Ralston Valley boys basketball, ranked No. 11 in 5A, beat Bear Creek 69-57 on Friday.
Tag: Jeffco
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No. 7 Evergreen zeros in on 4A Jeffco boys hoops title after win versus No. 12 Green Mountain
LAKEWOOD — Evergreen is officially the front-runner in the race for the Class 4A Jeffco League boys basketball title.
The Cougars — No. 7 in this week’s CHSAANow.com 4A boys hoops rankings — took a 1-game lead in the conference with a 54-41 victory over No. 12 Green Mountain on Wednesday night on the Rams’ home court.
“It’s a huge game. This puts us in a good spot to run the table the rest of the way,” Evergreen senior Jackson Mott said of the Cougars winning the conference title.
Evergreen senior Jared Stiller (13) had a solid night with 13 points against Green Mountain on Wednesday night. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) It has been awhile since Evergreen has claimed a boys basketball league title. The 2003-04 season was the last time the Cougars won a conference crown.
“It was kind of revenge. We had these guys and Golden marked on our calendars,” Evergreen senior Griffin Lauritano said. “This is a really tough place to play against a really well-coached team. To get a win like this was good. Now we control our own destiny. We just have to take care of business the rest of the way.”
Evergreen finished tied for fourth in 4A Jeffco last season. The senior-laded Cougars had a clear focus this season on ending the league championship drought. Evergreen has four more league games — Littleton, Conifer, D’Evelyn and Alameda — that count toward the conference standings.
“We are looking forward to the next four (league games) and hopefully see what happens in the state tournament,” Evergreen coach Jeff Dolan said.
The Cougars (5-1, 4-0 in league) grabbed its fifth straight victory of the season after an opening season loss at home against No. 3 Longmont. Evergreen’s defense has been remarkable. The Cougars haven’t allowed an opponent over 45 points in any game this season.
“That has really been our identity,” Mott said of the Cougars tireless defensive effort. “It gives us a chance to win every game.”
No. 12 Green Mountain (4-2, 3-1) came in averaging nearly 70 points per game, but were held to 24 points through three quarters. Senior Austin Peterson caught fire for the Rams in the fourth quarter scoring 14 of his game-high 20 points in the final quarter, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Evergreen’s 20-point lead.
Green Mountain junior Luke Davis (3) had 8 points off the bench for the Rams, but it wasn’t enough as Green Mountain’s 4-game winning streak came to an end Wednesday night. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) The Cougars had a 15-0 run that spanned from late in the third quarter until a few minutes into the fourth quarter that gave Evergreen the cushion it needed. Green Mountain saw its 4-game winning streak come to an end.
“It’s great. We are excited about the rivalry win over Green Mountain,” Dolan said. “In the third and beginning of the fourth we started to turn it up.”
Lauritano (14 points) and senior Jared Stiller (13 points) dominated the inside offensively for the Cougars. Mott (14 points) and senior Aaron Browne (9 points) canned three 3-pointers each to jumpstart Evergreen from the outside.
“Mott struggled a little early, but that kid works out every single day,” Dolan said. “Same thing with Aaron, he is a shooter. They hit them in a big, big game. They are seniors and are experienced. They have played in games like this before.”
Evergreen heads to Littleton (3-3, 2-2) on Friday to face the Lions in an attempt to extend its winning streak to six.
Green Mountain is on the road Friday against Wheat Ridge (4-3, 3-2).
Evergreen senior Griffin Lauritano, left, is guarded by Green Mountain senior Dylan Green during the first quarter Wednesday. The Cougars grabbed a big 54-41 victory against the Rams to take a 1-game lead in the race for the Class 4A Jeffco League title. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) -
Chatfield boys basketball takes driver’s seat in league after upset of Ralston Valley
ARVADA — Chatfield’s boys basketball team has gone from the basement to the penthouse of the Class 5A Jeffco League.
A year after going winless in the conference, the Chargers (5-0, 3-0 in league) find themselves alone atop the conference after a convincing 73-54 road victory against No. 11 ranked Ralston Valley on Monday night.
