep the score 24-14.
Valor Christian was able to run some time off the clock, and with Cherry Creek forced to pass, the Eagles’ defensive line sacked Padilla three times – twice by Quiroga – to run out the clock.
“Being a senior, for me this is a big deal – never coming to a state championship before,” Quiroga said. “Being able to make plays out here on the field with my brothers is the biggest thing to me.”
Padilla was 13-of-19 for 103 yards and a touchdown, and Brazile caught four passes for 56 yards. Seamus Henderson and Jayle Stacks combined for 122 yards on the ground for Cherry Creek (12-2). Henderson scored on a two-yard run late in the second quarter, and kicker Mac Willis recovered a bad snap and ran the ball in for the two-point conversion.
“We were willing to play whoever it was, because we wanted to play the best,” Howell said. “Whenever we can play a team like Creek – hats off to them, they’re a great team – but when we come together something crazy can happen.”
McCaffrey closed out his prep career with his third state championship. It was his first as the team’s starting quarterback – his brother Dylan, now at Michigan, was the quarterback his freshman and sophomore year – and even more important, it was his first with father Ed as the team’s head coach.
“That’s the best experience,” Luke McCaffrey said. “That’s one of the best moments of my life.”
