It’s time to wrap up the regular season.
Much has been decided, but there’s more to follow, as in securing appropriate seedings for the postseason.
Highlands Ranch hosts Mountain Vista today at 7 p.m. and plays Saturday at the same time at Legend. These are the final chances for the Falcons to finish the Class 5A Continental League season undefeated, their first.
Another Arvada West-Ralston Valley matchup in 5A Jefferson County is worth watching Friday, as is Abraham Lincoln at Montbello in the 5A-4A Denver Prep. Arapahoe and Overland, which went at it Wednesday, still need victories Friday — Arapahoe hosts Eaglecrest and Overland welcomes Cherokee Trail — to stay among the top playoff seeds. All tipoffs are 7 p.m.
Class 5A and Class 4A will complete the regular season Friday, save for a few makeup games. For 3A-1A, it will be Saturday.
The Colorado High School Activities Association will release the 5A and 4A boys and girls playoff brackets at 3 p.m. Sunday at the Doubletree Hotel at Interstate 25 and Orchard Road.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Saving the best for last.
Friday in Broomfield, Legacy will host Monarch at 7 p.m. to decide the 5A Front Range title, determine prime playoff seeding and settle a score.
Earlier in the season, the host Lightning handed the Coyotes of Louisville their only in-state loss, 64-53.
It’s also a meeting of the past two big-school runners-up — Legacy in 2010 and Monarch in 2009.
Today at 7 p.m., the 4A Colorado Springs Metro will have its showdown as Harrison visits Air Academy for the league title.
WRESTLING
Names to remember.
Over the years, qualifiers have been filling the programs at the state tournament with a dazzling array of names, including the humorous, pertinent, offbeat, hard to spell, novel and just plain different.
Remember Lyons’ Dustan Broom from the late 1990s?
Here is this season’s all-name team by weight class:
103 pounds — Stetson Loader, Baca County; 112 — Jo D. Stults, Rangely; 119 — Ben Weakland, Valley; 125 — Aerie Disher, Strasburg (35-1); 130 — Coy Zang, Rifle; 135 — Mike Ruhlman, Manitou Springs; 140 — Tray Sickles, Nucla; 145 — Alonso Wong, Mountain Range; 152 — Colton Fries, Legend; 160 — Dallas Fite, Poudre; 171 — Connor Pigg, Rye; 189 — Chase Beek, Cheyenne Wells; 215 — Tuff Gibson, Merino; heavyweight — Colton Hoots, Gunnison.
ICE HOCKEY
Let the postseason games begin.
The playoff field of 16 is set, with all eyes aimed at the Pepsi Center on March 4.
The top eight teams from the Peak and Foothills conferences qualified for the field, which many believe leans heavily toward the Foothills teams, headed by Regis Jesuit (18-1).
The Raiders and runner-up Chatfield will host first-round and quarterfinal games Friday and Saturday. Regis Jesuit opens with Palmer and if the Raiders advance, they could face an intriguing quarterfinal game against annual final four member Ralston Valley, which open with Heritage at the Family Sports Center.
Defending champion Lewis-Palmer (18-1) — the Peak champion — hosts Battle Mountain on Friday, with the winner playing the Cheyenne Mountain-Steamboat Springs winner Saturday.
Neil H. Devlin and Jon E. Yunt, The Denver Post
