The Alumni Volume I Edition I November_2007

Volleyball State Championships Preview

The Denver Coliseum is home to the 2007 CHSAA State Volleyball Championships. The Alumni Illustration/Ybarra

The top teams in the state will compete at the Denver Coliseum Nov. 9-10

The AlumniColorado’s Authority for High School Academics, Activities and Athletics News Volume I Edition I Established 2006

Premiere IssueFall Sports 2007

Features2007 Teacher of the Year

School of the MonthThen & Now

Trainer of the Month

www.thealumninews.org

In this Issue...

By Renee TorresThe Alumni

Denver - Forty teams, eight from each classifi cation will compete Nov. 9-10 at the Denver Coliseum in the 2007 Colorado High School Ac-tivities Association (CHSAA) State Volleyball Champion-ships. Pool play will begin at 8 a.m. Friday (Nov. 9) for clas-sifi cations 1A through 5A to see who will qualify for the state fi nals to be played the following day. “We are extremely excited and looking forward to this event,” said CHSAA As-sistant Commissioner Tara McIntire, who is in charge of the tournament. After pool play, the top two seeds in each pool will then be placed into a tournament style bracket. The remaining four teams in each classifi cation will play their way down until a state champion is determined. “This is a great opportunity

Rivalry3A State SoftballErie Tigers vs.Holy Family Tigers

Page 17

Softball5A State ChampionshipLegacy Lightningvs.Bear Creek Bears

Page 16

Coach of the MonthLegacy High SchoolHead Softball Coach

- Dawn Gaffi n

Page 14

Around the State3A State Soccer

Denver Christianvs.Fountain Valley

Page 20

Students of the MonthLongmont Christian

- Joseph Crowley

- Becca OtisPage 13

VolleyballPlayers to Watch

- 2007 CHSAA Final Standings

Page 5

CHSAACitizenship - By Bert Borgmann and Tom Robinson

Page 4

By Matthew GreenThe Alumni

5A CHSAA State Field Hockey Championship: (Oct. 29) All-City Stadium

Brown lifts Bruins to title

Denver - Despite a strong fi nish in the fi nal minutes of play by Colorado Academy, Cherry Creek held off the Mustangs to win their second state fi eld hockey title in their school’s history. Recently the state title stage had been set for the Kent Denver Sun Devils who have won the last four class 5A state fi eld hockey champion-ships, but a 1-0 overtime loss in quarterfi nals to Smoky Hill opened the door for Cherry Creek who entered the state

Cherry Creek is number one after winning the class 5A state championship. The Bruins are now 2-1 in state fi eld hockey title games. The Alumni/Maid

(continued on page 20)

Cherry Creek defeats Colorado Academy 1-0 in title game

tournament as the No. 4 seed. “I am so proud of our girls, they worked extremely hard, and McKenzie (Brown) played a great game,” said Cherry Creek head coach Ashley Thompson. With the score tied 0-0 in the fi rst half Brown slapped a hard shot past Colorado

Academy senior goalkeeper Courtney Engle in the 26th minute. “McKenzie has the hardest shot on the team and we want to get it to her on the left side if she is open,” added Thomp-son. Colorado Academy senior forward Ali Abramovitz broke

for the volleyball girls in the state. They get to showcase their accomplishments. The 5A girls get to see the 1A girls and vice versa,” added McIntire. CHSAA is expecting close to 9,000 patrons combined for the two-day tournament. “To see fi ve courts under one roof and having all of

those games going on at one time is truly a sight,” fi nished McIntire. Regional play concluded Saturday Nov. 3 at various high school hosting sites throughout the state. The top two teams from each regional site advanced to the state tournament. Championship games are

scheduled to be played at 7 p.m. Saturday (Nov. 10) at the Denver Coliseum. Tickets can be purchased at the door.

(continued on page 5)

Next Issue• State Volleyball Wrap-Up - Coverage of all championship games, pictures, and more• A-6 - 2A State Football - Championship game

coverages • 3A, 4A, 5A State Football - Championship game

previews• 4A, 5A State Gymnastics - Full-coverage of team and individual performances, and more

Ticket PricesGeneral AdmissionSenior Citizens (over 60) Children (under 12) StudentsParking

$10$ 7$ 7$ 6$ 8

Come to Invesco Field for the release of our

next issueDecember 1st

Letter from the Publisher Dear Readership,

I would like to take the time and introduce to you who we are. The Alumni is Colora-do’s Authority for High School Academics, Activities and Athletics News. We cover everything that the Colorado high school experience has to offer. Our staff is focused on leaving no student behind. We believe that every student should have equal exposure, equal opportunity and an equal voice regardless of classifi cation, interest or location.

With the foundation of academics being priority number one, The Alumni is dedicated to the student, the activity participant, and to the student-athlete. Throughout the year The Alumni will be offering a $1,500 First Annual Colorado High School Journalism Scholarship Award to an individual or school who participates in the contest and wins. The contest is set-up for students who would like to be a correspondent for their school. Every month the staff at The Alumni will decide on what stories will be chosen to be published right here in The Alumni. The stories may be about what is important to your school or an important fi gure in your community, a special event, a dance, whatever you decide. If The Alumni does not choose your story to be published in our newspaper, we will feature the story regardless on our website at www.thealumninews.org.www.thealumninews.org. We are a monthly publication and our goal is to become a weekly newspaper. Our staff’s main focus is to providing the most in depth coverage possible to all the Colorado high school communities and to those who support them. We are in the beginning stages of our commitment to you so grow with us so we can help support Colorado high school academics, activities and athletics together!

Thank you,

Matthew A. Castilleja CEO/Publisher The Alumni News Agency/The Alumni The Alumni The Alumni

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The Alumni StaffPublishing

Publisher: Matthew Castilleja

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EditorsLaura Freeman

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AccountingManager: Margaret Cathey

DistributionDistribution Manager: Ed Castilleja

Assistant Distribution Manager: Paul CastillejaAssistant Distribution Manager: Steve Ansel

MarketingDirector of Marketing: Isaiah Castilleja

InternshipsIntern Advisor: Isaiah Castilleja

WritersRyan BricelandAlexa CastillejaMatthew GreenSummer MaidRyan Russo

Renee Torres

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This Monthwww.thealumninews.org

November 2007

Colorado’s Authority for High School Academics, Activities and Athletics News

More Articles. More News. More Scores.Updated Daily!

OnlineA 6-man A 8-man 1A 2A 3A 4A 5A

Academics.........................................................CHSAA.............................................................Volleyball..........................................................School of the Month.........................................Students of the Month.......................................Coach of the Month..........................................Then & Now.....................................................Softball..............................................................Rivalry...............................................................Athletes of the Month.......................................Around the State...............................................Soccer................................................................Fitness................................................................News.................................................................

Contents:

345

1213141516171820212223

Volleyball..........................................................School of the Month.........................................Students of the Month.......................................Coach of the Month..........................................Then & Now.....................................................Softball..............................................................Rivalry...............................................................Athletes of the Month.......................................Around the State...............................................Soccer................................................................

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Page 3

2007 Teacher of the Year

Nominees:

• Seth Berg Telluride High School

• Caren Kershner Moffat Consolidated School

• Karen Libby Hamilton Middle School

• Carol Lockhart Swink High School

• Christa Lundberg Discovery Canyon Campus

Academicswww.thealumninews.org

November 2007




By Summer MaidThe Alumni

Seth Berg named Colorado Teacher of the Year

Seth Berg is all smiles after being awarded the 2007 Colorado Teacher of the Year award Oct. 17 at the Arvada Center. The Alumni/ Summer Maid

The intimate banquet room at the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities was fi lled with anticipation, ad-miration, and an educator’s greatest honor last month, as a Telluride Math and Science teacher won 2008 Colorado Teacher of the Year. On October 17, 2007, win-ner Seth Berg of Telluride High School, along with other nominees, Caren Kershner (Moffat Consolidated School, Moffat), Karen Libby (Ham-ilton Middle School, Denver), Carol Lockhart (Swink High School, Swink), and Christa Lundberg (Discovery Canyon Campus, Colorado Springs) gathered with friends, fami-lies, and colleagues to com-

memorate the crowning of the esteemed Colorado State Board of Education’s Teacher of the Year ceremony. With roughly 100 attendees, the gathering was a night of celebration and appreciation for fi ve deserving candidates. With much thought and consideration, a six-member selection committee of noted affi liates of Colorado’s educa-tion community chose Berg as the winner of the Teacher of the Year. Berg and the other four can-didates were nominated by their colleagues, students, and administration for their dis-tinct role in the classroom. Criteria for the nomination included, inspiring students of all abilities and backgrounds, actively giving back to the community, and exhibiting

high-academic achieving stu-dents. Following their nomination, the committee assessed each nominee’s merit based on an extensive application and through personal interviews. As one of the fi nal steps, the selection committee observed the fi ve respective fi nalists in their classroom. Upon its conclusion, the committee shared the gruel-ing task of choosing which teacher would receive the prestigious title that has been awarded since 1963; they se-lected Berg as 2008 Colorado Teacher of the Year. Berg, who teaches K-12, is regarded amongst his peers and students for his humorous teaching style. In his classroom, Berg em-braces teamwork while also insisting upon the highest standards of excellence. With a smile on his face, Berg remembers the Math teacher who mentored him in the early 1980’s and inspired his classroom attitude. Berg described his mentor’s unique philosophy of “coach-ing the whole boat.” He says, “If there is one kid rowing out of rhythm, you can’t yell at that kid. You yell at the whole boat to get his rhythm.” When he is not in the class-room, Berg mentors new teachers and is the district’s assessment coordinator. Describing what this achievement means, Berg humbly replied, “It is really all about the students. I’ve been teaching for twenty-eight years...I’m really grate-ful for everything I’ve learned from them.” In addition to being award-ed the prestigious title, Berg was also presented a cash prize from Colorado Masons and an interactive SMART Board 600I, a technologically advanced presentation system. Adams State University also honored Berg with a com-plimentary three credit hour course for personal endeav-

ors; they also gave him the opportunity to award a $1000 scholarship to a student of his choice. In addition to presenting one teacher the prestigious

blends the two seemingly opposite subjects so that stu-dents may learn from every perspective. Kershner believes that stu-dents learn when they are engaged and she achieves this by implementing hands on activities that go beyond typi-cal book work. Students fi nd common ground with one another through unique reading pro-grams in the classroom of Karen Libby, an eighth grade English language arts teacher. Libby combines learn-ing and enjoyment with her cultural literacy program in which students read books from different traditions and time periods. She insists, “Literature is everything.” These values along with thoughtful classroom execu-tion that have carried these fi ve devoted educators to the evening’s focus. Refl ecting on her nomina-tion, Lockhart, a Swink High School Social Studies teacher, described how she always knew she would teach, “My parents were teachers, my grandparents were teachers. It was basically what every-one in my family did and so it was presented that it was one of the most worthwhile occupations, and I think that’s probably true,” says Lockhart. Few people are rewarded a night dedicated to celebrating their career’s successes and achievements. Upon learning more about each of the nominees, Colo-rado State Board of Education and its sponsors rewarded fi ve teachers a night of distinction and commemoration for their distinguished abilities as edu-cators and their commitment to Colorado’s youth. While Mr. Berg may have received the most coveted honor of the evening, the stu-dents of Colorado are the true winners.

