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Mile High Fall Sports 2012

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> FALL FOOTBALL & SPORTS PREVIEW > AUGUST 30, 2012 > MILE HIGH NEWSPAPERS OURCOLORADONEWS.COM2-Color

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Fall Sports Preview SPECIAL SECTION

Publisher ...................... Jerry Healey Sports Editor .............. John Rosa Advertising ................. Barb Stolte Production .................. Lindsay Lovato

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Weapons abound for Panthers on both sides Quarterback Alec Feland among returners for defending North Metro League champions By Brian Miller [email protected]

When Pomona’s football team hits the fi eld Aug. 31 for the 2012 season opener against Broomfi eld, there will be a hand-ful of big names from last year’s squad no longer in uniform.

But the ones who are still around should cause plenty of concern for oppos-ing teams.

The Panthers bring back fi ve starters on each side of the ball, and they are far from after-thoughts. Quarterback Alec Feland, who passed for 2,213 yards and 22 touch-downs as a junior, is back under center. Two of his top three weapons — senior wide receivers Mitch Colin and Dominic Martinez — return as well.

On defense? The dangerous trio of line-backer Deshon Mayes and twins Zach and Zayne Anderson will cause plenty of head-aches, as will Ricky Rodriguez and Scotty Phillips in the secondary.

There are some questions surrounding the running game and depth on the of-fensive and defensive lines, but big things are expected from the defending Class 5A North Metro Conference champions.

“Obviously we’ve got a lot of skill play-ers back. We’re looking good on that side, but we still have a lot of work to do,” Colin said. “We need to go in the season with as much fi re as we had last year. We can’t go in with a hangover from last year thinking we’ve already got it made.”

Pomona stormed into the 5A state semifi nals a year ago, taking out three-time defending state champion Mullen along the way, before getting taken down by an upstart Lakewood squad 29-23.

The sting of just missing out on a re-

Football conferences CLASS 5ANORTH METRO

Arvada West BoulderFairviewLegacyPomonaRalston Valley

CLASS 5A SUPER 6ArapahoeBear CreekChatfi eldColumbineLakewood Mullen

CLASS 4A PLAINSDakota RidgeDenver SouthGreen MountainJohn F. KennedyLittletonWheat Ridge

CLASS 4A MOUNTAINBroomfi eldGeorge WashingtonGoldenMonarch

MontbelloStandley Lake

CLASS 3A METRO WEST

Alameda ArvadaConiferD’EvelynEvergreenLutheranSummit

CLASS 2A FLATIRONSThe AcademyFaith ChristianKIPPMachebeufThe PinnacleRidge View

CLASS 1A METROClear CreekDenver ChristianEstes ParkFront Range ChristianJeffersonLyonsNederlandPlatte Canyon

IndexClass 5A footballArvada West Page 8 Bear Creek Page 6Lakewood Page 7Pomona Page 3Ralston Valley Page 3

Class 4A footballGolden Page 15Green Mtn. Page 4Wheat Ridge Page 10

Class 3A footballAlameda Page 14Arvada Page 11D’Evelyn Page 8

Class 2A footballFaith Christian Page 5

Class 1A football Jefferson Page 9

0ther fall sportsCross Country Page 13Field Hockey Page 12Gymnastics Page 10Boys soccer Page 4Softball Page 12Boys tennis Page 6Volleyball Page 14

On the Cover 2012 Jeffco Football SchedulesD’Evelyn seniors Cody Marvel, Austin Balbin and Con-nor Skelton, from front to back, aim to help lead the Jaguars back into contention in the Class 3A classifi ca-tion. Photo by Justin Sagarsee

Arvada West WildcatsAug. 31 @Overland^ 7 p.m.Sept. 7 Rock Canyon# 4 p.m.Sept. 13 Hinkley# 6 p.m.Sept. 21 @Chatfi eld$ 7 p.m.Sept. 28 @Legacy™ 7 p.m.Oct. 5 Fairview# 7 p.m.Oct. 11 Boulder# 6 p.m.Oct. 19 Ralston Valley# 7:30 p.m.Oct. 26 Pomona# 7:30 p.m.

Bear Creek BearsAug. 31 Legacy$ 7:30 p.m.Sept. 7 Green Mountain$ 4 p.m.Sept. 14 @Mtn. Vista! 7 p.m.Sept. 20 @ThunderRidge! 7 p.m.Sept. 27 Mullen$ 7 p.m.Oct. 5 Lakewood$ 7:30 p.m.Oct. 12 Chatfi eld$ 7 p.m.Oct. 19 @Arapahoe£ 7 p.m.Oct. 25 Columbine$ 7 p.m.

Lakewood TigersAug. 30 Loveland$ 6 p.m.Sept. 8 @Pine Creek 6 p.m.Sept. 14 Pomona$ 4 p.m.Sept. 21 @Fairview€ 7 p.m. Sept. 28 Chatfi eld$ 4 p.m.Oct. 5 Bear Creek$ 7:30 p.m.Oct. 11 @Arapahoe£ 7 p.m.Oct. 19 Columbine$ 7 p.m.Oct. 26 Mullen$ 4 p.m.

Pomona PanthersAug. 31 Broomfi eld# 7 p.m.Sept. 7 @Cherry Creek^ 7 p.m.Sept. 14 @Lakewood$ 4 p.m.Sept. 21 Chaparral# 7:30 p.m.Sept. 28 @Boulder€ 7 p.m.Oct. 4 Legacy# 7 p.m.Oct. 12 Ralston Valley# 7 p.m.Oct. 19 @Fairview€ 7 p.m.Oct. 26 A-West# 7:30 p.m.

Ralston Valley MustangsAug. 24 @Timber Creek W, 30-23Aug. 30 @Longmont 6:30 p.m.Sept. 8 @ThunderRidge! 7 p.m.Sept. 14 Gr. Junction# 7 p.m.Sept. 27 Fairview# 7 p.m.Oct. 5 @Boulder€ 7 p.m.Oct. 12 Pomona# 7 p.m.Oct. 19 Arvada West# 7 p.m.Oct. 25 Legacy# 7 p.m.

Golden DemonsAug. 30 Thompson Valley# 6 p.m.Sept. 7 Dkta. Ridge# 7:30 p.m.Sept. 14 @Green Mtn. 7:30 p.m.Sept. 22 Wheat Ridge÷ 11 a.m.Sept. 28 @Littleton£ 7 p.m.Oct. 6 @Monarch¥ 10 a.m.Oct. 13 @ Geo. Wash.* 10 a.m.Oct. 19 Standley Lake# 4 p.m.Oct. 27 @Montbello≠ 11 a.m.Nov. 2 Broomfi eld# 7:30 p.m.

Green Mountain RamsAug. 31 @Greeley Central 7 p.m.Sept. 7 Bear Creek$ 4 p.m.Sept. 14 Golden$ 7:30 p.m.Sept. 21 @GJ Central≤ 7 p.m.Sept. 28 @St. Lake# 7 p.m.Oct. 5 Dakota Ridge$ 4 p.m.

Oct. 11 Littleton• 6 p.m.Oct. 19 Kennedy• 4 p.m.Oct. 27 Den. South• 11:30 a.m.Nov. 2 Wheat Ridge$ 7:30 p.m.

Wheat Ridge FarmersAug. 31 @Windsor 7 p.m.Sept. 6 Monarch$ 7 p.m.Sept. 14 @Littleton£ 7 p.m.Sept. 22 @Golden÷ 11 a.m.Sept. 27 Montbello• 7:30 p.m.Oct. 5 @Kennedy* 4 p.m.Oct. 13 @Denver South* 1 p.m.Oct. 20 Gr. Junction$ 1 p.m.Oct. 26 Dakota Ridge$ 7:30 p.m.Nov. 2 Green Mtn. $ 7:30 p.m.

Alameda PiratesSept. 1 @Skyview 1 p.m.Sept. 8 @Denver West* 4 p.m.Sept. 14 Englewood• 4 p.m.Sept. 21 D’Evelyn• 6 p.m.Sept. 27 Weld Central• 4 p.m.Oct. 5 Arvada• 6 p.m.Oct. 12 @Summit 7 p.m.Oct. 18 Conifer• 6 p.m.Oct. 26 Evergreen• 4 p.m.Nov. 3 @Lutheran 1 p.m.

Arvada BulldogsAug. 30 Weld Central• 6 p.m.Sept. 7 Englewood• 6 p.m.Sept. 15 @Skyview NoonSept. 21 @Eagle Valley 7 p.m.Sept. 29 Evergreen• 11:30 a.m.Oct. 5 Alameda• 6 p.m.Oct. 11 Lutheran• 6 p.m.Oct. 19 Summit• 7:30 p.m.Oct. 25 D’Evelyn• 6 p.m.Nov. 2 Conifer• 6 p.m.

D’Evelyn JaguarsAug. 24 @Ba. Mountain W, 58-7Aug. 31 Mtn. View• 7:30 p.m.Sept. 7 @Holy Family 7 p.m.Sept. 15 G.J. Central• 11:30 a.m.Sept. 21 Alameda• 6 p.m.Sept. 28 Summit• 7:30 p.m.Oct. 6 Conifer• 1 p.m.Oct. 12 Evergreen• 4 p.m.Oct. 20 @Lutheran® 1 p.m.Oct. 25 Arvada• 6 p.m.

Faith Christian EaglesAug. 31 Holy Family 7 p.m.Sept. 8 @Vista PEAK Prep NoonSept. 14 Kent Denver 7 p.m.Sept. 22 @Skyview NoonSept. 28 Middle Park 7 p.m.Oct. 5 The Pinnacle 7 p.m.Oct. 13 @Machebeuf? 7 p.m.Oct. 20 @The Academy™ 1 p.m.Oct. 26 KIPP D.C. 7 p.m.

Jefferson SaintsAug. 31 Machebeuf• 4 p.m.Sept. 7 @Sheridan 7 p.m.Sept. 14 Den. Christian 7:30 p.m.Sept. 22 @F.R. Christian 7 p.m.Sept. 28 Clear Creek• 4 p.m.Oct. 4 @Platte Canyon 6 p.m.Oct. 12 @ Estes Park 7 p.m.Oct. 19 @Lyons 7 p.m.Oct. 26 Nederland• 7:30 p.m.

# NAAC

$ Jeffco Stadium

• Trailblazer Stadium

*All City Stadium

€ Recht Field

^ Stutler Bowl

£ LPSS in Littleton

÷ Colorado Mines

! Shea Stadium

™ Adams 12 North

¥ Centaurus High

≠ Evie Dennis Stadium

≤ Stocker Stadium

® Sports Authority

? APSS in Aurora

mile high newspapers > august 30, 2012 > FALL FOOTBALL & SPORTS PREVIEW > PAgE 3ourcoloradonews.com3-Color

Weapons abound for Panthers on both sidesQuarterback Alec Feland among returners for defending North Metro League championsBy Brian [email protected]

When Pomona’s football team hits the field Aug. 31 for the 2012 season opener against Broomfield, there will be a hand-ful of big names from last year’s squad no longer in uniform.

But the ones who are still around should cause plenty of concern for oppos-ing teams.

The Panthers bring back five starters on each side of the ball, and they are far from after-thoughts. Quarterback Alec Feland, who passed for 2,213 yards and 22 touch-downs as a junior, is back under center. Two of his top three weapons — senior wide receivers Mitch Colin and Dominic Martinez — return as well.

On defense? The dangerous trio of line-backer Deshon Mayes and twins Zach and Zayne Anderson will cause plenty of head-aches, as will Ricky Rodriguez and Scotty Phillips in the secondary.

There are some questions surrounding the running game and depth on the of-fensive and defensive lines, but big things are expected from the defending Class 5A North Metro Conference champions.

“Obviously we’ve got a lot of skill play-ers back. We’re looking good on that side, but we still have a lot of work to do,” Colin said. “We need to go in the season with as much fire as we had last year. We can’t go in with a hangover from last year thinking we’ve already got it made.”

Pomona stormed into the 5A state semifinals a year ago, taking out three-time defending state champion Mullen along the way, before getting taken down by an upstart Lakewood squad 29-23.

The sting of just missing out on a re-

turn to the title game is still there and has provid-ed extra motivation this fall. Interestingly enough, the Panthers face the Ti-gers in a non-conference game Sept. 14 at Jeffco Stadium.

“It definitely leaves a taste on my tongue and a little bit of fire to get ready for this year and go back,” Colin said.

Feland had his way with opposing defenses a year ago. His top two tar-gets, Colin and Martinez, combined for 92 catches and 14 touchdowns be-tween them. Madden said the best thing about Feland is that he simply loves football and has fun on the field.

