In 2017, the Jaguars are taking a big leap in Colorado girls lacrosse. For the last two years, they have competed in the Continental League as a junior varsity team. But when play begins on Thursday, they’ll be taking the field at the varsity level.
Led by coach Kylie Smith, Rock Canyon is embracing the challenges that come with being a first-year varsity program. She’s doing it under the very simple principle that a seed can’t grow into something until it gets planted.
“We have a unique situation,” Smith said. “We have about 80 percent of our team that was on our JV team last year, but about 20 percent of them played varsity for ThunderRidge. They’re used to how the varsity world is. It might be a challenge for us because we have that 20 percent that is used to what varsity (competition) should be.”
The benefit of that situation is that the Jaguars are not being fed to the proverbial wolves. They have experience and they have leadership.
And maybe most importantly, they have an understanding of what it takes to be a successful program. The Grizzlies went 15-2 last season and the girls that will now suit up for Rock Canyon have been able to bring some of that winning culture with them.
“There’s a few girls that have taken leadership,” junior Lauren Likes said. “We’ve been able to implement some of the things from ThunderRidge into Rock Canyon.”
That’s something that Smith is going to rely on a lot this season. After all, this will be her first year as a varsity coach just like it will be the varsity season for many of her players.
She doesn’t expect to know everything right away, but she will definitely lean on those players coming in with high-level experience.
“JV is a total different ball game from varsity,” Smith said. “I think the biggest learning curve for me is needing to go and scout other teams and know what’s going on with them and put that into game plans. With JV, I didn’t really prepare or know what the status of the other team was.”
She’s welcoming of this problem. And it’s a problem that’s becoming more common.
Rock Canyon is one of four new programs to take the field this year. Conifer, Rocky Mountain and Bear Creek will also field teams for the first time. It’s a continuing sign that the sport of lacrosse over is in a constant state of growth.
“It’s growing like crazy,” Smith said. “Lacrosse is the fastest growing sport in Colorado and in the U.S.”
It’s hard to argue the point with the number of new teams that popped up this year. From a player’s standpoint, it just seems like a sport that is easy to grasp on to and in maybe the simplest explanation possible, it’s a lot of fun.
“Because boys lacrosse grew so much, I just think girls wanted to play,” Likes said. “They found their way into it and it’s such a fun and fast-paced game. It’s really easy to catch on. We have a girl who started last Monday and she made varsity with just three days of tryouts just because it’s so easy to catch on to this game.”
And the more girls that catch on will only mean more participation across the board. If that trend continues, Colorado will continue to see more and more girls lacrosse teams sprout throughout the state.
“He’s got good skill and IQ, but really I think his top attributes are more on the intangible side,” said Mountain Vista coach Jamie Munro, who happens to be Colin’s father. “There’s plenty of guys that are bigger, stronger, faster and just as skilled, but the real key is can you be a good teammate, can you work hard, can you come through for your team in good moments and can you be a smart player?
“We always talk about play hard, play smart, play together. I respect that about him more than anything else.”
Munro won the prestigious Minto Cup championship in Canada this past summer — the 21-and-under national championship of the Junior-A league.
“He’s spent the last seven summers up in Canada playing box lacrosse, which has been a game-changer for him as far as being able to learn how to play a brand of lacrosse that so many Americans don’t get to,” Munro said. “The Canadians are known for being the best goal scorers and stick handlers. They’re really smart at moving off the ball because that’s what their game teaches.”
However, there’s just one thing missing from the accolades: a CHSAA boys lacrosse state championship.
“We spent a lot of time in January and February just meeting as a team and talking about it,” coach Munro said. “At the end of the day, you go into a year with the idea of wanting to be able to play for that championship on the last Friday of the season.”
Mountain Vista boys lacrosse came oh-so-close to a birth in the Class 5A championship last year, but fell short in a 9-8 loss to Arapahoe in the semifinals. The previous year, the Golden Eagles lost 11-4 to Regis Jesuit in the semifinals.
