AURORA | A look back at the key games, tournaments and happenings in Aurora prep sports from Jan. 10-16, 2023:
PHOTO GALLERY FROM THE WEEK PAST (1.10-1.16.23), HERE
Courtney Oakes is Sentinel Colorado Sports Editor. Reach him at [email protected] Twitter: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
THE WEEK PAST IN AURORA PREP SPORTS, 1.10-1.16.23
MONDAY, JAN. 16: There were no contests held as schools were closed to recognize Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
SATURDAY, JAN. 14: The Eaglecrest girls wrestling team earned the championship of the Arvada Invitational by just half a point, as it outlasted Loveland 134-133.5 to finish atop a field of 12 teams. A total of 15 Raptors earned top-five places — including multiple placers at 105, 135 and 140 pounds — and championships came from Natalie Replogle (135), Gianna Falise (155) and Blythe Cayko (190). …The Eaglecrest boys wrestling team had eight top-four placers — including champions in Adonias Cantu (106 pounds), Alijah Galbadon (126) and Dalton Leivian (215) — finished second (by just two points) at the Armando Rodriguez TOC tournament, which was again held in the memory of late Raptors assistant coach Armando Rodriguez (recap, here and placing match results, here). …The Cherokee Trail girls swim team finished in second place, Smoky Hill sixth and Eaglecrest 11th in the final standings of the annual Smoky Hill Invitational girls swim meet. Bella Lane tied for first place in the 50 yard freestyle to lead the way for the Cougars, while Mya Noffsinger finished second in two events for the Buffaloes among the highlights (recap, here and full meet results, here). …Guard Siraaj Ali capped an 18-point performance for the Overland boys basketball team with the game-winning shot to lift the Trailblazers over host George Washington 74-73. Ali was joined in double figures by Hamza Mursal with 15 and Nehemiah Winchester with 12. …Joe Dorais connected on six 3-pointers on his way to 27 points to pace the Regis Jesuit boys basketball team to a 65-55 non-league win over Arapahoe. TaRea Fulcher added 13 and Damarius Taylor chipped in nine for the Raiders. …The Eaglecrest girls basketball team picked up its 10th consecutive victory with a 50-44 win over Rangeview in a crosstown meeting of local programs. Laci Roffle scored 15 points and Nia McKenzie contributed 14 in the victory. … Despite three players scoring in double figures, the Cherokee Trail boys basketball team fell behind visiting Cheyenne Central early and couldn’t catch up in a 72-61 loss in the Cougars’ first game on their home floor. Keean Lloyd tallied 18 points, Alonzo Rodgers had 14 and Naode Ghide 10 for Cherokee Trail. … The Grandview boys wrestling team finished in third place among 21 scoring teams at the challenging Arvada West Invitational as seven Wolves made it onto the medal podium. Jonathan Montes Gonzales won Grandview’s only championship in the 138-pound weight class, while Nehemiah Quintana (126) and Charlie Herting (157) each finished as the runner-up in their respective weights. …The Vista PEAK boys wrestling team ended up in second place at the Frederick Invitational, which featured a mix of 14 teams from multiple classifications. The Bison dominated the upper weights as they got championships from Ezekiel Taylor (190 pounds), Oscar Valdez (215) and heavyweight Joseph Maes, while 150-pounder Zachary Voltura lost in the title match. …The Regis Jesuit boys wrestling team competed in California at the Five Counties Invitational and tied for 17th as a team. Garrett Reece lost in the championship match at 132 pounds, while heavyweight Dirk Morley to lead the Raiders. …Julian Moreno finished as the 120-pound runner up at the Alameda Invitational boys wrestling tournament to lead Gateway to a ninth-place finish, while Hinkley finished in 11th with help from Marco Duran and Alam Ayoubi, who were fifth at 113 and 175 pounds, respectively. …The Gateway and Hinkley girls basketball teams fell to Denver North (58-15) and Chaparral (80-12), respectively. …The Overland girls wrestling team finished in eighth place at the Poudre Shooting Stars Invitational with a total of 54.5 points. Violet Garcia (110 pounds) and Vianca Mendoza (120) each finished in third place. …Reagan Perez (125-pound gold) and Keeley Holt (155-pound silver) placed highest in their respective brackets to lead the Vista PEAK girls wrestling team to tie for 18th place at the Vista Ridge Alpha Tournament.