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title, the night was also a celebration of education and those who shine as Colorado’s leading educators. The evening was fi lled with conversations that truly cap-tured the dedication and love that each of these educators have for their students. Christa Lundberg, an eighth grade Science teacher, sin-cerely described the atmo-sphere of the event and what it means to be nominated, saying, “Things like this are amazing but that’s not why I do it. I do it because ev-ery day I get to go see those kids.” A slideshow of pictures, quotes, and personal phi-losophies allowed attendees a personal look into individual classrooms. The presentations revealed their role in expanding the minds of Colorado’s youth while differentiating their per-sonal classroom techniques. Caren Kershner, who teaches both Science and Art,

Award given to math and science teacher for outstanding all-around performance

E v e r y S c h o o l . E v e r y C l a s s i f i c a t i o n .

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Citizenship: the athlete’s objective

CHSAAwww.thealumninews.org

November 2007




The Alumni is an Offi cial Sponsor of

CHSAANotableDates

Nov. 9-10

State Volleyball Championshipsat the Denver Coliseum- Beginning at 8 a.m. Fri. & Sat.

Dec. 1

5A- Football Finals Invesco Field - 2:30 p.m.

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4A- Football Finals Invesco Field - 11:30 a.m.

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3A- Football Finals TBA

Nov. 30 - Dec. 1

Spirit State Championships at the Denver Coliseum- TBA

Nov. 29

Winter Sports- First Contests

Nov. 24

A-8, 1A, 2A- Football Finals TBA

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By Bert Borgmann and Tom RobinsonCHSAACitizenship conjures a num-ber of ideas that one would not necessarily associate with education based athletics and activities. But to one organization ad-vocating high school activities in the state, says they’re not that different. One core value of the Colo-rado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) is that all of its constituents “must share to make their school and community better.” This is citizenship at its best, according to CHSAA. Through its sportsmanship initiative in academics, ac-tivities and athletics, CHSAA challenges its constituents to embody citizenship values. As a result, the sporting en-vironment is transformed into a positive community. “Participation in activities and athletics is a platform for teaching life skills,” says

CHSAA. With an emphasis on the simple slogan “cheer for your team and not against your op-ponent,” students, fans, and parents take taunting out of the contest and create the op-portunity to show respect for themselves and others. As an organization, CHSAA promotes courage, discipline, ethics, integrity, honesty, pride, responsibility, and self-esteem; while respect for others is about compassion, courage, courtesy, diversity, fairness, integrity, loyalty, and teamwork. “Incorporating these values into education based athletics is all about being a good citi-zen,” says CHSAA. Moreover, the CHSAA Sportsmanship Expecta-tion and Game Management Guide was constructed for everyone involved–from the players to the parents–to help fi nd both fun and integrity in high school activities and athletics. Listed are a few points

made in the management guide:• Sporting activities are not life and death endeavors con-ducted for one group to show its supremacy over another. • Interscholastic sports are for fun, character development, and for physical well being, and provide a vital part in an individual’s learning of how to become a contributing member of society.• When a team can win on the scoreboard, but also show respect for an opponent, then the victory is even more spe-cial. Conversely, when a team loses a contest, the primary focus of this team should be to determine what each team member could have done to change the outcome.• In interscholastic competi-tion, both winning and losing should be a great learning ex-perience. Learn the rules and play by the rules. This is another simple con-cept that can increase your opportunity for success (how-

ever you measure success), and also help you understand and explain the outcome of the game.• Losing should be handled with dignity and with the respect given to an opponent who was ahead at the end of the contest. Participants themselves need to display proper behav-ior at the interscholastic level. • It is important for coaches and fans, as well as the partic-ipants themselves to consider their actions while at sporting events so that everyone can be examples of what is good and right about interscholastic athletics. • Be a leader in promoting positive sporting behavior. • Make your children, team-mates, school and community proud of what your team rep-resents. • People notice and remember actions of their opponents. • Most, importantly, make it a great memory!

Page 5

2007 CHSAA VolleyballFinal Standings

(continued from fi rst page)

Coming Soon!Our Online Colorado High School Forum

only at www.thealumninews.org


Class 5AC.S. Metro Standings CONFERENCE OVERALL

RANK TEAM W L T PCT W L T PCT

1 Lewis-Palmer 8 0 0 1.000 22 1 0 .957

2 Pine Creek 7 2 0 .778 19 4 0 .826

3 Rampart 7 2 0 .778 18 5 0 .783

4 Air Academy 6 3 0 .667 14 7 0 .667

5 Doherty 5 4 0 .556 10 11 0 .476

6 Coronado 4 5 0 .444 10 10 0 .500

7 Sand Creek 3 5 0 .375 9 10 0 .474

8 Palmer 1 6 0 .143 3 14 0 .176

9 Mitchell 1 7 0 .125 8 10 0 .444

10 Wasson 0 8 0 .000 0 12 0 .000

Centennial Standings CONFERENCE OVERALL


1 Grandview 6 0 0 1.000 22 0 0 1.000

2 Eaglecrest 5 1 0 .833 20 2 0 .909

3 Cherry Creek 5 2 0 .714 18 5 0 .783

4 Smoky Hill 4 3 0 .571 11 8 0 .579

5 Fairview 2 5 0 .286 14 9 0 .609

6 Boulder 1 4 0 .200 2 14 0 .125

7 Overland 0 7 0 .000 1 17 0 .056

Continental Standings CONFERENCE OVERALL


1 Highlands Ranch 12 0 0 1.000 22 1 0 .957

2 Mountain Vista 9 3 0 .750 17 6 0 .739

3 Chaparral 9 3 0 .750 16 6 0 .727

4 Ponderosa 9 3 0 .750 16 7 0 .696

5 Arapahoe 8 4 0 .667 12 10 0 .545

6 Heritage 7 5 0 .583 12 7 0 .632

7 ThunderRidge 5 7 0 .417 10 12 0 .455

8 Littleton 3 9 0 .250 7 15 0 .318

9 Rangeview 3 9 0 .250 6 14 0 .300

10 Douglas Co. 1 11 0 .083 3 14 0 .176

11 Gateway 0 12 0 .000 1 17 0 .056

Denver Prep Standings CONFERENCE OVERALL


1 Denver East 8 0 0 1.000 14 8 0 .636

2 Denver West 4 4 0 .500 8 10 0 .444

3 George Washingto 3 5 0 .375 5 15 0 .250

4 Kennedy 0 8 0 .000 0 16 0 .000

Front Range Standings CONFERENCE OVERALL


1 Legacy 7 1 0 .875 14 8 0 .636

2 Loveland 7 1 0 .875 12 7 0 .632

3 Monarch 6 2 0 .750 18 4 0 .818

4 Fort Collins 6 2 0 .750 13 9 0 .591

5 Rocky Mountain 4 4 0 .500 7 14 0 .333

6 Poudre 3 5 0 .375 9 12 0 .429

7 Northglenn 2 6 0 .250 7 14 0 .333

8 Horizon 1 7 0 .125 3 15 0 .167

9 Thornton 0 8 0 .000 2 13 0 .133

Jeffco Standings CONFERENCE OVERALL


1 Columbine 10 0 0 1.000 20 3 0 .870

2 Chatfi eld 8 2 0 .800 13 9 0 .591

3 Lakewood 7 3 0 .700 10 9 0 .526

4 Arvada West 7 3 0 .700 10 10 0 .500

5 Standley Lake 5 5 0 .500 14 8 0 .636

6 Dakota Ridge 5 5 0 .500 11 12 0 .478

7 Pomona 5 5 0 .500 9 11 0 .450

8 Wheat Ridge 4 6 0 .400 8 11 0 .421

9 Green Mountain 3 7 0 .300 10 10 0 .500

10 Arvada 1 9 0 .100 4 11 0 .267

11 Bear Creek 0 10 0 .000 4 15 0 .211

Skyline Standings CONFERENCE OVERALL


1 Cherokee Trail 11 0 0 1.000 18 4 0 .818

2 Brighton 10 1 0 .909 17 2 0 .895

3 Centaurus 8 2 0 .800 13 9 0 .591

4 Mountain Range 7 3 0 .700 15 8 0 .652

5 Hinkley 7 4 0 .636 10 10 0 .500

6 Prairie View 6 5 0 .545 9 8 0 .529

7 Skyview 5 6 0 .455 10 10 0 .500

8 Ranum 3 8 0 .273 9 12 0 .429

9 Fort Lupton 2 7 0 .222 4 15 0 .211

10 Westminster 1 8 0 .111 3 12 0 .200

11 Aurora Central 0 8 0 .000 1 13 0 .071

12 Adams City 0 8 0 .000 0 10 0 .000

Southwestern Standings CONFERENCE OVERALL


1 Durango 10 0 0 1.000 19 4 0 .826

2 G.J. Central 6 4 0 .600 12 5 0 .706

3 Montrose 6 4 0 .600 15 8 0 .652

4 Fruita Monument 5 5 0 .500 7 14 0 .333

5 Montezuma-Cortez 2 8 0 .200 4 9 0 .308

6 Grand Junction 1 8 0 .111 3 14 0 .176

Class 4AC.S. Metro Standings CONFERENCE OVERALL


1 Cheyenne Mountai 8 0 0 1.000 21 2 0 .913

2 Liberty 6 2 0 .750 16 7 0 .696

3 Harrison 5 3 0 .625 13 8 0 .619

4 Ftn.-Ft. Carson 5 3 0 .625 9 10 0 .474

5 Woodland Park 5 3 0 .625 7 14 0 .333

6 Mesa Ridge 3 5 0 .375 9 10 0 .474

7 Falcon 2 6 0 .250 6 15 0 .286

8 Widefi eld 2 6 0 .250 5 13 0 .278

9 Sierra 0 8 0 .000 2 15 0 .118

Centennial Standings CONFERENCE OVERALL


1 Mullen 3 4 0 .429 12 11 0 .522

Volleyballwww.thealumninews.org

Visit our websitewww.thealumninews.org

November 2007





VolleyballE v e r y S c h o o l . E v e r y C l a s s i f i c a t i o n .

Volleyball

Regis serves against Mountain View in their 4A regional match-up. Both teams advanced to state. The Alumni/ Summer Maid

Class 1A- Shelby Fritzler, Jr. Flagler Panthers- Michelle King, Sr. Fleming Wildcats- Ashley Smith, Sr. Otis Bulldogs

Class 2A- Ana Dewald, So. Resurrection Christian Cougars - Hannah Leasure, Jr. Dayspring Christian Eagles - RaeLynn Snyder, Sr. Simla Cubs

Class 3A- Lauren Alejo, So. Classical Academy Titans- Kristin Herlihy, Sr. Holy Family Tigers- Crissy Skokan, Sr. Manitou Springs Mustangs- Emily Weingartner, So. Faith Christian Eagles

Class 4A- Bri Morley, Sr. Cherokee Trail Cougars- Nichole Reidel, So. Regis Raiders- Nikki Stetson, Jr. Longmont Trojans- Jill Tooma, Sr. Cheyenne Mountain Indians

Class 5A- Emily Nielsen, So. Highlands Ranch Falcons- Shelbi Pitcher, So. Lewis-Palmer Rangers- Bri Smith, Jr. Highlands Ranch Falcons- Ariel Turner, Jr. Mountain Vista Golden Eagles- Lauren Van Orden, Sr. Grandview Wolves

Players to WatchAll-Time StateChampionship

Leaders• Evergreen (1976, 1978-85) 9 • Platte Valley (1976-78, 1981, 1984, 1986-89) 9• Merino (1985, 1987-91, 1997-99) 9• Fowler (1981, 1983, 1988, 1992- 93, 1995, 1997-99) 9• Flagler (1992, 1994-96) 4• Brush (1979-80, 1985) 3• Limon (1979-80, 1985) 3• Cherry Creek (1989, 1992, 1997) 3• Lewis-Palmer (1993, 2001, 2002) 3• Palmer (1985, 1987) 2 • Akron (1989, 1991) 2• Simla (1994, 1996) 2• Colorado Springs Christian (2004, 2005) 2

Statistics were gathered from the Colorado High School Activities Asso-ciation (CHSAA). The Alumni News Agency is a proud corporate sponsor of CHSAA.

