AURORA | A look at the games, tournaments and happenings in Aurora prep sports between Nov. 12-Nov. 19, 2015:
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. FB: Aurora Prep Sentinel
• Official practices for the 2015-16 winter prep sports season begin on Nov. 12, as teams in boys and girls basketball, wrestling, girls swimming and ice hockey begin preparation for the regular season. First games are allowed Dec. 1. Aurora has the defending Class 5A boys state basketball champion in Overland, as well as players on the Cherry Creek co-op ice hockey team that took home last season’s title.
• The Class 5A state volleyball tournament gets underway at 8 a.m. Nov. 13 at the Denver Coliseum, with three Aurora teams — Cherokee Trail, Grandview and Regis Jesuit — involved in a 12-team field that will take aim at winning the state title. Centennial League champion Cherokee Trail plays both of its pool play matches on Nov. 13, as the Cougars take on Regis Jesuit and Cherry Creek, while Grandview and Regis Jesuit will play one match on Nov. 13 and another on Nov. 14. Semifinals follow the completion of pool play matches on Nov. 14 with the state championship match scheduled for 7 p.m. along with those from multiple classifications. Full state tournament pools and schedule, here.
• The second round of the Class 5A state football playoffs include Grandview playing host to Mountain Vista at 7 p.m. Nov. 13 at Legacy Stadium, as the top-seeded Wolves (8-2) look to get past the fourth-seeded Golden Eagles (8-2). A win would put coach John Schultz’s Grandview team into the 5A quarterfinals for the eighth time in the past nine seasons. Full 5A state football playoff scores and schedule, here.
• Regis Jesuit plays host to Legacy at 7 p.m. Nov. 13 in a Class 5A state football playoff second round matchup at Lou Kellogg Stadium, as both teams seek a berth in the final eight. The 8-2 Raiders, seeded No. 2 in Region A of the 5A bracket, are 1-2 in the second round in the past three seasons. Full 5A state football playoff scores and schedule, here.
• The Aurora Central football team treks to Durango for a noon game Nov. 14 to open the Class 4A state football playoffs. The 12th-seeded Trojans finished the regular season 8-2 and make their first postseason appearance in nearly a quarter century when they take on the Demons (9-1). Full 4A state football playoff bracket, here.
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. FB: Aurora Prep Sentinel
