ARVADA — Conifer’s boys basketball team found its scoring touch in the nick of time Tuesday night at Arvada High School.
Holding on to a 39-37 lead through three quarters against an improved Arvada squad, the Lobos scored 27 points in the final eight minutes to take a 66-48 road victory in the Class 4A/3A Colorado 7 League game.
“It all started on the defensive end really,” Conifer senior Mark Studer said of the Lobos’ 27-point fourth quarter. “As soon as we get stops on the defensive end it translates into the offensive side.”
Conifer’s Mark Studer had a game-high 22 points against Arvada. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
Studer (22 points) had carried Conifer offensively through three quarters, but seniors Seth Sankey, Antonio Lucero, Andrew Wood, David Jacobson and Joe Mead all had buckets to allow the Lobos to pull away in the final quarter.
Mead had a trio of baskets during a Conifer 10-0 run in the final quarter. Jacobson buried a key 3-pointer that started a 9-0 run in the final three minutes.
“We actually talked about that at halftime,” Conifer coach Eric Valerio said of getting more scoring from different players after Studer scored 16 of 31 points for the Lobos in the first half. “Mark Studer is an exceptional player and even a better kid, but you have to have somebody else step up.”
The win kept Conifer (8-9, 4-1 in league) in the mix for a conference championship and automatic bid for the 4A state tournament. The Lobos’ lone league loss was a heartbreaking 1-point home loss to Skyview (8-6, 2-1) last Friday night.
Skyview, Fort Morgan and Conifer are the likely candidates to come out on top of the league this season.
“That’s been a big goal for these guys,” Valerio said of winning a conference title. “I’m excited to play some more good teams and see how league finishes up.”
The Lobos have a key road game against Fort Morgan (5-10, 3-1) on Friday night.
Conifer’s Antonio Lucero (10) takes a shot over Arvada’s Quentin Terry. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
“It was absolutely scary, but it’s just another game for us,” Studer said after Tuesday’s win. “Just one more to get us to our goal of a league championship. Every game is going to be just as important.”
Conifer left the 4A Jeffco League after the 2015-16 season and joined the 4A/3A Colorado 7 League. The first year in the new league the Lobos had a strong conference record and qualified for the 4A state tournament for the first time since the 2009-2010 season.
Arvada (4-10, 1-4) hosts another former 4A Jeffco foe — Alameda — who is also now in the Colorado 7 conference at 7 p.m. Friday. The Pirates defeated the Bulldogs 74-61 in their first league meeting back on Jan. 16.
Arvada senior Quentin Terry was a dominating force at times Tuesday against Conifer. The Bulldogs’ big man finished with a team-high 15 points. Senior Marcel Sobhi poured in a dozen points for Arvada and junior Isaiah Vigil contributed nine points from his point guard position.
The Bulldogs held a 12-point lead late in the first quarter before Conifer was able to chip away with some pressure defense that led to some easy buckets.
“He (Arvada coach Vernon Whittington) has done an incredible job with this program,” Valerio said of the Bulldogs’ first-year coach. “They do things the right way. I was very impressed how well they played. I think really highly of their coach.”
Conifer’s Andrew Wood (11) and the rest of the Lobos are eyeing a 4A/3A Colorado 7 League title. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
There is no mistaking her goal. Cayden Condit wants to become the first female wrestler to ever place at the state tournament.
And Condit, a freshman at Conifer, is off to a blazing start in her quest to do so.
“This is years in the making,” said Dustin Condit, Cayden’s father.
Condit picked up wrestling at the age of four. Dustin Condit is a youth and high school wrestling coach. Cayden’s older brother, Zander, also started wrestling young. So Cayden often found herself in a wrestling room.
“The first year. she was just sitting on the side watching for a little while, and I was like, ‘Well, you might as well be out here, too,’” said Dustin Condit, who is also a volunteer assistant coach for Conifer.
She entered her first tournament when she was 5.
“When she was little, she beat up a lot of little boys, and it was fun, so we stuck with it,” Dustin Condit said.
(Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
Said Cayden Condit: “This is the only sport I’ve ever done. It’s just part of my life now. … I like that you have to work towards it. It’s not just given to you (in wrestling). The more you put in, the more you get out.”
She’s had all kinds of success ever since. Recently, that includes championships at girls nationals in freestyle, and placing in boys brackets for both Greco and freestyle.
That success has continued into her first high school season, where she wrestles in the 106-pound division for Conifer.
Condit opened the year by going 6-0 in dual meets, including three pins, a tech fall, and two forfeits.
She placed fourth in her first tournament, at the Columbine Invitational in early December, and then tackled one of the toughest events of the regular season: The annual Northern Colorado Christmas Tournament in Loveland.
Condit went 4-2 in the 106-pound bracket which featured 45 entrants. She pinned three opponents during her run, but fell two matches short of placing.
“It was a really good preparation for state, because it’s like a mini-state,” Condit said of the tournament. “It was good to kind of see what I’m going to go up against, what kids are at my weight, and what I do need to do.
“In a few of those matches, I made some silly mistakes that I need to correct before state.”
After the winter break, Condit placed third at the Mullen Invite, pinning three opponents. Following two more wins on Wednesday in a triangular meet with Alameda and Standley Lake, she’s now 17-5 this season. Her 17 wins are the most of any female wrestler in the state in 2017-18, according to TrackWrestling.com.
Based upon this, Tim Yount of On The Mat has ranked Condit 10th in 3A’s 106-pound division. She is the only girl that is ranked at this point. The top six finishers will place at the state tournament.
Yet, of the 13 times a girl has qualified, only two have won a first-round match. Grand Valley’s Cody Pfau came the closet to placing when she became the first girl to win two matches at state, but Pfau lost in the consolation quarterfinals — one match away from the podium.
The challenge she’ll face is clear to Condit.
“I’m trying to be the first girl to place, and possibly win, at state,” she said. “It’s very difficult, I have learned that. For a few matches I have gone against the kids that I will go against at state, and it’s helped me prepare for what I will see there. Because there’s going to be some juniors and seniors who cut down more who are really strong.
“I realize wrestling guys at an older age, they’re a lot stronger than me,” she added. “So I have to work more on my speed and my technique, more than just trying to overpower them, because that’s not going to happen.”
Condit will have plenty of experience around her to help in her quest. In addition to her father on the Conifer staff, first-year Lobos head coach Trenton Watson was an assistant at Arvada West, and is a former two-time state champion at Pine Creek and Coronado.
And Zander Condit, her older brother, placed sixth at 3A 126 last season. Zander is now ranked No. 2 in 3A 132 this season by On The Mat — it’s likely that they’re the only brother/sister pair ranked this season.
Each of them has faith in Cayden as she chases the podium.
“She’s very goal-oriented, and she seems very focused this year,” Dustin Condit said.
“She definitely has the capability and the potential to do it,” Watson said. “I wrestled in Colorado high school when a couple of the good girls were coming up, and she’s just as good, if not better, than those girls who were pretty close (to placing).”
A roundup of Jeffco prep highlights from December with Dennis Pleuss, Jeffco Public Schools’ Communication Specialist. This month’s edition features Pomona football winning the Class 5A state championship in historic fashion. Also, early season boys basketball action featuring Golden and Conifer, along with a all-Jeffco girls basketball match-up between Green Mountain and Dakota Ridge. We also look at Wheat Ridge Poms repeating as state champs at the Denver Coliseum.
The 2017 all-state football teams are presented by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps.
These teams were created following a lengthy process which included nominations from leagues, and then a vote of head coaches across the state.
Players were placed onto the first-team, second-team and honorable mention based upon the number of votes they received. In 5A-1A, spots were reserved for linemen and one kicker/punter, while 8-man reserved spots for linemen.
CHSAA does not determine who makes or doesn’t make the team; they are created entirely from the results of the coaches’ vote.
A roundup of Jeffco prep highlights from November with Dennis Pleuss, Jeffco Public Schools’ Communication Specialist. This month’s edition features state gymnastics action where Jeffco schools continued its dominance. Chatfield and Columbine football rolled to playoff opening victories. Chatfield, Pomona, Wheat Ridge, Columbine and Bear Creek spirit squads all won Jeffco League titles at the conference championships. Several Jeffco schools had student-athletes sign their National Letter of Intent during the early signing period that began Nov. 8. We also look back at the legacy left by Arvada West pitching great Roy Halladay.