With starting running back Dylan Carter having graduated, the running game will need to develop behind a line that returns two starters in Damian Lockhart and Connor Pier-son. That said, the threat of the passing attack will keep defenses honest.

“We’d love to pass for 300 yards a game, but we’ll see,” Pomona coach Jay Madden said. “We’re going to do what they give us. If they put seven in the box we’re going to throw it. If they’re putting five in the box we’re going to run it.”

Mayes, Zayne Anderson and Rodriguez were all first-team all-conference selections

last fall. Zach and Zayne are both hybrids who can play defensive end or linebacker.

“We’re going to just let them go because they love to hit people,” Madden said. “We’re going to let them loose.”

The schedule is front-loaded for the Panthers, who open with 4A powerhouse Broomfield at the North Area Athletic Con-

ference. From there the team visits Cherry Creek and new coach Dave Logan before tackling Lakewood and Chaparral before starting conference play.

“That’s the Pomona way. Our kids love to compete,” Madden said. “We’re going to give them as many opportunities to com-pete as possible.”

Pomona senior quarterback Alec Feland runs the ball upfield during an intersquad scrimmage Aug. 16 at Pomona High School. The returning starter, Feland threw for more than 2,200 yards as a junior. Photo by Brian Miller

Ralston Valley ready to get jump on seasonMustangs open 2012 with 30-23 victory over Timber Creek in Orlando, Fla.By Brian [email protected]

It took all of one practice to see that business is boom-ing for Ralston Valley’s football team this fall.

When the Mustangs opened up fall practice Aug. 13, the team had an estimated 173 players out. Ralston Valley coach Matt Loyd said he had 109 players between varsity and junior varsity, and another 64 freshmen — the biggest group the school has had since opening its doors in 2000.

“The heart’s pumping, getting ready for our first game,” Mustangs senior Jakob Buys said. “It’s exciting.”

Ralston Valley kicked off its season a week early this fall, traveling to Orlando, Fla. and posting a 30-23 victory over Timber Creek. It gave the team a jump-start on the year, but didn’t do Loyd and his staff many favors consid-ering a tough non-conference slate that includes Long-mont, ThunderRidge and Grand Junction.

“I like good football teams,” Loyd said. “It’s going to be tough to go to Florida, come back on a Sunday and turn around and play Longmont on a Thursday night. That’ll be probably the toughest part in our schedule right now.”

One year after claiming the Class 5A North Metro Con-ference title, Ralston Valley enjoyed another strong cam-paign in 2011. The Mustangs dropped only one regular-season game, falling to Pomona in a battle for the North Metro Crown. The Mustangs downed Rocky Mountain and Fountain-Fort Carson in the first two rounds of the state playoffs before a heartbreaking 17-14 loss to Grand-view in the quarterfinals ended their season.

“We work real hard. That’s been the focus of this sum-mer, is working hard, getting better and being gritty,” said RV senior offensive tackle Dan Skipper, who has commit-ted to the University of Tennessee. “Last year is over with; we’ve got to move on and see what we have and do what we do.”

“We don’t think about it. Last year, that’s done with,” Buys added. “This is a new year; we’re going to do our own thing.”

The Mustangs return 11 starters overall, with one starter moving to the defensive side of the ball. Buys will

Ralston Valley senior Jordan Anderson runs through drills during practice Aug. 20 at Ralston Valley High School. Anderson returns at linebacker for the Mus-tangs. Photo by Alan Yamamoto Mustangs continues on 9

> FALL FOOTBALL & SPORTS PREVIEW > August 30, 2012 > Mile high newspApers ourcolorAdonews.coM4-Color

Rams seek sustainability after playoff showingGreen Mountain excited to keep momentum going after strong 2011By Brian [email protected]

After six consecutive seasons of sitting on the sidelines during the postseason, Green Moun-tain’s football team ended the run of futility last fall.

The Rams won seven games and fought Castle View tooth-and-nail in the first round of the Class 4A state playoffs before falling by eight points.

Green Mountain graduated 30 seniors from that squad, and while this year’s version of the Rams may be on the inexperi-enced side, the lessons learned from last fall haven’t been for-gotten.

“We want to carry and keep going what the seniors from last year did,” Rams senior Garrett Swartzendruber said. “We don’t want to have just one (year) of making the playoffs and then go back into the dumps. We want to keep that winning tradition up.”

Graduation hit the skill posi-tions the hardest, especially at quarterback and running back. The team’s three leading rush-ers, who combined for more than 1,100 yards on the ground, moved on.

The good news for Green Mountain is that the offen-sive line returns four starters in Swartzendruber, Alex Glose and Jake Tyler and Michael Hablis-ton, though Habliston is injured

and could miss the entire season.“Last year they were very

inexperienced and they came on about halfway through the year,” Rams coach Tom Ward said. “Their leadership should help us a lot early in the year.”

With former quarterback Jake Garegnani now at Adams State College, the starting job will likely go to junior Roland Warns.

“Hopefully we’re a little stronger in the running aspect of the game this year than we were last year at the quarterback spot,” Ward said. “I think that’s where an advantage comes.”

Senior James LaBarbara will see time at fullback, and Henry Menjivar and Mitch Schaefer will line up at wide receiver. The running game should develop as players gain more experience, and having a veteran offensive line certainly won’t hurt.

“We’ve really got to have all of our blocks so the backs have really clean holes to run through,” Glose said. “Lots of cutback lanes if they end up needing them.”

On the defensive side of the ball, Tyler and Swartzendruber are on the defensive line as well. Linebackers Dane Kelley and LaBarbara, along with Menjivar at corner, should also help lead the unit. Menjivar is the only returning starter, bringing the experience of working with a

strong core last season.“The lessons we learned

were stick together as a team, whether we win or lose,” Menjivar said. “We’ll always be a team.”

Green Mountain opens the season Aug. 31 on the road at Greeley Central and takes on 5A power Bear Creek at Jeffco Stadium the fol-lowing week. The Rams will compete in the reshuffled 4A Plains Conference.

“We’re definitely pumped up. We’ve been working all summer for this,” LaBarbara said. “We definitely have some anticipation waiting for the first game.”

Ward said there’s more of an expectation to win this fall, though the squad needs to realize that nothing is guaranteed just because of the success in 2011. Still, with more players buying into the program, LaBarbara believes everyone is working toward the same goal.

That’s something his teammates echoed.

“If we can keep having good seasons like we had last year, people will start recognizing us, start think-ing we’re a team to compete with,” Tyler said. “I think from now on if we keep do-ing that, people will just re-spect us.”

Green Mountain linebacker James LaBarbara keeps an eye on the play during practice Aug. 17 at Green Mountain High School. LaBarbara is one of a handful of returners for the Rams. Photo by Brian Miller

Wildcats seek redemption after last fall’s exitSoccer: Defending 5A Jeffco League champs were bounced in first round of playoffs, but return top scorersBy Jeff [email protected]

For Arvada West boys soccer, things went almost perfectly in 2011.

That is, right up until the last game of the season.

After compiling a 12-2-1 regular-sea-son record and claiming the Class 5A Jeffco League title, the seventh-seeded Wildcats faced 26th-seeded Rangeview in the first round of the state playoffs.

What was expected to be a fairly un-eventful opening-round victory for Ar-vada West quickly turned into disaster, as Rangeview prevailed 2-1 on a pair of own-goals by the Wildcats on a blustery, rainy October evening.

“It was brutal,” said Troy Gette, who is entering his third season as coach of the Wildcats. “I think that loss is still in these players’ heads. They not only want to get back to the playoffs this year, but make sure we go further. The playoffs just aren’t good enough.”

Fortunately for the Wildcats, they have the roster to do it. Gette returns

most of the key players from last year’s talented squad, including nine seniors.

Among the standouts is senior forward Conor Vonesh, who led the team with 17 points last season on seven goals and three assists.

Gette believes Vonesh could be among the state’s top players in 2012.

“My goal is to be all-state this year,” Vonesh said. “I’m just working hard at it like the rest of the team. We’ve got the right players to have a great season.”

Joining Vonesh in leading the Wild-cats are juniors Brett Bender (seven goals, two assists in 2011) and Cruz Marquez (three goals, five assists), along with fel-low senior Alvaro Diaz (four goals, two assists).

The Wildcats will do battle in a league that saw more than half its teams finish above .500 in league play in 2011, in-cluding Bear Creek, Ralston Valley and Lakewood.

But thanks to the returning leadership and talent, Gette is confident that Arvada West can build on last season’s success.

“This is definitely our year,” Gette

said. “When we made it to the playoffs last year, it was exciting because it had been a while since Arvada West had made it that far. Now, after last season, we feel like the playoffs are just the start.”

In 3A, Faith Christian aims for a sec-ond consecutive state title. Coach Will Lind thinks his team is capable, despite graduating nine seniors from a season ago.

The biggest question mark for the Ea-gles is replacing their goalkeeper from a year ago, Roderick O’Dorisio. The most likely candidate appears to be freshman Sam Goodwin.

“(Goodwin) has played well so far,” Lind said. “We obviously won’t know what we have until we really get tested, but I like what I’ve seen so far.”

Among other key players returning for the Eagles are senior Liam Noone and ju-niors Cameron Doody and Stefan Knoerr.

Will that group help the Eagles find the same magic they did in 2011? Only time will tell, according to Lind.

“This is new ground for these boys,” he said. “There’s some pressure, espe-

cially with so many seniors gone who could kind of show them the way. Now the target is on their back. Everyone will be measuring their seasons based on how they perform against us.”

Jefferson won the 3A Frontier League a year ago, advancing to the second round of the playoffs before falling 2-1 to Kent Denver.

The Saints graduated only three se-niors from that squad but should return their top scorers.

Wheat Ridge and D’Evelyn appear to be among the top teams chasing Ever-green in 4A Jeffco soccer. Evergreen fin-ished undefeated in league play last sea-son before falling to Mullen in the state title game.

Wheat Ridge returns its leading points-scorer in senior Matt Whitfield, who notched nine goals and eight assists in 2011.

D’Evelyn will look to senior Justus Las-chinski (7 goals in 2011) to help fill the shoes of departed senior Nick Baumgart-ner, who led the team with 14 goals a sea-son ago.


Faith Christian reloads on both sides of ballFormer linebacker Bundick takes over at quarterback as Eagles regroup this fall

By Brian [email protected]

At 5-foot-10 and 211 pounds, wearing a No. 53 jersey, Grayson Bundick looks every bit the part of a linebacker.

Looks can be deceiving. Instead of tracking down quarterbacks this fall, the Faith Christian Academy senior will be the one lining up behind center.

Bundick moved to quarterback for an Eagles team that graduated 16 seniors, in-cluding nearly every player that suited up at a skills position on varsity in 2011.

“Over the years I’ve just kind of learned to be open to everything,” said Bundick, the Class 3A state runner-up last spring in the shot put and discus. “I’m just trying to pick it up and trying to lead my team to win games.”

While he certainly may not look the part of Faith Christian’s most recent starting quarterbacks — Seve Carbajal, Micah Twedell, and, most recently, Alex Buchmann — Bundick will be more than a handful for opposing defenses who try to bring the senior down without wrap-ping him up.

“He’s going to be a little bit different as far as being back there,” Eagles coach Blair Hubbard said. “He’s going to be a strong runner for us on the inside, but he throws the ball well enough where de-fenses are going to have to be honest.”

Faith Christian rolled to another Class 2A Flatirons League title last season, but it was far from easy in non-conference play.

Brush and Kent Denver handed the Eagles defeats, and the Sun Devils ended Faith’s season with a 31-22 victory in the state quarterfinals.

Those setbacks aren’t sitting well with the players who are returning.

“We all have that gut feeling in our stomach still from that loss. We never wanted to give it up, especially for those seniors,” Faith junior defensive end Bran-dyn Thompson said. “For us as upper-classmen now, we definitely want to get back at Kent Denver and any other team that has it out for us.”

Thompson had 6.5 sacks as a sopho-more while playing opposite senior Der-ek McCartney, who signed with the Uni-versity of Colorado.

McCartney notched 16 sacks last fall and his absence will be a big one for the Eagles’ defense.

Senior Christian Cambier was expect-ed to be a big force on both sides of the ball, but he could miss the entire season

after sustaining a broken bone and torn ligament in his foot during a camp at CSU-Pueblo this summer.

“When you lose a three-time all-state player, that’s big,” Faith senior safety Alex Albright said of McCartney. “Chris-tian was a moral supporter for most of us … but you lose people. You’ve just to deal with it, put your head down and keep go-ing.”