“The goal is to definitely get past that,” Munro said. “I know most guys have a pretty bitter taste in their mouths after last season. We want to play on the last day of the season.”
(Lance Wendt/LanceWendt.com)
This season, Munro and Mountain Vista believe they have the tools and ability — they’re ready to get over that hump. The Golden Eagles are ranked No. 3 in the preseason.
“We’ve got the battle scars of experience,” the elder Munro said. “I think this team is more focused on the process of trying to do it right and play the right way. We know we have the ability to win games, what we really have to be able to do is just to be consistent. We’ve lost in the semifinals the last two years, and we’re hungry to take the next step and compete for a championship.”
The Golden Eagles are returning five of their top goal-scorers from last year: Munro (54), Jake Govett (36), Jake Frane (27), Ryan Nunes (19) and Evan Place (19).
“We are an unselfish team, he’s a pretty unselfish player,” Jamie Munro said. “Guys are willing to play whatever position, including him. He played midfield as a freshman and attack as a sophomore. We just move it around and see what the team need and go out and do it.”
Munro’s experience with indoor lacrosse gives him a unique skillset that has resulted in prolific stats. Indoor lacrosse uses a smaller goal, with a lot of movement off the ball. Where field lacrosse tends to be a one-on-one game, indoor lacrosse tends to be a picking, cutting and feeding game.
“His real advantage, actually, is that he’s received good opportunities to learn both games,” Munro said. “To be able to deal with tighter confines, the physicality of box lacrosse – that chippy, in-your-face type of culture that you get in Canada, combined with what he’s learned from field lacrosse. Everything from the X’s and O’s to the ability to dodge, it gives a good balance and versatility.”
Munro’s 84 points last year were second among juniors. He netted 54 goals, good for fifth best in Colorado — second for juniors.
“We have a really good offense and I think the best part about my points is they come off of team offense,” Colin Munro said. “We do a really good job of playing together and then whoever ends up with the ball at the end gets the goals. I did a good job shooting last year, so that definitely helped.”
The Munros credit Colin’s success to having opportunities like spending the summer in Canada and playing club lacrosse, both against older competition. Munro played in British Columbia for the last two years, and in Ontario for five years prior.
“Especially playing in Canada this past summer – playing with 21-year-olds that are really tough and physical makes coming back to kids your own age a lot easier,” Colin Munro said. “You get used to getting pounded all the time and when the pounding is not as gruesome, it makes a big difference.
(Lance Wendt/LanceWendt.com)
“It really allowed me to be more of an off-ball guy and learn to play different ways than I have in the past. Instead of just playing with the ball in my stick, I played with the ball out of my stick. It helped to learn the game more, learn different parts of the game.”
Another opportunity came as coach Munro had an 11-year stint as the head coach at the University of Denver.
“Definitely, that’s going to set me up for college,” Munro said. “I know what it’s like, I’m ready to go. Being around all the college players all the time and seeing their work ethics and seeing how intense their practice is, I think I can definitely take a lot of that with me.”
The Munros have been a player-coach duo since about first grade for Colin.
“It’s been the best thing for me as a player,” Munro said about his dad doubling as his coach. “Even though I know he definitely gets on me more than he gets on other players, he definitely knows what he’s talking about. He makes me a great player. I listen and take everything in, try to do everything he asks to the best of my ability.”
“I’m his dad and his coach, so I’m always going to be his biggest critic,” Jamie Munro said. “It’s a tough position to be in as the player of the coach of your dad. It’s also a tough position to be in as the coach when your son is a player. I hold him to the standards that are important for us and he probably has to hear about it more than other players, but luckily he’s got pretty thick skin, too, so it works out.”
This will be the last year of that relationship. The elder Munro will be able to be dad watching his son, simply a fan of spectacular talent.
“It’s going to be weird next year. It’s bittersweet. I think it’s going to be really weird to say goodbye to that special relationship that I have with him and his classmates,” Munro said. “At the same time, I’m psyched for him to take his next step in life and go off to college. It’s going to be sad to see him go, but happy for him. Then, I’m just a dad and I get to enjoy watching him.”
