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Columbine 35, Fossil Ridge 21
Grand Junction Central 34, Eagle Valley 0
Kennedy 62, Lincoln 0
Mountain View 45, Mountain Range 3
Roosevelt 42, Ponderosa 24
The Academy 43, Alameda 0
Vista PEAK Prep 49, Lakewood 0
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The Denver Post
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A Colorado State Patrol trooper was injured Saturday afternoon after he was shot while in his patrol vehicle in Westminster, according to the agency.
The trooper shot the suspect, who died at the scene, according to the news release. The suspect has not yet been publicly identified.
The shooting occurred at about 1:18 p.m. The trooper was parked in the center median on U.S. 36, west of Federal Blvd., when a car drove by and shot several rounds at him. One bullet hit the trooper, according to the news release.
The driver of the car then pulled over on a shoulder and the suspect exited and began firing again at the windshield of the patrol vehicle. The trooper then exited his car and fired back at the shooter, according to the news release.
The trooper was transported to a local hospital for non-life-threatening injuries, according to the release.
U.S. 36 is closed while police conduct their investigation, according to the news release.
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Jessica Seaman
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Tell me you don’t like rural Coloradans without telling me. That’s what two initiatives will ask the state’s urban-suburban majority to do this November; tell rural folks they’re not welcome in their own state, that their ways are passé, particularly ranching and hunting.
Initiative 91 would outlaw the hunting of bobcats and mountain lions. The initiative is both unnecessary and a slap in the face to rural populations who live with these predators and take part in their management through hunting. These animals are plentiful and well managed by Colorado Parks and Wildlife in partnership with hunters, many of whom hail from the rural Western Slope.
Contrary to advocates’ assertions, Colorado law already prohibits hunting mountain lions for sport; the meat must be harvested for consumption. Initiative 91 not only rejects science-based wildlife management, it is a deliberate affront to the rural way of life which for many includes hunting and fishing.
Not surprisingly, Colorado’s most recent experience with ballot box biology hasn’t gone well for rural Coloradans. Veal beat venison in a wolf taste test. Thanks to Proposition 114, wolves were reintroduced to western Colorado in December 2023. Soon after, several of them decided to ditch swift deer for slow livestock. They’ve killed 16 calves, cows, and sheep in Grand County alone.
Ranchers appealed to the state for relief. CPW is planning to trap the depredating wolves to relocate them. During similar trap and relocation efforts in Montana, mated pairs separated and abandoned their pups. Scientists over at CPW knew the potential consequences of bringing back this apex predator and resisted it until a narrow majority of voters forced their hand. If urban voters had known that the romantic notion of wolf reintroduction meant eviscerated livestock and dead puppies, would they have voted differently?
Wolves won’t be the only ones going after ranchers’ livelihoods if another initiative passes. Denver voters will be asked in November to shut down the 70-year-old employee-owned Superior Farm slaughterhouse near the National Western Stock Show complex. Not only would the employees lose their jobs, the closure will adversely impact sheep ranchers and the state’s economy.
According to a study by the Colorado State University Regional Economic Development Institute, the business generates around $861 million in economic activity and supports some 3,000 jobs. The Denver facility carries about a fifth of all U.S. sheep processing capacity. If it is not rebuilt elsewhere in Colorado, Colorado ranchers will have fewer options and could go out of business for want of places to send their livestock.
According to the study, the loss of U.S. processing capacity will prompt markets to replace domestic supply with imports. Consumers will likely pay more for meat. Also, not every country that raises and slaughters sheep has same humane livestock regulations and standards as the U.S.
A minority of voters could negatively impact the majority not just in Colorado. The people pushing this initiative represent an even smaller minority. They don’t believe humans should eat meat, according to their website, and this is their way to take a bite out of the age-old practice.
Most vegetarians and vegans are live and let live but a small percentage would like to foist their lifestyle on the rest of us. It only took 2% of registered voters in Denver to push this ballot question that would single out a business for closure, toss its employees out of work, harm ranchers throughout the state, cost the state millions of dollars in economic activity, force markets to import meat, and reduce choices for those who want locally-sourced products. It’s hard to imagine a worse idea.
If urban and suburban voters are tempted to support these no-good, feel-good initiatives, they should first visit their neighbors on either side of the Front Range who will be impacted. A little empathy for rural Colorado is wanting.
Krista L. Kafer is a weekly Denver Post columnist. Follow her on X: @kristakafer.
