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What’s on my mind this week? I can’t stop thinking about Eaglecrest’s win over Ralston Valley in the second round of the Class 6A girls basketball state tournament this past weekend.
The No. 16-seeded Mustangs were in a battle all night, hosting No. 17 Eaglecrest in round two after a first-round bye. Going into the fourth quarter, it was 39-30 with Eaglecrest in the lead. But like so many classic March Madness games, whether it’s in high school, college or at LA Fitness, it came down to the wire.
Another content partner of mine, the wonderful Dennis Pleuss at Jeffco Public Schools, captured the game-sealing moment below.
This was one of several electric playoff games in the first two rounds of the boys' and girls' 5A and 6A brackets. But now we’re in the SWEET 16, with a handful of COTLN teams hanging on to their title dreams.
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💡 SPORTSLAND WEEKLY SPOTLIGHT 💡
WELCOME TO THE SWEET 16
The COTLN teams still fighting in 5A, 6A
🏀 OH SO SWEET — We’re just one more round away from the yearly pilgrimage to the Denver Coliseum, where the best boys and girls basketball teams in the state do battle for a chance at Colorado high school history.
👍 GOOD NEWS: More than a dozen COTLN teams are still in the mix, with a handful in each bracket for 6A and 5A girls and boys.
👎 BAD NEWS: Several COTLN-area teams went home empty-handed after stellar seasons, either being upset in the first two rounds or losing to a better opponent.
Like Northglenn girls basketball, for example, who returned to the state tournament and won a playoff game for the first time since 2000. The No. 26-ranked Lady Norse fell in the second round to No. 7 Mead after handling No. 39 Thomas Jefferson in the first round.
🥊 STILL FIGHTING: The following COTLN teams (in bold) are in action this Tuesday and Wednesday.
BOYS 5A — All games played at the higher seed on March 3.
No. 18 Golden at No. 2 Grand Junction at 5:30 p.m.
No. 14 Green Mountain at No. 3 Severance at 6 p.m.
No. 16 Frederick at No. 1 Palisade at 6:30 p.m.
BOYS 6A — All games played at the higher seed on March 3.
No. 10 Horizon at No. 7 George Washington at 6 p.m.
No. 16 Brighton at No. 1 Chaparral at 6:30 p.m.
No. 18 Regis Jesuit at No. 2 Ralston Valley at 6:30 p.m.
No. 13 Grandview at No. 4 Arvada West at 7 p.m.
GIRLS 5A — All games played at the higher seed on March 4.
No. 13 Golden at No. 4 Windsor at 6 p.m.
No. 12 Frederick at No. 5 Standley Lake at 6:30 p.m.
No. 15 Northridge at No. 2 Green Mountain at 6:30 p.m.
GIRLS 6A —All games played at the higher seed on March 4.
No. 13 Riverdale Ridge at No. 4 Broomfield at 6 p.m.
No. 9 Legend at No. 8 Columbine at 6:30 p.m.
No. 14 Arvada West at No. 3 Valor Christian at 6:30 p.m.
LOWER CLASSES — CHSAANow.com also released the brackets for Classes 1A through 4A this week, which include limited teams from the COTLN coverage areas.
GIRLS 4A — All first-round games played at regional sites on March 6.
No. 30 Fort Lupton vs. No. 3 Kent Denver at 4:30 p.m.
No. 6 D’Evelyn vs. No. 27 Peak to Peak at 5 p.m.
No. 17 Eagle Ridge Academy vs. No. 16 Delta at 7 p.m.
BOYS 4A — All first-round games played at regional sites on March 6.
No. 8 Prospect Ridge Academy vs. No. 25 Pueblo Centennial at 5 p.m.
No. 12 Eagle Ridge Academy vs. No. 21 DSST: Green Valley Ranch at 7:15 p.m.
No. 17 Stargate School vs. No. 16 Moffat County at 7:30 p.m.
No. 13 Fort Lupton vs. No. 20 Fort Morgan at time TBA
BOYS 2A — All first-round games played at regional sites on March 6.
No. 5 Golden View Classical Academy vs. No. 28 Sedgwick County at 4:30 p.m.
GIRLS 2A — All first-round games played at regional sites on March 6.
No. 31 Golden View Classical Academy vs. No. 2 Silma at 5 p.m.
Full brackets for all classes can be found at CHSAANow.com.
WHY SPORTSLAND? Sportsland is the go-to high school sports newsletter in Colorado, covering athletics across Jefferson and Adams Counties. We give you all the game updates, yes, but we also go deep behind the scenes to give you context to some of the best sports stories in our coverage areas. The best part? It’s FREE!
While other news stations prioritize Denver’s professional and college sports teams, we keep our eyes on the high school athletics landscape, providing key updates and legislative news from CHSAA, hard-hitting feature stories, and connecting generations of families through sports.
📍 REGIONAL ROUNDUP 📍
Skaters show up with support, questions about future park
🛹 — I’ve been an avid skateboarder my whole life, and in Louisville, Kentucky, and the Southern Indiana area I grew up in, it wasn’t exactly a skater’s paradise. (That’s pronounced Lou-uh-vul, by the way, not ‘Lewisville’ like the Colorado version).
But moving to Colorado has been a godsend in comparison, of course. It seems every day, another park is getting approved, built or ribbon-cut. The newest? It’s coming to Evergreen’s Buchanan Park.
