Weld Central’s Tori Gustafson might be unique when it comes to high school sports in Colorado. It’s not because she plays football as the kicker for the Rebels, but it’s for her overall athletic abilities.
Gustafson, a senior, participates in more sports during the school year than 99 percent of the state’s athletes. In the fall it’s football and volleyball, basketball during the winter and soccer and track in the spring. When it comes to football, her 37-yard field goal in Weld Central’s 49-6 victory against Denver Christian three weeks ago had her school abuzz. It was a school-record boot.
"I just didn’t realize the yardage at that time," the 5-foot-4 Gustafson said. "When I made it, all the guys were really excited and coach (Mike) Brown told me it was a school record. I went out trying to look at that kick as like ones in practice. I want to help the guys, and when they score a touchdown, I want to make sure I can add the extra point."
Brown is more than pleased Gustafson has lived up to his expectations. Her efforts have helped Weld Central to a 4-1 record.
"Tori could have been good on that field goal from another 5 yards out," Brown said. "She is a great athlete in all her sports. I’ve never heard of a girl in our state playing five different sports during the year, but there could be others. The key to her five is football. Before that, most of the girls were tied up with volleyball, soccer or cross country and couldn’t really find time to put those three into a format for playing two.
"Last year we saw her kicking, and I was able to work a bit with her," Brown said. "She was better than anyone we have had on the team before. She is very solid and very much a part of our team, and as I’ve said to others, Tori has 45 big brothers to protect her. We all appreciate what she has been able to do for us."
Gustafson, a center-middle on the soccer team and a guard on the basketball team, said she really never thought about playing football in high school. Now, following volleyball practice she heads out to the football field and practices kicking for 30 to 40 minutes.
"The guys have been great and they had encouraged me to come out," said Gustafson, who also is a two-time state qualifier in track in the shot put. "It’s been exciting so far, but yes, there have been a few nights when I feel pretty tired. I would love to play soccer in college, but I certainly would consider volleyball."
Girls playing high school football in Colorado is not too rare. According to the Colorado High School Activities Association, there were 63 girls who played football in 2007. That number was the latest to be calculated by the CHSAA.
"There would be good reasons to think there might have been more in 2008," CHSAA assistant commissioner Bert Borgmann said. "That list would probably include freshman/sophomore, junior varsity and varsity participants. We do not have the numbers for 2008 up to date yet. And since the season has just really started, we don‘t have any numbers for this year."
Platte Valley’s Rachelle Tekler also has made headlines kicking for the Broncos. She kicked field goals of 27 and 23 yards in a 16-13 loss to top-ranked Faith Christian.
"It is kind of crazy to be playing on the boys team," Tekler said. "At our powderpuff game and in our practices, the boys on the football team who were coaching us asked me to come kick for their team. Shane Olson, one of our linemen, just kept asking me to come out all the time, so I did.
"I was nervous about it, and I do feel the pressure, like when the score is tied and they need my kick," said Tekler, who plays soccer for Greeley West because her school does not have a girls program. "The guys get so pumped up in a game you can’t help but get excited. They get me going and I just want to go out and do the right thing for them and the team."
Platte Valley coach Michael DeWall said Tekler has made an impact.
"We really didn’t have anyone who could kick in the past and we relied a lot on going for two points after touchdowns," DeWall said. "This was certainly new for me and the staff, as I‘ve never coached a girl before in football. She comes out, goes through the drills and she has become a key for us. All she does is kick, and in practice we have her kick off the tee and have one of the managers shag the balls for her. She is just a very good athlete."
Top performances last week
Bear Creek quarterback Zach Thenell completed 31-of-38 passes for 393 yards and five touchdowns Friday to lead the Bears to a 48-23 victory against Lakewood. He also ran for a 1-yard touchdown. Thenell has completed a remarkable 70 percent of his passes this season to run his total yardage to 1,569. He has thrown 13 touchdown passes against five interceptions.
Andre Brown of Palmer, who ranks second in passing behind Thenell, had another pretty good outing even though the Terrors were beaten by Highlands Ranch. Brown went 18-for-35 for 276 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for an additional 238 yards and two more touchdowns. He has now thrown for 1,347 yards and 13 touchdowns this season.
Austin Hinder of Steamboat Springs helped the Sailors improve to 5-0 and protect their top ranking in 3A with a 28-21 victory against Palisade. He went 23-for-28 for 259 yards and one touchdown and also rushed for 102 yards and a touchdown.
Northridge upset previously unbeaten Windsor 27-20 Friday in what might have been the biggest come-from-behind win of the season. The Grizzlies scored all 27 points in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Colton Taylor rushed for one touchdown and completed a pair of touchdown passes to Matt Richie and Ben Carey. Keith Jones, who rushed for 94 yards, scored the fourth touchdown.
Jacob Wilson of Peetz was right on the ball as he returned three kickoffs of 77, 72 and 77 yards for touchdowns. He passed 55 yards for a fourth in the Bulldogs’ 74-36 victory against Pawnee in 6-man action.
Briggsdale’s Cameron Jeffryes was virtually unstoppable in the Falcons' 59-21, 6-man win against Pawnee. He rushed for five touchdowns, passed for two more and caught two passes for 21 yards.
Durango has had one of the state’s most remarkable turnarounds in several years. After going 0-10 last season, the Demons are off to a 5-0 start. They beat Sand Creek 55-0 on Friday behind quarterback Jordan Gillen, who threw for three touchdowns and ran for a fourth. Also, Gus Barnes caught one touchdown pass, ran for two and returned an intercepted pass 80 yards for a fourth.