“We have never been here before. I don’t know how to feel,” Chatfield senior Dylan Carter said after the win gave the Chargers a 1-game lead over the rest of the pack in 5A Jeffco. “We still have a long ways to go. We still have a lot of good teams in our league.”
Chatfield senior Dylan Carter (32) drives on Ralston Valley senior Blake Butvidas (30) during the 5A Jeffco League showdown. Carter had a game-high 19 points in the Chargers’ 73-54 victory. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) The Chargers went 0-8 in conference play last year. Chatfield suffered five single-digit losses in league, including two in overtime defeats. Ralston Valley actually took an overtime win over Chatfield last season.
The Mustangs claimed the 5A Jeffco title last year with a 7-1 conference mark and entered the showdown Monday on a 4-game winning streak.
“We lost eight games by eight points or less last year. We had leads like this in other games last year and we let it slip away,” Chatfield coach Erik Buehler said. “We are finally a mature team and senior heavy. These guys know how to battle through.”
Ralston Valley (4-2, 3-1) trailed throughout, but did cut Chatfield’s lead to single-digits in the third quarter. Junior Zach Akin (11 points) and senior Blake Butvidas (10 points) helped the Mustangs make a run to start the second half.
However, Chatfield senior Carter Rubin pulled off a remarkable trifecta drawing three charging calls on three straight Ralston Valley possessions in the third quarter.
“That was such a big momentum swing,” Carter said of Rubin taking three chargers defensively in the third quarter while draining a pair of 3-pointers on the offensive end. “That got us the momentum back. That was huge.”
Ralston Valley junior Beau Wilken (3) is fouled by Chatfield sophomore Shay Rumsey during the second half Monday night at Ralston Valley High School. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) Rubin said he just saw Ralston Valley being more aggressive going to the basket, but felt like he could draw some charge calls.
“Coach always talks about defense,” Rubin said. “We are a pretty good skilled offensive team, but when we buy into defense it makes us that much better.”
Ralston Valley was held to just six points in the first quarter and 11 points in the final quarter.
“That was probably the best defensive effort we’ve had since I’ve been at Chatfield,” Buehler said. “We knew we had to commit to that this game especially. This was the biggest test we’ve had so far.”
Chatfield was balanced offensively with nine players scoring. Carter led the way with 19 points. Junior Chase Miller finished with 14 points. Senior Ethan Goroski and Ethan Johnson poured in 9 points each.
The Chargers made a dozen 3-pointers to keep their potent offense on the right track heading into the second half of conference play. Chatfield returns home for games against Lakewood (Wednesday) and Arvada West (Friday).
“These guys aren’t forgetting that they had a goose egg last year in league,” Buehler said. “They have played against these guys in Jeffco all their lives. They want to end it the right way.”
Ralston Valley hits the road for a pair of conference games against Columbine (Wednesday) and Bear Creek (Friday) before a non-league game at home against Windsor on Saturday this week.
Chatfield’s boys basketball team has been flexing its muscles so far in conference play. The Chargers are 3-0 in 5A Jeffco a year after going 0-8 in the conference. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) -
Photos: Ralston Valley, Bear Creek and Arvada meet in a boys wrestling triangular
Ralston Valley beat both Bear Creek and Arvada as the three teams held a triangular meet on Saturday.
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Photos: Green Mountain girls swimming beats Bear Creek
Green Mountain girls swimming beat Bear Creek in a dual meet, 553-269.
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Evergreen girls hoops kicks into gear in the 2nd half against Golden
GOLDEN — Evergreen’s girls basketball team scored a season-high 61 points Friday night at Golden High School.
The Cougars were locked in a defensive battle with the Demons through the first half, but Evergreen (3-1, 2-0 in Class 4A Jeffco) turned it on offensively in the second half to take an eventual 61-42 victory.
Evergreen senior Myla Stewart, left, looks for a way around Golden junior Anna Kennedy (25) on Friday night. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) “I think it really was important when they went out of their zone defense. It definitely was causing us a bit of an issue,” Evergreen sophomore Jameson Mott said after the Cougars had back-to-back 19-point third and fourth quarters Friday night. “When we are driving and kicking it out we play better.”
