ThunderRidge Archives - Page 8 of 64

Cross country team rankings by region

Wiggins Invite girls cross country — (Brent Murphy/brentmurphyphoto.com)

The 2020 cross country regional fields will be determined, in part, by a coaches poll within each region.

The official vote will be held this coming weekend. The coaches held a trial vote last weekend, and the results of that vote is below.

[divider]

[cbtabs][cbtab title=”Class 2A”]

Region 1 (Boys)
Rank	Team	Points
1	Heritage Christian	123
2	Lyons	107
3	Yuma	90
4	Wiggins	73
5	Lake Couty	56
6	Byers	53
7	Twin Peaks Charter	52
8	Clear Creek	51
9	Front Range Christian	41
10	Dawson School	40
11	Rocky Mountain Lutheran	33
12	Strasburg	31
13	Merino	24
14	Shining Mountain	22
15	Nederland	19
16	Aurora West College Prep	14
17	Highland	12
18	Front Range Baptist	11

Region 1 (Girls)
Rank	Team	Points
1	Heritage Christian	108
2	Lyons	82
3	Lake Couty	81
4	Yuma	73
5	Clear Creek	64
5	Strasburg	64
7	Shining Mountain	51
8	Merino	40
9	Byers	39
10	Wiggins	34
11	Aurora West College Prep	28
12	Nederland	22
13	Dawson School	20
14	Highland	16
14	Rocky Mountain Lutheran	16
16	Front Range Baptist	14
16	Front Range Christian	14
18	Twin Peaks Charter	11

Region 2 (Boys)
Rank	Team	Points
1	Golden View Classical Academy	80
2	Peyton	78
3	Lotus School for Excellence	71
4	Wray	57
5	Vanguard	51
6	Colorado Springs Christian	46
7	Limon	41
8	Ellicott	40
9	Dolores Huerta	20
10	Addenbrooke Classical	16
11	Colorado Springs School	14
12	Denver Christian	8
13	Denver Academy	5
14	Fountain Valley	4
15	CIVA Charter	3
16	Two Roads Charter	2
17	Pikes Peak Christian	1
18	Denver Academy of Torah	0
18	Stratton/Liberty	0

Region 2 (Girls)
Rank	Team	Points
1	Wray	82
2	Golden View Classical Academy	76
3	Colorado Springs Christian	71
4	Peyton	60
4	Vanguard	60
6	Ellicott	48
7	Limon	41
8	Denver Christian	35
9	Colorado Springs School	26
10	Stratton/Liberty	14
11	Lotus School for Excellence	10
12	Addenbrooke Classical	3
12	Fountain Valley	3
12	Pikes Peak Christian	3
15	Denver Academy of Torah	2
16	CIVA Charter	0
16	Denver Academy	0
16	Dolores Huerta	0
16	Two Roads Charter	0

Region 3 (Boys)
Rank	Team	Points
1	Rocky Ford	68
2	Buena Vista	67
3	Thomas MacLaren	59
4	St. Mary’s	57
5	Centauri	56
6	Sargent	43
7	Platte Canyon	31
8	Custer County	29
9	Rye	27
10	Antonito	24
11	Monte Vista	19
12	Center	14
13	Sierra Grande	13
14	Centennial	9
15	Kim	8
16	Cripple Creek-Victor	7
17	Del Norte	5
18	Moffat	3
19	Primero	1

Region 3 (Girls)
Rank	Team	Points
1	Buena Vista	48
2	Centauri	44
3	Rocky Ford	40
4	Rye	36
5	Platte Canyon	30
6	Custer County	24
7	Thomas MacLaren	20
8	St. Mary’s	18
8	Springfield	18
10	Antonito	12
11	Del Norte	4
11	Sierra Grande	4
13	Kim	3
13	Moffat	3
15	Sargent	2
16	Center	1
17	Centennial	0
17	Cripple Creek-Victor	0
17	Monte Vista	0

Region 4 (Boys)
Rank	Team	Points
1	Caprock Academy	154
2	Meeker	130
3	Grand Valley	129
4	Ouray	119
5	Olathe	107
6	Paonia	99
7	Crested Butte Community	77
8	Colorado Rocky Mountain School	68
8	West Grand	68
10	Rangely	34
11	Soroco	28
12	Dolores	23
13	Mancos	17
14	Ignacio	12
15	Telluride	11
16	Hotchkiss	10
17	DeBeque	5
18	Lake City	1

Region 4 (Girls)
Rank	Team	Points
1	Ignacio	159
2	West Grand	149
3	Soroco	138
4	Meeker	120
5	Caprock Academy	119
6	Hotchkiss	116
7	Paonia	87
8	Colorado Rocky Mountain School	84
9	Telluride	52
10	Crested Butte Community	49
11	Mancos	45
12	Rangely	31
13	Ouray	15
14	Olathe	4
15	Dolores	1
15	Grand Valley	1
17	DeBeque	0
17	Lake City	0

