WRESTLING
COLORADO TOURNAMENT
Grapplers know what’s in a name
By any name, Colorado’s wrestling tournament, which will begin its three-day run this morning at the Pepsi Center, is an annual battle royale of fun characters. Herewith, I present the 2006-07 all-name tourney team by weight and straight from the official brackets, including a few backups: 103 pounds – Shane Story, Poudre, and Jared Doll, Meeker; 112 – Geronimo Gemoya, Grand Junction; 119 – James Fightmaster, Fossil Ridge, and Josh McGirl, Thompson Valley; 125 – Musie Ghebremski, South; 130 – Keenan Grumly, Coal Ridge, and Josh Starr, Grandview; 135 – Rhett Breed, Durango; 140 – Robby dePontibraind, Douglas County; 145 – Boots Lover, Boulder; 152 – Seamus Waples, Mullen; 160 – Pasha Tabatabai, Regis; 171 – Cale Crispe, Green Mountain; 189 – David Vader, Gunnison, and Stryker Lane, Nucla; 215 – Levi Garrett, Holyoke; Heavyweight – Keefe Owens, Smoky Hill. Coach – Dan Toothaker, Cedaredge.
BASKETBALL
REGULAR SEASON
That’s all, folks
Saturday will cap all regular-season play, notably with Montbello against East for the 5A boys and girls city titles at the Thunderdome. Bring coffee. The girls will tip off at 9 a.m. and the boys, including senior guard Donell Wells trying to give East every Denver Prep League championship but two since 1992-93, sometime around 10:30 a.m. Why? The Colorado High School Activities Association seeding committee, which will be releasing 5A-4A’s 48-team brackets Sunday afternoon, wanted it that way. Apparently, every hour is precious.
SWIMMING
5A-4A COLORADO MEETS
Fooled in the pool
Schoolgirls will literally pool their resources for three days of swimming and diving championship competition in Fort Collins. Note to organizers – scheduling the premier meet of the season against the wrestling tournament doesn’t give pool players much of the spotlight.
ICE HOCKEY
STATE TOURNAMENT
Sweet, icy 16
It’s Mission Four for ice hockey, as in four sites each hosting four teams that need four postseason victories to be crowned champion. The preliminaries are Friday and quarterfinals Saturday, which will set a frozen four to meet Feb. 23-24 at the Denver Coliseum.
SKIING
BOYS AND GIRLS STATE MEET
Head to the hills
It’s a chance to be as cool as the late, great James Brown, who once sang “I Feel Good” while wearing a ski sweater on the slopes. With fresh snow expected, dozens of schoolboys and schoolgirls will head to Vail today and Friday for individual and team titles, including skimeister awards. The irony is as cold as it is real – Colorado’s skiing championships are among the most obscure of 21 sanctioned sports.