The Demons (1-4, 1-2) were hanging midway through the third quarter, but when Golden tried to put more defensive pressure with man-on-man defense the Cougars took advantage. Evergreen went on a 15-2 run to end the third quarter to push its lead to 42-24.
Mott led all scorers with 23 points, including three 3-pointers and going a perfect 4-for-4 from the free-throw line. Senior Nicole Levine poured in 18 points for the Cougars. Sophomore Bella Reece came off the bench to contribute 10 points.
“We wanted them to go man (defense),” Evergreen coach Maddie Hornecker said. “It exposes so much with Nicole and Jameson. Then, Bella scored 10 points when we were able to push the ball and get layups. That was huge to that run.”
Golden did make a few pushes in an attempt to cut the lead to single-digits in the fourth quarter. Senior Erika Dowell led the Demons with 10 points, including a pair of 3-pointers. Natalie Phillips, Mia Howe and Anna Kennedy combined for 23 points, but it wasn’t enough to pull off the win.
“We have really been focusing on teamwork,” Mott said. “Without a crowd it’s much easier to hear people talk and communicate.”
The Cougars’ lone loss so far this season was a defeat against 5A Jeffco’s Chatfield.
Evergreen sophomore Bella Reece (13) races up the floor with Golden senior Elin Phillips (15) during the Class 4A Jeffco League game Friday night. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) Evergreen is back on the road at Wheat Ridge next Monday to face the Farmers. The Cougars get a shot at No. 2 ranked and the defending 4A Jeffco League champs — Green Mountain — on Wednesday, Feb. 10.
“It’s a psychological battle sometimes,” Hornecker said of facing Green Mountain. “We want to play our game. It’s still a basketball game. How can we attack? Make the most out of it and maybe come out of there with a win.”
Green Mountain (5-0, 3-0) has been on a tear so far this season with double-digit victories against every opponent, including a 95-6 victory Friday night against Alameda International.
The Rams went 12-0 in conference play last season on their way to advancing to the 4A state semifinals. Interestingly, Green Mountain last league loss came against Evergreen back on Jan. 16, 2019.
“I don’t think we should be nervous at all,” Mott said about squaring off against Green Mountain next Wednesday night in Evergreen. “I don’t think we should psych ourselves out or anything. We are ready to battle. We just have to play together, play as a team, play as a family and we’ll get it.”
Golden in back in action with a road game against Littleton on Monday night followed up by a home game against Wheat Ridge on Wednesday.
Evergreen junior Cat Beccaccio, left, and Golden sophomore Madison Bates battle for a loose ball on the baseline during the first half Friday night at Golden High School. The Cougars wrestled away with a 61-42 victory. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) -
No. 1 Pomona boys wrestling, yet again, has a deep squad this season
LAKEWOOD — The announcement this week that the state wrestling tournament won’t be held at its usual site was another change during this ever changing 2020-21 prep sports season in Colorado.
However, the news that Ball Arena (formerly Pepsi Center) won’t be the site of the state tournament next month hasn’t dampened Pomona’s focus on going after its fifth Class 5A team title over the past six years and eighth team title since 2000.
“I don’t mind. I really don’t,” Pomona coach Sam Federico said of the news coming down Wednesday that all classifications for the state tournament will be held at the Southwest Motors Events Center on the Colorado State Fairgrounds in Pueblo. “I’m glad we have one. I’d do it in South Dakota if we had to. Anywhere is good for me.”
Pomona junior Jacob Judd, behind, works on getting back points during his 170-pound match against Lakewood senior Nolan Hoefner. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) The Panthers — ranked No. 1 in 5A by Tim Yount of On the Mat — has an extremely deep squad this season. Pomona has 11 wrestlers that are ranked in the top-5 of their weight class in the new rankings released this week.
“This is probably one of the best teams we’ve had in years,” Pomona sophomore Jakob Romero said after the Panthers’ tri meet Thursday at Lakewood High School. “We are strong everywhere. We can bump guys up and bump guys down. I’ve wrestled with everyone on this team for the past five-plus years. I’ll do anything for these guys.”
