AURORA | A look back at the key games, tournaments and schedules in Aurora prep sports from Jan. 14-20, 2025:
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@sentinelcolorado.com. Twitter/X: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
THE WEEK PAST IN AURORA PREP SPORTS, 1.14-1.20.25
MONDAY, JAN. 20: Only one game was on the schedule due to the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday with schools closed. The Grandview boys basketball team picked up a 65-50 road win at Chatfield.
SATURDAY, JAN. 18: The Overland boys basketball team earned a 62-56 non-league road win at Fossil Ridge that included double-digit scoring efforts from three different players. Siraaj Ali paced the Trailblazers with 16 points, while Isreal Littleton added 15 and Mehki McNeal 14. …The Cherokee Trail boys basketball team won for the third time in its past games with a 61-56 road victory against Northfield. …Sienna Betts scored 12 of her 32 points in overtime to help lift the Grandview girls basketball team to a 60-53 overtime win over Legend in a showdown of Class 6A basketball powers. The Wolves outscored the Titans by a combined total of 29-14 in the fourth quarter and overtime. …The Grandview boys wrestling team racked up 202.5 points to finish only behind Pomona at the top of the standings among 34 scoring teams at the annual Top of the Rockies Invitational at Centaurus High School. The Wolves had one champion in Leland Day, who earned a 1-0 victory over Mullen’s Champion Dyes to take the 285 pound crown, while they also had runners-up at 113 pounds (JR Ortega) and 175 pounds (Charlie Herting) plus third-place winners at 144 (Braxton Widrikis), 150 (Jonathan Montes Gonzales), 190 (Ryder Hoffschneider) and 215 (Oz Nowick) among eight top-five placers. …The Eaglecrest and Regis Jesuit boys wrestling teams finished sixth and 11th, respectively, at the Northglenn Norse Invitational. Six Raptors placed in the top five of their respective weights and two of them — Alijah Gabaldon (125 pounds) and Dane Sims (132) — advanced to championship matches. Gabaldon finished as the runner-up to Broomfield’s Asher Diamond due to medical forfeit, while Sims lost by fall to Broomfield’s August Soto. The Raiders had three top-six placers and two of them (Richard Avila at 113 pounds and Lafe Sarjeant) wrestled in the finals of their respective weight classes. A 17-12 decision over Pueblo County’s Israel Trujillo landed Avila a championship, while Sarjeant lost by fall to Windsor’s Walker Percy to place second. …The Cherokee Trail boys wrestling team finished in ninth place out of 42 scoring teams from multiple states at the Flowing Wells Invitational in Tucson, Arizona. The Cougars had a finalist in Cooper Mathews, who took second place at 120 pounds with a 7-1 loss to an undefeated wrestler from Orting, Arizona, while Chance Mathews (138) and Mateo Garreffa (190) each placed third and Elijah Van Horn (106) sixth. … The Eaglecrest girls wrestling team finished in third place (in a tight race with winner Central G.J. and runner-up Brighton) among 40 teams that competed in the Tiara Challenge at the Douglas County Fairgrounds, while Vista PEAK Prep took seventh, Overland tied for 17th, Regis Jesuit came in 19th and Smoky Hill 37th. Sydney Babi came through in the clutch in the semifinals and finals at 110 pounds and came away with the title with a 12-10 win over Central G.J,’s Abby Vroman, while Bailee Mestas went 4-1 and placed second at 130 pounds with a loss by fall to Columbine’s Makena Heston. The Bison had a runner-up finisher at 125 pounds in Amelia Bacon, who suffered her first loss of the season with a 5-1 decision at the hands of Pomona’s Alora Martinez as part of a contingent of four top-four finishers, while Remington Zimmerer won the 120 pound title for Regis Jesuit with two wins by fall and three by technical fall (including a 20-4 defeat of Douglas County’s Jylian Cabral in the final). Ruth Worknhe finished fifth at 235 pounds to get the Trailblazers on the medal podium.
FRIDAY, JAN. 17: The Rangeview boys basketball team paid a visit to Denver South in a City League showdown and came away with a 78-61 victory. The Raiders remained undefeated as they finally shook off the Ravens’ challenge with a 15-4 advantage in the third quarter. LaDavian King led the way for Rangeview with 18 points, while Marceles Duncan added 14 and Kenny Black-Knox and Archie Weatherspoon V contributed 11 apiece. …The Regis Jesuit boys basketball team extended its winning streak to seven games with a 74-52 victory at Douglas County in its Continental League opener. …The Vista PEAK Prep boys basketball team challenged Denver East in a City League visit before falling 65-60. …The Overland girls basketball team raced out to a 27-2 lead after one quarter and went on to a 75-21 non-league home win over Aurora Central. Emma Davis scored 15 points to lead the way for the Trailblazers, who also got 13 from Cayla Clark, 12 from Malia Relford and 10 from Sasha Davis. …The Regis Jesuit girls basketball team rolled to a 60-28 home win over Douglas County to open Continental League play. Iliana Greene led 10 scorers for the Raiders with 16 points, while Jada Hodges had nine. …The Smoky Hill girls basketball team rode 15 points from Sophia Allen and 11 more from Poli Fifita on its way to a 44-23 home non-league victory over Northglenn. … Harry Sorensen, Alexander Warot and Nolan Williams scored goals for the Regis Jesuit ice hockey team, which wasn’t quite enough in a 4-3 loss to Heritage. Parker Brinner, Avery Osgood and Beau Paton picked up assists for the Raiders. …Goalie Linkin Alasasis made 18 saves for the Grandview ice hockey team in a 10-0 loss to Valor Christian.