Lakewood seniors Kira and Camilla will go against each other on the basketball court in college with both attending different Ivy League schools. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
LAKEWOOD — The Emsbo twins — Camilla and Kira — are going their separate ways.
Lakewood High School’s 6-foot-4 identical twins made their separation official Wednesday morning during the start of early National Letter of Intent signing period. Both are headed to Ivy League schools. Kira having decided on Princeton University and Camilla signing with Yale University.
“I think it was important for me to separate from my sister,” Camilla said with a smile. “It will be a tough transition, but I think it’s really important for our growth.”
Camilla gave her verbal commitment to Yale in early October, a few months after Kira made her decision on Princeton. Both carry GPAs of 4.8 in Lakewood’s IB program.
While the twins have gone against each other in practice for years, they will get a chance to face each other for the first time and at least twice a year during their time at the Ivy League programs.
Lakewood girls basketball coach Chris Poisson, middle, talks about the Emsbo twins — Kira and Camilla. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
“It going to be the best and worst two days of our lives I think,” Camilla said of facing Kira on the basketball court. “Our parents are already freaking out about it. We play hard against each other in practice. It won’t be any different. There is a good possibility one or both of us foul out, but it will definitely be fun games for sure.”
Unfortunately, the next time both are on the basketball court will be in college. Kira discovered through a recent MRI on her knee that she has a torn ACL that she suffered this summer playing club basketball.
Kira has surgery scheduled to repair her torn ACL on Tuesday, Nov. 14. It will be a 6 to 9 month recovery, so she will be ready for the start of her freshman year at Princeton. Kira missed time her junior year during Lakewood’s first girls basketball state title appearance last season with an arm injury she suffered early in the season.
“I was kind of hoping this would be my year since I missed time last year and wasn’t that big of a presence on the floor,” Kira said. “But it gives me the opportunity to work on the leadership side of things and give support in other ways.”
Lakewood girls basketball coach Chris Poisson said the Tigers will make the most of the devastating injury as Lakewood attempts to make another long playoff run.
Camilla Emsbo won’t have her sister Kira on the court his season. Kira will undergo surgery Nov. 14 to repair a torn ACL. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
“Your heart breaks for her,” Poisson said of Lakewood’s ‘honorary assistant coach’. “She had a great summer. She was on a mission. I was pretty excited. We’ll put a positive light on it and be the best we can.”
Camilla, who averaged nearly 20 points per game and almost nine rebounds, will have to carry a heavy load again when the season begins in December for the Tigers.
“It’s brutal,” Camilla said of Kira’s torn ACL that will prevent her from playing. “She is one of the most positive and optimistic people I’ve ever met. She isn’t letting it get her down.”
Looking beyond high school, the Emsbo twins believe their selected university are a perfect fit.
“I was originally was going to wait longer then I did, but it got halfway through the summer and I wasn’t going to change my mind,” Kira said about verbally committing to Princeton in June. “This was what I want academically. I love the coaches. I love the school. It was the prefect place for me.”
Camilla is just as excited about heading to Yale.
“Obviously, academics are a huge priority for me,” Camilla said. “I think the Ivy League is where you get that perfect balance of academics and athletics.”
It’s the first time Poisson has had a player, let alone two players, sign with Division I programs.
“My Dad (Joe Poisson, a longtime girls basketball coach at Arvada High School) always talked about that,” said Poisson about how his late father never coached a future DI player. “I got two and from the same family. Are you kidding? I’ve been lucky and blessed. You don’t take it for granted because it doesn’t come around very often.”
