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(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

COLORADO SPRINGS — Hunter Swanson’s approach shot on the seventh hole of the Country Club of Colorado was everything that a player wants.

The flight looked good, the distance felt good and when the smacked the green just a few inches from the pin it hopped just once then stayed put. The spin was enough to make sure the ball didn’t release to the back side of the green but not enough to pull it right off the putting surface.

It was the kind of shot that Swanson hit several times last fall that helped Swanson finish for a tie in second place at the Class 4A boys golf state tournament at The Bridges in Montrose.

“There was no beating Micah (Stangebye) that tournament,” Swanson said. “I was playing for second.”

That’s where he finished and he’s aiming to better that result the next chance he gets. Heading into just his junior year, he’ll have plenty of chances to play high-level golf under the Northfield banner.

He was certainly moving that direction at the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado’s first major of its summer tour season, the PGA Championship at the Country Club of Colorado. He made his kick-in birdie on seven and then made another on No. 9 to make the turn at 2-under for the third and final round.

Prospect Ridge graduate Walker Franklin’s lead was too much to overcome, however, and Swanson finished tied for sixth along with Arapahoe’s Will Kates, the defending 5A champion. Playing alongside Kates and Holy Family grad Jacob Mason is the kind of competition that Swanson knows will help him when he gets another crack at state.

“When I’m playing with skilled people in my groups like today, it makes you play a lot better and it makes you more motivated,” Swanson said. “You don’t mess as much. When they’re throwing darts at the green, it’s not an option to miss.”

Swanson couldn’t help but take the opportunity to pick Kates’ mind a bit about winning a state title. It’s on a list of several goals that Swanson hopes to accomplish in the next two years.

“I talked with Will a bit about his state championship,” Swanson said. “He really liked it and he said it was a fun experience. I can definitely learn from that going into state next year.”

Until that opportunity comes around, he’s going to play as much golf as he can. Before playing this week at CCC — where even the best putters in the state can lose a sense of sanity on the greens — he won a tour event the week before at King’s Deer just east of Monument.

He held off Discovery Canyon’s Kaden Ford by a stroke. Swanson and Ford were the two players to tie for second at state last year.

If the result at King’s Deer is any indication, the battle between Ford and Swanson throughout the year should be one of the better matchups throughout the state regardless of sport.

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

Updated for the 2020-21 school year, this interactive map shows where in Colorado our 363 member schools are located.

Broomfield senior Mallory Mooney was named the girls soccer player of the year for Colorado by Gatorade on Wednesday.

Mooney, a 5-foot-3 forward, had 23 goals as a junior as she was named first-team all-state for the second consecutive season last spring.

In April, Gatorade announced that it would continue to honor spring sport athletes despite the cancellation of the season nationwide.

Mooney’s older brother, Michael, was the Gatorade boys soccer player of the year in 2017-18. She becomes the seventh athlete from Broomfield to win the award, and second girls soccer player, following Hailey Stodden in 2017-18.

“Mallory is one of the fiercest competitors I have ever had the privilege of coaching,” said Broomfield coach Jim Davidson. “Her drive to succeed is unmatched as is her relentless work ethic. She is the purest goal scorer our program has ever known.”

Mooney has a 3.64 GPA, and is signed to play soccer at Auburn.

(MaxPreps)

Once glance at the newly refurbished girls basketball record book gave the impression that the 2019-20 girls basketball season might have had one of the deepest pools of talent that Colorado has ever seen.

Records of all sorts fell as the season rolled on and at the end of the year, it was clear that Colorado had put one of the best points guards ever seen on display while also providing a home for an elite player.

From free throw records to team blocks and assist numbers, the 2019-20 season was certainly one for the record books.

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Offensive numbers get the headlines, but the true measure of a hard-working player is their effort on the defensive end of the floor. That was the case for the Far Northeast Warriors. Tosjanae Bonds finished her career as an elite defender and has the numbers to back it up.

She snagged 21 steals on Jan. 31 in a game against Kennedy. That broke the state single-game record (which she owned from the year before) by one. She is the only player in state history to record 20 steals in a game and has done so twice.

She totaled 208 steals through the course of the season which is also a season record. That number helped put her atop the career steals list as she finished with 631. She is the only player to record 600 career assists.

She became the second player in state history to record a quadruple-double in a Feb. 8 win over Denver East. She recorded 18 points, 18 rebounds, 10 assists and 10 steals.

Aurora West College Prep had some impressive defensive numbers of its own. Daisy Rodriguez tied a state record with 16 blocks in a single game and her her 150 blocks in a single season put her at eighth. The Spartans recorded 283 blocks as a team, the second-most blocks by a team in state history.

A 32-year-old record fell on Jan. 24 when Wash’s Jensen Renquist sank 24 free throws in a single game. Greeley West’s Lesa Morrill set the old record of 23 in the 1987-88 season and it was later tied by Swink’s Taiylor Holland in 2014. Renquist got to the line 26 times and sank all but two of her shots in a 66-61 overtime loss.

