The Denver Post has awarded the Gold Helmet to the state’s top high school senior football player, scholar and citizen since 1951, but the honor was teetering on extinction a couple years ago. Amid cutbacks, the newspaper decided to no longer fund the award — which consists of a gold-dipped trophy, plus a banquet for the winner — and that’s when , then The Post’s sports editor, knew we needed a preservation plan.

So Schubert and I looked at what we had recently done to start the Roy Halladay Award, which uses the same parameters to honor a baseball player each year. The Roy Halladay Award is backed by a nonprofit, the Colorado High School Baseball Player Award Corporation, so we copied that model to get funding for the Gold Helmet to make the legacy football award sustainable.

That blueprint has since been duplicated twice this year to fund honors for girls sports. In the spring, we launched the April Heinrichs Award for girls soccer. And this weekend, we announced the creation of the Colorado Gold Softball Award to honor a standout in that sport.

You might be wondering why The Denver Post is partnering with nonprofits that honor excellence in four different CHSAA sports. The reason is I believe it’s critically important that these young adults, who are stars on the field, in the classroom and in their community, get their due. The winners of these awards — plus the finalists, whom we also do a story on — are student-athlete standard-setters, and we should hold them up as examples of everything that is right about Colorado high school sports.

Consider the accomplishments of the three most recent winners of the Gold Helmet, Roy Halladay and April Heinrichs Awards, and how these individuals were north stars for others in the hallways of their school in addition to dominating on the field of play:

• Northfield linebacker/safety Elian Oliva had a 5.02 GPA, co-founded the Nighthawks’ UNICEF chapter, was a math tutor for peers, a youth flag football coach and spent four years as a summer-camp counselor. He is currently at the University of Miami, where he’ll do track and field.

• Montezuma-Cortez shortstop Cory Dean Carver had a 4.26 GPA, and volunteered as a youth baseball coach, at a feeder elementary school, and at an assisted living facility where he played piano for residents, did yard work and cleaned the exterior of the building. He just started at the United States Naval Academy, where he’ll play baseball.

• Denver North winger Lea Gentry had a 4.98 GPA and a long list of community service including volunteering at soup-and-sandwich lines for the homeless and helping coordinate a food and shelter relief project for Venezuelan migrants. She is currently playing at Oregon State, where she’s emerged as a starter as a freshman and is already .

I have no doubt that the winner of our inaugural Colorado Gold Softball Award, to be announced in November following the conclusion of the high school season in late October, will have a similarly impressive resume to the above three individuals.

Our ability to honor an elite female student-athlete in soccer and now softball is because of the tenacity of a Colorado girls sports trailblazer, which then led to the primary donor behind the awards in both sports.

After we announced the launch of the Roy Halladay Award last year, Mary Kvamme emailed me asking why we didn’t have any such awards for girls sports. At the advent of Title IX, launched an array of girls sports programs, and was a longtime volleyball coach who led Arvada West to the 1977 state title. Kvamme also helped establish feeder programs in Jefferson County and pushed for statistics to validate the achievements of female athletes.

My response to Kvamme’s initial email explained that it was a matter of cost — these awards average about $6,000 a year to put on — and that we simply didn’t have the funding to support a girls sports award.

Undeterred, Kvamme wrote a letter to the editor about the topic. That letter was read by Arvada resident Adam Stevinson, who wanted to get involved with the effort to honor girls sports. Schubert and I met with him last summer, and early this year, Stevinson contributed a sizable donation to give us many years of runway for the April Heinrichs Award. This August, Stevinson stepped up again, pledging an initial donation to fund the Colorado Gold Softball Award.

His donations, as well as an annual contribution from towards the April Heinrichs Award, enabled us to create much-needed gender equity in our awards. We now have a boys and girls award in the fall, as well as a boys and girls award in the spring. (The Denver Post has also given out Mr. and Ms. Colorado Basketball each winter since 1993, but those awards aren’t currently backed by a nonprofit and thus don’t come with a trophy, banquet or scholarship.)

The last thing I want to do is start one of these awards and have it fizzle out after a few years. With the way the nonprofits are set up, I am confident that we will be giving out these four awards in perpetuity.

The Gold Helmet, a beacon in Colorado high school football for 75 years, has new life largely thanks to the fraternity of successful past winners who have put their money behind the award. The Roy Halladay Award has an array of sponsors, including the Rockies, former Jeffco stadium operations manager Byron Hanson, and the . As for the girls awards, we are just getting off the ground and are looking for additional sponsors to ensure we can properly honor elite girls soccer and softball players for many years to come.

Looking down the road, the bigger picture for all these awards is to increase the amount of impact points on the Colorado high school sports community.

For example, the Colorado High School Baseball Player Award Corporation is starting a Roy Halladay Legacy Program that is giving $1,000 to an in-need CHSAA baseball program each year so that the team can buy necessities such as balls and equipment. And there is already discussion within the board of the Colorado High School Girls Soccer Player Award Corporation to expand the nonprofit’s scholarship program to include its award’s finalists.

As a board member for all four of these awards, I encourage fans of Colorado high school sports to consider donating to these nonprofits. Even a small annual tax-deductible donation can go a long way to expanding each award’s reach and longevity.

As evidenced by the list of past Gold Helmet selections, the winners of these awards are future leaders in our society. Honoring them gives young athletes across Colorado something to aspire to, and you, reader, can help us in continuing to set that standard of excellence.