Thompson and Albright will lead the defense this fall, along with junior strong safety Gunnar Caldwell and junior defen-sive tackle Grant Black.

Thompson will play some at tight end, and junior Josh Mihalcin will help anchor an offensive line that has good size.

The offensive backfield will be by com-mittee, with Britton Naas and Albright seeing time at running back and Seth VonRentzell, Daniel Langewisch and T.J. Hasz battling for time at fullback.

The Eagles’ non-conference schedule is a challenge once again. A trio of 3A teams — Holy Family, Vista PEAK and Skyview — is on deck, along with Kent Denver.

Faith Christian opens with longtime rival Holy Family after not seeing the Ti-gers the previous two years.

“I’m so excited to meet Holy Family again,” Thompson said. “I haven’t played them since my freshman year so I’m real-ly excited, especially on my home field.”

There are bigger goals than just wins and losses though.

Each senior class at Faith Christian hopes to leave a lasting legacy, and this year’s group is no exception.

“Obviously you strive to win a state championship every year, but in the long term, I want to help the younger guys,” Bundick said. “I want to not only push my team to be better for a state cham-pionship, but push those younger guys to be better for the long term and their senior season so they have opportunities to win a state championship.”

Faith Christian quarterback Grayson Bundick, 53, sets to unload a pass as the pock-et collapses on him during practice Aug. 20 at Faith Christian Academy in Arvada. Bundick moves from linebacker to quarterback this fall. Photo by Brian Miller

‘I want to not only push

my team to be better for

a state championship,

but push those younger

guys to be better for the

long term.’

Grayson Bundick


Morris, Bear Creek usher in a new eraFirst-year coach inherits young roster eager to make noise this fallBy Brian [email protected]

For 20 years, Tom Thenell walked the sidelines for Bear Creek’s football team, pushing the Bears to the best they could be.

So when the Bears kick off the 2012 season Aug. 31 against Legacy at Jeffco Stadium, the absence of Thenell — now coaching at Mullen — will be noticeable, at least for longtime Bear Creek fans. But for the players, who have embraced first-year coach Zach Morris, a new era of Bears football has begun and that’s what matters.

“I feel like they’ve responded great. I was able to build a rapport with the kids last year coming on the staff and coaching running backs,” Morris said. “Getting that op-portunity to build relationships with them I think really helped. They’ve all been really supportive of me.”

Morris, who coached running backs under Thenell in 2011, estimated that close to 50 players were with the team throughout the summer and that the progress is beginning to show. Bear Creek lost 15 starters to gradua-tion off a team that fell to Mullen in the second round of the Class 5A state playoffs.

Five starters return on offense and only two are back on defense — junior safety Danny Flanagan and senior defensive lineman Joey Oliver.

“As long as we do our jobs and get what we need done, we’ll be all right,” Flanagan said. “Just play as a team.”

With former quarterback Sean Flanagan now at Ne-braska-Kearney, sophomore Nick Madrid gets his shot to lead the Bears this fall. It will take some time to tran-sition, especially with wide receivers Nick Dalton, Jake Anna and Rajee Randolph gone. Those three combined for 118 receptions as seniors.

“He’s excited to fill those shoes. We just had a conver-sation about him becoming more vocal,” Morris said. “It’s tough for a sophomore kid to step in a varsity hud-dle with four returning offensive linemen — that can be a little intimidating. But he’s really starting to grab a hold

and become more of a leader we want.”Senior Kevin Butts and sophomore

P.J. Russel will step into the backfield. Offensive tackle Jake Bennett, who has committed to Colorado State for the 2013 season, anchors a line that includes Kyle Gingles, Tyler Conley and Corky Phillips and is tasked with protecting Madrid and opening holes for the running backs.

“We’re not reinventing the wheel. We’re still going to be a spread football team,” Morris said. “We’re still going to throw it. Will we throw it as much as Coach Thenell did? I don’t know, we’ll see about that.”

Players described the tempo as mov-ing at a faster pace with the team this fall, and that should translate to the field as well.

“We’re going to be fast and faster. We’re going to keep guys on their heels,” Ben-nett said. “They’re not going to have time to do anything really.”

After working its way through the non-league portion of the schedule, Bear Creek opens the Super 6 slate with Thenell and Mullen on Sept. 27 at Jeffco Stadium.

There was already plenty of moti-vated to knock off the Mustangs simply because of their reputation, but going against their former coach should make the atmosphere that much better.

“It should be pretty weird. It’s some-body you spend hundreds of hours with,” Bennett said. “It should be fun — definitely looking to get a win against Mullen and everybody else this year.”

After Mullen, 5A runner-up Lakewood is next after joining the Super 6 this season. Defending state cham-pion Columbine closes out the regular season.

“It’s definitely, in my opinion, the toughest league in the state,” Morris said. “You have the state champs, you have the runner-ups, you have Mullen, who had won it three times in a row before that. It’s definitely a chal-lenge, but it’s a challenge we’re excited about.”

Bear Creek junior Danny Flanagan takes part in a defensive drill Aug. 15 at Bear Creek High School. Flanagan is one of two returning starters on defense for the Bears. Photo by Brian Miller

After strong 2011, Demons are ready to reloadTennis: Golden hit hard by graduation but eager to prove itself again after sending eight players to state tournamentBy Jeff [email protected]

For Golden boys tennis, the key word entering this season is “new.”

For one, there’s a new head coach in Brad Nash, who takes over for a team that sent eight players to the Class 4A state tournament in 2011.

Secondly, all top five players from that team — three singles players and both parts of the No. 1 doubles team — were lost to graduation, which translates to a lot of new people in new positions.

Add it all together and 2012 could be a challenging year for the program. But it also means there are plenty of opportunities for the players who are still around.

“We’re rebuilding a bit, there’s no question about that,” said Nash. “But these players are eager to learn and are working hard to get where we need to be.”

Nash has five returning players vying for the three singles spot — seniors Erik Craig and Max Dalton and juniors Tanner Bryson, Logan Hullett and Nicholas Lau-rita.

Craig and Laurita were first team all-conference a sea-

son ago at No. 2 doubles.According to their coach, it could take right up until

the team’s first match to determine who will have those spots.

“These guys have been around a while and know each other well,” he said. “It’s a tight group in terms of competition. On any given day any of them could prob-ably beat one another.”

While this will make for some intense competition in the early part of the season, it should help to solidify a strong lineup even past the singles positions.

Also joining in the changeover from a year ago will be a few players entirely new to the program.

One of those is junior Gavin Baker, who will also be participating in cross-country this fall.

“I wanted to try something new and I figured football wasn’t my sport,” Baker said. “So I thought I’d go with tennis. I’ve really enjoyed it so far.”

Despite not playing the past two seasons, Baker is in the thick of competition for a doubles spot this fall for the Demons and could end up playing a key role in the team’s renovation.

Nash said he knows he will have to depend on play-

ers like Baker who are committed to out-working the competition this season.

“I keep repeating it to the guys,” Nash said. “We have to be working harder than the other teams out there. We have to be doing the things the competition isn’t — running the extra five to ten minutes — whatever it takes. And these guys have bought in to that.”

Baker said there’s no question the team is focused on the effort aspect.

Based on his background as a runner — he also com-petes on the track and field team in the spring — he’s got no problem with that, either.

“Coach told us right away that we were going to be the fittest team out there,” Baker said. “He has definitely stayed with that. We’ve been conditioning a lot. I think it’s great. We are all learning to work and keep each oth-er going.”

Golden will compete in 4A Region 3 this season amid the likes of Mullen, Palmer Ridge and Lewis-Palmer, each of whom qualified multiple players to the state tournament a year ago.

The Demons opened the season Aug. 23rd against Columbine.

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Returning to title game is Tigers’ next mission Super 6 Conference will be tough, but

Lakewood eager to prove itself once more

By Brian Miller [email protected]

One year after taking the state by storm, what does Lakewood’s football team do for an encore?

The Tigers came into the 2011 season as the favorite in the Denver Prep League, but after a fi rst-round playoff exit the year before, there were plenty of doubters as to how Lakewood would handle the rest of Class 5A ranks.

But handle them the Tigers did, taking down Gate-way, Horizon, Grand Junction and Pomona on their way to the 5A state title game. Even with a 41-31 loss to Col-umbine in the championship game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Lakewood still made a statement.

Doing it again in 2012 will be that much tougher, but the Tigers are ready for the challenge.

“We’ve got to work 10 times harder to get back where we were last year,” said Lakewood senior offensive tack-le Taylor Knestis, who has committed to the University of Wyoming next fall. “Right now we’re kind of coming together as a team, but we need to come together more.”

A number of starters from the championship game have graduated, including quarterback Dylan Nelson and running back John Greer on offense. The Tigers re-turn three starters on offense and fi ve on defense.

“Any time you go deep in the playoffs, for any team it’s a great thing. You get extra weeks of practice and a little bit of extra football,” Lakewood coach Mark Robin-son said. “Obviously the returners that we bring back we feel are very strong. But there’s big holes to fi ll.”

On defense the team was hit hard by graduation, los-ing a pair of 6-foot-3 defensive backs. Replacing its line-backers may be the biggest obstacle though.

“The linebacking corps had played years together. They were very good,” Robinson said. “I’d say Djen Whitaker is our biggest loss off the defense. Djen was an absolute player. When the lights came on, he made plays. That’s the big role we’re trying to fi ll right now.”

All-conference defensive end James Riddle returns, with Luke Niko and Miles Johnson also stepping in on the line. Derek Landis and Wade Scadden will try to fi ll the gap at linebacker, and Riley Collins will play safety.

“I like the defense a lot,” Riddle said. “We lost a few guys, but there’s still some underclassmen that can get it done.”

Senior Connor Leedholm, who played some at wide receiver last fall, takes over for Nelson at quarterback. Taz Arguello — who Knestis referred to as a “demon on wheels” — and Wade Scadden return in the backfi eld, with Collins, Riddle and Landis all potential receiving targets. Knestis and Caleb Kimball are two talented tack-

les, with Johnson and Jordan Alvarez also playing on the line.

“A lot of speed, a lot of big guys up on the line, work-ing hard and giving me lots of time to step up in the backfi eld and make a throw,” Leedholm said of the of-fense. “Taz is a fast guy and a good blocker too.”

The DPL was disbanded coming into the new two-year cycle, and Lakewood now fi nds itself in the Super 6 with some familiar foes. Jeffco counterparts Bear Creek, Columbine and Chatfi eld are in the conference, along with Mullen and Arapahoe. Pomona and 4A state run-ner-up Pine Creek are also on the schedule.

“There’s not such a thing as an easy week this year. We’re playing big, strong, physical teams,” Robinson said. “I think we went from one of the not-so-tough schedules in the state to probably the toughest schedule in the state.”

That competition is something Lakewood is looking forward to though, especially coming off its tough run through the 2011 postseason.

“The game against Pomona, that was heart-racing,” Knestis said. “I want to have that at least 10 games out of the year. I want that heart-pounding, adrenaline ac-tion.”

Lakewood senior James Riddle, 7, takes on a pair of defenders during practice Aug. 21 at Lakewood High School. Riddle is expected to start on both sides of the ball for the Tigers, who fell to Columbine in the Class 5A state title game last December. Photo by Brian Miller


Whisler hopes 50th year is one to rememberAfter dismal 2011, new coach leads Arvada West into landmark season


For a program rich in tradition and used to deep post-season runs, the 2011 campaign wasn’t exactly one to remember for Arvada West’s football team.

Two years removed from a trip to the Class 5A state semifinals, the Wildcats dropped their first eight games last season. Victories over Boulder and Fossil Ridge in the final two games gave A-West a foundation to build upon, but that didn’t ease the sting of missing the postseason.

“I always keep it in the back of my head, thinking I don’t want to lose all but the last two games,” Wildcats senior center John Sorensen said. “It makes you want to go out there and just destroy people. You don’t want to repeat it.”

After 10 years of leading the team, Wildcats coach Casey Coons resigned last winter. Assistant coach Greg Whisler took the job and was given the task of getting the program back to prominence as it enters its 50th year.

“That’s definitely the challenge and that’s the exciting part. There’s a high bar that is Arvada West High School football,” Whisler said.

“We’re trying to raise that bar and get ourselves up over it.”

An offseason focusing on work ethic, togetherness and discipline has Arvada West excited about what the future could hold.

“He buckles down, doesn’t let anything slide,” Soren-son said of Whisler. “We’re conditioning a lot, getting in good shape.”

