Area prep teams get ready to start 2001 part of season

Area prep teams get ready to start 2001 part of season

Jan. 4, 2001

BY JIM THOMAS
Journal Sports Editor

THE 2001 PORTION of the prep basketball season is about to get under way. Kerri Morgan (30) of the Mancos High School varsity girls basketball comes down the court against Durango JVs during action at the annual Blue Jay Classic just before the holidays. Teams had off from Dec. 25-Jan.1. Mancos will resume play by this Friday by hosting Ignacio in a non-conference game beginning at 5:30 p.m. in the Mancos Performance Center.

It is time for the prep athletes to resume their season.

After taking a mandatory break from organized practices with a coach around from Dec. 24-Jan. 2 because of Colorado High School Activities Association regulations, area winter sports teams get ready to start the 2001 portion of the season this weekend.

Most of the action gets under way on Saturday, Jan. 6. The Montezuma-Cortez High School girls swim team will compete Friday, Jan. 5, at the Pueblo Centennial Invitational with a double-dual meet. They will compete in a triangular on Saturday.

The Panther girls are led by Jessica Millican, Tess Haukeness, Amy Greene, Kelsey Green, and Jasmine Showers among others. They have been swimming well and are improving their times, according to coach Mark Knox.

The MCHS boys basketball team is 4-3 overall but coming off a loss at home to a hot-shooting Grand County (Moab, Utah). They will visit Aztec, N.M., on Saturday beginning at 7 p.m. in Lillywhite Gym. The Panthers are led by Marcus Mortensen, Kyle Wilson, and Chris Garland. The MCHS girls are 3-5 overall and coming off a 61-34 defeat by a highly-regarded Shiprock, N.M., team. They will host Farmington High at 7 p.m. Saturday. They are led by Casey Bauer, Andrea Derrick, and Stefanie Allison.

Dolores County varsity boys and girls basketball teams will visit Ignacio for a non-conference clash beginning at 2 p.m. Saturday. The Bulldog boys are 2-5 overall and have not played since winning at Ridgway on Dec. 14. The Bulldog girls are 2-3 but are coming off two straight losses in the Piedra Vista (Farmington) Tournament Dec. 15-16. The boys are led by Keith Pierce and Terence Gardner while the girls are paced by Krystal Neely and Rachel Hightower.

Mancos boys are coming into their own right now. Fresh off winning their own Blue Jay Classic Basketball Tournament, they are 4-2 going into hosting Ignacio on Friday night. The Jays are paced by Jesse Rousset, Clint Hill, and Bill Baker. The boys’ game will be a rubber match of sorts as Ignacio defeated Mancos the first game of the season but MHS got revenge and won during the annual Blue Jay Classic Tournament. The Bobcats beat the MHS girls one time already this year. The MHS girls have a 3-4 mark after losing two of three games during the Blue Jay Classic. They also will host Ignacio Friday night in the Mancos Performance Center. They are led by Kerri Morgan, Katie Paxton, and Amanda Kennedy.

The Dolores girls are undefeated (6-0) at the break. They will not get a chance to get back on the court until the visit Ignacio on Jan. 9. The girls are led by Jennifer Trevillian, Ashley Reed, and Amber Simmons. The DHS boys have the longest wait of all the area sports teams to get the 2000 portion of the schedule under way. They will open San Juan Basin League play by hosting Norwood on Jan. 13. They are 3-4 overall but are showing a lot of improvement and playing well as a team. The Bears are led by Cody Beaver, Waylon Bennett, and Justin Schmitt.

Wrestling at MCHS has been going very well so far. The Panthers won four duals and captured first at the Monument Valley-Wells Fargo Tournament before the holidays. They will compete at the Florence Tournament this Saturday. They are led by Cole Allison, Dan O’Neal, and Tyler Gray.

The Dolores High School wrestling team, led by Derek Thompson, are scheduled to compete at the Pagosa Springs Tournament on Saturday. Dolores, although down in numbers, has been performing well so far and coming off a 10th place showing at the Bloomfield Tournament before the break.

Dolores County, led by Kyle Riddell, will also be at the Pagosa Tournament. The Bulldogs have a young team this year and are continuing to get better.

The Mancos wrestlers get an early look at San Juan Basin League foe Nucla at the Nucla Tournament on Saturday. Mancos placed high as a team in several tournaments before the break. The Jays are led by Phil Wilson, Mike Montoya, and Scott Koppenhafer. The Mustangs and the Jays could battle it out for the SJBL dual title which will be held at the end of this month in Nucla.

The season kicks into high gear next week and the final push will be on to see which team(s) or individuals go into post-season play.