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List of Jeffco-area signers
Columbine High School
Kerstin Layman, volleyball, Colorado Mesa University
Maeve Hungerford, women’s lacrosse, Colorado Mesa University
Melaine Lopez, softball, Trinidad State Jr. College
Nick Darrow, men’s lacrosse, Mercer University
Brock Harmon, men’s lacrosse, Colorado Mesa University
Gavin Beilman, men’s lacrosse, Westminster College
Robert Miner, men’s lacrosse, Belmont Abbey College
Gabe Mein, men’s lacrosse, University of Utah
Maddie Samuelson, women’s soccer, Hastings College
Conifer High School
Madeleine Foster, track/cross country, Western State
Nick Williams, men’s lacrosse, Hofstra
Kyle Butler, men’s lacrosse, Adams State
Cole Hollander, men’s lacrosse, Rhodes
Isabel Arnold, soccer, LeTourneau
D’Evelyn Junior/Senior High School
Peyton Wright, volleyball, University of Northwestern-St. Paul
Kendra Cerrone, volleyball, West Texas A&M
Abbey Selin, women’s swimming, University of Wyoming
Angi Reed, women’s basketball, Oregon Tech
Evergreen High School
Lauryn Jeans, women’s soccer, Claremont McKenna College
Tomah Whitney, cross country, Western State
Jack Patterson, baseball, Washburn University
Ben Muscatello, baseball, William Jewell College
Lauren Vilims, women’s swimming, University of Northern Iowa
Golden High School
Abby Garnett, women’s basketball, University of Ohio
Adam Thistlewood, men’s basketball, Drake University
Liam Johnson, men’s soccer, University of Denver
Megan Feiner, softball, Fort Hays State
Marrissa Malmgren, women’s lacrosse, Upper Iowa
Brennan Grass, men’s lacrosse, Adams State
Brad Banks, baseball, Kansas Wesleyan
Quinn Cusack, women’s soccer, Culver-Stockton
Green Mountain High School
Brook Thompson, women’s lacrosse, Westminster College
Emily Sammon, volleyball, Bethel University
JD Wadleigh II, baseball, South Mountain Community College
Jefferson High School
Marissa Gallegos, women’s wrestling, Grays Harbor College
Lakewood High School
Jack Castiglia, men’s golf, University of Northern Colorado
Gabe Dinette, wrestling, Stanford University
Ileana Dinette, diving, University of Denver
Camilla Emsbo, women’s basketball, Yale University
Kira Emsbo, women’s basketball, Princeton University
Avery Hughes, volleyball, University of Ottawa
Hayden Still, wrestling, Oregon State University
Audrey Woodhouse, women’s lacrosse, Colorado Mesa University
Ralston Valley High School
Anna Austin, swimming, University of Idaho
Haley Bass, softball, Dodge City Community College
Gianna Browdy, softball, Dodge City Community College
Delaynie Byrne, women’s basketball, University of Minnesota
Samuel Cowling, swimming, Southwestern Oregon CC
Isabelle Davenport, swimming, University of South Dakota
Ashley Drye, volleyball, Colorado Christian University
Giselle Eiche, volleyball, University of Nebraska-Omaha
Ian Klava, baseball, Puget Sound University
Luke Leisenring, baseball, Arizona State University
Mikeila Ruotsala, soccer, Oregon Tech
Samantha Van Sickle, women’s basketball, Colorado School of Mines
Jordan Winchester, lacrosse, Regis University
Mackenzie Winchester, lacrosse, Regis University
Elizabeth Wompey, swimming, Youngstown State University
Standley Lake High School
Garrett Martin, baseball, McLennan Community College
Elliot McNeave, baseball, Western Nebraska Community College
A roundup of Jeffco prep highlights, interviews and schedules with Dennis Pleuss, Jeffco Public Schools’ Communication Specialist. This month’s edition features action from the Jeffco League cross country championships at Clement Park. Chatfield junior Christian Holmes made history at the Class 5A boys tennis state tournament at Gates Tennis Center in Denver. Arvada West softball swept through the Class 5A Jeffco League this fall and qualified for the 5A state tournament. Ralston Valley football improved it all-time record against rival A-West to 8-0 with a last-second touchdown. Dakota Ridge junior running back Jered Garcia had a monster game in a victory against Golden. Evergreen senior Bridger Tenney placed second in at the 4A boys golf state tournament and the Cougars took second in the team race.