[/cbtab][cbtab title=”Class 3A”]

Region 1 (Boys)
Rank	Team	Points
1	Alamosa	47
2	Aspen	39
2	Gunnison	39
4	Moffat County	28
5	Basalt	25
5	Coal Ridge	25
7	Rifle	24
8	Pagosa Springs	18
9	Delta	13
10	Bayfield	12
11	Montezuma-Cortez	4
12	Middle Park	1

Region 1 (Girls)
Rank	Team	Points
1	Basalt	39
2	Aspen	35
3	Alamosa	34
4	Moffat County	25
5	Delta	23
6	Gunnison	20
7	Pagosa Springs	17
8	Coal Ridge	12
9	Middle Park	6
10	Montezuma-Cortez	4
10	Rifle	4
12	Bayfield	1

Region 2 (Boys)
Rank	Team	Points
1	The Classical Academy	80
2	Salida	68
3	Lutheran	59
4	Woodland Park	55
5	Elizabeth	45
6	Manitou Springs	42
7	Harrison	26
8	Lamar	23
9	Banning Lewis Prep	15
10	La Junta	12
11	James Irwin	8
12	Sierra	4
13	Florence	3

Region 2 (Girls)
Rank	Team	Points
1	The Classical Academy	60
2	Elizabeth	53
3	Salida	49
4	Lutheran	40
5	Woodland Park	30
6	Lamar	26
7	Manitou Springs	22
8	James Irwin	17
9	Florence	13
10	Sierra	8
11	Banning Lewis Prep	6
11	Harrison	6

Region 3 (Boys)
Rank	Team	Points
1	Holy Family	100
2	Jefferson Academy	89
3	Peak to Peak	80
4	Prospect Ridge	68
5	Stargate	59
6	DSST: Conservatory Green	49
7	The Academy	41
8	Arvada	35
9	Arrupe Jesuit	31
10	DSST: Montview	25
11	The Pinnacle	14
12	DSST: Green Valley Ranch	6
13	Denver West	5
14	Lincoln	3

Region 3 (Girls)
Rank	Team	Points
1	Holy Family	85
2	Jefferson Academy	71
3	Peak to Peak	63
4	Prospect Ridge	54
5	Stargate	53
6	The Academy	42
7	DSST: Montview	38
8	The Pinnacle	23
9	Arrupe Jesuit	21
10	Denver West	20
11	Arvada	16
12	DSST: Green Valley Ranch	4
13	Lincoln	3
14	DSST: Conservatory Green	2

Region 4 (Boys)
Rank	Team	Points
1	Frontier Academy	119
2	Liberty Common	109
3	Berthoud	86
4	Northridge	80
5	Brush	69
6	Eaton	56
7	Estes Park	52
8	University	38
9	Resurrection Christian	26
10	Severance	13
11	Valley	11
12	Platte Valley	1

Region 4 (Girls)
Rank	Team	Points
1	Berthoud	104
2	Liberty Common	102
3	Frontier Academy	86
4	University	69
5	Northridge	68
6	Brush	54
7	Estes Park	49
8	Resurrection Christian	33
9	Eaton	24
10	Severance	14
11	Platte Valley	2

Region 5 (Boys)
Rank	Team	Points
1	Faith Christian	54
2	Colorado Academy	47
3	D’Evelyn	43
4	Kent Denver	39
5	SkyView Academy	38
6	Machebeuf	33
7	Ridge View Academy	17
8	DSST: Byers	13
8	Englewood	13
10	DSST: College View	12
11	Jefferson	8
11	Sheridan	8
13	Englewood/St. Mary’s Academy	3
14	KIPP Denver Collegiate	1
14	STRIVE Prep – Smart	1

Region 5 (Girls)
Rank	Team	Points
1	D’Evelyn	27
2	Faith Christian	25
3	Colorado Academy	23
4	Machebeuf	21
5	Englewood/St. Mary’s Academy	16
6	Kent Denver	12
7	Sheridan	9
8	Jefferson	7
9	Ridge View Academy	6
9	SkyView Academy	6
11	Englewood	5
12	DSST: Byers	3
12	KIPP Denver Collegiate	3
14	DSST: College View	2

[/cbtab][cbtab title=”Class 4A”]

Region 1 (Boys)
Rank	Team	Points
1	Battle Mountain	74
2	Conifer	73
3	Grand Junction Central	70
4	Eagle Valley	57
5	Green Mountain	52
6	Mullen	46
7	Golden	30
8	Evergreen	26
9	Grand Junction	20
10	Summit	18
11	Steamboat Springs	14
12	Palisade	9
13	Glenwood Springs	6

Region 1 (Girls)
Rank	Team	Points
1	Battle Mountain	69
2	Eagle Valley	47
2	Golden	47
4	Glenwood Springs	41
5	Evergreen	33
6	Palisade	32
7	Green Mountain	25
8	Mullen	24
9	Grand Junction Central	19
10	Grand Junction	18
11	Summit	14
12	Conifer	9
13	Steamboat Springs	7

