FOOTBALL
HORIZON
Hawks soaring
At 3-1, it’s immediately in front of Class 5A Horizon. The next step is right there. The Hawks, determined to rejoin the class elite, will meet No. 7 Legacy in the Front Range League on Friday night. Said coach Frank
Ybarra of his Hawks, “This is our defining game.” Stephen Castiglione has been the man at quarterback for the Hawks and is asked to lead the charge. However, they will have to deal with a crack Legacy (4-0) outfit riding strong with quarterback Luke Bublitz and junior defensive end Nick Kasa, a 6-foot-7 tower in the Front Range as well as across 5A. Here’s the history Horizon wants to change: The Hawks were 15-35 from 2002-06 and have never beaten the Lightning since it jumped from 3A to 5A in 2002, getting outscored by an aggregate 123-41. The new Adams 12 North Stadium (boy, does it need a real name) should rock.
CLASS A 8-MAN
Meeting halfway
Well, sort of … and you thought your teams had road trips? Two ranked programs in a smaller classification, 8-man’s No. 2 Merino and No. 10 Dove Creek, will play a big nonleague game at 1 p.m. Saturday in Minturn. It’s a neutral site as well as a smart site – according to , the distance between the schools is 543.09 miles and would require a normal drive of eight hours, 16 minutes. School officials agreed to try to split the considerable difference. Might as well try to beat the inclement travel weather while they can.
BOYS GOLF
STATE TOURNAMENT
Prep major
It’s nearly here, the first state championship of the 2007-08 season. Boys golfers will determine individual medalists and team championships Monday and Tuesday with 5A at Collindale Golf Course in Fort Collins and 4A at Broadlands G.C. in Broomfield. Local high-schoolers have all-around games that make area hackers wish they could do it all over again. Expect 36 holes of fun and high drama as the boys fields are the deepest and most competitive of any of the 21 sanctioned sports.
SOFTBALL
CLASS 5A JEFFERSON COUNTY
Showdown looms
The terrific race that has been 5A
Jeffco is coming to a head, and not because less than two weeks remain in the regular season. Co-leading Bear Creek (14-1, 6-0) has Pomona on the road today at 4 p.m., then hosts Green Mountain on Saturday at 10 a.m. The other current piece of the league belongs to Columbine (13-2, 6-0), which hosts Dakota Ridge today, then will be at Arvada West on Saturday. It points to a biggie Tuesday, when Bear Creek travels to Columbine at 4 p.m.
VOLLEYBALL
EAGLECREST
Net worth gains
Top-ranked and defending 5A champion Eaglecrest, winner of 42 consecutive matches, will be at Cherry Creek for a 7 p.m. net version of Friday Night Lights inside.