Speaking of pass interceptions, Iaian McGee of Justice High School had the longest return of the season, 104 yards, as the Phoenix defeated Silver State, 66-30. McGee also rushed for 274 yards on only 10 carries and caught two passes for 73 yards in the win.
Bayfield improved to 6-0 as the Wolverines ran roughshod over Buena Vista, 57-21. They accounted for 560 total yards rushing with sophomores Seth Posey (190 yards, four touchdowns) and Aaron Vasquez (106 yards, two touchdowns) leading the way.
Games of the Week
Class 5A: Chatfield (5-0) vs. Pomona (5-0), Thursday.
Chatfield has moved to No. 2 in the MaxPreps rankings after impressive victories against Bear Creek and Columbine. The Chargers exploded last week in the first quarter in their 56-8 victory against Westminster, scoring 35 points to put the game away early. Pomona will have to contain quarterback Sam Stratton, who has passed for 524 yards and rushed for 440, and running back Shaw Gifford, who has 525 yards on the ground. Pomona, which comes in holding down the No. 4 spot, was tested in beating upstart Regis Jesuit, 28-24. Quarterback Nathan Grimes and running back Tyler Pace have been among the leaders for the Panthers. The Pomona defense has been stout, having allowed only 58 points this season.
Class 4A:
Liberty (4-1) at Lewis-Palmer (5-0), Friday.
Here are a couple of teams looking to move up in the rankings, and there is nothing like an area rivalry to fuel the fire. Lewis-Palmer beat Cheyenne Mountain 28-0 last week, and the Rangers have been getting plenty of leadership from the Shaum brothers, quarterback Ben and defensive back Tyler. Ben has passed for 508 yards and rushed for an additional 116 while his younger brother has been solid in the secondary to help the Rangers hold their opponents to only 40 points this season. Quarterback Ryan Gray, running back Nick Bunny and receiver Wes McKenzie have been leaders for Liberty. Gray has passed for 698 yards, Bunny has rushed for 353 and McKenzie has 19 receptions for 415 yards. Patrick Green has been the leader on defense with 42 tackles.
Class 3A:
Pueblo County (4-1) at Canon City (5-0), Friday.
Pueblo County is coming off an emotional 26-20 victory against Pueblo East, while Canon City had little trouble in beating Alamosa 35-0. County is a team that likes to keep the football on the ground with Brett Avila and Mike Hasenach as the rushing leaders with 575 and 421 yards, respectively. Canon City has been balanced offensively, as quarterback Mitch Uhland has thrown for 382 yards this season, while Cody Sparks leads the team in rushing with 336 yards. The Tigers have certainly been stingy on defense, surrendering only 38 points.
Class 2A: Strasburg (5-0) at Platte Valley (4-1), Friday.
Strasburg defeated University 34-14 last week, and the Indians know how to put points on the board. Quarterback Matt Dunning has been a standout on both sides of the football. He has passed for 836 yards, rushed for 243 and also leads the team in tackles with 45. But Julian Lopez (386 rushing) and Jordan Ross (250) can hurt opponents, too. Defense has been the key for Platte Valley, as the Broncos have only given up 35 points all season. Aaron Olson (63 tackles), Seth Baladez (58) and Ryan Smith (50) know how to get to opposing ball carriers. Smith has passed for 381 yards and ran for an additional 407 to help pace the Broncos offense.
Class A: Limon (4-1) at Calhan (3-2), Friday.
There are no games pitting top-ranked teams, but this one is of interest on the plains. Limon, led by quarterback Matt Brown (683 yards passing, 346 rushing), is certainly favored. The only loss for the Badgers was two weeks ago against three-time defending champion Akron. Calhan has lost back-to-back games against No. 4 ranked Rye (34-8) and No. 5 Burlington (39-7). When it comes to defense against Limon, Jordan McCelland and Justin Carpenter figure to be busy, as they lead the Bulldogs with 51 and 41 tackles, respectively. Clint Hammond has passed for 371 yards and rushed for 190 while Jake Sparks has rushed for 357 yards.
Class A 8-Man:
Dayspring Christian (5-0) at Caliche (4-1), Friday. Freshman Ben Sanderford is becoming a player to watch for Dayspring Christian, and he had a fine outing last week in the Eagles’ 58-8 victory against Haxtun by scoring three touchdowns. The Eagles have been strong on defense, allowing only 36 points in the wide open 8-man game. The offense has taken flight, too, with 246 points scored. Caliche lost to top-ranked Merino 39-6, last week, but the Buffs also have proven to be prolific offensively, too, with 225 points.
Class A 6-Man:
Hi-Plains (5-0) at Idalia (5-0), Friday.
There is little doubt this is the headliner in the classification, as it’s a repeat of last year’s championship game. And, when it comes to statistics, there is not much difference between the teams. Idalia has scored 293 points and allowed 90, while Hi-Plains comes into the game having given up 115 while scoring 287. Kraig Tagtmeyer leads Hi-Plains in rushing with 548 yards and 11 touchdowns, and Cory Arnold has chipped in with 327 yards on the ground. Defensively, Josh Rodriguez and Tanner Thomson have excelled with 40 and 39 tackles, respectively. Idalia is coming off a 68-20 victory against Deer Trail and will be looking for Logan Ramseier to help lead the way.
Etc.: Fleming has canceled its Class A 6-Man game with South Baca on Friday. According to South Baca coach Dan Sebastian, Fleming is unable to field a team because many of its students have been stricken with the flu. The game will not be rescheduled.
