SPORTS

Di erent pieces, levels of experience dot FLHS boys volleyball team

BY STEVE SMITH SSMITH@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Fort Lupton’s boys volleyball team isn’t just FLHS students.

Players from fi ve other schools -- Brighton, Weld Central, Skyline, Frederick and Mead high schools -- formed this year’s squad, and most don’t play volleyball on a regular basis, such as Jesus Vasquez.

“This is my fi rst year playing,” he said. “I’m a basketball player, actually. My family played volleyball. My sister played for the high school.”

“We have one returning player, and he’s in a new position,” said FLHS coach Cindy Seiler. “He’s learning all that as the rest of the team learning to play volleyball. We have a bunch of different players from different schools. They are getting along great. You wouldn’t know we had players from fi ve schools. I’m proud of the Fort Lupton boys for accepting them and bringing them in.”

Vasquez had a team-high four kills in a three-set loss to undefeated Greeley Central High School March 31 in Fort Lupton. He also served up the Bluedevils’ only ace.

“I look up to my older sister a lot,” Vasquez said. “It’s helped me have better experience with other players and teammates. The best part is hanging out with my teammates. I love them.”

It also helps with the basketball side of Vasquez’s life, particularly with his ability to jump.

“I’m in the post. I’m down low. They need a big guy down there,” Vasquez said. “It helps my communication and my hops, my vertical. I’m good at adapting. It’s my fi rstever year playing volleyball.”

Greeley Central won the fi rst two sets against Fort Lupton by two points each. The Wildcats didn’t have as much trouble in the third set and won 25-16.

“It didn’t go how we planned,” Vasquez said. “The ability to win to win, we didn’t have as much as we needed. But overall, our communication was good. we played really well. We ran out of gas in the third set.”

“They are learning and not with a lot of practice time,” Seiler said. “We had two weeks of spring break, snow. It’s been tough. We have seven games (this) week. They have to learn in the heat of the moment, which is always hard.”

Seiler said acceptance of so many players from so many schools has been the highlight for the early part of the season.

“You wouldn’t know who was from a different school. To me, that was important,” Seiler said. “They are representing Fort Lupton quite well.”

Vasquez has no objections to his new sport.

“It’s been really good,” Vasquez said. “We like winning, but it didn’t help tonight. We just have to work on that in practice.”

Fort Lupton High School

Boys volleyball

Fort Lupton rallied from a two-set defi cit to beat Vista Peak 21-25, 18-25, 25-17, 27-23, 17-15 inb Fort Lupton April 2. Matthew Valdez had 10 kills for the Bison. Tristan Rowley was close behind with nine. No stats were available for the Bluedevils.

Faith Christian turned back Fort Lupton 25-15, 25-11, 25-20 in Arvada March 29. Jesus Vasquez led the Bluedevils with eight kills. Tag Boyce, Brian Solis and justin Brackeen served aces.

No stats were available for the Eagles.

Poudre School District’s team beat the Bluedevils 25-16, 25-22, 25-20 in Fort Collins March 30. Vasquez had four kills for FLHS. Pedro Rosales served a pair of aces.

Girls tennis

Aurora Central downed the Bluedevils 6-1 in Aurora April 2. Payton Faulhaber won her No. 3 singles match in straight sets.

“Despite the loss, we saw great improvement and areas where we can still grow,” said FLHS coach Christy Blanchard.

Baseball

SPORTS SCORECARD

Fort Lupton scored seven runs in the fi rst inning and went on to beat Westminster 14-2 on the Wolves’ fi eld March 31..

No stats were available for the Bluedevils. Breann McCoy and Eduardo Suarez Sanchez had base hits and drove in Westminster’s runs. Michael Davidson also contributed a base hit.

Track and fi eld

ERIE -- Neither of Fort Lupton’s track teams scored a point at the Erie Twilight Invitational April 1.

The top fi nisher for the girls team was the 4-by-100-meter relay team. Justina Castro, Layanna Reyma, Andrea Sanchez and Hannah Lechleitner fi nished 25th in a time of 1:07.53. The boys 4-by-100-meter relay team (D’mitri Alarcon, Joaquin Calderon, Rodrigo

Medina and Jairo Compean) took 27th place in a time of 56.09 seconds.

Girls soccer

Prospect Ridge Academy shut out Fort Lupton 12-0 in Fort Lupton March 29. Madison skinner, Kateri Trujillo and Zoe Webster scored three times. No stats were available for FLHS.

Frederick High School

Girls golf

Frederick fi nished 13th at the Birleffi Invitational at Highland Hills Golf Course in Greeley March 29. Makayla Miller was the team medalist. She fi red a 106, good for 28th place. Danica dennis fi nished her round with a 113, and Hallie Berringer fi nished with a 122.