— The Aurora prep sports scoreboard for Saturday, Jan. 14, here
FRIDAY, JAN. 13: In front of a packed house and playing the back end of a doubleheader after the boys game, host Rangeview held off rival Vista PEAK for a 59-55 girls basketball victory. D’Ahja Horton’s 18 points led the way for the Raiders, who also got 14 from Zane Bullock and 13 from Jenesse Byrd, while Amirah Pena scored 19 points, Eianna Jackson 16 and Ashlyn Stapleton 10 for the Bison. In the preceding boys game, Julian Carrizales‘ 3-pointer in the closing seconds of regulation lifted the Vista PEAK boys over Rangeview 51-48 in its first win in the 10 meetings between the programs (game story, here). …Coryn Watts poured in 20 points, while Hana Belibi had 17 and Iliana Greene 11 for the Regis Jesuit girls basketball team, which handled Chaparral 68-44 to win its Continental League opener. …The Overland girls basketball team picked up its 10th win of the season with a 53-15 victory over Thornton. …The Hinkley boys basketball team won its second straight contest as it defeated Kennedy 54-48. …Alejandro Flores scored 22 points, Christopher Perkins added 15 and Camron Crisp notched 14, but the Aurora Central boys basketball team fell to George Washington 93-62 on the road.
— The Aurora prep sports scoreboard for Friday, Jan. 13, here
THURSDAY, JAN. 12: The Smoky Hill boys basketball team racked up a season-high in points in a 97-46 non-league win on the road at Manual. …Camron Crisp and Christopher Perkins tallied 16 points apiece and Simeon Veasley added 10 as the Aurora Central boys basketball team rode a big second half to a 57-43 home victory over Gateway. Josh Arce scored 11 to lead the Olys. …Damarius Taylor poured in 23 points to place the Regis Jesuit boys basketball team to a 64-44 win over Chaparral to tip off Continental League play. TaRea Fulcher added 17 and Nick Frontz 16. …Jamaea Johnson-Gonzalez and Shaya Kelley tallied 18 points apiece and Alayna McClain contributed 15 in the Aurora Central girls basketball team’s 52-38 victory over Gateway in a Colorado League contest. …Jenesse Byrd’s 15 points, plus 12 from D’Ahja Horton and 10 from Maddie Kilmer led the Rangeview girls basketball team to a 68-16 triumph over Regis Groff. …The Grandview girls swim team won the last four events and seven in all in its Centennial League visit to Cherry Creek, but the Wolves fell to the Bruins 97-86. Amelia Brown claimed first place in the 200 yard freestyle and 100 yard backstroke, while Megan Doubrava won the 200 yard IM, Keira Vail took the 50 yard freestyle and Paige Dailey dominated the 100 yard breaststroke, while the Wolves claimed both the 200 yard and 400 yard freestyle relays. …The Cherokee Trail girls swim team won all 12 events in a 148-23 Centennial League victory over Mullen. Sarah Woren won twice individually, while Sierra Bryan, Laurel Kieffer, Carly Slater, Sydney McCoy, Lily Rosh, Sydney Tarr and diver Kate Rollie also placed first in addition to a relay sweep for the Cougars. …The Eaglecrest boys wrestling team downed Cherry Creek 48-36 in a Centennial League dual matchup in which each team won five contested matches. Blake Saddler (106 pounds), Ethan Diaz (120), Alijah Gabaldon (132), Gabe Rangel (157) and Thayne Lundy (165) won by fall for the Raptors. …Gunner Lopez, Josh Gerarde, Mason Hartshorn, Maxwell Kibbee, Marcus Nesbitt and Cayden Bird earned wins by fall for the Grandview boys wrestling team in a 78-6 Centennial League dual win against Overland, which got its points from Eric Kelly’s win by pin at 144 pounds. …The Vista PEAK boys wrestling team defeated Abraham Lincoln 70-12 in a City League dual match in which the Bison received seven wins by forfeit and had Jorge Hernandez-Garcia, Zachary Votura, Thade Holmes and Joseph Maes win by fall and Ezekiel Taylor by major decision. …The Hinkley boys wrestling team dropped two matches in a tri-dual to Denver East (66-15) and Englewood (40-24). Marco Duran (113 pounds) posted the only win in a contested match by the Thunder. …Zach Brophy’s win by decision at 165 pounds put the Smoky Hill boys wrestling team on the scoreboard in a 67-3 Centennial League loss to 3A No. 1 Mullen. …The Eaglecrest girls wrestling team took a 66-12 dual meet victory against visiting Regis Jesuit in a match in which only four official matches were contested, followed by five exhibition matches. The Raptors won all four official matches via falls from Arianna Sanchez (105 pounds), Jordan Heibult (120), Gianna Falise (155) and Blythe Cayko (190).
