Two weeks ago, Kory Tacha received the news that he and his Limon teammates had been fearing. High school football was getting moved to the spring to increase the chances of getting a complete season in the books.
The reigning Class 1A football player of the year had a normal reaction to the news. He was heartbroken. But he quickly decided that he wasn’t one to just sit around and wallow. He and his teammates, who have won the past two 1A championships, knew they needed something to do this fall. They had to compete. So they went to the school and asked if they could restart the Limon golf program.
“I cannot feel sorry for myself,” Tacha said. “I had to do something about it and we talked to a couple of coaches and asked if we could start a golf team. It got passed by the board and we all decided to go out for golf.”
(Photo courtesy of Sherri Smithburg)
Assistant football and baseball coach Andy Love, a Limon alum, asked the administration if it was possible to get a team together and he even offered to coach. They got approval and with just a few practices under their belt, the Badgers hit the links.
Unlike what the boys were used to on the football field or even the basketball court, golf isn’t coming easy to them. But at their core, the kids are competitors and if someone like Tacha can break tackles and drag someone into the endzone, he isn’t going to let a small, dimpled ball get the better of him.
At the team’s first tournament, the Yuma Invitational, Camden Smithburg led the team with a 23-over-par 95 to finish in 16th place. Tacha shot 104 and realized right away that football might demanding physically, but golf presents every bit the challenge from an emotional standpoint.
“I have a lot more respect for golfers now than I did before,” Tacha said. “It’s a very different game and it’s very taxing mentally.”
For Love, he loves seeing a group of kids willing to go out and battle in a venue that’s unfamiliar to them. The importance to him as a coach of multiple sports is making sure that the kids are doing something as the state awaits the return of the majority of sports in January.
“Sports are our lifeline,” Love said. “That’s what people do on Friday and Saturday nights. Our community follows our sports so strongly. It gives our kids this great atmosphere and environment whether it’s the football field, the basketball court or whatever. Our community rallies around our kids.”
And they rally around the ability to compete together. There is talk about trying to improve enough to reach the state tournament. Love’s attitude with the team is that it should enter every season with the intention of winning a state title. For the first year of the relaunched golf program, he’d be thrilled to a see couple kids find their way to Dos Rios Country Club in Gunnison.
For the kids, they’re just happy that they’re getting back to competition and finding a way to battle together as they wait for football to return.
“I enjoy where I am,” Tacha said. “I’ve been going to school with the same buddies since we were four years old. One last season would mean the world to me.”
The preseason girls softball rankings were released on Monday morning, and Columbine (5A), Holy Family (4A) and University (3A) lead the polls in their respective classifications.
The polls, voted upon by head coaches around the state, will serve as part of the seeding criteria in softball this season. Polls are released each Monday during the regular season.
Arapahoe 37, Cherokee Trail 29, Grand Junction Central 24, Lakewood 21, Arvada West 17, Brighton 17, Hinkley 10, Valor Christian 10, Castle View 9, Loveland 9, Eaglecrest 8, Fountain-Fort Carson 8, Douglas County 7, Prairie View 7, Rampart 7, Vista Ridge 7, Grandview 5, Pomona 5, Mountain Range 4, Mountain Vista 3, Rangeview 3, Regis Jesuit 2, Cherry Creek 1, ThunderRidge 1.
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Holy Family (5)
0-0-0
98
2
Erie (4)
0-0-0
87
3
Silver Creek (1)
0-0-0
85
4
Pueblo South (2)
0-0-0
70
5
Wheat Ridge
0-0-0
48
6
Mead
0-0-0
33
7
Mountain View
0-0-0
29
8
Golden
0-0-0
24
9
Pueblo County
0-0-0
23
10
Mullen
0-0-0
16
Others receiving votes:
Air Academy 12, Elizabeth 12, Pueblo West 11, Pueblo Central 10, Riverdale Ridge 10, Conifer 9, Ponderosa 9, Pueblo East 9, Evergreen 8, Pueblo Centennial 8, Mesa Ridge 7, Roosevelt 7, Windsor 7, Bear Creek 6, Coronado 6, D’Evelyn 5, Niwot 3, Rifle 3, Montrose 2, Northridge 2, Frederick 1.
