Tag: Mesa Ridge

All-state boys basketball teams for the 2017-18 season

The 2017-18 all-state boys 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

Rock Canyon Overland boys basketball — (Marcus Gipson/Jmariahimages.com)

Player of the year: Sam Masten, Rock Canyon

Coach of the year: Michael Rogers, Grandview

First Team
Name	School	Year	Pos.
Ronnie DeGray III	Chaparral	Junior	SF/F
Jon’il Fugett	George Washington	Senior	PG/SG
Kaison Hammonds	ThunderRidge	Senior	PG
Daylen Kountz	Denver East	Senior	–
Sam Masten	Rock Canyon	Senior	G

Second Team
Name	School	Year	Pos.
Ben Boone	Grandview	Senior	F
Kenny Foster	Smoky Hill	Junior	–
Mike Polson	Mountain Range	Senior	G
Dayne Prim	Grandview	Junior	F
Tucson Redding	Overland	Senior	PG/G/SG

Honorable mention: Alijah Bates, Doherty, Junior; Dawson Carper, Rampart, Senior; Tyson Cruickshank, ThunderRidge, Senior; Moz Doria, Liberty, Senior; Damian Forrest, Poudre, Junior; Tyson Gilbert, Rock Canyon, Senior; Joe Golden, Doherty, Senior; XaiV’ion Jackson, Eaglecrest, Senior; Kevin Jimenez, Northglenn, Senior; Michkaleke Man-man baker, Gateway, Senior; Elijah Martinez, Regis Jesuit, Senior; Trey Morrill, Fruita Monument, Senior; Ryan Ongala, Rangeview, Senior; D’Auntray Pierce, George Washington, Senior; Avery Rembao, Loveland, Junior; Kobe Sanders, Chaparral, Sophomore; Andre Sepeda, Greeley West, Junior; Daijon Smith, Overland, Senior; Connor Staib, Mountain Vista, Senior; Dimitri Stanley, Cherry Creek, Senior; Brendan Sullivan, Highlands Ranch, Senior; Sam Tiley, Fort Collins, Senior; Joseph Urynowicz, Rocky Mountain, Junior; Kam Vincel, Prairie View, Senior.

[divider]

Class 4A

Longmont Lewis-Palmer boys basketball — (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)

Player of the year: Luke Johnson, Longmont

Coach of the year: Jeff Kloster, Longmont

First Team
Name	School	Year	Pos.
Marcell Barbee	Pueblo South	Senior	F
Luke Johnson	Longmont	Senior	PG
Joel Scott	Lewis-Palmer	Junior	F/G
Nieyem’e Smeyer-williams	Pueblo West	Senior	PG/SG
Adam Thistlewood	Golden	Senior	SG/SF

Second Team
Name	School	Year	Pos.
TJ Davis	Widefield	Senior	PF/W
Charles Dinegar	D’Evelyn	Senior	PF/SF
Trent Dykema	Silver Creek	Senior	PG/SG
Deven Nelson	Mesa Ridge	Senior	P/SG
Matthew Ragsdale	Lewis-Palmer	Junior	SG/PG

Honorable mention: Jared Belcher, The Classical Academy, Senior; Brayden Blick, Skyline, Senior; Jeremy Cody, Pueblo South, Senior; Connor Hawk, Ponderosa, Senior; Devin Huffman, Battle Mountain, Senior; Te’rae Johnson, Vista PEAK Prep, Senior; Jared Kasprzak, Thompson Valley, Senior; Garrett Martin, Standley Lake, Senior; Nico Martin, Pueblo Central, Junior; Noah Martinez, Falcon, Senior; Trey McBride, Fort Morgan, Senior; Turner McDonald, Summit, Senior; Tre Pierre, Widefield, Senior; Jeremy Randle, Valor Christian, Senior; Derrian Reed, Sierra, Senior; Kirk Relford, Windsor, Senior; Chase Rogers, Evergreen, Senior; Hunter Shkapich, Valor Christian, Junior; Mark Studer, Conifer, Senior; Alex Telles, Green Mountain, Senior; Bridger Tenney, Evergreen, Senior; Kade Terrell, Montrose, Senior; Justin Wiersema, Thompson Valley, Senior.

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Class 3A

Sterling Resurrection Christian boys basketball — (Dustin Price/dustinpricephotography.com)

Player of the year: Bodie Hume, Sterling

Coach of the year: Jeff Lehnus, Bayfield

First Team
Name	School	Year	Pos.
Jaedon Bowles	Manual	Junior	W
Tyler Eldred	Lutheran	Senior	–
Jonah Gardner	Faith Christian	Senior	–
Bodie Hume	Sterling	Senior	SF/SG
Ryan Phelps	Bayfield	Senior	C

Second Team
Name	School	Year	Pos.
Ry Adams	Alamosa	Senior	G
Cade Carroll	Buena Vista	Senior	PG/SG
Seth Fuqua	The Vanguard School	Junior	–
Benjamin Hawkins	Faith Christian	Senior	–
Justin Thompson	Roaring Fork	Senior	F

Honorable mention: Nehemiah Baustian, Jefferson, Senior; Bryson Becker, Platte Valley, Junior; Peter Carlson, Cedaredge, Senior; Elijah Chavez, Arrupe Jesuit, Senior; Deante Dennis, Colorado Academy, Junior; James Doyle, Kent Denver, Junior; Jasen Engel, Montezuma-Cortez, Senior; Logan Freed, Delta, Senior; Isaac Gallegos, The Academy, Junior; Jorge Gonzales, Olathe, Senior; Isaiah Griego, Pagosa Springs, Senior; Draven Hackley, St. Mary’s, Senior; Keyante Harris, Ridge View Academy, Senior; Justin Henderson, Basalt, Senior; Brandon Herrera, Coal Ridge, Senior; Zach Hidalgo, Frontier Academy, Senior; Noah Hopkins, Colorado Springs Christian, Senior; Kade Hurst, Grand Valley, Senior; Vince Jones, DSST: Stapleton, Senior; Brock Lane, Strasburg, Senior; Jon Nuschy, La Junta, Junior; Keyon Prior, Bayfield, Junior; Angelo Ramirez, Alamosa, Senior; Riley Schaefer, Sterling, Senior; Cole Sienknecht, Manitou Springs, Senior; Max Swanlund, Estes Park, Senior.