Colorado high school sports awards at-a-glance

Gold Helmet Award

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Most recent winner: Elian Oliva, Northfield

Winner gets: Feature story, trophy, banquet, recognition at Broncos game

Associated nonprofit: Gold Helmet Award Corporation

Board president: Matt Schubert

How to donate: 

Gold Softball Award

Sport: Softball

Founded: 2026

Most recent winner: Inaugural winner TBA

Winner gets: Feature story, trophy, banquet, $1,000 scholarship, recognition at Rockies game

Associated nonprofit: Colorado High School Softball Player Award Corporation

Board president: Kyle Newman

How to donate: Email knewman@denverpost.com

Roy Halladay Award

Sport: Baseball

Founded: 2025

Most recent winner: Cory Dean Carver, Montezuma-Cortez

Winner gets: Feature story, trophy, banquet, $1,000 scholarship, recognition at Rockies game

Associated nonprofit: Colorado High School Baseball Player Award Corporation

Board president: Ed Henderson

How to donate:

April Heinrichs Award

Sport: Girls Soccer

Founded: 2026

Most recent winner: Lea Gentry, Denver North

Winner gets: Feature story, trophy, banquet, $1,000 scholarship, recognition at Summit FC game

Associated nonprofit: Colorado High School Girls Soccer Player Award Corporation

Board president: Kyle Newman

How to donate:

Mr. Colorado Basketball

Sport: Boys Basketball

Founded: 1993

Most recent winner: Eric Fiedler, Regis Jesuit

Winner gets: Feature story

Associated nonprofit: None, but a possibility for the future

Board president: N/A

How to donate: Email knewman@denverpost.com

Ms. Colorado Basketball

����ǰ���:��Girls basketball

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Most recent winner: Brihanna Crittendon, Riverdale Ridge

Winner gets: Feature story

Associated nonprofit: None, but a possibility for the future

Board president: N/A

How to donate: Email knewman@denverpost.com

Robinson and Celena Miller were hoopers at the University of Denver at the time, and one day on the walk to the arena to prepare for a game, Miller broke out in song.

“The first time I really heard her sing, I was speechless and I was stunned,” Robinson recalled. “It was a situation where we were walking along, and she thought she could drop a couple notes and it wasn’t going to be a big deal. But I stopped in my tracks and was like, ‘Wait, what? You can ���𲹱�������sing.’

“‘So don’t stop. You need to run that back, Celena. Like, you need to sing to me all the time. And right now, I need a few more bars out of you. Go ahead and sing that song and absolutely jam it.'”

Fast forward nearly two decades, and Miller is still chasing the confluence of two dreams.

The Denver East girls hoops coach was named the 2026 Women’s Basketball Coaches Association’s on March 26 at the NCAA Final Four in Phoenix. And while the Hinkley High School alum has been a critical part of Angels head coach Carl Mattei’s staff as the program returned to relevance with consecutive Denver Coliseum appearances, Miller keeps belting out notes that are impossible to ignore.

Under her stage name Lady Los, Miller is one of the top R&B singers in Colorado. Her smooth, soulful voice earned her . She’s performed all around the city, including as an opener for Grammy Award-winning artists Common and Durand Bernarr, and has sang at out-of-state festivals.

Mattei lauded Miller, who coaches the Angels’ C-team and works with the varsity guards, as a unicorn at the intersection of sports and music.

“She’s able to prioritize both basketball and singing/songwriting, and prioritize her time to where she can have extreme success at both,” Mattei said. “She’s a rarity in that sense. She has these dual passions she pursues with equal force.

“When she told me she opened for Common, I’m like, ‘OK, what can’t you do?’ And then she just starts giggling. I’m like, ‘OK, whatever Celena, see you at practice.’ Just imagine me opening for Whitney Houston, and how absurd that would be.”

Finding harmony in dual pursuits

Miller, who originally got to know Mattei by playing for his Mile Hi Magic club, grew up in a musically inclined household. She and her family would sing at church, on the way to games, and harmonize together in the living room.

As a player, Miller was a “tough, greedy kind of a guard in terms of her competitive demeanor and a take-no-prisoners kind of mentality,” explained CU assistant coach , who was Miller’s point guard coach at DU.

Miller translated that fierceness from her game into her coaching, noting that “nothing matters more to me than being able to empower young women through basketball and give them something that they can invest in themselves for their entire life, much like how this game helped fuel my journey through my music career.”

“I hope people can see what the girls on our team are doing — how they’re growing, improving, and succeeding — and I hope it makes them want to come play at East (and not open enroll elsewhere),” Miller added. “I hope they know they’re going to have the best preparation for playing at the next level and they don’t have to leave the city to do that.”

Miller started her coaching career as an assistant at Kent Denver, where she also taught PE. It was during that time that she realized she was in danger of leaving her music dream in the dust. She was a singer in multiple bands, but wasn’t pursuing music full-time.

“The kids were asking me about how I was going after my goals in music, and I realized, I couldn’t speak from experience that I didn’t have,” Miller said. “When they asked me about basketball and how to get somewhere they wanted in the game, I had answers, because I had done that.

“But at that time, I was dedicating all my time and focus to my career, which was education and coaching. And I kept asking myself, ‘Would you be more disappointed if you didn’t even try?’ I had coaches who told me, ‘You only regret the things you don’t do.’ And I didn’t want to have that regret.”

So Miller quit her job as a teacher and dove head-first into music. That was right when the pandemic hit, but Miller pressed on anyway despite not being able to tour.

She officially began her solo career as in 2022, and also founded her own record label and fashion line around the same time, Lady Los Productions. Her upcoming performances are at Equinox Brewing on April 25 as part of, at Two Moons Music Hall on April 30 as part of Freshmode Fest’s , and at Apprentice of Peace Youth Organization on May 1 as part of TheRAPy Sessions.

Robinson says that over the last six years, her favorite part of watching Miller’s full evolution into Lady Los “has been watching her find herself. “

“As a player, Celena always knew the type of player that she was, what she could bring to the game, and she understood where her talent lies,” Robinson said. “It’s the same thing in music. She’s using her craft almost in the same way she did with hoops, to make people feel something.

“For her, the joy of the game is equally tied to the joy of music. She’s finding a way to feel that joy in her life but also when she performs, and people hear her music and the soul that she puts into it, she’s finding a way to give people that joy as well.”

In addition to Miller’s fashion line, the 39-year-old has a day job as a booking agent for a tattoo studio. She’s working on her second studio album while collaborating on singles with various Denver artists and producers and performing with her band, the Moonbeams.

Miller’s ultimate goal is to continue to establish Lady Los, and to sign  for her music to be on shows, movies, and ads. She also wants to be a nationally recognized songwriter.

Amid all that, basketball remains at the forefront, too.

