Anyone fed up with egomaniacal wide receivers or baseball players hopped up on steroids should look to Highlands Ranch for a sign of hope.
Melissa Ryba, a sophomore on the Class 5A Falcons softball team, provides a lot of skill and relief in a sports world often tainted.
“She is the real deal,” Mountain Vista coach Bret Grammerstorf said. “Melissa has it all. She is a smart kid, as athletic as they come and she is intelligent when she’s on the field. And, she has excelled at many positions.”
And she is humble, deflecting praise to her teammates, coaches and her sister A.J. Ryba, who also starred at Highlands Ranch and now attends the University of Arizona.
And, in what may be the best part, Melissa Ryba does it for the right reasons.
“I like to play for fun, and I like to play for the little kids. I want to be a good role model,” she said.
Ryba, a rare All-Colorado selection as a freshman, heads a long list of 5A talent onto the field when games begin today. Districts are slated to be finished by Oct. 15, regionals by Oct. 21 and the state championship is Oct. 22 at the Aurora Sports Complex.
Highlands Ranch is not considered a hands-down favorite to win the state title – maybe contender is more accurate – but Ryba provides a challenge to opposing teams that can change games.
“Melissa is phenomenal,” Wheat Ridge coach Eric Larson said. “She is a tough, tough out. We played her (last season), and we couldn’t get her out.”
In that game, a 9-6 Highlands Ranch victory over the eventual state runner-up, Ryba had three hits in three at-bats before she was walked.
“If she keeps working and keeps progressing, she could be the best player ever to come from this state,” Highlands Ranch coach Bruce Wright said.
Ryba plays in the outfield and infield, and she can pitch. But she causes the most damage at the plate during the moment when she zeros in on a fat pitch zipping in over the plate.
“Hitting is my favorite part of the game,” Ryba said.
As a freshman, Ryba, who also starts for the top-level basketball team, averaged better than .500 at the plate and established herself as a clutch player with four hits in six at-bats and three RBIs against rival ThunderRidge.
“I like to be at the plate when we need a run, when we need something to happen,” Ryba said.
Ryba and the Falcons are not the only ones looking to make something happen this season.
Sitting in the same conference and the same city is Mountain Vista, a 5-year-old school that returns six starters, including pitcher Lauren McGhee and catcher Lindsy Kragt.
“We are taking a cue from the girls soccer team that won it all last year,” Grammerstorf said.
Jefferson County remains the top conference. Winners of eight of the past 10 state titles, Jeffco again is loaded.
“You always have to start with Wheat Ridge,” Pomona coach Jim Biddle said.
The Farmers won titles in 2002 and 2003, and they finished second to Loveland in 2004.
Lakewood, a semifinalist last season, returns the bulk of its lineup, and perennial powerhouse Arvada West is always in the mix.
The beast in 5A might be the Panthers of Pomona. All-state pitcher Jenny Brock is back, as are juniors Ashli Holland and Megan Hamilton.
“We were close last year and the girls want to try to go even farther,” Biddle said of their semifinal finish last season.
