Colorado Preps Network » Coaches Interviews

BASKETBALL: Audio Interviews

kevin — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 03:00:56 +0000

Every Friday night of the regular season Colorado Preps will produce the Built Ford Tough Scoreboard show and run through all the scores around the state. In addition to the results, we also select several important games and visit with the winning coach. We’ll also attend games throughout the week and visit with winning coaches there.

You can hear those interviews on the Scoreboard Show but also on the website after the game on-demand. To access the audio, simply click on the coach of your choice and the audio should automatically appear in your media player.

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FEB 17TH: Sierra Grande Boys – Matt Lucero

The Panthers blew past Centennial to stay unbeaten but we visited with the Panthers Head Coach over recent impressive wins against 2A Del Norte and Springfield.

FEB 17TH: Fruita Monument Boys – Dave Fox

The Wildcats beat Montrose 55-52 on Friday to secure the Southwestern League title and stretch their conference record to 29-1 over the past three seasons.

FEB 17TH: Sanford Girls – Blake Canty

The defending 2A state champions finished off a perfect run through the Southern Peaks with a convincing 39-23 win over Sangre De Cristo. The win also clinched the number one district seed.

FEB 17TH: Merino Girls – Bryan Dermer

The 4th ranked Rams handed top ranked Akron (2A) their first loss of the season and also captured the Lower Platte League championship with a solid 47-43 decision.

FEB 17TH: Evangelical Christian Girls – Bruce Beers

The Eagles easily avenged an earlier loss to Vanguard as the 7th ranked team in 2A beat the fourth ranked squad 56-28. The win put the defending state runners-up in position to land the number one District seed.

FEB 14TH: Platte Valley Boys – Dave Mekelburg

The Broncos captured their 10th straight win by beating Eaton to take over sole possession of second place in the Patriot conference. Now they prep for the district tournament.

FEB 10TH: Meeker Boys – Klark Kindler

The Cowboys rallied from 11 points down at halftime to edge Paonia 41-40. The win gives the 7th ranked team in Class 2A sole possession of the Western Slope conference lead.

FEB 10TH: Aspen Boys – Steve Ketchum

The Skiers clinched at least a first place tie in the 3A Western Slope with their nine point win over Roaring Fork. Aspen can earn the title outright by beating either Basalt or Rifle next week.

FEB 10TH: Lewis Palmer Boys – Russ McKinstry

In one of the most highly anticipated games of the regular season, the 5th ranked Rangers moved past top ranked Sierra 45-42 to claim the top spot in the rugged 4A Colorado Springs Metro.

FEB 10TH: Regis Boys – Ken Shaw

For the second straight Friday, the three-time defending state champions beat a #1 ranked team. Last week, they downed Highlands Ranch and this week, the Raiders held off Chaparral and with the win are alone in first place in the 5A Continental.

FEB 10TH: Paonia Girls – Scott Reinks

The Eagles took over sole possession of first place in the Western Slope race by beating Meeker for a second time. After building a 20-point plus halftime lead, Paonia held on down the stretch for a 71-55 decision.

FEB. 7TH: Akron Boys – Greg Clarkson

The Rams used a late three pointer from Brady Baer and a free throw from Kody Anderson to avenge an earlier 28 point loss to Wiggins. They beat the Tigers 56-54 on the road.

FEB. 6TH: Eaton Girls – Todd Hernandez

In a highly anticipated game delayed three days by weather, 3rd ranked Eaton moved into sole possession of first place in the 3A Patriot by beating 5th ranked Brush on the road.

FEB 4th: Merino Girls – Bryan Dermer

In a battle of top ten teams, it was all Merino as the Rams powered past Caliche 71-49. Both teams entered the game unbeaten in Lower Platte League play but the result leaves only the Rams tied with #1 Akron (2A) atop the standings.

JAN 31ST: Sterling Boys – Mike Holloway

The Tigers took command of the Tri Valley league chase with a hard fought 56-50 road win at Windsor. Sterling led by 14 early in the fourth quarter before holding on for a rare victory in Windsor.

