During the 1986-87 season, Rampart didn’t have that one player who could take over a game and carry his team to victory.

Maybe that’s the reason the Rams boys went undefeated, finishing a perfect season by beating Thompson Valley in the 3A state final to cap a 24-0 campaign.

“I would say that team was probably as good of an example in which the sum is greater than its parts,” said Rams coach Rick Starzecki said. “It means you have a lot of contributions made by a lot of players in a lot of different ways. When you add them all together, it’s more than just five guys. That’s how I’d describe this team.”

-Vote for the 1987 Rampart boys basketball team here-

Its drive to the school’s first state basketball title actually started long before the undefeated season tipped off, but with a season-ending loss to Fruita Monument in the state semifinals the previous March.

And with an experienced group returning, Rampart earned the top spot in a preseason poll.

“I’m not sure that did us any favors,” team captain Kevin Belt said. “Everyone gave us their best game, and we had the poise to handle it. I know everyone likes the story of the underdog, the team that comes out of nowhere. That wasn’t us. We had high expectations coming off a 21-2 season the year before. To think we could do better was incredible, but we did.”

To get to this point in The Gazette’s Reader’s Choice bracket for the greatest high school team the area has ever produced, the Rams had to get past the 1978 state-champion Wasson boys’ basketball team.

That team was coached by Belt’s father, Bob, who later served as Rampart athletic director during the Rams’ historic run.

“I’m not sure who my mom voted for,” Kevin Belt said.

As the years pass since that season, Starzecki appreciates the moment more and realizes the added work made it more special.

“I drove them hard, and I never wanted them to think they got short-changed or had any regrets,” Starzecki said. “I believed in them, and they believed in themselves. That was a fine representation of teamwork. It certainly was an honor to coach them.”