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Krista Kafer
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For Shedeur Sanders, last year stood as a convincing opening statement.
The quarterback started with a record-setting performance in an upset road win against TCU. A couple of weeks after that, he led a last-second, 98-yard TD drive to eventually beat rival CSU in double OT. And even when CU’s wheels fell off, he still showed mettle, flashed several well-timed watch-flexes and played hurt, until he couldn’t anymore.
Now, it’s time for Sanders’ closing arguments in black and gold starting with Thursday’s opener against North Dakota State at Folsom Field. And if the team plays better around the senior this fall, it could be historic.
“If (the offensive line) can protect him, this young man may put up one of the great seasons in college football history,” predicted CU play-by-play man Mark Johnson. “(Darian) Hagan is at the top as national champ, and Kordell (Stewart) is up there too, but Shedeur is going to put himself in the conversation as the greatest Colorado quarterback if he has another season like he did last year.”
Sanders, who missed the final six quarters of 2023 with a back fracture, is healthy again. The Buffs retooled their offensive line with transfers and the top high school left tackle in the nation, Jordan Seaton.
If the big men can block a year after the line allowed 56 sacks, the weapons are there on the outside. Two-way star Travis Hunter, Jimmy Horn Jr., and transfers Will Sheppard and LaJohntay Wester give Sanders the chance to top last year.
And that’s saying something. Even as the Buffs stumbled to 4-8 and last in the Pac-12, Sanders set CU records for passing yards in a season (3,230), completion percentage (69.3), touchdown-to-interception ratio (9-to-1) and interception percentage (0.7).
Unsurprisingly, Sanders remains confident. Even before taking a snap this season, No. 2 is projected to be one of the top quarterbacks selected in the 2025 NFL Draft.
“That’s the difference, I’d say, between me and a lot of other players,” Sanders said at Big 12 media day. “I’m not close to my ceiling at all. I’ve got a long way to go.”
Sanders’ performance could also be helped by consistency from the play-caller.
Last year, Sean Lewis called the Buffs offense for the first eight games before Pat Shurmur took over for the final four games. Now with Shurmur as the team’s offensive coordinator, the former Giants head coach and Broncos OC believes the Buffs will be able to establish a consistent run game his QB never had in 2023.
“It’s hard to cook in somebody else’s kitchen because you can’t really change anything at that point,” Shurmur said. “I don’t know if (the end of 2023) was a springboard, but what I do know, we were able to reset (the offense) the way we wanted to. We went out and got some new players, some more quality big men, then we installed an offense that works for us. I feel like it’s a new start moving forward.”
But will a revamped offensive line along with Shurmur’s now-permanent role be enough for Sanders to take his game to the next level? Head coach Deion Sanders believes so, especially after the work his son put in with his trainer over the summer.
“He’s worked on some of the little mechanical things with his quarterback coach (Darrell Colbert Jr) out of Houston,” Deion Sanders said on ESPN last month. “And it’s not just the mechanics of footwork and ball placement and releases, but also just getting to know his players and his receivers and where they want the ball. You can see after 7-on-7s and practice, him grabbing a guy, pulling him to the side and telling him what he wants and what he saw.”
Whether all of this will result in more wins, and even better stats for the quarterback, remains to be seen.
What is certain is that even with Sanders’ enormous popularity — he was recently ranked No. 1 on FOX Sports’ list of college football superstars — the QB needs to win to put himself in the discussion for end-of-season national honors such as the Davey O’Brien Award and Heisman Trophy.
“If he puts up the numbers and CU is winning a good amount of their football games, because of who Prime is and the attention he brings to CU, I think he’ll be in that conversation,” former CU quarterback Bobby Pesavento said. “Now, is he in New York (as a Heisman finalist) and does he truly have a chance to win? That would take the Buffs doing something really special, like playing for a Big 12 championship again.”
CBS Sports national college football writer Dennis Dodd agrees, noting that after Sanders “was almost a one-man team last year,” the Buffs must capture some magic in their first season back in the Big 12 for Sanders to be in the Heisman race.
“The Heisman winner almost exclusively plays for a 10-win team that competes for a national championship and does something dramatic in November — if not a Heisman moment, a series of Heisman moments,” Dodd said. “It’s going to be hard for a QB of a 6-6 team to win it.”
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Kyle Newman
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Nikola Jokic isn’t just the best hoops player on the planet when it comes to dishing out dimes.
