BASEBALL
A diamond special: Wheat Ridge vs. Arvada
Here’s hoping we don’t get into the brutal spring cycle of bad weather on the weekends. It’s a killer for prep pitching staffs.
With spring break just about over statewide, league play should be up and running across the state by next week. Most teams will be on a Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday or Monday-Wednesday-Friday weekly schedule. The time is now to get into the flow as ballclubs.
Today in Class 4A in an after- school special, highly touted Wheat Ridge opens Jefferson County League play at Arvada, which has put up a winning record in nonleague and is headed by coach Nick Arcuri, a veteran Denver police officer and authoritative fixture on duty at many of the city’s athletic events.
On Friday, four-time defending 5A champion Rocky Mountain in Fort Collins will take on Parker’s Chaparral in nonleague at noon at Coors Field, a field of dreams for fortunate high-schoolers who get to play in the best yard in the region.
BASKETBALL
Colorado’s best to compete at The Show
Officially, the game for boys and girls is already in the books for the season, but Saturday will offer all-star events.
At the Pepsi Center, The Show, annual games for girls (1:30 p.m.) and boys (3 p.m.) once again will feature the best players regardless of classification. Other than early- season matchups in the regular season, it’s the only chance for in-staters to compete on the Nuggets’ home floor.
And week-long events for the Joint Effort Hoops Festival will culminate at Manual, where a series of games will be contested, beginning at 9 a.m. for lower levels and topped by the senior boys game between Colorado and New Jersey at 8:30 p.m.
TRACK AND FIELD
Runners Roost moved to Jeffco Stadium
Mullen is due to get a new track by this summer, so the Mustangs’ 14th annual Runners Roost on Saturday will be moved from Brother Bernard Kinneavy de La Salle Stadium in south Denver to Jeffco Stadium at Sixth and Kipling in Lakewood.
As usual, there will be a high- end mix of competitors from 5A-3A with an emphasis on individual competition and representatives from 50 teams. It’s one of the must-see meets leading up to next month’s finale.
In addition, it’s a pick ’em day to view all sorts of running, jumping and throwing — meets at Eagle Valley, Grand Junction, Colorado Springs, Longmont, Bayfield, Fort Collins, Aurora, Parker, Valley and Limon will be available for viewing.
BOYS LACROSSE
Snakes on a bus
One of the more unusual mascots in the state belongs to the Fort Collins Unified boys lacrosse team — the Vipers. The 4-2 crew will get its biggest test of the season — with apologies to Wheat Ridge, who handed the Vipers a 12-6 loss last month — at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday at No. 1 Regis Jesuit.
Neil H. Devlin and Jon E. Yunt, The Denver Post
