Colorado Preps Weekly

The first State Championships of the spring sport season are less than a month away and everyone is gearing up for the stretch run. Eye-popping performances, both team and individual, continue to be a regular occurrence.

Winning their first nine matches finally got the Lamar girls soccer team into the top spot in Class 2A. How did the Savages celebrate? By beating both Trinidad and Pueblo East by identical 10-0 scores. Jamilet Cruz, Tatum Melinski and Joslynn Salazar each scored a pair of goals against Trinidad. Cruz and Melinski did it again against Pueblo County and Alessandra Paez also put two home in that win. Lamar hosts Colorado Springs Christian on Tuesday and Dolores Huerta Prep on Thursday.

Sterling had its modest two match winning streak snapped by Resurrection Christian last Thursday. The Tigers fell by an 8-1 count, after having outscored their two previous opponents by a 6-0 combined tally. They got back in the win column on Saturday, defeating Estes Park for the second time in a week. Halle Conover, Ryann Linn and Charli Frankenfeld each had a goal in the 3-0 win. Linn and Tori Mildenberger each had a helper. This week will see the Tigers host Liberty Common on Tuesday, and then have a home-and-home with Frontier Academy on Thursday and Saturday.

Fort Morgan dropped two of its three contests last week, sandwiching a 7-2 loss to Niwot and a 5-2 defeat by Weld Central around a 6-1 victory over Berthoud. Yasmin Urbina tallied a hat trick in the victory over the Spartans and the Mustangs also got two goals from Jessica Sanchez, and one from Ashley Mendez. The Mustangs host Frederick on Tuesday and Thompson Valley on Thursday.

Sticking with Fort Morgan, their girls golf team finished third in the LPL League tournament last Wednesday, posting a 274 score as a team. That was just seven shots behind the winning squad from Riverdale Ridge. Alexys Siebrands finished second, shooting a 78 (+4), seven shots back of the winner. Takoda Schreiner and Jaci Sanders also finished in the top 15.

Things were hotly contested on Friday in the Yuma Invitational. Holyoke won the team event with a score of 315. Brush (319), Washington County (320) and Burlington (321) finished second through fourth. The individual chase was even tighter. Emma Thompson of Holyoke won with a 96, followed by Brush's Haley Ostwald (97), Washington County's Kendall Velder (98) and Anna Marie Schaal (99) from Burlington. Just 15 strokes separated first and tenth place.

Swink's Kinzie Ensor has turned her strong and steady play over her career into an opportunity to play at the next level. The senior recently ink her letter of intent to play for Otero Junior College next year . She and her teammates will host their invitational on Tuesday at the Rocky Ford Country Club.

The intense winds continued to wreak havoc on the baseball and track schedules last week. It wiped out several featured contests on the diamond, including a clash between the top two teams in Class 1A. Holly and Merino were slated to meet last Friday at Akron and initial word was they were rescheduling for this Saturday. Also being scrubbed last Friday was the important doubleheader between Cheyenne Wells and Granada in the same classification. With districts beginning next Tuesday, they will try to find a date this week that will work for a make-up. All four of the aforementioned teams were in the top four of last week's coaches poll.

The two remaining unbeatens in Class 2A were set to square off against each other on Monday, as top-ranked Limon hosted #3 Rye. The Badgers trailed St. Mary's 8-0 after two and a half innings last Thursday, before tying it with eight in the bottom of the third. They would go on to capture a 10-8 victory. Keon Bandy and Cale Bennett each had a home run in the win. Ky Bandy would drive in five runs on Saturday, in Limon's 13-3 win over Clear Creek.

For Rye, it was their first action in 10 days. The Thunderbolts had not played since sweeping John Mall on the 15th of the month.

The Sterling Tigers learned the hard way that all good things must end, as their 11-game winning streak was snapped last week, in heart-breaking fashion. The Tigers scored five in the top of the fifth in Tuesday's game at Eaton, giving them an 8-6 lead. They were unable to hold that advantage, as the Reds scored single runs in the fifth and sixth to tie it. Eaton got the 9-8 walk-off win in the seventh. Two days later, Eaton stole a 7-5 win over the Tigers in Sterling, scoring three in the top of the seventh to earn the season sweep.

Lamar returns to the diamond on Thursday, hosting Manitou Springs. The Savages have been off since dropping a doubleheader to St. Mary's two weeks earlier. After that single contest against the Mustangs, Lamar will visit Ellicott for two on Friday. Lamar has dropped three straight heading into Thursday's contest.

Brush, who started that skid for the Savages, snapped a four-game slide of its own last week. The Beetdiggers entered the week having dropped a pair to Sterling the previous week. Brush fell to University on Tuesday, 4-2, at home, and then again two days later on the road, 6-5 in eight innings. The Diggers took out frustrations on Platte Valley on Saturday, scoring multiple runs in six of the seven innings, including a seven-spot in the top of the first. Brush got six RBI from Ivan Cardenas and five from Jayce Kreegar in the 24-15 win. Cardenas and Cesar Hinojos each homered in the contest.

Fort Morgan split its home-and-home with Roosevelt last week, winning 17-8 on the road and falling 7-3 at home. Braydon Fajardo drove in five in the win, and Jessie Campa homered and drove in four. The Mustangs host Mountain View on Tuesday and then turn around and visit the Mountain Lions on Friday. Both are crucial league contests.

The Sterling girls track team took home the team title from last Thursday's Dick Evans Invitational at Wray, outscoring Merino 92-71, with Yuma bringing home third and Holyoke, fourth. Emerie Rios gave the Tigers wins in the 100 and triple jump, while also finishing second in the 200 and long jump. Emmie Farquhar won the long jump title.

Merino was strong in the relays, winning the spring medley and 3,200 meters, while also placing third in the 400 and eighth in the 800. Taysa Conger added a title in the 100 and third in the long jump.

Yuma and Wray finished second and third in the boys race, with University taking the crown. Jaden Dodsworth swept the hurdles for the Eagles, who also got two titles from Bryant Schoenthal in the shot and discus. Yuma had three individual golds, two from Clay Robinson in the 100 and 200. Jaxson Lungwitz claimed the championship in the triple jump.

Many of the southeastern schools were slated to participate in the Rye meet on Saturday, but the high winds led to travel concerns, so most canceled out and will now be competing in Tuesday's La Junta Tigers Relays. The same was said for a number of northeastern teams, as their travel west was hampered by the dangerous conditions. For those schools, Tuesday will see them in Holyoke for the Haxtun Relays.

One meet that was well attended over the weekend was the Dave Spiller Invitational in Strasburg. There was a good fight for the boys team title between Limon and Burlington. The Badgers eked out a 117-101 victory. Strasburg held off Peyton, 101-97 to win the girls.

Elbert's Zadie Mackey continues to star in the girls discus, as she won the event with a throw of 128-06. That was the only “Elite” performance, as set my MileSplit. Burlington's Sydney Cure picked up her first win of the season in the 800.

It was a good day for several members of the squad from Crowley County. Rashaun McNeil swept the hurdles, while also finishing second in the triple jump and third in the 200. Terrance McNeil won the discus, just ahead of teammate Sam Parker, and also took third in the high jump and fifth in the shot.