Before Munro moves on, the Golden Eagles have some business to take care of.
“We all have a bitter taste in our mouth after last year,” Colin Munro said. “Played three seasons, haven’t gotten a chance to play in the final game of the season yet, and I think it would be really special to do it for my dad, the rest of the seniors and the Hermann family. It would mean a lot to me just to play in the championship game.”
They start off with a home game March 10 against Legend. A week later, Mountain Vista has a date with the Arapahoe team that ended their season.
“I think we have a really good bond – especially in our offense,” Colin Munro said. “We’re moving the ball, sharing the ball, people know their roles. We have some big, athletic midfielders this year that will be able to make a difference. They’re going to really put some pressure on other teams.”
Coach Munro continually harped on doing things the “right way.” Yes, the talent is there. Yes, the experience is there. But the process needs to be trusted.
“Are we showing up on time, are we doing the extra workouts, are we being good leaders and good followers, good students and good kids off the field? These all add up,” Jamie Munro said. “Winning and losing, there can be some luck involved, but what doesn’t involve luck is doing it the right way.”
First Team: Colin Munro, Mountain Vista, A/M, Sr.; Asher Nolting, Cherry Creek, A, Sr.; Joey Soran, Regis Jesuit, D, Sr.
Second Team: Chase Douglas, Arapahoe, A, Sr.; Hunter Graefe, Chaparral, LSM, Sr.; Mac Tezak, Regis Jesuit, D, Sr.
4A:
First Team: August Johnson, Cheyenne Mountain, M, Jr.; Gianni Orlando, Valor Christian, M, Senior; Eric Pacheco, Valor Christian, M, So.; Gavyn Pure, Dawson School, A, Jr.
Second Team: Ryan Burdi, Green Mountain, G, So.; Mason Meyer, Conifer, A, Jr.; Kyle Sudol, Dawson School, M, Jr.; Lance Tillman, Valor Christian, A, So.; Dalton Ziegler, Valor Christian, M, Sr.
Familiar faces are sitting at the top of the preseason Class 5A CHSAANow.com boys lacrosse rankings.
Defending champion Regis Jesuit enters the season as the top team in the poll with Cherry Creek sitting right behind the Raiders at No.2.
Mountain Vista will start the year ranked third and state runner-up Arapahoe comes in at No. 4.
Regis Jesuit took eight of 13 first-place votes to earn the top spot. Cherry Creek claim three top votes, Mountain Vista got one and No. 8 Colorado Academy also snagged one.
Columbine, Rock Canyon, Monarch, Mullen and Kent Denver will also start the season ranked in the poll.
(Lance Wendt/LanceWendt.com)
Defending 4A champion, Valor Christian start the year at No. 1 as well. The Eagles sit ahead of Dawson, who they beat last spring to claim the 4A title.
Cheyenne Mountain takes the No. 4 spot and Air Academy comes in at No. 6 to start the year. Both Colorado Springs-area teams played in last year’s semifinals.
Conifer (No. 3), Windsor (No. 5) and Golden (No. 8) are the other three quarterfinal teams that cracked the 4A preseason rankings.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association.
During the regular season, new polls are released each Monday.
Conifer junior Mark Studer (2) grabs a rebound in front of Skyview junior Deyvon Butler (1). (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
CONIFER — Skyview got the jolt of energy it needed Tuesday night in a big boys basketball road game at Conifer.
The Wolverines fell behind 13-4 midway through the first quarter. Skyview coach Paul Barringer took a timeout to gather his team facing the early deficit.
“We really didn’t know what hit us,” Barringer said of his Wolverines falling behind by nine points early. “Nobody panicked.”
Skyview brought more energy to the court in the second quarter, which included a 10-0 run that put the Wolverines up 18-14 midway through the second quarter. Junior Deyvon Butler was big scoring 10 of his game-high 19 points in the second quarter.
