SPORTS

Nabindu steps away from comfort zone, takes state shot put title

BY STEVE SMITH SSMITH@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Skyview’s Bahati Nabindu usually bides her time during track meets as a jumper and a sprinter.

COVID changed that, and Nabindu is more than OK with it. She took up the shot put this season, made her fi rst appearance in the state meet and won the state 4A shot put title June 25 at Jeffco Stadium.

Her best throw of 36-5 ½ came during the third of three throws in the preliminary round.

“With COVID and stuff, it slowed me down and was just hard to get back to it,” she said. “It was hard having to learn a whole new event in track. Not once did I think I would be here today. It’s crazy.”

Nabindu had the fourth-best throw in the state during the regular season. Her top throw at state exceeded her season mark by 4 inches.

“Even though COVID messed things up for me, God showed me something else,” Nabindu said. “I have never been to state before. So, going in as the fourth seed, I was scared and nervous.”

“Could not be more proud of this young lady,” tweeted coach Chris Kemm. “To know her, and to see this is simply amazing.”

Nabandi’s other fi ve throws at state measured between 33 feet and 35 feet 6 inches.

“So many people were watching me throw,” Nabindu said. “But when I get into that ring, my mind is blank. It’s me and that shot put.

“Hearing my name being called as a state champion, it seemed surreal,” she added. “It was like a dream. My hard work did pay off after all.”

Nabindu’s teammate, Jennifer Jaramillo, fi nished 14th. Her top throw at state was 30 feet 3 inches, her last throw of the competition. Jaramillo’s top throw during the regular season was 31-4 1.2.

Skyview’s Bahati Nabindu has her championship ribbon in hand -- and a refreshment in the other -- after winning the state 4A girls shot put title June 25.

PHOTO COURTESY CHRIS KEMM

Fenderson snares Ravens’ fi rst state championship

BY STEVE SMITH SSMITH@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

After a day to think about winning his school’s fi rst state title in any sport, Riverdale Ridge’s Braylon Fenderson said he was surprised.

Fenderson won the 100-meter dash in a time of 10.96 seconds

“I was really surprised about my success in track, considering I didn’t run track in the previous years,” he said. “I thought I was going to be running it for fun, but it became more than that.”

Fenderson, a senior, went into the state meet as the top seed in both the 100- and 200-meter dashes.

“There was a little pressure, not only because I would be the fi rst one in my school to take fi rst in state but also because it is my last year in high school and I wanted to go out with a bang,” he said. “I stayed interested because I hate to be last or to be the lesser one in the fi eld. So I was determined to keep myself in shape if I was going to do track to put that space between me and my competition.”

Fenderson also took fourth in the 200-meter dash in a time of this. He joined Isaac Bonner, RJ Holliday and Lucas Couron to take seventh in the 4-by-100-meter relay in a time of 44.88 seconds.

“State was crazy,” Fenderson said. “I knew there was going to be a lot of people. But because I never had been there, I couldn’t fully understand the size until I got there. There was a big difference between my version of ‘big’ and ‘state big.’ The competition was way different, a lot faster. So you had no room to make a mistake.”

Fenderson said he didn’t think about blocking out the noise from the state meet.

“My mind kinda did it naturally,” he said. “People asked, ‘Did I hear them yelling?’ and I responded with, ‘I only really hear my breathing when I run.’

There was a best part of state for Fenderson that was over and above winning a state title.

“The best part of my time at state was just the atmosphere and the different types of people and how some of them hold themselves in a win or a loss and how people interact with their competition,” he said. “I would say that track is more of my preferred sport. “I love football, but track takes less of a wear and tear on your body, and I feel it has more longevity than most other sports.”

Results

Girls

Shot put: 1. Bahati Nibandu, Skyview, 36-5 1/2. 3. Brooke Franke, Riverdale Ridge, 34-11 3/4. 14. Jennifer Jaramillo, Skyview, 30-3. Pole vault: 8. Emmy Kiefer, Riverdale Ridge, 9-3.

