The Limon community was honored by CHSAA on Wednesday and thanked by the Rocky Ford softball team for the sportsmanship it showed last fall.
In a time of great distress following a tragic car accident just prior to last season’s Class 3A state softball tournament, the Limon softball team went out of its way to reach out to Rocky Ford as the team was headed to Aurora to play.
So, on Wednesday, a contingent of CHSAA administrators and Rocky Ford softball players and coach JC Carrica traveled to Limon to recognize the Badgers’ random act of kindness. The Limon softball team and community were given a certificate which recognized their ethics and integrity, and were honored in front of the school’s entire student body.
Carrica recently wrote to the CHSAA office urging for Limon to be recognized, and said he wanted to come “to present the award personally” along with his coaches and players. Here’s that letter:
Mr. Robinson,
I am writing this letter to share several stories of exemplary sportsmanship from July 3, 2015 through October 24, 2015. …
On July 3, 2015, my 18U club third baseman and 12U first baseman’s mom passed away in a single car accident the day of an 18U game vs. Southern Plains All Stars. This was just the beginning of a very difficult four months for my athletes, the coaching staff, and of course our small community.
On October 21, 2015, the evening before leaving for the Colorado High School State 3A Softball Championships my Junior shortstop’s father and freshman brother were involved in a single car accident after leaving football practice and heading home. Her father passed away at the scene and her brother had a head injury of unknown seriousness and was rushed to Children’s Hospital in Denver.
The devastation of a second parent fatality was widely and deeply felt. Not only were we dealing with this tragic death, but the healing wounds of the summer fatality were immediately ripped open as my club third baseman was my flex on this high school team. The next day, just hours before boarding the bus, I was notified that our shortstop’s brother was stable and that she was coming to board the bus with us and head to state. This would be the first contact the team would have with her.
At this point, I contacted a college friend and his wife, Ryan & Sherri Smithburg, of Limon, Colorado, and asked them if there was any way that on the way through town if we could get some cheers. I was afraid that the 90-mile ride from Rocky Ford to Limon without cell phone or social media connectivity could be awkward and emotional for these 22 girls and four coaches. They immediately stepped into action.
As we entered Limon from the south, they actually blocked the road with softball players, parents and a large banner directing us into a parking lot. There, they had prepared, in just two hours, goody bags for each varsity player with their number on them and even were able to identify the player with the recent loss.
As we loaded the bus, they escorted us out of town with more signs, banners, and honking cars all the way to the interstate. The girls were hanging their heads out of the bus window, yelling, smiling, of course taking pictures and selfies. It was just the encouragement and lift we needed. As we left Limon and entered the interstate, there was not a dry eye on the bus. My assistant coach turned to me and said that in his 30 years of coaching, he had never seed anything like that. Nor had I!
Our first game was scheduled against Brush in the second round on Saturday because of the rainouts Friday. We had all the girls together on Friday and just shopped and ate to pass the time. They definitely needed the rest after the past 36 hours of events.
After losing to Brush 10-9 in a slugfest, four Brush players ran over and asked me to stall my shortstop before leaving the dugout area. When they returned, the whole team surrounded her, gave her a team card, and shared their condolences with repeated hugs. Like Limon, we have little interaction with those teams, but running into each other maybe in tournaments or one seasonal game. However, the significant amount of pure and honest support was something you would experience in a family.
Too many times we hear horror stories or see them on television or YouTube. Cathers tripping players at home when they cross the play standing up, opposing coaches fighting, or parents acting uncivilized. It is moments like the three above that we unfortunately do not hear or share enough, and is the essence of lessons taught through athletic competition.
Three new No. 1 teams were crowned this week in the CHSAANow.com baseball rankings.
Silver Creek now stands atop the Class 4A poll, Paonia takes over as the top 2A team and Holly comes at No. 1 in the 1A rankings.
With new teams breaking into every poll this week, the rankings have a much different look to them than they did when the last new set was released two weeks ago.
Silver Creek made the most impressive jump out of any other team, regardless of classification. Two weeks ago, the Raptors held the No. 7 position in 4A and after rattling off three wins in Arizona, the voters saw enough to boost their position.
Canon City, Pueblo East and Valor Christian also had solid outings since spring break and played their way in the rankings. Canon City lands at No. 3, Pueblo East comes in at No. 4 and Valor Christian takes over the No. 7 spot that Silver Creek held in the previous rankings.
Regis Jesuit remains No. 1 in the 5A poll this week. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
Regis Jesuit remains the top team in 5A.
Ralston Valley gained ground in this week’s poll, jumping from No. 9 to No. 6.
Douglas County, ThunderRidge and Heritage join the 5A rankings at No. 8, No. 9 and No. 10 respectively.
Eaton may still be the top team in 3A, but it’s No. 2 Bayfield who suddenly getting attention from voters. The Wolverines completed a successful road trip to Colorado Springs where they held on to beat St. Mary’s before holding off Lamar and Manitou Springs in a double-header.
Kent Denver was the lone addition to the 3A poll at No. 9.