Continental Standings CONFERENCE OVERALL


1 Regis 8 4 0 .667 19 4 0 .826

2 Rock Canyon 4 8 0 .333 7 13 0 .350

3 Castle View 0 0 0 .000 0 1 0 .000

Denver Prep Standings CONFERENCE OVERALL


1 Thomas Jefferson 7 1 0 .875 9 11 0 .450

2 Denver South 6 2 0 .750 8 14 0 .364

3 Denver North 4 4 0 .500 6 11 0 .353

4 Montbello 2 5 0 .286 3 13 0 .188

5 Lincoln 1 6 0 .143 2 8 0 .200

Jeffco Standings CONFERENCE OVERALL


1 Ralston Valley 9 0 0 1.000 15 7 0 .682

2 D Evelyn 7 2 0 .778 13 5 0 .722

3 Summit 7 2 0 .778 14 8 0 .636

4 Conifer 7 2 0 .778 10 10 0 .500

5 Evergreen 5 4 0 .556 10 11 0 .476

6 Elizabeth 4 5 0 .444 8 13 0 .381

7 Alameda 2 6 0 .250 3 11 0 .214

8 Golden 2 7 0 .222 4 15 0 .211

9 Jefferson 0 8 0 .000 0 18 0 .000

10 Englewood 0 7 0 .000 0 14 0 .000

Northern Standings CONFERENCE OVERALL


1 Berthoud 13 0 0 1.000 22 0 0 1.000

2 Mountain View 13 1 0 .929 20 3 0 .870

3 Longmont 11 3 0 .786 19 4 0 .826

4 Skyline 11 3 0 .786 16 5 0 .762

5 Sterling 10 4 0 .714 16 7 0 .696

6 Windsor 10 4 0 .714 15 7 0 .682

7 Broomfi eld 7 7 0 .500 12 10 0 .545

8 Fort Morgan 6 8 0 .429 11 12 0 .478

9 Greeley West 5 7 0 .417 10 10 0 .500

10 Fossil Ridge 5 9 0 .357 9 13 0 .409

11 Greeley Central 3 10 0 .231 4 13 0 .235

12 Niwot 2 9 0 .182 2 12 0 .143

13 Northridge 2 12 0 .143 2 14 0 .125

14 Thompson Valley 1 10 0 .091 3 13 0 .188

15 Silver Creek 0 11 0 .000 1 15 0 .062

Skyline Standings CONFERENCE OVERALL


1 Cherokee Trail 11 0 0 1.000 18 4 0 .818

2 Brighton 10 1 0 .909 17 2 0 .895

3 Centaurus 8 2 0 .800 13 9 0 .591

4 Mountain Range 7 3 0 .700 15 8 0 .652

5 Hinkley 7 4 0 .636 10 10 0 .500

6 Prairie View 6 5 0 .545 9 8 0 .529

7 Skyview 5 6 0 .455 10 10 0 .500

8 Ranum 3 8 0 .273 9 12 0 .429

9 Fort Lupton 2 7 0 .222 4 15 0 .211

10 Westminster 1 8 0 .111 3 12 0 .200

11 Aurora Central 0 8 0 .000 1 13 0 .071

12 Adams City 0 8 0 .000 0 10 0 .000



November 2007



Online A 6-man A 8-man 1A 2A 3A 4A 5A

Page 6

South Central Standings CONFERENCE OVERALL


1 Pueblo West 13 1 0 .929 22 1 0 .957

2 Pueblo South 12 2 0 .857 19 4 0 .826

3 Alamosa 9 5 0 .643 15 7 0 .682

4 Pueblo County 9 5 0 .643 12 9 0 .571

5 Canon City 7 7 0 .500 11 11 0 .500

6 Pueblo East 4 10 0 .286 5 14 0 .263

7 Pueblo Centennia 2 12 0 .143 3 14 0 .176

8 Pueblo Central 0 14 0 .000 0 15 0 .000

South Western Standings CONFERENCE OVERALL


1 Durango 10 0 0 1.000 19 4 0 .826

2 G.J. Central 6 4 0 .600 12 5 0 .706

3 Montrose 6 4 0 .600 15 8 0 .652

4 Fruita Monument 5 5 0 .500 7 14 0 .333

5 Montezuma-Cortez 2 8 0 .200 4 9 0 .308

6 Grand Junction 1 8 0 .111 3 14 0 .176

Western Slope Standings CONFERENCE OVERALL


1 Battle Mountain 13 1 0 .929 21 2 0 .913

2 Moffat County 12 2 0 .857 17 5 0 .773

3 Steamboat Spring 11 3 0 .786 17 6 0 .739

4 Eagle Valley 7 7 0 .500 8 9 0 .471

5 Glenwood Springs 5 9 0 .357 9 10 0 .474

6 Palisade 4 10 0 .286 7 15 0 .318

7 Delta 4 10 0 .286 5 13 0 .278

8 Rifl e 0 14 0 .000 0 14 0 .000

Class 3AFrontier Standings CONFERENCE OVERALL


1 Platte Canyon 14 0 0 1.000 19 4 0 .826

2 The Academy 13 2 0 .867 20 4 0 .833

3 Clear Creek 10 4 0 .714 13 9 0 .591

4 Bennett 8 6 0 .571 12 11 0 .522

5 Arrupe Jesuit 5 9 0 .357 7 13 0 .350

6 Pinnacle Charter 4 12 0 .250 4 16 0 .200

7 Den SS and Tech 2 10 0 .167 2 12 0 .143

8 Sheridan 0 13 0 .000 0 17 0 .000

Intermountain Standings CONFERENCE OVERALL


1 Bayfi eld 7 1 0 .875 16 5 0 .762

2 Pagosa Springs 5 2 0 .714 8 12 0 .400

3 Monte Vista 5 3 0 .625 14 7 0 .667

4 Centauri 2 5 0 .286 3 7 0 .300

5 Ignacio 0 8 0 .000 4 12 0 .250

Metro Standings CONFERENCE OVERALL


1 Holy Family 9 0 0 1.000 21 2 0 .913

2 Faith Christian 8 1 0 .889 20 4 0 .833

3 Colorado Academy 6 3 0 .667 15 9 0 .625

4 Machebeuf 5 4 0 .556 14 10 0 .583

5 Denver Lutheran 5 4 0 .556 12 9 0 .571

6 Middle Park 5 4 0 .556 12 10 0 .545

7 Denver Christian 3 6 0 .333 4 16 0 .200

8 St. Mary’s Acade 2 7 0 .222 7 13 0 .350

9 Peak to Peak 2 7 0 .222 3 14 0 .176

10 Kent Denver 0 9 0 .000 0 15 0 .000

Patriot East Standings CONFERENCE OVERALL


1 Valley 10 1 0 .909 19 2 0 .905

2 Roosevelt 8 2 0 .800 15 6 0 .714

3 Platte Valley 6 3 0 .667 13 8 0 .619

4 Eaton 7 5 0 .583 11 12 0 .478

5 Brush 2 5 0 .286 3 11 0 .214

6 Yuma 2 10 0 .167 2 18 0 .100

7 Weld Central 1 10 0 .091 2 17 0 .105

Patriot West Standings CONFERENCE OVERALL


1 University 11 1 0 .917 18 5 0 .783

2 Strasburg 10 2 0 .833 13 9 0 .591

3 Erie 6 6 0 .500 8 14 0 .364

4 Estes Park 5 7 0 .417 10 11 0 .476

5 Highland 2 9 0 .182 4 13 0 .235

6 Frederick 1 10 0 .091 7 12 0 .368

Tri-Peaks East Standings CONFERENCE OVERALL


1 Lamar 14 0 0 1.000 17 4 0 .810

2 St. Mary’s 11 2 0 .846 13 6 0 .684

3 Rye 9 5 0 .643 14 8 0 .636

4 Trinidad 5 7 0 .417 7 10 0 .412

5 La Junta 5 9 0 .357 8 11 0 .421

6 Peyton 4 10 0 .286 7 14 0 .333

7 James Irwin 3 10 0 .231 6 12 0 .333

8 Ellicott 1 10 0 .091 1 12 0 .077

Tri-Peaks West Standings CONFERENCE OVERALL


1 C.S. Christian 11 1 0 .917 15 5 0 .750

2 Manitou Springs 9 3 0 .750 18 5 0 .783

3 Classical Academy 9 3 0 .750 17 5 0 .773

4 Buena Vista 7 5 0 .583 15 8 0 .652

5 Salida 4 8 0 .333 5 12 0 .294

6 Florence 1 11 0 .083 5 15 0 .250

7 Lake County 1 11 0 .083 1 13 0 .071

Western Slope Standings CONFERENCE OVERALL


1 Basalt 13 1 0 .929 21 2 0 .913

2 Coal Ridge 11 3 0 .786 18 6 0 .750

3 Olathe 10 4 0 .714 18 5 0 .783

4 Gunnison 10 4 0 .714 15 8 0 .652

5 Hotchkiss 4 9 0 .308 7 14 0 .333

6 Roaring Fork 1 9 0 .100 3 13 0 .188

7 Aspen 1 10 0 .091 1 16 0 .059

8 Cedaredge 1 11 0 .083 3 17 0 .150

Class 2ADistrict 1 Standings CONFERENCE OVERALL


1 Sangre de Cristo 0 0 0 .000 11 0 0 1.000

2 Sargent 0 0 0 .000 6 4 0 .600

3 Sanford 0 0 0 .000 3 4 0 .429

4 Del Norte 0 0 0 .000 3 6 0 .333

5 Center 0 0 0 .000 2 6 0 .250

6 Antonito 0 0 0 .000 3 10 0 .231

7 Centennial 0 0 0 .000 0 6 0 .000


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District 2 Standings CONFERENCE OVERALL