🪴 HOMEGROWN: The skate park is not just supported by local skateboarders: it’s designed by one, too. Evergreen native Jaxon Statzell is a principal designer with California Skateparks, and the brain behind many of the world’s most famous skating structures — including parks at the Tokyo and Paris Olympics and the X Games.
⛰ IDENTITY: What’s neat about this new park is that designers say it will be “distinctly Evergreen,” which includes unique mountain designs on rails and ramps.
🤝 COMMUNITY FUNDED: The skate park’s funding has come from individuals and organizations, large and small. Here is a breakdown of some of the numbers:
Great Outdoors Colorado awarded EPRD $650,000 toward Buchanan Park. Of that, $200,000 was dedicated specifically to the skatepark.
The Gates Family Foundation provided a $20,000 grant.
Colorado Gives — $80,000.
Jeffco Youth Partnership Program — $40,000 grant.
Plus pancakes and root beer float fundraisers.
WHEN IS IT OPEN? Plans call for breaking ground on the skate park in late spring or early summer for an August opening.
“This is definitely going to be a big attraction for Evergreen,” said Nick Sizer, a Wheat Ridge resident who works for a Denver-based skate park construction company. “There are so many skate parks in Denver, but anytime there’s a new one, you’re going to drive out of your way. This is only 30 minutes away. And it looks very thorough and thought out.”
This writer cosigns that statement. Living in Denver, I’ve put many miles on my old car to see the sick new parks around the area, and each 30-minute trip has been worth it.
🏅 ONE LAST THING: Here are my top five skate parks around the Denver area, in no order.
Thomas J. Slocum Park - Thornton (Smoothest flow park)
Arvada Skatepark - Arvada (Pick your poison)
Ulysses Park Skatepark - Golden (Best views)
Don Anema Memorial Skatepark - Northglenn (Street skating)
William McKinley Carson Park & Skatepark - Greenwood Village (Two parks in one)
🏅 Area Highlight Reel 🏅
🎿 All-State teams released for Colorado high school skiing: Despite having to adapt to this winter’s lack of snowfall, the high school ski team came to a successful close in February. See which COTLN area athletes made the All-State teams this year. Read the full story ➡
⛹♀️ Northglenn Lady Norse win first playoff game since 2000: Jeff Neal delivered on his promise to take his girls’ basketball team to the postseason in year one. With only one starter graduating, the Lady Norse program has turned a new leaf after several losing seasons. Read the full story ➡
❤ Former CHSAA commissioner Bob Ottewill passes at 79: The figure who changed the Colorado High School Activities Association into what it is today has died. Read Steve Smith’s recap of his life and accomplishments. Read the full story ➡
🤼 3 Mines wrestlers qualify for nationals at Golden tourney: Three gladiators on the mat are heading to nationals for the Colorado School of Mines. Wrestling season isn’t over just yet, people! Read the full story ➡
🏒 Pond hockey tournament returns to Georgetown Lake: More than 100 players have signed up this year to compete in the annual event and reunite with friends and family in a game some have been playing for about a year, while others have been playing for most of their lives. Read the full story ➡
📣 Sportsland Poll of the Week!
We want to hear from you!
How do you think the shot clock will affect high school basketball this time next season?
Last week’s poll: Which spring sport are you most excited for?
Tie - Baseball and girls soccer (60%)
👀 Can’t-miss games of the week 👀
All records current as of March 2
The Sweet 16 pretty much guarantees great matchups throughout the week, but here are my top three playoff games of the week:
6A Boys - No. 10 Horizon at No. 7 George Washington at 6 p.m. on March 3 (tonight!)
On paper, the best boys basketball matchup in the Sweet 16 of any of our area teams. Horizon (20-4) will hit the road to take on George Washington (16-8) on the Patriots’ home floor. Horizon is riding a five-game winning streak, including beating No. 23 Columbine 84-75 in the first round. The Patriots beat No. 26 Doherty 73-62 to advance. If I had to pick, this is the upset of the day.
5A girls - No. 12 Frederick at No. 5 Standley Lake at 6:30 p.m. on March 4
Maybe this is a weird personal bias, but I always enjoy a 5-seed vs. 12-seed matchup. Plus, it’s two areas of ours battling one another, basically the very tip top of our north area, taking on the heart of Westminster. It’ll be a tall task for the Golden Eagles (15-9), taking on the Gators (20-4) in the swamp. Both teams enjoyed a bye in the first round. The Gators walloped No. 28 Glenwood Springs by 50 points in a 72-22 second-round bout. Frederick narrowly escaped No. 21 Widefield to advance with a 48-42 victory.
6A Girls - No. 13 Riverdale Ridge at No. 4 Broomfield at 6 p.m. on March 4
I’m truly fascinated to see how high Brihanna Crittendon and Chloe Parker can take this Riverdale Ridge girls basketball squad. Head Coach Tim Jones called it a “headscratcher” that the Ravens got a 13 seed, despite a 21-3 record, which includes playing some of the best teams in the country from California. But Broomfield is rock solid; a perfect 24-0 record and home field advantage. The Ravens blew out No. 20 Chaparral 70-44 in the second round after a bye, while Broomfield took care of No. 29 Denver South 67-28 in the second round. I’m biased, but this is the upset I most want to see this week.
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