The Wolverines pushed their lead to double-digits in the second half and hung on late for a 57-54 victory to stay undefeated in the Class 4A/3A Colorado 7 League play.
“This was a really big game,” said Butler, who added that the energy Skyview brought to the court after the slow start was the key to the win. “We fought together and came through.”
Conifer and Skyview came into Tuesday’s game as two of the hottest teams in the Colorado 7. The Lobos were on a three-game winning streak while the Wolverines had won four straight games.
Skyview (14-6, 8-0 in league) has the best record in the conference and already had a head-to-head win over Conifer (8-11, 4-4). The Wolverines defeated the Lobos 52-41 on Jan. 20. However, that was with senior post player Diego Mireles on the court. An injury kept Mireles out of the line-up for the rematch.
“The first time we played them we just pounded it inside,” Barringer said. “We didn’t have that luxury this time.”
Butler was big inside on the boards and had a key 3-point play late in the fourth quarter. The Wolverines also made four 3-pointers in the second half and was a solid 8-for-10 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter.
Conifer poured in 25 points in the fourth quarter to mount a comeback attempt. Senior Kellen Ireland hit a 3-pointer with 26 seconds left that cut Skyview’s lead to 53-51, but the Lobos would get no closer. Junior Mark Studer sank a 3-pointer for Conifer with under a second to play to make the final score 57-54.
“I’m proud of the effort and the comeback, it was just too little too late,” Conifer coach Eric Valerio said.
Skyview now has a 2-game lead over Fort Morgan in the league standings with three games left. Butler said Skyview wanted to silence the doubters who didn’t think the Wolverines could win a conference title.
“We didn’t shoot well from 3 in the second quarter. I think we were 3-for-4 in the first quarter and then missed our next six,” Valerio said. “When you only score four points in a quarter it’s tough to beat a well-coached team.”
The Wolverines were 34th in the updated RPI standings heading into Tuesday’s game and Conifer was in the 28th spot.
The top 48 teams in the RPI standings at the end of the regular season will fill the 48-team bracket where the top 16 seeds receive a first-round bye. First-round games are schedule for Wednesday, Feb. 22.
Skyview senior Angelo Garcia, left, take a 3-pointer. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
What has helped the Lobos in the RPI rankings is a tough non-league schedule. Conifer has played seven teams that are in the current CHSAANow.com 4A boys basketball poll or just on the outside of the top-10.
Conifer made sure to schedule a lot of non-league games against teams in the deep 4A Jeffco League. The Lobos faced 4A Jeffco’s Golden, Wheat Ridge, D’Evelyn, Littleton and Evergreen in five straight games before winter break.
Valerio said there has been some positive and negative things about playing in the new conference.
“I think it’s been good,” Valerio said playing in the Colorado 7. “It’s been a little of an adjustment getting to know the styles, but I think it’s a good fit for us. Travel is tough. The guys are excited to have an opportunity every night to compete.”
Conifer hosts Fort Lupton at 7 p.m. Friday. The Lobos are in good shape to make the 4A state tournament field for the first time since the 2009-10 season, but Valerio said he wouldn’t be satisfied by a postseason berth.
“For me it’s not just about making the state tournament,” Valerio said. “We want to be able to play good basketball in the state tournament and not just get bounced out.”
Conifer junior Mark Studer (2) attempts to dribble past Skyview senior Tyler Hepner. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
A roundup of Jeffco prep highlights, interviews and schedules with Dennis Pleuss, Jeffco Public Schools’ Communication Specialist. This month’s edition features Pomona wrestling, Class 5A and 4A boys and girls basketball highlights, Chatfield’s Dalton Keene heading to Virginia Tech University to play football, along with Jeffco’s Adapted Athletics Basketball Day at Gold Crown Field House.
Jeffco’s Bryan Wickoren, far right, organized the first Colorado High School Adapted Basketball Tournament on Thursday at Gold Crown Field House in Lakewood. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
LAKEWOOD — Jeffco Public Schools’ Adapted Athletics program made to quantum leap Thursday hosting the inaugural Colorado High School Adapted Basketball Tournament.