Region 2 (Boys)
Rank	Team	Points
1	Air Academy	74
2	Palmer Ridge	70
3	Palmer	57
4	Lewis-Palmer	55
5	Coronado	46
5	Littleton	46
7	Falcon	39
8	Discovery Canyon	34
9	Ponderosa	23
9	Wheat Ridge	23
11	Aurora Central	12
12	Sand Creek	10
13	Gateway	6

Region 2 (Girls)
Rank	Team	Points
1	Air Academy	89
2	Palmer Ridge	69
3	Discovery Canyon	62
4	Lewis-Palmer	58
5	Coronado	50
6	Littleton	37
6	Palmer	37
8	Falcon	21
9	Ponderosa	20
10	Wheat Ridge	19
11	Aurora Central	14
12	Gateway	10
13	Sand Creek	9

Region 3 (Boys)
Rank	Team	Points
1	Centaurus	52
2	Niwot	49
3	Denver South	43
4	George Washington	39
5	Denver North	31
6	Northfield	25
6	Standley Lake	25
8	Thomas Jefferson	21
9	Vista Peak	17
10	Regis Groff	11
10	Skyview	11
12	Alameda	6

Region 3 (Girls)
Rank	Team	Points
1	Niwot	70
2	George Washington	59
3	Centaurus	56
3	Northfield	56
5	Denver South	47
6	Standley Lake	37
7	Denver North	34
8	Thomas Jefferson	25
9	Vista Peak	23
10	Regis Groff	15
11	Skyview	11
12	Alameda	7

Region 4 (Boys)
Rank	Team	Points
1	Thompson Valley	108
2	Mead	107
3	Longmont	94
4	Mountain View	77
5	Erie	65
6	Thornton	57
7	Riverdale Ridge	41
8	Silver Creek	40
9	Roosevelt	29
10	Greeley Central	18
11	Fort Morgan	11
12	Frederick	6
13	Windsor	5
14	Skyline	2

Region 4 (Girls)
Rank	Team	Points
1	Silver Creek	127
2	Thompson Valley	115
3	Roosevelt	91
4	Erie	87
5	Mead	82
6	Longmont	64
7	Mountain View	58
8	Riverdale Ridge	31
9	Fort Morgan	28
10	Windsor	17
11	Frederick	6
11	Skyline	6
13	Greeley Central	2
14	Thornton	1

Region 5 (Boys)
Rank	Team	Points
1	Cheyenne Mountain	70
2	Durango	62
3	Montrose	47
4	Mesa Ridge	45
5	Widefield	41
6	Pueblo South	38
7	Pueblo West	35
8	Canon City	16
8	Pueblo County	16
10	Pueblo Centennial	9
11	Pueblo East	5
12	Mitchell	1

Region 5 (Girls)
Rank	Team	Points
1	Durango	66
2	Cheyenne Mountain	61
3	Pueblo West	56
4	Montrose	43
5	Mesa Ridge	34
6	Pueblo County	32
7	Pueblo South	29
8	Widefield	28
9	Canon City	23
10	Pueblo Centennial	6
10	Pueblo East	6
12	Mitchell	1

[/cbtab][cbtab title=”Class 5A”]

Region 1 (Boys)
Rank	Team	Points
1	Cherokee Trail	83
2	Cherry Creek	81
3	Arapahoe	70
4	Grandview	69
5	Regis Jesuit	45
5	Smoky Hill	45
7	Eaglecrest	43
8	Overland	25
9	Rangeview	23
10	Hinkley	11

Region 1 (Girls)
Rank	Team	Points
1	Cherry Creek	83
2	Arapahoe	81
3	Cherokee Trail	76
4	Regis Jesuit	62
5	Grandview	55
6	Smoky Hill	41
7	Eaglecrest	40
8	Rangeview	27
9	Hinkley	17
10	Overland	13

Region 2 (Boys)
Rank	Team	Points
1	Mountain Vista	30
2	Dakota Ridge	26
3	Heritage	25
4	Valor Christian	21
5	Arvada West	16
6	Fruita Monument	15
7	Highlands Ranch	11
8	Chatfield	8
9	ThunderRidge	7
10	Lakewood	5
11	Columbine	1

Region 2 (Girls)
Rank	Team	Points
1	Valor Christian	60
2	Mountain Vista	55
3	Heritage	47
4	Chatfield	46
5	Dakota Ridge	42
6	Fruita Monument	41
7	Columbine	31
8	ThunderRidge	22
9	Arvada West	16
10	Lakewood	13
11	Highlands Ranch	7
12	Bear Creek	5

Region 3 (Boys)
Rank	Team	Points
1	Boulder	69
1	Ralston Valley	69
3	Fairview	67
4	Legacy	57
5	Broomfield	52
6	Denver East	41
7	Monarch	33
8	Pomona	28
9	Northglenn	10
10	Adams City	7
10	Westminster	7