“I want to be able to still be in the gym, coaching basketball, cultivating the next generation of basketball stars and point guards,” Miller said. “I also want to be successful landing some gigs (in the music sphere) so I’m not having to stress about daily income, so that I’m able to invest my time and energy and expertise in the gym at Denver East.

“And so when (the bigger music breakthroughs) come, I hope I’m still there and that we’re still doing this and that we have a state championship under our belt. To be able to accomplish both of those pursuits, that would be the ultimate gift.”

In that moment, the trio of ex-Grandview superstars — Lauren Betts, her younger sister Sienna Betts and UCLA assistant coach Michaela Onyenwere — soaked in the Bruins’ run to the national championship after asserting the potency of Colorado women’s basketball in primetime.

For Lauren, her performance was an exclamation point on a stellar college career that saw her emerge as one of the country’s best players. For Sienna, the season was a prelude to greater things to come. And for Onyenwere, it was a full-circle moment that was easy to believe for those who have tracked the trio since their days dominating high school courts across Colorado.

“Lauren came up to me on the stage and she was like, ‘Michaela, we did it. We won a natty together,’ Onyenwere said.

“Lauren would come to my high school games and she would watch me play, and then both her and Sienna going to the same high school as me, all of us winning (multiple Ms. Colorado Basketball and Gatorade Player of the Year) awards, and now for all three of us to be on that stage accepting the trophy for a Division I national title — it was surreal for us to experience that together.”

An unstoppable force on the court

Lauren had a double-double in the Bruins’ on Sunday, April 5, scoring 14 points with 11 rebounds en route to earning the NCAA Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. Sienna, a consistent contributor off the bench in 2025-26 despite missing the first part of the season due to tallied four rebounds in the first quarter of the title before a badly sprained ankle knocked her out of the game.

And Onyenwere, the UCLA alum and 2021 WNBA Rookie of the Year who is entering her sixth season in the league, proved to be a key addition to as a hands-on assistant who did everything from scouting to player development to scrimmaging against the starters in practice.

“We were teasing (Onyenwere) in the locker room (after winning the title) and she was really emotional,” Close said in the presser after beating South Carolina. “(Associate head coach) coach Tony (Newnan) was like, ‘About time (we won), we just had to get some better players.’ We were just giving her a hard time.

“… I didn’t know that she was going to be such a dang good coach. She’s really good. She’s probably got a long pro career that she’s going to live out first, but this was even better experiencing this with her than I thought.”

While Onyenwere was a driving force outside the court, Lauren became the Bruins’ unstoppable force on it.

Her college career began with a lost year at Stanford, where she struggled to acclimate both as an athlete and an individual. That led to her transfer to UCLA, but even when she arrived in Westwood, she lacked confidence and wondered whether she wanted to keep playing.

Throughout that time, she remained bogged down by a battle with depression. So much so that during her sophomore year, she checked herself into the hospital and took a leave of absence from the team.

In an essay , Lauren called her mental health “an ongoing project.” But after helping lead her team to the title in Phoenix, she also recognized the impact of being open about her struggles.

“Basketball has given me the platform to change people’s lives,” Lauren said . “I was put on this earth not just to score points, but to help people. I’ve gone through my journey because other people have experienced the same thing, and I’m always going to speak my truth, because I know it’s going to help people.”

Now, Lauren is widely projected to be a top pick in the upcoming WNBA Draft.

ESPN’s latest mock has her going to the Washington Mystics. And while she gears up for her professional career, those closest to Sienna believe the younger sister is about to step out of her sister’s spotlight again, much like how Sienna did at Grandview after Lauren headed to college.

“This year wasn’t the role that Sienna anticipated or wanted (averaging 14.1 minutes per game), but she stayed positive, she stuck with it, and when she had the chance to play, she did really well,” said the sisters’ dad, Andy Betts, who played professionally overseas.

“Next year is going to be her coming-out party, and everyone who might’ve forgotten about her, they’ll see. She’s going to be able to show her full game and full potential at this level.”

Putting Colorado on the map

While the senior Lauren was the face of a stacked Bruins team that is likely to set a WNBA record for the most players drafted from one school in one class in league history, Sienna got to share in Lauren’s limelight in their one collegiate season together.

The two appeared together on the  and also starred in  that ran this season, featuring a cameo by their mom, Michelle Betts. The commercial was filmed in the UCLA gym at Pauley Pavilion.

“I’ve done a whole lot of crying with pride this year, because they’ve done so many amazing things together,” Michelle Betts said.

Lauren said Sienna “understood the moment” when the younger Betts checked into the national championship game. The win over South Carolina was a deja vu title moment, albeit on a much bigger stage, as the sisters also won the CHSAA Class 5A crown when Lauren was a senior and Sienna was a freshman.

“For her to get crucial rebounds, go up against really strong (South Carolina) bigs, that’s huge as a freshman. I’m just really proud of her,” Lauren said. She also told the ESPN telecast that Sienna “made this season my favorite season I’ve ever experienced.”

For Onyenwere, who Close recruited to coach this season instead of going to play in Europe, believes her and the Betts’ role in the Bruins’ first national championship was another significant stamp on the girls basketball legacy of a state that has produced top-end Division I players in droves over the past four decades.

“There has been times where Colorado has been deemed not a basketball state and we’ve been overlooked, or not recruited as much as we should have (as a whole),” Onyenwere said. “But this feat, it definitely communicates not to sleep on Colorado women…. I’m just really proud to represent Colorado, represent Grandview, represent this university and do it alongside two other really talented Colorado women.”

Sr. | F | 6-foot-8

Stats: 29.9 points, 10.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.2 steals, Class 6A Sweet 16

The CSU signee and 2026 Mr Colorado Basketball was dominant for the Raiders despite being the sole focus of opposing game plans every single time he stepped on the floor. He shot 47% from the floor and dropped 30-plus points on a dozen occasions.

Sr. | PF | 6-foot-9

Stats: 19.0 points, 10.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.6 blocks, 1.6 steals, Class 5A state champion

The Indiana State commit didn’t play until after winter break after transferring back from a prep school in Oklahoma. He was the driving force behind the Lions’ run to the title, shooting 58% from the field while also locking down the paint on the defensive end.