1 Resurrection Chr. 0 0 0 .000 21 3 0 .875

2 Sedgwick County 0 0 0 .000 19 4 0 .826

3 Frontier Academy 0 0 0 .000 11 10 0 .524

4 Lutheran-Parker 0 0 0 .000 10 11 0 .476

5 Wray 0 0 0 .000 10 13 0 .435

6 Akron 0 0 0 .000 9 12 0 .429

7 Holyoke 0 0 0 .000 7 17 0 .292

8 Wiggins 0 0 0 .000 2 18 0 .100

9 Brighton Charter 0 0 0 .000 0 10 0 .000



1 Mancos 0 0 0 .000 16 5 0 .762

2 Dolores 0 0 0 .000 4 6 0 .400

3 Telluride 0 0 0 .000 1 11 0 .083

4 Nucla 0 0 0 .000 0 10 0 .000



1 Swink 0 0 0 .000 20 3 0 .870

2 Burlington 0 0 0 .000 12 2 0 .857

3 Wiley 0 0 0 .000 7 9 0 .438

4 Holly 0 0 0 .000 6 14 0 .300

5 Crowley County 0 0 0 .000 5 13 0 .278

6 Las Animas 0 0 0 .000 5 14 0 .263

7 D. Huerta Prep 0 0 0 .000 0 6 0 .000

8 Rocky Ford 0 0 0 .000 0 14 0 .000



1 Rangely 0 0 0 .000 19 5 0 .792

2 Vail Mountain 0 0 0 .000 14 8 0 .636

3 West Grand 0 0 0 .000 13 8 0 .619

4 Meeker 0 0 0 .000 12 12 0 .500

5 Paonia 0 0 0 .000 10 12 0 .455

6 Soroco 0 0 0 .000 7 13 0 .350

7 Hayden 0 0 0 .000 4 8 0 .333

8 Grand Valley 0 0 0 .000 5 14 0 .263

9 Plateau Valley 0 0 0 .000 4 13 0 .235



1 Hoehne 0 0 0 .000 18 0 0 1.000

2 Fowler 0 0 0 .000 18 5 0 .783

3 Cripple Creek 0 0 0 .000 18 5 0 .783

4 John Mall 0 0 0 .000 6 9 0 .400

5 Fountain Valley 0 0 0 .000 4 13 0 .235

6 Custer County 0 0 0 .000 2 11 0 .154

7 Cotopaxi 0 0 0 .000 1 6 0 .143

8 South Park 0 0 0 .000 1 7 0 .125



1 Lyons 6 6 0 0.5 14 9 0 .609

2 Dayspring Chr. 0 0 0 0 16 6 0 .727

3 Longmont Chr. 0 0 0 0 11 11 0 .500

4 Heritage Chr. 0 0 0 0 9 9 0 .500

5 Jefferson Academ 0 0 0 0 10 12 0 .455

6 Front Range 0 0 0 0 10 13 0 .435

7 Alexander Dawson 0 0 0 0 8 13 0 .381

8 Gilpin County 0 0 0 0 6 14 0 .300

9 Nederland 0 0 0 0 3 10 0 .231

10 Maranatha Chr. 0 0 0 0 0 15 0 .000



1 Simla 0 0 0 0 23 0 0 1.000

2 Colorado Spgs. 0 0 0 0 19 4 0 .826

3 Byers 0 0 0 0 16 7 0 .696

4 Calhan 0 0 0 0 15 8 0 .652

5 Limon 0 0 0 0 13 7 0 .650

6 Evangelical Chri 0 0 0 0 9 11 0 .450

7 Kiowa 0 0 0 0 8 13 0 .381

8 Pikes Peak Chr. 0 0 0 0 7 13 0 .350

9 Miami-Yoder 0 0 0 0 2 14 0 .125

10 Monument Acad. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Class 1ADistrict 1 Standings CONFERENCE OVERALL


1 Vail Christian 0 0 0 0 15 2 0 .882

2 Dove Creek 0 0 0 0 12 6 0 .667

3 North Park 0 0 0 0 10 7 0 .588

4 Norwood 0 0 0 0 2 4 0 .333

5 Ouray 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 .333

6 Crested Butte 0 0 0 0 3 7 0 .300

7 Ridgway 0 0 0 0 1 3 0 .250

8 DeBeque 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000



1 McClave 0 0 0 0 19 4 0 .826

2 Kit Carson 0 0 0 0 17 5 0 .773

3 Eads 0 0 0 0 16 5 0 .762

4 Cheyenne Wells 0 0 0 0 4 9 0 .308

5 Cheraw 0 0 0 0 3 10 0 .231

6 Karval 0 0 0 0 2 9 0 .182

7 Plainview 0 0 0 0 0 6 0 .000

8 Granada 0 0 0 0 0 10 0 .000



1 Springfi eld 0 0 0 0 9 4 0 .692

2 Kim 0 0 0 0 5 3 0 .625

3 Campo 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 .333

4 Vilas 0 0 0 0 2 5 0 .286

5 Walsh 0 0 0 0 3 10 0 .231

6 Manzanola 0 0 0 0 0 10 0 .000

7 Pritchett 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

8 Branson 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000



1 Fleming 0 0 0 0 24 0 0 1.000

2 Caliche 0 0 0 0 16 6 0 .727

3 Merino 0 0 0 0 15 6 0 .714

4 Pawnee 0 0 0 0 13 7 0 .650

5 Briggsdale 0 0 0 0 7 6 0 .538

6 Haxtun 0 0 0 0 9 8 0 .529

7 Weldon Valley 0 0 0 0 4 11 0 .267

8 Peetz 0 0 0 0 3 19 0 .136

9 Prairie 0 0 0 0 1 7 0 .125



1 Otis 0 0 0 0 19 4 0 .826

2 Liberty [Joes] 0 0 0 0 18 4 0 .818

3 Hi-Plains 0 0 0 0 10 11 0 .476

4 Idalia 0 0 0 0 6 9 0 .400

5 Bethune 0 0 0 0 4 6 0 .400

6 Arickaree 0 0 0 0 0 9 0 .000

7 Woodlin 0 0 0 0 0 8 0 .000

8 Lone Star 0 0 0 0 0 7 0 .000



1 La Veta 0 0 0 0 22 1 0 .957

2 Aguilar 0 0 0 0 12 5 0 .706

3 Sierra Grande 0 0 0 0 10 11 0 .476

4 Mountain Valley 0 0 0 0 5 7 0 .417

5 Moffat 0 0 0 0 2 3 0 .400

6 Primero 0 0 0 0 4 11 0 .267

7 Holy Trinity 0 0 0 0 1 6 0 .143

8 Creede 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 .000



1 Elbert 0 0 0 0 20 3 0 .870

2 Flagler 0 0 0 0 18 3 0 .857

3 Hilltop Baptist 0 0 0 0 15 7 0 .682

4 Deer Trail 0 0 0 0 9 13 0 .409

5 Hanover 0 0 0 0 7 11 0 .389

6 Edison 0 0 0 0 7 11 0 .389

7 Genoa-Hugo 0 0 0 0 5 8 0 .385

8 Stratton 0 0 0 0 3 9 0 .250

9 Colo. Deaf and Blind 0 0 0 0 2 12 0 .143

10 Agate 0 0 0 0 2 17 0 .105



1 Denver Waldorf 0 0 0 0 16 1 0 .941

2 Shining Mtn. 0 0 0 0 11 7 0 .611

3 Rocky Mountain L 0 0 0 0 11 9 0 .550

4 Community Chr. 0 0 0 0 12 10 0 .545

5 Belleview Chr. 0 0 0 0 7 7 0 .500

6 Silver State 0 0 0 0 3 6 0 .333

7 Excelsior 0 0 0 0 2 8 0 .200

8 Herzl/RMHA 0 0 0 0 2 8 0 .200

9 Jim Elliot Christian 0 0 0 0 2 17 0 .105

10 Aurora Chr. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Independent Standings CONFERENCE OVERALL


1 Campion Academy 0 0 0 0 0 8 0 .000

2 Denver University 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000


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November 2007




Page 8


Volleyball State Championship BracketsClass 1A

Pool I:Seed #1 Fleming (27-0) Team 1Seed #4 McClave (21-5) Team 2Seed #5 Flagler (21-4) Team 3Seed #8 Vail Christian (22-4) Team 4

Pool II:Seed #2 La Veta (25-1) Team 1Seed #3 Otis (22-4) Team 2Seed #6 Springfi eld (20-5) Team 3Seed #7 Caliche (20-7) Team 4

Pool I - #1

Pool II - #2

Pool II - #1

Pool I - #2

School Name (Seed #)



1A Volleyball State Champion

Class 2A

Pool II:Seed #2 Sangre de Cristo (25-0) Team 1Seed #3 Hoehne (25-1) Team 2Seed #6 Rangely (21-6) Team 3Seed #7 D. Christian (17-7) Team 4

Pool I:Seed #1 Simla (26-0) Team 1Seed #4 Burlington (23-3) Team 2Seed #5 R. Christian (24-3) Team 3Seed #8 Mancos (19-6) Team 4

Pool I - #1

Pool II - #2

Pool II - #1

Pool I - #2







November 2007




Page 9



Pool II:Seed #2 Faith Christian (22-4) Team 1Seed #3 C. Academy (22-5) Team 2Seed #6 CSCS (19-7) Team 3Seed #7 Lamar (20-6) Team 4

Pool I:Seed #1 Manitou Springs (21-5) Team 1Seed #4 Holy Family (24-2) Team 2Seed #5 Valley (22-3) Team 3Seed #8 Roosevelt (20-7) Team 4

Pool I - #1

Pool II - #2

Pool II - #1

Pool I - #2





Class 4A

Pool II:Seed #2 C. Mountain (24-2) Team 1Seed #3 Regis (22-4) Team 2Seed #6 B. Mountain (23-3) Team 3Seed #7 Cherokee Trail 21-5 Team 4

Pool I:Seed #1 Berthoud (26-0) Team 1Seed #4 Montrose (18-8) Team 2Seed #5 M. View (22-4) Team 3Seed #8 Longmont (21-5) Team 4

Pool I - #1

Pool II - #2

Pool II - #1

Pool I - #2







November 2007




Page 10



Pool I - #1

Pool II - #2

Pool II - #1

Pool I - #2





Pool I:Seed #1 Grandview (26-0) Team 1Seed #4 Cherry Creek (21-5) Team 2Seed #5 Pine Creek (21-5) Team 3Seed #8 M. Vista (19-7) Team 4

Pool II:Seed #2 Lewis-Palmer (25-1) Team 1Seed #3 Eaglecrest (24-2) Team 2Seed #6 H. Ranch (24-2) Team 3Seed #7 Columbine (22-4) Team 4



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Colorado’s Authority for High School Academics, Activities and Athletics News www.thealumninews.org

November 2007

By Alexa CastillejaThe Alumni

The Alumni School of the Month: Longmont Christian School

Profi leSchool: Longmont Christian School (LCS)Founded: 1993Mascot: WarriorColors: black, purple, silverMotto: “Love God, honor others, value ourself.”Classifi cation: 2ADistrict: St. Vrain Valley School DistrictConference: Mile High LeagueEnrollment: 381 (K-12)Principal: Donnie BennettAthletic Director: Jerry MartinRival: Alexander DawsonNotable Alumni: Ben Krissel (middle school coach in Texas), Mary Farrenkoph (school teacher in Colorado), Andy Dick (CPA), Travis Bennett (youth and praise wor-ship pastor in Texas), Jeremy Girard (worship pastor), Bethany Praska (track), Rudy Clements (Army), Josh Dick (baseball), Mallory Brumley (tennis) Awards and Achievements: For the last three years 2 students have made the national honor society, Ryan Latini (full-ride scholarship to Arizona State University)

Character and family atmosphere defi ne Longmont Christian

Longmont Christian School added their senior high in 1996. The Alumni/Alexa Castilleja

Sometimes the reputations of schools rich in history, suc-cess, and tradition leaves the little guys lost in the mix, but that doesn’t bother Longmont Christian School. “LCS (Longmont Christian School) is not just this little Christian school, we strive for excellence for all the same reasons that 5A schools do,” says Athletic Director Jerry Martin. With an enrollment of 381 students, Longmont Christian is a class 2A private school that educates pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. The administration’s goal is to have at least 1000 students enrolled by 2010. Located on the outskirts of downtown Longmont, LCS

is within a ten mile radius of three neighboring high schools–Niwot High School, Silver Creek High School, and Skyline High School–with another possibly on the way. “I think because we are a small school we have more desire to make it to the top,” added Martin. Longmont Christian of-fers several special programs unique to the school. Examples include programs like ‘Odyssey of the Mind,’ which encourages students to think outside of the box aca-demically, and the Longmont-Paint-A-Thon where students and athletes paint homes within the community. “One of our main goals is making our kids more ac-countable. We focus on one project a month during the school year to help our local community,” says Principal Donnie Bennett. LCS also participates in the Samaritan’s Purse Program that provides a “shoebox” of gifts for children in need.