The Big Honey might be the best when it comes to dishing out bling, too.
Despite our crack staff being in the writing biz, Team Grading The Week believes actions speak louder than all the words on this page.
And GTW is firmly in the camp of backing up your brags.
Is anybody — certainly not anybody in the basketball sphere — conquering both fronts better than the Joker is, right here and now?
The NBA’s three-time MVP didn’t just help carry the Serbian hoops squad to a bronze medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics. According to the Blic newspaper in his native country, Jokic purchased Rolex watches for every one of his teammates on the national team.
The kicker? Those timepieces were reportedly worth $32,500 each. Which puts the Joker’s total purchase at an estimated $357,500 for 11 watches.
Jokic and Serbia won the men’s hoops bronze in Paris thanks to a 93-83 win over Germany in the tourney’s third-place game. The Nuggets star posted a very Jokic stat line, too — 19 points, 12 boards and 11 assists.
The Joker averaged 18.8 points, 10.7 rebounds and 8.7 assists for his homeland, which finished 4-2 at the tourney. He led all tournament players in points, boards and dimes — the first Olympian to ever top all three categories in one campaign.
Apparently, nobody gives like Jokic gives when it comes to the gift department, either. At least the fantastic gesture was one the Joker could afford: The Nuggets center, per Spotrac.com, is slated to take up $51.4 million in cap space in ’24-’25, and $55.2 million in ’25-’26.
If you’re like the GTW staff, you don’t just want Jokic as your franchise centerpiece now. You kind of want him as your secret Santa, too.
Russell Wilson’s Steelers stats after preseason Week 2: One appearance, five drives led, zero points, three sacks taken.
Bo Nix’s Broncos stats after preseason Week 2: Two appearances, seven drives led, 30 points, zero sacks taken.
It’s early, and we’ll know in a month whether Sean Payton won the Broncos-Steelers game, head-to-head. But the coach is off to a flying start in terms of winning the argument. And in justifying one hellaciously expensive football divorce.
Love ’em or hate ’em, this past Friday was a pretty good day to be an Eagle.
Earlier in the day, Valor alum and PGA star Wyndham Clark pulled himself back into the BMW Championship title picture by shooting a 68 during his second round at Castle Pines — including five birdies. Later that evening, his alma mater’s football team opened its season with a 31-14 victory over Pine Creek. The latter had beaten Valor in last September’s meeting, 31-17.
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Sean Keeler
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CASTLE ROCK — Twenty years before they rekindled a friendship in Europe, the Euro step was a controversial subject between rivals Wyndham Clark and Derrick White.
They played for opposing youth basketball teams in the Denver area, first matching up around the third grade. Both were point guards. White guarded Clark. Clark guarded White. White was a little more advanced than his peers — little did they know, he was a future NBA champion and Olympic gold medalist — and at some point during the mid-2000s, he implemented an unfamiliar move to his game. It was just beginning to get popular in the pros.
“He was doing the Euro step at a young age,” Clark remembers, “and our whole team kept thinking it was traveling. So every time he would do the Euro step, all our dads and everyone was like, ‘That’s a travel!’ And they would never call it.
“Fast forward to next year, and we’re all doing the same thing.”
White was teaching Clark new tricks on the basketball court. Now it’s finally Clark’s turn to return the favor on the golf course. He’s the fifth-ranked golfer in the world, the winner of the 2023 U.S. Open and the fan favorite this weekend at the BMW Championship. Valor Christian High School, Class of 2012. White is a two-time All-Defensive Team honoree in the NBA, a glue guy for the Boston Celtics and Team USA, and a Clark groupie this weekend. Legend High School, Class of ’12.
White has never played golf or gotten invested in the sport, “but I’m gonna start,” he declared while walking the first fairway at Castle Pines Golf Club on Thursday. He walked all 18 holes in support of his former basketball foe, who was paired with Rory McIlroy.
“It’s fun because he’s kind of new to golf, and so (he) got his real first experience of pro golf at the Olympics, watching and walking with us,” Clark said. “And he really has the bug. We’ve been talking about it. He’s like, ‘I love it so much.’ It was really cool to have him out there.”
Clark finished his first round at even par, but that doesn’t even begin to tell the story. He endured a hectic back nine that included multiple shots into the water and multiple double-bogeys. And that was before a cartoonishly timed lightning delay forced him and McIlroy to wait more than three hours to complete their final putts on the 18th hole. Spectators (even White) had vacated the premises by the time they resumed.