Berthoud might most remember its trip to the Final 4 this last year, but its season will always stand in the record books as the Spartans made 395 free throws during the season, more than anyone else in state history. They kept that momentum going in the offseason as they put on a free throw fundraiser to help benefit a local food bank.

(PaulDiSalvoPhotography.com)

The remarkable career of Jana Van Gytenbeek will live on through tall tales and of course all the chapters of the record books she rewrote.

She ended as the career assists leader with 679 and her senior campaign accounted for 208 of those, good enough for fourth on the single-season list.

She cracked the top 10 in a couple of other categories as she finished her career with a 79.67 free throw percentage which is now seventh on the career list. Pueblo West’s Hannah Simental was a tad better at 81.17 percent putting her at fourth. Simental also ended her career shooting 43.95 percent from 3-point range to place eighth all-time.

Van Gytenbeek also ended her career with 217 career state tournament points. St. Mary’s guard Josephine Howery matched that very number and the two all-time greats are tied for 10th in that category.

(@dsouth_athletics/Instagram)

Denver South’s Carly Dilworth ended her career as one of the greatest 3-point shooters in state history. She finished her career with a 44.36 3-point percentage to finish one spot ahead of Simental at seventh on the career list. Dilworth also tied the single-game 3-point percentage record by making all seven shots to go 100 percent. Green Mountain’s Jayda Maves sank all six of her 3-point attempts on Dec. 18 to also tie the record.

Dilworth also (briefly) held the single-game 3-point record as she sank 11 shots in Jan. 17 to set a state mark. That number was topped the very next day by Alamosa’s Emily Lavier, who hit 12. Dilworth ended her career with 232 career 3-pointers, 10th all-time.

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Notables:

• Grandview recorded 513 team assists, third for team assists in a season.
• St. Mary’s made 717 field goals through the course of the season to come in at sixth for field goals made by a team in a season. The Pirates also make 207 team 3-pointers to come in for a tie in seventh place.
• Thornton’s Shamahra Henderson had 24 double-double this last season tying for second most in a single year. She also ended her career with 54 which puts her seventh all-time.
• Valor Christian’s Reagan Beers shot 65.06 percent from the field this last season to break into 10th place in that category.
• Denver South’s Timiya Guevara made her way to the free throw line 23 times in a Feb. 10 game against Golden. That’s the ninth most attempts in a single game. She made 20 of them as the Rebels won the game 78-59.
• Ever since her freshman year at Lamar, Cali Clark was a rebounding machine. She combined for 1,194 career rebounds for Lamar and Cherry Creek to slide into the fifth spot on the all-time career rebounds list.
• George Washington’s Jaida Redwine is a name to watch in the future. Her 423 points ties her for seventh most as a freshman.

(Theodore A. Stark/www.tstark.com)

Basketball is in Julian Hammond III’s DNA. Probably more literally than anyone would care to think. The Cherry Creek standout comes from a basketball family.

His parents, Julian II and Ruby, each played at Loyola Marymount. Hammond’s grandfather, the original Julian, averaged over 10 points per game for the ABA’s Denver Rockets (now the Denver Nuggets of the NBA).

As just a junior in high school the latest version of a basketball playing Julian Hammond averaged nearly 22 points and seven rebounds per game.

And that was after he spent time winning a state title with the other love of his life, Cherry Creek football.

The third Hammond is the walking definition of a do-it-all athlete. Last fall he took the snaps as QB1 of the Bruins and helped them to their first Class 5A state football championship since 2014. Then he traded his shoulder pads for sneakers and got Cherry Creek a No. 4 seed for the state basketball tournament.

He was a first-team all-state selection for the 5A football and boys basketball games, the only player to receive such honors last year.

“Growing up, I always played those two sports,” Hammond said. “I used to play baseball too, but it was those two that always stood out to me.”

Make no mistake, if Hammond decided that he wanted to spend his springs on the baseball diamond, Cherry Creek’s traditionally strong baseball program would get a boost.

“I hear he can touch low-90’s on the mound,” boys basketball coach Kent Dertinger said.

He’s fine doing what he does for the football and basketball teams. Dertinger acknowledges that Hammond spends time in the fall getting up shots to stay in basketball form.

It’s not always easy to keep a consistent throwing routine if forced indoors through the Colorado winter, so it’s the spring when Hammond decides it’s time to get the majority of his offseason football work in.

The Bruins have benefitted from his balance and it’s something that helps him thrive as a top-level athlete.

“I make sure I stay in the gym throughout the football season,” Hammond said. “It might be after practice or late at night but when basketball season comes around, I have to feel ready.”

His play on the gridiron doesn’t seem to be affected. He threw for 2,354 yards and 28 touchdowns last year. Cherry Creek was the last football team standing and that feeling is one that he would love to experience on the hardwood as well.

“There’s no better feeling that winning a state championship,” Hammond said.