The Wildcats will try to capitalize on the athleticism of junior Marcus Culhane, who spent much of 2011 starting

at quarterback. Junior Allen Martin will step into that role, and Culhane will line up in a variety of spots to help ignite the offense.

“He’s so explosive, he’s so athletic, that we’ve got to get him the football,” Whisler said. “As a he sophomore started every game for us last year and grew a lot as a quarter-back, grew a lot as a football player.”

Sorsensen and Adail Froome will help open holes and protect Martin from the line, and junior Triston Rios will step in at wide receiver.

One big key is replacing leading rusher and receiver Jesse Petrie, who had 908 yards of total offense and scored seven touch-downs last season.

“That’s a big hole we’re filling on offense,” Whisler said of losing Petrie. “But Jackson Mitchell, who was our JV running back last year, I think is up to the task. He’s built totally different — Jesse was a fireplug and Jackson is kind of long and lean, but runs hard, runs low, runs with power.”

Froome and junior Keenan Leary figure to anchor the defensive line, with senior Matt Evans back at middle linebacker and Culhane lining up at safety.

“We take a lot of pride. We want to be one of the best defenses in Colorado,” Evans said. “We want to help our offense out.”

When asked about the tough competition in the North Metro Conference, Whisler said defense will be the key, adding “like I tell the kids, `offense sells tickets, defense wins championships.’ We’ve got to be the best on the

defensive side of the football.”The returning players understand the responsibility of

trying to restore pride to the program. Evans is one of several seniors who said it was nice to

be able to come back this fall with the goal of going out on a stronger note.

Arvada West is hoping the strong finish of 2011 will carry over into this season, beginning with the opener Aug. 31 at Overland.

“That’s how we played it: We’re on a two-game win-ning streak, so let’s keep that going,’” Whisler said. “Have a short memory. But the kids learn … the kids never quit. That’s what was kind of impressive, that they didn’t hang their heads. They were still going hard in the fourth quar-ter.

“Getting those two wins gave them confidence.”

Arvada West coach Greg Whisler speaks to the team after the first official practice Aug. 13 at Arvada West High School. Whisler takes over the head job from Casey Coons, who resigned after 10 years with the program. Photo by Brian Miller

Offense, defense come together nicely for JaguarsQuarterback Marvel, defensive end Balbin lead way; D’Evelyn opens season with 58-7 rout of Battle MountainBy Brian [email protected]

For a program built around offensive success, D’Evelyn’s Austin Balbin made an amazing impact on the defensive side of the ball last fall.

Then a junior, the defensive end constantly harassed opposing quarterbacks to the tune of 20.5 sacks.

“I always kind of knew I had it in me,” Balbin said. “The season before I didn’t do anything that spectacular, but this last year I just felt a lot better about where I was at as a player. I was bigger and stronger.”

Balbin may not reach that number in 2012, but the Jaguars’ senior will force coaches to plan for the 6-foot-3, 215-pound end. He did have a sack as the Jags opened the season Aug. 24 with a 58-7 rout of Battle Mountain.

“He is so explosive off the football,” D’Evelyn coach Jer-emy Bennett said. “He’s very hard to block because he’s so fast. He’s just a kid that plays with an attitude and a chip on his shoulder.”

With Balbin and George Truman manning the ends on the defensive line and Dante Martinez and Riley Jacobs at linebacker, the Jags should be a solid force. But it’s still the offense that will generate the most concern for coaches.

Three-year starting quarterback Caleb Flack graduated, but D’Evelyn got a taste of what the future holds last fall when Cody Marvel stepped in while Flack recovered from a concussion.

In six games Marvel passed for 2,117 yards and 25 touchdowns to only five interceptions. After a spring in which he was honored as the Class 4A Jeffco League MVP in baseball, Marvel is ready to step in this fall as the full-

time starting quarterback.“Now that I’ve had that game experience it’s just a lot

easier to come in,” he said. “I think that will be better this year for the start.”

Bennett said that Marvel may not be as pure a passer as Flack, but he gets the ball to his targets in a hurry.

“We’re fortunate enough to just be able to reload with Cody,” Bennett said. “Cody brings some things to the ta-ble that Caleb didn’t do. Cody’s a great runner with the football and he’s got another gear he can get to when he gets to the edge.”

Even with the graduation of top receiver Matt Menard, Marvel has plenty of targets on the field. Senior Connor Skelton caught 59 passes and scored 18 touchdowns as a junior, and needs only 1,346 yards to become the state’s all-time leading receiver.

“This year will definitely be the most challenging,” Skelton said. “I’m excited to see how I stand up against it.”

Another wide receiver, Tony Porreco, returns after tear-ing his ACL. Tommy Fitzsimmons and Steven Bowdan are back up front, and the Jags feature a three-headed rushing attack of Greg Moinet, Dalton Hooks and Ian Lewis.

“Every team knows that we pass all the time so they’re more back on their heels to drop back into coverage,” Mar-vel said. “If we get that running game going we can mix it up a little bit and have the defense guessing every time.”

After finishing second to Kennedy in the 3A Metro North League, D’Evelyn was reshuffled into the Metro West. Teams like Kennedy, Holy Family and Skyview were moved elsewhere, while Conifer, Evergreen, Summit and Lutheran join the Jaguars, Arvada and Alameda.

“It’s nice to be back in essentially Jeffco 3A football,” Bennett said. “I like being back with the Jeffco schools. I think that’s the way it should be.”

D’Evelyn fell in the 3A quarterfinals to Frederick in 2011 after not making it to the postseason the year before. For a program that always has high expectations, a quick exit isn’t an option.

“Whenever you don’t win the championship, you’re al-ways disappointed,” Balbin said. “I feel like my four years has been up and down … I think actually my sophomore year when we didn’t make it really set us all kind of in our places.”

D’Evelyn senior defensive end Austin Balbin had 20.5 sacks last fall. He notched a sack in the team’s season-opening victory Aug. 24. Photo by Brian Miller


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Saints feature new coach, new classificationFormer player Rankin takes over at Jefferson, which moves to 1A levelBy Craig [email protected]

When Anthony Rankin transferred from Green Moun-tain to Jefferson for his senior year, he quickly experi-enced a severe case of football culture shock.

Green Mountain had won the 4A state championship in 1999, Rankin’s junior year. He was academically in-eligible to play for the Rams but remained close to the program.

After Jefferson lost its opener in 2000, Rankin recalled, “I asked the guys why they weren’t upset that we lost. They said, `It’s Jefferson, you’ll get used to it.’

“I’ll never forget those words.”Rankin hopes he never hears them again — at least as

long as he’s Jefferson’s head coach, a position he accepted earlier this year after a stint as receivers coach at Abraham Lincoln.

Rankin’s ambitious goal is to at least bring respectabil-ity to a program that has won two games in the past eight years (one in 2008, another last year).

Rankin figures that if Mike Sellers could do it, the task isn’t impossible. Sellers was Rankin’s coach in 2000. The 1999 Saints were winless, but he quickly changed the team’s attitude and Jefferson rebounded from the open-ing loss to go 5-5. It was the last time Jefferson finished .500 or better.

“They taught us how to be winners,’’ Rankin said of

the 2000 staff. “Coach Sellers made it a point to know that we weren’t losers, that we could win if we believed in ourselves.’’

It’s the same tact Rankin is ap-plying as the coach of his alma ma-ter, and his players — all 35 of them at the start of preseason practices — apparently are buying in.

“He brings a lot of potential to this team,’’ said junior running back Jovannie Trujillo, whose class dominates the roster. “I think he’s a really good coach, with the suc-cess we had over the summer. And I think we’re going to have a great year because of our coaches. I have a very good feeling about the state playoffs this year.’’

Those are words seldom uttered recently by anyone associated with the program.

But with the strong junior class (only two seniors on the roster) and a drop from Class 3A to the 1A Metro-politan League, who knows. Instead of competing in the 3A Metro South, Jefferson’s new league includes only one team — state runner-up Lyons — that finished above .500 in 2011.

Should Jefferson win its league outright, the Saints would still compete in the 2A playoffs.

“Moving down to 1A gives us a shot,’’ Rankin said. “And my best players, my most talent, are at the ju-nior level. I have two seniors, so that means I have two years of possibly bringing a winning tradition to this program.

“I feel I know the game really well, and because I went

here, I know what the atmosphere’s like. I was here when we were a winner, so I know what it takes to get back to that point.’’

Rankin tried to “show them what was like to win’’ by scheduling 7-on-7 summer sessions against teams he felt Jefferson could beat. “And we won a lot,’’ he said. “They weren’t used to that. I showed them they can be winners; they’ve just got to put their mind to it.”

“I don’t let them get negative on themselves and I made them accountable,’’ Rankin added. “Last year they got to run the program pretty much. I told them they don’t get to run the asylum, it’s the coaches’ way or the highway.’’

Acceptance was boosted by having the support of a core class that waited patiently for a coaching staff to give them direction.

“We knew we had talent and we were going to grow up and stick together like brothers,’’ Trujillo said. “We knew we could do it. That’s (past failure) never really been in my mind. My main goal is to win every game and keep on fighting.’’

Rankin said Jefferson returns 18 of 22 starters and he’s intent on running a pro-style, passing-oriented offense and being “extremely aggressive on defense.’’

Trujillo and quarterback Cameron Washburn are two-year starters and are two of five players Rankin has deemed team leaders. The others are fullback/linebacker Francisco Alvarado, junior center Francisco Ibarra and ju-nior receiver/defensive back Lawrence Salazar. Alvarado is the lone senior of the five. Another player to watch is junior receiver Dontae DeLoach. But X’s and O’s and tal-ent can only take a team so far.

“Just getting them to buy into the program is the big-gest thing,’’ Rankin said.

lead the way in the backfield at fullback, with Spen-cer Svejcar among those who will line up at tailback. Wide receiver Hunter Price and tight end Keenan Gib-son will provide big targets for a new quarterback, whether it be Josh Day, Jacob Knipp, or a combina-tion of the two.

The 6-foot-10, 280-pound Skipper anchors an of-fensive line that has good depth.

On the other side of the ball, Skipper and Buys will see time on the defensive line. Matt Hestera, Price and Svejcar will lead the secondary, and senior Jordan An-derson is a looming threat at linebacker.

“For me, this is my senior year so I want to make everything count,” said Anderson, who had six sacks among his 81 tackles a year ago. “Guys always say that, but I really feel that this class has put in the extra effort. I’m very excited to pick up where we left off.”

Ralston Valley and Pomona could vie for the North Metro title again this fall, as the Panthers return start-ing quarterback Alec Feland and five starters on de-fense.

Both teams have a challenging early slate, which should have both prepared once conference play rolls around in late September.

“I think every game has its challenges, it doesn’t matter what week it is,” Skipper said. “I think defi-nitely coming out with the non-conference that we have is an incredibly difficult schedule. I think the big thing is just playing it week to week and preparing for each team individually.”

Mustangs: Skipper anchors line

Ralston Valley senior Jakob Buys runs through drills dur-ing practice Aug. 20 at Ralston Valley High School. Buys returns at fullback and nose guard for the Mustangs this fall.Photo by Alan Yamamoto

Mustangs continued from 4


New faces, new places for Wheat RidgeFarmers reload with junior-heavy roster, will face some new opponents


Wheat Ridge football coach Reid Kahl understood his non-conference schedule last fall would be tough, but he didn’t quite realize the toll it would take on his team.

The Farmers opened 2011 with games against Ponderosa, Castle View and Longmont. Af-ter knocking off the Mustangs, the Sabercats and Trojans — who combined to go 22-3 and tangled in the Class 4A state quarterfinals — handed Wheat Ridge consecu-tive losses that included a hand-ful of injuries.

The Farmers eventually fin-ished 7-3 in the regular season and knocked off Widefield in the first round of the playoffs. The team then saw its season come to a close at the hands of eventual state champion Valor Christian, which had knocked off Wheat Ridge in the 2010 state champi-onship game.

“At the 4A level, the thing you see is less depth. If you get a cou-ple kids hurt and banged up that are great two-way players, it can change your season in a hurry,” Kahl said.

“I think especially at this level with the lack of depth you’ve got to stay healthy and not turn the ball over and be hot going into weeks 8, 9 and 10.”

Wheat Ridge returns a junior-heavy team this fall that includes a small but solid senior class. Kahl expects to start three to four sophomores as well, and expec-tations are always high for the Farmers.

“Our bar is set too high to lose four games,” Wheat Ridge senior Deion Trejo said. “The four loss-es were hard on us, so this year we’re just trying to be perfect.”