Bennett has been with Longmont Christian since 1993, and says what keeps him motivated is seeing all the fresh faces year after year. “The one goal that I have is making a partnership with the parents and sharing one com-mon goal and that is to train their kids the same way they would,” said Bennett. Moreover, remodeling and renovations have been ongo-ing throughout the school to help assist in the potential growth of the upcoming years. “Our biggest need for im-provement right now and for the future is our facility,” adds Bennett. “We have a lot of projects aimed towards the facility.” Athletics were added in 1996 and gave the school a sense of identity. “We are a small school but we can raise this thing to the next level,” says Martin who has been the athletic director since 2001. Longmont Christian partici-pates in fi ve Colorado High

LCS Principal Donnie Bennett. Photo Courtesy/Longmont Christian

LCS Athletic Director Jerry Martin. The Alumni/Alexa Castilleja

School Activities Association (CHSAA) sanctioned athletic programs; baseball, basket-ball, football, volleyball and soccer and since opening their doors in 1993, Longmont Christian has slowly grown into their own by the strong support of the surrounding community. “Our church community is very involved and supportive of our school,” explains Mar-tin. LCS is represented by over twenty-fi ve churches from north Denver to Loveland, and is a member of the As-sociation of Christian Schools International (ACSI) which serves in offering effective Christian education to over 5000 schools. “I think the best attributes of our school is the character and family atmosphere here,” fi nished Bennett.

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Male Student of the Month

What are some of your interests? “I am interested in music, movies, girls, and friends. I am learning to play the guitar.” Who inspires you? “My mom for sure! Our family is divorced and she has had to go through a lot. My coach has shown me that there are good guys in this world too.”

What gets you motivated? “What keeps me motivated is knowing that there are people out there that care about me. I want to make them proud, I don’t want to let them down.”

What are some of your aspirations?

“I have always wanted to be a pediatric doctor. It’s something that I have always wanted to do. I have always been around a lot of children.”

Who are some of your heroes? Why?

“I would have to say my mom, Mr. Bennett, and people who do good; po-licemen, fi re-fi ghters, and doctors. My coach because of the way he lives his life, he is a good man, and I respect the way he talks and lives.”

What are some of your goals for this year and how do you plan to achieve them?

“Just to graduate. I can’t believe that I have made it this far already. My friends keep me motivated. We keep each other going.”

Name: Joseph CrowleySchool: LCS Grade: SeniorGPA: 3.8Hobbies: movies,games on the internet, going to the parkCollege Interests: Westmont College,Azusa Pacifi c UniversityAchievements:CU Student College Scholarship

Female Student of the Month

What are some of your interests? “I like graphic design. I also like to sing, and anything that is musical. I really like to hang out with my friends.”

Who inspires you? “My boss. He has taught me a lot about life and the things I need to know. My best friend inspires me too.”

What gets you motivated? “The thing that keeps me motivated in school is knowing that I’m going to fi nish high school.”

What are some of your aspirations?

“Well I want to be a graphic designer. I also want to do anything that is in the media, and someday have a family.”

Who are some of your heroes? Why?

“Charlie Chaplin, because he is brilliant! Anyone who can make someone laugh without saying a word is worth looking up to. Audrey Hepburn too, she is so brilliant and elegant.”

What are some of your goals for this year and how do you plan to achieve them?

“My goal would have to be keeping my GPA up and I will do that by studying and working hard. I also plan to be a good friend to anyone who needs a friend, to be there if anyone needs anything!”

Name: Becca OtisSchool: LCS Grade: SeniorGPA: 4.0Hobbies: sewing, knitting, crochetingCollege Interests: California State Poly-technic University, Long Beach State, CaliforniaAchievements: President of Honor Choir

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November 2007

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November 2007

Dawn Gaffi n started her career as a high school coach in 1987. The Alumni/Alexa Castilleja

By Matthew GreenThe AlumniWhat summarizes personal achievement? Is it success, or maybe fi nally reaching a life-long goal. Dawn Gaffi n believes defi n-ing moments characterize the achievement of an individual or a team. A graduate of the Univer-sity of Northern Iowa in 1984 with a degree in teaching and coaching, coach Gaffi n of the Legacy High School softball

team just witnessed a defi n-ing moment in the lives of eighteen young ladies after winning the class 5A state championship at the Aurora Sports Complex on Oct. 20. “We believed we were go-ing to win, now we just have to check it off the list,” said Gaffi n. After graduation, Gaffi n moved to Colorado. When asked why she re-sponded with a laugh, “just to get out of Iowa!” Gaffi n landed her fi rst coaching job in 1987 at Northglenn High School where she spent two years, and then moved on to Thorn-ton High School (fi ve years)

and Horizon High School (seven years) until she ended up at Legacy where she has remained since 2000. In eight short years Gaffi n has built a softball program that has won three league championships, and is a force to be reckoned with in both their conference, and the state level. Soon after winning her school’s fi rst team champion-ship reporters asked her about the difference between coach-ing at Legacy, and the other schools on her resume. Gaffi n quickly replied, “we have a lot of talent here. Not taking away anything from the players and teams I have

The Alumni Coach of the Month: Dawn Gaffi n

Profi leName: Dawn Gaffi nSchool: Legacy High SchoolTitle: Head Softball CoachTenure: 2000 - PresentState Championships: 2007 5A State SoftballLeague Championships: 2002, 2003, 2007Mission Statement: Before this season, coach Gaffi n and her team put together a mis-sion statement. Listed below are excerpts from that statement:

• To win state• Go 25-0• Earn respect from community, opponents, and school• Progress as an individual and as a team• Be the team everyone wants to be • Doing things off the fi eld as an entire team• Talk on and off the fi eld to our teammates

• Trust our teammates as friends• Sacrifi ce for the sake of the team• Take confl ict as a challenge not a threat• Do things because we want to not because we have to • Have fun on and off the fi eld• Respect our team and our opponents• Practice zero errors (physical and mental)• Stay ‘in’ the game at all times

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coached before because those girls had defi ning plays and defi ning games which made all of those teams just as spe-cial. This community is just rich in talent. These girls set goals in the beginning of the season and they reached those goals.” Gaffi n says that over the years, several individuals have infl uenced and inspired her as a coach. “Dan Ringsby, Dr. Binder Lavender, Mychal Grand-erson, Dominic Capra, and Cathy Nolan all have infl u-enced my career whether it was by their advice, their guidance, or their instruc-tion,” said Gaffi n.

Next year Gaffi n’s own daughter, Rainey Gaffi n, will be attending Legacy where she hopes her family’s tradi-tion continues. “The one thing I am most proud of is that we have a team GPA of over 3.0. I want people to know that if you want to come to Legacy you have to achieve in the academic arena fi rst before you even think about playing softball.” In any case, coach Gaffi n just lived through a defi n-ing moment of her own by winning the class 5A state softball championship, in a life and career already fi lled with defi ning moments.

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Then & Now


November 2007

Former Knight fi nds success in minors

Some athletes achieve success and then become complacent, others are never satisfi ed. Kevin Russo has been successful at every level of baseball he has performed in and wants more. While attending Fairview High School in Boulder (1998-2002), Kevin was a standout athlete in both base-ball and football. “I loved to play sports in high school you could play what you wanted to play and you played with your friends. I had so much fun,” says Kevin. Have fun indeed, he was named to the Centennial League All-Conference fi rst-team as an infi elder, and as a All-Conference fi rst-team tailback for the Knights. “Playing in the conference that I played in I never had to doubt myself on how I was playing because I was playing against the best players in the

Then Now

Then Kevin Russo was an all-conference baseball and football star at Fairvew High School from (1998-2002). Courtesy/Russo Family

Now Kevin Russo plays baseball for the Tampa Bay Yankees a minor league affi liate of the New York Yankees. Courtesy/Russo Family

state,” explained Kevin. After graduating from Fair-view in 2002, Kevin attended San Jacinto Community Col-lege in Harris County, Texas. Once there, he helped lead his team to a 93-35 record in two seasons that included two trips to the Junior College World Series, fi nishing as runner-ups both years. “We were ranked number one both years I was there. At that level you had to catch-up to the competition, everyone was decent,” added Kevin. He then transferred to Baylor University where once again he excelled on the ball-fi eld. “I chose Baylor not because they had a great baseball program, but because I knew I would receive a great educa-tion,” said Kevin.


In the off-season, Kevin resides in both Waco, Texas and Boulder, CO and he is currently fi nishing his studies at Baylor where he plans to graduate this December with a degree in health and fi tness. “I want to fi nish my educa-tion. Just knowing that I have something else to fall back on will make life that much easier,” said Kevin. This summer he was named to the 2007 Florida State League West All-Star team for the Tampa Bay Yankees as a second basemen and went 1-for-4 in the game. “If I have any advice to give,” said Kevin, “all I can say is work hard at what you do, motivate yourself, take initiative and want to be the best.”

After two stellar seasons with Baylor, Kevin was drafted in the twentieth-round of the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft by the New York Yankees. Today, Kevin Russo plays with the Tampa Bay Yankees,

the advanced class-A affi liate of the New York Yankees in the Florida State League. “I would like to be in the majors, that is the ultimate goal, but if not I will keep working hard in whatever I end up doing,” he said.

