THORNTON — Fairview girls swimming won the annual Coaches Invite, renamed this year as the Rex Abelein Memorial Invitational, with a total of 468 points. Cherry Creek (364.5 points) was second, and Arapahoe (219.5) finished third.
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The Grand Junction wrestling programs is all about big shoes. It’s become a program based on reloading and never rebuilding.
Kelly Clingan is most definitely eager enough, speaking excitedly about what she learns from each and every practice, especially the lessons gained from Saturday’s girls portion of the Northern Colorado Christmas Tournament.
In Colorado’s showdown of the year thus far in the 4A girls basketball season, No. 3 Air Academy defeated Pueblo West in the championship game of the Pueblo County Holiday Classic.
LAKEWOOD — Arvada West’s boys basketball coach Jeff Parriott wished the Wildcats’ 53-41 win over Lakewood on Friday night would have counted as a nice opening conference victory.
“I’d rather this be a league game. If we are going to play them, let’s count it,” Parriott said after the dozen-point victory. “It is what it is. The next one counts (in league standings) so we have to hit the rest button and ready to go next time.”
A-West and Columbine were Class 5A Jeffco League co-champs last year with identical 10-4 conference records. The league looks different with Valor Christian moving up to 5A Jeffco for 4A Jeffco in the mix this season.
It will also feel different with the conference going to just an 8-game league schedule after having home-and-away games between all eight teams last season.
“It’s definitely a different schedule this year,” A-West senior Josh Rogers said. “It would have been nice to get the league win, but we get them at home next time. We’ll have good energy for that one.”
A-West (5-1 record) is scheduled to host Lakewood on Jan. 23 in what will count as a conference game.
The key to the Wildcats’ win the first time around against Lakewood was a strong defensive effort, especially in the fourth quarter. A-West held a 43-36 lead going into the final quarter.
After allowing seniors Omar Vargas and Pierce Holley to combine for six 3-pointers in the first three quarters, the Wildcats made sure to closeout better on Lakewood’s shooters.
“We played with higher hands late,” Parriott said of his Wildcats holding the Tigers to just five points in the final quarter. “We gave them some looks early. We were in the right position, but the guys made that adjustment taking the easy shot away. A challenged shot and an unchallenged shot the percentages are quite a bit different.”
Vargas (14 points) and Holley (13 points) were the only Tigers to get double-digit points.
“Arvada West is such a great defensive team. Jeff Parriott’s teams do the right things defensively. I thought we helped them out as well,” Lakewood coach Daryl Johnson said. “I’m happy with where we are at, but Arvada West is on a different level right now.”
Lakewood (4-3) held a 14-6 lead late in the first quarter, but A-West had an 8-0 run to tie things up and took its first lead midway through the second quarter. The Wildcats would never give up the lead.
Rogers — last year’s 5A Jeffco League MVP — came in averaging 23.8 points per game. He was held to just 12 points, but the combo of seniors Oliver Lindeblad, Joseph Call, along with juniors Taylor Kline and Josh Yago combined for 36 points.
“I think the confident those other guys play with are going to be huge for us,” Parriott said. “Teams know Josh (Rogers) can shoot and score. We’ve got to play without his high volume of shots some nights.”
Kline hurt the Tigers from the outside with four 3-pointers. Lindeblad had a quiet first half, but poured in five key points in the fourth quarter to help the Wildcats seal the victory.
“Seven deep can go make big plays,” Rogers said of the Wildcats’ depth this season. “I think that is what makes this team special from some of the others in the past.”
The Wildcats stay on the road facing Fossil Ridge in Fort Collins on Tuesday, Dec. 18.
Lakewood plays at Arapahoe next Tuesday before hosting 4A Jeffco’s Wheat Ridge on Wednesday, Dec. 19, heading into the winter break.
“Get your popcorn ready. Tommy Dowd is coming to Lakewood,” Johnson said about the Tigers facing an old rival coached by longtime coach Tommy Dowd. “Wheat Ridge is going to be awesome.”
MONTROSE — In a battle of unbeaten teams, No. 10 Montrose girls basketball beat Roaring Fork on Friday.
Motnrose won, 57-24. Kennadie Minerich led her team with 14 points, Breanna Moss had 13, and Josie Eccher added 11.
“It was a complete team effort,” Montrose coach Steve Skiff said. “Got great contributions from senior Brenna Moss and juniors Kennadie Minerich and Josie Eccher.”
Added Minerich: “We played well as a team. We worked together on offense. We had good ball movement making an extra pass for a open player. We pushed the lead not to let them hang.”
Montrose (8-0) got off to a hot shooting start.
With the game tied at six, Moss hit a 3-pointer and Eccher hit two 3-pointers to make it 18-6. That was the score after the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Montrose continued to add to their lead. Leading 24-12, Moss hit a 3-pointer and Allison Nichols made two free throws to make it it 29-12.
Montrose led 36-15 at halftime. They didn’t allow Roaring Fork to score in double-digits in any quarter.
Roaring Fork is now 6-1 this season.
“We came together as a team,” said Montrose senior Michaela Ladge said. “Our defense was key. The bench played great.”
Montrose plays Palisade on Saturday at 1 p.m., while Roaring Fork plays Woodland Park.
Getting to the top means having to play the best competition and the No. 10 East High School boys basketball team received a taste of that Friday night in their 79-64 loss to No. 5 Cheyenne Mountain at Mel Spence Gymnasium.
DENVER — Conifer boys basketball team raced out to quick lead Thursday night against former Class 4A Jeffco League rival and never looked back in a 71-51 win over D’Evelyn.
