The usual power is loaded, again.
And this time, Cherry Creek has its best shot at winning a state championship for the first time since 1999, the year it won its fifth consecutive title.
Marc Johnson’s Bruins have finished runner-up three times since.
“We have a very strong tradition, and this is one of our better classes, I can’t deny that,” said Johnson, who is beginning his 34th season as Cherry Creek’s head coach. “That doesn’t mean we’re going to win it, but this should be one of our better teams.”
The preseason No. 1 Bruins have 13 contributors and a half-dozen returning starters from the team that lost 7-6 to Grand Junction in last year’s championship game.
“(They) had a lot of juniors last year who are coming back, and he’s always got pitching and hitting,” Arvada West coach Jim Capra said.
Shortstop Brett Sowers, who has signed to play for Nebraska, is one of two juniors in 5A who were named All-Colorado by The Denver Post; pitcher Nick Bryant and outfielder Darren McDonald were honorable mention all-state. Third baseman Todd Weir was first-team all-Centennial League.
The key for Cherry Creek will be pitching. Bryant, a right-hander, won nine games last season despite not being overpowering like Columbine’s Evan Anundsen and Regis’ Andrew Scheid.
Right-handers P.D. Darrow, who will play for Nevada-Las Vegas, and Kelsey Sokolowski, the quarterback headed to San Diego State, are untested as the second and third starters.
As for other ranked teams it’s a bit muddied, but three leagues – Jefferson County, Continental and Front Range – should dominate.
In Jeffco, which sent three teams to last year’s final eight, it’s close between Columbine and rival Arvada West, primarily because of the Rebels’ pitching staff, led by Wichita State-bound Anundsen, who was 6-2 last year including a 1-0 loss to Pomona, and backed primarily by J.T. Baum and John Fink. Green Mountain and Pomona also could make strong bids.
Columbine coach Chuck Gillman’s team, 18-6 last year, includes his son, C.J., a junior, at catcher; and shortstop Jeff Cicchinelli and first baseman Curtis Cunningham. Dominic Montoya, an outfielder-pitcher, and second baseman B.J. Tucker also return.
Arvada West, which reached the final eight, returns six starters and will face Cherry Creek, Regis, Monarch, Mountain Vista and Ralston Valley in nonleague play. Junior outfielder Ryan Hill will take more turns on the mound. Ditto for three-sport athlete Sean McDougal and junior Lincoln Harmer.
“We’ll be more balanced with pitching and hitting,” Capra said.
Continental League teams played for the 5A title in 2003 (Regis) and 2004 (Heritage), and Regis reached the final four last year. Regis, Arapahoe, Chaparral and ThunderRidge look strong, and Mountain Vista is in the mix.
Regis has had two coaching changes since it lost to Pomona in the title game three years ago, and now is guided by Steve Cavnar, the former longtime head coach and assistant at Smoky Hill. The Raiders will be led by Scheid, a right-hander who has signed with Notre Dame.
Defending Continental champion Arapahoe, 17-3 in 2005 and smarting from an early exit, has Nathaniel Weems, a 6-foot-5 left-hander. Luke Hardcastle, a catcher-outfielder who will join Weems at Seward Community College in Liberal, Kan., is the Warriors’ top offensive prospect.
ThunderRidge, the 2004 state champion, returns five starters: infielder Brandon Townsley; infielder-pitcher Kyle Black; outfielders Mike Coffey and Eric Moats; and the 6-5 Matt Bouldin as a pitcher-first baseman.
Chaparral, 10-10 last year after starting 5-1, returns six starters and coach Steve Eaton is excited about having “two quality pitchers” coming off injuries, seniors David McKnight and Jay Merkle. Eaton also cited a deep staff that includes Shawn Pachl and Kyle Gumieny.
In the Front Range League, Monarch appears primed to be the leader. Rebuilding Rocky Mountain (10 seniors to replace), Northglenn and Loveland also are in the chase. Shortstop Wade Landowski, who hit 13 home runs last season, is one of five pitchers Monarch is counting on.
Defending state champion Grand Junction of the Southwestern League returns a strong corps of position players, but has questions about its pitching.
