State of frustration

DENVER — It was a long and, ultimately, completely unfulfilling day for the girls tennis teams from Fruita Monument and Grand Junction. The five entrants spread among those two teams endured a day of frustration Friday during the Class 5A state tennis tournament. Overall, those players went 0 for 8 in their matches, bowing out quickly before making the long journey home from the Gates Tennis Center. Friday proved to be a particularly long day as Thursday’s opening-day action ...

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Paonia Eagles go 1-1 at state volleyball

DENVER — The Paonia Eagles did not reach the state volleyball tournament for the first time in 22 years without showing a little gumption along the way. And by notching their first state tournament win in 29 years on Friday, the Eagles served notice they can compete with any of the elite small-school programs in the state. The Eagles had a rough start Saturday against Swink, getting swept in three hotly contested games to get eliminated from the Class 2A state tournament. Swink, ...

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Eagles sweep opener in 2A state volleyball

DENVER — The Paonia High School volleyball team was navigating through previously uncharted territory as it embarked on its quest for the Class 2A state championship. It has been 22 years since the Eagles last reached the state tournament. It has been markedly longer since Paonia claimed a victory at the state tournament. Still, none of that meant the Eagles stepped onto the floor at the Denver Coliseum on Friday afternoon completely lacking any big-game experience. Paonia’s ...

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Montrose no-hit at 4A state tourney

AURORA — The Montrose softball team figured it had a certain level of karma on its side. Once again, the Indians were facing an uphill battle as the underdog in a first-round match against Pueblo South at the Class 4A state tournament. Montrose was in a similar predicament last year, yet the Indians nearly orchestrated an upset before ultimately bowing out with a 1-0 defeat. It was the sort of game that could have turned on any play at any moment, and the near-miss instilled a level ...

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Kinnaman on 5A radar

GOLDEN — Donny Kinnaman’s small yet painful dip atop the leader board at the CHSAA Class 5A state golf finals could be summarized succinctly by one glaring analysis. The sophomore from Grand Junction High did not have a single three-putt hole during Monday’s first round, when Kinnaman surged to the top of the leader board. On Tuesday, with a potential state title in the balance, Kinnaman three-putted on three separate holes. That three-stroke differential essentially ...

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Kinnaman leads after Day 1 at 5A state golf

GOLDEN — Even though he still is only a sophomore, Donny Kinnaman has faced his fair share of pressure tournaments. As a freshman last year, the Grand Junction High School golfer qualified for state and acquitted himself well for a rookie by finishing in a tie for 23rd. And after honing his game on the summer circuit the past few months, Kinnaman showed Monday he perhaps is ready to etch his name among the top prep golfers in the state. On a day when scores generally were high ...

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GJ tennis coach sees growth at state tourney

DENVER — The Grand Junction High School girls tennis team is a squad in transition. So although it was a less than ceremonious performance at the Class 5A girls tennis state tournament, it nonetheless was one that coach Carol Elliott hopes will pay dividends down the road. The Tigers made an early exit from a weather-scuttled tournament Friday, losing a pair of playback matches before making the return trip to the Western Slope. The finals, normally played on Saturday, instead were ...

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State tourney a struggle for locals

DENVER — Central’s Aimee Basinski and Fruita Monument’s Meredith Soychak were in fairly similar situations Thursday during the opening two rounds of the Class 5A girls tennis state tournament. Basinski, a junior, qualified for state for the first time last season but lost her lone match before making the long return trip home. Soychak is a senior, but until this year she had never qualified for state. On Thursday, both athletes notched their first victories at the state ...

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Anderson finishes XC season strong

AURORA — By her own admission, it has been a rough up-and-down cross country season for Hotchkiss High School sophomore Natalie Anderson. Anderson made a splashy debut last year as a freshman, placing third at the Class 3A state meet and helping the Bulldogs to a second-place team finish. Naturally, Anderson expected more of the same this season, at least until fate intervened in a painful manner. Limited by a stress fracture in her left foot throughout the summer, Anderson started ...

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Tigers place 6 in Class 5A state tennis semis

DENVER — Luke Ledebur might be forced to take a pair of sore wrists and a chronic case of wobbly knees into the Class 5A boys tennis state semifinals this morning. For Ledebur, it was a well-earned assortment of aches and pains. The senior from Grand Junction High School highlighted a superb all-around effort by the Tigers on Thursday, advancing through the first two rounds of the No. 2 singles bracket with a pair of thrilling victories in third-set tiebreakers. Grand Junction ...