Paonia’s 8-0 start to the season was good enough for the Eagles to jump three spots and take over the No. 1 spot in 2A. They swept former No. 1 Resurrection Christian in a double-header on Saturday.
The Cougars fell to No. 5 as a result.
Rocky Ford (No. 6) and Limon (No. 10) joined the 2A rankings this week.
Holly made the two-spot jump after a 2-1 start to their season to become the new No. 1 team in 1A.
Granada, who was ranked No. 7 in the previous rankings, also made a significant jump this week as the Bobcats come in at No. 2.
Rocky Mountain Lutheran and Briggsdale are the two new teams to the 1A rankings, coming in at No. 7 and No. 8 respectively.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. During the regular season, they are released each Monday.
Rocky Mountain (4), Columbine (8), Mountain Vista (10).
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Silver Creek (5)
6-1
93
7
4-1
2
D’Evelyn (5)
4-1
75
1
3-1
3
Canon City
8-1
60
–
6-0
4
Pueblo East
6-1
52
–
4-1
5
Pueblo West
6-3
51
4
2-2
6
Wheat Ridge (1)
4-2
50
3
3-2
7
Valor Christian
5-2
45
–
4-1
8
Lewis-Palmer
4-2
40
2
3-2
9
Denver North
5-1
31
8
2-1
10
Longmont
3-1
24
6
2-1
Others receiving votes:
Mountain View 19, Green Mountain 15, Palmer Ridge 10, Pueblo South 10, Montrose 9, Windsor 7, Thomas Jefferson 5, Northridge 3, The Classical Academy 3, Air Academy 2, Niwot 1.
Dropped out:
Green Mountain (5), Evergreen (9), Air Academy (10).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Eaton (7)
4-0
87
1
4-0
2
Bayfield (2)
4-2
83
5
3-0
3
Lamar (1)
6-1
72
3
3-1
4
University
1-2
49
2
0-2
5
Gunnison
5-0
46
6
2-0
6
La Junta
6-1
44
7
4-1
7
Faith Christian
2-3
38
8
2-3
8
Brush
3-1
33
4
2-1
9
Kent Denver
2-2
18
–
0-0
10
Valley
3-2
16
9
1-1
Others receiving votes:
Colorado Springs Christian 12, St. Mary’s 11, Lutheran 7, Sterling 7, Dolores Huerta 6, Buena Vista 5, Monte Vista 5, Salida 5, The Academy 4, Coal Ridge 3, Trinidad 2, Jefferson Academy 1, Olathe 1, Sheridan 1.
The 2015-16 all-state girls basketball players of the year. (Photos: Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com; Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com; Matt Daniels/MattDanPhoto.com; Jeff Tucker/jefferywtucker.zenfolio.com)
The 2015-16 all-state girls basketball 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 week-long vote of coaches.
A specific player of the year vote was held in each class, as was a vote for coach of the year.
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Class 5A
Grandview’s Michaela Onyenwere is the 5A girls basketball player of the year. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
Lewis-Palmer senior Paul Tillotson wants to help the Rangers win a state baseball championship before he heads to Nebraska. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)
MONUMENT — It’s now or never for Lewis-Palmer senior Paul Tillotson.
The senior has been a staple to the Rangers’ baseball program for three seasons and entering his fourth and final year, he’s hoping that his experience and leadership can help him get his hands on that state championship trophy, even if the makeup of the team doesn’t have the same feel.
“It’s a little bit different,” Tillotson said. “We lost some guys from last year, we got a new coach but we’re looking on the up-and-up right now.”
Having Tillotson on the roster gives the team instant credibility. They came in as the No. 2 team in the Class 4A CHSAANow.com preseason baseball rankings. That’s the kind of reputation a team has when they have a University of Nebraska commit on its roster.
That’s right. Like several other Colorado athletes, Tillotson is bound for Lincoln. That is assuming that the lure of Major League Baseball doesn’t rear its head in June.
Paul Tillotson. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)
But for now, Tillotson’s only focus is on helping the Rangers become a better baseball team and continuing the string of success it has seen in recent seasons.
First-year coach Brett Lester is fortunate enough to join a squad that rosters one of the best players in the state.
“It’s a luxury that not many coaches get the chance to enjoy,” Lester said. “He’s going to be competitive every time out and he’s going to do well on the mound, even at the plate in the games that he’s not pitching, he’s going to have a huge output.”
In 2015, Tillotson was such a devastating weapon for the Rangers. From the offensive side, he batted .446 with six home runs and 32 RBIs. In 95 plate appearances, he struck out only six times.
On the mound, he went 8-1 with a 1.62 ERA. He struck out 145 hitters and walked only 22.
So which skill set are the Huskers hoping to utilize?
“I’m definitely going as a pitcher, but they wanted to know if I still want to hit,” Tillotson said. “They hinting on the subject that I’m going to hit more (than they thought I would).”
And he’s up for it.
He remains in constant communication with the Huskers and they continue to track each other’s progress.