JANUARY 28th

Akron Girls – Rick Again

The top ranked Rams stayed unbeaten with a convincing road win at Sedgwick County. Both teams have finished in the top five in Class 2A each of the past two years.

Caliche boys – Randy Kirkwood

The Buffs held off a pesky Holyoke squad to collect another Lower Platte league victory. The win followed up a Friday night effort where the three-time defending state champions rallied from 14 down in the fourth to knock off Yuma.

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JANUARY 27TH

Peyton Boys: Brian Green

In a critical District 8 game in Class 2A, Peyton outlasted Byers in triple overtime for an 86-74 victory snapping the Bulldogs ten game winning streak. It kept the Panthers unbeaten in district action.

Montrose Boys: Martin Maloney

After a difficult loss to Fruita Monument on Tuesday, the Indians responded with a gutsy 57-54 win at Grand Junction to take over sole possession of second place in the Southwestern League

ThunderRidge Boys: Joe Ortiz

In a battle of schools separated by just two miles, ThunderRidge survived poor foul shooting to edge Mountain Vista 73-67. The teams were ranked 7th and 8th in Class 5A at tip-off.

Limon Boys: Dirk Pedersen

The Badgers stayed unbeaten by turning up the defense in the fourth quarter to win at Simla. Limon is ranked second in Class 2A with Simla #6 in 1A.

Simla Girls: Al Snyder

The defending 1A state champion stretched their winning streak to 39 with a convincing win over 2A Limon. The Badgers lost their third straight while the Cubs moved to 12-0.

Caliche Girls: Dave Huss

Without a senior on the roster, the Buffs stayed unbeaten by hitting foul shots to secure a late lead in a 59-49 Lower Platte league win over visiting Yuma.

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JANUARY 20TH

Valley Boys: Ryan Voehringer

The 2nd ranked Vikings worked through a defensive battle to score a 46-40 victory over 7th ranked Eaton. Both teams entered the game unbeaten in league play with Valley staying in a first place tie with University atop the standings. The two leaders collide on Tuesday.

Fairview Boys: Frank Lee

The Knights rolled past Rocky Mountain 72-53 for their 13th straight win overall and third inside the Front Range conference this week. A good first half pushed them to the victory

Ignacio Boys: Chris Valdez

Because of location, not much is known about the Bobcats but it’s a program that’s reached the Final Four in 2A each of the last three years. Much younger this year, Ignacio has kept on winning. Their 49-29 win over Mancos Friday night improved their record to 9-3 on the season and kept them unbeaten against Colorado opponents.

Vanguard Girls: Frank Haist

Points were hard to come by in the first half but the Coursers picked up better intensity in the second half to post an important 32-25 district win over Limon. The teams were ranked 6th and 9th respectively in Class 2A entering the contest.

Eads Girls: Trey Eder

In a battle of top ten teams and fierce rivals, the Eagles used a strong defense and solid play on the offensive end to move past McClave 43-24. Eads was ranked 5th in 1A with McClave 9th. The two teams have won seven of the last nine small-school state championships.

Delta Girls: Matt Hamm

Having already beaten Glenwood Springs on the road in conference play, the 8th ranked Lady Panthers took control of the Western Slope chase with their 54-39 win in Craig over Moffat County. A strong third quarter proved to be the difference.

Centaurus Girls: Jeff Jackson

In a first place battle in the 4A Northern Conference, Centaurus outlasted Broomfield 53-51 in double overtime Thursday night. The Warriors rallied from five points down with 30 seconds left in regulation to force overtime and then nailed two free throws with one-tenth of a second left in the first overtime to force a second extra session. Late free throwing then pushed them to a victory over the five-time defending state champions.