Former Fairview High School two-sport standout Kevin Russo continues his education while playing professional baseball

• 2-time All-Centennial league fi rst-team selection (baseball)•Played in Colorado High School Top 50 All-Star Game (baseball)• First-team All-Centennial league selection (football)• Centennial League Player of the Year (football)• Led Fairview to Centennial League title and to a state runner-up fi nish as a senior (football)• Lettered in Wrestling

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• 2004 fi rst-team All-Region 14 (San Jacinto CC)•2004 JUCO College World Series All-Tournament team• 2005 All-Big 12 Conference Honorable Mention (Baylor)• 3-time Big 12 Conference Commissioner’s Honor Roll(Baylor)• 2006 MLB Amateur Draft 20th round selection of the New York Yankees• 2007 selection to Florida State League All-Star team

Page 16

Softballwww.thealumninews.org

Coming Soon!Online Colorado High School Forum


November 2007




5A CHSAA State Softball Championship: (Oct. 20) Aurora Sports Complex

Legacy wins school’s fi rst title

The 5A State Champion Legacy Lightning at home plate after their 2-0 win over Bear Creek. The Alumni/Staff

Pitching and timely hitting help Legacy High School hold off Jeffco champs 2-0

By Ryan RussoThe Alumni



4A State Champion Ralston Valley High School Softball team with CHSAA trophy. The Alumni/Alexa Castilleja

Ralston Valley takes home 4A title with a 2-0 win over the Pueblo Central Wildcats

Mustangs on top of 4A

Aurora - That’s why you play the game. After seeing the top two seeds fall the day before,

No. 1 Mullen to the No. 9 seed Pueblo Central Wildcats 5-4, and then No. 2 Windsor to the No. 10 seed Cherokee Trail Cougars, the Ralston Valley Mustangs seized the moment and beat Pueblo

Central in the class 4A state championship game 2-0. “Meaghan (Murphy) was dominate,” said Mustang head coach Wendy Brave. Dominate indeed, the Mus-tangs sophomore pitcher only gave up three hits and struck-out ten. “Along with our pitching

we had a great tournament all- around offensively and defensively,” added Brave. Ralston Valley entered the state tournament as the No. 3 seed and beat Delta 15-0, Niwot 1-0, and Cherokee trail 6-3 to fi nd their way into the state title game. After the game coach Brave was asked what she thought about the top seeds losing and she responded, “Both teams today deserved to be here. We beat everyone we had to. It doesn’t matter what number or name is on the other team’s jersey, if we play our game we will win.” The No. 9 seed Pueblo Cen-tral Widcats beat Broomfi eld 6-1, Mullen 5-4, and Greeley West 4-1 to get to the title game. “They didn’t get the hits today when they needed and we did. Both teams played great,” fi nished Brave. The Mustangs win was their second in the state champion-

ship title game. They beat Pueblo East 1-0 in 2002.

Aurora - The Lightning of Legacy High School had yet to win a championship in a team sport, until now. Since opening its doors in 2000, Legacy had seen a fair amount of success from indi-viduals who have won state championships; Steve Ziegler (golf 2005-2006, 2006-2007), Nick Bauman (wrestling 189 pounds 2006-2007), and Alex Von Hagan (long jump 2006-2007). Yet from the school’s con-ception, never had Legacy high school won a sanctioned CHSAA team championship. Welcome coach Dawn Gaf-fi n, and her 19-2 Front Range League champion softball team. Legacy entered the state tournament as the No. 3 seed and defeated Thunder Ridge 10-9, and Grand Junction

Central 6-2 on Friday (Oct. 19), and then Wheat Ridge 2-0 in semi-fi nals to get to the title game. In a bracket heavy with Jef-ferson County juggernauts, coach Gaffi n knew it was go-ing to be diffi cult but never doubted her team. “We knew we would have to play at least one of those teams to get here, but we have a lot of tal-ent on this team,” said Gaffi n. On the other hand, No. 1 seed and the Jefferson County League champion Bear Creek Bears defeated Lakewood 6-5 and Eaglecrest 6-4 on Friday, and went on to beat Colum-bine 5-1 to work their way into the 5A state champion-ship game. On this sunny and slightly windy day in October pitch-ing and timely hitting would end up determining a cham-pion. With no score in the fourth inning senior shortstop Bre-

ana Mathews hit a solo home run to left-center putting Legacy up 1-0. “All I kept thinking was keep going, keep going, keep going,” added Gaffi n. “Shelby (Babcock) was dominate. I knew if we could get her some runs she was go-ing to give us a great chance to win this thing.” Finally, in the seventh in-ning and the score 2-0 by

way of a single from senior third baseman Cassie Long in the sixth, sophomore pitcher Shelby Babcock and her Lightning teammates found themselves only three outs away from their school’s fi rst team championship. Babcock, who notably grew stronger as the game wore on, put down the Bears in order, that capped a terrifi c tourna-ment run by defeating Bear

Creek 2-0. “This school is eight yearsold and it has been a long time coming. We knew we were going to win, it was just going to happen,” said Gaffi n.“We had no negative mojos, it was all positive.” Ironically, by day’s end Legacy High School’s march-ing band had also won state in Ft. Collins, CO later in the evening.


4A Past Champions

1994 Douglas County 7-5 over Pueblo County1995 Pueblo County 6-4 over Golden1996 Mullen 10-2 over Pueblo East1997 Lakewood 14-3 over Dakota Ridge1998 Lakewood 8-0 over Niwot1999 Mullen 2-0 over Pueblo County2000 Pueblo South 2-0 over Berthoud2001 Mullen 6-2 over Pueblo East2002 Ralston Valley 1-0 over Pueblo East2003 Conifer 5-4 over Pueblo East2004 Pueblo West 2-0 over Broomfi eld2005 Pueblo West 6-1 over Mullen2006 Windsor 6-4 over Berthoud2007 Ralston Valley 2-0 over Pueblo Central

Rivalrywww.thealumninews.org

Go onlinewww.thealumninews.org

November 2007




Page 17

vs.Erie Tigers (16-5) Holy Family Tigers (20-1)

The Erie Tiger has his swagger back

Erie junior SS Ashlie Ortega embraces one of her coaches soon after her Tiger’s forced the third out against Holy Family in their 5-2 Victory for the 3A title. The Alumni/Alexa Castilleja

Aurora - As fans from across two neighboring diamonds cheered as class 4A and 5A state champs were crowned, two state rivals fought till the bitter end for class 3A supremacy. Erie jumped to an early 3-0 lead over rival Holy Family in the top of the third inning from a single by outfi elder Ash-ley Jordan, and then a two-run double from fi rst baseman Janay Rahrich. With the score 5-2 in the bottom of the seventh, Holy Family sprayed the fi eld with three consecutive singles off of freshman pitcher Mariah Bledsoe, who was on cruise control up to that point. “I didn’t know how Mariah would handle four games in two days, but she made her pitches and her defense made the plays,” said Erie head coach Bob Bledsoe.

Teammates (from left) Daiva Jarasius, Megan White, and Amy Baumberger, all freshmen, look on to see what could have been as Erie celebrates another state title. The Alumni/Alexa Castilleja

Erie High School Wins 8th State Softball Championship in 10 years

By Alexa CastillejaThe Alumni

Enter Holy Family sopho-more outfi elder Rachel Boothe. On a one-ball count Bled-soe threw a fastball to Boothe who drove the pitch long—but foul and would have cleared the bases if it had stayed fair. After the long foul ball, two quick outs soon followed and, the Tigers of Holy Family would see their reign as 3A state champs come to an end. The 5-2 loss was Holy Family’s second in three years in the state title game to the Erie Tigers.

Ecstatic over his win, coach Bledsoe still had nothing but praise for his opponent. “Over the last four years or so this has become a neat rivalry. Both schools are rich in tradition, we both have great coaches, and great play-ers,” said coach Bledsoe. When asked how long he thinks this rivalry can last, Bledsoe responded, “we prob-ably had our best freshman class, and I know Holy Fam-ily has a lot of good young players too.” After their defeat Holy Family Head Coach Glen

Ramos was proud of his team, “Megan (McGinnis) pitched very well, outstanding, she didn’t struggle, she did every-thing we asked her to do.” Holy Family made their way to the title game as the No. 1 seed defeating Florence High School 3-0, and Platte Valley High School 15-0 on day one of tournament play. On day two, Holy Family beat Faith Christian 9-5 that set up the title game with their rivals. Erie entered the title game as the tournament’s No. 2 seed and defeated Strasburg

High School 8-6, and Platte Canyon High School 18-5 on day one and Limon High School 18-5 in semi-fi nals. “Today we had a full-team effort. We tweaked some things three weeks before the tournament and then we just started pounding the ball,” said coach Bledsoe. After the game, coach Ramos expressed similar feelings,“We always have felt that we have been on the same level as Erie, we bring out the best in each other. They have a great team and we have a great team, they


just got the hits today.” In any case, nine out of the last 10 state titles from Class 3A have gone to either team, with Erie taking home eight of those. Coach Ramos fi nished by saying, “We are young and feisty, you can tell both teams wanted this real bad. Enough can’t be said about both teams. This has to be one of the state’s best rivalries,” said Ramos.

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November 2007

Sophomore Zach Thenell is yet another product of great Bear Creek High School quarterbacks. The Alumni/Ryan Briceland

year-old, his smile sparkling from the full set of metal braces clamped on his teeth. In fact, Zach wasn’t sure he would even play quarterback until the ninth grade. Up to that point he had been playing wide receiver and cornerback. But don’t blame his former coaches for the error in posi-tion, that’s where coaches place most scrawny kids with fearless aggression. He’s a tough kid, he had to be aggressive early on to get any playing time at all. “There are bigger, stronger, faster kids than Zach. There are probably even kids with a stronger left arm than Zach has right arm,” his father says. “But there aren’t many that have the calmness and con-fi dence in the pocket that he has.” Coach Thenell attributes Zach’s calmness in the pocket to growing up on the sideline and the high number of repeti-tions he has taken in practice. Zach made the choice to play quarterback the summer before his freshman year. In the Thenell family you can’t just play quarterback though. You have to be really good at it. So Zach started working out every day in the

off-season to build strength in his throwing arm. He would work out with the rest of the Bear Creek players doing squats, bench press and clean and jerk exercises. He didn’t care that he weighed less than what most guys could lift. He also began working like crazy to memorize the intrica-cies of his father’s offense. The same offense that pro-duced the two most profi cient passing quarterbacks in Colo-rado prep football history. Justin Holland, 1997-2000, and Sean Davis, 1992-95, who are No. 1 and No. 2 in career pass attempts and pass-ing yards on the all-time list. Davis and Holland both uti-lized Tom Thenell’s offensive philosophy of interchangeable parts and spreading the de-fense apart to take advantage of one-on-one match-ups. You absolutely will not hear Zach put himself in the same sentence as those two. In fact you probably won’t hear much of anything from Zach, ever. For playing a position that usually requires outbursts of emotion to rally a team, Zach rarely raises his voice above a playground level. “You’re going to have some trouble getting Zach to talk to

you,” Coach Thenell warned as I sat down in the coach’s offi ce in the basement of Bear Creek High School. “He’s a quiet, unassuming kid. He has no ego what so ever,” added coach Thenell. At fi rst glimpse Zach looks more like the kid in charge of getting the water bottles than he does the leader of a class 5A offense. Coach was right, it was hard to get Zach to talk about any-thing, even football. When describing the game winning, eight minute, 17 play drive he led to beat Ar-vada West in the second game of his varsity career Zach can barely muster up a complete sentence. “I played alright,” Zach ac-knowledges with a sheepish grin on his face. “The scout team did a good job of preparing me for the game so there wasn’t anything I didn’t expect,” he says be-fore quickly putting his head back down. There aren’t many quarter-backs in this day in age that compliment the scout team after leading their team to an important victory. His reluctance to boast is one-hundred percent genuine. It’s just the type of person he is.

