Bailey Tills got a rare day off Sunday. It might have been refreshing in a sense, but it didn't allow the
Kent Denver (Englewood, Colo.) senior much healing time between basketball and lacrosse season.
Maybe it was better that way.
Tills was the point guard on the Kent Denver boys basketball team that nearly dethroned Faith Christian in the Class 3A title game Saturday at Moby Arena. Kent was in striking distance of a monumental upset, but Faith won its fifth-straight championship by edging the Sun Devils 41-40.
Kent Denver's Matt Florence.
File photo by Patrick Miller
Two days later, Tills joined Kent's ultra-talented lacrosse team in Boulder for the season opener. This group of Sun Devils also was coming off a championship loss decided by one, an 11-10 decision to Regis Jesuit last spring.
"It's definitely getting old losing by one," Tills said.
That's why Tills and lacrosse teammate
Matt Florence, one of
MaxPreps' Top 25 players in the country, are trying to send their multitalented senior class out with a title in something (both also were prominent members of the football team that advanced to the 2A semifinals).
It just so happens, lacrosse is their primary sport, and the All-Colorado tandem is focused on going out on top.
A snapshot of the Sun Devils' mindset was provided in the opener against Boulder. Six minutes into the game, the scoreboard read: Kent Denver 12, Boulder 0.
"We wanted to come out strong and show that we're the top team in the state," said Florence, a member of the U-19 U.S. National Team. "We wanted to show that we're that team that everyone is expecting us to be."
The Sun Devils cruised to 17-5 win, and now, behind a bevy of Division I-bound stars, appear to be the state's premier lacrosse outfit. Right-handed attackmen Florence, who will play at Virginia, and Tills (Brown) are the best of the bunch.
"It's no surprise those two were elected captains," said longtime Kent coach Tom Graesser, whose team has four total captains. "They're terrific leaders on and off the field, and both are terrific lacrosse players. They've been on varsity for us for four years. Both great finishers, both great dodgers. Just hard-nosed ground-ball guys."
Kent Denver has been in the state tournament in each of the past three seasons, but never has gotten closer than last season's narrow loss. While some squads in a similar situation say they don't actively speak about capturing a championship until the time comes, the Sun Devils absolutely do.
"Over the offseason we had a few of our players commit to Division I schools, and I think we've all dedicated ourselves to being the best we can possibly be," Florence said. "Luckily, we have some of the best guys to practice against every day."
Additional Sun Devils bound for collegiate programs include long-pole defender
Jordan Friedman (Colgate), attackman
James Rassenfoss (Holy Cross) and juniors
Matt Jones (University of Denver) and
Eduardo White (Georgetown). Midfielder
Collins Gantz will play at Bryant University.
Essentially, it's win or bust.
"Matt and I have spoken about it a fair amount," said Tills, who was joined by White and Gantz on the basketball team. "The main thing we talked about is trying to steer away from being a team based on individuals. There's so much talent on this team – we have two really good lines and good fourth and fifth attackmen – that the best way to get it done is going to be to play as a team."
Tills, who played receiver on the football team, also considered Harvard, Colgate and Navy before deciding on Brown. Florence had considered Duke and North Carolina before his trip to Virginia sealed the deal for the Cavaliers.
He visited on a weekend when Virginia defeated Johns Hopkins 16-5, loved the campus and was sold.
To prepare for his senior year and beyond, Florence has undertaken a strict diet regimen, opting for zero carbohydrates and 5,000 calories a day of lean meats and vegetables. The idea was to shed bad weight and gain muscle weight. He's added 13 pounds of stockiness.
"It's definitely helped me on the field," Florence said. "I feel a lot stronger and faster. I'm still getting to eat the things I like to eat, and I've always been a pretty disciplined kid as far as staying away from fast foods and desserts. It hasn't been tough for me, even though my friends will give me a hard time."
All that's left for the senior, who played quarterback for the football team in the fall, is to help cement his senior class' legacy with a title.
"You can't say losing in the state championship last year was a tragedy, but I think it's really focused them," Graesser said. "I think losing in basketball did, too. This is a class that has some terrific student-athletes, and they want to go out with a championship."
