14 Brighton Standard Blade
LOCAL
February 10, 2022
SPORTS Riverdale Ridge sends off its flock
Eight sign college letters of intent in school ceremony BY SCOTT TAYLOR STAYLOR@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
It’s something that Riverdale Ridge senior Luke Burley will miss, in about a year. Burley was waiting in the highschool’s gymnasium Feb. 3, getting ready to sign his letter of intent committing him to attend Norwich University, a military college in chilly Vermont. Sitting at the table in the gym wearing his jeans and his Norwich University baseball T-shirt, his mother Lori called across the gym: “Where’s your hoody?” “I took it off,” he said. “I’m going to Norwich, so I have to get used to the cold.” Eight Riverdale Ridge seniors, all standouts in at least one sport at the high school, signed their college letters of intent. Originally scheduled for Wednesday morning, the ceremony was pushed back in response to the Feb. 2 snowstorm that shuttered schools throughout the region. Burley said he’ll be fine in the cold. He’s eager to get started. “My No. 1 goal is to serve, and I really want to serve and defend my country,” Burley said. “Also, having the chance to play baseball is great. And they have the best cyber security program.” Riverdale Ridge Athletic Director Aaron Riessen applauded not just the athletes for their college choices, but the good-sized crowd of family, friends and Riverdale students that watched. “These eight athletes have helped us create an identity and culture that we can be proud of at Riverdale Ridge,” Riessen said. “In four short years, you helped put us on the map.” It’s only the second time the school
Riverdale Ridge High School celebrated the past and future careers of eight student athletes who signed their college Letters of Intent Feb. 3 in the School’s gymnasium. Top row, right to left Luke Burley, Molly Lancaster, Emma Hodnet, Sydnee Fordham. BotPHOTO BY SCOTT TAYLOR tom row, Sienna Mullin, Kyla Humphreys, Megan Drews, Aryanna Day.
has hosted the letters of intent ceremony and only the second year the school has had seniors to send to college. Riverdale Ridge first came online in 2018 and fielded its first senior class last year. But coaches and school leaders said there has been plenty of time for the students to make an impression. “You have made a mark throughout the entire Colorado high-school athletics community,” Principal Terry Elliott said. “They know Riverdale Ridge exists because of you and what you have done the last four years. You did it through a start-up, through a pandemic that impacted two or three seasons. I couldn’t be more proud of you.”
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Out-of-state tuition Like Burley, most of the students under the spotlight Feb. 3 sad they plan to attend college out of state. Soccer player Aryanna Day plans to take her skills to Phoenix’ Arizona Christian University. “It’s 100 percent because of the coach there,” Day said. “She just supported my morals and values and stuff like that, which I really appreciate. She supports me, not just the way I play, but my character as well.” Soccer player Molly Lancaster plans to attend Fort Hays State University in Kansas. She hopes to major in computer science, with a minor in political science. “When I went there this summer,
I got the feeling that this is where I belong,” Lancaster said. “As I got to meet the coaches and the other players and got familiar with the environment of the town, I knew it was the best fit for me.” Basketball player Megan Drews plans to attend Hastings College in Nebraska. She plans to study business. “I just liked the environment, the people,” Drews said. “It’s a new journey.” Softball team Four of the students featured Feb. 3 came from the Ravens softball SEE FLOCK, P21
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