KRDO: Dan Cochell

In one of the weirdest situations in Colorado prep basketball history, the boys game between Colorado Springs rivals Palmer and Doherty was suspended at halftime because of baby powder from a dance team that performed at intermission. Dan Cochell with our Colorado Springs affiliate KRDO was calling at the game and called into the Scoreboard Show to recap what happened. The game will resume on Wednesday night.

Yuma Boys: Bob Rahm

The Indians hung on Tuesday night for a narrow in over Holyoke scoring their second win of the season against the Dragons.

Yuma Girls: Mike O’Neill

Strong defense pushed Yuma to a district win over Holyoke on Tuesday night. The Indians surrendered just 23 points the entire game including nine in a defensive minded first half.

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JANUARY 13TH

Fleming Boys: Bob Vandenbark

The 7th ranked Wildcats played their best game of the season in downing 10th ranked Haxtun in the 11-mile rivalry.

Pagosa Springs Girls: Wes Lewis

The defending Mountain league champions opened conference play in strong fashion collecting a road win over 8th ranked Centauri

Pueblo South Girls: Shannon Lane

In maybe the game of the night, third ranked Pueblo South survived 5th ranked Pueblo West for a 42-41 double overtime win inside the South Central.

Colorado Springs Christian Boys: Mark Engesser

The Lions didn’t get their first lead of the game until the second overtime but held on from there for a seven point win at Manitou Springs in a battle of unbeatens.

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JANUARY 7TH

Burlington Girls: Kate Reeson

The Cougars used a very aggressive man-t0-man defense and timely offense to roll past Yuma and win the championship of the Yuma Tournament.

Highland Boys: Mark Jarnot

Despite missing two potential game winning FT’s late in regulation, the Huskies rebounded for an overtime win against Yuma to earn the Yuma Tournament title.

Air Academy Girls: Bob Wingett

The top ranked Kadets scored a wild 73-71 overtime win over 5^th ranked ThunderRidge (5A) to move into the championship game of the Regis Holiday tournament.

Manitou Springs Girls: Brian Brown

The 7^th ranked Mustangs stayed unbeaten with their Thursday night win over 5^th ranked St Mary’s in non-conference play. Manitou Springs now preps for the Tri Peaks West opener against CS Christian on Tuesday.

Merino Girls: Bryan Dermer

In a top ten battle featuring Lower Platte league rivals, 8^th ranked Merino (1A) handed 5^th ranked Sedgwick County (2A) their first loss of the season.

Pawnee Boys: Tim Brunelle

The 3^rd ranked Coyotes collected a very important North Central league win over 5^th ranked Fleming. The two will meet again on January 27^th at NJC in Sterling

AUDIO INTERVIEWS: State Championship Interviews

kevin — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 05:11:50 +0000

Saturday puts the wraps on another great high school basketball campaign. We also finished up our radio coverage with our final Scoreboard Show of the year and during the special one-hour playoff edition, we spoke with almost every state championship coach.

To access the audio, simply click on the coach of your choice and the interview will automatically pop up in your media player.

CLASS 4A BOYS: Sterling – Mike Holloway

CLASS 3A BOYS: Faith Christian – Andrew Hasz

CLASS 2A BOYS: Lutheran – Ryan Bredow

CLASS 2A BOYS THIRD PLACE: Yuma – Terry Lofink

CLASS 1A BOYS: Caliche – Randy Kirkwood

CLASS 2A GIRLS: Sanford – Blake Canty

CLASS 2A GIRLS THIRD PLACE: Sedgwick County – Pete Walter

BASKETBALL: Interviews from Thursday Night (March 10th)

kevin — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 05:22:43 +0000

It’s the final weekend of the season in high school basketball as teams are shooting for a state championship. Colorado Preps is providing extensive coverage of all tournaments and part of that coverage involves interviews with coaches who post wins. Here’s a quick rundown of those interviews from Thursday.

To access the audio, simply click on the links below.

SPRINGFIELD LONGHORNS – Bob Schaller

Seeded seventh in the 1A boys bracket, the Longhorns held on late to upset 2^nd seeded Stratton in the state quarterfinals.