[divider]

Class 2A

Player of the year: Bradley Carnes-Clabey, Crowley County

Coach of the year: Dave Sheffield, Yuma

First Team
Name	School	Year	Pos.
Bradley Carnes-Clabey	Crowley County	Senior	–
Austin Davis	Byers	Senior	SF/G
Logan Hughes	Meeker	Senior	–
Victor Mendoza	Yuma	Junior	SF
Carlos Parra	Del Norte	Senior	F/G

Second Team
Name	School	Year	Pos.
Jakob Chrisman	Yuma	Junior	C
Diego Covarrubias	Yuma	Senior	SF
Doak Mantle	Meeker	Senior	–
Hayden McCuen	Byers	Junior	PF
Johnny Valdez	Ignacio	Senior	SG

Honorable mention: Eu Asefaw, Denver Christian, Junior; Tate Bessire, Highland, Sophomore; Hayden Carter, Crowley County, Senior; Layne Christensen, Plateau Valley, Senior; Joel George, Simla, Junior; Jonah Hanson, Burlington, Senior; David Jarvis, Twin Peaks Charter Academy, Senior; Jakob Juul, Fowler, Senior; Ben Kelly, Calhan, Senior; Sebastian Moritz, Vail Christian, Senior; Maguire Peterson, Sanford, Senior; Gavyn Pure, Dawson School, Senior; Sam Rodriguez, Hotchkiss, Senior; Kai Roubideaux, Ignacio, Senior; Noah Sarria, Clear Creek, Senior; Patrick Scoggins, Rangely, Senior; Caden Showalter, Mancos, Sophomore; Zach Sittler, Sanford, Senior; Charles Sparks, Calhan, Senior; Josh Stover, Rocky Ford, Senior.

[divider]

Class 1A

Peetz Prairie boys basketball — (Dustin Price/dustinpricephotography.com)

Player of the year: Logan Sircy, Peetz

Coach of the year: Sean Fehringer, Peetz

First Team
Name	School	Year	Pos.
Isaac Borchers	Creede	Senior	G/F
Micah Crane	South Baca [Campo/Vilas/Pritchett]	Senior	–
Adam Poole	Front Range Baptist	Senior	SG/PG/SF
Logan Sircy	Peetz	Senior	–
Caid Smith	Genoa-Hugo/Karval	Senior	–

Second Team
Name	School	Year	Pos.
Cameron Archer	Denver Waldorf	Senior	G
Nathan Fairmont	Shining Mountain	Senior	–
Jesse Gomez	Holly	Senior	–
Thomas Manuel	South Baca [Campo/Vilas/Pritchett]	Senior	–
Arthur Rodriguez	Sierra Grande	Senior	PG/PF

Honorable mention: Isaiah Bowsher, Heritage Christian, Senior; Vince Damelio, Primero, Senior; Tre Fehringer, Peetz, Senior; Casper Freedle, Creede, Junior; Cullen Glosson, Otis, Junior; Bryson Long, Peetz, Junior; Nic Martin, North Park, Senior; Jayden McCombs-Farmer, Kit Carson, Sophomore; Ethan Oblander, Weldon Valley, Senior; Brigden Parker, Eads, Freshman; Kevin Ramirez, Arickaree/Woodlin, Junior; Beau Roth, Cheyenne Wells, Senior; Matthew Tanner, Fleming, Senior; Josiah Vasquez, Cheraw, Junior; Kurt Voll, Cotopaxi, Senior; Owen Voll, Cotopaxi, Senior; Brandt Vos, Cornerstone Christian Academy, Junior; Deric Woods, Front Range Baptist, Junior.

March 23, 2018

All-state girls basketball teams for the 2017-18 season

The 2017-18 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.

[divider]

Class 5A

Lakewood Vista Ridge girls basketball — (Jeff Tucker/jefferywtucker.zenfolio.com)

Player of the year: Camilla Emsbo, Lakewood

Coach of the year: Josh Ulitzky, Grandview

First Team
Name	School	Year	Pos.
Francesca Belibi	Regis Jesuit	Junior	PF/SF/C
Camilla Emsbo	Lakewood	Senior	F/G/W
Tommi Olson	Highlands Ranch	Senior	PG
Jana Van Gytenbeek	Cherry Creek	Sophomore	PG
Leilah Vigil	Grandview	Senior	W

Second Team
Name	School	Year	Pos.
Delaynie Byrne	Ralston Valley	Senior	F
Brionna McBride	Doherty	Junior	G/PF
Denali Pinto	Fairview	Senior	G
R’Manie Pulling	Denver East	Senior	G
Riley Snyder	Fruita Monument	Senior	SG

Honorable mention: Isabella Allen, Horizon, Senior; Dezmonea Antwine, Denver East, Junior; Angel Broadus, Rangeview, Junior; Victoria Cabrera, Prairie View, Junior; Sassy Coleman, Lakewood, Senior; Sydney Daniels, Dakota Ridge, Junior; Alisha Davis, Grandview, Junior; Romola Dominguez, Bear Creek, Senior; Angelique Gall, Fruita Monument, Senior; Jaiden Galloway, Grandview, Senior; Timiya Guevara, Denver South, Freshman; Madison Hema, Castle View, Junior; Shamahra Henderson, Thornton, Sophomore; Alyssa Jimenez, Horizon, Junior; Delsie Johnson, Fort Collins, Senior; Kaylah Lewis, Brighton, Junior; Jayda Lyon, Liberty, Senior; Gabriella Mcdonald, Rocky Mountain, Senior; Dani Mills, Mountain Vista, Senior; Mykiaa Minniss, Doherty, Senior; Jada Moore, Regis Jesuit, Sophomore; Kai Padilla, Northglenn, Junior; Ashley Panem, Fairview, Senior; Ashley Steffeck, Fossil Ridge, Junior; Samantha Van Sickle, Ralston Valley, Senior; Autumn Watts, Highlands Ranch, Junior; Samiyah Worrell, Fountain-Fort Carson, Junior; Madi Wriedt, Rampart, Senior.