Region 3 (Girls)
Rank	Team	Points
1	Broomfield	70
1	Fairview	70
3	Denver East	58
4	Boulder	54
5	Monarch	53
6	Legacy	37
7	Pomona	36
8	Ralston Valley	33
9	Northglenn	14
10	Westminster	9
11	Adams City	6

Region 4 (Boys)
Rank	Team	Points
1	Fossil Ridge	68
2	Rocky Mountain	64
3	Poudre	51
4	Horizon	49
5	Fort Collins	46
6	Loveland	36
7	Mountain Range	27
8	Brighton	22
9	Greeley West	11
10	Prairie View	9
11	Far Northeast	2

Region 4 (Girls)
Rank	Team	Points
1	Loveland	69
2	Fossil Ridge	64
3	Rocky Mountain	54
4	Fort Collins	45
5	Brighton	40
6	Horizon	34
7	Poudre	33
8	Mountain Range	20
9	Greeley West	14
10	Prairie View	10
11	Far Northeast	2

Region 5 (Boys)
Rank	Team	Points
1	Chaparral	56
2	Liberty	53
3	Rock Canyon	45
4	Pine Creek	40
5	Castle View	39
6	Rampart	35
7	Douglas County	18
8	Doherty	14
8	Legend	14
10	Fountain-Fort Carson	11
11	Vista Ridge	5

Region 5 (Girls)
Rank	Team	Points
1	Pine Creek	68
2	Douglas County	50
3	Chaparral	49
4	Rock Canyon	48
5	Castle View	42
6	Rampart	39
7	Doherty	26
8	Fountain-Fort Carson	24
9	Vista Ridge	18
10	Legend	11
11	Liberty	10

[/cbtab][/cbtabs]

October 1, 2020

Q&A: ThunderRidge girls basketball great Abby Waner reflects on her career, and what made high school sports fun

When coming up with a list of who’s who in Colorado girls high school basketball, Abby Waner (now Bartolotta) has to be on that list.

A premier player amongst a talented class of athletes, Abby helped ThunderRidge claim three straight Class 5A state championships. She has 43 individual entries in the state record book, including records for points in a game (61), state tournament points in a season (163) and career (515), and field goals attempted in a season.

She and her sister Emily both played at Duke University, where Abby once again proved herself as not just a great player on her team, but a great player in the entire nation.

She won two gold medals in international competition and even got a taste of playing in the WNBA.

Now married to former Heritage standout Jimmy Bartolotta, Abby Bartolotta is tackling life as a mother to two girls.

But there is always a part of her that will be connected to basketball. She took time to chat about what high school basketball meant to her and how it things have changed since she dominated the floor at ThunderRidge.

[divider]

Question: When you think back to your high school basketball days, what’s the first thing that comes to mind?

(Barry Gutierrez/Denver Public Library, Rocky Mountain News Photo Collection)

Abby: My teammates. Without fail. I was pretty fortunate in that I had my sister paving the way, so it kind of starts with her. It’s an answer you get a lot and there’s a reason for that. Some of my closest friends and still some of my closest friends today are two of my teammates, Megan McCahill, I actually just went to her drive by baby shower last week, and Emily Fox is expecting her baby girl in October so I dropped off a stroller at her house the other day.

So it’s just fun because that’s what started these lifelong friendships and that’s just, that’s something I’ll never forget about that period of time.

Q: It seems like now girls basketball in Colorado has kind of become a little bit of a hotbed when it comes to national recruiting. We have so many girls going to Stanford and so many other D-I players, what was that whole recruiting scene like when you were in high school, especially when it came to a university like Duke coming after you?

Abby: It’s funny you say that because last weekend we were at my parents’ for just a family dinner and my dad was talking about how when we were my daughter’s age was when he started taking us to games at Highlands Ranch High School. That’s pretty wild to think about. We started talking about some of the players that we actually remember watching and we’d just sit in the stands and he would tell us to pick out a player that we wanted to be like and just watch them the whole game.

We started doing that from a young age and the next thing you know, I’m playing college basketball and high school basketball against Ann Strother and Ambrosia Anderson and Elizabeth Sherwood, Susan Walters. You can go back a little bit further to some of the older Heritage players that went to UConn and Tennessee.

I think what happened is it just became an expectation. When you play against those type of players every single day, your team is going to get elevated and your expectations are going to get elevated. The best thing that could have happened could have happened to all of us was that we started playing together because you practice far more than you playing games.

At ThunderRidge every single day, I was playing against Emily Fox who went on to be one of the best players in Minnesota history. That for sure made me a better player.

And then what happens is it’s just product of the community and college coaches came to know that there was a community here that does it right. These players feed off of each other and they’re going to have similar qualities and similar goals. It was something that I don’t think we ever necessarily took it for granted, but I don’t think we realized at the time how unusual it was.