A total of 21 schools — 31 teams — took part in the tournament. Teams from school districts in Aurora, Boulder, Brighton, Denver, Colorado Springs, Frederick, Greeley, Littleton, Longmont and Jeffco gathered at Gold Crown Field House in Lakewood first state-wide basketball tournament of its kind in Colorado for students with special needs.
“We had a great response,” said event organizer Bryan Wickoren, Adapted Physical Education Coordinator for Jeffco Public Schools. “It’s a great representation of schools from the eastern side of the state. It’s a start.”
The event got such a great response that 10 schools were on a waiting list for the tournament. Wickoren, who is a part of the Department of Education adapted team advisory counsel, presented his idea last fall of having a state basketball tournament that Jeffco would host.
Wickoren said there is already talk about adding a state-wide soccer tournament in the fall, along with state-wide track and field meet next spring to serve students with special needs.
Sand Creek senior D’Shawn Schwartz, left, served as a coach for the Adapted Basketball tournament. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
“I’m extremely proud,” Wickoren said of the growth of Adapted Athletics. “Eight years ago we had five schools doing a couple of athletic events. Now we are doing something every month in Jeffco. We are just building and growing. We have a solid foundation and base. We’ll keep going.”
Bringing in schools from outside Jeffco has been a goal for Wickoren.
“We want to offer this to more than just Jeffco schools,” said Wickoren, who added he hopes in the future Adapted Athletics will be sanctioned by the Colorado High School Activities Association like it is in Minnesota.
Bonnie Mendenhall, Adapted PE teacher for middle and high schools in Falcon School District 49 in Colorado Springs, jumped at the chance to get her students involved in Thursday’s basketball tournament. Sand Creek brought two teams to compete.
“We’ve always wanted to get involved in unified sport, but we just didn’t have anything going on in the Springs,” Mendenhall said. “Talking to Bryan (Wickoren) he told me all about it. We decided to come up. This is our first time and our two teams we have are really excited.”
Schools from across the state took part in the Adapted Basketball Tournament. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
Sand Creek also brought up a familiar face to Colorado prep basketball fans. Senior D’Shawn Schwartz, one of the top basketball recruits in the state that has committed to play at the University of Colorado next school year, was on hand as a coach for the Scorpions.
“This is my first time,” Schwartz said about helping with Adapted Athletics. “We had one practice and then came out here. It’s pretty fun. It’s cool.”
A couple of teachers at Sand Creek told Schwartz about the tournament and he decided to be apart of it. Schwartz has helped lead the Scorpions to a 13-1 record this season averaging more than 26 points and nearly 10 rebounds per game.
“It’s different, but it feels good to get away from competition,” Schwartz said about being a coach on the basketball court instead of facing a box-and-one defense. “I can just come out here and be loose.”
Arvada and Standley Lake high schools had members of its basketball teams on hand too as referees and scorers for games. Jeffco will hold its Adapted Athletics Basketball Day for Jeffco schools Friday, Jan. 20.
“We want to keep more kids involved in sports. It’s a win-win for everybody,” Mendenhall said. “They see the other kids in sports and it gives them the opportunity to be in sports. It gives them great self-esteem. They can be a part of a team.”
At the end of the day Thursday, Gateway lifted the first-place trophy.
Gateway was crowned the first-place champions in the first Colorado High School Adapted Basketball Tournament. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
A roundup of Jeffco prep highlights, interviews and schedules with Dennis Pleuss, Jeffco Public Schools’ Communication Specialist. This month’s edition features Pomona in the Class 5A state football title game, early-season boys and girls basketball highlights, along with Wheat Ridge winning the Poms 4A state title at the spirit championships.
The 2016 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.
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Class 5A
(Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Player of the year: Dylan McCaffrey, Valor Christian
Golden’s Adam Thistlewood (31) battles for a loose ball with Conifer’s Kasim Rana (12) and Seth Sankey on Friday night. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletic)
GOLDEN — Inside the 3-point line belonged to Golden’s boys basketball team Friday night.