“I was hoping it was going to be one of those quick Colorado 30-minute storms, but there was another one behind it,” Clark lamented. “Definitely a bummer being here for three hours.”
Before that awkward conclusion without a crowd, Clark had been treated to resounding applause throughout the afternoon. Coloradans who noticed White gave him some love, too. He was hard to miss during the first hole, cradling the Larry O’Brien Trophy as he strolled downhill. Whether it was Boston’s Larry or Denver’s from the previous year, though, is unclear. The trophy was also on display Wednesday during the pro-am event, which featured Nuggets president Josh Kroenke.
“I didn’t even know it was gonna be here,” a confused White said, starting to regret his decision to lug Larry along. “I’m really just here to support Wyndham and cheer him on. … I didn’t know it was gonna be here. I was walking in, and I see it on the ground, and I’m like, ‘Let me hold that.’”
His opportunity to reacquaint with Clark this summer was truly last-second. Kawhi Leonard’s withdrawal from Team USA opened a roster spot two weeks before the Paris Olympics. White was the first choice to fill in. He flew solo to Abu Dhabi, UAE, to join the team for its remaining exhibition games, and soon enough he was floating down the Seine with Clark at the opening ceremony.
“(We had) big battles. Big rivalry on the court,” White said. “And then obviously he went and did big things, so it was great reconnecting. And we ended up on the boat in the Olympics.”
“Hanging out in Paris was pretty cool,” Clark said, grinning.
They reminisced. Decades-old matchups on hardwood aged into shared laughs. Their youth teams always seemed to face off in the championship game. “Wyndham was good,” White says, but he insists that his squad, the Dolphins, won more. Clark even played some high school ball at Valor, where he was classmates with NFL star Christian McCaffrey.
“It’s really neat to see kind of Colorado sports coming on the map with Derrick, myself and Christian and some of the other Olympians,” Clark said earlier this week. “It’s a good thing for Colorado. I feel like the sports are in a good spot here.”
When the horn blared indicating a weather stoppage, McIlroy was frozen mid-backswing on the 18th green. (“I knew it was close, and I kind of wanted Rory to speed up,” the local weather expert Clark said later, laughing.) Patrons vacated the course for a nearby covered area outside the clubhouse, where White held court. Colorado golf fans approached him for photographs and autographs. He posed and signed graciously for about 20 minutes. Then a golf cart arrived and he shipped off, leaving his old rival to wait out the storm.
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Bennett Durando
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Denver is heating back up, with city temperatures nearing 100 degrees Saturday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.
If Denver hits the forecasted 98-degree high, Saturday will tie for the hottest Aug. 17 of all time in the metro area, according to NWS records. Just one degree higher and Saturday’s heat will break the record.
The current 98-degree record was set in 2020.
The heat is expected to peak at 98 degrees around 4 p.m. Saturday before dropping down to 67 degrees overnight, NWS forecasters said.
Chances of afternoon thunderstorms in the metro area are small — close to 10% — and any rain showers that hit Denver are expected to wrap up by 9 p.m., according to NWS forecasters.
“Most will stay dry, but the mountains should see some scattered high-based showers in the evening,” forecasters said. “These will decay as they try to push into the urban corridor given the dry conditions, although they may produce gusty winds at times.”
With the increased heat, an Ozone Action Day Alert has been issued for Colorado’s Front Range — including Douglas, Jefferson, Denver, western Arapahoe, western Adams, Broomfield, Boulder, Larimer, and Weld counties — through at least 4 p.m. Saturday.
Ozone Action Days are called when the Air Quality Index is forecast to reach unhealthy levels due to a combination of ozone, wildfire smoke and other pollutants, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
Short-term exposure to unhealthy ozone levels can cause coughing; eye, nose and throat irritation; chest pain; difficulty breathing and asthma attacks, according to state officials. Long-term exposure has been linked to a variety of health issues, including lung and cardiovascular disease and premature death.
People in the affected counties should stay inside during the heat of the day, avoid driving gas- or diesel-powered cars until the alert is lifted and conserve energy by setting air conditioners to a higher temperature, air quality officials said.
Denver will cool off a bit Sunday — with temperature highs around 93 degrees — but 90-degree heat is expected to last throughout the week, according to NWS forecasters.
Stormy weather will return Sunday and Monday, but the rest of the week will be relatively dry with scattered afternoon showers, forecasters said.