I think back to like my club team and every single player got a Division I scholarship at one point, which is wild. It just doesn’t happen. It definitely was that atmosphere of competition that we had playing against each other every day and the scholarships, the notoriety, it really was all just a byproduct. First and foremost, we’re all competitors and that’s what made us all raise the level of our game.

Q: How much of an adjustment was it when you got to Duke?

Abby: It was a big adjustment. You go out in high school thinking you’re a good defender because you can get 10 steals a game by playing pretty poor defense. You get to college and you actually learn what good defense means and how discipline is part of it and what staying in a stance actually means. You’re not going to just out-athletic anybody. Defense was definitely the biggest adjustment.

To be honest, I grew up in a culture where we were in the gym all the time. If you weren’t in the gym, somebody else was and they were getting better than you. My sister and I really brought that mentality to Duke and because of that, I think it helps that adjustment.

The amount of basketball, the amount of working out, that didn’t change for us. It was more how we did it, the mechanisms, the strength and conditioning, that was probably one of the bigger adjustments. We were fortunate in that we came from an environment and a culture that really prepared us. We had coaches that knew what they were doing and knew what was coming our way.

Q: Is there a comparison in the amount of pressure that you felt then to the amount of pressure that some of the kids might be feeling now? I feel like before they step on a middle school gym, there’s a recruiting profile on some website of every potential, big-time basketball player.

Abby: I am so grateful that we weren’t a part of this era with the access that coaches have to players. I’ve been out of it for long enough that I don’t know what all the rules are now surrounding recruiting, but it goes two ways.

I was really lucky in that college coaches were coming to us. We really didn’t have to solicit that because they found their way to our gym. I realize that’s the exception and that most players end up reaching out to coaches and recruiters themselves and that’s how they get that. That’s how they get their name out.

Understand that my experience was different than the norm. So in terms of the pressure, I think that is a negative byproduct that comes from the access of the internet and social media. But if you can use it for the positive and turn around and say now these kids have access to college coaches that they didn’t have before. I talked to a girl the other day and she said that she’s just been direct messaging every college coach the link to her Hudl video. That’s amazing.

Before it was such a process to track down the college coaches’ contact information so you can email and get them to reply to you. Now there’s this immediate response, which I think if channeled properly it can be used for good. It’s probably more important now than ever that parents are highly involved, that they can help their kids still just be kids while using that to their advantage, to get, the attention that they merit.

Q: If you think back to all the levels of basketball you played, what was the most fun?

Abby: That’s such a hard question. I’m not saying this just because it’s a CHSAA interview, but it was high school. I think that was when it was the most raw. College was a job. I was there on a scholarship and I was getting essentially a free education to play basketball. So I took that seriously. And I wanted to win, so I’m not saying that it was just a job in college.

Something that was always a driving factor for me in high school, college and otherwise was this insatiable desire to win. That was there in high school. It was there in college, but in high school, we were kids. We were sheltered from some of the pressure you talked about in your last question. We were just really, really good basketball players and that was fun.

Playing for Team USA were just some incredible experiences. I also met some of my lifelong friends through USA. What I wish looking back on that was that I had a better grasp of getting to travel the world in that way and see different cultures and see basketball through different lenses.

At age 16 and 17, we were just there to hoop and we were happy when we found a TGIFriday’s in Moscow, instead of really thinking about the cultural experience as the most important part of it.

It’s hard to pinpoint, but if I had to go back in time, I think I would probably get back to my days as a Grizzly.

Q: What would you tell someone maybe like a Jana Van Gytenbeek and a Fran Belibi who are at Stanford or a Lauren Betts who ESPN just labeled as a top recruit in the nation? What would you tell those girls about a college experience and life post-college that you didn’t know about 10 years ago?

Abby: College is a full experience and as a women’s basketball player at some of these elite institutions, they’re going to have avenues that your everyday kid doesn’t get, and I’m not just talking about basketball.

One of my regrets and this might seem small, but I wish I had tried to be a writer for the Duke Chronicle. I never did those extracurricular things. Well, I did, but not to the extent that I think I probably could have because I was so head down in basketball. It’s easy to say that now that I’m not in it, but they should take advantage of the full college experience by way of education and programs, the adults that are going to be there supporting them.

My sister did a great job of that at Duke. She was part of the CAPE program, which is the collegiate athlete pre-med experience. And that was a big part of her becoming a doctor. She did that while playing basketball. If I had a regret, it would be that I wish I had stretched myself a little bit more to partake in some programs and activities that Duke had to offer.

I don’t want to be cliche, but there’s a reason people say that it goes fast. Be there for every summer school, be there for every voluntary workout, take advantage of having the gym to yourself because before you know it, the four years are going to be up and it’s true, it goes quickly.

Q: How much is basketball still a part of your life today?