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
University (8)
0-0-0
80
2
Eaton
0-0-0
68
3
Strasburg (1)
0-0-0
65
4
Brush
0-0-0
57
5
Limon
0-0-0
40
6
Sterling
0-0-0
39
7
Rocky Ford
0-0-0
33
8
Basalt
0-0-0
27
9
The Academy
0-0-0
24
10
La Junta
0-0-0
16
Others receiving votes:
Lamar 14, Lyons 9, Resurrection Christian 7, Fort Lupton 6, Lutheran 5, Montezuma-Cortez 2, Valley 2, Peak to Peak 1.
Kory Tacha has had an outstanding high school athletic career. His junior year alone would make for a notable career for any athlete throughout the state.
Tacha is more than willing to acknowledge those challenges and tackle them on a daily basis. He spent some time chatting with CHSAANow.com on what it means to him to be a multi-sport athlete and why it will make him successful down the road.
[divider]
Question: Coming from a smaller school, what’s the biggest appeal for you in being a multi-sport athlete?
Tacha: You don’t really have that many kids. We have about a hundred kids in our high school, so for all our sports programs to be sports programs they need everyone to go out for every sport. That was the main appeal growing up. As soon as I started playing everything, I fell in love with all the sports and it’s just become kind of my lifestyle.
Q: How do you make sure that you’re applying enough time and effort to each sport to play at such a high level in each one?
Tacha: For me, summers are crucial. That’s the only offseason that I really get. So I hit pretty much everything. I do my football workouts in the morning, I do my basketball workouts in the evening, depending on when coach opens the gym. Summers are really where I hit it hard.
But other than that, I try to maintain throughout the school year. Keep lifting and just preparing my body for all the rest of the year.
Q: Everyone always talks about how college coaches like to look for multi-sport athletes, but is there an element that it’s just fun?
Tacha: Of course. Playing everything’s always fun. Sports are great. I couldn’t see myself playing and it not being fun. I probably wouldn’t do it.
Q: With the transition specifically from football and basketball, how tough is it to go from one realm where you’re getting hit and your body’s taking a little bit of a punishment and you don’t really get time off before you go into another physical sport, how have you responded to that over the years?
Tacha: It’s gotten a little easier. It’s still extremely difficult. This year we played football on a Saturday (for the 1A state championship) and we had a scrimmage for basketball the next Tuesday. It was a quick turnaround, but basketball is definitely easier on your body, but harder in the sense you need to be in a different kind of shape. It’s always hard to adjust but it gets easier through the years.
Q: Is it a situation where you have to wait until you’re in basketball season to adjust or is there something you do towards the end of football season where maybe you’re trying to balance things out without sacrificing what you need to do for football?
Tacha: I usually wait until it’s in basketball season. When it’s football season, that’s my main priority and that’s my main focus. And then when it’s basketball season, of course that’s my main priority. It usually takes a couple of games to get into the basketball shape and I have to try not to foul out in those early basketball games.
Q: When you look at athletes, whether it’s, whether it’s at Limon or Kit Carson, maybe a rival school, and you see someone sticking to just one sport, what turns you off about that kind of specialization?
Tacha: Specialization to me … I would get to burned out of that one sport. Practicing for instance, basketball all year round, I don’t know if I could handle that. I would get too burned out. My body would be in a different kind of shape I guess, but that’d be okay if I was just a basketball player.
I think playing all the sports helps me feel well-rounded and gives me more athletic capabilities. My biggest thing would be getting burned out in that one sport.
Q: What don’t people know about being a multi-sport athlete that you think they should know or that you think they’d be surprised to know?
Tacha: I’m always busy. I never really get an offseason. My offseason is spent training for the school year. We just stay really busy.
Q: Do you think doing everything you can to keep up with multiple sports and then also when you add in schoolwork, and I’m sure you have responsibilities or things that you do outside of all that, is going to help you down the road whether it’s transitioning to college or adult life?
Tacha: For sure. The biggest thing I’ve learned with being a multi-sport athlete is I’m learning to manage my time. I leave in the morning at 6 o’clock and then go to school and then practice and I don’t get home until like 7:30 or 8. Then I still have to fit in time for homework and then eating dinner with my family.
Managing time is crucial being a multi-sport athlete and I think I’ve learned to do that very well.
Q: What’s your favorite part about being a multi-sport athlete?
Tacha: I like being busy. I like having different friends from different sport. It’s just good all around.
A number of other schools joined a movement to turn on their stadium lights Tuesday night as they sought to provide a source of hope for their students.