[divider]

Class 4A

Player of the year: Claudia Dillon, Evergreen

Coach of the year: Amy Bahl, Evergreen

First Team
Name	School	Year	Pos.
Claudia Dillon	Evergreen	Junior	PF/C
Gabi Lucero	Pueblo South	Junior	C
Makena Prey	Golden	Senior	C/PF
Hannah Simental	Pueblo West	Sophomore	–
Chloe Welch	Mesa Ridge	Senior	PG

Second Team
Name	School	Year	Pos.
Maya Austin	Pueblo South	Senior	–
Abby Garnett	Golden	Senior	PF/C
Izzy Hren	Holy Family	Senior	PG/SG/SF
Olivia Lough	Pueblo West	Senior	–
Kristina Schreiber	Evergreen	Senior	–

Honorable mention: Brecon Antrillo, Green Mountain, Senior; RaLeigh Basart, Mountain View, Junior; Maddie Bolitho, Glenwood Springs, Senior; Emily Cavey, Berthoud, Sophomore; Aspen Dufour, Frederick, Senior; Baylee Galan-Browne, Evergreen; Hilda Garcia, Durango, Senior; Helen Gover, Centaurus, Junior; Naomi Hidalgo, Greeley Central, Junior; Hollie Hoffman, Windsor, Junior; Kaity Hovasse, Lewis-Palmer, Senior; Denali Hughes, Vista PEAK Prep, Junior; Haley Lewis, Fort Morgan, Senior; Savannah Martin, Standley Lake, Senior; Sydney Meis, Berthoud, Junior; Michaela Moran, Windsor, Senior; Mary Parchinski, Air Academy, Senior; Ashten Prechtel, Discovery Canyon, Junior; Angi Reed, D’Evelyn, Senior; Aaliyah Ricketts, Widefield, Junior; Zoya Robbins, Thomas Jefferson, Senior; Aubrey Robinson, Sierra, Senior; Hailee Stamps, Pueblo County, Senior; Sophia Trujillo, Skyview, Junior; Elly Walters, Rifle, Senior; Abby Wright, Valor Christian, Senior.

[divider]

Class 3A

Lamar St. Mary's girls basketball — (Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com)

Player of the year: Makenna Bodette, St. Mary’s

Coach of the year: Mike Burkett, St. Mary’s

First Team
Name	School	Year	Pos.
Makenna Bodette	St. Mary’s	Senior	C/PF
Cali Clark	Lamar	Sophomore	–
Megan Engesser	Colorado Springs Christian	Junior	–
Josephine Howery	St. Mary’s	Sophomore	PG/SG/W
Morgan Lewis	Pagosa Springs	Senior	P

Second Team
Name	School	Year	Pos.
Jana Camilletti	Moffat County	Senior	G/W
Shaya Chenoweth	Grand Valley	Junior	–
Julia Doyle	Kent Denver	Senior	–
Rachel Ingram	Colorado Springs Christian	Junior	–
Maren Mildestvedt	Manitou Springs	Senior	F

Honorable mention: Ember Canty, Centauri, Senior; Cydnee Collins, Eagle Ridge Academy, Sophomore; Bailie Duncan, Eaton, Junior; Courtney Freeman, Cedaredge, Junior; Alexis Garcia, The Vanguard School, Freshman; Sara Geddes, Delta, Sophomore; Alejandra Godina, Salida, Junior; Seneca Hackley, St. Mary’s, Sophomore; Juju Hemeyer, Resurrection Christian, Sophomore; Kylie Kravig, University, Freshman; Haleigh Leibel, Florence, Senior; Brecken Payne, Lamar, Junior; Brooke Polenz, Sterling, Senior; La’Zaria Roby, Aurora West College Prep Academy, Senior; Raegan Rychecky, St. Mary’s Academy, Senior; Kassie Schell, Buena VIsta, Senior; Haley Shaklee, Lutheran, Senior; Caroline Van Berkum, Centauri, Senior.

[divider]

Class 2A

Yuma Wiggins girls basketball — (Dustin Price/DustinPricePhotography.com)

Player of the year: Cody Robinson, Yuma

Coach of the year: Bob Rahm, Yuma

First Team
Name	School	Year	Pos.
Chasey Blach	Yuma	Junior	C
Katelyn Brown	Rangely	Senior	–
Rachel Lucas	Clear Creek	Senior	F
Megan Roberts	Dayspring Christian Academy	Senior	PF/SG/C
Cody Robinson	Yuma	Junior	SG/PG/PF

Second Team
Name	School	Year	Pos.
Grace Dille	Holyoke	Senior	F
Kendra Parra	Del Norte	Sophomore	SG
Jerraldawn Rector	Simla	Senior	PG/PF/C
Morgan Smith	Wray	Junior	–
Avery Whitehead	Yuma	Senior	PF/C

