AURORA | A look at some of the top games, tournaments and happenings in Aurora prep sports between Feb. 11-17, 2016:
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. FB: Aurora Prep Sentinel
• Regis Jesuit plays at Ralston Valley at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 11 in an ice hockey showdown at APEX that will go a long way towards bringing the final Foothills Conference standings into focus. The Raiders and Mustangs both have just one loss so far on the season as both were beaten by undefeated and top-ranked Monarch.
• A massive slate of boys and girls basketball is in store for Feb. 12, the second-to-last Friday of the prep basketball regular season. Ten Aurora boys squads are in action, highlighted by a string of quality contests that include Cherokee Trail playing at Eaglecrest, Overland paying a visit to Cherry Creek and Regis Jesuit playing at Chaparral. Ten city girls hoops teams also take the floor with Regis Jesuit playing host to Chaparral in a key Continental League meeting.
• Regional wrestling tournaments run Feb. 12-13, as Aurora individuals take their shots at qualifying for the Class 5A and 4A state tournament the next week at Pepsi Center. Vista PEAK stays home as it plays host to 4A Region 3, while Aurora’s 5A teams are distributed in three places: Grandview, Hinkley, Overland at Regis Jesuit at Arvada West, Cherokee Trail and Smoky Hill at Doherty and Aurora Central, Eaglecrest, Gateway and Rangeview trekking to Grand Junction Central. Full regional time schedules, here.
• The Class 5A girls state swim meet opens Feb. 12 at the Edora Pool & Ice Center in Fort Collins, with prelims slated for 4 p.m. Forty-six Aurora swimmers and divers and 12 relays teams from six schools (Cherokee Trail, Grandview, Hinkley, Rangeview, Regis Jesuit and Smoky Hill) qualified to compete in prelims. Diving prelims begin at 9 a.m. Feb. 13 with finals for swimming and diving at 2 p.m. Full list of Aurora qualifiers with seedings, here.
• Grandview plays host to Regis Jesuit at 1 p.m. Feb. 13 in a matchup of Aurora’s two teams ranked in the Feb. 9 Class 5A Associated Press girls basketball media poll. The unbeaten and second-ranked Wolves posted a 16-point win last season against the ninth-ranked Raiders.
• EMAC basketball sees some key matchups Feb. 16, as Aurora teams fight for position in the league standings with the regular season nearing its conclusion. The Rangeview girls pay a 7 p.m. visit to Prairie View in a battle of teams just off the pace of EMAC leader Brighton, while Gateway plays at Westminster at 7 p.m. with with the winner staying in the upper third of the league standings. In Colorado 7 play, the Vista PEAK boys welcome in Skyview at 7 p.m. in a game it needs to keep in contention for the league title.
• Centennial League basketball on Feb. 17 makes for a strong slate, with a number of key matchups that could shape the final standings. Overland plays host to Cherokee Trail, while Grandview visits Eaglecrest in key late boys contests.