Started on Monday night in Colorado, five stadiums turned on their lights for a short period of time to show students they were thinking of them, even as schools remained closed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Many more joined in Tuesday as the movement spread. Among those taking part in #BeTheLightCO on Tuesday were:
The lights are on at North Stadium tonight for all Adams 12 Five Star student-athletes. In a world full of uncertainty right now, we hope this provides some hope that this too shall pass. Take care of yourselves and stay healthy. We miss you all. #bethelightCO@Adams12@CHSAApic.twitter.com/dKQkKEWK4s
— Five Star Athletics & Activities (@5StarActivities) April 1, 2020
— University Bulldogs (@udogathletics) April 1, 2020
Sierra:
Let these lights be a beacon of hope & assurance that we are always thinking of our students! With these uncertain times we will always have them in our hearts & minds! #BeTheLightCO#DoingMyPartCOpic.twitter.com/L79jhk4zpn
Cedaredge Bruins! We believe in our students, and we are here for this awesome community. To honor Bruin Country, the lights at the stadium will be turned on every Tuesday from 8:00-8:30pm until we are back! Hang in there and know we are thinking of you! #bethelightCO@chsaapic.twitter.com/pqPHDaIL6j
Responding to a challenge brought by @AdamCHSAA, and @CaraSyers AHS will light the field each night from now until the end of Wish Week as a symbol of how much we are missing each Warrior, and in recognition of how isolation may impact each of us. We love you all. #bethelightCOpic.twitter.com/w5yZ5c0FeO
Kit Carson has taken over as the top-ranked team in Class 1A boys basketball this week.
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.
Voted upon by coaches and media members around the state. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.
First-place votes are in parentheses.
Coaches and media members looking to vote should email rcasey@chsaa.org.
Class 5A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Rangeview (11)
21-0
128
1
3-0
2
Grandview (2)
16-5
103
2
1-1
3
Cherry Creek
17-4
88
4
3-0
4
Ralston Valley
18-3
80
5
2-0
5
Smoky Hill
17-4
79
3
3-0
6
Fairview
17-3
67
6
2-0
7
Columbine
17-3
48
7
2-0
8
Valor Christian
15-6
42
8
3-0
9
Boulder
18-3
29
9
3-0
10
Chaparral
15-6
21
10
1-0
Others receiving votes:
Eaglecrest 17, Denver East 8, Pine Creek 5.
Dropped out
None.
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Mead (12)
20-1
120
1
3-0
2
Longmont
18-3
91
3
3-0
3
Northfield
17-4
89
2
1-1
4
Cheyenne Mountain
20-1
83
4
3-0
5
Glenwood Springs
18-3
59
6
3-0
6
Golden
15-6
56
7
1-0
7
Harrison
15-4
55
5
1-1
8
Skyline
16-5
23
–
2-0
9
Pueblo West
15-6
18
8
2-1
10
Erie
16-4
16
9
1-0
Others receiving votes:
Montrose 14, Pueblo East 12, Green Mountain 10, Thomas Jefferson 9, Silver Creek 5.
Dropped out
Montrose (10).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Resurrection Christian (15)
18-0
167
1
3-0
2
Lutheran (1)
16-2
152
2
1-0
3
Sterling
16-3
125
3
2-0
4
The Vanguard School
16-1
113
4
3-0
5
Faith Christian
15-3
107
5
2-0
6
DSST: Byers (1)
16-1
56
7
2-0
7
Alamosa
15-4
53
10
2-0
8
Manitou Springs
15-3
43
9
2-0
9
Eaton
15-3
38
8
2-0
10
Centauri
16-2
37
6
1-1
Others receiving votes:
Gunnison 14, DSST: College View 6, Manual 6, DSST: Montview 5, St. Mary’s 3, University 3, Coal Ridge 2, Eagle Ridge 2, Jefferson Academy 2, DSST: Green Valley Ranch 1.
Dropped out
None.
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Highland (14)
16-1
149
1
2-0
2
Yuma (1)
15-2
133
2
2-0
3
Limon
16-2
109
4
3-0
4
Fowler
16-2
94
5
2-0
5
Denver Christian
13-3
79
3
0-1
6
Ignacio
14-2
66
6
2-0
7
Mancos
14-3
55
7
2-0
8
Sedgwick County
17-1
51
8
2-0
9
Sanford
13-4
31
9
1-0
10
Crested Butte
15-2
23
–
2-0
Others receiving votes:
Vail Christian 21, Holly 7, Wray 4, Dawson School 1, Heritage Christian 1, Peyton 1.