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Lauren Penington
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Brendan Rodgers had another hot August night, and the Rockies cooled off the sizzling Padres.
Rodgers’ three-run, first-inning homer sparked the Rockies’ 7-3 victory Friday at Coors Field. San Diego, trying to topple the Dodgers from the National League West throne, came into the game having won 19 of its previous 22 games.
Rodgers extended his hitting streak to 10 games and is hitting .392 this month, with six doubles, three homers and a 1.115 OPS.
His 10th homer of the season was the catalyst to Colorado’s four-run first. Rodgers blasted a 77.3 mph knuckleball from right-hander Matt Waldron 439 feet and deep into the left-field bleachers.
“It’s been fun,” Rodgers said. “I usually do struggle in August. But I talked to my hitter guy and some people I trust a lot with the developmental part of the game. So I decided to trust it and just keep going.”
Manager Bud Black is thrilled with Rodgers’ production and his ability to “go to the post” as the season heads into its final weeks.
“He’s driving the ball better, and we’re seeing him hit to the gaps and send the ball over the fence,” Black said. “His swing is crisp with some bat speed to it.
“And what’s good about it for me, and to the coaching staff, is that it’s happening in the dog days of August, and it’s happening when guys are tired. It’s happening at the time of year when you really have to fight through some things, physically and mentally. This is a tough time for all players. I’m proud of Brendan.”
Rodgers had plenty of help Friday night. Rookie Jordan Beck (3-for-4) singled in the second and waltzed home on Charlie Blackmon’s eighth homer of the season. In the sixth, Beck drove in Michael Toglia with a single to right. Toglia led off with a hustle double to right.
Blackmon’s homer was his first since July 22 vs. Boston. His 223 career home runs are four shy of tying Carlos Gonzalez for fifth in franchise history.
Colorado right-hander Cal Quantrill, making his first start since Aug. 4 because he was sidelined with forearm soreness, turned in a workmanlike, five-inning start.
“Early on, I was a little tentative and I made some bad pitches in the first and second,” Quantrill said. “But I think we settled in after that. I thought (catcher Jacob Stallings) called a good game, and we kept mixing it up just enough. We didn’t rely too heavily on the fastball or the splitter, we just had a nice change of pace.
“It probably won’t be my best start ever, but we’ve talked about the importance of winning at home. That’s a team that’s really hot right now and we beat them.”
Quantrill is 4-2 with a 3.47 ERA in 10 starts at Coors, the seventh pitcher in franchise history to post a sub-3.50 ERA through his first 10 starts in LoDo as a member of the Rockies. The others are Austin Gomber, Kyle Freeland, Tyler Anderson, Juan Nicasio, Jeff Francis and Denny Stark.
All three runs Quantrill gave up came on home runs — a two-run blast by Ha-Seong Kim in the second and a leadoff blast by Xander Bogaerts in the fourth.
Quantrill, who gave up six hits, walked two and struck out five, was inefficient, throwing 92 pitches (55 strikes) in his outing.
But the right-hander made big pitches in big moments.
San Diego loaded the bases in the first on a single by Luis Arraez, a hit-by-pitch by Jurickson Profar and a walk by Jake Cronenworth. But Quantrill escaped the jam by striking out Manny Machado and getting Bogaerts to ground into an inning-ending double play.
“You never know when a momentum-changer is coming … but that was dire,” Black said.
Quantrill also escaped trouble in the third with another double play, as well as a sensational catch against the center field wall by Brenton Doyle on Cronenworth’s line drive.
Colorado’s bullpen blanked the Padres for four innings, led by right-hander Tyler Kinley, who pitched 1 1/3 scoreless inning and struck out two. He came on for lefty Lucas Gilbreath, who made his first appearance since Aug. 26, 2022.
Rookie closer Victor Vodnik rebounded from his blown save in Tuesday night’s 4-3 loss at Arizona and blanked the Padres in the ninth, although he did give up a hit and a walk.
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Padres RHP Dylan Cease (11-9, 3.41 ERA) at Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (3-4, 5.75)
6:10 p.m. Saturday, Coors Field
TV: Rockies.TV (streaming); Comcast/Xfinity (channel 1262); DirecTV (683); Spectrum (130, 445, 305, 435 or 445, depending on region).