PAGOSA SPRINGS PIRATES – Randy Sorensen

The Pirates were outsized in their 3A state quarterfinal against Machebeuf but they gutted out a 64-57 to reach the state semi-finals on Friday against three-time defending state champion Faith Christian.

STERLING TIGERS – Mike Holloway

In what could have been the game of the day, Sterling moved into the 4A state championship game by outlasted Lewis Palmer 49-48 in double overtime.

LUTHERAN LIGHTS – Ryan Bredow

In another game that went down to the wire, the Lights used a jumper at the buzzer to stun Peyton 50-49 in the 2A state quarterfinals.

JEFFERSON ACADEMY JAGUARS – Kevin Porter

The Jaguars scored the first 19 points of the game to take control early on their way to a decisive 65-34 win over Machebeuf in the 3A girls quarterfinals.

AUDIO: Boys Basketball Interviews

kevin — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 06:00:41 +0000

As we’ve done in the past, Colorado Preps will provide audio interviews with coaches throughout the state. This year we will break down the interviews for both boys and girls divisions. Here’s a look at the boys interviews that we’ve conducted this year. The interviews with girls coaches can be found in another story on the website underneath the girls basketball menu.

To access the audio, simply double click on the title of the coach you wish to hear. The interview will automatically pop up in your media player. Interviews will be updated throughout the season and this story can be accessed by clicking on the boys basketball section and then clicking on the interview button.

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GLENWOOD SPRINGS – Cory Hitchcock (February 18th)

The Demons closed out the regular season with a 53-37 win over Eagle Valley on Friday and the result gave them the Western Slope title.

CHEYENNE WELLS – Matt McNeely (February 12th)

The Tigers continued a solid stretch of basketball with a hard fought 48-43 road win at Hi Plains on Saturday. It was their third win over a top ten opponent in the past two weeks.

IGNACIO – Chris Valdez (February 11th)

The Bobcats continued their roll through the San Juan conference with an easy win over Mancos. They finished third at state two years ago and second last season so they’re hoping to take the final step next month.

HIGHLANDS RANCH – Bob Caton (February 4th)

In maybe the game of the night, top ranked Highlands Ranch outlasted two time defending state champion and fourth ranked Regis 65-63 in double overtime.

LIMON – Dirk Pedersen (February 4th)

Equally was exciting was the battle of unbeatens between Limon and Stratton. With a combined record of 26-0, they also went to overtime before the Badgers prevailed 55-53

HAYDEN – Mike Luppes (February 4th)

Despite a three and a half hour road trip, the 10th ranked Tigers picked up a key conference road win at 8th ranked Plateau Valley (1A).

FAITH CHRISTIAN – Andrew Hasz (February 4th)

The three time defending champs in 3A stayed alone in first inside the Metro with a solid victory over Lutheran. The win keeps them a game up on Kent Denver.

AKRON – Greg Clarkson (January 29th)

The Rams bounced back from a difficult loss to Holyoke on Friday by moving past Sedgwick County at home on Saturday.

WELD CENTRAL – Mark Vaughn (January 28th)

The Rebels bounced back from an overtime loss to Highland by moving past University 67-55. The win put them alone in second behind Valley in the 3A Patriot.

YUMA – Terry Lofink (January 28th)

The 2nd ranked Indians stayed perfect on the season with a convincing 67-55 home win over Caliche. The win also moved the Indians to 5-0 in the Lower Platte and tied with 6th ranked Wray.

BYERS – Jeremy Kerns (January 28th)

The Bulldogs won their third straight by upsetting 10th ranked Peyton 55-49. The win was important as it kept the Bulldogs in line for a top four seed in districts which will give them a home game in round one.

COLORADO SPRINGS CHRISTIAN – Mason Young (January 25th)

Ranked third in Class 3A, the Lions remained unbeaten on the season with a very impressive 63-52 win over 9th ranked Jefferson Academy. It was the final non-conference game of the season for both teams.