Pomona actually brought just a handful of its varsity wrestlers to the duals against Standley Lake and Lakewood. Still, the Panthers dominated with a 72-6 win over the Gators and 58-14 victory against the Tigers.
Two of the top Pomona wrestlers that saw some action with Romero and junior Jacob Judd. Romero took a 21-5 tech fall victory and managed a pin in the first period in his second match. Judd grabbed a pair of pins in his matches at 170 pounds.
“We are deep, but there are some good teams out there,” Federico said. “We’ll see this weekend when we wrestling Ponderosa and Brighton, two teams that are always good. We’ve got to stay healthy and keep working hard. If we do that good things will happen.”
The Panthers head to Ponderosa High School on Saturday for a pair of dual matches against No. 2 Ponderosa and No. 3 Brighton. It might be one of the best tests for Pomona before heading to regionals scheduled for March 5 and 6.
Federico doesn’t believe the last of tournaments will effect the Panthers. He had a lot of his wrestlers compete at a national tournament in Utah before the season started. Most of his year-round wrestlers have been able to compete at tournament during the COVID pandemic.
“There was so much stop and go,” Federico said of changing on the fly this season. “I’m just glad we got it pinned down and we are wrestling now. It’s good to see the guys out wrestling now.”
Romero is one of those wrestlers who is glad to be back on the mats. The sophomore that placed second at state last year at 126 pounds talked Thursday night about his own battle with COVID-19.
Romero actually came down with COVID in November. He went through return-to-play protocol to return to the mats after his bout with the virus.
Pomona sophomore Jakob Romero, top, controls his match with Standley Lake sophomore Aidan Carlin on Thursday night at Lakewood High School. The Panthers currently have 11 wrestlers ranked in the top-5 in their individual weight classes. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) “My family got it. We are all athletes in the family,” Romero said. “We didn’t get it too bad, but I did see some in pact on my training and endurance. I took two weeks off, but still wasn’t myself. It’s just different for everyone.”
The sophomore has a realist perspective on what high school wrestling will look like for at least the near future.
“With COVID, it doesn’t seem to be dying down,” Romero said. “This may be the new norm for us. At least for a little bit.”
Romero admitted he was upset that the state tournament was moved from Ball Arena to Pueblo, but having a state tournament March 13 is what is important.
“In the end, I’m just glad we have a season,” Romero said.
Judd mirrors how everything can change. As a freshman his first tournament he wrestled at 106 pounds. He eventually placed 6th at the state tournament at 113. He wrestled at 132 and 145 pounds last year, qualifying for the state tournament at 145.
Now, Judd is all the way up to the 170-pound weight class and is ranked No. 3.
“I’ve been able to learn a whole bunch wrestling with a lot of different partners,” Judd said. “Most of the kids on the club don’t grow as fast as me. I’ve been able to practice with everyone in there.”
While Pomona has plenty of youth with a dozen varsity wrestlers either freshmen, sophomores or juniors this season they don’t want to take the 2021 season as a throwaway season.
“I’m trying to get the best out of the year,” Judd said. “One more year after this and I want to get two (individual) state championships.”
Pomona’s 113-pounder Gino Cardenas, top, took a 16-0 tech fall against Standley Lake junior Chance Clarke on Thursday night. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) -
Green Mountain boys hoops upsets No. 4 Golden in 4A Jeffco action
GOLDEN — Fourth-quarter magic seems to be the winning formula for Green Mountain’s boys basketball team so far this season.
After an opening season loss to Chatfield, the Rams stormed back against area-rival Lakewood last week with a 32-point fourth quarter to pull out a 68-64 before jumping into Class 4A Jeffco League play this week.
“We practice hard late in our practices,” Green Mountain junior Corbin Jantzer said after the Rams rallied to a 63-50 road victory Wednesday night over Golden. “We talk about the fourth quarter a lot. It’s a big priority.”