Sr. | G/F | 6-foot-6

Stats: 24.1 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 2.0 steals, Class 4A state champion

The Air Force commit was the centerpiece of the Sun Devils’ back-to-back titles. He could play every position on the floor, from bringing the ball up to knocking bodies in the paint. He was capable of taking over the game in the half-court and in transition.

Jr. | G | 6-foot-2

Stats: 19.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.1 steals, Class 6A Final Four

The uncommitted Wolverines star helped Chaparral to the Continental League title and another Denver Coliseum appearance. Perhaps the best pure scorer in the state, Williams shot 42% from 3 and his run-and-gun style had opposing defenses reeling.

Jr. | G | 6-foot-5

Stats: 19.0 points, 9.2 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.9 steals, Class 6A Final Four

The CSU commit was the other half of the Wolverines’ dynamic duo alongside Williams. He was named the MaxPreps Colorado Player of the Year after consistently stuffing the stat sheet, affecting the game in every way while also playing dynamic defense.

Sr. | SG | 6-foot-3

Stats: 19.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.7 steals, Class 6A state finalist

The Black Hills State commit was critical in leading the Mustangs to their first title game appearance in 23 years, along with senior forward Zeke Andrews. Braketa shot 44% from 3-point range, with 103 long-range makes, leading Colorado’s biggest classifications.

Soph. | PG/F | 6-foot-5

Stats: 18.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.1 blocks, 2.3 steals, Class 6A Final Four

The uncommitted hooper switched from forward as a freshman to point guard this season, a reflection of his ability to do it all. He was part of Rangeview’s three-headed monster, along with Archie Weatherspoon V and Aidan Perez; he dominated the paint.

Jr. | F | 6-foot-6

Stats: 18.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.1 steals, Class 6A state champion

The uncommitted rising star was the most heralded player on the Jaguars’ first title team. His play, along with teammates Kai Valentine, Cooper Ellwood and Davis May, propelled Rock Canyon to Coliseum upsets in the Final Four and championship game.

Coach Kent Grams, Rock Canyon

Record: 25-3, Continental League runner-up, Class 6A state champion

In his 14th year helming the Jaguars, Grams’ squads had been consistent Coliseum contenders, but could never quite break through to the trophy. That changed this year as his balanced team took on the identity of its relentlessly competitive coach.

Honorable Mention

Zeke Andrews, Sr. F, Ralston Valley; Noah Adkins, Soph. G, Denver East; Oliver Junker, Sr. F, Mountain Vista; Archie Weatherspoon V, Jr. G, Rangeview; Aidan Perez, Sr. G, Rangeview; Preston Brunton, Sr. F, Mountain Range; Cooper Ellwood, Jr. G, Rock Canyon; Kai Valentine, Sr. F, Rock Canyon; Madden Smiley, Sr. PG, Windsor; Noah Sokolowski, Jr. F, Horizon; Keegen Balistreri, Sr. G, Arvada West; Jordan Dotson, Jr. PG, George Washington; Cash Boykin, Sr. F, Columbine; Drew Paine, Sr. F, ThunderRidge; Luke Schmeeckle, Sr. G, Silver Creek; Jonas Miller, Sr. G, Lewis-Palmer; Judah Michael, Sr. G, Northfield. ]]> 7463125 2026-03-29T06:00:55+00:00 2026-03-30T15:07:30+00:00 /2026/03/29/kent-grams-all-colorado-coach-of-year/ Sun, 29 Mar 2026 12:00:42 +0000 /?p=7464025 Rock Canyon’s championship run was punctuated by two declarations of confidence that came nearly a quarter-century apart.

Back in 2002, Jaguars boys basketball head coach Kent Grams was a centerpiece on ThunderRidge’s first title team. When one of Wheat Ridge’s stars went on a scoring binge in the championship game, Grams told ThunderRidge head coach Joe Ortiz at halftime that he would “shut him down.”

Grams delivered, holding Wheat Ridge’s Tony Bolling scoreless in the second half. Fast forward 24 years, and Grams’ star player delivered a similar proclamation to him. “We got this,” All-Colorado forward Jacob David asserted during a fourth-quarter timeout when the Jaguars were down one point — en route to a Class 6A championship victory over Ralston Valley.

The win gave Rock Canyon its first title, and earned Grams the nod as the 2026 All-Colorado boys hoops Coach of the Year.

“Kent played with pure passion in everything that we did, and that fueled us to move forward in the state tournament in 2002,” Ortiz recalled. “He was the leader and the key to our team. (Another coach) sent me a note during the season saying, ‘You’ll go as far as that guy takes you.’

“He was tough and fearless and willing to do whatever it took to win. That’s how you have to play at times, and that’s what Rock Canyon did this year. Some people were saying Rock Canyon was the least talented team in the Class 6A Final Four. But all his players are like him. They took on his personality and drive and belief in each other.”

‘Anything to win’

In Grams’ 14th year at Rock Canyon, his Jaguars finally broke through after coming up empty in seven previous trips to the Great 8 and two previous appearances in the Final Four.

Rock Canyon lacked the star power of the other teams at the Denver Coliseum, but like the ’02 ThunderRidge team — which didn’t have a single all-state or first-team all-league player, and won games with defensive gusto — the Jaguars triumphed in all three Coliseum games by double-digits thanks to their complete team makeup.

“It was sometimes a bloodbath in practice when I would have to separate kids because it got so intense,” Grams said with a laugh. “And that was who I was in high school. I remember Ortiz kicking me out of practice many times. But that’s who we were. We were gritty. We would do anything to win. That’s how this Rock Canyon team was. ”

The Jaguars were just and lost their leading scorer to graduation. But something clicked this winter, when Rock Canyon (25-3) lost just one in-state game, a 54-50 road setback to Chaparral on Jan. 23 in a showdown that ultimately decided the Continental League championship.

“Losing that one actually helped us, because it made us come together as a team,” David said. “We were thinking we were all this, we were all that — but it brought us back to where our heads were level, and right.”

Rock Canyon avenged that loss in the Final Four, beating the Wolverines 75-60 before going on to topple Ralston Valley the next day, 68-58. The Jaguars were led by the 6-foot-6 David, but senior guard Davis May, junior guard Cooper Ellwood and senior forward Kai Valentine also played critical roles.