Radio: 850 AM/94.1 FM
Freeland, who will likely pair up with rookie catcher Drew Romo in Romo’s debut, has made six quality starts in nine games since coming off the 60-day injured list, where he was mending from an elbow strain. He’s gone 3-1 with a 3.48 ERA over that span. However, Freeland was forced out of his last two starts because of blisters on the fingers of his pitching hand. Freeland has made 23 career appearances (21 starts) vs. the Padres, going 7-7 with a 4.37 ERA.
Cease, who no-hit the Nationals on July 26, can dominate any opposing lineup. But the veteran right-hander was not sharp last Sunday against Miami when he gave up five runs (two earned) on six hits and two walks over five innings. He fanned five. Cease, who took the loss, got off to a poor start, giving up four singles in the Marlins’ two-run first inning. A shaky San Diego defense didn’t help Cease. Sunday’s loss was Cease’s first since July 7, and it broke a streak of five consecutive appearances allowing no more than one run. In four career starts vs. the Rockies, Cease is 1-2 with a 4.43 ERA. He’s made two starts at Coors Field, going 1-0 with a 3.86 ERA.
Sunday: Padres RHP Joe Musgrove (3-4, 5.20) at Rockies RHP Bradley Blalock (0-0, 4.05), 1:10 p.m.
Monday: Off
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Patrick Saunders
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A former professional MMA fighter and Aurora community activist was charged with first-degree murder this week after police say he fatally shot a 28-year-old man during a child’s birthday party at a Commerce City park in retaliation for his son’s death.
Lumumba Sayers, 46, is charged with first-degree murder and two counts of felony menacing in the Saturday shooting death of Malcolm Watson near Paradice Island Pool at Pioneer Park.
He appeared in Adams County District Court on Thursday, where a judge increased his bail from $1 million to $5 million.
According to an arrest affidavit and witness statements made in court Thursday, Watson was carrying party supplies for his son’s birthday at the pool at 5951 Monaco St. when Sayers walked up to him and shot him multiple times, including once in the head.
After shooting Watson, Sayers went to talk with a man and a woman in a black Cadillac Escalade parked nearby before returning to Watson’s body, taking his keys and trying to place a handgun under his body, according to the affidavit.
Commerce City police officers arrived on scene to find Sayers crouching over Watson before he started to walk toward the Escalade, according to the affidavit.
Officers arrested him after witnesses began yelling that he was the shooter. Watson was pronounced dead at the scene.
Witnesses told detectives they believed the shooting was retaliation or revenge for the death of Sayers’ son, 23-year-old Lumumba Sayers Jr., who was killed almost a year ago in a shooting involving one of Watson’s friends, according to the affidavit.
Lumumba Sayers Jr., was one of two people killed in a shooting near 18th and Welton streets in Denver’s Five Points neighborhood on Aug. 19, 2023.
Denver police arrested 24-year-old Tyrell Braxton on suspicion of first-degree murder in the shooting, but no public court records are available in the case.
In response to an inquiry about Braxton’s case, the Denver District Attorney’s Office stated “no such records exist,” which is the only response prosecutors can provide under Colorado law when a case has been sealed.
Braxton is on trial in federal court in Denver this week for a weapons charge related to the August 2023 shooting, according to court records.
He was indicted by a grand jury in January on one count of possession of ammunition by a prohibited person, court records show.
The trial is scheduled to wrap up this week, court officials said Thursday.
In the wake of his son’s death, Sayers told Denver7 reporters that Sayers Jr. was dedicated to preventing gun violence in the community and was frequently at his father’s Aurora gym, the Heavy Hands Heavy Hearts Center.
The center, which described the elder Sayers as a founder in social media posts, is “a safe place where youth and adults are provided with basic needs, educational and career support, health resources, recreational and outreach services to assist with creating jobs and a building a sustainable life,” according to a description on its Facebook page.
Defense attorneys argued Sayers was an “exceptional” man and defended his character and position in the community during Thursday’s hearing, while prosecutors argued he was a danger to the community and Watson’s family as well as a flight risk.
Adams County District Court Judge Jeffrey Ruff ordered a $5 million cash-only bail, calling it the “only bond acceptable” in the case.
Sayers’ next court date was not available Thursday.
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Katie Langford, Lauren Penington
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PARIS — The U.S. women’s soccer team is golden again.
And, as has been the case throughout the team’s run at the Paris Games, the Americans have Colorado to thank.
The United States won its fifth Olympic gold medal by beating Brazil 1-0 on Colorado native Mallory Swanson’s early second-half goal in the tournament final Saturday at the Paris Games.