Coach Kyle Rush’s team apparently has overcome a potentially crippling football injury to its best player, outfielder Mark Novotny, whose grand slam was the key blow in the Tigers’ championship game victory. Novotny, the other returning All-Colorado selection from 2005, tore an anterior cruciate ligament, but Rush said he has been cleared to play baseball and is “100 percent” recovered.
The Tigers’ Shay Starr, Ryan Bernal, Ben Sawyer and Justin Murray all hit .335 or better.
Rush is hoping to find a sleeper on the pitching staff who can repeat Dane Hamilton’s performance of a year ago. Hamilton never had pitched varsity before but went 11-0.
“We’ve got a lot of multisport athletes who can step in and compete,” Rush said. “We want to find a guy who’s going to bring us to the state tournament again.”
The emergence of Grandview could be notable. The Wolves have seven starters returning, including catcher Cole Leonida and middle infielder Blake Tagmyer.
Elsewhere in the class, the Colorado Springs Metro, Denver Prep and Skyline leagues have catching up to do.
5A
TOP 10
1. Cherry Creek
2. Columbine
3. Arvada West
4. Regis
5. Monarch
6. Grand Junction
7. Arapahoe
8. Grandview
9. Chaparral
10. ThunderRidge
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Scott Bachman, Rocky Mtn., Sr., P-OF
Javier Banuelos, Abr. Lincoln, Sr., P
Keegan Bassett, Central (G.J.), Sr., C
Brian Bello, Fort Collins, Sr., OF
Anthony Bendever, Arvada, Sr., C
Ryan Bernal, Grand Junction, Sr., INF
Preston Biermann, Loveland, Sr., P-INF
Matt Bouldin, ThunderRidge, Sr., P,1B
Nick Bryant, Cherry Creek, Sr., P
Jeff Burks, Mitchell, Sr., P
Steve Decker, Coronado, Sr., P-INF
Andrew Eggers, Rocky Mtn., Sr., OF
Rick Ehrhart, Mullen, Sr., INF
John Fink, Columbine, Sr., INF
Trevor Geist, Loveland, Sr., P-INF
Mark Gerster, Doherty, Jr., P
C.J. Gillman, Columbine, Jr., C
Gregg Glime, Smoky Hill, Sr., C
Shaver Hansen, Fruita Mon., Sr., INF
Luke Hardcastle, Arapahoe, Sr., C-OF
Ryan Hill, Arvada West, Jr., P-OF
Dan Huff, Douglas County, Sr., INF
Ted Jamison, Green Mtn., Sr., P-INF
James Katsaros, Mtn., Vista, Sr., P
Wade Landowski, Monarch, Sr., P,INF
Jesus Lechuga, North, Sr., INF
Cole Leonida, Grandview, Jr., C
Dustin Loomis, Pomona, Sr., INF-P
Craig Matsuda, Northglenn, Sr., INF
Darin McDonald, Cherry Creek, Sr., OF
Sean McDougal, Arvada West, Sr., OF
Kyle Michel, Brighton, Sr., INF
Frank Milinazzo, Horizon, Sr., INF
Mike Novotny, Grand Junction, Sr., OF
Sam Phippen, Durango, Sr., P
Shawn Powers, G.Wash., Sr., P-INF
Alex Oesterle, Doherty, Jr., OF
Andrew Oldfield, Rangeview, Sr., C
Matt Raabe, Green Mountain, Jr., INF
Mike Redding, Northglenn, Sr., INF
Mike Rodenbush, Monarch, Sr., OF
Kiel Roling, G.J. Central, Sr., C
Lorenzo Roybal, Chaparral, Jr., C
Andrew Scheid, Regis, Sr., P
Ryan Serena, Chaparral, Sr., INF
Eric Skufca, Heritage, Sr., C
Cameron Smith, Rangeview, Sr., OF
Brett Sowers, Cherry Creek, Sr., INF
Blake Tagmyer, Grandview, Sr., INF
Ryan Thompson, Mullen, Sr., INF
Nathan Ung, Hinkley, Sr., C
Matt Vela, Rampart, Sr., OF
Terry Watkins, Lewis-Palmer, Sr., P-INF
Todd Weir, Cherry Creek, Sr., INF.