Gone are quarterback Tommy Bradley and the triple-threat rushing attack of Nick Swan-son, Josh Brake and Juan Carter. The quarterback position will be manned by either Ryan Girtin or Willie Harris, though Kahl said that may not be decided until the opener at defending 3A state champion Windsor.

With plenty of depth in the backfield, talent such as Domi-nic Rael, Avery Mason and Tan-ner Weakland, along with a few sophomores, could share time.

“We’re going to be pretty deep in the backfield in playing more guys than we have in the past,”

Kahl said. “You’ll see a rotation of six or seven guys in that of-fensive backfield that are also playing defense. Hopefully we’ll be able to keep those legs a little fresher.”

Senior Tyler Kubasta will be a dual threat at tight end and line-backer.

Trejo and Tyler Bender will play both ways on the lines, with Rashin Pettiford also on the de-fensive line. Weakland and Rael return at linebacker.

“We don’t really plan on changing much,” Kubasta said. “We want to just keep doing what we do and get every yard that we can get.”

After taking on Windsor, it doesn’t get any easier with Mon-arch next on the schedule. Non-conference games with Littleton, Golden and Montbello follow before Wheat Ridge dives into the newly-formed Plains Confer-ence that includes Jeffco rivals Green Mountain and Dakota Ridge, along with Denver South and Kennedy.

“I think we have a lot of ex-pectations this year. We don’t want anything less than a state championship,” Kubasta said. “All we’re going for is that.”

Wheat Ridge senior Tyler Kubasta, right, takes down a running back during drills Aug. 16 at Wheat Ridge High School. Kubasta returns at linebacker and tight end for the Farmers. Photo by Brian Miller

Deep Jeffco field hoping to make state splashReturning talent has gymnastics programs optimistic about upcoming seasonBy Brian [email protected]

With six teams placing in the top 12 at the 2011 Class 5A state gymnastics meet, there is little doubt that the 5A Jef-fco League is a forced to be reckoned with again this season.

Green Mountain, Arvada West, Stand-ley Lake, Chatfield, Bear Creek and Lake-wood put together a memorable effort last fall at Thornton High School.

Though Jeffco didn’t come up with a state champion like it did in 2010 with the Bears and all-around champion Danni Thenell, the league still made its presence known.

“I think we just continue to be stronger and stronger,” Lakewood coach Mary Beth Artemis said.

The Tigers return four gymnasts this season, and combined with incoming tal-

ent, Artemis likes the team’s potential. Sophomore Hannah Roshak, who placed fifth on the uneven bars last season and 27th in the all-around competition, leads the way. Seniors Camille Anthony and Megan Ives and sophomore Shannon O’Dell also return.

“I’m actually very excited because not only do we have four returners, but we have some other strong talent that’s come in,” said Artemis, adding the overall goal is to return to state as a team.

“I think that we are actually farther ahead at this point in the season than we were last year.”

Roshak has upped her difficulty on the balance beam, and Artemis said the soph-omore should be much more competitive on that routine.

Green Mountain graduated Ahna Spitzer, who took second in the all-around to Loveland’s Claire Hammen. The Rams’

Sarah Martin placed 22nd in the all-around as a junior.

Bear Creek’s Myranda Dominguez also had a strong showing as a junior, placing 28th in the all-around and taking fourth overall on the balance beam.

Arvada West placed seventh in the team standings last fall, but the core of the team was underclassmen. Jessika Jankows-ki took 14th in the all-around as a fresh-man and sophomore Erin Kopal was two spots back. Another freshman, Veronica Vasina, placed 24th and Heather Honey-man was 37th as a junior.

Pomona senior Katie Leach placed 34th in the all-around last fall. First-year Pan-thers coach Tracey Boychuk said other returning gymnasts include senior Kenzie Pietrafeso, junior Emily Thompson and sophomores Danielle Harris and Nora Thomas.

Standley Lake placed eighth as a team,

with Hannah Bissani enjoying a strong freshman campaign as well. The Gators also return seniors Hannah Conway, Zoie Hoben and Katie McBride and sophomore Maddi York.

“We lost two pretty good girls from last year, but the ones we have coming back have really improved over the summer,” Gators coach Kristen Larrington said. “We’re small in numbers, but I think we are going to be competitive with other teams. We have five seniors, but right now, no freshman. The new rules, too, will ben-efit the top girls and I think there are still some pros-and-cons with the lower levels. We’ll have to see how it works.”

A new rule that will be instituted this fall requires gymnasts to compete in a minimum of five meets during the regular season in order to be eligible for regionals and state competition.

Scott Stocker contributed to this story


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Sentinel SportSolympic-sized dreams

As Jessica López makes her final preparations in the weeks leading up to the 2012 Summer Olympics, the 5-foot gymnast has roots that are firmly tied to Colorado.

López, who qualified for the Olympic Games in London as the only gym-nast competing for Venezuela, will spend July training with the Spanish na-tional team. The former University of Denver standout spent the past sev-eral months working out at TIGAR Gymnastics in Wheat Ridge, where she received an impressive sendoff.

“She’s been a great inspiration for the little children that train with her,” TIGAR owner Beth Letzsch said. “She wanted to train while other kids were here so she’d be used to training in front of other people and not have this pristine, sterile environment where it was just her.”

TIGAR — which stands for The International Gymnastics Academy of the Rockies — opened in May of 2011. The facility offers classes in gym-nastics and cheerleading for a wide range of ages and abilities, from tod-dlers to teenagers, recreational to competitive.

The mission of the facility, according to Letzsch, is to use competitive sports to allow children to “develop their full potential — not just in that sport, but how that sport might have applications to real life later on.”

Gymnastics continues on Page 17

London is calling for Venezuelan gymnast López

Story by Brian Miller • Photo by Justin Sagarsee

16 Northglenn-Thornton SentinelJuly 5, 2012

Morris sprints way among nation’s eliteGolden grad competes in 100, 200 at U.S. Olympic Track trialsBy Brian [email protected]

When Joe Morris took to the track at Hayward Field in Oregon for the preliminaries of the 100-meter dash June 23 in the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials, he noticed a familiar face in the lane next to him.

Want to talk about pressure? Morris was side-by-side with 2004 Olympic Gold medalist Justin Gatlin. That’s quite a leap in competition for an athlete who four years ago was competing in the Class 4A state championships at Jeffco Stadium in Lakewood.

Gatlin eventually took first in the finals of the 100 with a time of 9.80 seconds to qualify for the 2012 Summer Games in London.

“It was funny. I grew up kind of watching those guys run,” Morris said by phone from Eugene, Ore. on Sunday evening. “To actually be in the lane right next to him, it was a little weird.”

Morris, a 2008 graduate of Golden High School, competed in the Olympic Trials in the 100 and 200. The 22-year-old finished 30th overall in the prelims of the 100 after running a time of 10.63.

He fared better in the 200 last Friday, qualifying for the semifinals after running a 20.82. He finished 18th overall in Saturday’s semis with a 21.22.

Morris, who just wrapped up his junior season at the University of Colorado, has come quite a ways since his days with the Demons. The 4A state cham-pion in the 100, Morris also captured national titles in the 60-meter dash at Nike Nationals and the Simplot Games while at Golden.

He began his college running career at the Uni-versity of Tennessee before transferring to CU. He red-shirted in 2010, and in his very first race with the Buffs, he set an indoor school record of 6.63.

He credits the drastic drop in his time to going from enjoying the sport to living and breathing it.

“I would say I was successful at Golden. I learned that I loved running in my high school days,” he said. “I considered myself pretty fast, and then I learned there is also technique involved and a proper way to run sprints. I was able to drop so much time.”

Referred to as “one of the most random runners

S

17-SportS-Color

Wheat RidgeSportS Wheat Ridge Transcript 17May 3, 2012

Farmers punch their postseason ticketShutout of Conifer sends Wheat Ridge into Class 4A state playoffsBy Brian [email protected]

The Class 4A state playoffs just wouldn’t be the same without Wheat Ridge’s girls soccer team - fortunately for the Farmers, they won’t be missing out.

Junior Macee Broer tallied a hat trick April 25 as the Farmers helped lock up the

sixth and final playoff spot out of 4A Jeffco with a 3-0 victory over Conifer at the North Area Athletic Complex in Arvada.

A team that has competed in the past three state title games, winning two cham-pionships, has struggled at times this sea-son after getting hard by graduation. When it mattered most though, Wheat Ridge came through.

“The kids have worked hard and we just haven’t been re-warded,” Farmers coach Dan Watkins said. “We haven’t got the result that we wanted. We came into this one laying it on the line - this was a state tournament game. Win this and advance to the next round, which is the tournament of 32.”

The Farmers (5-8-2, 5-3-2) closed the sea-son with a victory over Elizabeth and now await the postseason brackets, which are scheduled to be re-leased Sunday.

“We all knew if we lost tonight we weren’t going to have an ex-tended season,” Broer said. “We all wanted to win. We got out here and played our hearts out.”

Wheat Ridge won three of its final four regular-season games,

the only loss coming in a 1-0 loss to undefeated Cheyenne Mountain. It

was the first time this season the Indians hadn’t scored multiple goals in a game.

The Conifer game was the true test for Wheat Ridge though, given that the final playoff spot would go to one side or the other. Broer needed just more than six minutes to find the back of the net, taking a shot from a tough angle and slotting it past Lobos goalkeeper Samantha Prince.

Broer struck again six minutes later, tak-ing a cross from Ticia Rambeau and rip-ping it past Prince.

“We needed a leader tonight and she did that for us,” Watkins said. “I can’t say enough about her finishes.”

Broer completed the hat trick 14 min-utes into the second half, scoring on a re-bound.

“A bunch of games didn’t go our way and we’ve been working hard ever since day one,” Broer said. “We knew it was going to be a very different season but we all took that in a good way. I think we’re all prepared for anything that comes to us now.”

Analese Apodaca finished with two saves for Wheat Ridge and Carly Manahan added a third. Watkins credited his defense with evolving throughout the year and said the group has been holding tough in recent games.

After three years of dominating Jef-fco, the league losses have taken a toll on the Farmers at times, but Watkins said his squad has been competitive in nearly every contest. As long as Wheat Ridge can do that in the playoffs, anything is possible.

“I feel like there’s maybe one game where we got outplayed a little bit. Other than that I think that we’ve been in it all year long,” Watkins said. “People are go-ing to look at the record and say `what’s going on over there?’ But I look at my kids and how we’re playing and the resiliency of them, and I know we can go out and com-pete with anybody.”

Wheat Ridge senior Brooke Livingston, right, fights for the ball with Conifer’s Gabrielle Valenzuela during the first half of a 4A Jeffco contest April 25 at the NAAC in Arvada. The Farmers won 3-0. Photo by Brian Miller

Wheat Ridge sophomore Shelly Browne, 8, battles for the ball with Conifer’s Gabrielle Valenzuela during the first half of the 4A Jeffco league game April 25 at the NAAC in Arvada. Wheat Ridge won 3-0. By Brian Miller

Farmers head to postseasonWheat Ridge’s boys lacrosse team

earned the No. 12 seed in the state playoffs and will host Smoky Hill in the first round at 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 5, at Trailblazer Stadium in Lakewood. The Farmers (9-6) finished second in the Foothills League to Columbine, which received a first-round bye. Smoky Hill (7-8) finished fifth in the Centennial League. Arapahoe (15-0) re-ceived the No. 1 overall seed - the second round must be completed by May 9.

Honoring CapraThis Saturday’s regular-season home fi-

nale for Arvada West’s baseball team marks the final home game for longtime Wildcats coach Jim Capra. Currently an assistant, Capra will take over the baseball program at Adams State College in Alamosa. Arvada West is inviting any former players to attend Saturday’s game at 10 a.m. against Stand-ley Lake. Those attending should show up at least 15 minutes before the game as the school honors Capra.

Wresting camp at LegacyThe Northwestern University Wrestling

Camp will take place from June 10-13 at Legacy High School in Broomfield. The camp is for experienced wrestlers ages 10-18 for all schools and clubs. Northwestern coach Drew Pariano and wrestlers from the Big Ten school will be instructing and coaching at the camp. The cost is $200 per camper if they register prior to May 1. The cost is $225 for those who register af-ter May 1; for every 10 wrestlers from the same team, there will be a 10% discount. For more information, contact Deon Hebel at 303-803-5051 or at [email protected].

