Player of the Year Awards 1A-5A

<p>The Player of the Year awards were just announced today for each class.  Below we take a look at the winners and their success. </p> <p>1A Jayden McCombs-Farmer | Kit Carson </p> <p>Jayden helped lead Kit Carson to a 22-1 record this season, he is a player that has seen major varsity minutes ever since his sophomore season.  This year as a senior he averaged 12.4 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 3.3 APG, 2.1 SPG, he ranked second on the team in terms of scoring and first in rebounds and assists.  In his career he has played in 73 varsity games, scoring 793 points, he is crafty with good instincts and is able to finish in the paint through contact.  He also has a strong mid-range game, pulling up for the jumper off the dribble and does a nice job of finding the soft spot in the defense.  He was named Second Team last year.      </p> <p>2A Tate Bessire | Highland </p> <p>Tate has a lot of experience for Highland, and has been a major contributor since his sophomore season were he averaged 17.4 points per game.  He has upped his level of play every year and is a player that can score from all three levels as well as do the little things to win.  This season he averaged 22.8 PPG, 6.2 APG, 4.9 RPG, 5.1 SPG while shooting 67% from two-point range on the year (160/238).  His 22.8 points per game ranked him second in 2A this year and 14th in the state.  He has scored 1,584 career varsity points for Highland, and is a volume shooter from distance with over two-hundred attempts these last two seasons, shooting 31% on his career.  He is a smooth lefty with a great sense for the game.  He was named First Team last season.  </p> <p>3A [player_tooltip player_id="606413" first="Dominique" last="Clifford"] | Vanguard </p> <p>Dominique helped Vanguard to a 22-3 record this season after averaging 24.5 PPG, 13.3 RPG, 6.0 APG, 3.4 SPG, 2.7 BPG.  He has won just about every award you can during his senior season, being named MaxPreps Player of the Year for Colorado, and Gatorade Athlete of the Year as well.  It will be fun to continue to watch him grow as a player at the next level next year in Boulder.  He ranked second in 3A this year in both scoring and rebounding, fourth in assists, and third in blocks which demonstrates how versatile he is as a player.  His 24.5 points per game ranked him 8th overall in the state, scoring 1,657 career points in his time at Vanguard.  He was named First Team last year.  </p> <p>4A [player_tooltip player_id="605549" first="Javonte" last="Johnson"] | Cheyenne Mountain </p> <p>Johnson had a very impressive senior campaign for Cheyenne Mountain, in which he posted a monster double-double at 30 points and 10.2 rebounds per game.  That is the first 30 point double-double averaged in Colorado according to MaxPreps, he also 3.2 APG and 1.5 SPG to go along with it.  Johnson is an explosive scoring threat, he can take his defender off the dribble with his strong handles, he can take the small defender down to the post when needed and he has a nice jumper as well.  He has been a major varsity contributor ever since his sophomore season and has only continued to improve his skill set and really made his mark felt these last two years.  He is built for the next level with good size at 6'6 and is a strong defensive player as well.  He was named First Team last season.  </p> <p>5A [player_tooltip player_id="915287" first="Luke" last="O’Brien"] | Columbine </p> <p>O'Brien set the school record for points in a season at Columbine with 633 as well as the all time school record for career points with 1,838.  He has had a very decorated career, being named 2-time First Team All-State, 2-time Jeffco 5A Player of the Year and now Colorado 5A Player of the Year.  He averaged a double-double for the first time in his career this season with 25.3 PPG and 12.4 RPG while shooting 60% from two-point range (173/288).  He is a dynamic player that can get it done in several different ways.  He is also headed to Boulder, it will be fun to see how these local boys do at the next level. </p>