11 minute read
SPORTS
Pueblo South ends Frederick’s season
Warriors made it to fi nal four for the fi rst time since 1956
BY STEVE SMITH > SSMITH@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Even though the Frederick boys basketball team made it to the fi nal four of the state tournament for the fi rst time since 1956, it was easy to see the disappointment on the faces of the Warriors’ players at the Denver Coliseum.
Pueblo South took advantage of 23 FHS turnovers to end Frederick’s season 67-56 March 11.
“Obviously the game didn’t go as we wanted it to,” said senior forward Alex Sturn, who scored four points and grabbed one rebound. “We never really got going offensively, and a lot of credit goes to Pueblo South. They played a phenomenal game. That being said, I couldn’t be more proud of this team this season. We’ve had a lot of forks in the road where we could’ve crumbled. However, we persevered, and we got all the way to the fi nal four. That’s the best any Frederick team has done in 70 years.”
Bryce Conover led the Warriors with 17 points.
“When we beat Mead (March 5), we started to realize how much we were doing for our town,” he said. “Middle-school kids were coming up to us, asking for autographs, pictures. I think once that hit that we were going to the Coliseum and that they were cheering us on, we started to realize how much we were doing for the community and for the kids.”
The Frederick Police Department gave the team an escort out of town before the semifi nal game.
Junior Harry Singh fi nished with eight points and pulled down six rebounds. He credited the seniors.
“They always pushed us and always had our backs,” Singh said. “The season went well because people didn’t expect us to make it past the fi rst round. To have made it to the fi nal four and still feel like we could have done more shows how great this team really is.”
Coach Jeff Conway credited the seniors, too.
“Our senior leadership stepped up big time this year,” he said. “This senior class gave us huge confi dence to give the underclassmen the confi dence they need for next year.”
Terrance Austin led the Colts with 25 points. Maurice Austin added 17, and Mateo Esquivel scored 10.
FHS had a fi ve-point lead after the fi rst quarter, but the Colts scored 20 of the second quarter’s 24 points to take command.
“We kind of lost in the second quarter where we gave them a little bit of a run,” Conway said. “But we battled back, stayed composed. We kept grinding and scrapping. We made a game of it. We just ran out of time.”
Conover, whose point total included three baskets from 3-point range, called it “just one of those games.”
“They had an advantage on us. They play in the Pueblo Coliseum (with its different shooting background from a regular gym),” he said. “When we fi rst got out here, we couldn’t hit a shot to save our lives. It defi nitely transferred to the game. There seemed to be a lid on the basket.”
“The game was hard,” Singh said. “We didn’t play our best, and we all know that. So, it hurts a little more. But it’s OK. We didn’t lose to a bad team Pueblo South is an extremely good team.”
“We didn’t shoot the ball very well (FHS made 45 percent of its fi eld goals),” Conway said. “They (Pueblo South) are tremendous on defense. They get above screens and don’t give you open looks. We didn’t get a lot of transition points.”
FHS fi nished with a record of 21-5.
“We went down as the winningest team in Frederick history. I would not have wanted to do it with any other group of guys,” Sturn said. “I love every single one of them. These juniors are special, and they will defi nitely be a force to be reckoned with next year. I can’t wait to watch them play. I’d also like to thank the fans and the town of Frederick. The amount of support we’ve received has been out of this world.”
Frederick loses three players to graduation.
“We knew we were going to be a pretty good team,” Conway said. “We had a really good summer last year. It had to come together, and it kinda did. We’ve got a lot of kids in the pipeline, and we have a loaded junior class. We expect to be back here. It’s not going to be easy. This experience is going to help our underclassmen.”
Frederick’s Jacoby Conway, left, powers to the basket against Pueblo South’s Terrance Austin during the fi rst quarter of a CHSAA 4A semifi nal playo game at the Denver
Coliseum March 11. The Colts beat the Warriors 67-56. PHOTO BY STEFAN BRODSKY
Competing to build the sport and the community
BY LASHYA TIJERINA SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
Editor’s note: Mead’s Renata Means beat Fort Lupton’s Lashya Tijerina in a unified wrestling match at the state girls meet at Ball Arena last month. But as the saying goes, there’s a bit more to the story than just the final score.
Unified sports include those students with some additional difficulties – learning, physical or emotional – such as Means.
We asked Tijerina, who finished the season with a 15-10 record, to tell us about the match.
I was first notified by my coach that I was going to be wrestling just two days before state. I was a little nervous because I was definitely not on weight, but I worked hard at practice and was able to get on weight.
I was really excited because I was asked to wrestle (Renata). It hurt my heart because I was told there was nobody else willing to wrestle her and she deserved the chance to wrestle. I had wrestled her before, and she is amazing, especially watching the big smile on her face when she wins.
My coaches and I had a plan going into this match. We were going to tie it up and take it into overtime because we wanted the crowd to go wild when she pinned me in overtime. I accidentally messed this up because I took her down when I wasn’t supposed to, and I had more points than her. There were 30 seconds left in the third period, and my coaches were freaking out trying to do the math to get it tied up again. But we did it and went into overtime.