Golden hoops campGolden High School is hosting a bas-

ketball camp for boys and girls from June 25-28. The camp runs from 9-11:30 a.m. for those in grades 1-5, and from 12:30-3 p.m. for those in grades 6-9. For more info, e-mail Golden boys basketball coach John Anderson at [email protected].

Mustangs win 5A JeffcoRalston Valley’s girls tennis team de-

feated Chatfield 6-1 on April 24 to claim the team’s first Class 5A Jeffco League title. Senior Olivia Anselmo finished the league season undefeated at No. 2 singles, and the No. 3 doubles team of Kelsey Maass and Al-lyson Goto also finished 8-0 in league play. The Mustangs will compete in the 5A Re-gion 7 tournament this week hosted by Fos-sil Ridge. The 5A state tournament is May 10-12 at Gates Tennis Center in Denver.

Volleyball campPomona’s Junior Panther Volleyball

camps will run May 11 and 14. Players in grades 4-5 will participate from 5:30-7 p.m. on May 11, and players in grades 6-7 will compete from 5:30-7 p.m. on May 14. Basic skills of volleyball will be covered by Pomona’s volleyball staff and varsity play-ers. The cost of the camp is $25; to reserve a spot, contact Pomona coach Leilani Luke at [email protected].

Charity golf in MayThe Lakewood Legacy Foundation is

hosting the Links for the Legacy charity golf tournament May 19 at Fox Hollow Golf Course in Morrison. Funds raised at the tournament helps to benefit the Lakewood community. For more information, to be-come a sponsor or a partner in association with the Lakewood Legacy Foundation, contact Fred Taake at 303-989-4472.

Colts revving upThe Arvada Colts of the Rocky Mountain

Baseball League will hold open tryouts May 25-28. Tryout fee is $25. The club reserves two spots on its team for tryout players. To get registered for the tryout, call Tommy Skul at 720-933-6159. Arvada is also look-ing for host families for players this season. Those interested can go online at www.ar-vadacolts.com or call 720-933-6159.

Quick hits

Farmers punch their postseason ticketShutout of Conifer sends Wheat Ridge into Class 4A state playoffsBy Brian [email protected]

The Class 4A state playoffs just wouldn’t be the same without Wheat Ridge’s girls soccer team - fortunately for the Farmers, they won’t be missing out.

Junior Macee Broer tallied a hat trick April 25 as the Farmers helped lock up the

sixth and final playoff spot out of 4A Jeffco with a 3-0 victory over Conifer at the North Area Athletic Complex in Arvada.

A team that has competed in the past three state title games, winning two cham-pionships, has struggled at times this sea-son after getting hard by graduation. When it mattered most though, Wheat Ridge came through.

“The kids have

was the first time this season the Indians hadn’t scored multiple goals in a game.

The Conifer game was the true test for Wheat Ridge though, given that the final playoff spot would go to one side or the other. Broer needed just more than six minutes to find the back of the net, taking a shot from a tough angle and slotting it past Lobos goalkeeper Samantha Prince.

Broer struck again six minutes later, tak

Wheat Ridge senior Brooke Livingston, right, fights for the ball with Conifer’s Gabrielle Valenzuela during the first half of a 4A Jeffco contest April 25 at the NAAC in Arvada. The Farmers won 3-0. Photo by Brian Miller

Douglas Countysports16 Douglas County News-Press April 19, 2012

Huskies,titans battle in league openerPitching, “team effort” propel Legend over Douglas County in showdownBy Robert [email protected]

No matter the season, no matter what sport, the one thing any competitor in the rugged Continental league can count on is a long grind.

That was a feeling shared by the Leg-end and Douglas County baseball teams before their game on April 9th and re-mained the common theme following a 7-2 Titan’s win.

“In this league you take turns beat-ing the heck out of each other and hope, in the end, you survive,” said Douglas County coach Mark Roberts who, in the fourth season of his second stint with the school, has seen his share of tight league races.

And after three innings and the score tied at two, the game was very much as you would expect from teams fighting for an early leg up in the league standings.

“We had talked all season about get-ting the little things right and gaining

momentum,” said Scott Fellers, Legends fourth year coach. “And after scoring two runs in the 2nd inning I thought we did a good job at that. But they turned it on us in the 3rd and tied it by piecing some things together. Walks, a big hit, they made it a long inning for us.”

Following that long inning however, the Titan’s bats struck in the top of the 4th on their way to an 11 hit day to go back up by two runs and Titans starting pitch-er Tyler Honahan shut down the Huskies over the next two and two thirds innings, earning the win to go with 11 strike outs.

“I pitched ok. I got ahead of the batters mostly, but also walked some I shouldn’t have,” said Honanan. “I had great defense behind me and we had some hits and got some bunt’s down.

“Basically we executed when we had to, it was a good game by all and I’m proud of my team,” said the senior who will be playing collegiately at Stony Brook next fall.

For Legend senior Jake Jenkins, the game was both one of frustration and satisfaction.

“This was a great team effort,” said the third base-man and pitcher, who is headed to the University of Pacific. “I person-ally struggled at the plate but it helps when you have teammates getting hits and scoring runs. And when you have a guy like Tyler throwing and guy’s making good plays behind him it’s great to be a part of. This was a good game for us

and if we can keep that going we will be a good team.”

Douglas County senior Taylor Craft, who also will be going on to play in college at Eastern Arizona, kept his thoughts as well as his teammates posi-tive after the game.

“We have been hitting and pitching well in non league and we just need to carry that forward, not lose sight of that after this game,” Craft said. “We got a little flat and our bats fell asleep today. We lacked a play here or there and that made the difference, but we are still a good team and one game does not change that.”

Craft’s teammate, senior Aaron Ros-ipajla, agrees but also thinks he and his team needs to pick up the intensity both on the field and in the dugout.

“I believe in a vocal team. It helps keep players and the pitchers in the game and tuned up. As a senior I need to do more, be more involved in mak-ing that happen,” he said.

Recruited to CSU Pueblo for foot-ball, Rosipajla also plans to continue playing baseball and although he looks forward to that future he is not ready for it just yet.

“Still have a lot left in this season and I am having fun with it. We didn’t hit the ball today and we just need to go back to being confident, not let one bad inning at the plate get us down,” Rosipajla said.

His coach agreed.“This is one game, and we faced a

good pitcher who found a zone and they beat us,” said Roberts. “In a deep league where no one is going to go un-defeated, we have to be ready to pick up the pieces and respond quickly because we play again in two days. I’m happy with our team and we have played some good baseball and can’t let this one game diminish what we have started. And I think our team is mature enough to understand that.”

Douglas County shortstop Baron Coffelt attempts to turn a double pay as Legend’s Michael Baird slides into second base. Photo by Kevin Keyser | KeyserImages.com

Douglas County’s Codi Guillory looks to see if he can find a baserunner too far off the bag while Legend’s Bobby Dalbec tells his teammates to hold up. Photo by Kevin Keyser | KeyserImages.com

Sabercats pick up big winCastle View defeats Heritage for the first time in school historyBy Daniel P. [email protected]

When you set out to build a structure, you never want to rush construction.

If you do, chances are your foundation will crack and your project will come crum-bling down.

Castle View’s baseball program has tak-en a game-by-game approach to its build-ing plan, and the results appear to be plant-ed very steadily into the ground.

The Sabercats did something they had yet to do in their six-year history on April 13 — defeat Heritage — topping the Eagles 5-2 at Castle View High School. The win moved the team into a first-place tie with Regis atop the Class 5A Continental League standings with a 3-0 record.

“It’s a huge win for us,” said Castle View coach, Shawn Wyss, whose team is 8-3 over-all. “To do something we’ve never done be-fore is a thing we can feed off of, and hope-fully we can keep this momentum going.”

The loss capped a tough week for the Eagles, who dropped three straight league games and are 0-3 in conference play, 4-7 overall. Still, despite the losing streak, Heri-tage coach Scott Hormann says the team remains positive.

“Teams go through stretches like this,” Hormann said. “What I’m encouraged by is that no one is hanging their head; guys are still going out there and playing hard and trying to pick each other up. We are a good baseball team and we are going to beat some good teams.”

Castle View pitcher Trevor Smeeton picked up the win, pitching a complete game. The sophomore allowed just two runs on nine hits, struck out six and walked just one batter.

“He was in control and in command the entire game,” Wyss said.

Smeeton cruised through the Heritage lineup the first time around, but ran into trouble in the fourth as he loaded the bases with two outs. The Eagles failed to capi-talize on the scoring chance as Smeeton struck out Jon Wilson to end the inning.

“That was big to wiggle off the hook like that,” Wyss said. “That’s big for the whole team because now guys will start to trust (Smeeton) more, knowing that if he gets into trouble, he can work his way out of it.”

Smeeton’s teammates quickly rallied to his aid in the bottom of the fourth, scoring two runs to take a 4-0 lead. Kaleb Geiger led off the inning with a single, followed by an infield hit by Austin Smith. A sacrifice bunt moved by Ben Dalke moved both run-ners into scoring position and Chris Cruz knocked them both in with an RBI double to rightfield.

Heritage trimmed the deficit in half in the sixth as Dylan Schulthies lined an RBI single to center and another run scored on a Castle View throwing error. The Sabercats scored a run in bottom half of the inning as Bryce Lynch (3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs) knocked in a run with a single to left.

Cruz was 2-for-3 on the day with two RBIs and a run scored for Castle View. Kyle Calhoun was 2-for-2 with a single, double, run scored and was hit by a pitch. The Ea-gles’ Danny Strine went the distance on the mound, and struck out seven batters.

“Our league is brutal,” Hormann said. “There’s no gimmies. You have to play well to win. I thought we played a good game, but things didn’t go our way. We hit three balls on the nose, but right at (Castle View) players. That stuff happens. If those balls find a hole, it’s maybe a different ballgame.”

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Wheat Ridge senior Tyler Kubasta, right, takes down a running back during drills Aug. 16 at Wheat Ridge High School. Kubasta returns at linebacker and tight end for the Farmers. Photo by Brian Miller

Bulldogs aim to build upon 2011 seasonArvada returns core of team that won three games a year agoBy Devin [email protected]

Last season was all about im-provement for Arvada’s football team.

After finishing the 2009 sea-son with only 13 players and going winless in 2010, Arvada finished last season with a 3-7 re-cord. With a number of players returning, the Bulldogs are hop-ing the trend continues and they end up with a winning record.

Offense was a rough spot for the Bulldogs in 2011 as they scored more than 20 points on only one occasion. With only one key player in running back Dwight Howes gone though, this season’s team brings back plenty of talent.

Senior quarterback John Mar-tinez is ready to make a splash and he’ll have solid targets in se-nior wide receiver Casey Milroy and junior tight end Travin Har-ris. Arvada figures to throw the ball about 60 percent of the time but will be aided by a better run-ning game.

After not having a true tail-back last season, Jesse Jackson, a stepbrother of Harris, comes over from Montbello to give the Bull-dogs speed in the backfield. Jack-son didn’t play football last year.

“I have more confidence now that I know what to do and who to throw to,” Martinez said. “Jackson’s presence just adds more speed to the game for us.”

The offensive line will be led by junior center Tyler Landgraf, a three-year starter at the position; senior right tackle Stephen So-wal; and senior left guard Eddie Puga. The defense faces the task of not having junior linebacker Vlad Cherneko, who sustained an injury at a camp during the summer. Puga will look to make up for Cherneko’s absence at linebacker with help from Sowal who will see time as a defensive end.

Senior defensive back Taylor Vaughn is ready for a big season after missing half of last year with a concussion.

“Last season is really moti-vational for me because I don’t want to miss my last year,” Vaughn said. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance to get to play with your friends like this.”

Vaughn will get help from fel-low senior defensive backs Avery Olson and Isaiah Maldonado. The defensive line is a work in progress and will be used primar-ily by committee.

“(Sowal) is our only senior on

the defensive line which is bad for now and good for the future,” Arvada coach Tom Baker said. “We have had the same system for the last three years so that will help us.”

Arvada moves to the newly-created Class 3A Metro West League. The Bulldogs will have some familiarity with the likes of Alameda and D’Evelyn, which played in the Metro North League with Arvada in 2011. Arvada will also face Evergreen, which de-feated the Bulldogs 46-13 in a non-league game last year.

The rest of the league consists of Conifer, Summit, and Luther-an. Conifer and D’Evelyn appear to be the favorites with Arvada hoping to make a move.

“I just expect the teams in the league to give everything they have,” Puga said. “If they get me, they get me, but they’re not go-ing to get me.”

Arvada believes it has a shot at its first winning season since 1981.

“We want to get better each year,” Baker said.

