ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

Sierra senior Kelby Dias capped his school track career by winning three gold medals at the 4A state track meet, earning the 110- and 300-meter hurdles titles for the third straight year and capturing his second straight long jump crown, while leading the Stallions to a second-place finish behind Mullen, 59-57. For his accomplishments, the Colorado State-bound Dias is The Gazette’s Boys Track and Field Athlete of the Year for the second straight year.

 

How does it feel to be a three-time champ in the 110 and 300 hurdles?

Just feels great that all the hard work paid off and I’ve finally just made it, I’m going to college now, doing what I love to do. Just great that it paid off, all the hard work.

Did you ever think you would end up with nine golds at state?

No way, coming in as just a youngster, looking up to my sister (Alyssa, 21), she ran hurdles, (thinking) “when I get to high school I want to run hurdles.” It was the first thing I wanted to do. We had a great coach, coach (Teenan) Anderson. He got me focused and told me if you really do this you could really be great so I bought it and came out with nine of them and three-time state champ.

Are you going to play football and run track at Colorado State?

I’d love to do both. I’m on scholarship for track. (Football) was recruiting me before track even looked at me and I’m real good with the receivers coach there, so he was excited that I was coming.

What college events will you run?

They’re telling me that they’ll work on me with long jump and some 400’s and 110’s (hurdles). They told me they would definitely want me on a relay.

Looking back on your career, what are the things that have most prepared you go to college?

Pretty much my family, my father and my coaches. You have to have your priorities straight. You have to know that school’s first before anything. If you don’t do well in school, then you can’t run track. I love to run track, so of course I’m going to have to do better in school and manage my time well, not worry about all the parties and all that other stuff.

Which was better, winning the state basketball title or taking home three golds?

You know, I just love the team thing, so I’m going to say basketball. It was just great because I grew up playing basketball with them at Panorama (middle school), sixth, seventh, eighth grade. We were all freshmen together and we all stayed together through our senior year and we won state.

What non-sports high school memories will you take with you?

After I won a state championship, but afterward, I see my father and he just grabbed me and how proud he was of me. That had to be one of the best moments to see him and hearing him tell me how proud he was of me. And how proud everyone else was, my teachers and stuff. It was a rough ninth grade year, sophomore year and just to see all of them happy, crying for me that I made it, that too.

What did it mean to have those teachers stand behind you?

It means a lot, just to know that so many people care about you and they’ll never give up on you. You got to do it for them in the end. Just got to give a lot to them. It feels good to have people supporting you. It makes things easy.

 

COACH OF THE YEAR

Rampart’s Randy Barringer surprised many by leading his boys’ track and field squad to second place in the Class 5A state meet behind Littleton 77-37.5. For that, Barringer repeated as The Gazette’s Boys’ Track and Field Coach of the Year.

The Rams lost several top athletes from last year’s third-place team and appeared to have ceded control of the 5A Metro to Fountain-Fort Carson early in the year. At the Metro League championships, the Rams placed fourth behind Doherty, Fountain-Fort Carson and Palmer.

“It was pretty exciting to see us finish ahead of both of (Fountain-Fort Carson and Doherty),” Barringer said. “I have tremendous respect for both schools and their athletes.”

With a new state qualification format with no regional meets, Barringer spent much of the season trying to figure out how to get kids qualified for the state meet and how to train his athletes. He opted to stick with the old program, designed to have runners peak for regionals and state.

The plan worked.

“I don’t think we went into it with the thought of second place, but we wanted to get kids to the finals,” he said.

Barringer credited the athletes with re-energizing him during an otherwise tiring season and seeing them achieve their goals was the highlight for Barringer, who also coached the girls.

FIRST TEAM

Mike Carl, 100 meters

Sr., Miami-Yoder

2A state champion in 100 and 200 led Buffaloes to second in 400 and 800 relays.

Derek McAllister, 200

Sr., Widefield

Best 4A times in 100, 200 and 400 before illness knocked him out of the state meet.

Devin Mohn, 400

Sr., Rampart

The 5A state champ in 400 placed third in the 200 final.