Honorable mention: Carson Collins, Hotchkiss, Junior; Hope Davies, Cripple Creek-Victor, Junior; Brianna Denton, Swink, Junior; Graciela Donez, Ellicott, Senior; Brittany Fuchs, Calhan, Senior; Avionne Gomez, Ignacio, Senior; Danielle Gonzales, Las Animas, Senior; Ali Graham, Colorado Springs School, Senior; Elizabeth Hagerman, Fowler, Senior; Miranda Kortenhoeven, Denver Christian, Senior; Piper Kunst, South Park, Senior; Cortney Lemon, Norwood, Senior; Valeria Lopez, Lotus School for Excellence, Senior; Malyka Medina, Center, Senior; Elizabeth Mullett, Custer County, Senior; Peyton Pecar, Wray, Senior; Jessie Raitt, Vail Christian, Senior; Kassidy Rapke, Paonia, Senior; Emi Romero, Rocky Ford, Senior; Mattie Rossi, Soroco, Senior; Marissa Schelling, Haxtun, Senior; Sierra Schwartz, Dolores, Senior; Maddie Soehner, Wray, Senior; Skylar Thacker, Rangely, Junior; Maison Tolle, Highland, Senior; Taeryn Trumper, Holyoke, Sophomore; Shaelyn Walton, Hoehne, Senior; Anna Weisensee, Limon, Junior.

[divider]

Class 1A

Kit Carson Kim/Branson girls basketball — (Dustin Price/dustinpricephotography.com)

Player of the year: Micayla Isenbart, Kit Carson

Coach of the year: Justin Winford, Kim/Branson

First Team
Name	School	Year	Pos.
Jodel Erickson	Briggsdale	Senior	SF
Tess Hornung	Kit Carson		PF/SG/SF
Micayla Isenbart	Kit Carson	Senior	SG/PG/SF
Alli Keisel	Fleming	Senior	–
Ashley Yergert	Kim/Branson	Senior	–

Second Team
Name	School	Year	Pos.
Joni Brown	Kim/Branson	Senior	–
Kallie Cathcart	Holly	Junior	–
Josie Cook	Holly	Senior	–
Olivia Isenbart	Kit Carson	Junior	C
Erykah Tallman	Antonito	Senior	F

Honorable mention: Nikki Anderson, Briggsdale, Senior; Hope Bondurant, Cotopaxi, Senior; Kaylee Corsentino, La Veta, Junior; Whitney Echols, Longmont Christian, Junior; Joslyn Garcia, Antonito, Senior; Heather Graham, Genoa-Hugo/Karval, Senior; Kodey Hoss, Cheraw, Junior; Kennedy Hughes, Heritage Christian, Senior; Reyna Isenbart, Kit Carson, Sophomore; Devynn Johnson, North Park, Junior; Micah Koolstra, Arickaree/Woodlin, Junior; Jenna Lengfelder, Fleming, Junior; Brooke Long, Belleview Christian, Junior; Kirsten Martinez, Primero, Sophomore; Miranda Mitchek, Eads, Junior; Jordan Parker, McClave, Junior; Ashley Rueb, Briggsdale, Senior; Jessica Slane, Sangre de Cristo, Junior; McKenzie Smith, Kit Carson, Junior; Nina Vigil, Sierra Grande, Senior.

March 23, 2018

Bear Creek girls soccer gets shutout win over Mesa Ridge

Bear Creek senior Kaitlyn Chavira (10) breaks into open space Tuesday at Lakewood Memorial Field. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

LAKEWOOD — Before spring break next week Bear Creek’s girls soccer team might be familiar with nearly every single blade of grass at Lakewood Memorial Field.

The Bears (3-2 record) will have likely played six games at the classic grass field at 10th and Wadsworth Blvd. over the span of 15 days. It would be seven games at LMF, but Monday’s non-league game against Prairie View had to be postponed due to the snowstorm that hit the area Sunday night.

“It’s a field we definitely want to get used to, keep scoring goals and be consistent,” Bear Creek senior captain Kaitlyn Chavira said after Tuesday’s 5-0 shutout victory for the Bears over Mesa Ridge (0-4).

Bear Creek’s Brianna Mendias, left, and Mesa Ridge’s Destiny Button chase after a loose ball. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

Chavira scored a pair of goals in Bear Creek’s 4-goal first half. The senior and a handful of Bears’ starters took a seat on the bench in the second half as second-year Bear Creek coach Owen Plyler gave a lot of playing time to some of his bench players.

“I liked the result,” Plyler said. “We went with a reserve-based team in the second half. I thought my starters did a really good job making the game look beautiful. We wanted to captivate things that will work against stronger teams we’ll see really soon.”

Sophomore Brianna Mendias started the scoring at LMF. Mendias chipped in a shot under the cross bar 50 seconds into the game. Chavira scored two minutes later and sophomore Taryn O’Brien scored midway through the first half to push the Bears’ lead to 3-0.

Chavira beat Mesa Ridge goalie Rebeckah Madden in the 26th minute to make the score 4-0. The senior leads the team with five goals on the season, but knows once Class 5A Jeffco League play begins the competition will get tougher.

“Our goals is just keep playing as a team and be confident,” Chavira said looking ahead to conference play. “We need to be consistent on what we do. We need to move it up the field and score more goals.”

Bear Creek’s Taryn O’Brien (13) attempt to settle a ball to her feet. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

Sophomore Alyssa Applegate scored the lone goal in the second half with a breakaway in the 34th minute. Bear Creek goalie Delaney Allington got the shutout victory in net for the Bears.

It was the first shutout victory of the season for Bear Creek, which helped one of the main goals Plyler has placed on his team.

“We are trying to improve our goal-differential from last season,” Plyler said. “We want to pick up a few more league wins and see if we are a potentially playoff worthy this year.”

Bear Creek was outscored 44-18 last year during the 2017 season that ended with a 4-10-1 overall record and 1-6 in 5A Jeffco. The Bears has just two conference wins over the past three seasons.

“We have to work our way up the ladder in the (Jeffco 5A) league,” Plyler said. “We know if we compete with the teams in our league we can compete with anybody.”

