Bounding somewhere in the wilderness around Indian Peaks is a deer that could become a huge part of Cherry Creek’s bid for a state championship in volleyball.
This deer was only minding its business this summer when Bruins senior Britt Haugland was answering nature’s call on a camping trip. Please excuse this California girl if the presence of Bambi around the bathroom made her scream, but it did make for a good story, both for herself and her teammates giggling nearby.
Those are the kind of light-hearted moments that bring people together. Camping for four days of rain and shine, sharing tents and conversations and lugging around 50-pound backpacks while totally out of your element only accelerates the process.
“Everything came out on the camping trip,” senior Tessa Trimble said. “Even playing on a team with them for two years, I didn’t know half the stuff about them or what made them laugh.”
Deer, apparently, is a good place to start.
This season, though, “deer” will be the place where lack of communication ends for the Bruins, who were 23-6 last year and begin the season ranked No. 2 in Class 5A.
At the behest of longtime coach Sally Moos, who also is quite adept at planning backpacking excursions, the Bruins came up with a random word to signal to each other when a team conversation was getting out of hand. A simple word that would remind the team to stop talking over each other and listen.
Deer. Yes, that deer.
And while it will remind the girls of good communication, it will also remind them of Haugland’s screams, crossing the Continental Divide and the goofy rendition of the R&B classic “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” they all sang hand-in-hand during their descent.
“It’s a group of leaders,” Haugland said. “Everyone is leading in their own way.”
Aside from defending champion and Centennial League rival Eagle- crest, the competition this season might be saying “Oh, dear” when the Bruins step on the court.
Cherry Creek lost four seniors to graduation, but only one starter. They return seven letterwinners, led by all-state junior setter Gabi Dewberry, and a coach who was leading the Bruins when they won their last volleyball state title in 1998.
On the outside are the 6-foot Trimble and 6-1 junior Carrie Baird. The middle duties will fall primarily on senior Abby Monson and junior Elise Sage, who Dewberry said is hitting the ball much harder this season. Haugland also is a setter, and senior Ngoc Phan is the team’s libero.
Depth comes with seniors Kat Field and Jamie Andrevich, junior Andi Weber and right-side hitter Miranda Emmons. Sam Peters is recovering from a knee injury but could return late in the season.
The Bruins were a mild surprise last season. Moos said last August she knew she had a talented team, but its youthfulness meant chemistry would have to develop. It did.
Cherry Creek lost close matches to league powerhouses Grandview and Eaglecrest in the regular season, then slipped through regionals with two five-game victories over Chatfield and Columbine.
At state, the Bruins went 1-2. They battled all the way, but left unsatisfied.
“I think for each of us we love the school we’re at and we love to fight for it as much as we can,” Dewberry said. “I love competition. I like to fight for every point.”
The evolution of recent 5A champions might suggest that the Bruins are due for a state title this season or the next. Eaglecrest won it all last November, a season after pushing two-time champion Grandview.
Grandview emerged after pushing 2003 champion Doherty, which emerged after pushing 2002 and 2001 champion Smoky Hill.
“Some of my greatest teams were some of my teams that played so hard for one another,” Moos said. “They grew so much as a team together because they loved the game and loved playing for each other.”
Will it be said of this batch of Bruins? Time will tell if climbing mountains with tired legs has taught this talented troupe to come together. Either way, the Bruins surely have some good stories to tell.
“It was insane,” Trimble said of lugging her 53-pound backpack. “I probably learned from that experience ‘Don’t pack as much,’ but it was an amazing experience.”
