Have you ever seen the Air Academy logo? Appropriately for this time of the year, he’s swinging a baseball bat. The Kadets, who began the season No. 2 in The Denver Post Class 5A poll, are off to a 2-0 start in nonleague play. The Kadets will play nothing but Colorado Springs Metro League games the rest of the way, starting with Mitchell today and rival Lewis-Palmer in a Saturday matinee in Monument. If that game doesn’t tickle your fancy, head a little farther south into Colorado Springs and check out Cheyenne Mountain and Fountain-Fort Carson playing a doubleheader starting at 10 a.m.
TRACK AND FIELD – Mason Finley watch. The fences at Dutch Clark Stadium should be safe this week. Mason Finley was far and away Colorado’s best thrower last season as a sophomore at Salida, winning state with marks of 55 feet, 7 inches in the shot put and 186-10 in the discus. The 6-foot-8, 320-pounder transferred to Buena Vista and must sit out half the season, as mandated by the Colorado High School Activities Association, but rest assured, he will join his Demons teammates Saturday at the Pueblo Centennial Invitational. Other track and field goings-on of note this weekend are in: Grand Junction (Mickey Dunn Invitational), Colorado Springs (Harrison Invitational) and Frederick (Warrior Pow Wow).
BOYS SWIMMING – Valley boys. Gilcrest is the place to be this weekend for swimmers. Just south of Greeley on Highway 85, Valley’s Vikings will host an array of 5A and 4A teams in their annual invitational. The notable team on hand will be Greeley West and junior Keaton Brown. The host Vikings could contend for their own title, along with West’s Spartans.
GIRLS LACROSSE – Championship preview. Some in the lacrosse world will argue Cherry Creek and Arapahoe are the two best teams in the state and that Saturday’s game is just a preview of things to come. The Warriors are 4-1, a one-goal loss to unbeaten Air Academy their only blemish, and are led in goals by Adison Rounds’ 15. Cherry Creek is 3-0 and already has a victory over annual nemesis Kent Denver.
GIRLS SOCCER – Got a good pitch. Shea Stadium is the place to be on the first day of spring today. A quality matchup of Class 5A powers Cherry Creek and Mountain Vista is set to go at 6 p.m. The Golden Eagles are three years removed from winning their first state title in school history, and with coach Theresa Echtermeyer at the helm, they are always a threat to win it all again.