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Long day on tennis courts ends with no Tigers in finals

DENVER — It was bad enough that Grand Junction’s Kylie Pond, along with her doubles partner, senior Madison Gurley, had to stare down the top tandem from the juggernaut dynasty from Cherry Creek during Friday’s semifinals of the Class 5A tournament. Pond also was taking on her cousin, the Bruins’ Lindsey Pond, and by the time the Tigers duo got their game together, it was a little too late. Kylie Pond and Gurley enjoyed the Tigers’ best run during the ...

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Nucla’s Sickels rallies to win 2A title

DENVER — Nucla’s Tray Sickels won the Class 2A 140-pound state title Saturday night at the Pepsi Center when he pinned previously undefeated Buddy Watson of Wiggins in 2:47. Sickels, a sophomore, trailed Watson 7-2 in the second period. Sickels now has a state title to go with his older brother, Ty’s, two championhsips. Norwood’s Brent Harris won the 160-pound title with a 9-4 decision over Peyton’s Blake Bartlett. Hayden’s Treyben Letlow capped a ...

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State crown caps season for Delta’s Patton

DENVER — A lingering injury from the football season forced Michael Patton to the sideline during last year’s wrestling season. At the outset of this season, Patton remained hesitant on whether he would ever return to the mat. But, in the end, the senior from Delta decided he simply could not pass on the potential he still saw in himself in wrestling. Saturday night at the Pepsi Center, Patton’s decision to return paid huge dividends, as he recorded a 3-2 decision ...

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Schumann, Gaber make Montrose wrestling program proud

DENVER — There was a moment midway through the Class 4A state wrestling semifinals on Friday night when the entire Montrose program rode a roller coaster. It really did last less than a minute, yet within that span, the Indians enjoyed all the triumph and disappointment that are trademarks of the state wrestling tournament. No sooner had Montrose senior Drew Schumann recorded a decisive semifinal win to advance to the 130-pound state title bout than his teammate, junior Kordell ...

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Paonia struggles, can still pick up plenty of consolation points

DENVER — Cody Rapke figured it was going to be a monumental challenge. The Paonia senior just hoped he could put up a fight for a little longer. Rapke, the Eagles’ 152-pound entrant in the Class 2A state wrestling tournament, faced one of the favorites in the weight class Friday when he ran up against Fowler’s Donnie White in the semifinals. Rapke lasted only 1:07 before getting pinned by White. It signified the start of a frustrating evening for the Eagles, who lost all ...

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Experience helps Paonia stay grounded in first round at state

DENVER — Dustin Braslin remembers exactly what it was like last year when he walked into the Pepsi Center for the first time as a competitor at the state wrestling tournament. It was all a bit overwhelming — the end-to-end matches, constant roll call for competitors, and, of course, the bright lights and the sheer size of the expansive arena. Competing this year at the state meet for the second time, Braslin, a junior from Paonia High School, made sure it was his effort that ...

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Survivor, Pepsi Center: Bulldogs, Indians fare well in 4A

DENVER — The first day of the state wrestling tournament is all about survival. For Palisade and Montrose, that mission was accomplished admirably. Both squads advanced the majority of their entrants through Thursday’s first round of the Class 4A state tournament at the Pepsi Center. Palisade recorded wins in five of eight first-round bouts and Montrose fared even better, posting wins in five of its seven first-round matches. Delta also had a solid first day, going 3-3 in the ...

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GJ’s McLean shakes off fatigue to finish eighth at state

FORT COLLINS — Much to her dismay, Gillian McLean just was not feeling it on Saturday morning. The senior diver from Grand Junction High School was only a few hours away from the final event of her prep career when a combination of nerves and fatigue thwarted McLean’s performance during the diving preliminaries at the Class 5A state finals at Edora Pool and Ice Center. Showing the gumption that allowed her to make a huge improvement since her junior season, McLean shook off ...

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State meet is a success for Griffins

FORT COLLINS — The District 51 boys swim team set out for the Class 5A state meet with one goal in mind. The Griffins just wanted to show up strong enough Saturday to compete in the final heats. And the Griffins did just that, particularly with a strong showing in the freestyle relay events during Friday’s preliminary heats. That left little in the Griffins’ collective tank for Saturday’s finals at the Edora Pool and Ice Center. District 51 failed to improve on any ...

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Griffins advance freestyle relay teams into consolation round

FORT COLLINS — It was a less than stirring beginning for the District 51 boys swim team in the first day of the Class 5A state finals on Friday. Yet the Griffins didn’t let disappointment at the outset ruin their day. The District 51 team opened the 5A finals at the Edora Pool and Ice Center by narrowly missing a berth in today’s consolation heat of the medley relay. The Griffins shook off that setback to advance both freestyle relay teams into the consolation ...

