LOCAL
January 27, 2022
SPORTS
Brighton Standard Blade 11
PVHS’ early schedule seems to be paying off BY STEVE SMITH SSMITH@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Prairie View boys basketball coach Damien Romero loved the ThunderHawks’ early-season schedule. The first eight games were over the span of two weeks and 10 available playing dates. Then it was a three-game stretch over five days. Then it was a three-week holiday break. “It was a heck of a schedule to begin the season,” Romero said. “It put us in different situations that prepped us to be ready to roll into league play – close games, blowouts, big wins. We got a lot of rest. We had a lot of dead legs by the end of the second week. Rest and fundamentals go a long way in basketball.” One reason he liked the early season pace was a five-game winning streak as of the end of last week. PVHS downed Gateway 61-37 in Brighton Jan. 20. Tyson Roberts led the way with 21 points, including a pair of 3-pointers Rashawn SalinasJohnston had nine points. Nine first-half turnovers turned into 11 Prairie View points in the first half. The ThunderHawks’ lead was nine points at the break and grew steadily during the second half. “We bought in on the defensive end,” Romero said. “We’re sill a little bit young, where we think we can turn it on and off with a switch. We talked, made some adjustments, bought in defensively. Good hard
defense leads to good offense if we run.” “We just moved the ball tonight,” said Dominic Marrujo, who scored 18 points, 16 of which came in the first half.. “Our defense was a little off. In the second half, we got aggressive, got steals, got up and down the court. He (Romero) got into us about our defense. We have the ability to make shots left and right. It’s more of our defense that kills us in games. Certain games, we have issues with our defense. But in a lot of games, we play pretty good defense. Our defense stepped up tonight.” Oriel Bailey led the Olys with 29 points. “We knew he’s a heck of a player,” Romero said. “We knew he was going to get his points. It’s the secondary players we couldn’t let loose.” PVHS hosts Adams City at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 27, then travels to Elizabeth for a 1 p.m. game Saturday, Jan. 29. “The boys are coming together, rounding into form,” Romero said. “The practice time we didn’t get that we got right before Christmas is starting to pay dividends. The best thing I saw wasn’t basketballrelated. It was the team camaraderie, the talking with each other with respect instead of beating each other down.” “We didn’t play to the bests of our abilities,” Marrujo said. “But we played pretty well. Our energy and positivity was great. We were talking, hyping each other up. Now, we’ve gotten into a flow.”
Two top CHSAA officials announce retirements BY STEVE SMITH SSMITH@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Two of the top brass at the Colorado High School Activities Association announced their plans to retire at the end of the school year. Rhonda Blanford-Green was the first African-American female commissioner in the history of the 103-year-old National Federation of High Schools, according to CHSAANow.com. Blanford-Green, who was a star athlete at Aurora Central High School, rejoined CHSAA in 2017. She’d been an assistant and associate commissioner with CHSAA from 1996 to 2012. Blanford-Green was the executive director at the Nebraska School Activities Association from 2012 to 2015 and was an assistant executive director at the Louisiana High School Athletic Association from 2015 to 2017. “I love my job, this staff, and the membership, and I have been proud to serve the students and member schools of Colorado, and to lead one of the best associations in the nation,” Blanford-Green said in a state-
ment on CHSAANow.com. “I look forward to viewing from the sidelines as they continue to raise the bar on education-based athletics and activiBlanford-Green ties.” Blanford-Green introduced digital platforms that improved education, operations, outreach and communication, chsaanow.com said. She also created a Robinson handbook committee to help facilitate collaborative statewide discussions before CSHAA’s board of directors turned them into bylaws. The website said student-athletes were able to complete all 31 seasons and other related events during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Someone has to captain the ship, but it took a collective effort SEE RETIRE, P13
Prairie View’s Dominic Marrujo offers the airborne defense against Gateway’s Julian PHOTO BY STEVE SMITH Cecena Jan. 20 in Brighton.
E AGLE VIEW ADULT CENTER
1150 Prairie Center Parkway • Brighton, CO 80601 • 303-655-2075 • www.brightonco.gov
Eagle View Adult Center Update –Jan 26 - Feb 2, 2022 Eagle View Adult Center is open Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Call 303-655-2075 for more information. The January and February Newsletter is available. Cards, Games and Pool If you like to play games like bridge, pinochle, dominos, scrabble and pool… Eagle View is the place to get connected. Check out the newsletter for playing times. VOA Lunch A hot, nutritious lunch is provided by Volunteers of America, Mondays and Thursdays at 11:30 a.m. Please reserve your VOA meal in advance: For Mondays reserve the Thursday before, for Thursdays reserve the Monday before.! Call Eleanor at 303-655-2271 between 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m., Mon. & Thurs. Daily meal donations are appreciated. $2.50 Donation per meal if age 60+. $8.50 Mandatory charge if under 60 Tech Tuesdays Need help with your laptop, tablet, or smartphone? Schedule an appointment with Calvin at 303-655-2187. Amazing Bird Adaptations: Join the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies to learn ingenious ways birds survive in the harshest of environments and how to identify species that call Colorado home for the winter. Thurs., Jan. 27 at 1:30 p.m. (Deadline: Tues., Jan. 25); $3 Cribbage Tournament: Our monthly cribbage tournament is lots of fun and includes prize winnings. Just drop-in and pay a fee to the tournament volunteer. Wed., Jan. 26 at 12:30 p.m.; $4 Meditation: Meditation can free us from stress, allow us more joy, help us sleep, and give the body more energy. You may meditate in a chair or on the floor (bring a yoga mat or blanket). Deadline: Thurs., Jan. 27. Tuesdays, Feb. 1 - 15 from 9 - 10 a.m.; $16 (3 weeks) Painting Studio: If you enjoy painting with oils or acrylics and have a project you are working on, please consider joining the studio. Participants will bring their own supplies and projects to work on. Thursdays from 9 - 11:30 a.m.; $20 (4 weeks) Session 2: Feb. 3 - 24 (Deadline: Tues., Feb. 1)
To Schedule a Virtual Tour or for more info call Nellie at:
303-659-4148 Brighton 80601
www.inglenookatbrighton.com • Assisted Living • Independent Living • Memory Care • Rehabilitation • Hospice Care • Respite Care