The Bears return to their home away from home — Lakewood Memorial Field — to face an always competitive Wheat Ridge (3-1) squad at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 22.

“Wheat Ridge is going to be a good test for us,” Chavira said.

Bear Creek scored a 5-0 victory over Mesa Ridge on Tuesday at Lakewood Memorial Field. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

March 21, 2018
Austin leads Pueblo South girls hoops to 4A title game with OT win over Mesa Ridge

(Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

DENVER — Pueblo South had battled back all game. What was yet another comeback in the final seconds of regulation?

The Colts, seeded No. 12, hit a layup at the buzzer to send the game to overtime, and then Maya Austin led them to a 74-62 win over Mesa Ridge in the Class 4A girls basketball semifinals. The win earns Pueblo South a return trip to the championship game, scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday.

“Seriously,” Pueblo South coach Shannan Lane said of the comebacks as she fought back tears. “We definitely did not step up on the floor and were not ready to go down 9-0, it wasn’t the game plan.

“These girls just fought back and they played so hard,” Lane added. “Each one contributed, they did what I asked them to do, and I’m just so blessed.”

(Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

Austin hit 11 free throws in the overtime period, and finished with a career-high 34 points. Gabi Lucero added 22 points for the Colts, along with 12 rebounds.

Pueblo South rallied from down 9-0 in the first quarter, and down 47-42 in the fourth. After Mesa Ridge went up by five with five minutes to play, the Colts used a 13-3 run to take a 55-50 lead. At that point, 2:44 remained.

But Mesa Ridge kept fighting, cutting the lead to 57-56 with just 1:11 to play. The Grizzlies went up 58-57 on Chloe Welch’s end-to-end layup with 29 seconds left, and Ashley Bowen added a free-throw to make it 59-57.

Then, just before time expired in regulation, Austin hit a layup to send the game to overtime, tied at 59.

In that overtime, Pueblo South outscored Mesa Ridge 15-3. Austin had 11 of those points.

Mesa Ridge dashed out to an early 9-0 lead in the first quarter, but Pueblo South battled back to tie the game at 16 with 1:16 to play in the frame. And though the Grizzlies emerged with a 20-18 lead after the first, Pueblo South had erased the huge margin.

The back-and-forth battle continued in the second quarter, with Mesa Ridge taking a 32-30 lead at the break. The game featured nine ties or lead changes to that point.

Both teams shot well in the first half: Mesa Ridge hit 12-of-27 shots (44 percent), and Pueblo South made 14-of-29 (48 percent).

(Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

Each squad was led by their star. Mesa Ridge’s Welch had a double-double at halftime with 13 points and 10 rebounds, and Lucero of Pueblo South led all scorers with 14 points.

Both girls were outstanding all game, along with Austin’s heroics. Welch, a senior, finished with 29 points, 12 rebounds and three assists. She fouled out in overtime.

Bowen had 15 points and nine rebounds for Mesa Ridge.

(Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

March 9, 2018
4A girls basketball Great 8 roundup: Evergreen beats Air Academy to move on

(Kelsey Lowry/CHSAANow.com)

COLORADO SPRINGS — Evergreen girls basketball’s title defense will continue.

The Cougars, seeded No. 6 in the Class 4A state tournament, knocked off No. 3 Air Academy on the road on Friday, 50-36.

Air Academy led 15-10 after the first quarter that included a 7-0 start, but Evergreen rallied to make it 22-21 at halftime. thanks in large part to two 3-pointers from Hannah Kennedy.

“Our team usually steps it up,” Kennedy said. “I wasn’t worried with our first half because I believe and trust in my team to pick it up.”

And the Evergreen girls did exactly that. The Cougars’ defense stepped up, and their offense came out shooting. By the end of the third quarter, they had a lead of six points and continued to add to the scoreboard, and ultimately came out with a win.

Air Academy finishes the year 24-2 and had a great season that included a 21-game winning streak.

Evergreen was led in scoring by Claudia Dillon with 14 points. Kristina Schreiber, Baylee GalanBrowne, and Haley Dillion each added nine points.

“We really prepared for this game and we are just trying to repeat what we did last year,” said Kennedy. “This is just one more step to furthering that goal and making history with a repeat.”

Evergreen will face No. 15 Widefield at the Denver Coliseum on March 2.

[divider]

(8) Mesa Ridge 66, (1) Pueblo West 63

(@MRHSGRIZZLIES/Twitter)

The Grizzlies knocked off the top-ranked Cyclones to move on to the Denver Coliseum next week.

Mesa Ridge trailed 53-43 heading into the fourth quarter, and chipped away at Pueblo West’s lead. Eventually, the Grizzlies tied the game at 61 with two minutes to play.

They closed out the comeback in the final minute to advance to the Final 4.

[divider]

(15) Widefield 50, (10) Golden 49

(@whsgladiators/Twitter)

Aaliyah Ricketts hit the game-winning shot as the Gladiators pulled off the upset in the quarterfinals.

The game was close throughout with the two teams trading the lead, but Widefield built a 48-40 advantage with six minutes to play.

Golden rallied to go ahead 49-48 with less than a minute remaining before Ricketts hit the winning shot.

[divider]

(12) Pueblo South 70, (20) Sierra 39

Gabi Lucero exploded for 40 points, as the Colts rolled into a Final 4 appearance.

Drea Nelson added 11 points for Pueblo South, and Maya Austin had 8.

Pueblo South built a 19-10 lead after the first quarter, and was up 41-22 at halftime.

March 3, 2018
Welch powers No. 8 Mesa Ridge girls basketball over No. 9 Thomas Jefferson and into Great 8

(Kelsey Lowry/CHSAANow.com)

COLORADO SPRINGS — Chloe Welch’s start power is only rising with each playoff game.

