Jarris Krapcha admitted to tremendous nerves in the day leading up to the Class 6A state championship game.
But not because of the play of his Eaglecrest boys basketball team, which had demonstrated resilience, grit and every other adjective that could describe clutch play this season.
It was more the challenge presented by the second-seeded Raptors’ opponent, No. 5 Valor Christian, led by megawatt postseason star guard Cole Scherer, who had just dropped 39 points in a semifinal upset of No. 1 Rangeview.
“I was so nervous since Thursday (when Eaglecrest rallied and won in overtime in the semifinals) and I went for a walk at 9 o’clock last night and walked three miles,” Krapcha said. “I was so nervous all day today and then I just walked into the building and it all went away. It was wild. It was like ‘OK, I’m ready to coach.’”
A couple of hours later, the feeling would be even better as his team exhibited all of its best traits and overcame some self-imposed late drama in a 65-63 victory that earned Krapcha his first state title and marked the third in Eaglecrest history.
Going in, there was a lot to make Krapcha comfortable, as his team had accomplished no small feat as it went undefeated in 10 games against Centennial League rivals — including a rally against upset-minded rival Smoky Hill in the Centennial League Challenge championship game — and stood up when challenged in each of its first three playoff games (wins over No. 34 Rocky Mountain, No. 15 Arvada West and No. 6 Mountain Vista).
A roster built of several players with significant postseason experience (seniors Garrett Barger, Lucas Kalimba, Jason Noone, Gavin Gallegos and La’Quince York plus super sophomore reserve Kris Coleman), including a heartbreaking semifinal loss in last season’s semifinals, combined with a full half season of transfer senior standout Anthony Nettles integrated into the lineup and an uncommonly deep group of contributors had the Raptors primed.
“This has been three years in the making really,” Krapcha said. “We knew the class coming up was pretty darn good and even sophomore year we had two freak injuries, so kids got to play who probably wouldn’t have played all year. …We came close last year, so we knew from the get go we had the capability to do it, but obviously it’s a very difficult task.”
That task in the championship game itself was made more difficult by the opponent, which featured Scherer, who has been as prime time of a player as anybody in Colorado over the past two seasons and is the state’s reigning Gatorade Player of the Year.
The Eastern Washington-bound guard averaged 26 points per game in the postseason over the last two seasons and was near impossible to contain when Valor Christian got a lead. Scherer did his thing in the championship game, including hitting three 3-pointers in the third quarter, including two in a row that put the Eagles up eight late in the period.
But Eaglecrest’s plan to throw a cadre of defenders at him for the entire game — and with the talent and versatility to actually do it effectively — eventually paid dividends. A clutch three-point play from Coleman helped the Raptors get back into the game and a layup followed by a corner 3-pointer from Nettles (who had a team-high 14 points) got Eaglecrest in the lead.
The toll of so much attention began to show in Scherer, who subsequently airballed a 3-point try and then had a ball stolen from him near center court by York, who got fouled and made two free throws to build the lead.
“That’s what our plan was, take a team approach at stopping him,” York said. “If Gavin got tired, I’d go guard him, if I got tired, Lucas guards him. It would just wear him down. He’s definitely a great player, I give him props for that, we just had to take a team approach.”
The Raptors left the door open a bit in the final minute with some uncharacteristic missed free throws (14 in all for the game), but Noone sealed it with his free throws at the end. He finished with 11 points to join Nettles (14) and Barger (12) in double figures, while Kalimba added nine.
It was no surprise to Noone that the team got it done.
“We made the Final Four last year and lost one senior and somebody (LaDavian King) transferred, but then somebody transferred here (Nettles), so other than two kids, we’re the same team,” he said. “Everybody got better over the summer, so I felt we would win state this year. It feels so good.”
Added Barger: “It’s crazy, winning my senior year, I wouldn’t want to end it with anybody else. It’s been a hell of a ride with everyone. I’ve played with almost all of them since freshman year and some of them even in middle school, then we added Ant. It’s the best feeling right now.”
Said Gallegos: “It just comes down to the bond we’ve built over time. …We know each other very well and I come off the bench every single time in the fourth quarter and say ‘trust your brothers, trust your brothers to get it done.’ Everybody on the floor for Eaglecrest can play, we just trust your brothers.”
A significant void was created when King transferred to Rangeview after three seasons as a starter, but that was filled when Nettles was cleared to join the team in the new year. The Raptors didn’t lose a single game with him in the lineup and finished the season 26-2.
“They took me in with open arms and I felt welcome coming here,” Nettles said. “I knew we could get it done. We’re state champions now.”
Eaglecrest’s championship was the first for Krapcha, who took over on the bench for John Olander, who guided title runs in 2013 and 2017.
“It’s why I applied. …Eaglecrest wins,” Krapcha said. “It takes awhile to make the program your own. We broke through last year and then now, this.”
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@sentinelcolorado.com. Twitter/X: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
