FRIDAY, Feb. 10
Boys basketball
Highland 80, Thornton 68, in Thornton: Highland jumped out to a 22-8 first-quarter lead, and Thornton was never able to recover. Sophomore Sawyer Morgan led the Huskies with 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting to go with 11 rebounds, four assists and three steals. He was one of three Highland players with 15 or more points. The Huskies improved to 14-3 with the nonleague win.
Briggsdale 63, Arickaree 47, in Briggsdale: Briggsdale created ample separation with a 16-4 second quarter that allowed the Falcons to lead 33-19 at halftime. Outside of that quarter, Briggsdale outscored Arickaree just 47-43. Senior Zach Bauer led the Falcons with 20 points, six rebounds and three assists. Junior Tanner Fiscus recorded a triple-double, racking up 17 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and four steals. Briggsdale improved to 10-5 with the nonleague win.
Denver Christian 49, Dayspring Christian 29, in Greeley: Dayspring was outscored by 10 points in each half, as it fell to 5-11 overall, 4-5 in 3A/2A/1A Mile High League play.
Clear Creek 52, Union Colony 44, in Greeley: Union Colony dug itself into a 17-9 hole after the first quarter and a 44-28 hole after three quarters and could never fully bounce back. The Timberwolves fell to 8-9 overall, 5-6 in 3A/2A/1A Mile High League play.
Briggsdale’s Jenna Krise drives toward the basket in the Colorado High School Activities Association girls basketball Class 1A championship game against Flatirons Academy Saturday, March 12, 2022 at the Budweiser Events Center in Loveland. (Jim Rydbom/For the Greeley Tribune)
Girls basketball
Briggsdale 56, Arickaree 33, in Briggsdale: Briggsdale jumped out to a 25-5 first-quarter lead and never looked back in this nonleague affair. Junior Jenna Krise led the Falcons with 20 points, seven assists and five steals. Sophomore Kayl Klem added 12 points, nine rebounds, four assists and three blocks. Briggsdale improved to 14-1.
Highland 58, Thornton 14, in Ault: Highland picked up a dominant nonleague win to improve to 10-7 overall. Junior Taylor Berkheimer led the Huskies with 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting to go with three steals.
Dayspring Christian 40, Denver Christian 32, in Greeley: Dayspring won its third consecutive game and improved to 12-4 overall, 7-0 in 3A/2A/1A Mile High League play. The Eagles erased a modest early deficit and held Denver Christian to single digits in three of four quarters.
Union Colony 38, Clear Creek 18, in Greeley: Union Colony snapped a four-game losing streak and improved to 4-11 overall, 2-6 in 3A/2A/1A Mile High League play. The Timberwolves held Clear Creek to six or fewer points in each quarter. Junior Maddy Walter and freshman Soliana Gebremeskel scored 14 and 12 points, respectively, for Union Colony. Gebremeskel also racked up 13 rebounds, five steals and two assists. Walter added 10 rebounds, six steals and three assists.
SATURDAY, Feb. 11
Boys basketball
Platte Valley 54, Fort Lupton 50, in Fort Lupton: Platte Valley picked up a marquee victory and snapped Fort Lupton’s nearly season-long 18-game win streak. The Bluedevils’ previous loss came on Dec. 2 against Eaton. Senior Max Zenk and junior Braylon Edstrom led a balanced Broncos squad with 15 points apiece. Zenk also had 12 rebounds, four assists and two steals. Senior Jesus Vasquez was Fort Lupton’s sole double-digit scorer, pouring in a game-high 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Platte Valley improved to 13-5 with the nonleague victory. The Bluedevils fell to 18-3. The Broncos remain eighth in CHSAANow.com’s latest 3A poll.
Weld Central 77, Valley 65, in Gilcrest: Weld Central started each half of this high-scoring affair with a burst, going up 22-11 in the first quarter. Then, the Rebels expanded upon a 37-32 halftime lead with a 20-13 run in the third. Weld Central sophomore Jace Cornelius led the way with 23 points on 6-of-12 shooting to go with eight steals, four assists and four rebounds. He was one of five double-digit scorers for the Rebels. Weld Central improved to 10-11 overall, 3-8 in 4A Patriot League play. Valley fell to 5-16, 1-9.