— The Aurora prep sports scoreboard for Thursday, Jan. 12, here
WEDNESDAY, JAN. 11: The Grandview boys basketball team went on a 10-1 run to break open a tie game with Rangeview on its way to a 51-45 road win in an all-Aurora matchup. Gallagher Placide scored a game-high 16 points for the Wolves, who also got nine from Alex Riddick, while Kenny Black-Knox (12) and Royce Edwards (11) scored in double digits for the Raiders (game story, here). … The Regis Jesuit boys basketball team rallied from a seven-point deficit in the fourth quarter into a tie with Cherry Creek near the midway point of the fourth quarter, but didn’t score again in a 64-60 loss. TaRea Fulcher scored a team-high 17 points, but had two free throws to tie the game in the closing seconds go astray. Joe Dorais added 15 points and Nick Frontz 12 for the Raiders (game story, here). …The Grandview girls basketball team — playing without star Sienna Betts — fell to Valor Christian 78-41 in a rematch of last season’s Class 5A state championship game. Deija Roberson finished with 12 points and Benedicte Kalala nine for the Wolves. …Hana Belibi (21 points), Coryn Watts (20) and Sophia Meyer (13) scored in double figures for the Regis Jesuit girls basketball team in a 66-41 win over parochial school rival Mullen. …The Aurora Central boys wrestling team topped Gateway 30-12 in a match with four contested matches. The Trojans got wins by fall from Juan Cooper and Moses Mampanya, while the Olys got pins from Julian Moreno and Asmir Huskic.
— The Aurora prep sports scoreboard for Wednesday, Jan. 11, here
TUESDAY, JAN. 10: The Eaglecrest girls basketball team continued to streak with a 44-25 victory over Chaparral in which it outscored the visitors 16-2 in the second quarter. Nia McKenzie paced the Raptors with 14 points, while Laci Roffle and Anjolene Ramiro added 10 apiece. …Cai’Reis Curby scored 17 points, Alejandro Flores added 16 and Camron Crisp 11 as the Aurora Central boys basketball team defeated Skyview 56-42 on the road. …The Cherokee Trail boys basketball team triumphed over Rampart 81-51 in a non-league road contest that saw eight players score is points or more. Alonzo Rodgers led the Cougars with 19 points, while Tony Niyongabo added 12. …The Hinkley boys basketball team got into the win column for the first time on the season with a 49-40 home victory over Regis Groff. …The Overland girls basketball team dominated a non-league matchup with Kennedy in a 65-26 victory. …DeAndre Brown was the only player in double figures for the Eaglecrest boys basketball team with 12 points as the Raptors fell at Rock Canyon 55-40. …Despite five 3-pointers and 17 points from Mareon Chapman, the Rangeview boys basketball team saw a non-league contest with Chaparral get away in the final quarter of a 68-51 loss. …Siraaj Ali’s 18 points and 10 apiece from Jaleel Dixon and Israel Littleton led the Overland boys basketball team in a 74-56 loss to Lewis-Palmer. …Alayna McClain and Shaya Kelley combined for 30 points, but the Aurora Central girls basketball team fell to Skyview 55-41.
— The Aurora prep sports scoreboard for Tuesday, Jan. 10, here