The Mesa Ridge senior helped the No.8 Grizzlies beat No. 9 Thomas Jefferson 72-49 Tuesday night to advance in the Class 4A state tournament.

While scoring over 70 points would give the appearance that the Grizzlies were all offense, it was actually the defense that gave them the momentum to pull through.

Both teams got off to a slow start and struggled from the field. Thomas Jefferson first got on the board with two free throws from Kharial Clark. Welch got the energy started with a drive that put Mesa Ridge on the board. The first quarter finished with Mesa Ridge holding a slim 13-9 lead.

The second quarter started with a drive from Thomas Jefferson’s Sydney Thompson that put them within two points of Mesa Ridge, but that would be the closest the Spartans would get to catching the Grizzlies. With a jumper from Ashley Bowen and two free throws from Welch, the Mesa Ridge Girls headed into halftime with a 37-21 lead over the Spartans.

“With our tough game and win over Littleton last week, we knew we would have to come into this game with good defense and rebounds,” Mesa Ridge coach Jeff Beatty said. “All of our girls came out and scored and played defensively, which helped us to carry the momentum to play a great game.”

With stellar defense, Mesa Ridge limited Thomas Jefferson’s offensive output and outworked them on the glass.

Welch finished the game with 18 points, eight assists, and eight rebounds. Bowen added 15 points, going with 11 rebounds and Serin Dunne scored up 10.

“Winning this game is very exciting,” Welch said. “We really played as a team tonight and played really well.”

(Kelsey Lowry/CHSAANow.com)

Sydney Thompson had 12 points to lead Thomas Jefferson and Zaya Robbins finished with 10 points and a notable 16 rebounds. The Thomas Jefferson girls finished the season with a 22-3 overall record.

The Mesa Ridge girls will advance to the Great 8 and face No. 1 Pueblo West on Friday. The game will provide the Mesa Ridge Girls with a shot of redemption after losing to Pueblo West in last years tournament.

“It’s going to be a tough game, but our girls are familiar with them and they know what to expect,” Beatty said. “We may have to reach into our bag of tricks for the game, but our girls are ready to go out and get the win.”

February 28, 2018

All-state wrestling teams for the 2017-18 season

The 2017-18 all-state wrestling teams are presented by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps.

These teams were created based upon results at the state meet. Coaches and wrestlers of the year were selected by the Colorado High School Coaches Association at the state meet.

Scroll down to see the teams, or use the menu below to navigate to the class of your choosing.
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Class 5A

Jacob Greenwood Poudre wrestling four-timer — (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

Wrestler of the year: Jacob Greenwood, Poudre

Coach of the year: Cole Allison, Grand Junction

First team
Name	Year	School	Weight
Dawson Collins	Sophomore	Grand Junction	113
Vince Cornella	Freshman	Monarch	106
Gabe Dinette	Senior	Lakewood	160
Jacob Greenwood	Senior	Poudre	145
Malik Heinselman	Senior	Castle View	120
Josiah Rider	Senior	Grand Junction	152
Theorius Robison	Junior	Pomona	132
Christian Rowell	Senior	Adams City	170
Tate Samuelson	Senior	Castle View	182
Fabian Santillan	Junior	Grandview	126
Cohlton Schultz	Junior	Ponderosa	285
Mason Watt	Senior	Broomfield	220
Jayden Woodruff	Senior	Ponderosa	195
Colton Yapoujian	Junior	Pomona	138

Second team
Name	Year	School	Weight
Josh Betts	Senior	Rocky Mountain	160
Gavin Deaguero	Senior	Adams City	152
Aidan Funk	Senior	Legacy	170
Nicholas Gonzales	Senior	Adams City	126
Job Greenwood	Junior	Poudre	132
Alec Hargreaves	Sophomore	Rocky Mountain	195
Brody Lamb	Senior	Poudre	138
Seth Latham	Senior	Grand Junction	182
Adrian Marquez	Junior	Castle View	113
Dylan Martinez	Senior	Grand Junction	145
Weston Mayer	Senior	Poudre	285
Justin Pacheco	Junior	Pomona	120
Hunter Tobiasson	Junior	Grand Junction	220
Wyatt Yapoujian	Sophomore	Pomona	106

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Class 4A

Andrew Alirez Greeley Central wrestlin — (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

Wrestler of the year: Andrew Alirez, Greeley Central

Coach of the year: Pat Laughlin, Pueblo East

First team
Name	Year	School	Weight
Andrew Alirez	Junior	Greeley Central	145
Patrick Allis	Junior	Discovery Canyon	120
Drake Engelking	Junior	Longmont	160
Andy Garcia	Sophomore	Pueblo East	285
Brendon Garcia	Junior	Pueblo County	106
Dante Garcia	Senior	Pueblo County	220
Jason Hanenberg	Senior	Air Academy	132
Dylan McBride	Senior	Fort Morgan	195
Mike McFadden	Senior	Cheyenne Mountain	138
Isaiah Salazar	Sophomore	Windsor	170
Dominick Serrano	Sophomore	Windsor	126
Elijah Valdez	Senior	Mesa Ridge	152
Will VomBaur	Junior	Windsor	113
Terrance Williams	Senior	Palisade	182

Second team
Name	Year	School	Weight
Michael True	Senior	Mesa Ridge	285
Braden Barker	Senior	Mountain View	195
Jayson Davis	Junior	Pueblo County	170
Christopher Fasano	Junior	Pueblo County	152
Zion Freeman	Junior	Pueblo East	182
Jaxon Garoutte	Sophomore	Pueblo County	138
Jacob Gonzales	Junior	Pueblo Centennial	106
Zac Hanenberg	Senior	Canon City	145
Andrew Lucero	Senior	Pueblo East	113
Dominic Robles	Junior	Pueblo East	220
Ryan Roth	Junior	Pueblo East	126
Aaden Valdez	Sophomore	Pueblo East	132
Vance VomBaur	Freshman	Windsor	120
Hunter Williams	Senior	Thompson Valley	160