Highland 90, Estes Park 44, in Ault: Highland picked up its second win in fewer than 24 hours, improving to 15-3 overall, 7-0 in 3A Patriot League play. The Huskies were in full control after going up 34-8 in the first quarter and 59-23 by halftime. Sophomore Sawyer Morgan and senior Hyatt Tolle scored 21 and 19 points, respectively, for Highland. Morgan shot 9 of 10, while Tolle went 7 of 11. Morgan added seven rebounds, five assists and three steals. The Huskies are ranked fourth in CHSAANow.com’s most recent 3A poll.
Briggsdale 55, Kiowa 22, in Kiowa: Briggsdale dominated this nonleague affair from beginning to end, winning its sixth consecutive game and improving to 11-5 overall. The Falcons led 11-0 after one quarter and 30-4 by halftime. Senior Zach Bauer scored a game-high 18 points to go with seven rebounds for Briggsdale. Senior John Krise added 14 points, seven boards and three steals. The Falcons have risen to eighth in CHSAANow.com’s latest 1A rankings.
Otis 61, Prairie 29, in Otis: After taking a 12-10 lead in the first quarter, Prairie struggled to score the rest of the way. Otis took a 20-13 lead with a 10-1 second-quarter run and never looked back. The Mustangs fell to 4-12 with the nonleague loss. Otis is ranked fifth in 1A by CHSAANow.com.
Girls basketball
Valley 45, Weld Central 30, in Keeensburg: After taking a modest 5-3 lead through one quarter, Valley blew open the game with a 20-9 run in the second quarter to lead 25-12 at halftime. Vikings senior Abril Fuentes led the way with 10 points on 3-of-5 shooting to go with two blocks. Valley sophomore Nevaeh Jimenez added eight points and 14 rebounds. The Vikings improved to 10-11 overall, 2-8 in 4A Patriot League play. Weld Central fell to 5-16, 0-11.
Briggsdale 86, Kiowa 66, in Kiowa: Briggsdale recorded a season-high in points to improve to 15-1 overall. Leading just 37-31 at halftime, the Falcons created some separation with a 27-17 run in the third quarter. Briggsdale remains in second — behind two-time defending state champion Flatirons Academy — in CHSAANow.com’s latest 1A rankings.
Highland 60, Estes Park 42, in Ault: Highland secured its second win in as many days, improving to 11-7 overall, 5-2 in 3A Patriot League play. Junior Mary Jones led the Huskies with 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting to go with nine rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Prairie 46, Otis 42, in New Raymer: Prairie secured a nonleague nail-biter to snap a three-game losing streak and improve to 6-10 overall. The Mustangs trailed 15-7 in the first quarter before outscoring Otis 39-27 the rest of the way. Senior Alliyah Nelson led Prairie with 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting to go with three assists and two steals.
EATON, CO – FEBRUARY 08:Sophie Morgan, left, and her sister Caitlin Morgan, a junior, stand for a portrait in the pool after the Eaton Reds girls swimming practice at Eaton High School in Eaton Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022. (Alex McIntyre/Greeley Tribune file photo)
Girls swimming and diving
Weld teams compete at state, in Thornton: Eaton scored 51 points to place 19th, and Roosevelt was 32nd (15 points) out of 34 teams in the 3A girls swimming and diving championship at the Veterans Memorial Aquatic Center. Valley also competed but didn’t score any team points.
Evergreen won the team title with 443 points, topping runner-up Discovery Canyon’s 333.
Eaton senior Kaiya Sinkler (362.20 points) placed 12th in one-meter diving. Her sophomore teammate Maddux Chapman (350.55) was 14th in the same event.
The Reds team of senior Aubrey Ledall, senior Caitlin Morgan, sophomore Sophie Morgan and sophomore Dharma Perkins (2:03.46) placed 17th in the 200-yard medley relay.
Caitlin Morgan (2:24.61) was 16th in the 200 individual medley. Her younger sister, Sophie Morgan (2:28.59), placed 19th in the same event.