The Lobos hits the 20-point mark less than six minutes into the game at D’Evelyn Junior/Senior High School. Junior Elijah Cook’s 3-pointer with 2:24 left in the first quarter pushed Conifer’s lead to 21-4 on the Jaguars’ home court.
“We have in spurts,” Conifer coach Eric Valerio said of the Lobos’ hot shooing. “We’ve got guys who get streaky and hot. Elijah Cook is just an unbelievable shooter.”
Cook finished with a game-high 27 points, including seven 3-pointer. The junior guard was one 3-pointer short of tying the school record. As a team, Conifer finished with a dozen 3-pointers on the night.
“I just came in and knew I’d be hitting my shots for some reason,” said Cook, who said he has hit 10 3-pointers in a summer game.
The Lobos (5-3 record) had good balanced scoring. Juniors Landon Wallace, Connor Long and Cody Jacobson each scored 10 points. Senior Will Ratzer pitched in 12 points to give the Lobos five players in double-figures.
“I’m just so proud of the guys,” Valerio said. “They are fun to watch, especially when they are shooting the ball like that.”
The victory ended a long losing streak against D’Evelyn. It has been at least a decade since the Lobos had defeated the Jaguars in boys basketball. Valerio was 0-6 coaching against D’Evelyn since he took over the Jaguars’ program in the 2013-14 season.
“It’s a big win to kind of get this monkey off our back,” Valerio said of defeating D’Evelyn.
The Jaguars (0-7) are still looking for their first victory. D’Evelyn did show signs of turning things around in the fourth quarter. The Jaguars scored 23 points in the final quarter after being held to 28 points through the first three quarters.
D’Evelyn senior Dan Brady led the way with 18 points for the Jaguars. D’Evelyn attempts to get in the win column Saturday night in a road game against Erie (1-3).
Conifer tries to grab its fourth victory in five games when the Lobos face rival Evergreen at 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 17, at Conifer High School. It will be the first time in the rivalry game where Valerio will go head-to-head against Evergreen’s new coach Jeff Dolan. Valerio and Dolan were teammates at Conifer.
“We have Evergreen on Monday, so we’ve got to be good for that,” Cook said. “We’ve got to come out like we did tonight.”
Looking a little ahead, the Lobos begin play in the 4A/3A Colorado 8 League in mid-January. A conference title would like nice on Conifer’s resume.
“There are some good quality teams in there,” Valerio said of the Colorado 8 League. “Our goal is to win everything. My goal is to get better each game and teach them to play the right way.”
COLORADO SPRINGS — A 27-point fourth quarter lifted Sand Creek boys basketball to a 66-53 win over Sierra on Thursday. Dailen Terry scored 21 points for the Stallions.
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Arvada West, Grand Junction Central, Crowley County and Burlington have each joined this week’s wrestling rankings from On The Mat.
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Tim Yount of On The Mat provides weekly wrestling rankings for teams and individuals in all weight classes. To see individual rankings, you can subscribe to On The Mat’s full rankings.
To subscribe via PayPal, choose your subscription option on this page click on the corresponding PayPal button. To subscribe by mail or fax and pay by personal check, click here for a printable subscription form. Email Tim Yount at tim@onthematrankings.com with questions.
To purchase individual weeks of the rankings (as opposed to the entire season), you will need to use the printable subscription form and pay by check. The season ranking subscriptions are offered at a discounted rate.
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| Class 2A | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RK | TEAM | PVS | |||
| 1 | Wray | 1 | |||
| 2 | Cedaredge | 2 | |||
| 3 | Rocky Ford | 4 | |||
| 4 | Paonia | 3 | |||
| 5 | Highland | 5 | |||
| 6 | Centauri | 6 | |||
| 7 | John Mall | 7 | |||
| 8 | Trinidad | 9 | |||
| 9 | Crowley County | – | |||
| 10 | Burlington | – | |||
| Dropped out | |||||
| County Line (8), Holly (10). | |||||
| Class 3A | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RK | TEAM | PVS | |||
| 1 | Alamosa | 1 | |||
| 2 | Jefferson | 2 | |||
| 3 | Pagosa Springs | 3 | |||
| 4 | Eaton | 4 | |||
| 5 | Brush | 5 | |||
| 6 | Eagle Valley | 7 | |||
| 7 | Lamar | 6 | |||
| 8 | Berthoud | 8 | |||
| 9 | Woodland Park | 9 | |||
| 10 | Sterling | 10 | |||
| Dropped out | |||||
| None. | |||||
| Class 4A | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RK | TEAM | PVS | |||
| 1 | Pueblo East | 1 | |||
| 2 | Windsor | 2 | |||
| 3 | Pueblo County | 3 | |||
| 4 | Broomfield | 5 | |||
| 5 | Grand Junction Central | – | |||
| 6 | Pueblo Centennial | 6 | |||
| 7 | Discovery Canyon | 7 | |||
| 8 | Roosevelt | 8 | |||
| 9 | Longmont | 9 | |||
| 10 | Coronado | 10 | |||
| Dropped out | |||||
| Pueblo West (4). | |||||
| Class 5A | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RK | TEAM | PVS | |||
| 1 | Pomona | 1 | |||
| 2 | Grandview | 2 | |||
| 3 | Grand Junction | 3 | |||
| 4 | Ponderosa | 4 | |||
| 5 | Monarch | 7 | |||
| 6 | Legacy | 5 | |||
| 7 | Brighton | 9 | |||
| 8 | Rocky Mountain | 8 | |||
| 9 | Arvada West | – | |||
| 10 | Castle View | 6 | |||
| Dropped out | |||||
| Valor Christian (10). | |||||