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Class 3A

(Jeff Tucker/jefferywtucker.zenfolio.com)

Wrestler of the year: Brandon Damian, Valley

Coach of the year: Gary Ramstetter, Alamosa

First team
Name	Year	School	Weight
Austyn Binkly	Junior	Berthoud	138
Davion Chavez	Freshman	Alamosa	106
Joe Chavez	Junior	Alamosa	126
Logan Church	Senior	Delta	285
Brandon Damian	Senior	Valley	145
Isaiah Gamez	Sophomore	La Junta	113
Bart Gruenloh	Senior	Lamar	220
Quentin Jiner	Senior	Weld Central	170
Nathan Johns	Junior	The Classical Academy	182
Jimmy LaConte	Senior	Weld Central	160
Faustin Lopez	Senior	Sheridan	195
Wyatt Pfau	Junior	Brush	152
Anthony Quintana	Senior	Buena Vista	132
A.J. Serna	Junior	Grand Valley	120

Second team
Name	Year	School	Weight
Ethan Andrade	Junior	Lamar	120
Brandon Buhr	Senior	Centauri	145
Caleb Cox	Senior	Brush	126
Preston Duran	Senior	Alamosa	285
Colton Eberhardt	Senior	Lamar	195
Alberto Felthager	Freshman	Trinidad	106
Josh Flanagan	Senior	Valley	182
Hayden Johnson	Senior	Steamboat Springs	160
Mikinzie Klimper	Senior	Moffat County	170
Cameron Lucero	Freshman	Pagosa Springs	132
Reis Martinez	Senior	Alamosa	152
Ariel Rodriguez	Senior	Eaton	138
Eli Smith	Junior	Salida	220
Kolten Strait	Freshman	Berthoud	113

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Class 2A

2018 state wrestling — (Dustin Price/DustinPricePhotography.com)

Wrestler of the year: Diego Reyes, Rocky Ford

Coach of the year: Mike Jurney, Rocky Ford

First team
Name	Year	School	Weight
Keegan Bean	Senior	Lyons	182
Sky Carlson	Senior	Soroco	220
Sean Dale	Sophomore	Cedaredge	126
Greg Garcia	Senior	Rocky Ford	285
Trey Geyer	Freshman	Cedaredge	120
Cody Jacobsen	Senior	Burlington	138
Seth McFall	Junior	Fowler	106
Dahlton McGhee	Senior	Fowler	195
Trevor Randel	Senior	County Line	152
Diego Reyes	Senior	Rocky Ford	160
Cade Rockwell	Sophomore	Wray	113
Carlos Romo	Senior	Rocky Ford	145
Carlos Tarin	Junior	Wray	170
Wesley VanMatre	Sophomore	John Mall	132

Second team
Name	Year	School	Weight
Junior Arambula	Freshman	Wray	126
Brett Benavides	Senior	Del Norte	132
Clay Campbell	Senior	Paonia	145
Ken Cox	Senior	County Line	285
Devin Curtis	Senior	Hotchkiss	195
Aidan Dabal	Senior	Norwood	160
William Gabriel	Junior	Nucla	182
Tannen Kennedy	Junior	Meeker	138
Logan Lewis	Sophomore	Highland	113
Jace Logan	Junior	Soroco	170
Kobryn Mann	Senior	Sedgwick Co/Fleming	152
Jaden Miller	Senior	Paonia	220
Jacob Pelloni	Senior	Meeker	120
Max Salazar	Junior	Sanford	106

February 28, 2018

Fruita Monument and Pueblo West head 5A, 4A girls hoops brackets
(Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com)

Fruita Monument and Pueblo West grabbed the No. 1 overall seeds in the Class 5A and 4A girls basketball brackets, which were released on Sunday.

Find the full brackets here:
- Class 5A
- Class 4A
Fruita Monument (21-2) leads the way in 5A follow its No. 1 finish in the final RPI standings of the regular season. Also seeded highly in 5A include No. 2 Lakewood, No. 3 Horizon, No. 4 Grandview, No. 5 Highlands Ranch, No. 6 Regis Jesuit, No. 7 Ralston Valley and No. 8 Fossil Ridge.

Grandview is the defending 5A girls champion.

Pueblo West (22-1) is No. 1 in 4A, having finish atop the final RPI, and is followed by No. 2 Holy Family, No. 3 Air Academy, No. 4 Windsor, No. 5 Valor Christian, No. 6 Evergreen, No. 7 D’Evelyn and No. 8 Mesa Ridge.

Evergreen won the title last season.

Both tournaments begin play on Tuesday, with seeds Nos. 32-48 playing in the first round.

Round 2 games take place on Friday, with the Sweet 16 set for Feb. 27. The Great 8 is March 2, the Final 4 will be March 8, and championship games are set for March 10.

The Great 8 (5A only), Final 4 and championship games will be played at the Denver Coliseum.
February 18, 2018
4A & 5A wrestling semifinals: Historic night could be in store for championship round
Brendon Garcia. (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

DENVER — A little bit of wrestling history could be made Saturday night at Pepsi Center.

On a night where Poudre senior Jacob Greenwood makes his bid to become the 21st individual to claim four state championships, he has plenty of company looking to add their names to the record book as well during the state wrestling tournament. Seven wrestlers across Class 5A and 4A will pursue their third state title, joining a bigger — but still exclusive — club.

Three seniors and four juniors get their opportunity Saturday night after the Parade of Champions, which gets going at 6:30 p.m.

“It’s really fun graduating with all these guys,” Lakewood’s Gabe Dinette said of his fellow seniors. “(Josiah) Rider, (Jacob) Greenwood, and (Pomona junior) Theorius (Robison) is going for his third. I grew up with all of them so we’re all good buddies, and it should be fun for all of us to represent our schools and go for that third title.”