And while it’s easy to track numbers on a boxscore, the one thing that Tillotson is working harder at this year is helping out the younger players. He and teammate Billy Cook are doing everything they can to develop young players and ensure that Lewis-Palmer will be a winning program well beyond this year.
“As returning veterans it’s kind of on us to help those young guys out,” Tillotson said. “Just the little things that go into winning games through the season. It’s our job to help kids out when we see things they need help on.”
And in the process, they’ll be helping themselves out as well. At the end of last season Tillotson and the Rangers were on hand as the state championship trophy was handed to Green Mountain. That feeling, regardless of the changes the team has gone through, made him hungry and determined to bring a state championship back to Lewis-Palmer.
The Rangers have never won a baseball crown.
“I definitely have the hunger,” he said. “I want to push myself and my team to prove that we deserve that No. 2 ranking. I’m always going to be pushing my team to make sure that we’re doing the best that we can.”
The 2015 football players of the year. From left: Dylan Dixon of Eads; Keegan Wentz of Buena Vista; JoJo Domann of Pine Creek; Dylan McCaffrey of Valor Christian; Daniel Martin of Pueblo East; Kelton McCoy of Bayfield; Trey Walter of Sedgwick County. (Photos: Jack Eberhard/JacksActoinShots.com; Bill Cronin; Matt Daniels/MattDanPhoto.com; Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com; Jeff Tucker; and Sedgwick County HS)
The 2015 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 coaches.
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The 2015 all-state softball players of the year. From left: Mountain Range’s Hunter Huser, Valor Christian’s Alexandria Kilponen, and Strasburg’s Annie Oakley. (Photos: Kevin Keyser/KeyserImages.com; Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com; Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com
The 2015 all-state softball teams are presented by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps.
These team were created following a process where the coaches voted upon a list of nominees. Those nominees included every player who was a first-team all-league selection.
Coaches also voted specifically for player and coach of the year.
Scroll down to see the teams, or use the menu below to navigate to the class of your choosing.
Pomona’s defense had an outstanding night, limiting Ralston Valley to just two field goals in a 13-6 win on Friday night.
The Panthers, ranked No. 8 in Class 5A, pulled the upset of the No. 5 Mustangs. The win continued a streak of equality in the rivalry: Since 2009, Pomona and Ralston Valley have traded wins every other year.
On Friday, Pomona grabbed a 7-0 lead after the first quarter on a punt return for a score. Ralston Valley got a field goal near the end of halftime, but Pomona answered with a touchdown early in the third quarter.
Ralston Valley did cut it to a one-score game with another field goal, but couldn’t get any closer.
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3A: (1) Pueblo East 36, (9) The Classical Academy 21
The Classical Academy led 7-0 early, but then Pueblo East took over. The Eagles scored 19 unanswered points to take a 19-7 lead at halftime, thanks to five Titan turnovers.
Austin Burkholder’s rushing score late in the third quarter gave Sterling the lead back and the Tigers never looked back. Freshman Isaac Harris made it 27-13 a short while later, Burkholder added another score — his fourth — and Sterling cruised.
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8-man: (1) Sedgwick County 44, (5) Dayspring Christian 18
Sedgwick County jumped out to a 30-3 lead at halftime, and kept the pressure on in an important win for the playoff picture.
The loss avenged a 53-21 defeat last season.
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2A: (10) Bennett 40, Strasburg 39
Bennett stopped a two-point conversion in the final minutes to hold off the upset bid.
“Big play from Jesse Rodriquez, our corner, (who) intercepted their two-point conversion try,” coach Rick Jacoby told the Colorado Preps Scoreboard Show.
Bennett recovered the ensuing onside kick and then ran out the clock.
Bennett had led with three minutes to play, but Strasburg responded with its own touchdown with under two minutes left prior to the two-point attempt.
“We were behind most of the game,” Jacoby said. “We didn’t take the lead until about the seven minute mark of the fourth. We were down, I think, 19 at one point in the third quarter. We ended up being able to dig ourselves out of the hole.”
With the win, Bennett clinched the Frontier League championship.
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Notables
West Grand beat Rocky Mountain Lutheran 80-28 on Friday, giving coach Chris Brown his 305th career win. He can tie the state record for victories at Vail Christian next week.
2A No. 4 La Junta beat Lamar 35-0 in Colorado’s second-oldest rivalry, a matchup known as the Whistle Game.
5A No. 5 Palisade had 689 total yards in a 62-18 win over Grand Junction Central.
In 8-man, No. 4 Sargent beat No. 6 Dove Creek 30-18. “It was a tough battle,” Sargent coach Trevan Pepper told the Scoreboard Show. “We were a little bit asleep getting off the bus on that first drive, they went down and scored, and then we kind of stepped it up on defense the rest of the first half.”
1A No. 6 Crowley County won a tough game against Limon, 21-14. The Chargers won the South Central League as a result. “We had a big, long drive in the third quarter and were able to put it in on a little option play,” coach Brandon Roe told the Scoreboard Show. “We just played really great team defense after that.”
