Aurora girls swim teams finished the 2016 portion of the new season Dec. 17 with their performances at the annual Coaches Invitational.
In the same pool at the Veterans’ Memorial Aquatic Center where the Class 5A girls state swim meet will be held in February, Regis Jesuit, Grandview, Smoky Hill and Cherokee Trail all had significant results in a loaded multi-classification field.
Among 22 5A teams in competition, Regis Jesuit — which took a city-best 41 individuals and six relay teams — finished in fifth place with 173 points as freshman Jada Surrell-Norwood placed in a pair of event championship finals and the Raiders posted a pair of top-four relay results. Surrell-Norwood anchored a 400-yard freestyle relay team that also included seniors Samantha Smith and Isabella Schultze and sophomore Meriel Upton that finished second in the event.
Smoky Hill junior Natalie Rotondo (seventh in 100 butterfly), Grandview sophomore Lyssa Wood (eighth in 500 freestyle) and Cherokee Trail junior Christie Yee (10th in diving) also made championship finals for their respective squads.
Wood combined with senior Taylor Dirks and juniors Simone Cade and Sam Hufford on an eighth-place 400 freestyle relay for Grandview, which finished ninth in the team standings.
Rotondo placed in her lone individual event and swam on all three scoring relay teams for the Buffaloes, who were 12th.
Cherokee Trail swimmers captured a variety of state cuts and some school records, but Yee was the lone point scorer as the lone diver from Aurora to place in the championship finals.
• The Grandview boys basketball team claimed the championship of the Gatorade Division of the prestigious Tarkanaian Classic in Las Vegas, as the Wolves defeated Fort Collins 50-48 in overtime in an all-Colorado title tilt. Senior Gaige Prim led the way with 17 points for Grandview, while senior Lechaun Duhart — who was selected MVP of the Gatorade tournament — added 15. Junior Ben Boone also made the all-tournament team for the Wolves, who enter winter break at a sparkling 9-0.
• The Eaglecrest boys basketball team posted a strong 57-53 victory over Harvard Westlake from California Dec. 20 to take fifth place in the loaded Orleans Division of the Tarkanian Classic. The Raptors finished 3-1 at the tournament, with its lone loss coming to tournament runner-up Lone Peak (Utah). Overland also played in the Orleans Division and finished 2-2, capped by a 57-54 win over Lynwood (California) in consolation play.
• The Grandview girls basketball team opened the Nike Tournament of Champions in style Dec. 19 with a 54-53 victory over California powerhouse Archbishop Mitty. The Wolves got 16 points from Michaela Onyenwere, 15 from Leilah Vigil and 10 from Alisha Davis to beat the Monarch, who were ranked No. 2 in the country in both MaxPreps’ Xcellent 25 and USA Today’s Super 25. Grandview went on to beat Seton Catholic in the second round to guarantee a top four spot in the rugged Joe Smith Division.
• Aurora prep sports scoreboard for Tuesday, Dec. 20, here.
• Aurora prep sports scoreboard for Monday, Dec. 19, here.
• Smoky Hill trailed Rangeview by nine points in a quality all-Aurora boys basketball matchup Dec. 17, then went on a 28-9 run in the fourth quarter and overtime for a 71-62 victory Dec. 17. Jahwan Phillips finished with a game-high 24 points and Kenny Foster added 21 for the Buffs, while Matthew Johnson (22), Ryan Ongala (18) and Donyvan Jackson (11) reached double figures for the Raiders, who watched a significant lead slip away late in a second straight game.
• The Regis Jesuit boys basketball team rallied to deal Cherokee Trail its first loss of the season Dec. 17. The Raiders outscored the Cougars 19-10 in the final period to erase a five-point deficit and win 52-48. Connor Hobbs led Regis Jesuit with 12 points, while Sam Bannec and Payton Egloff got into double figures with 10 points each. Jaizec Lottie (12 points) and Ian Kelly (10) paced Cherokee Trail.
• Aurora prep sports scoreboard for Saturday, Dec. 17, here.
• Aurora prep sports scoreboard for Friday, Dec. 16, here.
• Overland hired a new head football coach on Dec. 15, as Steve Sewell accepted the position, according to athletic director Ryan Knorr. Sewell — who works at the school in the post grad department — is a former Denver Broncos running back and also a former assistant coach at Colorado State-Pueblo. He follows Seth Replogle, who stepped down a month earlier due to health concerns. The hire of Sewell has been well received around Aurora. For more on Sewell’s hire, click here.
• The Smoky Hill girls swim team edged visiting Grandview in a friendly, highly-competitive dual meet in the Buffs’ pool Dec. 15. Senior Lauren Zurcher anchored Smoky Hill’s B relay team to a third-place finish in the 400 freestyle relay, which provided the difference in a 93-92 victory.
• Aurora prep sports scoreboard for Thursday, Dec. 15, here.