Boys

100-meter dash: 1. Braylon Fenderson, Riverdale Ridge, 10.96 seconds. 4. Ryan Chacon, Frederick, 12.2. 400-meter dash: 2. Chacon, 48.13. 200-meter dash: 1. Chacon, 21.96. 4. Fenderson, 22.27. 4-by-100-meter relay: 7. Fenderson, Isaac Bonner, RJ Holliday, Lucas Couron, Riverdale Ridge, 44.88, 4-by-400-meter relay: 1.Wyatt Schroth, Alexander Carrillo, Garrett Colvin, Chacon, 3:23.78.

Braylon Fenderson COURTESY PHOTO

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BY STEVE SMITH SSMITH@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Brighton High School’s basketball camp to raise money for cancer research returned earlier this month after a COVID-19-forced absence. BHS girls basketball coach Jim French runs the camp in honor of his late mother.

“We had lower attendance than past years,” he said. “But overall, I am extremely grateful we could conduct the camp this year after being unable to do so last year. We will gain momentum again after 2/3 of the campers were fi rst-timers.”

In other years, the sessions have focused solely on fundamentals and drills. This year, French had to make a change.

“Due to the lack of familiarity with the new players, I decided to take a completely different approach than camps in the past,” he said. “This camp had a mixture of fundamentals, skills/drills in combination with on-court classroom and off-court whiteboard sessions. We provided notebooks/journals for players to take notes, points of emphasis and record lessons learned.”

The goal of the camp didn’t change.

“Our program goal is to grow the game by sharing creative yet simple concepts for players to understand the ‘why’, increase their basketball IQ, think the game, not be robots and be a ballplayer playing ball,” French said. “I believe that in basketball and life, we should all be striving to be better today than we were yesterday, better tomorrow than we are today. After the 3-day camp concluded I can confi dently confi rm this group succeeded in the challenges of this new format.”

Proceeds from the camp go toward cancer research.

“We will be making another solid donation to Play for Kay - Kay Yow Cancer Fund to further breast cancer research, development and advancement in treatment options,” French said. “I am really excited for the youth coming up in our futures program directly from our community.”

Area golfers wrap up season at state tournament

STAFF REPORTS

AURORA -- Mountain Range’s Rebekah Powers fi red a 94-89 -- 183 at the state 5A golf tournament at City Park to fi nish in 54th place.

She had one par in the fi rst round June 21. It came on the 142-yard eighth hole. Powers also birdied the par 3 12th hole.

Legacy High School’s Ayla Milan fi nished 32nd after carding an 89-81 -- 170 at state. She had six pars in her opening round and followed with 11 more pars in the second and fi nal round.

MIka Blckard carded a 96-84 -- 180 at state and tied for 47th place. She had fi ve pars in the fi rst round -- all on the front nine. On the second day, Blackard registered three birdies (11th, 13th and 14th holes) and fi ve pars.

Peyton McLeese fi nished 77th after a 103-104 -- 207 at state. She fashioned three pars in a six-hole stretch on the fi rst day of the two-day tournament. She parred both of the par 3s on the back nine.

Horizon’s Morgan Gilmore fi nished in 22nd place after fi ring two rounds of 83 at state. She birdied the par 4 seventh hole in the fi rst round and added a birdie on the par 5 13th hole. During her second round, Gilmore fashioned seven pars and a birdie on the par 5 16th hole.

Ella Neuhauser fi red a 92-95 -- 187. She had just one par in the opening round. It was on the ninth hole. She added four more pars in the second round, including the 500-yard 16th hole.

Horizon’s Morgan Gilmore follows through on a shot during the state 5A girls golf

tournament at City Park June 22. PHOTO BY COURTNEY OAKES/AURORA SENTINEL

Prairie View junior claims second place at State Golf

BY STAFF REPORT

DENVER – Prairie View’s Lily Nelson captured second place in the individual stroke-play portion of the state 5A girls golf tournament at City Park Golf Course.

