Winter sports season getting started

Winter sports season getting started

Nov. 11, 2000

BY JIM THOMAS
Journal Sports Editor

Just as one season gets over with another gets ready to start.

The prep fall sports season is winding down with this weekend’s Class 4A Volleyball State Championships in Denver. Montezuma-Cortez High School is competing there. Football, boys soccer, boys and girls cross-country, boys tennis, and boys golf are all over for area teams.

And now it’s time for the winter sports season to get started. The first day of official practices sanctioned by the Colorado High School Activities Association is Monday, Nov. 13.

MCHS will compete in boys basketball, girls basketball, wrestling, and girls swimming. Dolores, Dolores County and Mancos will compete in boys basketball, girls basketball, and wrestling.

There is a new coach at MCHS for the coming winter sports season. Stan Yake takes over as head coach for the girls basketball program. He succeeds Phil Baca whose contract was not renewed last May.

Otherwise at MCHS, Wade Mortensen will guide the boys hoopsters, Mike Allison will lead the matmen, and Mark Knox will coach the girl tanksters. Mortensen is starting his 12th campaign, Allison his seventh, and Knox his fourth (with a year’s hiatus).

Allison coached his son Cole to an undefeated season and an individual state title a year ago and the younger Allison is back for another his senior season.

Mortensen has been through two rebuilding seasons after leading the Panthers to the State Class 4A Tournament two straight years prior to that.

The Panthers, with many returning starters this season, should be poised to make a possible run at the State Tournament.

Kevin Dimmick is returning for another season as head girls basketball coach at Mancos. Gary Hill is the mentor for the boys basketball team and Travis Bryant is the head wrestling coach. Dimmick is starting his fifth, Bryant his fourth, and Hill is the dean at 20.

A year ago, MHS girls finished second in the District III Tournament to advance to Regionals. In the short time the program has been around, Bryant has taken the Blue Jays into prominence.

At Dolores, Todd Wynne is back for his second season as the head boys basketball coach. Bill Kralicek is starting his second season in guiding the fortunes of the grapplers. Rob Mellott begins his first. Mellott was elevated from assistant to the head job when Greg Buffington surprised everyone with his resignation last spring. Mellott inherits the remains (after many seniors graduated) of a team that finished fourth at the Class 2A State Basketball Tournament.

There was almost a new head boys basketball coach when Scott Crawford announced at the end of May he was leaving. However, at the last minute Crawford decided to stay on. Crawford coached the volleyball team this past fall. However, there is a new girls basketball coach. Crawford performed a near miracle in guiding the Bulldogs to a second-place finish in the San Juan Basin League and District III Tournament and a berth in Regionals in Grand Junction.

Kim Young, who was an assistant last year, was given an opportunity to guide the team after Jim Buffington announced his retirement from coaching. Shane Baughman begins his fifth season as head wrestling coach. Baughman is looking for another top 10 finish in the team standings again this year.