Abby: So my mom sends me a picture. She was watching my daughter, Ella, the other day, and Ella’s two and a half. I think we have a plastic hoop out back, but outside of that we really haven’t done much by way of basketball with her, nor do we expect to. But the other day my mom was watching her and sent me a picture of her sitting in her stroller, watching what I think it was a high school team practicing outside. She was just rapt with attention and that meant so much to me to see these high school aged girls are setting an example for my daughter. It was a pretty out of body out of body moment for me.

A lot of what’s important now for me is coming through the lens that I have two daughters two years apart, just like me and my sister. I hope that they can have similar experiences. I don’t care if it’s through sports or through music or through theater, but being able to find the same source of competition and friendship and confidence that I got from basketball. That’s probably what will make me check in more than anything.

I was watching last year, the Final Four and watching Sabrina Ionescu from Oregon and that girl is a competitor. I wish I was able to watch every single one of her games. So I texted my college coach Coach (Gail) Goestenkors and said “I love watching her play.” And she said, “She reminds me of you.” It was such a compliment. And I felt kind of silly cause it was a girl that’s, I don’t know, 15 years younger than me. It was just fun to feel re-connected in a way and see a similar type competitor. She’s far more talented than I ever was. I’m not saying there was a comparison there, but I really enjoyed following her career.

My husband played at Heritage and he’s just as appreciative as I am of the opportunities that CHSAA gave us. We are really looking forward to being in the stands for state championships moving forward and supporting our local high schools like ThunderRidge and Mountain Vista. I think we’re both really looking forward to that next part of our life where we can just be fans and cheer on the next generation.

June 30, 2020

All-state boys basketball teams for the 2019-20 season

The 2019-20 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 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

Columbine Dakota Ridge boys basketball — (Lance Wendt/LanceWendt.com)

Player of the year: Luke O’Brien, Columbine

Coach of the year: Shawn Palmer, Rangeview

First Team
Name	School	Year	Pos.
Obi Agbim	Rangeview	Senior	SG
Julian Hammond III	Cherry Creek	Junior	SG
Caleb McGill	Grandview	Senior	PF/C
Luke O’Brien	Columbine	Senior	SG
Kobe Sanders	Chaparral	Senior	PG/SG

Second Team
Name	School	Year	Pos.
Jalen Page	Fairview	Senior	F
Lian Ramiro	Grandview	Senior	C
Quinten Rock	Smoky Hill	Senior	PG
Zion Ruckard	Eaglecrest	Senior	PG/SG
Christopher Speller	Rangeview	Senior	PG

Honorable mention: Trevor Baskin, Pomona, Senior; Rocky Beers, Valor Christian, Senior; Ben Bowen, Mountain Vista, Junior; Greysen Carter, Fairview, Junior; Ryan Collins, Broomfield, Senior; Daric Conkright, Horizon, Senior; Fred Edmonds, George Washington, Junior; Messiah Ford, Aurora Central, Senior; Caden Gigstad, Ralston Valley, Senior; Ben Hageman, Windsor, Junior; Tristan Hurdle, Highlands Ranch, Senior; Taeshaud Jackson Jr., Dakota Ridge, Junior; Kendale Johnson, George Washington, Junior; Reece Kelly, Mountain Vista, Senior; Aidan Kuhl, Rocky Mountain, Sophomore; AJ Lacabe, Vista PEAK Prep, Senior; Keyshawn Maltbia, Fountain-Fort Carson, Senior; Nolan Marold, ThunderRidge, Junior; Jordan McKay, Liberty, Sophomore; Amondo Miller, Valor Christian, Junior; Lucas Moerman, Doherty, Senior; Cade Palmer, Rangeview, Junior; Myles Purchase, Cherry Creek, Junior; Langston Reynolds, Denver East, Sophomore; Caleb Rillos, Ralston Valley, Senior; Christian Speller, Rangeview, Senior; Boston Stanton lll, Denver East, Junior; Bryson Stephens, Arapahoe, Senior; Tyler Turner, Boulder, Senior; Jeremiah Warren, Hinkley, Junior; Peyton Westfall, Pine Creek, Senior.[divider]

Class 4A

Cheyenne Mountain Vista Ridge boys basketball — (Arlee Aragon/Fountain-Fort Carson High School)

Player of the year: Javonte Johnson, Cheyenne Mountain

Coach of the year: Darin Reese, Mead

First Team
Name	School	Year	Pos.
Tijani Bamba	Lincoln	Senior	G/PG
Nahsyah Bolar	Northfield	Senior	SF/PF
Javonte Johnson	Cheyenne Mountain	Senior	SG/SF
Micah Lamberth	The Classical Academy	Senior	PG
Will Maher	Mead	Senior

Second Team
Name	School	Year	Pos.
Donta Dawson	Harrison	Junior	SG/SF
Dallas Dye	Longmont	Senior	PF
Ty Foster	Lincoln	Senior	PG
Taylor Harris	Pueblo West	Senior	PG
Owen Koonce	Centaurus	Senior	F