She fired a 1-under 69 during the tournament’s second round. The junior finished with four birdies (the par 4 393-yard first hole, the 351-yard par 4 seventh hole, the par 4 14th hole and the par 3 17th hole, two bogeys and a double bogey, Nelson fired a 3-over par 73 in the opening round of the state 5A girls golf tournament June 21. She parred six holes on the front nine and played even par on the back nine.

She bogeyed the 14th hole, a 348-yard par 4, and the 15th hole, a 391-yard par 4. But she countered that with birdies at the par 5, 453-yard 13th hole and at the par 5, 511-yard 16th hole.

Katelyn Lehigh of Loveland was the individual champion. She fired a 4-under 66 to win the title by four strokes.

Prairie View’s Lily Nelson clears a shot on the 18th hole during the second round of the girls state 5A golf tournament at City Park June 22.

PHOTO BY COURTNEY OAKES/AURORA SENTINEL

State 5A swimming

THORNTON -- Brighton’s Jespyn Bishop took seventh place in the 50-yard freestyle at the state 5A swimming and diving meet at the Veterans Memorial Aquatic Center June 24.

Bishop, a senior, fi nished the race in 21.34 seconds. He also took 23rd in the 100- butterfl y, where his time was 52.89.

Brighton’s other entry at state was the 400- freestyle relay team. Bishop, Vahn Williams, Trey Williams and Robert Jorstad fi nished 24th in a time of 3:25.53.

Fundraising golf tournament

Riverdale Ridge’s third annual golf tournament to raise money for the school’s football program is at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, July 31. Tweet questions to @CoachVoorheesRR.

Summer sports

The Brighton Recreation Center is taking registrations for its summer and youth sports programs. Leagues range from six to 10 weeks. Available youth sports include cross country (register by Aug. 10; cost is $30); youth volleyball (register by Sept. 4; cost is $60); late summer youth soccer (register by July 3; cost is $64); and fl ag football (register by Aug. 14; cost is $55). Adult sports include Brighton Mad Smash (pickleball tournament) (register by June 16; cost is $40 per team); and fall adult softball (register by Aug. 9; cost is $400 per team). Call 303655-2200 or visit brightonrecreation. com. from the four-man scramble tournament benefi t the school’s athletic programs. Sponsorships are available. Call 720-507-7572.

Peach fundraiser

Riverdale Ridge’s baseball program will be selling Palisade peaches (10 pounds for $27) as a fundraiser. Peaches will be delivered to the school, 13380 Yosemite St., the last week in August. Make checks payable to Raven Diamond Club. Email ravenbaseball19@gmail.com with questions.

Sports Briefs

Solution

© 2016 King Features Synd., Inc.

TRIVIA

1. TELEVISION: What is Agent Mulder’s nickname on “The X-Files” drama? 2. MEASUREMENTS: How many gallons are in one barrel of oil? 3. GAMES: How much money do you get when you start a board game of “Life”? 4. SCIENCE: When was the sound barrier broken for the fi rst time? 5. MOVIES: What was the name of the whale that swallowed the title character in Disney’s “Pinocchio”? 6. GEOLOGY: What is diagenesis? 7. GEOGRAPHY: Which river runs through the Grand Canyon in Arizona? 8. U.S. STATES: How many states did U.S. Route 66 pass through? 9. FOOD & DRINK: Which vegetable has the highest water content? 10. MEDICAL: What is a more common name for the condition called pharyngitis?

Answers

1. Spooky 2. 42 3. $10,000 4. 1947 5. Monstro 6. The process by which sediment is turned into sedimentary rock 7. Colorado River 8. Eight (Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California) 9. Cucumbers (96% water) 10. Sore throat (c) 2021 King Features Synd., Inc.

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