People may underestimate her but she is super strong, and she threw me in a head and arm and pinned me.
Honestly, just getting the opportunity to wrestle under the lights at the Ball Arena was great. I made it to state my freshmen year, but since wrestling wasn’t a sanctioned sport we weren’t at the Ball Arena. So, getting this opportunity was great.
But the thing that was more amazing was seeing her face when she won. It was the best feeling knowing that I gave her the opportunity to wrestle when no one else would.
It made me so happy because she has the courage to wrestle, and I hope that other girls that watch her get the courage to wrestle and we are able to build the unified brackets.
Fort Lupton’s Lashya Tijerina, in blue, battles Mead’s Renata Means in a unifi ed match at the state girls wrestling tournament at Ball Arena. PHOTO COURTESY OF KRYSTAL TIJERINA
BY STAFF REPORT
AURORA -- The Colorado High School Activities Association’s board of directors chose its new leader March 7.
He is Mike Krueger, who will become the association’s 10th commissioner. He replaces Rhonda Blanford-Green who is set to step down at the end of this school year.
“Educationally-based, co-curricular activities and athletics serve a greater purpose, and it is the caring, dedicated and passionate people that make up our CHSAA staff and our membership that drive our incredible mission to provide opportunities for participation,” Krueger told CHSAANow. com. “It is a privilege to serve and work alongside each and every one of these gifted leaders. We have an incredible platform through athletics and activities to really have a profound and positive impact on the lives of our students.”
Krueger’s present job is as senior director of education for USA Football. CHSAA offi cials called it “one of the largest national governing bodies of sport associated with the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee.”
Krueger has been a teacher and counselor at Palisade High School from 1995-2006. After that, he was the director of district athletics and activities at Palisade and with the Aurora Public Schools. He moved to USA football in 2014, fi rst as director of coaching and then as senior director of education.
Krueger was a trustee in the Town of Palisade and was mayor pro-tem. As he was doing those jobs, he was a voting member of CHSAA’s legislative council, chairman of the CHSAA football committee, a member of the sports medicine advisory and softball committees and was president of the Western Slope League.
“Michael brings an exceptional amount of experience, knowledge and leadership to our association,” CHSAA Board President Luke DeWolfe told CHSAANow.com. “His unique background as a Colorado educator, counselor, coach, rural small-school athletic director and district athletic director in a large, urban school district were key considerations. That experience, coupled with Mike’s work with USA Football and his passion for educationally-based athletics in the state of Colorado are true assets to the association.”
Blanford-Green has been the commissioner the past fi ve years. She was the fi rst AfricanAmerican female commissioner of a state association. She is the president of the board of directors at USA Cheer.
“I know I have some big shoes to fi ll, and I will work tirelessly to continue the great work that my friend and colleague Rhonda Blanford-Green has established here,” Krueger told CHSAANow.com. “Her commitment and passion for educationally-based athletics is second-to-none, and I, along with our membership, can honor her work by demonstrating that same level of passion and dedication.”
The fi eld of fi nalists also included CHSAA assistant commissioner Beth Brookens and District 11 (Colorado Springs) athletic director Chris Noll.
“Honestly, when I just sit and think about the opportunity to work alongside this talented CHSAA staff and to serve next to our membership, who are easily the most dedicated, hardworking and caring people you will fi nd anywhere on the planet, well, I just feel very blessed and humbled, and I can’t wait to get to work,” Krueger told CHSAANow. com.
Krueger takes over July 1.
Mike Krueger, CHSAA’s new commissioner. COURTESY OF COLORADO HIGH SCHOOL ACTIVITIES ASSOCIATION
Recreation center fees may be on the rise
BY STEVE SMITH SSMITH@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Membership fees at the Fort Lupton Recreation Center could go up by 10 percent in the near future.
That was the proposal that the city’s assistant recreation director, Julie Seedorf Holm, presented to Fort Lupton City Council during a March 8 town hall meeting. Council made no decision because of the meeting’s format.
If approved, this would be the second fee adjustment for the recreation center since it opened in 2004, according to Holm’s boss, recreation Director Monty Schuman.
“We looked at Carbon Valley and Brighton’s fees,” Holm said. “Brighton seems more competitive than Carbon Valley. So, once they catch wind that we are raising prices, they will go with us.”
Council was inclined to agree with the fee increase.
“We have to stay competitive,” said councilman Claud Hanes. “The cost of everything is going up,” Holm said.
Schuman also told councilors he plans to scrap quarterly passes. The potential loss of revenue amounts to $16,000.
“We haven’t had anybody utilize that,” he said. “We should drop it. It’s a modest decline.”
Meeting change
Council wants to participate in the annual Colorado Municipal League conference in June in Breckenridge. To do so will mean a potential change in meeting dates.
The Council’s second business meeting of June is Tuesday, June 21. Members seemed to approve of a change in meeting date to Monday, June 20.
The CML conference is designed as a training conference for Colorado city councils. The agenda includes 40 conference sessions, a pair of keynote presentations, an exhibit hall and volunteer opportunities, according to the CML website.
Because the matter came up in a town hall meeting format, councilors did not make a decision.
