Brighton Standard Blade 15
LOCAL
November 17, 2021
SPORTS
PVHS’ Gallegos signs for softball with Trinidad State JC BY STEVE SMITH SSMITH@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
The small-town atmosphere of Trinidad appealed to Prairie View High School softball player Zoey Gallegos. So, she signed a letter of intent to continue her softball career and academic interests. The ceremony was Nov. 11 at PVHS. “I really liked the small community,” Gallegos said. “The way that my coach (Steve Swazo) was describing it was that all of the girls are really close, and we did everything together. I wanted a small community because i get distracted really easily. I wanted to make sure
that I was there to focus on my studies on my sports.” There were a couple of other offers. “But I thought Trinidad was the right place for me,” Gallegos said. “She made it easy to come to practice every day,” said her highschool coach, Mark Gonzales. “I’ve always said you have to have a little attitude to play this game. I didn’t know she was going to take that and run.” Gallegos played 79 games for the THawks. She had 103 hits and scored 116 runs. She normally plays centerfield. But this year, she pitched and won five games within Eastern Metro Athletic Conference play.
Gallegos is weighing her academic options. One is to study business. The other is to get into special needs. “I’ve always been interested in it. I had a couple of friends who had special needs,” she said. “I was trying to get into it the last three years, but I couldn’t. Finally, this year, I pulled some strings and was able to be a part of the severe special needs area.” She spends the last two class periods of her day working in that area. “I go and help them with studies. Tomorrow (Nov. 12), we’re actually going to the zoo,” Gallegos said. “It’s not really frustrating. Everybody needs a little extra help and a
little extra love. I’m doing my part by helping them out.” Gallegos left no doubt about what she’s feeling as she heads toward the next chapter. “Oh, I’m very nervous,” she said. “I’m also excited to see what the future has for me and what I am able to accomplish.” Gallegos was a three-time allconference choice. “Zoey leads in our building through the special-needs program,” Gonzales said. “It’s been fun to see her mature in that process. As coaches, we hate to see good student-athletes go. But that’s why we’re here. We love seeing the process from beginning to end.”
PVHS’ Mauter battles back, signs for college baseball BY STEVE SMITH SSMITH@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Unlike a lot of high-school athletes, there was a time when Prairie View’s Devin Mauter didn’t think he’d be sitting center stage during a letter-of-intent ceremony. But there he was Nov. 11 in the main entryway of his high school as he put pen to paper and signed to play baseball for Ottawa University. He tore a nerve in his elbow 14 months ago. His coach, Mark Gonzales, said the injury came at a time when Mauter was starting to show “great growth.” “That kind of injury is a big
setback, especially if you want to pitch,” Gonzales said. “It’s a setback if you allow it to be. He was dedicated. he wanted to play again, and Devin showed up every day.” “Since I got that injury, I didn’t know if I was going to play baseball again,” Mauter said. “I knew I’d have to do rehab. But once I started rehab, I continued my growth, and I was able to play again.” The rehab process took three to four months, and Mauter said it was “tough.” “I had to learn to throw the ball again and get my strength back in my elbow,” Mauter said. “This is something I wanted to do.”
His injury played a part in what he wants to study. “I was thinking about sports medicine,” Mauter said. “I enjoy learning about sports. IU want to know more about it. I want to be a coach, some day.” No other schools showed interest in Mauter, and Mauter said he wasn’t interested in any others. “Once when I visited, I enjoyed the feel they had, great coaches and all,” he said. “Once I saw the campus, it was perfect. I saw everything,. It was pretty good for me. I like it.” “What you see, this picture of Devin, is what you get 99 percent of
the time,” Gonzales said. “He was a decided underdog. That caused him to sell himself short. There’s a college for everyone. A lot of the recruiting process has changed. It’s who you know, right place at the right time. But you have to seize that opportunity.” Gonzales said Mauter will “break out of his shell” in college and have a “chance to run the roost in his dorm room.” “He wasn’t rattled,” Gonzales said. “It’s a testimony to him that he showed up to go on a road trip and be offered pretty much on the spot. Good things happen to good people.”
SPORTS BRIEFS
Youth soccer FC Brighton plans to run an indoor soccer clinic through the Brighton Recreation Center this winter. The club team will provide the coaches. Sessions run from Nov. 30 through Dec. 16. Fivethrough 8-year-olds meet Tuesdays from 5;15 to 6:15 p.m. Nine- to 12-year-olds meet at the same tme Wednesdays, and 13- and 14-year-olds meet at the same time Thursdays.
Call 303-655-2200 or visit brightonrecreation.com. Masks and state wrestling The Colorado High School Activities Association is waiting for a next step in the recent mask mandate for Ball Arena, the home of the state high-school wrestling tournament in February. Kroenke Sports, which owns the arena, requires masks for its guests inside the arena. “Honestly, nobody really knows at this point,”
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said Brad Cochi, CHSAA’s director of digital media and media relations. The state wrestling tournament is due to start Thursday, Feb. 17. Casino bus fundraiser A casino bus trip/fundraiser for the Riverdale Ridge football team is set for 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 13. The cost is $25 per person, round trip. Tweet questions to @VoorheesWayne.