“I didn’t agree with us being the darkhorse, but that was the color commentary that I heard on the (game broadcasts),” Grams said.

In the end, Grams got the payoff he’s been working his life towards, in a game he almost veered away from a couple of times, only for the hardcourt to draw him back in.

Ahead of his senior year at ThunderRidge, Grams was going to quit basketball and go out for the wrestling team instead. Until Ortiz caught wind of it.

“He found me in the hallway and got after me,” Grams said. “There were words that can’t be repeated. I had bought wrestling shoes and he took them out my hands and said, ‘You’re not doing that.’ So that stopped my wrestling career before it even started.”

After graduation, Grams went to Fort Lewis to play football as a safety, but missed basketball so much that he eventually became a preferred walk-on with the Skyhawks’ basketball team. He played both sports for one year and eventually quit football to focus full-time on basketball in Durango.

Post-college, Grams remained in the game as an assistant coach for Ortiz, coaching the Grizzlies’ freshman and sophomore teams over a seven-year stint. Ortiz said he hoped Grams would take over the ThunderRidge program when Ortiz retired, but the timing didn’t work out.

As it turned out, it was a great under-the-radar hire in 2012 by Rock Canyon, which quickly evolved into a hoops heavyweight under Grams’ leadership. The Jaguars got an apple that didn’t fall far from the Ortiz coaching tree. David describes the tough-love yet also humorous Grams as “an aggressive coach who loves players who hustle, who loves defense and scrappy teams that can win games.”

“He’s going to tell it to you straight, he’s going to be honest and direct,” Ortiz said of Grams’ coaching style. “And sometimes it’s going to be harsh, and sometimes it’s going to be how much he loves you. But he loves his players. I know his players love him.”

The then-6-foot-5 freshman wanted to play Division I basketball, but at 260 pounds, he lacked the stamina and the skill to make that happen. He had gotten a few minutes a game on the Regis Jesuit varsity that season, but just like on his club teams all throughout middle school, Fiedler didn’t stand out except for his height.

So decided to put in the work necessary to change his trajectory. Strict dieting, including intermittent fasting. Wake-up calls at 5:30 a.m. all summer and into the school year to hit the weight room and the court. Sprints, jogging, and incline walking on the treadmill every morning.

The Denver Post����ap 2026 All-Colorado boys basketball team

The result of that disciplined effort brought Fiedler more success than that hopeful freshman could've imagined that day in his bed.

It earned the Regis Jesuit star a scholarship to Colorado State, led him to finish as the Raiders' all-time scoring leader, and then came the awards: CHSAA Class 6A Player of the Year. And now, The Denver Post's Mr. Colorado Basketball.

"I knew I wasn't going to get to where I wanted to go at 260 pounds," Fiedler said. "I had to switch what I did, what I ate, how I worked out, who I worked out with, the people I surrounded myself with. I had to change my whole life around. And to see the payoff over the last couple years has been the most rewarding thing."

Sophomore jump

Fiedler was down to 235 pounds as a sophomore, and then cut to 195 pounds as a junior. As his frame stretched to 6-foot-6 and he added muscle, he played this season at about 210 pounds, turning in a dominant campaign from start to finish.

The senior averaged a double-double this season with capping a sensational high school career that started to take flight in his sophomore season. Early in that year, Fiedler posted a 34-point, 10-rebound effort in a win against Mullen that foretold the type of player he could be without all the extra weight.

Fiedler surprised himself with that performance and eventually quit baseball to focus on basketball full-time.

"That was my first 30-piece in my life, and at that point, I was blown away because I never thought I could do that," Fielder said. "After that game, I just kind of thought, 'I can really do something with this.'"

And the omens kept coming.

As a junior, the forward dropped 37 points in at the Denver Coliseum. And as a senior, his double-double in a win over ThunderRidge (career-high 46 points with 11 rebounds) underscored what Division I coaches saw in the player who also had offers from CU, Stanford, and Kansas State, among others.

"Eric carried us down the stretch of that Rangeview game," former Regis Jesuit head coach Ken Shaw said. "And when we played at ThunderRidge this year, a stellar program for a long time, he kept making big plays, and big shots, just when it looked like (the Grizzlies) were going to get back into it. He is the type of player who is impossible to stop when he's locked in."

Easy points

Fellow Regis Jesuit senior Joe Haubert, who witnessed Fielder's transformation from pudgy freshman to program all-timer, noted that sometimes, opposing defenses underestimated the forward at the beginning of games. That didn't last long, as Fielder often saw double-teams, triple-teams and junk defenses that became standard by the latter stretch of the season.

"I think some defenses were almost like, 'Can he really be that good? Let's just have one guy guard him,'" Haubert said with a laugh. "And then when he has the first, say, 12 points for us, the other coach would be like, 'OK, we probably need to double him now.'"

Regis Jesuit lost to eventual state runner-up Ralston Valley in the this season, as the Raiders didn't have the firepower around Fiedler to have the type of success they were aiming for. But it is safe to say the Raiders wouldn't have gone 15-10 and 7-3 in the league without their superstar carrying them.

Fiedler, who was the co-Continental League Player of the Year along with Chaparral's All-Colorado junior guard Luke Howery, had his scoring binges fueled by his ability to draw fouls. He shot 76% from the stripe, averaging 8.2 points per game from there, and with 196 free-throw points.

ThunderRidge head coach Joe Ortiz called Fiedler "the best high school player I've seen in several years."

"He beats you off the dribble, he can shoot mid-range, but really his biggest strength is that he'll just overpower you," Ortiz said. "He shares the ball well when he needs to. Regis would isolate him, and he'd find open shooters or he'll beat you two-on-one, too. He's a unique scorer... And when he gets to the free-throw line, that's just easy points."

Ortiz believes Fiedler has a chance to play early at CSU because he has "the whole package of skills."

"He's like a post body, playing a guard game," Ortiz said. "CSU is getting a steal with him."

