AURORA | A look back at some of the key games, tournaments and happenings Aurora prep sports from Feb. 10-15, 2020:
Courtney Oakes is Sentinel Colorado Sports Editor. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@sentinelcolorado.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
SATURDAY, FEB. 15: The Class 5A Region 1 wrestling tournament at Cherokee Trail High School saw great success for the eight Aurora teams in the 14-team field, which saw locals combined for 32 top-six places and gain 21 bids in the 5A state tournament. The host Cougars (who finished second to Pomona in the team standings) set a school record with 10 qualifiers including regional champs Derek Glenn Jr. (106 pounds), Brock LaBonde (152), Sam Hart (220) and Julian Williams (285), while seventh-place Eaglecrest had a regional champion in 120-pounder Caeleb Knoll among three qualifiers, the same amount garnered by Rangeview, which had a 160-pound finalist in Gregory Brooks. Smoky Hill had a pair of state qualifiers in Obie Sanni (195) and Alex Angeles (285), while Aurora Central (106 pounder Timothy Herrera) and Overland (145 pounder Ryan Hensley) had one apiece. …Grandview and Regis Jesuit combined for 13 top-six places and 10 state qualifying positions (seven for the Wolves, three for the Raiders) out of the 5A Region 4 tournament at Mountain Vista High School. Grandview had a pair of regional champions in Frankie Sanchez Jr. (106 pounds) and Joe Renner (182), while Regis Jesuit had one in Antonio Segura (145). …Vista PEAK came away with a pair of state qualifiers from the 4A Region 4 tournament at Mesa Ridge High School in which Isaac Renas got in with a runner-up finish at 182 pounds and Donovan Jarmon won a wrestleback to get in at 220 pounds. …The Vista PEAK girls basketball team gained revenge from an earlier loss to Rangeview with an 85-67 road victory in a non-league meeting of EMAC teams. Seairra Hughes poured in 23 points and Mikenzie Jones added 20 for the Bison. Grandview celebrated its senior class (two of which scored in double figures in Tomia Johnson with 14 and Landri Hudson with 12) in a big Centennial League win over Overland. …The Rangeview boys swept a two-game set from Vista PEAK with a 73-60 non-league home win that was fueled by Cade Palmer’s 20 points and double figures from three others to counter Jaylen Carrizales’ 18 among three in double figure for the Bison. Eaglecrest lost a 66-63 overtime thriller at Cherry Creek, while Caleb McGill’s 18 points and 16 from Lian Ramiro helped lift Grandview past Overland, Quinten Rock tallied 29 points as Smoky Hill won big over Arapahoe and Jeremiah Jordan tallied 22 in Cherokee Trail’s large win against Mullen. …The Cherry Creek co-op ice hockey team got a hat track from Hunter Fieweger (Cherokee Trail) in a 9-2 road win at Steamboat Springs in a game in which Dalton Berkey and Charlie Krause each registered three assists.
— The Aurora prep sports scoreboard for Saturday, Feb. 15, here
FRIDAY, FEB. 14: Five Aurora teams registered a team score in the finals of the Class 5A girls state championship meet on Valentine’s Day at the Veterans’ Memorial Aquatic Center, with Regis Jesuit leading the way in third place, which far exceeded its projection of ninth place based on scoring of pre-meet psych sheets. The Raiders had a single state champion in senior Sophia Bradac, a close runner-up in the 100 yard breaststroke in 2019 who won the title this time, while senior Jada Surrell-Norwood — who was unable to defend her state championship in the 100 freestyle — received 5A Swimmer of the Year honors as voted on by league coaches. Bradac and fellow seniors Surrell-Norwood, Parker Biley and Ariana Mitsuoka, junior Ellie Lopez, sophomore Grace Dale and freshman Rosie Jump all placed in two individual events for Regis Jesuit. Next came Grandview, which edged Smoky Hill by three points for 17 points behind an Aurora-best fifth-place finish in the 200 yard freestyle by junior Hailey Matthews and top 18 finishes by all three relay teams, while seniors Maggie Robben and Blythe Iverson each made a championship final for the Buffaloes. Cherokee Trail also scored in all three relays and got two consolation finals performances from sophomore Skylar Brgoch to finish 20th, while junior Catie Rodocker continued Eaglecrest’s diving tradition at the state meet with her third-place finish, which netted enough points to put her team in 24th. …Alonzo Paul continued a recent scoring binge with 27 points, but it wasn’t enough for the Regis Jesuit boys basketball team to stave off Mountain Vista in a 72-66 Continental league home loss.
