Quick quiz: Entering last weekend, which team had the
longest unbeaten streak in the regular season? If you guessed
Mullen (Denver), please envision
the noise the shot clock buzzer makes when it ignites.
The correct answer is Pine Creek (Colorado Springs), which entered its home
contest against Pueblo West with 30 straight regular-season victories. Mullen’s
current 25-game winning streak includes postseason play. The Pine Creek
streak, however, never made it to 31 as the Cyclones pulled off a 22-21 upset.
Pueblo West forced Eagles quarterback Kris Kentera to
fumble the ball away on the first three drives, while Cyclones quarterback Connor Roumph
shook off numerous big hits to lead his team to victory. Roumph's 49-yard
scoring pass to Ian Imamura with just more than two minutes to play stood up as the
winner.
"Connor’s a perfect example of what this whole team is
about," Cyclones coach Monte Pinkerton said. "They keep fighting."
2. Mountain View averts upset: A perfect record doesn't
mean everything is going smooth. Just ask 3A's top team, Mountain View (Loveland), which
improved to 6-0 only after stopping Roosevelt quarterback Brandyn Hernandez at
the 2-yard line on the final play of the game to preserve a 21-14 road win. Joey Hlushak rushed for a touchdown and caught another
for the Mountain Lions.
3. Medbery sets Indians rushing mark: Loveland fullback Connor Medbery might be more known for his wrestling prowess, considering he
went 43-0 last season in the 215-pound weight class. But Medbery's gridiron
talents won't be overlooked after he set a single-game school record with 315
yards in a 46-13 trouncing of Niwot last week. Medbery has rushed for 710 yards
on the season.
4. Forfeit resolves controversy: In one of the more
bizarre scenarios surrounding high school sports this season, both Pawnee and
Briggsdale each came away believing it had won a 6-man game on Sept. 24. An
extra touchdown mistakenly was added to Pawnee's scoreboard total at the half,
and the Coyotes ended up winning 62-57. After threats from the Colorado High
School Activities Association to ban Pawnee from the playoffs – Briggsdale believed
it had won 57-56 – Pawnee decided to forfeit the contest.
5. Softball districts set: Although the circuit as a
whole has been down this season, the defending champs have remained just as
potent. In 5A, three-time champion Legacy (Broomfield) was 19-0 and easily garnered the No.
1 seed for Saturday’s regionals. In 4A, two-time title-winner Wheat Ridge
(18-1) did the same thing. Last year’s 3A champion, Erie, is now in 4A.
TOP PERFORMERS
* Nicole Dalton, Chaparral (Parker) volleyball: Dalton had 12 kills
Tuesday as top-ranked Chaparral traveled to Highlands Ranch and upended the No.
8 Falcons 25-18-25-22, 26-24. Dalton soon will be the Wolverines' third
Division I signee, joining Anna Faul (Ohio State) and Skylar Johnson (Ole
Miss).
* Cameron McDondle, Columbine (Littleton) football: McDondle rushed
for 203 yards and four touchdowns in the Rebels' 27-21 win against Heritage.
McDondle surpassed the 1,000-yard plateau and now sits at 1,097.
* Wes Bennett, Longmont Christian football: Though his squad lost, it'd
be tough to fault the running back. In a 54-48 overtime setback against
Sedgwick County, Bennett racked up 465 yards on the ground and five touchdowns.
KEY MATCHUPS THIS WEEK
* Things don’t get easier for Pine Creek after the
loss to Pueblo West. Next up for the Eagles is a trip to
Falcon (7 p.m. Friday)
to take on the unbeaten Falcons (6-0).
* Softball regionals (Saturday, various sites). In
all three classes, a score of contenders will be whittled down to the final 16
that will compete in the state tournament (Oct. 22-23, Aurora Sports Park).
* Arapahoe (Littleton), fresh of a 35-31 upset of Bear Creek,
travels to Jeffco Stadium to take on unbeaten Columbine (4 p.m., Jefferson County
Stadium).
RECRUITING NEWS
Thompson Valley (Loveland) running back Dorian Brown suffered a
season-ending knee injury in a preseason scrimmage, but the fall months haven’t
produced only bad news for the senior. He just announced a verbal commitment to
Colorado State. . . . Palmer (Colorado Springs) senior boys basketball player Terrell Brown, who
averaged 17.9 points last season, is bound for South Dakota. . . . Wheat Ridge
quarterback Nick Ossello has verbally committed to Maryland for lacrosse, but
with his ascension to superstardom in football, schools including Air Force
have coveted the senior. "Nothing is set in stone," he said. . . . St. Mary’s
Academy field hockey standout Stephanie Gugliemo has committed to Providence
College.
Paul Willis is a
regular sports freelancer for The Denver Post and covered high school, college
and pro sports for the Rocky Mountain News from 2000-09. You can reach him at
gdpdub@aol.com.