Sr. | G/F | 6-foot-3

Stats: 28.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.2 blocks, 3.2 steals, Class 6A Great Eight

The blue-chip Texas signee led the state in scoring in the final chapter of a historic career. She finished as with 3,073 points; the McDonald’s All-American could play any position and is a two-time Ms. Colorado Basketball.

Sr. | SG | 5-foot-11

Stats: 17.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.9 steals, Class 6A Final Four

The Wichita State commit has been the centerpiece of the Cougars’ rise to prominence over the past few seasons. A multiple-level scorer who could take over a game at a moment’s notice, Broadus’ leadership was also key for Cherokee Trail’s prominent freshmen.

Sr. | PG | 5-foot-11

Stats: 25.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 4.4 steals, Class 5A Great Eight

Asp could do it all for the Kadets, consistently stuffing the stat sheet as she did as an underclassman at Colorado Springs Christian. A shutdown defender, too. She was committed to Boston College, but reopened her recruitment earlier this week.

Sr. | G/F | 6-foot-2

Stats: 27.7 points, 11.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 2.0 steals, Class 5A Sweet 16

The CSU signee was second in the state in scoring to Crittendon and has been a four-year force for the Roughriders, a run that included two state titles. Dominant in the paint while averaging a double-double, Hollier was also a threat from beyond the arc.

Soph. | F | 6-foot-4

Stats: 17.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 4.2 blocks, 3.0 steals, Class 6A Sweet 16

She’s uncommitted, but not for long. Colorado’s next phenom and the early frontrunner for 2027 Ms. Colorado Basketball, Gilpatrick already has a stack of offers from Division I powers. She won gold last summer with the USA Basketball U16 team.

Sr. | SG | 5-foot-11

Stats: 23.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.0 blocks, 3.5 steals, Class 6A Great Eight

The Utah commit has been unstoppable the last three seasons for the Eagles. Jones is an elite defender who can score through doubles and junk defenses, and is lethal from 3, shooting 41% from distance in her career. Lengthy, athletic, smart baller.

Soph. | PG/SG | 5-foot-8

Stats: 17.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.5 steals, Class 6A state champion

The centerpiece of a young Falcons squad that ran the table to the title in a classification defined by parity, Banks-Thomas was equal parts dynamic scorer and flashy facilitator. The upside of being a pillar in more titles as the Falcons move to 5A is high.

Sr. | F | 6-foot-3

Stats: 16.4 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.1 blocks, 1.8 steals, Class 6A Final 4

The San Diego State commit led the Angels to their first Final Four in 16 years, and her leadership and play also accelerated the progression of Serbian sophomore Mia Avramovic. She consistently dominated the paint and boards and shot 57% from 3-point range.

Coach Caryn Jarocki, Highlands Ranch

Record: 25-3, Continental League champion, Class 6A state champion

The 30th-year Falcons boss and Colorado’s all-time winningest girls coach won her eighth title, but first since 2011. This season was probably her best coaching job yet — the Falcons were young and inexperienced, but Jarocki got the most out of their talent.

Honorable Mention

Delaney Dennis, Jr. F, Northfield; London Taylor, Jr. G, Northfield; Jojo Martin, Fr. G, Standley Lake; Grace Worsley, Jr. F, Windsor; Jayda Rogers, Soph. G, Highlands Ranch; Courtlynn Yaussi, Jr. PG, Loveland; Lauren Thompson, Sr. G, Chaparral; Kennedy Spellman, Sr. G, Eaglecrest; Kiarra Spellman, Jr. G, Eaglecrest; Makenzie Jones, Jr. G, Mullen; Addie Evans, Jr. G, Green Mountain; Austin Duncan, Sr. F, Kent Denver; Berkeley Schenider, Sr. G, Lutheran; Jaya White, Jr. G, Arapahoe; Grace Hall, Jr. G, Denver East; Kantyn Pearson, Sr. G, Green Mountain; Mayce Oberg, Sr. F, Montrose; Izzy Johnston, Sr. G, Arapahoe; Chloe Parker, Sr. G, Riverdale Ridge.

Caryn Jarocki, the architect of the Falcons’ girls basketball dynasty that ripped off seven state titles in the first dozen seasons of this century, hadn’t been to the pinnacle

So in the fall, Jarocki assigned her team some reading: “What It Takes to Win Championships” by Jeff Janssen. Once a week at the start of the Falcons’ open gym, players would sit in a circle on the floor to discuss the book and its relevance to Highlands Ranch’s goals for this winter.

“The book talks about how unselfish you have to be to win a championship, and how you have to be a servant leader and look out for the people on the team, not just yourself,” Jarocki said.

“It’s really kind of an interactive book because there’s questions at the end of every chapter that make them reflect upon themselves and their teammates. The cool thing was that they were really honest with each other about themselves and about their teammates, and they were really good at discussing it.”

The book was a launchpad for the Falcons’ season, which culminated in a Class 6A championship victory over Northfield, earning Jarocki the title of All-Colorado girls’ hoops Coach of the Year.

It was Jarocki’s youngest title team, considering the Falcons had just one major senior contributor in Kniyah Dumas. Highlands Ranch saw four freshmen play significant minutes. Its leading scorer was All-Colorado sophomore guard Kimora Banks-Thomas, and its two main veterans, besides Dumas, were junior twin sisters Addie and Katie Moon.

Getting young Falcons to soar

Jarocki molded that talent and got it to gel at the perfect time with decisive wins over Arapahoe in the Great 8 and Denver East in the Final 4 before beating Northfield 54-51 in a back-and-forth championship. That victory left Highlands Ranch as the last team standing in a parity-laden 6A field with as many as 10 teams that could make a run at the title when the playoffs started. The Falcons ended up winning it as the No. 7 seed.

“At the end of the day, our freshmen didn’t see themselves as freshmen,” Banks-Thomas said. “They saw themselves as contenders, and that’s a credit to Coach J continuing to tell us, ‘Even though you’re young, you can do this. You can win the title.’

“She kept instilling that in us and didn’t stop until we were all dousing each other with water in the locker room (after the championship).”