Honorable mention: Bryce Andrews, Weld Central, Sophomore; Tarrance Austin, Pueblo South, Sophomore; Mason Black, Falcon, Sophomore; Mitchell Burt, Glenwood Springs, Senior; Joe Cartelli, Frederick, Senior; Randall Days, Widefield, Senior; Andrew Duquette, Silver Creek, Senior; Watts Erb, Palisade, Senior; Ezekiel Estrada, Kennedy, Senior; Keegan Garvey, Eagle Valley, Senior; Garrett Green, Holy Family, Senior; Ethan Hall, Discovery Canyon, Senior; Ladorian Havard, Erie, Senior; Darius Hornbuckle, Thomas Jefferson, Senior; Luke Hutto, Montrose, Sophomore; John Iuele, Glenwood Springs, Senior; Nick Jacobs, Mead, Senior; Darnell Kindred, Pueblo East, Senior; Griffin Lauritano, Evergreen, Junior; Dawson Lindquist, Steamboat Springs, Senior; Trey Lujan, Rifle, Senior; Tim Marshall, Air Academy, Senior; Brandon Martin, Pueblo Central, Senior; Liam McKenny, Battle Mountain, Senior; Tim Mewborn, Widefield, Senior; Alex Morales, Wheat Ridge, Senior; Jaromy Morgan, Thompson Valley, Junior; Kevin Mulligan, Golden, Senior; Seth Newton, Canon City, Junior; Nazarie Poliuk, Summit, Junior; Austin Robison, Skyline, Senior; Tayvis Sagrillo-Smiley, Littleton, Senior; Cooper Sheldon, Niwot, Senior; Trey Towndrow, Green Mountain, Senior; Landon Wallace, Conifer, Senior; Trey Ward, Mead, Senior; Colin Westfall, Lewis-Palmer, Junior.
[divider]

Class 3A

Dominique Clifford Vangaurd boys basketball — (Derek Regensburger/MaxPreps)

Player of the year: Dominique Clifford, The Vanguard School

Coach of the year: Bruce Dick, Resurrection Christian

First Team
Name	School	Year	Pos.
Dominique Clifford	The Vanguard School	Senior	PG/SG
Reece Johnson	Resurrection Christian	Senior	G
Caleb Ruter	Faith Christian	Senior	SF/PF
Jaden Stoffell	Manual	Senior	PG/SG
Kyrie Thomas	DSST: Byers	Senior	G

Second Team
Name	School	Year	Pos.
Brenden Crowther	Alamosa	Senior	SG
Baye Fall	Lutheran	Freshman	PF/C
Axel Henry	Sterling	Senior	PG
Isaac Jessup	Resurrection Christian	Senior	G
Hunter Wood	Gunnison	Senior	SG/PG

Honorable mention: Joey Allen, Manitou Springs, Senior; Joah Armour, Manitou Springs, Junior; Buddy Askenazi, DSST: Montview, Senior; Mikey Babi, Bennett, Junior; Isaac Bearss, Buena Vista, Junior; Pace Billings, Kent Denver, Senior; Qahhar Burns, DSST: Montview, Senior; William Cervantes, Trinidad, Senior; Tayt Chacon, University, Sophomore; Mason Claunch, Centauri, Sophomore; Elliott Cravitz, Colorado Academy, Sophomore; Austin Gerber, Coal Ridge, Senior; Myles Godina, Salida, Junior; Scott Grable, Eaton, Junior; Nate Gravagno, Englewood, Junior; Alec Holman, Centauri, Senior; Sam Howery, St. Mary’s, Sophomore; Hunter Hughes, Delta; Timothy Huston, DSST: Green Valley Ranch, Senior; Ian Jackson, Alamosa; Chris Jones, Ellicott, Senior; Alec Laraby, Middle Park, Senior; Isaiah LaTour, Lamar, Senior; Jacob Marcus, The Academy, Senior; Cayden Mazurek, Riverdale Ridge, Junior; D Moore, Ridge View Academy, Senior; Elijah Mullet, Fort Lupton, Senior; Chance Oquist, La Junta, Senior; Joseph Padilla, The Vanguard School, Senior; Darius Richards, Bishop Machebeuf, Senior; Bryan Rivera, Atlas Preparatory School, Junior; Jackson Romero, Resurrection Christian, Senior; Brock Shalla, Sterling, Senior; Mason Snarr, Pagosa Springs, Senior; Elian Soto, Jefferson Academy, Senior; Mamadou Sow, Lutheran, Junior; Caleb Stockton, Colorado Springs Christian, Junior; Elijah Thatch, DSST: Byers, Senior; Ryan Ure, Eaton, Junior; Teagan Whiteskunk, Montezuma-Cortez, Senior; Dylan Windorski, Lake County, Junior.
[divider]

Class 2A

Highland Eaton boys basketball — (David Johnson/davidjohnsonphotography.org)