Roosevelt sophomore Aayla Deter (2:26.30) was 17th in the 200 IM. She advanced to the “B” finals as an alternate coming out of Friday’s prelims.
JOHNSTOWN, CO – JANUARY 20:Roosevelt girls swimming captain Aayla Deter swims the backstroke for a photo after an interview at the pool in the Johnstown Community YMCA in Johnstown Jan. 20, 2022. (Alex McIntyre/Greeley Tribune file photo)
Deter (1:01.78) was also 11th in the 100 backstroke. She won her heat, the B finals, taking 1.45 seconds off her prelim time.
Eaton’s quartet of Perkins, junior Andie Rasmussen, Sophie Morgan and Caitlin Morgan (1:48.23) were 15th in the 200 freestyle relay.
Caitlin Morgan (1:13.31) placed 13th in the 100 breaststroke.
Boys wrestling
Eaton dominates regional, in Eaton: Eaton effectively defended its home floor and walked way with a 3A Region 1 title, scoring 288.5 points. Fort Lupton (228) was second out of 15 teams. Resurrection Christian (185) placed third, Valley (182) was fourth, Platte Valley (139) finished sixth and Weld Central (73) was eighth.
Eaton, the defending 3A state champion, had a full team of 14 wrestlers place in the top 4 of their respective weight class, thus earning spots in the state tournament Thursday-Saturday at Denver’s Ball Arena. That included regional champions Patrick Preston (132 pounds, 41-7), Gunnar Clary (175, 29-12) and Cal Sidwell (190, 30-4). Joining this trio at state will be 106-pounder Blake Hawkins (2nd, 18-4), 113-pounder Dylan Paris (2nd, 27-6), 120-pounder Louden Kindsfater (4th, 29-12), 126-pounder Carlos Munoz (2nd, 24-15), 138-pounder Jake Hergenreter (2nd, 37-8), 144-pounder Preston Smith (3rd, 26-11), 150-pounder Aidan Juhl (4th, 14-5), 157-pounder Jackson Tribbett (3rd, 41-8), 165-pounder Brayden Betsworth (4th, 19-15), 215-pounder Dawson Fogg (3rd, 16-16) and 285-pounder Ryder True (2nd, 28-7).
EATON, CO – JUNE 14:Eaton’s Ryder True stands for a portrait in the wrestling room at Eaton High School in Eaton June 14, 2022. True was the Greeley Tribune’s Boys Athlete of the Year for 2022. (Alex McIntyre/Greeley Tribune file photo)
Fort Lupton had eight qualifiers, including regional champions Donovan Birmingham (106, 21-12), Josiah Gonzales (126, 38-8) and D’mitri Garza-Alarcon (138, 38-4). Also qualifying for the Bluedevils were 144-pounder Danny Rodriguez (2nd, 31-11), 157-pounder William Alvarado (2nd, 31-8), 165-pounder Christopher Galicia (2nd, 31-16), 190-pounder Camren Galicia (3rd, 31-14) and 215-pounder Kayden Derbigny (2nd, 28-10).
Resurrection Christian also qualified eight wrestlers — 106-pounder Greyson Browning (3rd, 33-13), 120-pounder Grant Slinkard (3rd, 28-6), 126-pounder Daniel Verderaime (3rd, 26-11), 138-pounder Hayden Sailer (4th, 21-16), 165-pounder Decker Nicholson (1st, 27-7), 175-pounder Isaiah Johnson (3rd, 32-8), 190-pounder Elijah Goldfain (2nd, 23-8) and 215-pounder Samuel Stockton (1st, 26-6).
Valley will send six wrestlers to state — 120-pounder Brandon Hansen (2nd, 29-9), 126-pounder Trenton Mestas (4th, 15-10), 132-pounder Cristian Corral (2nd, 33-9), 138-pounder Colby Schaffer (3rd, 27-8), 150-pounder Nehemiah Whaley (3rd, 22-8) and 285-pounder Aidan Trujillo (1st, 31-5).
