2013 Peak Performers Archive Stories

The top hurdlers in the 3A girls’ ranks are going to sleep much better at night knowing Alexa Chacon has run her final race at the state meet. The Classical Academy senior capped an excellent career at the state championships and helped lead her team to an astonishing seventh team title in eight years in the process. &ldquo

Lauran Renjard and Jessica Metz couldn’t have been more different in several ways, but all that mattered was what they did on the Cheyenne Mountain tennis court together. Renjard, a senior, had played singles the last two seasons after winning a state title in doubles as a freshman. Metz, a freshman, was one of the new girls on the

Andy Stauffer had a four-game stretch last week that would have college baseball scouts calling – if he wasn’t already playing basketball at the next level. The Discovery Canyon senior went 8-for-15 with 15 RBIs, including a grand slam and three doubles during the four-game tear. The Thunder sit on the bubble for a pl

Alicia Lawrence is more than just a top sprinter on the James Irwin track and field team, she’s part athlete, part coach. When the Jaguars’ coach left at the beginning of the season, the school was left scrambling to find someone to oversee the team. Terrie Chandler, whose son is a freshman on the boys’ squad, joined fo

With a starting lineup that featured four seniors, Lewis-Palmer used its talent, depth and experience to again rule the roost in 4A boys’ basketball. But when the Rangers needed a big basket or defensive stand, Jordan Scott found a way to make a game-changing play. The 6-foot-6 senior came up big in clutch situations. His 1

In his final year as head coach at Peyton, Brian Green saw his team reach elite status in 2A, earning a No. 1 seed in the state tournament after a 22-2 regular season. Four years earlier, Green’s team, led by his son, Brett, reached the state 3A championship game but fell short. When Brett was granted a fifth year of eligibility at

The Gazette's 3A-A all-area teams. FIRST TEAM Click here for an upclose look at the first team SECOND TEAM Jason Anderson —

Ethan Abello shatters the mold of what some people think about home-schooled student-athletes: Non-social. Lacks competitiveness. “People think home-schoolers never talk to anyone,” Abello said. “That can be true, but that’s the biggest misconception I’ve seen and heard. In sports, some people think we&

Damion Copeland was the steadying influence in a turbulent time at Wasson, where the district’s decision to close the school came just before the team's league opener. With the distractions circling the 54-year-old school, Copeland found a way to keep his senior-laden team focused as the Thunderbirds advanced to the 4A semifinals f

The Gazette's 5A-4A Peak Performer all-area teams. First team Click here for an upclose look the the first team

5A Metro League Co-Players of the Year: A.J. Bohuslavsky, Libety, jr.; Al Davis, Fountain-Fort Carson, sr. Coach of the Year: Greg Williams, Fountain-Fort Carson First team Al Davis, Fountain, Fort Carson, sr.; A.J. Bohuslavsky, Liberty, jr.; Anthony Davis, Fountain, Ft. Carson, sr.; El

5A Metro League First team Shanah Leaf, Palmer, sr.; Angela Vigil, Doherty, sr.; Jenn Urbaniak, Palmer, so.; Cassidy Budge, Rampart, so.; Macy Myers, Rampart, sr. Second team Alex Rivas, Liberty, sr.; Jasmine Green, Palmer, sr.; Megan Kavalec, Rampart, jr.; Aieshia Harris, Doherty, sr.; Lensy

In only two seasons, The Vanguard School has seen its girls’ basketball team transformed into a state power. Coach Frank Haist, previously the boys’ coach at The Classical Academy for eight seasons, took the reins for the Coursers before the 2011-12 season. An eight-game improvement sent Vanguard to the 2A state tournament fo

Two years ago, sitting with her father, Frank, at Massari Arena in Pueblo and watching the excitement of the 2A state girls’ basketball tournament, Bailey Haist pondered a question that would certainly alter the rest of her high school career. Frank Haist had recently become the head girls’ basketball coach at The Vanguard Sc

Dave Shackelford remembers a time, not terribly long ago, when things weren’t so good at Palmer. “It’s been a climb,” said Shackelford, whose Terrors went 22-3 last season and reached the round of 16. “It started years ago when we built a foundation. I attribute our success to hard work, and it’s good

For one season, Ali Meyer put up with demoralizing, double-digit losses at a fledgling girls’ basketball program at Palmer Ridge. Now, the Bears junior enjoys a much better view from above. “I wanted to go to Palmer Ridge and make my own mark,” said Meyer, whose mother and several members of her family graduated

Click the link for an upclose look at The Gazette's 3A-A all-area first team: The Gazette's 3A-A all-area first team Second team Caitlin Bower &m

Click the link below to get an upclose look at The Gazette's 5A-4A all-area first team: 5A-4A all-area first team

After a two-goal first half March 21, Mesa Ridge soccer player Kaylee Gatzke figured an adjustment in the Colorado Springs Christian School defense would translate into a reduction in touches and scoring chances in the second half. What followed in the ensuing 40 minutes, however, put the sophomore into the Grizzlies’ record books

Pikes Peak Athletic Conference First team 106: Sam Turner, Discovery Canyon, fr. 113: Ryland Thalhammer, Palmer Ridge, so. 120: AJ Rees, Discovery Canyon, sr. 126: Bobby Ammond, Cheyenne Mountain, sr. 132: Ste

Pine Creek 138-pound senior Geordan Martinez dominated in a way rarely seen this season, compiling a 44-0 record to capture his third state title. The state final came down to a matchup with No. 2 seed Austin Marvel, a senior from Pomona. Martinez scored a takedown in the first period and racked up a 10-0 decision. “That wa

Standing in the tunnel in the Pepsi Center, fighting back tears, fresh off the biggest win of his life, surrounded by an entire team there to celebrate with him, Pine Creek senior Alex Smith was at a loss for words. Four years of hard work boiled down to overtime in the 152-pound state final against Arvada West’s Randy Boerner, an

Ron Sukle has coached the Discovery Canyon wrestling program to a top-7 finish at state four years in a row, including second place in Class 4A this year, earning him The Gazette Coach of the Year honors. He’s earned similar recognition before from the Gazette, the 4A Metro League and area coaches at the Colorado Springs Metro Cham

Second team 106: Sam Turner, Discovery Canyon, fr. 113: Brandon Gonzalez, Mesa Ridge, sr. 120: Adrian Cordova, Coronado, sr. 126: Devan Cruz, Coronado, sr. 132: Downey Wood, Fountain-Fort Carson, so. 138: Andrew Register, TCA, jr. 14

When Will English accepted the Doherty hockey coaching position in 2011 after serving as a Cheyenne Mountain assistant coach for six years, one of his goals was to begin to build a foundation of tradition. After going 7-11-1 in his first year as head coach of the Spartans, English transformed the Spartans this season into a 13-6 squad wi