“Zero wins two years ago, three last season, five would be nice. Six would be even better; anything on top of that is just gravy.”

Arvada’s Taylor Vaughn waits to haul in a pass during practice Aug. 20 at Arvada High School. Vaughn missed much of last season with an injury but is expected to be a key contributor this fall. Photo by Alan Yamamoto


Farmers seeking another softball repeatReplacing Madsen is first task for defending champs; Arvada West looking to bounce back in the 5A fieldBy Brian [email protected]

For those quick to write off the chances of defending Class 4A state soft-ball champion Wheat Ridge this season, understand the Farmers aren’t exactly in foreign territory.

Yes, Wheat Ridge is no longer with the services of dominating pitcher Elle Madsen. But look back to 2009, when the Farmers claimed the 4A title and then graduated pitcher Stephanie Rout-zon.

Wheat Ridge came back just as strong, forging its way into the semifinals the next spring before returning to Aurora Sports Park with a vengeance last fall by knocking off Windsor 6-3 in the cham-pionship game. So with Madsen having departed, Wheat Ridge now looks to ju-nior Jessica Salbato and freshman Ann Marie Torres to fill that gap and help lead the team to a possible repeat for the third time in 11 years.

“It’s hard to replace any pitcher when they’re done. It’s one of those things that the next year, you don’t know what you’re going to get in the circle,” Farm-ers coach Marty Stricklett said. “I keep telling my coaching staff is `our season’s going to stem on the circle; what do we get out of Jessica this year, or what do we get out of whoever else I put on the mound? What can they do?’”

Even after a 9-1 loss to Arvada West to open the season, Wheat Ridge looks to be in good shape this fall. Outfielder Kayla Mathewson, who has committed to In-diana University, returns to her spot in

center field. Seniors Morgan Wilkie (first base), Taylor Haiges (shortstop) and Dar-ian Trengrove (right field) are also back, along with sophomore third baseman/catcher Analece Apodaca.

“We have a big target on our backs still, but we’ve got some new upcom-ing freshmen,” Mathewson said. “It was hard losing Elle and Paige (Duncan) of course, but I think we’ll be pretty good.”

Salbato will get her shot at replacing Madsen. The junior spent the previous two seasons waiting her turn, and did make a showing in the state semifinal loss to Erie in 2010.

“It’s one of those things as a junior she’s got to trust that we’ve got three, four seniors behind her,” Stricklett said. “She’s got a lot of support. She’s got youth and experience behind her.”

Mathewson batted .581 a year ago with 50 hits, 44 runs scored and 35 RBIs. Haiges, Trengrove and Wilkie each had at least 20 hits as well.

“There’s going to be a lot of pressure to get a third title for us,” Mathewson said. “It’ll be a lot of hard work and we’re going to have to push our team and be leaders.”

The 4A Jeffco League added Green Mountain this fall. D’Evelyn, which ap-peared in the state finals in 2009 and 2010, also graduated its top pitcher in Holly Reinke.

“It’s going to be a tough league, no matter how you break it down, who loses what,” Stricklett said. “Coaches in this league are good coaches. They re-place the pieces of the puzzle very well.”

In 5A Jeffco, Arvada West finished

in a five-way tie for fourth place a year ago and missed out on the postseason. The Wildcats graduated only two seniors though and have looked good early this fall, downing Wheat Ridge and Boulder by a combined 22-4 margin.

First-year coach Chalee McDou-gal said the players understand the expectations.

“Every one of the girls we have on that field knows what the history of Ar-vada West was; you can almost feel their disappointment from last year when they walk out there,” she said. “It defi-nitely weighs heavy on their mind. They almost put too much pressure on them-selves at this point. They want to prove

themselves to everybody else that that isn’t who they are.”

Arvada West brings back seniors Zoe Humphries (catcher), Corey Hendrick-son (third base/outfield), Emily Holtz (outfield/infield) and Mattie Bockhold (pitcher). Juniors Briana Sanville (catch-er/utility), Delaney McGinn (shortstop) and Alex Vigil (infield) are also back.

McDougal, who played at Colorado State and coached at Arvada, said she expects the league to be just as tough as always.

“It’s just a premiere league,” she said. “I can’t imagine that would change.”

In 3A, Faith Christian returns stand-out pitcher Keely Gray among others.

Wheat Ridge’s Kayla Mathewson celebrates during last year’s Class 4A state champi-onship victory over Windsor. Mathewson returns for her senior season as the Farmers look to defend their title. File photo

Copan brings playing experience to GoldenField hockey: Former Demons player takes over as team’s new coachBy Jeff [email protected]

Things have come full circle for Marissa Copan.

Having been a part of the birth of Gold-en girls field hockey as a player from 2003-06, she now finds herself with a new role within the program — head coach.

After serving the past two seasons as an assistant, Copan has been handed the reins to one of the newer and more chal-lenging coaching jobs in Jeffco.

“Mikayla Paulson (Golden’s former head coach) moved recently and she asked me to step up and take the position,” Co-pan said. “It means everything to me.”

Copan will now face the task that her predecessors faced as well — bringing together a group from multiple schools and varying levels of experience with the sport. As the only girls field hockey team in Jeffco, Golden’s team pools athletes

from multiple schools in the area.This year, Copan has 24 girls out for the

team from at least 10 different schools, in-cluding Golden, Chatfield, Ralston Valley, Mullen and Heritage, among others.

But Copan has something that previ-ous coaches may not have had in terms of personal experience. When Copan joined the team as a high school freshman in 2003, she had never picked up a stick be-fore.

“When I came to (the team) I was a new student and brand new to field hockey,” she said. “It gave me my group of friends, leading my direction to college and what I’m doing now. I’m happy to have the chance to keep it alive.”

Copan, who went on to play field hock-ey at Division III Goucher College in Balti-more, can now impart her own experience on to her young pupils, some of whom are still learning the basic rules of the sport.

“To have these girls with me and to

help them grow into fantastic ladies and athletes is amazing,” she said. “I remem-ber when it all happened to me. To see the process on the flip-side from where I was before is pretty wonderful.”

Golden faces an uphill battle following a year in which it finished 1-13-1 and was outscored by four or more goals on nine occasions.

However, Copan said she saw progress a season ago, especially in the team’s fi-nal contest against Poudre. The Demons earned a 1-0 victory over a team that beat them 2-0 a month earlier.

Golden also has some strong building blocks returning, including a talented trio from Chatfield — junior midfielder Savan-nah Mellberg, junior defender Emily Mc-Minimee and sophomore forward Kendra Lanuza. The Demons also have one re-turning senior in Lucy Koch from Mullen.

“Last year we had such a young team but a lot of talented athletes,” Koch said.

“This year, I think we already look more polished.”

Koch also stressed the importance of having a coach at the helm who can share some of her own experience with the pro-gram.

“There really aren’t many coaches around with experience with the sport at all,” said Koch.

“Not only did (Copan) play in college but she played here, too. She’s seen it all. And now she’s able to help us see it from a great perspective.”

Copan says the key for her is imparting a sense of confidence to her team, even as it competes against stiff competition in the 14-team, statewide league, which includes Kent Denver and Colorado Acad-emy.

“Field hockey is really anyone’s game,” Copan said. “One goal is all it takes to be in it. We’re just going play to win this year. We’ll play hard and smart and together.”

MILE HIGH NEWSPAPERS > AUGUST 30, 2012 > FALL FOOTBALL & SPORTS PREVIEW > PAGE 13OURCOLORADONEWS.COM13-Color

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Assortment of injuries haven’t slowed Ivy Cross country: Lakewood senior ready to make most of fi nal season By Craig Harper [email protected]

At times, Maddie Ivy seems to resemble an accident waiting to happen.

The Lakewood senior ran most of the 2011 cross coun-try season after suffering cracked ribs and a fractured foot while horsing around with some teammates — yet man-aged to place 15th at the Class 5A state meet. Then, about a week before the start of the track and fi eld season, she slammed her snowboard into a tree, receiving a concus-sion that limited her workouts and resulted in her not placing in the state meet. Ivy also slipped on ice and suf-fered a concussion before her sophomore track season.

“I have to be careful with all these silly injuries that aren’t related to running,’’ Ivy said. “I still had a strong (cross country) season, but it could have been stronger.’’

So far, so good.“I’m healthy and have had a good summer of train-

ing,’’ said Ivy, who is looking to stay that way through her fi nal high school cross country season and contend for the 5A state championship. “There are defi nitely a lot of girls coming back, so (a state title) might be out of the question. But it’s always been a dream and something to look for.’’

Much of Ivy’s competition will come from within the Jeffco League. Pomona junior Alaina Anderson fi nished fourth, Ralston Valley senior Nicole Hahn was eighth and Dakota Ridge senior McKenna Spiller is the defending 3,200-meter track champion, where she beat Anderson by .01 seconds.

Lakewood also returns sophomore Olivia Hayden, who was 23rd a year ago and someday may replace Ivy as “the face of Lakewood distance running,’’ as she’s been dubbed by Tigers coach Kyle Gillette. “Other coaches al-ways ask me about Maddie. They don’t ask me about any-body else, but maybe they’ll ask about Olivia after this year.’’

One reason opposing coaches take note of Ivy is her distinct running style.

“She runs on her toes and destroys shoes,’’ Gillette said. “Most shoes are designed for 200-300 miles because they’re designed to take impact from the mid-step to the heel. But Maddie runs with more of a sprinter’s style and she’ll go through a pair in a couple of weeks.’’

Ivy is running her way to a college scholarship, and hopes to cement one by improving her times, especially on the track next spring. She said she has “defi nite op-portunities for scholarships” at Creighton, Marquette and Saint Louis. “Right now I can make all three with the times I have,’’ she said. “Mostly they look at track times and that’s a little hard because I haven’t had a full track season.’’

Another goal is to help Lakewood qualify for state, and that is a possibility. Gillette also is high on junior Erin Matheson and sophomore Jordan Soto and said, “We’ve got a very strong four, and if we pull a good fi fth I think we have a strong chance to go to state.’’

To do that, Lakewood will have to survive “one of the top regionals in the state,’’ Ivy said. “That will make it even nicer if we qualify as a team, and I think we can.’’

Ralston Valley will need some girls to step up if it is to repeat as Jeffco League champion. The Mustangs lost their second- and fourth-best fi nishers at state. Returning with Hahn is senior Guilianna Vessa, who was 70th. But the next-highest returnee was 129th.

“We’ll be right in the mix for the league (title) and top 10 at state if we can replace a couple of girls,’’ said Ralston Valley coach Jeff Gomer.

Like Ivy, Hahn, who won the league title last year, and Anderson have battled injuries, either in the fall of spring. Hahn missed six weeks of track training with a hip fl exor and did not qualify for state, and Anderson fought a calf problem throughout the cross country sea-son. Anderson was healthy for track and won league titles in 1,600 and 3,200.

“At the end of the (cross country) season I felt a lot better,’’ Anderson said. “I was feeling pretty good in the state meet and pretty well for what I had.’’

Anderson said her narrow loss to Spiller in the 3,200 has provided added motivation for this cross country sea-son. “It pushes me to want to be even better.’’

Seniors Jordan McCoy and Lauren Taylor should be Pomona’s Nos. 2 and 3 runners.

In 4A girls, D’Evelyn returns all of its runners from a team that fi nished 14th. Junior Emily Garnier (35th) leads the way along with sophomore Annecy Olson

(47th) and senior Josie Warren (52nd).The D’Evelyn boys took 12th last year. The Jaguars re-

turn their top runner, junior Carter Prescott (32nd) but graduated Nos. 2 and 3.

The Pomona boys took 15th in the 5A meet and return four of their top fi ve from state, led by sophomore Mar-celo Laguera (53rd) and senior John May (87th).

Lakewood and Ralston Valley did not qualify their boys teams. But the Tigers return all but one runner, led by seniors James Hill and Jackson Snyder. Gomer, who is taking over the Mustangs’ boys team, admitted, “We’ve got some work to do.” Spencer River, a senior who battled injury last year, should be Ralston Valley’s top runner.

‘I’m healthy and have had a

good summer of training. There

are defi nitely a lot of girls

coming back, so (a state title)

might be out of the question.

But it’s always been a dream

and something to look for.’

Maddie Ivy


Coaching consistency has Pirates motivatedGille returns for second year with Alameda, which is ready to rebound

By Devin [email protected]

Players are ready to move on from tough times and turn Alameda’s football team into a winning program.

After going 1-9 in 2011, players have been hard at work all summer in an effort to make sure that doesn’t happen this fall. At the first official practice, 80 play-ers arrived with more expected to join by the time school started.