Platte Valley is set to take three wrestlers to state — 113-pounder Jullian Marquez (1st, 37-6), 157-pounder Jonathan Malovich (1st, 36-1) and 175-pounder Brody White (2nd, 30-9). Weld Central had two state qualifiers — 106-pounder Gavin Kitzman (4th, 18-22) and 132-pounder Owen Reininger (3rd, 29-14).
GREELEY, CO – DECEMBER 18:Windsor’s John Kenney, right, grapples with Erie’s Noah Lopez during the second day of the 2021 Jimmy John’s Northern Colorado Christmas Tournament in Bank of Colorado Arena at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley Dec. 18, 2021. (Alex McIntyre/Greeley Tribune file photo)
Windsor places first, in Frederick: Windsor scored 296.5 points to win a tightly contested 4A Region 4 tournament, hosted by Frederick High School. Thompson Valley was second out of 14 teams with 285.5 points. Greeley Central (155) placed third, Greeley West (148) was fourth and Northridge (23) was 13th.
The Wizards had 12 top 4 placers/state qualifiers, including six regional champions — 113-pounder Robert Kendall (38-2), 126-pounder John Kenney (36-3), 138-pounder Hayden Haase (17-5), 157-pounder Santi Fernandez (38-7), 165-pounder Evan Perez (35-5) and 175-pounder Cale Meuchel (32-8). Joining them at state to represent Windsor will be 106-pounder James Pantoja (2nd, 35-3), 120-pounder Zach Eaton (3rd, 30-13), 132-pounder Hayden Welton (3rd, 30-12), 144-pounder Adrian Czyszczon (3rd, 12-4), 150-pounder Tristan Cox (3rd, 17-13) and 190-pounder Zeb Merriam (2nd, 25-10).
Greeley Central qualified six wrestlers — 113-pounder Fabian Hernandez (4th, 28-12), 120-pounder David Valdez (4th, 21-9), 126-pounder Mikai Alirez (2nd, 36-2), 144-pounder Noah Garcia-Salazar (2nd, 32-10), 215-pounder Isaiah Ascencio (4th, 10-11) and 285-pounder Eric Hernandez (1st, 33-9).
Greeley West will also send six wrestlers to state — 120-pounder Julian Chavez (2nd, 28-10), 132-pounder William Roybal (2nd, 24-7), 157-pounder Alex Somer (2nd, 33-9), 190-pounder Ricardo Castillo (3rd, 21-10), 215-pounder David Lopez (3rd, 23-5) and 285-pounder Jude Colombe (3rd, 19-8).
Northridge was unable to qualify a wrestler for state.
Severance wins regional, UH places third, in Denver: Severance scored 276 points to comfortably win the 3A Region 3 tournament, hosted by Abraham Lincoln High School. Mullen (207.5) was the runner-up. University (171) placed third.
The Silver Knights had 11 wrestlers place in the top 4 and qualify for the state tournament, including regional champions Kilian Schultz (144, 34-1), Colby Runner (190, 30-1) and Dominic Butts (285, 14-3). Joining them at state will be 113-pounder Jonathan Morrison (3rd, 23-4), 132-pounder Reed Green (132, 18-13), 138-pounder Tommy Thomas (2nd, 26-7), 150-pounder Ian Garcia (3rd, 22-8), 157-pounder Brennan Taylor (3rd, 16-9), 165-pounder Joe Trygstad (3rd, 26-4), 175-pounder Cooper Sandquist (3rd, 6-3) and 215-pounder Andrew Mitchell (3rd, 18-6).
University racked up eight state qualifiers — 106-pounder Ayden Arrellano (4th, 24-15), 126-pounder Drew Ayres (3rd, 22-12), 132-pounder Coel Croissant (3rd, 28-8), 138-pounder Jace Collett (4th, 36-16), 157-pounder Barrett Payne (4th, 16-17), 165-pounder Paxton Daggett (1st, 42-2), 175-pounder Kaleb Brawner (4th, 26-16) and 190-pounder Deshaun Salazar (4th, 21-14).
Roosevelt finishes third, in Durango: Roosevelt scored 184.5 points and finished third out of 14 teams in the 4A Region 3 tournament, hosted by Durango High School. Montrose placed first with 211.5 points.
