2013 Top Stories Archive Stories

Coaches from the Northern Colorado football staff taught 33 high school players college-style fundamentals Tuesday at Vista Ridge as part of the program’s annual traveling camps down the Front Range. The real lessons, however, were learned off the field after a week of devastating reality a few miles up the road. The Black

Kalen Ballage and many of his Falcon returning teammates didn’t seem to mind spending part of a Thursday early summer night in a stuffy school auditorium. Finally getting a chance to move forward with the football program made it worth the four-month wait. “Four months, that’s a long time,” said Ballage, a playmak

Kalen Ballage and his Falcon returning teammates didn't seem to mind spending part of a Thursday early summer night in a stuffy school auditorium. Finally getting a chance to move forward with the football program made it worth the four-month wait. "Four months, that's a long time," said Ballage, a playmaking receiver who is one o

The big news coming from Falcon School District 49 on Wednesday wasn’t that it hired a football coach to finally lead Falcon. Instead, the district chose two men to share responsibilities as co-head coaches for the upcoming season. Former Falcon Middle School coaches Terry Poirier and Brian Green recently agreed to co-coach the Fal

Falcon School District 49 recently interviewed Archie Malloy III for the vacant football coaching position at Falcon, but the longtime Mitchell mentor said the timing wasn’t right to leave his alma mater. “I did apply and interview, and there were talks,” Malloy said recently. “At the same time, there comes a time

Unlike his three brothers who chased hoops dreams at the collegiate level, Anthony Davis is traveling a different route for the next phase of his life. But that’s not to say he can’t hold his own on the basketball court, too. Davis, the talented athlete who recently graduated from Fountain-Fort Carson, earlier this ye

One moment, Haleigh Washington was celebrating one of her finest achievements with her Doherty teammates after a 29-0 season ended with a 5A state volleyball championship. Two months later, with her appendix having ruptured and forced the junior into emergency surgery, the talented athlete wondered if her life might end before it ever re

With one stroke of the pen, Reagan Biechler ensured himself piece of mind for his senior season of baseball at Pine Creek. Then he went out and had a season like no other. Biechler, who bats and throws left, hit a hefty .478 with five home runs and 20 RBIs, while he dominated on the mound, going 8-2 with a 1.61 ERA with 87 strikeouts in

During Tim Ritter’s first stint as Cañon City baseball coach, he noticed a dire need to develop a program that targeted the area’s youth. Too many times, he fielded a team much too green to compete at a high level. “It was hard for us to be consistent without a feeder program,” Ritter said. “I coached

The Gazette's All-Area First Team Outfielders Nick Burgeson, Rampart, jr.: 28 RBIs in 69 ABs, .478 avg ranked 5th among 5A OFs Chad Hovasse, Mes

Long distance runner Bailey Roth couldn’t stomach watching last year’s high school state track meet in Jasper, Ga., from the sun-cooked bleachers. The native Georgian should’ve been racing in it. He should’ve been competing for titles. But instead, he was afraid to run. He was afraid of dying. A year befor

Simply being good just wasn’t enough for The Classical Academy’s Alexa Chacon. Entering into a positive, family-like environment as a member of the track team four years ago, Chacon set her sights on lofty goals. Under the direction of acclaimed coach Tim Daggett and his staff, Chacon bui

Dynasty is often an overused word in the sports world, but when it comes to what Tim Daggett and his staff have accomplished in track and field at The Classical Academy, the term fits. Daggett is fresh off the Titans’ seventh girls’ 3A state championship in

Time away from coaching seems to have put the fire back in Brent Cottrell. “I am a football coach. I’m hungry," said Cottrell, who earlier this week was named football coach at Widefield. "The time away has been great to put things in perspective and self-evaluate."  Cottrell

A year ago, Reagan Biechler of Pine Creek learned firsthand how the Major League Baseball June Amateur Draft can alter one’s plans. He played alongside right-handed, flame-throwing pitcher Ryan Warner, who had signed a national letter of intent to attend college and play baseball at North Carolina State. But when the Colorado Rocki

Coming into the 2013 season, the Cheyenne Mountain boys’ lacrosse team faced uncertainty as to how well it could perform. The squad had lost many talented players from the previous season. But one thing was certain: they had one of the best players in the state in Angus Campbell. Campbell stepped into a leadership role and

It may be for only a split second, but you can see it in Natalie Berg’s eyes, says Air Academy girls’ lacrosse player Kaley Holmes. It’s a quick telepathic glance from her longtime teammate that screams, "Here it comes, get ready." Then just as fast as Berg’s eyes connect with

Ron Garcia spent five years as an assistant coach for the Air Academy boys’ lacrosse team before taking over the ship in 2013. It’s safe to say his inaugural campaign was a success. Garcia led the Kadets to a 17-2 record, with both losses coming to Wheat Ridge, including a 14-2 defeat in the 4A state championship game. But th

A good coach will adapt coaching style to fit the needs and comfort levels of a team year after year. Air Academy coach Sean Harmon did just that again this season, leading the 15-2 Kadets to their eighth consecutive Southern League title and a trip to the state semifinals with a sophomore- and junior-heavy squad.

After falling short of the ultimate goal the first two seasons as head coach of the Cheyenne Mountain girls’ soccer team, Tomas Martinez made a bold personnel decision that certainly could have disrupted the balance of his mightily talented team. And to make it work, he’d need his top defensive player to accept a role as an o

When Devon Davis walked out of the pool at Veterans Memorial Aquatic Center in Thornton on May 18, he finished his swimming career at Air Academy as a two-time state 4A champion in the 100 butterfly, helping his team to consecutive team titles. Soon, he won’t be so slow. “I’ve always wanted to fly,” said D

As the defending 4A state champion with most everyone returning, Air Academy had all the tools to repeat. That’s where seventh-year coach Scott Newell earned his stripes. “Having that pressure of being the favorite is tough,” Newell said. “We knew we had a strong team but had to keep our focus.” Not

In its athletics heyday, Wasson flexed its muscles as the city’s premier high school, hoisting championships in six sports from 1971-83. But that’s not how its former students and teachers want Wasson to be remembered. “Very successful people came out of Wasson,” said Doug Hugill, a 1979 graduate who later

DENVER • He normally doesn’t take recording the last out in a baseball game well. But for Palmer Ridge junior Carter Thorne, getting rung up to end Sunday’s Colorado Rockies Futures Game didn’t carry the sting of any normal contest. “That was a nasty, nasty big hook right there,” said Thorne, a victim o

Imagine the terror of facing Goose Gossage in dodgeball battle. Imagine standing on the other side of a gym floor and seeing Goose winding up from a few yards away. Now, try imagining a Wasson High School student sprinting away from one of the strongest arms to inhabit our planet. A few days ago, Goose was talking about Wasson, h