“I’m excited, we’ve had a great work ethic all summer long,” Alameda coach Keith Gille said. “I’m proud of the kids. We have a long way to go to turn the program around but we’re trying to get significantly better.”

From 2007-10, the Pirates had three different head coaches. Now, Gille begins his second year at the helm and with most of his assistant coaches returning as well, Alameda is looking to build a more stable program that its players can believe in.

“Not only coach Gille but I think the staff that’s under him are all great coaches,” said Alameda senior offensive and defensive lineman Joe Fairbanks. “I believe we have some of the best guys out here helping us learn what we need to learn.”

Alameda’s offense is looking for a re-bound season after failing to score more than 18 points in a game in all of 2011. The Pirates have been known as a running team and this year should be no excep-

tion. Senior tailback Lupe Pacheco will get the brunt of the carries and should have room to run behind an improving offensive line which includes Fairbanks, senior center Angel Hernandez, and se-nior guard Jordan Pacheco.

“Last year the linemen were not strong,” Hernandez said. “Now that we’re working out more I think it should be easier for us to run and throw.”

Junior quarterback Chris Ferson will be ready to go after having to jump in dur-ing the second week of last season. Sopho-more Parker Roberts will back Ferson up.

“Last year I wasn’t really ready when I got thrown to the wolves early,” Ferson said. “This year I’ve been going to quarter-back camps and it’s helped me out a lot. I feel a lot more confident. I don’t think there is any competition at quarterback.”

Defense was an issue for the Pirates, who allowed fewer than 23 points in only one game and gave up 41 or more points on seven occasions.

“We were terrible defensively last year,” Gille said. “It’s all on me as the head coach to figure out a way to get better. I didn’t do a good job last year. We gave up way too many big plays. We want to make our opponents fight for ev-ery inch this year.”

A number of key offensive players will also play defense. Lupe Pacheco will see time as a free safety while Ferson and sophomore Harry Lu will be cornerbacks. Fairbanks, Jordan Pacheco, Hernandez,

and senior Casey Armour will help the defensive line.

In their second year under Gille and the current defensive system, the play-ers know what they need to do to take strides.

“We know the defense a lot better,” Lupe Pacheco said. “We have kids who

know what they’re doing now.”The main goal for Alameda is 2012 is

to simply make plays.“Our motto is to `win this play,’” Gille

said. “It’s a matter of battling on one play and winning it. Then we want to win the next play and if we do that, wins will come.”

Alameda junior Lupe Pacheco tries to break the tackle of Evergreen senior Braden Olson during the second quarter of the Pirates’ loss Sept. 9 of last year. Pacheco is one of a handful of returning starters for Alameda. File photo

Bears seeking to push way into next levelCompeting for Jeffco volleyball crown is Bear Creek’s goal this fall; new format eliminates district tournamentsBy Brian [email protected]

When it comes to volleyball in the Class 5A Jeffco League, the final regular-season standings tend to read like a list of the usual suspects.

Lakewood, Ralston Valley, Columbine and Chatfield seem to find their way to the top of the standings on an annual basis, and 2011 was no exception. Lakewood pounded its way into the state semifinals before falling in five games to Grandview, earning Jeffco some well-deserved respect along the way.

One Jeffco squad that quietly went about the business of having a pretty good season was Bear Creek. The Bears, after finishing at or near the bottom in previous years, tied for third with Columbine and Chatfield at 5-3 in the league. An 0-2 showing in district play ended the team’s season, but not before turning some heads.

“We started winning some matches that in past years we might not have won,” Bear Creek coach Dave Young-blood said. “We had some tough matches against some Jeffco teams and we think we’re going to continue to im-prove.”

With a handful of starters back, including second-team all-league selections Micayla Lansing and Jennifer Martinez, the Bears are hoping this is the year they take

the next step.“Really it’s everyone on our team this year just has

a really good attitude and is willing to work hard and work together,” said Lansing, a 5-foot-11 middle hitter. “I think that’s going to be the difference between winning and losing this year.”

Lansing was second to Sam Schroeder in kills a year ago and first in blocks. Martinez led the squad with as-sists and digs and was third in aces.

“She’s definitely going to be one of our biggest hitters and point-scorers,” Youngblood said of Lansing. “The thing about Micayla is she can score all across the net. She won’t just be attacking the middle.

“Jen’s a senior setter, one of the best in the conference. We’re going to really rely on her. If she plays well, we’re going to be tough.”

Also returning for Bear Creek are juniors Marie Mohler and Courtney O’Gane, along with senior Danielle Gi-annini. Freshman Kendall Stillwell is expected to con-tribute at libero.

The graduation of Schroeder, the team’s lone first-team all-league pick, is a big one though.

“Sam is a big loss,” Youngblood said. “But I think we’re actually going to add two or three players and I think our level with remain high without really trying to replace one player with one player.”

A tough non-league slate that includes the Regis Jam tournament should help get the Bears ready for what lies ahead.

“I feel like the Regis tournament coming up is going to help us a lot because you do compete against a lot of good teams that aren’t in your league,” Martinez said. “I think it prepares you for league.”

Lakewood graduated three of its first-team players, including Jeffco MVP Lauren Carpenter, but does return outside hitters Maggie Steward and Marie Zimmerman. Ralston Valley brings back outside hitter Dani Wingard, and Chatfield has Meghan Bohn back.

“We think it’s going to be a little tougher, a little more competitive at the top,” Youngblood said. “We think if we play well and execute the way we need to, we can be there and compete for the league title.”

The biggest change this fall is the elimination of the 48-team district tournament. Instead, 36 teams will qual-ify for regional play, including the 12 league champions.

“I think it’s good pressure. We don’t have time to fool around,” Lansing said. “Last year I think we were ranked 32nd going in, so we would have made it last year. But I think if we work, we’ll be better than that.”

Valor Christian won the 4A Jeffco title a year ago but is no longer in the league. Green Mountain returns stand-out Hannah Ikeler.


local stadiums

• Adams 12 North Stadium: Behind Mountain Range High School at 12500 Delaware St. in Westminster. Cross streets are 128th and Huron.

• All City Stadium: Next to Denver South High School at 1700 E. Louisiana Ave. in Denver.

• Aurora Public School Stadium: Located on the Hin-kley High School campus, 1250 Chambers Road in Au-rora.

• District 50 Stadium: Located at Westminster High School, 4276 W. 68th Ave.

• DiTirro Stadium: Located on the Skyview High School campus, 9000 York Street.

• Douglas County Schools Stadium: Located at Doug-las Country High School, 2842 Front Street, Castle Rock, CO 80104

• Englewood Stadium: Located on the Englewood High School campus, 3800 S. Logan Street in Englewood.

• Everly-Montgomery Field: Located on the Long-mont High School campus at 1040 Sunset Street in

Longmont.• Evie Dennis Sports Complex: Located at 4800 Tel-

luride St. in Denver.• Five Star Stadium: Across the street from Thornton

High School at 9351 N. Washington (93rd and Wash-ington).

• French Field: Located on the Rocky Mountain High School campus, 1300 W. Swallow Road in Fort Collins.

• Jefferson County Stadium: Located at Kipling Street and West Sixth Avenue in Lakewood.

• Kellog Stadium: Located at Regis Jesusit High School, 16300 E Weaver PlAurora

• Legacy Stadium: Located on the Cherokee Trail High School campus, 25901 E. Arapahoe Road in Aurora.

• Littleton Public School Stadium: Located on the Littleton High School campus, 199 E. Littleton Blvd. in Littleton.

• Mike G. Gabriel Stadium: Located on the Holy Family campus, 5195 W. 144th Ave. in

Broomfield.• North Area Athletic Complex: Located at 19500 W.

64th Parkway in Arvada.• Prairie View High School: 12909 E. 120th Ave. in

Henderson.• Recht Field: Located on the Boulder High School

campus, 1604 Arapahoe Ave. in Boulder.•Shea Stadium: Located off Santa Fe in High-

lands Ranch, 3270 Redstone Park Cir. Highlands Ranch.

• Sports Authority Stadium: Located at 11901 Newlin Gulch Blvd. in Parker.

• Stutler Bowl: Located on the Cherry Creek High School campus, 9300 E. Union Ave. in Greenwood Vil-lage.

• Trailblazer Stadium: Located at 170 S. Kipling Street in Lakewood.

• Valor Stadium: Located at Valor Christian High School, 3775 Grace Blvd., Highlands Ranch.

Alameda junior Lupe Pacheco tries to break the tackle of Evergreen senior Braden Olson during the second quarter of the Pirates’ loss Sept. 9 of last year. Pacheco is one of a handful of returning starters for Alameda. File photo

Redemption the primary focus for GoldenDemons highly motivated after dropping first nine games of last fall


The 2011 season didn’t get off to the best start for Golden’s football team, and things quickly snowballed in the wrong direction.

The Demons had a victory snatched away by Denver South in the fourth quar-ter of the season opener, falling by two points. That set up a Week 2 matchup with Class 5A Lakewood, where things went from bad to worse in a hurry.

The Tigers, who went on to reach the state championship game, physically han-dled Golden 44-0. Injuries started to pile up, and Demons coach Mike Joseph said it took a few weeks for the team to recover mentally.

It all added up to nine consecutive losses before Golden closed out the season with a victory over Prairie View.

“It’s definitely a motivation; 1-9 is nip-ping at our heels for sure,” Golden senior linebacker Brad Blackstock said. “We want to do much better than that.”

The 21-13 triumph over the Thunder-hawks may not have seemed like much, but it sent the underclassmen into the off-season with a little bit of confidence and the desire to pick up where the Demons left off.

“After losing nine straight games it was so tough, but you’ve got to keep your head up and you’ve got to let all the other guys know you’re with them,” Golden se-nior Kellen Kyger said. “You’ve got to keep going and I think that’s what won us our last game.”

“It put a fire right under us. We’re out for a whole new season,” senior running back Paris Salas added. “That’s what we’ve been using as motivation to keep this win-ning streak up.”

Salas injured his quadriceps muscle in the loss to Lakewood and didn’t return until late in the season. He rushed for more than 100 yards in the season finale though on 14 carries.

“I know it killed him. He was so crushed that he couldn’t play,” Golden coach Mike Joseph said. “You saw those last couple games when he was healthy, he had a great game against Prairie View and he played well against Dakota Ridge and Green Mountain too.”

Salas leads a handful of returners on offense this fall. He has a solid offensive in front of him that includes 6-foot-3, 310-pound senior Cody Gulley, along with Lars Lind, Noah Lennox, Gage Jones and Bailey Bowker.

“I think as a team if we can become more of a family, I think that’s going to be a big part of this year,” Gulley said. “Other than that, I think it’s all there.”

Brandon Gardner and Blackstock will also see time at running back, and Kyger will play some at tight end. With two-year starter Jordan Johnson having graduated, the quarterback spot will go to either se-nior Mike Barela or junior Jake McCor-mick.

“Jordan never really had that compe-tition in the past,” Joseph said. “I think it makes you a little complacent, and nei-ther one of these kids are sure they’re go-ing to start and they both want to.”

Joseph said the Demons will have good depth at linebacker and in the secondary, though the defensive line will be a bit young.

Even though Golden graduated a num-ber of players at the skill positions, be-cause of the numerous injuries, plenty of younger players saw time.

The Colorado High School Activities Association’s new two-year cycle shuffled the leagues a bit, with Golden now in the 4A Mountain Conference that includes powerhouses Broomfield and Monarch, along with Standley Lake, Montbello and George Washington.

“It’ll be difficult. It’s not a cakewalk, for sure,” Blackstock said. “It’ll be fun. New teams are good.”

Former Jeffco rivals Wheat Ridge, Green Mountain and Dakota Ridge are

now in the Plains Conference, though Golden will still play all three in non-con-ference contests.

Joseph said it’s not out of the question that finishing third in the league could result in a postseason appearance. Either way, the Demons are looking to enjoy bet-

ter days this fall.“We’re trying to incorporate being

more a part of the community than we’ve been,” Salas said. “We’re just try-ing to get that old Demon pride of hard-hitting football that we haven’t had in a while.”

Golden senior Paris Salas, right, takes part in a defensive drill during practice Aug. 14 at Golden High School. Salas is expected to make a big impact on both sides of the ball for the Demons this fall. Photo by Brian Miller

> FALL FOOTBALL & SPORTS PREVIEW > AUGUST 30, 2012 > MILE HIGH NEWSPAPERS OURCOLORADONEWS.COM16-Color

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