— The Aurora prep sports scoreboard for Friday, Feb. 14, here
THURSDAY, FEB. 13: The Regis Jesuit ice hockey team dropped a 2-0 decision to top-ranked Chaparral in a matinee at Family Sports Center in a game that was scoreless until midway through the second period. Gage Bussey made 24 saves on 26 shots against as the Raiders finished with a split of a two-game regular season set with the Wolverines. …Genesis Sweetwine’s 17 points helped the Rangeview girls basketball team top George Washington 71-63 in non-league play, while Jada Moore went for 24 points and Avery VanSickle 17 in the Regis Jesuit girls basketball team’s decisive 71-37 Continental League win over Mountain Vista. …The Hinkley boys basketball team got 18 point efforts from both Xavion Davison and Jeremiah Warren in a 65-54 win over Brighton in EMAC play, while also saw Gateway (over Northglenn) and Vista PEAK (over Prairie View) get in the win column.
— The Aurora prep sports scoreboard for Thursday, Feb. 13, here
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 12: The Eaglecrest boys basketball team knocked Grandview out of a share of first place in the Centennial League and gained a split in the season series with a 49-48 home win despite scoring just 10 points in the second half. Zion Ruckard — whose heave from three-quarters court found the basket to give his team a 13-point lead after one quarter — had a game-high 20 points, while Ty Robinson had 15 for the Raptors, while Caleb McGill went for 19 and Lian Ramiro 17 for the Wolves. Overland (over Cherokee Trail with seven players in double figures topped by Trevon Deden and Marcus Cuasito with 14 apiece) and Smoky Hill (over Mullen with five players in double figures paced by Quinten Rock and Jalen Weaver’s 18 points) were also Centennial League winners, as was Rangeview over Aurora Central in EMAC play. …Lauren Betts’ 26 points paced Grandview to a 68-48 win over Eaglecrest for a Centennial League sweep, while Cherokee Trail got 22 points from Makayla Hemingway to take the league set for Overland.
— The Aurora prep sports scoreboard, for Wednesday, Feb. 12, here
TUESDAY, FEB. 11: The Vista PEAK boys basketball team exploded for 23 points in the final quarter to rally past visiting Gateway 58-52 in EMAC play. Six players in all went for double figures in the game, Sayo Owolabi (16 points), Jaylen Carrizales and AJ LaCabe (12 apiece) for the Bison and Antwuan Smith (13) plus Maliq Alford and DJ Wilson (11 apiece) for the Olys. In other EMAC boys play, Aurora Central outscored Northglenn by 11 in the fourth quarter on its way to a 48-45 win as Kavon Williams scored 12 points and Messiah Ford added 11, Rangeview reached triple figures for the second time this season in a win over Brighton and Hinkley got 23 points from Jeremiah Warren in a big win over Westminster. …Jada Moore scored 25 points to pace the Regis Jesuit girls to a 62-39 Continental League road win at Castle View, while Vista PEAK also won big at Gateway.
— The Aurora prep sports scoreboard for Tuesday, Feb. 11, here
MONDAY, FEB. 10: A light night of action was made up of a trio of games that were the products of weather-related rescheduling. In a girls Class 5A top 10 matchup. Grandview had little trouble on its way to a 72-43 victory over Ralston Valley as Lauren Betts led the way with 17 points and Marya Hudgins added 14, while Smoky Hill topped Overland in Centennial League girls play. …Jalen Weaver racked up a game-high 23 points and Quinten Rock added 22 to pace Smoky Hill to a 69-58 win at Overland which was paced by Trevon Deden’s 22.
— The Aurora prep sports scoreboard for Monday, Feb. 10, here