Like everything else, prep sports took its holiday hiatus and now is set to resume as the calendar has flipped over to 2023.
For some in the midst of the winter prep sports season — athletes and teams in boys and girls basketball, boys and girls wrestling, girls swimming and ice hockey — there has been much to revel in with their performances in the opening weeks.
For others, there is a chance to evaluate and attempt to fix things that haven’t gone as expected with the key stretches of the season upcoming.
Sports Editor Courtney Oakes breaks downwhat happened in the early going for Aurora teams and where things stand going into the second half of the season:
BOYS BASKETBALL
Some quality early hoops took place in late November and early December, which could set up some Aurora teams for dividends at the end of the campaign.
Smoky Hill won its first four games and rose to as high as No. 3 in CHSAANow.com’s last Class 6A coaches poll before the break. Coach Anthony Hardin’s Buffaloes split four games at the Visit Mesa Challenge in Arizona and also resumes the season out of state with four games in California. Senior Rickey Mitchell has been 6A’s most dynamic scorer thus far with a classification-leading average of 27.3 points, highlighted by a 40-point explosion in a notable road win at Valor Christian. Around Mitchell, a talented group of young players continues to develop.
Vista PEAK has had a notable start as well with a city-best eight wins before the break. Coach Keenon Clement’s team went into the hiatus with a 58-50 win over Lewis-Palmer, which came in ranked No. 4 in 5A and was last season’s 4A state champion. The Bison also have wins over both of 4A’s top two teams (Holy Family and Eagle Ridge Academy) to their credit in the early portion of a season which will see them make their debut in the City League (formerly Denver Prep League). Transfer Carson McDonald leads an incredibly balanced lineup.
Eaglecrest is out to a 6-3 start as the sophomore duo of Garrett Barger and LaDavian King have had major impact, while Grandview has matched its win total from last season during a 5-3 start. The Wolves finished a 3-1 run in Las Vegas at the Tarkanian Classic (with the lone loss coming in double overtime) and freshman twins Gallagher and Gavin Placide
Also of note thus far: Gateway went 1-20 last season, but is 5-5 so far this season and Cherokee Trail is 1-5 under new head coach Brandon Brown, but four of the five losses have come by two or fewer points (including two in double overtime) and senior Keean Lloyd is one of the state’s top scorers with an average of 18.7 points per game.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
It has been a good start to the season for Aurora girls basketball team, as eight of the city’s 11 squads took .500 or better records into the break and five already had earned six or more wins.
Cherokee Trail is at the forefront of the good start with a sparkling 9-1 record — on the heels of a 10-win season in 2021-22 — that includes just a single loss while at the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas. Coach Tammi Traylor-Statewright’s team sat No. 4 in the last CHSAANow.com’s 6A coaches poll before break and also counts wins over Highlands Ranch and Regis Jesuit to its credit. Junior Damara Allen and sophomore Delainey Miller have been tone-setters for an unselfish group.
Eaglecrest started 0-3 at a California tournament, but has since won seven consecutive games. Coach Robbie Gabrielli’s Raptors have a veteran lineup that includes seniors Nia McKenzie (who has averaged 17 points per game in the early going), Laci Roffle and Anjolene Ramiro as part of a deep group that plays exceptionally hard.
Regis Jesuit went into break with a big win over previously undefeated Monarch and is ranked No. 5 in 6A despite a 5-4 record. Coach Jordan Kasemodel’s Raiders — who also lost by just seven to top-ranked Valor Christian — have a pair of double-digit scorers in Hana Belibi and Coryn Watts.
Defending state champion Grandview is ranked No. 7 in 6A and is 6-3 coming out of the break after a 3-1 showing in Phoenix at the Nike Tournament of Champions. Coach Josh Ulitzky’s Wolves have been growing around sophomore Sienna Betts, who has a 21.0 points per game average that currently ranks second in the top classification.
Also of note: Rangeview is 6-2 at the break after a road loss at No. 1 Valor Christian, Overland is off to a 6-3 starter after winning three games all of last season and Vista PEAK finished 3-1 in Las Vegas prior to break to get to 5-5.
BOYS WRESTLING
There is a lot that will change in January in a sport that allows for some extra weight, while a greater level of fitness is achieved on the other side of the winter break. Grandview and Eaglecrest sat Nos. 6 and 8, respectively, in On The Mat’s last set of rankings before winter break. Both teams competed in the Reno Tournament of Champions and are on track to square off in a Centennial League dual Jan. 26.
The Raptors and Wolves each have one wrestler ranked No. 1 in their respective weights by On The Mat, which has Eaglecrest senior Dorian Ervin (a finalist last season) atop the 5A 113-pound group and Grandview senior Max Kibbee No. 1 at 190. Also, Adonias Cantu (who placed sixth in his weight in Reno) is ranked No. 4 at 106 pounds for coach Javier Quintana’s Raptors, who have seven total ranked wrestlers, as does coach Ryan Budd’s Wolves.
Regis Jesuit team has just two ranked wrestlers, but they are both in the top three in senior Dirk Morley (No. 2 at 285 pounds) and sophomore Garrett Reece, who is No. 3 at 138, while Vista PEAK has 4A’s third-ranked wrestler at both 190 pounds (Ezekiel Taylor) and 215 (Oscar Valdez).
GIRLS WRESTLING
With three weeks of competition in the books, Eaglecrest — which just competed at the Reno Tournament of Champions — holds the No. 7 spot in On The Mat’s rankings.
The Raptors got a repeat All-American performance from senior Blythe Cayko, who won her bracket again and is ranked No. 1 at 190 pounds, while Reno runner-up Chasey Karabell is up to No. 2 at 100 pounds. Coach Horacio Vialpando’s Eaglecrest team has eight ranked wrestlers.
Regis Jesuit’s Alexis Segura is ranked No. 2 at 125 pounds, Vista PEAK’s Leilani Caamal is No. 3 at 155 and Overland’s Vianca Mendoza holds the No. 7 spot at 125 to lead other Aurora programs.
GIRLS SWIMMING
Regis Jesuit posted a runner-up finish to Cherry Creek among Class 5A teams at The REX Coaches Invitational prior to winter break and the two teams hold the same spots in PrepSwimCo.com’s first rankings of the season issued Jan. 3. The Raiders feature 5A’s fastest 100 yard backstroker thus far in senior Sophia Frei, who also ranks No. 2 in the 100 butterfly. The Raiders also have three of the eight divers with the best scores so far this season led by Sarah Mann in second.
Grandview is No. 5 and has the top diver thus far in Addison Campbell, who won the Coaches Invite, while senior Paige Dailey has been the second-fastest in the 100 breaststroke. Both of the Wolves’ freestyle relays rank in the top four as well.
In the No. 9 spot is Cherokee Trail, which features the third-fastest 200 yard freestyle relay group in addition to at least one top-20 performer in six of the eight individual swim events.
Powered by freshmen Cameryn Walkup and Mia Noffsinger, Smoky Hill sits No. 19.
ICE HOCKEY
The Cherry Creek co-op team got off to a 5-1 start in the early portion of the season, which put coach Jeff Mielnicki’s team atop the 5A Metro Division in points in the early going.
The Bruins’ wins include a victory over Regis Jesuit, which is 3-1-1 thus far in its first season under new head coach Terry Ott, a longtime assistant who took over for original coach Dan Woodley.
Boosted by a five-goal game, the Raiders’ Michael Manville shares the division lead in points with nine, same as teammate Carter Schick.
Courtney Oakes is Sentinel Colorado Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@sentinelcolorado.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