WRAY – Ed Reed (January 22nd)

The Eagles held off a scrappy Burlington team on Saturday to post their second win of the weekend.

STERLING – Mike Holloway (January 21st)

The Tigers kept a share of first place in the Tri Valley with a road 66-49 win at Northridge. The Tigers are ranked third in Class 4A and face another road trip on Saturday against Sidney NE.

VALLEY – Ryan Voehringer (January 21st)

Ranked 7th in Class 3A, the Vikings kept pace will fellow co-leaders Weld Central and University in the Patriot by winning on the road in Eaton 48-42.

CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN – Chad Belveal (January 21st)

The Indians picked up a very important win over 6th ranked Harrison on Friday. The victory kept their league championship hopes alive as they trail first place Lewis Palmer by just one game.

LEWIS PALMER – Russ McKinstry (January 14th)

The second ranked Rangers took over sole possession of first place in the 17-team 4A Colorado Springs Metro with their win over 6th ranked Wasson. Now they get set for another important clash against 4th ranked Harrison on Tuesday.

ROOSEVELT – Joe Brown (January 14th)

Under the first year coach, the Roughriders are playing a full court up tempo pace and the results have been outstanding. After an 0-2 start, they’ve won nine straight and stand alone atop the Northern Conference thanks to their win over Northridge.

NOTE: We also interviewed Rye coach Jim Hale after their impressive win at Rocky Ford on Saturday but due to technical issues, we’re unable to post online.

HIGHLAND – Mark Jarnot (January 12th)

A couple of late free throws in the closing seconds pushed Highland to a Patriot league opening win over Eaton on Tuesday. The charity shots finished off a great rally for the Huskies who trailed by 12 points with just over five minutes remaining.

DOLORES HUERTA – Ryan Romero (January 10th)

The Scorpions took early control of the Tri Peaks Eastern division race with a very impressive win at home over Trinidad on Friday. Defense carried them in the league opening victory. They followed the Trinidad victory with another win over Florence the next night.

KENT DENVER – Todd Schayes (January 8th)

The Sun Devils bounced back from a difficult loss to Denver Christian on Tuesday by scoring an impressive two point victory on the road against Valley. The final was 54-52.

PUEBLO WEST – Bob Tyler (January 7th)

The Cyclones scored a very impressive 103-63 win over Pueblo Central to close out a very impressive first week inside the South Central conference. West is 8-2 overall and 2-0 in league play. They’re ranked 5th in our latest Colorado Preps poll.

IDALIA – Jeff Hurlburt (January 7th)

Ranked 4th in Class 1A to begin January, the Wolves took care of business in a 25 point win over 10th ranked Flagler. Up next Friday is a huge conference date with Hi Plains.

EVANGELICAL CHRISTIAN – Don Bost (December 17^th)

The Eagles scored a very important district win on the road at Byers. They trailed most of the game before rallying for the one point win away from home.

MCCLAVE – Shawn Randel – (December 18^th)

The Cardinals used a 30 foot three pointer at the buzzer to knock off Walsh and win the championship of the Lamar Holiday Christmas Tournament.

GRANADA – Manual Gonzales (December 18^th)

The Bobcats picked up the third place trophy at the Lamar Holiday Classic by beating Holly.

WELD CENTRAL – Mark Vaughn (December 17^th)

The Rebels were very impressive in blowing past Eaton in the semi-finals of the Northern Colorado Classic in Kersey. They went on to capture the championship the next night by beating Holy Family in the finals.

STRATTON – Curt Isenbart (December 16^th)

The Eagles moved to 5-0 by beating Haxtun in the first round of the Akron tournament. Thee top ranked team in Class 1A would win the tournament championship the next night with a win over Otis.

CALICHE – Randy Kirkwood (December 4^th)

The two time defending state champions won the Carlile Classic title in Peetz by downing Fleming in the championship game.