Kniyah Dumas and freshman Na’Ziah Newbins split the point guard duties this season. Freshman guard Kaze Dumas, as well as freshman forwards Kennedi Toliver and Kylah Murdock, also played important roles. Fittingly, for a team that had to grow up as  it went, it was Newbins who sank two free throws in the waning seconds of the championship to clinch the trophy.

Prior to Newbins stepping to the line, Jarocki pulled Kniyah Dumas aside and told her to pump up her fellow point guard.

“Coach J told me to go over to Newbins and (breathe some) confidence into her,” Kniyah Dumas said. “Basically, calm her down, make sure she wasn’t worried about the crowd. I told her to knock them down and that this was the moment she’s been waiting for all season. It worked, and I think Coach J knew that message would be more effective coming from a fellow player, and not her.”

The Falcons also overcame key injuries en route to the crown. That included being without sophomore guard Jayda Rogers (ankle) and Addie Moon (knee) for about the first month of the season. Then Katie Moon injured her knee late in the regular season but returned in the playoffs and contributed 15 points off the bench in the championship game.

Katie Moon had played just nine combined minutes across the Great 8 and Final 4, but a side chat with Jarocki following those games enabled the junior to finally find her rhythm when the Falcons needed it most.

“(Katie) was forcing things offensively and making a ton of mistakes, so her and I talked after (the Great 8) about that,” Jarocki. “She recognized she was forcing things. I told her to just let the game come to her.

“She had been out for weeks with her injury and she just wanted to be where she was when she left, which was in a great place. But after we talked, she figured it out. And she had a whale of a game in the championship.”

A softer side of Coach J

While Jarocki was pressing all the right buttons, the Falcons coming into their own before her 64-year-old eyes unveiled a different side of the seasoned, usually serious coach. That was evident when she came into the Highlands Ranch locker room following the team’s Great 8 victory.

“We had the Final 4 plaque in the middle and we were all sitting around it, chanting, ‘Final 4! Final 4!’ and Coach J walked in and started chanting it with us,” Banks-Thomas said. “That was a family moment for this team, because we definitely tapped into a side of Coach J that I’ve never seen before. We tapped into her happy side. We saw so many smiles.”

And tears, too, which was a first for Kniyah Dumas.

“She actually cried when she talked to me and another senior after the championship,” Kniyah Dumas said. “It was sort of a medium cry, but still — I thought was pretty awesome because everybody could see that sometimes she could be pretty tough, but it showed her vulnerability and how she really cared for everyone like we knew all along.”

If the dominance by the Continental League champs this season is any indication, there’s probably more smiles and happy tears in Jarocki’s immediate future.

Because of Highlands Ranch’s ongoing, dwindling enrollment affecting program numbers — the Falcons had only 19 total players this year and no JV team — the Falcons are moving down to Class 5A for the next cycle.

The returners are disappointed about it, even though they’ve known about it for a couple of years now. Jarocki maintains it’s “the appropriate move for us.” With every primary contributor minus Kniyah Dumas coming back, the Falcons are the immediate heavy 5A championship favorite in 2026-27.

Entering her fourth decade as the Falcons’ boss — and with 10 championship games, 19 Final Fours and 27 Great Eights on her blue-and-white resume — Jarocki’s trophy case probably isn’t complete quite yet.

“Our mentality going into next year is just the only person in the way of another championship is ourselves,” Banks-Thomas said. “And I don’t think Coach J is going to let ourselves get in the way.”

Next stop, nationwide.

capped her historic prep career this year, breaking the CHSAA scoring record while leading the Ravens to a fourth straight Denver Coliseum appearance.

For her supremacy — the Texas-bound guard/forward led the state with 28.5 points per game while also averaging 6.7 rebounds, 3.2 steals, 2.4 assists and 1.2 blocks — she swept every top honor. She won the state Gatorade Player of the Year, MaxPreps state Player of the Year, the CHSAA Class 6A Player of the Year and, for the second time, The Denver Post’s Ms. Colorado Basketball.

The Denver Post����ap 2026 All-Colorado girls basketball team

The 6-foot-3 hooper now takes her generational talents to the national stage over the next month. First, the in Arizona. Then, the in Oregon, where she'll make her debut. And finally, the Jordan Brand Classic in Los Angeles, another high school senior all-star game.

"I'm definitely super excited for this (all-star game tour)," Crittendon said. "These are games you see online when you're a kid, and I've wanted to be a part of for a long time. So it's awesome that all my hard work is translating in that aspect, and not just in my own state.

"With these types of games, there's so much talent on the floor and it's hard for the ball to be spread around everywhere. So I'll try to find different ways to affect the game without having the ball in my hand, like getting stops or steals or rebounds on defense and hopefully letting those things translate into points on the other end."

Crittendon's primetime exhibit actually began before her senior season, when she competed in the SLAM Summer Classic at historic in August. Crowds lined up around the block to get into the high school showcase at the Manhattan streetball mecca. Crittendon scored double-digit points in the game and ended up on

From Harlem, Crittendon traveled straight to Los Angeles for the Nike Academy, a camp for elite high school prospects, and then to the Mamba League Invitational.

A generational record for a generational player

By the time Riverdale Ridge's season began on Dec. 4, Crittendon picked up right where she left off, dropping 30 points in a win over Fossil Ridge.

She broke Tracy Hill's 43-year old scoring record of 2,934 points on Feb. 14, and after the Ravens lost in the Class 6A Great 8, Crittendon finished her career with 3,073 points. Ravens head coach Tim Jones predicts it will be decades before anyone sniffs Crittendon's scoring mark.

"It's a shot in the dark to break it," Jones said. "It's one of those things where you've got to be something different, something generational like Bri is. I don't see it being broken any sooner than another 40-some years."

After committing to Texas on Nov. 19 — choosing the Longhorns over her other finalist, CU — Crittendon had nothing left to prove entering her senior season from an individual standpoint. Yes, she was chasing Hill's record, but she was clearly the de facto best player in the state, and the five-star was also ranked among the in the country.

Crittendon maintained that her focus was on "staying present with my team and enjoying our last year together, and even enjoying the hard moments, while staying excited about the future and continuing to grow."

That's exactly what Jones saw from the versatile, three-level scorer who played every position for the Ravens but profiles as a wing/small forward at the next level.