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Grand Junction No. 2 doubles team of Prinster, Pond finshes third

DENVER — Grand Junction High School girls tennis coach Carol Elliott has admitted she was not sure what to expect from the Tigers this season. Although it would be a young team, Elliott at least expected the Tigers to improve and display great resolve. During the final day of the Class 5A state tournament, Elliott’s No. 2 doubles team of Margeaux Prinster and Kylie Pond exemplified that spirit perfectly. Weathering a court change in the middle of the first set and a comeback ...

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Pair of Tigers’ doubles teams will play for third at 5A state tennis tourney

DENVER — Few situations in high school athletics are more challenging mentally than the chore undertaken Friday by the top two doubles teams from Grand Junction High School. The Tigers’ top two teams began the second day of the Class 5A state tournament on a disappointing note, losing in the semifinal round that relegated each team to the playback bracket. Losing a final-four match makes for an easy excuse for any additional losses. Yet the Tigers shook off the losses and ...

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GJ’s top two doubles teams advance to semis

DENVER — Loaded with youth and inexperience, the Grand Junction girls tennis team failed to win the Southwestern League regular-season title for the first time in 18 years. Yet the upside to youth is that those players eventually grow up. And a few of the Tigers are growing up in a hurry at the Class 5A state tennis tournament. Grand Junction’s top doubles team of Emmie Madison and Madison Gurley led a strong Grand Junction effort during the first day of the tournament ...

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Tigers find optimism in loss to top seed

HIGHLANDS RANCH — It was a learning experience, though painful. The season came to a screeching halt for the Grand Junction High School girls basketball team on Wednesday, yet the Tigers endured the thumping with a hint of optimism. Despite losing 65-34 at Highlands Ranch in the third round of the Class 5A tournament, the Tigers embarked on the long journey home after geting a good glimpse of one of the state’s elite programs. With nine of Grand Junction’s top 12 ...

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Montrose’s Passehl wins 4A state title

DENVER — At first glance, Jordan Passehl of Montrose believed he had run out of time, and that his dreams of an undefeated state championship season had been cruelly dashed. When Passehl lifted his head from the mat in the first few moments after his 189-pound title bout in the Class 4A wrestling finals, the first feeling that crawled through his gut was disappointment. Little did Passehl know that his furious comeback actually was a success, a fact confirmed when he finally noticed ...

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Indians surging in 4A team race: With trio of wrestlers in finals, Montrose eyes top-5 finish

DENVER — Kevin Passehl had the sort of dilemma any coach would enjoy. Passehl, the head wrestling coach of the Montrose Indians, had just settled into his sideline seat to watch 171-pound junior Bryce Gaber compete in the Class 4A semifinals on Friday when, thanks strictly to the luck of the draw, his son, Jordan Passehl, was about to start his semifinal match in the 189-pound division. The elder Passehl, naturally, migrated over to watch his son attempt to continue his perfect ...

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Salazar redeems himself with opening win

DENVER — Daniel Salazar admits he was a victim of the combined effects of youth and stage fright last year. One year wiser and markedly stronger, Salazar prepared all season to make sure he would not have a repeat disappointment at the state wrestling meet. The Palisade High School sophomore safely navigated that hurdle Thursday, turning in perhaps the Bulldogs’ top performance during opening-round matches of the Class 4A state meet at the Pepsi Center. It was a day of mixed ...

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Griffins’ coach pleased with strong finish at state swimming meet

FORT COLLINS — It certainly was an inauspicious start for the District 51 boys swim team. The Griffins entered the finals of the Class 5A swim meet Saturday with much enthusiasm, eyeing an opportunity to shave their times in the five consolation heats in which the team was competing. Yet perhaps the greatest credit to the Griffins is they did not pack it in after beginning the meet with a huge disappointment, getting disqualified from the meet-opening event in the 200 freestyle ...

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Leonhart proud of Griffins’ fight at state

FORT COLLINS — Dale Leonhart would just assume be bald come Sunday morning. Leonhart, the head coach of the District 51 boys swimming team, shaved his beard last week in response to his Griffins’ stellar performance at the Western Slope championships. To add incentive going into the Class 5A meet, Leonhart promised his charges they could shave the rest of the hair on his head if they managed to finish in the top 10 in the team standings. The bad news for Leonhart after the ...

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Montrose’s Stucky wins Class 4A state championship in 50, 100 freestyles

Emily Stucky did what any swimmer is supposed to do down the stretch of a tight race. Stucky ignored the competition Saturday, even though a handful of other swimmers were staying with her every inch of the way, and focused on nothing but the wall until she came up for air and glanced at the scoreboard. What Stucky saw there was an impressive mark that declared the sophomore from Montrose the Class 4A state champion in the 50-yard freestyle. That effort proved to be only the beginning ...

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