THURSDAY, JAN. 16: The Aurora Central boys basketball team picked up a 67-51 Colorado League road victory at district rival Gateway in a game fueled by 28 points from Alex Flores. Deon Davis Jr. added nine points, while Kapano Mailo and Christ Tah had eight apiece. …The Aurora Central girls basketball team defended its home floor against district rival Gateway in a 44-21 Colorado League victory. Jamaea Johnson-Gonzalez finished with 27 points to lead the way for the Trojans, who got six more from Anabella Lumba and five from Andena Torres. …The Aurora Central boys wrestling team got wins by fall from 157-pounder Felix Morales and Andrew Pelenkahu at 190 pounds, but fell to Highlands Ranch 41-36 in a tight non-league dual match. …The Vista PEAK Prep girls wrestling team swept a home tri-dual meet with a 48-30 win over Regis Jesuit, which followed a 54-30 victory over Mountain Vista. The Bison got two wins in two matches from Khloe Yizar at 235 pounds (both via pin), while Amelia Bacon picked up a win by pin and another on injury time at 125 pounds. Marisol Shukie (135 pounds) earned wins by fall in two matches for Regis Jesuit, which also defeated Mountain Vista 30-24. Remington Zimmerer (120 pounds) and Anai Vera (145) each won a match by fall and received a victory by forfeit. …The Regis Jesuit girls swim team earned a 113-57 Continental League road win over Heritage. Lexi Stramel (200 and 500 yard freestyles) and Natalie Daum (200 individual medley and 100 breaststroke) won two events apiece, while Elsa Osborne and Ava Terella had wins to go with a relay sweep for the Raiders. …The Smoky Hill girls swim team celebrated its group of seniors and also collected a 103-83 Centennial League dual win over Cherokee Trail in a matchup of local programs that saw each other a few days earlier at the Smoky Hill Invitational. The Buffaloes were fueled by two wins apiece from Caroline Kaiser (50 yard freestyle and 100 yard backstroke), Mya Noffsinger (100 and 200 yard freestyles) and Cameryn Walkup (200 individual medley and 100 butterfly) as well as victories from Sophie Noffsinger and diver Lyla Bailey plus a relay sweep. The Cougars’ lone event win came in the 100 yard breaststroke from Ella Drakulich. …The Grandview girls swim team held the celebration of its seniors during a Centennial League home dual that ended in a 93-93 tie with Arapahoe.
WEDNESDAY, JAN. 15: The Aurora West College Prep Academy boys basketball team — just over a week removed from a surprise visit from Denver Nuggets star Jamal Murray — picked up its first win of the season with a 63-51 defeat of Poudre Community Academy. …The Aurora West College Prep Academy girls basketball team also won for the first time with a 49-23 victory over Poudre Community Academy. …The Smoky Hill boys wrestling team earned a 50-30 dual win over Prairie View as part of a tri-dual as Dashawn Jenkins picked up a win by fall at 113 pounds, while Tagg Charity (120) and Jovani Galvan (126) also were victorious. …The Eaglecrest girls wrestling team picked up a pin-filled 52-21 home win over Broomfield. Bianca Salas Ramirez, Sydney Babi, Jayden Schwabauer, Lily Homant, Jordan Heibult, Bailee Mestas, Alaysia Ornelas and Addison Lawrence all won by fall for the Raptors.
TUESDAY, JAN. 14: The Eaglecrest boys basketball team closed with a flourish on its way to a 69-66 home win over Mountain Vista in a matchup of top Class 6A programs. Garrett Barger, who finished with 20 points, caught a court length pass from La’Quince York and scored for the go-ahead points, while Anthony Nettles heavily contributed to the rally and scored 23 points. …The Rangeview boys basketball team fell behind visiting Northfield by double figures early in the opening quarter, but roared back for a 74-68 City League home win. LaDavian King and Archie Weatherspoon V had matching 23-point outputs for the Raiders, while Marceles Duncan added 17. …The Grandview girls basketball team outscored rival Regis Jesuit 16-6 after one quarter and held on for a 44-33 non-league home victory. Sienna Betts had nearly half of the Wolves’ points with 20, while Ava Chang added 10 and Maya Smith chipped in eight. Alice Lynett, Mallory Neff, Tiana Rogers and Jane Rumpf had six points apiece for the Raiders. …Amirah Pena scored 20 points to pace four Vista PEAK Prep girls basketball players in double figures in a 60-53 City League win over Denver South. Jade Hibbler added 14 points, while Knakai Starks had 11 and Eianna Jackson 10. …The Rangeview girls basketball team dropped a tight 54-49 City League contest against Northfield. …The Regis Jesuit girls swim team finished with a 127-58 Continental League dual meet win over Ponderosa at the Missy Franklin pool. The Raiders swept the three relay events in addition to individual first places for Ava Terella (100 yard butterfly), Natalie Daum (100 freestyle), Elsa Osborne (100 backstroke) and Bailey Engle in the diving competition.