"She adjusted a lot defensively by guarding different positions, forcing herself to be uncomfortable in spaces, coming to the perimeter and playing smaller, quicker guards," Jones said. "She also became more keen on how defenses were playing her and finding new, different spaces to score. Overall, she became more strategic in her game."

Best on the biggest stages

Amid Crittendon's rise, there was some behind-the-scenes criticism by coaches and basketball pundits around the state about who she was putting up wild scoring numbers against. Riverdale Ridge played her freshman and sophomore seasons in Class 4A, winning the title there in 2024, before moving up to Class 6A for her junior and senior seasons.

Even after jumping two classifications, the Ravens ran roughshod over their Rocky Mountain League opponents. Over the past two seasons, Riverdale Ridge was 24-0 in league, with a 70.5-point average margin of victory. But Jones points out that Crittendon usually played half the game or less in those blowouts, and that when Riverdale Ridge played marquee opponents in its non-conference schedule or in the state tournament, her scoring didn't dip.

As a case-in-point this season, Jones cited Riverdale Ridge's game against Ontario Christian, the California powerhouse filled with blue-chip recruits, which won the CIF open division state championship before finishing Crittendon scored 31 points against Ontario Christian despite facing consistent double-teams by fellow Power 4 recruits.

"Look at all the biggest matchups she's had, and she excelled," Jones said. "We've played the best of what Colorado had to offer the past few years, even in scrimmages. We played nationally-ranked teams out of state. She's produced on the biggest stages. She did it with her club, averaging over 30 points a game in one of the toughest circuits (the Select 40) in the country.

"So we can't keep saying (her scoring averages) are because of the league or classification she played in."

Ex-Regis Jesuit star , another two-time Ms. Colorado Basketball who went to Texas, agrees.

Akigbogun, who is currently an assistant coach at Denver East, calls Crittendon a "remarkable" scorer who "can consistently make something out of nothing."

"I think people are foolish if they say that there could be an asterisk next to that record because to score 3,000 points, you have to score the ball," Akigbogun said. "It doesn't matter who you're playing against — to be able to score at that high of a level in every single game, it's hard to do."

Amid all her success and accolades, Crittendon's teammate Chloe Parker noted that No. 3 remained level-headed and coachable.

"She set the bar high for our school and for Colorado girls basketball going forward," said Parker, an Air Force pledge. "She's consistent. She's never going to be super high or super low — whether she just broke the scoring record, or we lost at the Coliseum, it was the same Bri every single day."

Akigbogun says that no matter what the future holds for Crittendon — Texas coach Vic Schaefer said he believes she can be an All-SEC player, while Crittendon's ultimate ambition remains the WNBA — the Riverdale Ridge superstar's legacy is cemented in Colorado high school girls basketball lore.

"She's going to continue to strive to do great things, and it's good to look at different seasons of your life with separation," Akigbogun said. "What you've done in high school is different than what you'll do in college.

"But no matter what she does or doesn't do, it doesn't take away from what she's done now. What she's done in this state at this level in her four years is going to be forever remarkable, regardless of what happens later on. Anybody that's going to be watching high school basketball, her name is always going to come up in those circles when talking about the great players Colorado has produced."

The talent, of course, already existed for a team that went 21-4 during the 2024-25 season and earned the No. 1 seed for the state tournament. Its ride came to an abrupt end when eventual state runner-up Green Mountain snubbed it in the second round.

On Saturday night at the Denver Coliseum, with the 10th-seeded Lions boys a year older, wiser and under new leadership, they ascended all the way to the top of Class 5A when they defeated No. 13 Silver Creek 64-30.

All it took was a little belief in themselves.

“I just wanted to cultivate a spirit of structure as well as freedom, so they could be themselves,” Adams said. “The way that I kind of tried to build the structure was really to just put them in basketball positions as non-negotiables to create space — and then a couple of cuts here and there that puts everybody on the same page.

“If we get the ball in this spot, I know that this guy’s going to cut. If we drive baseline, I know that this guy will be here. This guy will be there. And then (I said), ‘Hey man, go out and be yourselves. All of you bring something very unique.’ We have some very athletic guys, some guys that can shoot the ball, some guys that can rebound the ball.”

After a tight first quarter, the Lions began to put some distance between themselves and the Raptors when they flipped a 9-7 deficit into a 26-11 advantage at the break. Evan Makkai and Kaden Tisdall, in particular, lit it up through that 5-minute, 22-second stretch to close out the half, scoring 8 and 6 points, respectively.

The Lions gave no quarter from then on out.

Kade Speckman, Lutheran’s 6–foot-9 senior power forward, used his size to punish the Raptors, pouring in 13 points and not one, but two alley oops that Makkai dished out.

It was Makkai, however, who paced the Lions with 17 points. Tisdall was just behind him with 16.

“It feels great,” Makkai said. “I’ve been waiting for a good game for myself. I step up in the big moments. That’s what I try to do. I think everybody really just wanted to play to the best of their God-given ability for (Adams) because we all respected him so much.”

Adams’ system, he said, didn’t start to click until a little over a month ago, when he realized he didn’t have to instruct his players nearly as much in practices. Once he was able to take a step back from yelling so much on the sidelines, the results began to speak for themselves.

Since Feb. 6, the Lions have been on a tear, winning nine straight games, including Saturday night����ap crowning achievement. They finished with a 20-8 record, and Adams handed a lot of the credit to his graduating class.

“Our seniors got full on board with it — guys like Logan Clarkson, who has become a defensive menace as well,” he said. “He’s the positive force of the team. He’s a great shooter, great defender, and he leads with positivity and energy. You have Kade (Speckman), who is a vocal leader, and then Evan Makkai, who just dominates the ball on both ends of the floor. He’s a defensive menace. His ability to put the ball on the floor and get to the hole is impressive.

That package will now go down in history as the fifth team in Lutheran history to claim a state title and the first 5A win. The Lions won their last banner in 2021 as a 3A program.

“Me and Kade went to the Final Four two years ago and we lost,” Makkai said. “This has just been our revenge arc. We didn’t get a high seed or nothing. We just wanted it.”