The Rough Riders had a trio of regional champions — 126-pounder Chris LaLonde (39-4), 138-pounder Travis Long (32-7) and 190-pounder Bronco Hartson (21-2). They will send six others to the state tournament with top 4 regional finishes — 106-pounder Peyton Wright (3rd, 19-13), 113-pounder Cade Liniger (4th, 28-13), 150-pounder Dillon Doyon (4th, 18-12), 165-pounder Hayden Roof (2nd, 28-9), 175-pounder Sergio Cantu (2nd, 21-9) and 285-pounder Leo Rivera (4th, 12-13).
Highland places second, in Rye: Highland scored 175.5 points and placed second behind Cedaredge (266) in the 19-team 2A Region 4 tournament.
The Huskies are sending six wrestlers to state via top 4 regional finishes, including two regional champions — 190-pounder Ira Sittner (29-9) and 215-pounder Carter Jennings (23-6). Also qualifying for Highland were 106-pounder Korbin Hoke (4th, 27-10), 126-pounder Tyler Varra (3rd, 32-9), 132-pounder Logan Sverak (4th, 9-14) and 138-pounder Wyatt Meyer (4th, 13-19).
Dayspring finishes sixth, in Sterling: With 116 points, Dayspring Christian placed sixth out of 17 teams in the 2A Region 1 tournament at Northeastern Junior College.
The Eagles had seven top 4 placers/state tournament qualifiers — 106-pounder Liam DeBoer (3rd, 26-13), 132-pounder Landen Beauvais (4th, 31-19), 138-pounder Elijah Martin (3rd, 29-19), 144-pounder Logan Clark (3rd, 34-11), 150-pounder Jaxon Martin (4th, 21-11), 215-pounder Gatlin Gunn (4th, 21-18) and 285-pounder Cody Nester (3rd, 11-5).
KERSEY, CO – MARCH 30:Platte Valley Broncos wrestler Nevaeh Garcia stands for a portrait outside the wrestling room in Platte Valley Middle School in Kersey March 30, 2021. (Alex McIntyre/Greeley Tribune file photo)
Girls wrestling
Fort Lupton narrowly wins regional, in Colorado Springs: Fort Lupton scored 173 points to narrowly surpass runner-up Vista Ridge’s 172.5 to claim the team title at the 25-team Region 2 tournament, hosted by Coronado.
The Bluedevils had seven wrestlers earn top 4 finishes in their brackets, thus punching their tickets to the state tournament Thursday-Saturday at Denver’s Ball Arena. They included regional champions Anastyn Livesay (145, 22-7) and Lashya Tijerina (155, 19-8). Also qualifying for Fort Lupton were 105-pound defending state champion Rylee Balcazar (2nd, 29-5), 110-pounder Abigail Retana (4th, 18-10), 125-pounder Genevieve Hunt (3rd, 28-8), 140-pounder Aneesa Chavez (4th, 9-5) and 190-pounder Dahlila Tijerina (4th, 17-13).
Local teams compete, in Broomfield: Severance (85.5) placed sixth, Greeley West (82) tied for eighth, and Platte Valley (57) was 13th out of 23 teams in the Region 3 tournament, hosted by Broomfield High School. Chatfield placed first with 227.5 points.
Severance had three wrestlers place in the top 4 and qualify for state — 115-pounder Kailey McGuire (4th, 24-12), 125-pounder Faith Vondy (2nd, 31-8) and 135-pounder Cadie Percy (2nd, 28-4).
Aliyah Serna (110 pounds, 3rd, 24-13) qualified for Greeley West, as did 145-pounder Dora Dickinson (4th, 24-12) and 235-pounder Paulina Cruz (3rd, 21-3).
Platte Valley 120-pounder Kate Hinojosa (2nd, 18-11) qualified for state, as did past state champion, Broncos 170-pounder Nevaeh Garcia (2nd, 25-1).
Bobby Fernandez covers high school sports for the Greeley Tribune. Reach him at (970) 392-4478, by email at bfernandez@greeleytribune.com or on Twitter @BobbyDFernandez.
This article was originally published in Greeley Tribune