Jefferson County Conference Outlook
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Last season, we saw Valor Christian and Chatfield rise to the top of the conference in limited games, Valor finished 9-4 with the top win percentage while Chatfield narrowly missed the cut going 10-5. Ralston Valley finished third at 9-6…
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Continue ReadingLast season, we saw Valor Christian and Chatfield rise to the top of the conference in limited games, Valor finished 9-4 with the top win percentage while Chatfield narrowly missed the cut going 10-5. Ralston Valley finished third at 9-6 while Lake and Columbine tied at 8-7. Dakota Ridge, Pomona, Bear Creek, and Arvada West all look to bounce back after sub .500 records last year.
Arvada West
Last season, the varsity roster had a balanced effort from a mix of seniors and sophomores. Coming into their junior seasons, Jasper Padia Jasper Padia 6'4" Arvada West | 2023 CO , Carson Nichols Carson Nichols 6'2" | CG Arvada West | 2023 State CO , and Zion Thomas Zion Thomas 5'9" Arvada West | 2023 CO should all be rotational mainstays this season. Padia is one to keep an eye on at first glance, standing around 6’5 he lead the team in points and rebounds this past season.
Bear Creek
There are a few athletes with quickly growing roles at Bear Creek, starting with complementary guard David Hutchcraft. He shot 38% from 3 this past season on 45 attempts, just over half of his 80 attempts last season. While their incoming guard rotation lacks positional size, Cameron Schwab could be up for an improved season with his second year on Varsity. Schwab averaged 6.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game last season.
Chatfield
Coming out strong in their first game, Chatfield boasts a highly potent offense with Chase Miller Chase Miller 6'6" Chatfield Senior | 2022 CO , Parker Teff, and Shay Rumsey Shay Rumsey 6'3" | SG Chatfield | 2023 State CO . Chase Miller Chase Miller 6'6" Chatfield Senior | 2022 CO will be on to watch this season, after strong fall performances at City on the Hill and posting consistent stats of 12.7 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 2.9 assists last season.
Columbine
Columbine will be coming into the season with a new look, headlined by Wesley Jones, Davian Bryant, and Levi O’Brien Levi O’Brien 6'4" | SG Columbine | 2023 State CO . This is a team that will have size on the wings along with a mix of junior guards like Ty Aframi Ty Aframi 5'10" | CG Denver South | 2023 CO and Cameron Butler Cameron Butler 6'0" | CG Columbine | 2023 State CO who look to solidify themselves within the rotation.
Dakota Ridge
When they dish the ball quickly and play with pace, Dakota Ridge has great potential with their drive and kick offense. Balanced between their three scoring guards of Alex Rodriguez Alex Rodriguez 6'1" | CG Dakota Ridge | 2023 State CO , Trevor Fuller Trevor Fuller 6'1" | CG Dakota Ridge | 2023 State CO , and Carson Evans, they have scoring and driving upside. Juniors Isaac Pullig and Cole Holloway will be x-factors both on defense and offense. Pullig has potential to become a steady scoring presence due to his positional strength and relatively quick shooting motion. Holloway impressed with his array of post counters and even grabbed eight rebounds in their first game against Thomas Jefferson.
Lakewood
Lakewood will be touting a new look team, as nine of the eleven roster spots last season were seniors. The only returners will be guards Deuce Warren and Max Schadler, who will likely be leading the charge for their youth movement.
Pomona
Unlike Lakewood, Pomona will have a large group of returning athletes lead by Mike Sierra and Mason King. In his sophomore year King averaged 7.4 points and 5.5 rebounds per game while Sierra shot 60% from three on 25 attempts through 11 games. Sierra’s production from beyond the arc will be crucial to Pomona’s record this season.
Ralston Valley
Ralston Valley has an older group of seniors returning from last season, headlined by their leading scorer Zach Akin Zach Akin 6'2" | CG Ralston Valley | 2022 State CO who averaged 13.3 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists. Their guard rotation will be set with incoming seniors Beau Wilken Beau Wilken 6'1" | CG Ralston Valley | 2022 State CO and Zach Friedman taking on larger roles. One of the younger names to keep an eye on is 2024 guard Jackson Hansen Jackson Hansen 5'9" | CG Ralston Valley | 2024 State CO , who lead the team in steals per game as a freshman.
Valor Christian
As the top dog in the conference, Valor looks to solidify themselves yet again through their perimeter scoring from returning athletes Asher Weiner Asher Weiner 6'5" | SF Valor Christian | 2024 CO , Kellen Boylan, and Hunter Guiles Hunter Guiles 6'0" | CG Valor Christian | 2023 State CO . Freshman standout Cole Scherer Cole Scherer 6'2" | PG Valor Christian | 2025 State CO will be getting regular minutes as one of their lead guards, he will be one to watch through his tenure at Valor.