DOLORES HIGH SCHOOL varsity point guard Jennifer Trevillian (10) is seen passing the ball during a San Juan Basin League game from a year ago. The senior is poised to lead the Bears for a run at the Class 2A State Basketball Tournament. The Bears open the 2001-02 season today against North Park in the first round of the three-day Meeker Tournament.

BY JIM THOMAS
Journal Sports Editor

The winter games are here. No, not those Winter Games. Those Olympic Winter Games don’t start until February in Salt Lake City. But the Colorado High School Activities Association’s 2001-02 winter sports season starts today, Nov. 29.

Getting things under way is the Cortez Quad Wrestling Tournament in Ron Wright Memorial Gym at Montezuma-Cortez High School. Action begins at 4 p.m. today with two mats going. The Panthers will host Grand County (Moab, Utah) and Shiprock, N.M., will tangle with San Juan County High (Blanding, Utah).

At about 6 p.m. Cortez takes on San Juan County High and Shiprock will meet Grand County. Around 8 p.m. Cortez will take on Shiprock. Because San Juan County High and Grand County are league mates and will meet later during the season, those schools will not wrestle at this event.

MCHS athletic director Mike Allison said times could be a little off (except for the 4 p.m. start) because one match will go right after the other.

The tournament will mark the debut of Karl McGee as the new Panther head wrestling coach. McGee, who also is varsity head football coach, is succeeding Allison who resigned last year in order to concentrate on his duties as athletic director. McGee will be assisted by Chuck Cotter, who is the current the MCHS head baseball coach. Some of the Panther returnees include Tyler Gray, who finished third at State a year ago, heavyweight State qualifier Elias Lehi, plus Travis Spruell, P.J. James, and Michael LeCompt.

The Dolores High School girls basketball, which advanced all the way to Class AA Western Regionals a year ago under first-year head coach Rob Mellott, will open the season today through Saturday, Dec. 1, participating in the Meeker Tournament. The Bears will take on North Park at 4:45 p.m. today in the first round of the event. This is the first time DHS has competed in that tourney.

Some of the standout players include Sarah Nielson, Jennifer Trevillian, and the three sister pairs of Jennifer and Amanda Cross, Tracy and Joni Everett, and Ashley and McKenzie Reed. Mellott will be assisted by former head coach Greg Buffington.

With basketball starting that can only mean it is time for the Cortez Basketball Invitational in Ron Wright Memorial Gym. Varsity hoop action gets under way at 3 p.m. Friday with Delta take on Pagosa Springs in a girls’ game. Delta will meet Pagosa in a boys game at approximately 4:45. The third game of the tourney features MCHS and Bloomfield, N.M., in a girls’ contest at about 6. The fourth game of the tourney will pit the Panther boys against Monticello, Utah, at 8:15.

The consolation girls’ contest will start at 10 a.m. Saturday. The consolation boys’ game will start about 11:45. The championship girls’ game will begin at 1:30 and the boys will play about 3:15 p.m.

The Panther boys, guided by longtime coach Wade Mortensen, are led by point guard Marcus Mortensen, swingman Jeff Anderson, off-guard Mike Rivas, post Kyle Wilson, and strong forward Layne Frazier. Wilson has already inked a scholarship with Adams State College and Frazier with Western State College.

The Panther girls, led by second-season head coach Stan Yake, are paced by Stefanie Allison, Lindsey Wilson, Sasha Yarbrough, Brittany Whiteman, and Amanda Frazier.

That isn’t the only basketball tournament in the area getting under way on Friday. The annual Bulldog Classic, hosted by Dolores County High School, but will be held this year in the Mancos Performance Center. The tourney begins at 4 p.m. with the first of four games. It starts up again at 3 p.m. Saturday with consolation and championship games in both boys and girls contests.

The DCHS boys, mentored this year by first-year head coach Ty Gray, are led by Keith Pierce and Lyle Joe. The DCHS girls, once again this year under direction of Jim Buffington who came out of retirement, are paced by Shandra Johnson.

Also on Friday, the MCHS girls swimming and diving team will open its campaign at in dual at 4 p.m. at Delta. They Panthers will swim at Montrose beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday against Moffat County, Montrose and Durango. Cortez is paced by Linda Smart, Connie Berger, Tracy Berhost, and Tessa Haukeness.

Mancos High School wrestling team, under the leadership of Travis Bryant, will head to compete at the Bayfield Tournament all day Saturday. The leader of the bunch is senior Scott Koppenhafer who took second place a year ago. Koppenhafer also was state runner-up his sophomore year and placed sixth as freshman. He is signed and sealed to go to Adams State College in Alamosa next fall. Kop will wrestle at 145 pounds this year. Anthony Mestas took fourth at State a year ago. Vince Bazile took sixth place last year. Jakob Tallent was a State qualifier as were Kelly Mitchell, and Kevin Schlemmer.

Dolores County High School wrestling team, guided by Shane Baughman, also will be at the Bayfield Tournament. DCHS has several standout grapplers in state champ Kyle Riddell, and state runner-up Casey Spitzer.

Dolores wrestlers, led by coach Bill Kralicek, are going to compete at the large (12 New Mexico, six Colorado, four Utah, and two Arizona teams) Kirtland-Central Tournament in Kirtland, N.M. all day Saturday.

The Bears are led by heavyweight state champ Derek Thompson, and state qualifiers Casey Garvin, Colter Dunagan, Tyler Hicks, and Shawn Everett.

Dolores boys basketball squad, now under the leadership of Scott Story, will open the 2001-02 season around 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 1, at home against Ignacio. The Bears are led by Garrett Nielson, and Cullen Zion.

The Mancos boys and girls basketball teams will not get their respective seasons started until this Tuesday, Dec. 4, at home against Class 3A Ignacio beginning at 6 p.m. (girls).

The Blue Jays boys, under the guidance of longtime coach Gary Hill, are paced by veteran players in post Travis Clark, forward Kyle Yeomans, swingman and point guard Clint Hill.

MHS girls are led by Rachel Russell, Katie Paxton, and Jolene Thomas.