When he’s on the field or the court for his team, it’s feels like the odds become more in Cherry Creek’s flavor. If Dertinger has learned one thing in his time coaching Hammond, it’s that he’s a player who thrives on being in the spotlight. He points to a basketball game last winter when the Bruins trailed Eaglecrest by nine with less than two minutes left and Hammond scored the nine points needed to tie game.

“(Football coach) Dave Logan once told me that Julian just has a slow heartbeat,” Dertinger said. “In tough situations he has this ability to stay calm.”

It’s an ability that Hammond will put on display for his senior season as he aims to add more wins and potentially more championships to the Bruins’ illustrious athletic history.

(Marcus Gipson/Jmariahimages.com)

(Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)

Case Williams knows he looks good playing baseball in a purple uniform. The Douglas County standout as become one of the premiere pitchers in the state during his time in high school and the big league club about 31 miles up the road from Douglas County High School took notice.

Williams was taken by the Colorado Rockies in the fourth round of the 2020 MLB Draft. With this year’s draft shortened to five rounds due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Williams’ selection felt like major validation that what he had done up to that moment had paid off and he was thankful that the team he cheered for as a kid took notice of his abilities.

“(It’s great) knowing that what I’ve been doing these past few years and months has paid off,” Williams said. “I didn’t even get to throw a pitch this season and this was still able to happen and this opportunity is still around. It’s really exciting.”

Initially committed to play baseball at Santa Clara, his selection in the fourth round has put a major decision in front of him. While admits it’s a life-changing decision to make, less than 24 hours after being taken he doesn’t see it as a difficult choice.

“I don’t think it’s too tough,” he said. “I’ll probably end up signing. I still have to talk some things over with family and figure it out.”

In the meantime he’s continuing to keep his arm in shape by working out and throwing when he can. His club team made its way to Wyoming last weekend, but with the draft coming up he wasn’t able to play.

Even just being around the game, he felt a deep appreciation that his talents are going to allow him to play the sport he loves at the professional level.

“It made me realize how much I love baseball and truly like being there,” Williams said. “When I’m playing it puts me in a good mood for the rest of the week and I can’t wait to get back out there.”

Williams went 8-1 in nine starts as a junior for the Huskies in 2019. He surrendered just 13 earned runs and struck out 79 batters while walking just 23.

He is the first Colorado player to be drafted out of high school since 2018 and the first Douglas County played to be drafted since 2006. He joins Kyle Freeland as a notable Colorado high school standout that has been taken by the Rockies. Freeland was a first-round pick in 2014.

Last fall Williams played for the Rockies scout team and thinks that the experience gave the organization an idea of what kind of player he was and they thought highly enough to pull the trigger given the opportunity.

“It started then and they had seen me before that,” Williams said. “I thought the Rockies would be it. I’ve been a fan my whole life and I live here and it’s my hometown.”

The next step for Williams to wait for the team to provide a schedule so that he can begin to integrate himself into the franchise.

Until that happens, much like everything currently, he’ll remain in a holding pattern.

“I’m just living (in the moment) right now and getting through the next couple of days and figuring everything out,” he said.

The one thing he doesn’t have to figure out is how he’ll eventually look in purple. He’s donned the color for three full seasons and became one of the state’s best players while doing so.

More than 750 former Colorado high school baseball players have been selected in the MLB Draft. This is a database of each of them.

(Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)

Two former Colorado high school baseball players were selected in the MLB Draft on Thursday evening.

Douglas County senior Case Williams and Pueblo West alum R.J. Dabovich were each drafted in the fourth round, four selections apart.

Williams, a right-handed pitcher, went to the hometown Colorado Rockies with the 110th overall pick. This is the 10th time a Douglas County product has been drafted, and the first time since 2006.

A Santa Clara commit, Williams was 8-1 with a 1.81 ERA for the Huskies during his junior season, and tossed a no-hitter. In 50 1/3 innings, he struck out 79 against 23 walks. His senior year, of course, was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Williams is the first Colorado player to be drafted straight out of high school since 2018.

Dabovich, a right-handed pitcher, was drafted by the San Francisco Giants with the No. 114 overall pick.

He appeared in nine games for Arizona State before his junior season was cut short this spring. Dabovich had a 0.77 ERA in in 11 2/3 innings, and allowed just one earned run and three hits. He had 17 strikeouts against nine walks. As a junior, he was 7-1 with a 4.75 ERA, and started nine games.

At Pueblo West, Dabovich helped build the foundation of a great baseball program, including an appearance in the Class 4A state championship game in 2016.

Dabovich became the first Cyclone alum taken in the MLB Draft in 2018 when he was taken out of Central Arizona College in the 18th round.

The pair join the more than 750 former Colorado high school baseball players who have been selected throughout history. Browse a database of each selection here. Colorado has had at least two products selected every year since the draft started in 1965.

Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, this year’s MLB Draft has been shortened to five rounds from its usual 40.

The girls basketball record book has a new look, and dozens of new entries from the 2019-20 season.