Golden sophomore Alan Acevedo (3) takes an off-balance shot against Green Mountain junior Corbin Jantzer (25) during the Class 4A Jeffco League game. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) The Rams trailed rival Golden 40-39 heading to the fourth quarter. It seemed the Demons — No. 4 in the CHSAANow.com Class 4A boys basketball rankings — were primed to extend its lead and take control of the 4A Jeffco League game. However, Green Mountain had other plans.
With no cheering student sections on either side, the Rams (3-1, 2-0 in league) went on a 24-10 run in the fourth quarter to grab a huge conference win over the defending 4A Jeffco League champs.
Jantzer poured in 11 of his team-high 19 points in the final eight minutes. His 3-pointer from the top of the key with 2:45 left in the fourth quarter gave the Rams a 53-45 lead.
“He (Jantzer) is tough and we coach him hard,” Green Mountain coach Mike Puccio said. “He is a super-talented kid. He hasn’t had a great start offensively, but his rebounding and defense he is one of the best in the league. He is so versatile.”
Green Mountain’s leading scorer Austin Peterson had a fairly quiet 8-point night offensively, but the Rams got plenty of contributors. Senior Blake McKibbin had 14 points off the bench and senior Allen Ortiz poured in 9 points.
“I’ve got faith in every one of our guys being able to go out there and score,” Jantzer said. “Anybody can drop 15 points.”
Green Mountain senior Dylan Green pulls up for a 3-pointer attempt Wednesday night at Golden High School. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) The Rams made six free-throws in the final minute to ice the victory and remain undefeated early in conference play with Wheat Ridge (3-1, 2-0) and Evergreen (2-1, 1-0).
“This is a huge win. This was a preview to a playoff match-up,” Jantzer said. “It’s a huge rivalry in the league. Coming into this game we took it as a game for the league championship. We’ve got to get past Golden. We thought we had to prove ourselves.”
Golden sophomore Aliou Diallo led the Demons (3-1, 1-1) with 20 points, but the guard suffered a lower leg injury to end the third quarter. He was on the bench being treated before returning to the court midway through the final quarter.
Junior Richie Pruett had 9 points in the second half before fouling out in the fourth quarter. Sophomore Alan Acevedo pitched in 8 points, but was also limited in minutes because of foul trouble. A total of 47 fouls were call on the night.
“Golden is a three-headed monster (Pruett, Diallo and Acevedo) and also has some great role players,” Puccio said. “We just wanted to contain those three and make someone else beat us.”
Golden junior Richie Pruett (1) glides past Green Mountain junior Cameron Storm (21) for a layup during the second quarter Wednesday night. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) Golden has a big conference showdown Friday night on the road against No. 8 Evergreen (2-1, 1-0). It might be a must-win situation for the Demons if they hope to repeat as league champs. The Cougars actually had a league bye Wednesday night after taking a 50-32 victory over Standley Lake on Monday.
Green Mountain is back in action at home against Alameda on Friday night.
Puccio admitted he really didn’t know what to expect this year after Green Mountain graduated 90 percent of his players from last year’s squad. A 23-point loss to open the season against Chatfield might have been a bad sign, but the Rams have bounced back with 3 straight victories.
“I’m hard on these guys. We’ve got a shoot-around at 6:30 am tomorrow morning,” Puccio said. “We’ll go get ready for Alameda on Friday and then have a practice on Saturday. We (coaches) are relentless on them. We don’t let up.”
Jantzer knows the job isn’t nearly complete for Green Mountain.
“We still have a lot to prove,” Jantzer said. “There are still a lot of teams up there. We are just going to continue to keep working.”
Green Mountain junior Corbin Jantzer (25) had a huge game for the Rams with 19 points, 9 rebounds and 3 steals in Green Mountain’s 63-50 victory Wednesday over No. 4 Golden. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) -
Photos: No. 2 Valor Christian girls basketball squeaks by No. 8 Ralston Valley
Jenna Siebert led the way with 27 points as Class 5A No. 2 Valor Christian girls basketball edged No. 8 Ralston Valley 65-63.
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Photos: Wilken leads No. 15 Ralston Valley boys basketball over No. 9 Valor Christian
Beau Wilken scored 15 points to lead Class 5A No. 15 Ralston Valley to a 45-38 win over No. 9 Valor Christian.