On fourth-and-17, with a little over 5:00 to go in the game against Arvada West, Casey Mills a 6-foot 2-inch, 185 pound play maker that can line up in the slot or one the line of scrimmage as a tight end, was lined up in the left slot, about three yards be-hind the line of scrimmage. “The play came in for Casey to run a skinny post over the middle of the fi eld. I knew he would be my fi rst option,” Zach recalls. “The Arvada safety lined up over top of him, but a little to the outside. As I dropped back I saw Casey beat the sin-gle coverage to the inside and I just threw him the ball.” Sounds pretty simple com-ing out of the quarterback’s mouth but don’t think for a second there is anything simple about a conversion like that. The completion kept the drive alive and soon after scoring the winning touch-down Zach Thenell had made a name for himself as the lat-est and greatest in a long line of Bear Creek play callers. Who knows, one day he may even be the best Thenell to put on a uniform.

Some kids are born to play quarterback, others have to earn it every step of the way. One thing’s for sure, Zach Thenell isn’t getting any smaller. The 5-foot-9-inch quar-terback is the states leading passer despite weighing 160 pounds with pads and a hel-met on. What he lacks in physical stature, he makes up for with accuracy, knowledge and poise under pressure. It’s as if Zach had a predis-position to excel at the posi-tion. His father is Tom Thenell, former two-time state cham-pion quarterback for Mullen High School. Tom is also the head coach of the Bear Creek varsity football team. Despite having the pedigree of a former schoolboy legend, Zach was not blessed with the natural gifts of a quarterback. Nothing has come easy for the wide-grinning fi fteen-

By Ryan BricelandThe Alumni

Bear Creek sophomore quarterback following in dad’s footsteps

The Alumni Male Athlete of the Month: Zach Thenell

Profi leProfi leName: Zach ThenellSchool: Bear Creek High SchoolDate of Birth: December 6, 1991Grade: SophomoreGPA: 3.9Sport:Sport: football, trackYears Lettered: (2) varsity letters; (1) football, (1) trackHobbies: “Hockey.”

Athlete of the MonthSponsored By

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Bear Creek High School December 6, 1991

(2) varsity letters; (1) football, (1) track

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Page 19

Senior Evan Sanders says she’s excited about her upcoming col-legiate career at CSU. The Alumni/Ryan Briceland

Having your mom as a coach can be diffi cult at times too, especially when a win-at-all-costs attitude becomes detrimental to the team. Said Coach Sanders, “I’ve only had to do it twice, but sometimes her emotions get the best of her and a break from the action is needed.” In order to become a better team leader Evan has worked hard on keeping her emotions in check when she is on the fl oor. “I used to shut down when I got frustrated. It wasn’t good for the team. My teammates let me know they prefer me to stay vocal. Knowing I have their respect has helped a lot,” Evan said. Evan also says that playing for her mom has been a great experience and something she will miss when she graduates from Centaurus at the end of the year. Next year Evan plans on taking her game north to Ft. Collins, CO where she’ll play for the Colorado State Rams and head coach Tom Hilbert. Evan’s emergence as a vol-leyball player even surprised herself.

It wasn’t long ago that she had dreams of playing in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), not the Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP). Sanders began playing bas-ketball by following her older brother to practice. Her height and athleticism got her noticed by a club vol-leyball coach in eighth grade. The rest is well-documented history. “I’ve been playing sports my entire life. When I was younger my brother, sister and I would tag along to mom’s practices and try taking serves from the older girls,” Evan said. Soon after taking up volley-ball Evan began playing for the Front Range Volleyball Club and never looked back. Her immediate success inspired her to continue pur-suing her dream of a college scholarship, only now it was volleyball she was concen-trated on. As a 15-year-old she made the All-Tournament team at the Junior Olympics. As a freshmen starter on the Centaurus volleyball team she was awarded league MVP. As a senior Evan recalls

those achievements as some of her most cherished mo-ments. Evan gives a lot of credit for her success to the structure and non-stop demands of the Front Range Volleyball Club. “It’s like a job. We practice four days a week and on Sat-urday’s we start at 9 am and don’t leave until 4 pm. You really have to be dedicated to play at the next level to go to all the practices and tourna-ments,” she says. Evan will most likely be switching positions when she steps on the court as a CSU Ram. “I’ll probably be switching to setter. It’s the position I play on my club team. The biggest challenge will be improving my defense. I’m a big girl I don’t like to get down on the fl oor.” To make sure there isn’t any rust on her game Evan has been meeting with her club coach on Sunday’s during the season to work on her setting and playing the ball from dif-ferent angles. After thirteen years of coaching the Centaurus girls varsity team, this will be Bev Sanders’ last. “It’ll be tough to give up

coaching but it’s time. This is the big payoff though, having a child play D-1 sports.” Both of Evan’s parents played collegiate athletics. Bev Sanders was a standout volleyball player at Cal-State Stanislaus. Evan’s father Collins Sanders played football at Northern Colorado before a knee injury ended his playing career. He is now the coach and Head of Operations for the Colorado Ice in Loveland, CO, an indoor football team that competes in the United Indoor Football Association. Evan’s older brother Dillon is a redshirt freshmen quarter-back at the Colorado School of Mines. Alex, the oldest of the siblings, is a senior at Black Hill State in South Da-kota. Evan is a Student Council member at Centaurus and volunteers twice a week at Sanchez Elementary School, where her mother is a second grade teacher. She says she has interest in majoring in Interior Design at CSU. If that doesn’t work out she says she’d be happy to follow in the footsteps of her mom, becoming a teacher and a coach.

Determination, hard work, and competition. These aren’t just the words on the inspirational poster you see in the principal’s offi ce. They are the traits Evan Sanders believes helped her earn a Division I college scholarship while playing volleyball at Centaurus High School. It may sound corny, but not recognizing the commitment she’s made wouldn’t be giv-ing her enough credit. Sanders’ is a 6-foot tall tow-er of an athlete. She looks like a younger, slightly shorter, version of Gabrielle Reece, the former beach volleyball legend turned magazine cover girl. “I would love to follow in someone like that’s foot-steps,” remarks Evan when the comparison is brought up. The coach of the Centau-rus Warriors is Bev Sanders, Evan’s mom.

By Ryan BricelandThe Alumni

Centaurus senior volleyball player commits to CSU

The Alumni Female Athlete of the Month: Evan Sanders

Sponsored By

www.ColoradoHomeExplorer.com

Athlete of the Month


November 2007

Profi leProfi leProfi leProfi leName: Evan SandersSchool: Centaurus High SchoolCentaurus High SchoolDate of Birth: February 9, 1990February 9, 1990Grade: SeniorGPA: 4.0Sport:Sport: basketball, track, volleyballbasketball, track, volleyballYears Lettered: 8 varsity letters: (4) volleyball, (2) 8 varsity letters: (4) volleyball, (2) basketball, and (2) trackHobbies: “Volunteering for 1st and 5th graders at Sanchez “Volunteering for 1st and 5th graders at Sanchez Elementary where my mom teaches.”

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Page 20

The Alumni is an Offi cial Sponsor of Around the Statewww.thealumninews.org

November 2007




Fall Athletics Wrap-UpGolf 4A Tennis 5A Tennis

2007 State Champions2007 State Champions

4A Results- Oct. 1-2The Broadlands G.C.Broomfi eld, CO; Par 71

Individual ChampionIndividual ChampionBeau Schoolcraft, Sr.Kent Denver H.S.69-68 –137

Team TitleKent Denver H.S. – 429Beau Schoolcraft –137; Matt Schovee –143; David Hanley –152; B.J. Smith –156

5A Results- Oct. 1-2Collindale G.C.Ft. Collins, CO; Par 71

Individual ChampionIndividual ChampionZahkai Brown, NAPomona H.S.72-72 –144

Team TitleFairview H.S.– 454Brennan Dolan, Will Skinner, Glenn Nowell, Scott Schultz


Results- Oct. 11-13CU South CampusBoulder, ColoradoSingles ChampionsSingles Champions#1 Will Vasos,Rocky Mountain H.S.#2 Chris Cooprider,Cherry Creek H.S.#3 Harry Jewett,Cherry Creek H.S.

Doubles ChampionsDoubles Champions#1 Austin West, So./John Posada, So.Cherry Creek H.S.#2 Connor Macey, So./Alan Oakes, So.Cherry Creek H.S.#3 Zach Chernow, So./Steven Kiffor, So.Cherry Creek H.S.#4 Joel Lowinger, NA/Taylor Sargent, So.Cherry Creek H.S.

Team TitleCherry Creek H.S.–84


Results- Oct. 11-13Pueblo City ParkPueblo, Colorado

Singles ChampionsSingles Champions#1 Ramsey Bernard, So.Steamboat Springs H.S.#2 Brad Young, So.Cheyenne Mountain H.S.#3 Jay Patel, So.Cheyenee Mountain H.S.

Doubles ChampionsDoubles Champions#1 Moses Taylor, Jr./Matt Caroll, So. Kent Denver H.S.#2 Hemal Semwal, NA/Andrew Odlin, So. Cheyenne Mountain H.S.#3 Michael Cutter, So/Ari Halling, So.Cheyenne Mountain H.S. #4 John Guillod, Jr./Graham Baker, NAKent Denver H.S.

Team TitleCheyenne Mountain H.S.–82

Cross Country2007 State Champions2007 State Champions

Results- Oct. 27El Pomar Sports ComplexColorado Springs, CO

BoysBoys

3A - Andrew Roberts, Jr. Lyons H.S. 16:37.384A - Kevin Williams, Sr. D’Evelyn H.S. 15:43.815A - Evan Appel, Jr. Dakota Ridge H.S. 15:54.46

Girls

3A - Kaitlin Hanenburg, So. Classical Academy H.S. 18:42.824A - Erica Hinchcliffe, So. Greeley West H.S. 19:13.045A - Alexa Rogers, Sr. Dakota Ridge H.S. 18:41.06

Field Hockey(continued from fi rst page)

away from Bruin defenders in the 44th minute, but Cherry Creek senior goal keeper Kate Colbert made a great kick-save to keep the Bruins up by one. The Mustangs offense continued to press Bruin defenders late in the second half but were unable to score and Cherry Creek claimed the class 5A state fi eld hockey championship by defeating Colorado Academy 1-0. “When you are in an at-tacking rhythm like we were tonight it is tough to transi-tion and defend in a similar rhythm,” fi nished Thompson. Cherry Creek defeated St. Mary’s Academy 3-0 and Mountain Vista 2-1 to get to the title game. Colorado Academy beat Ft. Collins 2-0 and Smoky Hill 1-0 to get to their sixth title game in school history where they have now gone 1-5.