Player of the year: Tate Bessire, Highland

Coach of the year: Pete Freeman, Highland

First Team
Name	School	Year	Pos.
Tate Bessire	Highland	Senior	G
Jase Bessire	Highland	Junior	G
Val Leone	Fowler	Junior	G/P
Clay Robinson	Yuma	Sophomore	G
Camden Smithburg	Limon	Junior

Second Team
Name	School	Year	Pos.
Junior Arambula	Wray	Junior	PG
Andrew Burton	Burlington	Senior
Chase McCreath	Yuma	Senior	C/F
Johnathan Mobbley	Fowler	Senior	P
Kory Tacha	Limon	Junior

Honorable mention: Ben Buhler, Denver Christian, Sophomore;
Alex Carr, Limon, Junior; Tate Dille, Sedgwick County, Junior; Jesus Dominguez, West Grand, Sophomore; Dakota Eaton, Holly, Sophomore; Jared Ehmke, Sedgwick County, Junior; Nick Estes, Soroco, Senior; Bryce Finn, Ignacio, Junior; Coby Grant-Krenz, Dawson School, Senior; Jaden Johnson, Heritage Christian, Senior; Ethan Johnson, Holyoke, Sophomore; AJ Lashley, Peyton, Sophomore; Dylan Lebleu, Rangely, Senior; Jamison Lee, Vail Christian, Senior; Brady McCaw, Ignacio, Junior; Brennen Meyers, Peyton, Junior; Zaine Mikita, Byers, Senior; Omar Moreno, Holly, Junior; Alec Moritz, Vail Christian, Senior; Nic Navarette, Hoehne, Senior; Jacob Palecki, Hotchkiss, Senior; Justin Pecar, Wray, Senior; Cole Rogers, Meeker, Senior; Caden Showalter, Mancos, Senior; Connor Show Showalter, Mancos, Sophomore; Hunter Slowik, Hayden, Junior; Christian Still, Dayspring Christian Academy, Junior; Trey Summers, Union Colony Prep, Junior; Isaiah Trujillo, Dolores Huerta Prep, Senior; Samuel Uyemura, Wray, Junior; Austyn Vig, Plateau Valley, Senior.
[divider]

Class 1A

(Ty Lin Williams/Kiowa County Independent)

Player of the year: Jayden McCombs-Farmer, Kit Carson

Coach of the year: Damon Dechant, Kit Carson

First Team
Name	School	Year	Pos.
Cole Christensen	Sangre de Cristo	Senior	PG/G
Blake Essex	Mile High Academy	Junior	C
Jayden McCombs-Farmer	Kit Carson	Senior	PG/SG
Wesley Ryan	De Beque	Junior
Shadow Varnado	South Baca	Senior

Second Team
Name	School	Year	Pos.
Wyatt Patton	Briggsdale	Senior	PG/SG
Jason Holt	Evangelical Christian	Senior	PG
Dylan Renquist	Walsh	Senior
Cordell Farmer	Kit Carson	Senior
Quade Pelton	Cheyenne Wells	Senior

Honorable mention: Jhett Alapia, Elbert, Junior; Elijah Aragon, Kim/Branson, Senior; Damien Barnes, Eads, Junior; Jonah Bertolino, Cotopaxi, Junior; Landon Bunker, Evangelical Christian, Senior; Dominic Coleman, Granada, Sophomore; Kade Comstock, Fleming, Junior; Cade Conger, Merino, Senior; Antonio Cordova, Primero, Junior; Zeke Craig, Bethune, Senior; Assane Diop, Belleview Christian, Freshman; Mitch Dollerschell, Prairie, Senior; Sullivan Farmer, Kit Carson, Junior; Channing Green, Ouray, Senior; Chance Gulliford, Cotopaxi, Senior; Brenden Hodges, Walsh, Senior; Tanner Hutt, Merino, Senior; Jaden Jordan, De Beque, Junior; Jon Kochavi, Denver Jewish Day, Senior; Brady Kuntz, Lone Star, Junior; Jaret Lichty, Stratton/Liberty, Junior; Lawrence Lucero, Wiley, Senior; Alan McCaffrey, Arickaree/Woodlin, Senior; Rylan McCall, Walsh, Senior; Liam Miller, Ouray, Senior; Wyatt Miller, Genoa-Hugo/Karval, Sophomore; Ethan Moore, Pikes Peak Christian, Junior; Sam Mote, Evangelical Christian, Senior; Christian Nation, Otis, Senior; Logan Owen, Belleview Christian, Junior; Trey Pearce, Cheraw, Junior; Aly Sakho, Denver Waldorf, Senior; Darian Schaller, Springfield, Junior; Ryan Shellenberger, Longmont Christian, Senior; Ryan Tempel, Haxtun, Junior; Dax Towns, Idalia, Senior; Dustin Wenz, Kiowa, Junior; Cooper White, Peetz, Senior; Tyler Wytulka, Nucla, Junior; Josh Yoder, Edison, Sophomore.

March 26, 2020