Dusty Solis, 800

Jr., Coronado

Placed fourth at 5A state meet.

Shawn Dubbs, 1,600

Jr., Cripple Creek-Victor

The 2A 1,600 champ placed third in the 3,200 final.

Wes Rickman, 3,200

Sr., Falcon

The Florida State signee was the 4A 3,200 champ and placed third in the 1,600.

Kelby Dias, 110 hurdles

Sr., Sierra

The three-time champ in the 110 and 300 hurdles repeated as the 4A state champ in the long jump.

Ben Hinckfoot

300 hurdles

Jr., The Classical Academy

State 3A titlist in 300 hurdles pushed Titans to first team title.

Maurice Blackledge

Long jump

Sr., Palmer

Terrors’ standout jumped 20 feet, 9¼ inches.

Travvis Scott

High jump

Jr., Coronado

5A high jump champ placed ninth in 400 run at state.

Anthony Cardinale

Triple jump

Sr., Air Academy

Personal best mark of 46 feet, 3 inches good for Kadets’ only title.

Kevin Schwindt

Pole vault

Jr., The Classical Academy

The 3A state champion cleared 13 feet this season.

Jamarius Mathis

Shot put

Jr., Fountain-Fort Carson

Placed third in 5A shot put and fourth in the discus final.

Jaden Terry

Discus

Jr., Doherty

Led area with toss of 160-9 for much of season.

 

relays

400: Lewis-Palmer

800: Rampart

1,600: Fountain-Fort Carson

3,200: The Classical Academy

 

SECOND TEAM

100: Kenny Chambers, Jr., Doherty

200: Phillip DeCoud, Jr., Lewis-Palmer

400: Ryan Marshall, Sr., Colorado Springs Christian School

800: Eric Versaw, Jr., The Classical Academy

1,600: Kevin Johnson, Sr., Falcon

3,200: Steven Stoot, Sr., Fountain Valley

110 hurdles: Brendan Jackson, Sr., Palmer

300 hurdles: Trevor Brown, Jr., Wasson

Long jump: Andrew Hadfield, Sr., St. Mary’s

High jump: Kobi Rex, Jr., Lewis-Palmer

Triple jump: Andrew Schomberg, Sr., Lewis-Palmer

Pole vault: Korey MacGill, Jr., Doherty

Shot put: David Greenstreet, Sr., Woodland Park

Discus: Terrence Thomas, Sr., Sierra

400 relay: Rampart

800 relay: Sierra

1,600 relay: Pine Creek

3,200 relay: Fountain-Fort Carson

 