Around the Statewww.thealumninews.org


November 2007




Page 21

By Ryan RussoThe Alumni

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Denver Christian upsets undefeated Fountain Valley Reinsma heads in game winner in the 60th minute to lead the Crusaders to the 3A title

3A CHSAA State Soccer Championship: (Nov. 3) Pirate Field

Englewood - Crusade This! During pre-game warm-ups, Fountain Valley Danes fans held up a banner which read exactly that. Unfortunately for Foun-tain Valley, the Crusaders of Denver Christian made them eat their own words beating the Danes 2-1 in the class 3A state championship game. It was evident very early that No. 6 Denver Christian matched-up evenly to No. 1 Fountain Valley. The Crusaders found the back of the net fi rst after sophomore midfi elder Brent Ham scored in the 15th min-ute in the fi rst half. “I was in good position to score and fortunately it went in,” said Ham. Ten minutes later, Fountain Valley followed with a goal of their own when senior for-ward Rhett Rayhill crossed to sophomore John McCaffery in the 25th minute and tied the score at one. “Throughout the game,

even after they scored, we had a great counter-attack, we were always putting pressure on their defense,” said Den-ver Christian head coach Ed Buteyn. In the 38th minute, Crusader senior midfi elder Jack Reins-ma hit the crossbar and said simply, “It was a good shot.” The frank and soft-spo-ken Reinsma continued the Crusader counter-attack in the second half when teammate Danny Zoetewey crossed to Reinsma who headed the de-cisive goal past the Fountain Valley defense in the 60th minute “Jack made a great shot, it was a great pass and Jack just made a great play,” said coach Buteyn. “I read the fi eld and did what I was supposed to do,” added Reinsma. Going into the champion-ship game, Denver Christian started six sophomores. “We lost ten seniors last year–that speaks a lot for this team,” fi nished Buteyn.

No. 6 Denver Christian

No. 1 Fountain ValleyNo. 1 Fountain Valley

1

1

1

0

2

1

Box Score

Goals: (DC) Ham (1), Reinsma (1) (FV) McCaffery (1)Assists: (DC) Zoetewey (1) (FV) Rayhill (1)

Final

Colorado Department of Education footnotes......The Colorado State Library announced the launch of a new website to help librar-ies and other organizations improve service to minorities, persons with physical and mental disabilities, seniors and immigrants. The website is loaded with hundreds of links and ideas for activities, books, programs and plans. The website is http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdelib/library-diversity.html. Links are available to help libraries draft, develop diver-sity plans, engage staff and volunteers, improve collec-tions and create programs to serve special populations. Links include “Serving Spanish-Speaking Commu-nities Success Checklist,” “Teaching Tolerance,” “De-veloping Multi-Cultural Col-lections,” and many more. Community responsiveness and service to diverse, special, or under served populations are a part of the vision for ev-ery library. Colorado’s libraries support equal access for all residents. The new website helps all libraries achieve this goal and reach out to all Colorado’s residents. The project is supported by a Library Services and Tech-nology Act grant from the Institute of Museum and Li-brary Services and was devel-oped with the support of the Special Populations & Issues Committee of the Colorado State Library... ...The Colorado Council of the Teachers of Mathemat-ics named three teachers as

fi nalists for the 2007 Presi-dential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. An evening event and re-ception was held (Oct. 3) in the Korbel Ballroom Foyer at the Colorado Convention Center. The fi nalists are: Susan Dobson, Mathematics teacher at South High School in Pueblo School District 60. Anna Holm, Mathematics teacher at South High School in Denver Public Schools. Kim Race, Mathemat-ics teacher at Littleton High School in Littleton Public Schools. “Susan, Anna and Kim have demonstrated that they are outstanding educators dedi-cated to providing their stu-dents with a rich mathematics program and to improving mathematics education,” said Mattye Pollard-Cole, Colora-do Mathematics Coordinator. Each Colorado fi nalist is automatically a candidate for the national-level Presidential Award. Later this fall, a national se-lection committee composed of mathematics educators, teachers and former award-ees will meet in Washington, D.C., and choose the Presi-dential Awardees. The teachers chosen to be Presidential Awardees will be notifi ed by the White House, receive $10,000 and will be honored in various ceremonies during an expens-es-paid trip for two to the nation’s capitol next spring. “Congratulations to these outstanding educators and their leadership in mathemat-

ics instruction,” said Commis-sioner Dwight Jones. Rec-ognition of their accomplish-ments are well-deserved.”...

...The Colorado Charter School Institute was honored with the “Authorizer Leader-ship Award” by the Colorado League of Charter Schools. The institute was given the award for employing the best practices, for the commitment of it’s board members, and for encouraging the growth of high-quality charter schools. The award was given dur-ing the 14th Annual Colorado Charter Schools Conference (Friday Nov. 2) at the Shera-ton Denver West Hotel in Lakewood. The Charter School Institute was created by the state legis-lature in 2004 as an indepen-dent agency within the state department of education. The institute is governed by a nine-member board. Seven of the board members are appointed by the governor and two members by the com-missioner of education. “Since the charter statute passed in 1993, the most pro-found change to Colorado’s charter school landscape came with passage of the Charter School Institute legislation in 2004,” said Jim Griffi n, presi-dent of the Colorado League of Charter Schools. “The institute’s presence has turned a bright light on what it means to be a charter school authorizer and why that role is central to the idea of quality charter schools.”

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The Alumni

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Westminster,CO80234

(720) 276-1826

Fitnesswww.thealumninews.org


November 2007




Kristen Sowalsky is a certifi ed fi tness trainer for 24 hour fi tness in Boulder, as well as a certifi ed chiropractor at Achtermann Chiropractic in Louisville.

Trainer of the MonthName: Kristen SowalskyFitness Center: 24 hour fi tnessCertifi cation: Certifi ed health fi tness instructor (American College of Sports Medicine Education: Appalachian State University, graduated with honors (Magna Cum Laude); Logan School of ChiropracticMotto: When people become healthy and strong through fi tness, they increase their quality of life. When people feel better about themselves, relationships, jobs, and performance and stress levels decrease.Nutrition Tips:Nutrition Tips: Everyone needs to have a base of a whole foods diet (all natural lean proteins, chicken breast, turkey, lean pork, fi sh, and complex carbohydrates, brown rice, sweet potatoes, whole grain bread, pastas).

Page 22

Kristen’s WorkoutTraining Session:Training Session:

Back Squat to Dumbbell Military Press

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, pointing straight forward. Hold dumbbells just above shoulder level with palms facing upward. Keeping your back in neutral alignment, slowly lower your body by fl exing the hips allowing the knees to bend until your thighs are parallel with the fl oor. Contract the glutes and push through the heels until your hips and knees are fully extended. While rising back to the starting position, simultaneously press the dumbbells overhead until the arms are extended. Slowly lower arms to just above shoulder level and repeat.

• 3 sets • 12-15 reps

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and culminate in a Diversity Summit during the summer of 2008. Wellington Public Library, Equal Access for Senior Adults & Patrons with Low Vision, $4,900. Wellington Public Library will target ser-vices to the senior adult popu-lation and those with visual impairments by purchasing adaptive technology and large print books to enhance the library’s existing collection. Weld Library District, Virtual Library Services for Rural Communities, $20,000.This project will purchase a 3M e-Branch Library to be placed in a bookmobile located at a Galeton elemen-tary school seven miles east of the Eaton Public Library. This will bring virtual library services to the community 40 hours a week. Wiggins High School Li-brary, Colorful Reads in the Library, $5,000. Wiggins High School will encourage teens to read by enlisting vol-unteer students to select high-interest books for the library’s collection and compose book reviews for peers. Reviews will be posted in the library. Students will also participate in various events to improve comprehension, fl uency and vocabulary building. Wilkinson Public Library (Telluride), Integrating Im-migrants into Our Communi-ty, $8,247. The library will in-crease the amount of materials available in other languages; add current issues of popular magazines in four languages; provide an online subscription to daily newspapers in fi ve languages; and buy software in fi ve languages that non-na-tive English speakers can use to enhance English skills.

The Colorado State Library announced grants to 15 public schools and academic librar-ies for innovative projects de-signed to improve library ser-vices and life-long learning. The proposals are funded through the Federal Library Service and Technology Act (LSTA) and are allocated to the Colorado Department of Education and Colorado State Library. This year’s grants totaled nearly $261,000. All grants addressed a goal in the long-range plan to improve library services to Colorado residents with disabilities, ethnic popu-lations, institutional residents and those underserved by libraries. Awards were made to: Adams State College-Nielsen Library, Mobile Learning Center and Laptop Loan Program, $17,775. The Nielsen Library program will improve access to technol-ogy in the San Luis Valley and help underserved student population use resources at Adams State College. Training sessions will be of-fered at public schools, com-munity centers, retirement centers and nursing facilities. Arapahoe Library District, Parent and Child Literacy Project, $13,320. This grant provides library services to the children of non-English speaking adults. The grant targets children aged three to 11 in the Sheridan area. Colorado Association of School Libraries and Princi-pals and School Librarians for Increased Achievement, $25,553. Sponsoring agen-

cies will hold a meeting at the November Colorado Library Association Conference in Denver to educate principals about partnerships between themselves and school librar-ians; provide information about how school librarians collaborate with classroom teachers; and participate in the standards-based planning of instructional design and as-sessments. Colorado State University at Pueblo, Senior-to-Sopho-more Information Literacy Project, $15,227. School librarians and CSU-Pueblo instructors will work directly with university faculty to pilot a series of Information Liter-acy programs for high school students. Cortez Public Library, $20,000 for Spanish-lan-guage materials. Cortez Pub-lic Library will select books and other media in partnership with a local adult education program to fi ll the needs of the Spanish-speaking com-munity. Delta County Library District, Diversity Project, $12,318. This initiative will improve service to Spanishspeakers by making the librar-ies more culturally friendly. The grant will also be used to improve Spanish-language collections, increase acces-sibility to public computers, and offer outreach through Spanish-language story times held at partner organization sites in the county. Denver Public Library, Read Aloud Program, $20,000. The Denver Public Library’s Read Aloud pro-gram will help at-risk Denver preschool children enter kin-dergarten with the skills need-ed for school success. Trained

volunteers will visit more than 110 preschool classrooms in low-income areas to read and hold “Parent Literacy Nights” and to provide personal inter-action among parents, teacher and library staff. Lafayette Public Library, Reading Buddies, $12,131. This proposal expands a high-ly successful program that pairs fi rst through third-grade “Little Buddies” with vol-unteer sixth through twelfth-grade “Big Buddies.” Buddies meet once a week to provide young children with additional opportunities to practice reading. Montrose Regional Li-brary District, Reaching New Populations for Library Ser-vice, $17,850. The grant will be used by the library district to support efforts to hire the district’s fi rst adult outreach coordinator, purchase a book van, and install adaptive and family computer stations. The book van will deliver materi-als to home bound patrons, senior centers, nursing homes, and related populations. Pueblo City-County Li-brary District, Paving the Way for Customers with Special Needs, $20,000. This project will improve access to collections, meeting rooms, programs and Internet work-stations by reducing barriers to people with vision, hearing, and learning or mobility chal-lenges. Colorado State Library’s Special Populations & Issues Committee, $50,075. This project will provide librar-ians with ideas on better using resources available on the diversity website to best serve special populations. Imple-mentation will occur through statewide training sessions

Press ReleaseColorado Department of Education (CDE)

Libraries to receive grantsColorado schools and academic libraries get funds to improve educational opportunities

Newswww.thealumninews.org

November 2007




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3A, 4A, 5A- State Football Championships Preview

A-6, A-8, 1A, 2A- State Football ChampionshipsWrap-Up

4A, 5A- State Soccer Championships

4A, 5A- State Gymnastics Championships

State Spirit Championships- Preview

Boys and Girls Basketball- Preview

Wrestling - Preview

Rivalry- Go online and vote for your favorite rivalry

Coming Soon!- Rankings, Stats, and More!

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The Alumni Volume I Edition I November_2007

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