As summer made another effort to hold on, the action across the region became even hotter last week. Top teams continued to pull away from the pack, and a few individuals turned in record performances.
PHOTO BY OT SPORTSCHECK
Brush softball got an outstanding effort from junior pitcher Mason Unrein in last Thursday’s 13-0 win at Valley. Unrein struck out all 12 hitters she faced in a four inning perfect game. She only needed 45 pitches to accomplish that feat. The Beetdiggers scored four runs in each of the first three innings, giving Unrein all of the run support she would need.
Lamar began a busy week with a 12-0 win over Florence last Tuesday, as Delorin Bellomy and Elle Holbert combining on the two-hit shutout. That would be the only time the Savages tasted victory during the week, as they dropped a second one-run contest this season to rival La Junta 7-6 on Thursday. They were swept in a doubleheader by #1 Lutheran 10-0 and 11-0 on Saturday.
Burlington helped its postseason hopes last Tuesday, defeating Yuma 19-4 and 15-2, pushing its winning streak over the Indians to 24 straight games. The Cougars then took a big hit over the weekend, dropping a pair of one-run games to Wray (6-5, 13-12). They host Holyoke on Saturday for a doubleheader, with both teams needing a sweep to have any shot at making a play-off appearance.
Sterling ran its winning streak to seven straight with a 17-0 victory over Platte Valley last Thursday, as Aubrey Wright drove in four to support Reagan Fehringer. That streak was snapped on Saturday, as the Tigers were bounced 8-1 by Eaton.
Springfield’s Myles Lovejoy established a new school record in the boys 5K, as the junior shaved close to six seconds off his previous mark in a meet last Saturday in Johnson (KS). He took seventh, with a time of 18:26.00.
Branden Davis of Lamar took third in the Coronado Cougar Classic over the weekend. His time was 16:24.67. Koraima Gomez continued her strong season, taking 32nd in the girls race, with a time of 25:19.08.
Boys golf held its regional competitions last week and a number of area athletes qualified for the state tournament. Stratton’s Braden Wedel, La Junta’s Justin Paolucci, and Lamar’s Dylan McTaggart all punched tickets to the state event.
Fort Morgan boys soccer won its seventh straight match, beating Severance 2-0 last Tuesday, with goals from Farhan Abdi and Ernesto Meza-Gamino. That streak was halted by Riverdale Ridge on Saturday. The Ravens recorded the 1-0 shutout, handing the Mustangs their first defeat of the season.
Lamar comes into the week on a two-match skid, after suffering a 5-1 loss at Liberal (KS) last week. The Savages struck first, only to surrender five consecutive goals.
Sterling fell to 1-7 on the season with losses to Fort Lupton (11-1) and Estes Park (4-3) last week. The Tigers have dropped five in a row entering this week.
Wiley enters this week as the lone unbeaten volleyball squad in Class 1A. The Panthers took out Cheyenne Wells in three sets last Tuesday and have only dropped three sets in their first seven matches.
Cheraw remains hot on their heels in the southeast portion of the state, as the Wolverines ran their winning streak to 10 with victories over McClave (3-1), Las Animas (3-1), and Granada (3-0) last week. The only blemish on Cheraw’s record was a four-set defeat by Wiley early in the season.
Fleming puts its six-match winning streak on the line on Wednesday, when the Wildcats step up two classifications to visit 3A Valley. It kicks off a tough stretch over the next few weeks that will see Fleming take on Haxtun, Briggsdale, and Sedgwick County.
Fowler is one of two unbeaten teams in Class 2A, as the Grizzlies enter the week at 9-0. They needed four sets to take down Rocky Ford last Wednesday, but then picked up their seventh sweep of the year two days later against Las Animas. They’re in for a bit of home cooking, as they host Calhan on Tuesday, Holly on Thursday, and then their own tournament on Saturday. The tournament includes matches with 3A #1 Lamar, Denver Christian, and Limon.
One of the highlight matches in the class last week was a repeat of last season’s championship clash between Wiggins and Sedgwick County. Wiggins won its first-ever state title in the sport by beating the Cougars in three sets back in May, but it was Sedgwick County coming out on top this time around. The Cougars got nine kills from Alison Woodhams and seven from Jensen Renquist in the four-set win.
Lamar continues to pile up sweep victories, as the 8-0 Savages added two more last week. The 3-0 wins over Salida and La Junta gave the Savages seven such victories, including five straight. They were slated to host Florence in league play on Tuesday and will be off until the Fowler tournament.
Sterling rides an eight-match winning streak into this week after gaining wins over Brush (3-0) and Eaton (3-2) last week. The win over the Reds allowed the Tigers to exact a measure of revenge, as they lost a four-setter to the Reds in last season’s title match. It was just their third win over Eaton in the last 16 tries.
In six-man football, topped ranked Cheyenne Wells put up 54 first quarter points against a short-handed Eads squad, en route to an 84-6 victory. The Tigers scored on seven of 12 offensive plays in the game, and added four scores on returns. They’re at Walsh, a 46-28 winner over Kit Carson last week, on Saturday.
Branson/Kim kept pace with the Tigers, moving to 5-0 with its 75-13 win over Primero last Saturday. The Bearcats can lock up the South Central division and an postseason spot with a win over Miami-Yoder next week.
Genoa-Hugo moved one step closer to a postseason spot by beating Hanover 75-56 last week. The Pirates trailed 44-43 at half, before rallying to beat the Hornets in Central division play. They can secure the conference crown with a win over Deer Trail in two weeks.
Fleming surrendered its first points in a win this season, as the Wildcats beat North Park 72-8 last Saturday. They had recorded three shutouts in their first three wins. They visit Weldon Valley on Friday, and then face Briggsdale and Prairie in games that will decide the North division. Briggsdale and Prairie meet this week.
Haxtun picked up a big Plains division win last Friday, beating Dayspring Christian 26-6 to remain unbeaten in the 8-man ranks. The division also saw Sedgwick County escape Akron 36-34 with a late safety providing the winning margin. Caliche beat Denver Christian 40-22 in non-league play, and Merino got a 20-14 win over Lyons.
Holly and Fowler both moved to 2-0 in the Ark Valley, as the Wildcats beat Wiley 47-6 and Fowler defeated Las Animas 42-26. Hoehne grabbed a 50-6 win over Springfield to keep pace. Crowley County got its first league win, blasting McClave 66-6.
Calhan and Swink will meet up this Friday in an important contest in the Southern division. Calhan dropped a hard-fought 14-8 contest last week against Simla in the division, and now takes on one of the division leaders. A win keeps the Bulldogs in the title chase, while Swink can get a little closer to a division title with a victory.
The North Central showed its depth last week, with all five of its teams that were in action picking up non-league wins. The top-ranked 1A team, Limon, pounded Coal Ridge 55-7, while Holyoke beat 2A Lamar 49-14. Yuma edged out Sidney (NE) 21-12 and Wiggins blasted Flatirons Academy 41-7. Burlington evened its record by hammering Rye 44-7. Wray had the week off. League play begins this week.
Brush got a big 42-8 win at Estes Park on Saturday. That moved the Beetdiggers to 2-2 on the season They start Patriot league play on Friday, hosting Platte Valley.
Fort Morgan stayed unbeaten in Class 3A, as the Mustangs got a 35-21 win over Discovery Canyon. Frank Ortega ran for three scores and caught another, and both he and Briggs Wheatley went over the century mark on the ground. The Mustangs are off this week, and will open league play next week at Niwot.