HONORABLE MENTION

Tyler Thorne, senior, Pikes Peak Christian; Niuler Briotto, senior, Manitou Springs; Christian Fournier, freshman, Discovery Canyon; Dominic Zimmerman, senior, Florence; J.P. Taxman, senior, Cheyenne Mountain; Corey Gordon, senior, Widefield; Paul Browning, junior, Widefield; Peter Perdue, senior, Cheyenne Mountain; Conrad Evans, senior, Rampart; Chris Winstead, senior, Miami-Yoder; Daniel Hoshijo, junior, St. Mary’s; Ed Mason, junior, Sierra; Chris Gaines, senior, Sierra; Nick Bennett, junior, Evangelical Christian Academy; Riziah Dahn, senior, Ellicott; Dan Gieck, senior, Manitou Springs; Kyle Snow, senior, Cañon City; Alan Ford, senior, Mitchell; John Wingo, senior, Harrison; Brandon Parson, sophomore, Fountain-Fort Carson; Nate Brown, senior, Manitou Springs; Nick Brown, senior, Manitou Springs; Grant George, junior, Cheyenne Mountain; Andrew Goodman, sophomore, Palmer; Frank Socha, senior, Fountain-Fort Carson; Sam Feldotto, senior, The Classical Academy; Josh Simkins, sophomore, The Classical Academy; John Metzger, junior, The Classical Academy; Zach Casias, senior, Cheyenne Mountain; Neil Bishop, senior, Liberty; Arnold Clarke, junior, Cripple Creek-Victor; Max Wilding, senior, Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind; Matt Kloenne, sophomore, St. Mary’s; Alex Roeca, sophomore, Discovery Canyon; Andrew Hugill, senior, Coronado; Dwight Kadiurous, senior, Miami-Yoder; Taylor Young, sophomore, Colorado Springs Christian School; Anthony Erps, sophomore, Florence; Kyle Brown, junior, Elbert; Michael Ellsworth, sophomore, Discovery Canyon; Jamil Cooks, senior, Sierra; Sean Driscoll, sophomore, Falcon; Bryce Lane, senior, Falcon; Hunter Warwick, sophomore, Palmer Ridge; Devyn Harris, senior, Fountain-Fort Carson; Brock Emory, senior, Fountain-Fort Carson; Jacob Pennington, junior, Hilltop Baptist; Branden Gunn, senior, Manitou Springs; Reggie Allison, sophomore, Palmer; Kyle Tapia, junior, Cripple Creek-Victor; Damian Henry, senior, Fountain-Fort Carson; Cole McQueeney, junior, Manitou Springs; Evan Sterk, senior, Wasson; Dontre Walker, senior, Sierra; Josh Yates, junior, Doherty; Ethan Browning, sophomore, Cripple Creek-Victor; Cody Johnson, senior, Ellicott; Trevor Crane, senior, The Classical Academy; Kyle Nachbar, sophomore, Discovery Canyon; Clint Schubert, senior, Ellicott; Xavier Newton, senior, Sierra; John Clewe, junior, Lewis-Palmer; D.J. German, senior, Widefield; T.J. Frison, sophomore, Vista Ridge; Mike Ashton, junior, Liberty; Joey Kingston, senior, Rampart; Nicholas Elstad, senior, Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind; T.J. Armstrong, senior, Calhan; Anthony Turner, senior, Harrison; Chris Fenlon, senior, Widefield; Keith Limary, junior, Sierra; Trevor Tuck, senior, Cañon City; Marvin McChriston, senior, Coronado; Kordale Taylor, sophomore, Fountain-Fort Carson; Seth Wilson, junior, Colorado Springs Christian School; Andy Yocum, senior, Colorado Springs Christian School; Joshua Christman, junior, Lewis-Palmer; Tyler Nieves, junior, Rampart; Noah Christenson, senior, Pine Creek; Jeremiah Henderson, senior, Palmer; Alex Ulrich, senior, Ellicott; Paul Rotering, junior, Falcon; Frank Osuji, senior, Fountain-Fort Carson; Stephen Sloan, senior, The Classical Academy; Mark Nelson, sophomore, Colorado Springs Christian School; Trevor Anhder, senior, Pine Creek; Corey Hoffman, senior, Rampart; Matt Becar, freshman, Doherty; Marcus Burge, senior, Fountain-Fort Carson; Jeremy Dole, senior, Miami-Yoder; Jeremiah Talamante, senior, Rampart; Spencer Jarvis, sophomore, Rampart; Johnnie Farquhar, junior, Rampart; Jason Burbach, junior, Rampart; Anthony Duran, junior, Rampart; Brennan Jarvis, junior, Rampart; Michael Downs, senior, Lewis-Palmer; Jason Ciombor, senior, Lewis-Palmer; Levi Patrick, senior, Lewis-Palmer; Boris Berian, sophomore, Widefield; Justin Hansen, senior, Fountain-Fort Carson; Devon McCormick, junior, Fountain-Fort Carson; Conrad Montoya, senior, Fountain-Fort Carson; General Lee, junior, Fountain-Fort Carson; Antonio Goode, sophomore, Fountain-Fort Carson; Adam Nasif, junior, Fountain-Fort Carson; Derrick Parker, senior, Fountain-Fort Carson; DeVaughn Cherry, junior, Fountain-Fort Carson; Jarvis Herrod, senior, Sierra; Liam Bullard, junior, Sierra; Chris Sterling, sophomore, Sierra; Erik Williams, senior, Doherty; Eric Roth, senior, Liberty.

 

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