The Demons, ranked No. 4 in the CHSAANow.com Class 4A boys hoops poll, limited Conifer to just two made 2-point field goals in the non-league game against former 4A Jeffco League foes.
“That 1-3-1 (zone defense) is pretty special,” Conifer coach Eric Valerio said after his Lobos suffered a 62-45 loss at Golden High School. “It’s tough with a young group to play against that type of defense. They are so long they take away the passing lanes. They are pretty athletic for their size.”
Golden’s big men Joe Madsen (22) and Kayden Sund (45) go up for a rebound. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
The one concern Golden coach John Anderson pointed out after the victory was Conifer made 11 3-pointers, eight in the second half, to keep the Demons from completely running away with a lopsided victory.
“Part of our problem right now is every team we’ve played has shot very well from the 3-point line. It’s a concern. We’ve got to be able to contest those with our length,” Anderson said after his Demons improved to 5-1 on the season. “Playoff basketball and league basketball is won in the trenches. I think we’ve got that. We’ve just got to be able to extend.”
Golden’s lone senior, Kayden Sund, had a stretch late in the first quarter and early in the second quarter where he scored eight straight points for the Demons. Sund, who has signed with Chadron State College, buried a pair of 3-pointers and grabbed a steal with Golden’s half-court trap defense that turned into a dunk on the other end.
The outburst by Sund gave the Demons their first double-digit lead which they never surrendered.
Golden’s Adam Thistlewood (31) battle for a rebound with Conifer’s Antonio Lucero. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
“I just wanted to go out there and build a good lead so our bench guys could play,” said Sund, who finished with a team-high 12 points. “We had a bunch of guys swinging up tonight and really wanted to give them a chance to play to get some good quality varsity minutes.”
Ten Demons scored in the third victory this week for Golden. Juniors Riley Stoner (10 points), Joe Madsen (nine points), Adam Thistlewood (eight points) and Jake Niss (eight points) provided a nice scoring balance that Anderson likes to see.
“Everybody knows about Adam and Kayden. Those guys can go off on any night,” Anderson said. “The scoring tonight is what I want to see. A lot of guys with six to nine points. Teams are going to take away our main guys and other guys are going to have to step up.”
There was a solid Friday night student section for Golden. The atmosphere almost felt like a conference game against Conifer, a team the Demons used to play twice a season during league play.
“It’s kind of a rivalry because (Conifer) always wants to come out and beat us,” Stoner said. “We wanted to come and play has hard as we can to do our best to whoop them.”
Golden closes out play before winter break playing in the three-day Rocky Mountain Winter Showcase tournament late next week at Windsor and Brighton high schools. The Demons open conference play against at rival Wheat Ridge on Jan. 5.
Conifer (1-4 overall) was led by juniors Seth Sankey (10 points) and David Jacobson (nine points) in the loss. Senior Abe Martin also added eight points coming off the bench.
“That’s a fantastic team,” Valerio said of Golden. “Personally, I think Anderson is one of the best coaches in the state. I love playing against him because I know how good he is. It’s a challenge and he always has his guys ready.”
Conifer continues its stretch of facing former 4A Jeffco League foes next week. The Lobos have road games at Wheat Ridge (Dec. 13) and D’Evelyn (Dec. 16) next week.
“We’ve got some great opportunities to play some really great teams,” Valerio said. “I love playing those Jefferson County League teams. I think the world of those coaches and the teams they produce. It’s only going to make us better to play those teams.”
The Lobos will play in the Colorado 7 League for at least the current two-year cycle. Valerio added the goal is to content for a conference title and Anderson believes the Lobos are capable of having a good league record.
“Conifer is going to do very well and be a tough team in the (Colorado 7) League,” Anderson said.
Golden’s Jack McLaughlin (20) deals with pressure from Conifer’s Landon Wallace as Golden’s student section looks on. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
