Grandview wrestling coach Ryan Budd hoped his team would finish in the top 10 at the Arvada West Invitational Jan. 17, even though it came in the midst of a grueling portion of the schedule.
The Wolves accepted that challenge and finished ninth at the multi-classification tournament featuring many of the state’s best teams in a compact format.
Xavier Cardenas and Seth Brown made championship matches for Grandview in outstanding performances for both.
Cardenas lost a tough overtime decision to top-ranked Darek Huff of Broomfield in the 126-pound final, while Brown also lost in the 145-pound title match against No. 1 Jimmy Rothwell of Arvada West as the Wolves came ninth in the final standings.
Grandview returns to the rugged Top of the Rockies tournament Jan. 23-24 at Centaurus High School, a 33-team gathering filled with teams from Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada and Wyoming.
• The Regis Jesuit girls basketball team finished 2-2 on a trip to New York City, where it competed in the Rose Classic Super Jam tournament at Nazareth High School in Brooklyn. Coach Carl Mattei’s team lost to St. Rose (New Jersey) in its last game on Jan. 19, but posted wins over Monsignor Scalan (72-68) and Medgar Evers College Prep (50-38) on the trip. Junior TaeKenya Cleveland scored 20 or more points in three of Regis Jesuit’s four games.
• The Eaglecrest wrestling team dominated at the Alameda Invitational on Jan. 17, scoring 226 points to outpace runner-up Boulder by 105 points. Stephen Ramirez (113 pounds), Dominique Evans (138), Aldin Puris (182) and Anthony Malone (285) all won championships for the Raptors, while Jake Dugan also made the 152-pound final before losing to undefeated Jared Todd of Heritage.
• Hinkley’s Ben Rhoton (106 pounds) and Regis Jesuit’s Logan Ronan (160 pounds) won championships Jan. 17 at the Evergreen Invitational. Hinkley’s Serj Chavez also made the finals, but lost in the 138-pound final. Regis Jesuit finished sixth in the 17-team tournament behind a total of six top-four placers, while the Thunderbirds had six top-six placers.
• The Grandview girls swim team topped Cherry Creek for a second straight season in dual meet competition with a 101-85 victory at the Bruins’ shiny new pool on Jan. 15. The Wolves swept all three relays and got two individual event wins from sophomore Taylor Dirks and one apiece from juniors April and Mia Wood and freshman Simone Cade in topping Cherry Creek, which swam without two of its top competitors.
• The Rangeview boys basketball team regrouped from a tough start after winter break — which included four straight losses to quality teams — with a decisive 86-60 win at Aurora Central Jan. 15. Five players finished in double figures, led by junior Kris Hollins with 16 points, followed by seniors Jalen Davis (15), Tarren Storey-Way (12), Tyrei Randall (11) and Tim Wyatt (10) as the Raiders posted their second-highest point total of the season.
• Overland’s Austin Conway is one of seven Colorado boys basketball players to receive a nomination to the 2015 McDonald’s All-American Game, which were released Jan. 14. Conway, a senior guard who has signed with the University of Wyoming, is one of 834 boys and girls nationwide that will be pared down to 24 boys and 24 girls for the April 1 McDonald’s All-American games in Chicago.
Courtney Oakes is Sports Editor of the Aurora Sentinel. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. FB: Aurora Prep Sentinel