Track and fi eld

ERIE -- Here are Frederick’s results from the Erie Tiger Twilight Invitational April 1. The girls team fi nished 23rd in the team standings, and the boys team was 19th.

Girls: 4-by-200-meter relay: 8. Elli Clapp, Katelin Sindelar, Gwen Hanks, Gracie Wilts, 1:55.63. HIgh jump: 6. G. Witts, 4-9. Triple jump: 4. Isabella Hewitt, 32- 1/2.

Boys: 4-by-200-meter relay: 6. Caleb Sabados, Lafaisaotele Purcell, Ian Buffi ngton, Garrett Colvin, 1:36.47. High jump: 4. G. Colvin, 5-11. Discus: 5. Kemarly Davy, 124-5.

Baseball

Riverdale Ridge blanked Frederick 9-0 on the Ravens’ fi eld March 28. RRHS’ starting pitcher Ethan McCormick struck out 10 of the 17 batters he faced in fi ve innings. Landon Brophy had two hits and drove in three runs. Keagon Pitton and Ty Thompson had two hits.

Owen Clementson, Brayden Johnson and Brendan Gochanour had Frederick’s base hits.

Roosevelt took both ends of a doubleheader from the Warriors March 31 by scores of 9-1 and 10-5. THe games were in Johnstown.

In the opener, Mario Sanchez had three hits and an RBI for the Roughriders. Jorge Torres had two hits and drove in three runs. No stats were available for the Warriors.

Joseph Villani had a base hit and drove in both Frederick runs in the nightcap. Brendan Gochanour had two base hits. Chris Baum had a base hit and an RBI. The Roughriders’ Ry Diesing had three hits and an RBI.

Girls soccer

The Academy shut out Frederick 1-0 on the Wildcats’ pitch. AJ Loera scored the only goal.

Frederick and Longmont fi nished their April 2 match in a scoreless draw after two overtimes. No stats were available.

SPORTS BRIEFS

Postponements

Fort Lupton’s girls tennis match against Jefferson was postponed March 29 because of rain. The make-up date is Tuesday, April 11.

FLHS’ home soccer match against Dawson was canceled March 31.

Football

Frederick’s new football coach is Matt Loyd. Loyd, who has more than 20 years of coaching and teaching experience, comes to the Warriors from Ralston Valley High School, where he’d coached the past 21 years.

“We are very fortunate to have found such a strong, highly recommended candidate,” said FHS athletic director Ty Gordon.

Loyd replaces Travis Peeples, who stepped down earlier this year.

Girls wrestling

Two Fort Lupton girl wrestlers, Anastyn Livesay and Rylee Balcazar, earned all-American recognition after a tournmanet in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Anastyn Livesay fi nished fi fth in her weight class. Rylee Balcazar, who won a state title last month, fi nished sixth in her weight class.

Basketball awards

Frederick’s Byrce Conover (second team) and Luke Justice (honorable-mention), received allstate recognition in voting through CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps. com and MaxPreps.

In class 3A, Fort Lupton’s Bryce Andrews earned honorable-mention, all-state accolades.

Marshall Fire benefi t

Fort Lupton High School’s chapter of the National Honor Society is hosting a benefit three-on-three basketball game at 3 p.m. Friday, April 15, to help the victims of the Marshall Fire. Call 303-8577100.

Girls basketball

Frederick High School’s basketball team will be decorating yards Saturday, April 16, just ahead of Easter Sunday. Team members will take care of buying, fi lling and hiding the eggs.

To sign up, visit bit.ly/3tmFA8h.

Solution

© 2016 King Features Synd., Inc.

TRIVIA

1. FOOD & DRINK: What was the fi rst food eaten in space? 2. LITERATURE: A character named Piggy is featured in which 20th-century novel? 3. GEOGRAPHY: What are the residents of Cyprus called? 4. MEASUREMENTS: How many pounds are in a stone? 5. LANGUAGE: What does Ph.D stand for? 6. ANIMAL KINGDOM: What is the color of a giraffe’s tongue? 7. MEDICAL: What is the common name for onychocryptosis? 8. HISTORY: What is a more common name for the 19thcentury killer known as the “Whitechapel Murderer”?

9. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE:

What is the color of “black boxes” used to record fl ight data on aircraft? 10. SCIENCE: What is considered to be the ideal “room temperature”?

Answers

1. In 1961, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin ate pureed meat and then chocolate sauce. 2. “Lord of the Flies” 3. Cypriots 4. 14 5. Doctor of Philosophy 6. Blue, black or purple 7. Ingrown nail 8. Jack the Ripper 9. Bright orange to aid in recovery 10. 68-72 degrees Fahrenheit

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