Dinette, Grand Junction’s Josiah Rider and Castle View’s Malik Heinselman are appearing in the 5A championship finals for the last time.

Dinette posted a 14-2 major decision at 160 pounds and draws Rocky Mountain’s Josh Betts in the title match.

“I’m feeling good,” Dinette said. “Don’t take anything for granted — always got to get better and keep pushing it, and put on a show (Saturday).”

Heinselman scored a 17-2 technical fall at 120 pounds and will meet Pomona’s Justin Pacheco. Rider’s 11-2 major decision victory at 152 sends him up against Adams City’s Gavin Deaguero.

For the four juniors, there could be even more history to be made. The previous time multiple wrestlers captured a fourth consecutive title was in 2002. There has never been three four-time champions in the same year, let alone four.

Pueblo County’s Brendon Garcia has had a front row seat each of his first two years to watching someone win four in a row. Last year it was his teammate, Hunter Willits, who accomplished the feat.

“I just kind of wanted to be in the same spot,” Garcia said. “Seeing that was pretty cool, how he went for four. I want to be there.”

Garcia defeated Discovery Canyon’s Jett Strickenberger by a 4-1 decision at 106 pounds in a match that he admits wasn’t that great on his part. But it still sends him into Saturday’s title match against Pueblo Central’s Jacob Gonazales.

“Now I’ve just got to make weight (Saturday) morning,” Garcia said. “It’s just a long wait tomorrow until the finals.”

Theorius Robison. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

Robison scored an 18-9 major decision at 132 pounds in 5A and will go up against Poudre’s Job Greenwood for the title. Ponderosa’s Cohlton Schultz has been dominant in his first year at heavyweight, pinning his way into the title match against Poudre’s Weston Mayer.

In 4A, Greeley Central’s Andrew Alirez is also pursuing his third championship. The junior won by a 21-5 technical fall at 145 pounds and matches up with Canon City’s Zac Hanenberg on Saturday night.

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The 5A team race is tight:

Grand Junction holds a narrow lead over Pomona as the two teams fight for the 5A team championship.

The Tigers ended Friday with 128.5 points. Pomona, the two-time defending champion, has 125 points. The Panthers lost a team point for unsportsmanlike conduct during the semifinals.

Poudre is currently third with 106.5 points, Adams City (84) is fourth, and Castle View (82.5) is fifth.

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Pueblo East on top in 4A:

Pueblo East has a pretty sizable lead for the 4A team title heading into the final day of competition.

The Eagles ended Friday with 150 points. Pueblo County, their rival and two-time defending champions, sit in second with 127. Windsor (118 points) is third.

Mesa Ridge is currently fourth with 62.5 points. Greeley Central (56.5) is fifth.

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Notables:
- Poudre’s Jacob Greenwood advanced to a final and will wrestle for a fourth state title. He’s attempting to become the 21st four-time champion.
- Windsor freshman Vance VomBaur beat 2016 champ Jace Trujillo of Pueblo East with a 5-4 decision in the 4A 120 semifinals.
- Poudre junior Job Greenwood beat 2015 champion Dayton Marvel from Arvada West to move to the final in 5A 132.
- Zion Freeman, a junior at Pueblo East, upset top-seeded and returning champion Garrett Niel of Pine Creek in 4A 182 with a 3-2 decision. Niel won the weight class in 2016.
- Mesa Ridge senior Michael True gave Silver Creek senior Jacob Williams (40-1) his first loss of the season to reach the final in 4A 285. That final should be a great one, as defending champion Andy Garcia of Pueblo East is on the other side of the mat.
February 17, 2018
No. 5 Mesa Ridge girls basketball concludes regular season with win over Sierra

(Kelsey Lowry/CHSAANow.com)

COLORADO SPRINGS — Mesa Ridge had a lot to celebrate after its 73-49 win over Sierra in their final regular season game Thursday night.

Besides the fact that it was senior night, at halftime it was announced that the Mesa Ridge girls had won their third straight league title and that Ashley Bowen had reached a major milestone in her basketball career.

Bowen not only provided key rebounds, but also made history by scoring her 1,000th point in a Grizzlies uniform. With this being her last season with Mesa Ridge before she moves to Texas next year, this win and accomplishment was the icing on the cake.

“I was honestly very nervous,” said Bowen. “I realized I was in range about three weeks ago when I was 20 points away from it, so I set that as my goal and was really trying to reach 1,000 points.”

The Class 4A No. 5 Grizzlies started and ended the game with a high run of points and compliment the offense with a sound defensive performance.

“We didn’t let their shooters get hot and our girls were concentrated the whole game,” Mesa Ridge coach Jeff Beatty said. “We shot really well and were able to make some shots that we normally may not hit.”

Mesa Ridge (20-3 overall, 16-0 4A Colorado Springs Metro League) was led by Bowen and Chloe Welch who both scored 18 points. Serin Dunne provided a useful 17 points of support.

The Stallions had difficulty overcoming the height disadvantage against Mesa Ridge. For every missed shot, Mesa Ridge’s Bowen was there to rebound.

(Kelsey Lowry/CHSAANow.com)

Sierra (15-8, 11-5) never gave up though and fought till the last second of the game. D’nae Wilson led Sierra with an impressive 22 points and Aubrey Robinson put up 12 points.

Undefeated in league play, this game was a perfect summary of the successful season the Mesa Ridge girls basketball team has had.

“This season went really well,” coach Beatty said. “I think we’re playing our best basketball and I think we’re ready to go deep.”

With the bracket scheduled to be released on Sunday, the Grizzlies aren’t worried who they’ll be facing because they know they can go out and play great basketball against anyone.

“We can do it,” Bowen said smiling. “Our team just clicks, and I think that as long as we continue to work and have a great team relationship, we can make it to state.”

February 16, 2018