The Americans, who hadn’t won gold since the 2012 London Olympics, closed out an undefeated run to the title in their first international campaign under new coach Emma Hayes.
Along the way, it was the golden feet of Coloradans Swanson, Sophia Smith and captain Lindsey Horan who did the most damage. Swanson finished the tournament with four goals and two assists, while Smith had three goals and one assist.
Goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher preserved Saturday’s win with a one-handed save on Adriana’s header in stoppage time at Parc des Princes. At the final whistle, the U.S. players celebrated as Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.” played in the stadium.
The loss is more heartbreak for Brazil and its iconic star, Marta. The six-time world player of the year has never won a Women’s World Cup or an Olympics. This is expected to be her last major international tournament.
It was the third victory for the United States over Brazil in an Olympic final. The Americans also beat the Brazilians in the 2004 in Athens and four years later in Beijing.
Brazil has never finished better than runner-up at the Olympics.
“I’m very emotional. It’s been a dream of mine to be in this position,” said Hayes, a London native. “I have to thank my dad because he’s the one who pushed me to this point to be able to come and coach an unbelievable group of players that have received me so well and taken on board everything I have asked. They are tremendous people and players and role models. Yeah, I love them.”
Three years ago in Tokyo, the U.S. settled for the bronze medal. The Americans were knocked out in the quarterfinals at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games.
Swanson’s 57th-minute goal came in her 100th appearance with the United States.
Tom Cruise and former U.S. soccer star Megan Rapinoe were among those in the crowd.
The U.S. also won gold in 1996 at the Atlanta Games in the first women’s soccer tournament at the Olympics.
Brazil finished third in its group in France, earning one of two third-place spots in the knockout round.
Marta was playing in her six Olympics. Her first was in 2004 — when she was just 18 — which ended with a silver. But she started the match on the bench after a two-game suspension for a hard foul on Spain’s Olga Carmona in the team’s final group match.
Hayes was named coach of the U.S. back in November but she didn’t join the team until May so she could finish out the season with Chelsea — guiding the Women’s Super League squad to its fifth straight title.
Hayes was tasked with turning around a U.S. team that crashed out of last summer’s Women’s World Cup earlier than ever before. Despite her short time with the Americans, she quickly fostered chemistry within the young squad, particularly between forwards Smith, Swanson and Trinity Rodman.
The trio scored 10 of the 12 U.S. goals in France.
Brazil had the best chances early. Ludmila was alone in front of the goal in the second minute but her shot went straight into Naeher’s arms.
Ludmila appeared to score in the upper far corner in the 16th minute but was offside.
Swanson took off on a break down the left side in the 25th minute but Brazil goalkeeper Lorena easily stopped her shot.
Naeher kept the game scoreless at the break by punching away Gabi Portilho’s shot in first-half stoppage time.
Brazilian midfielder Vitoria Yaya was stretched off with an injury early in the second half.
The U.S. continued to threaten after Swanson’s goal. Smith nearly scored on a break in the 66th but her attempt went wide.
Horan smashed a free kick into the wall in the 82nd after Tarciane fouled Smith just outside the box.
Hayes made one change to her lineup for the final, starting Korbin Albert in place of Rose Lavelle. It was the second youngest U.S. lineup to start a gold medal match, with an average age of 26.7. The average age of the team that started the 1996 final was 25.8.
The U.S. advanced to the final with a 1-0 extra-time victory over Germany in Lyon. Smith scored the lone goal.
Brazil earned its spot with a wild 4-2 victory over Women’s World Cup champions Spain.
Germany went on to win the tournament’s bronze medal with a 1-0 victory over Spain in Lyon on Friday.
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Anne M. Peterson
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The Daz is joining the Disney family.
Former CSU Rams football coach Steve Addazio, whose Fort Collins tenure was short and tempestuous, is transitioning to television. ESPN announced that Addazio has joined the network as a college football analyst and will start calling games later this month.
Addazio posted a 4-12 record at CSU from 2020-21 and had a 61-67 career record as a head coach with the Rams, Boston College (2013-19) and Temple (2011-12). He was fired at CSU in December 2021, a few days after completing a 3-9 season and after being ejected from a 52-10 home loss to Nevada, then coached by Jay Norvell.
Norvell would replace Addazio as CSU’s coach shortly after.
Addazio spent the 2022 and ’23 seasons as the offensive line coach at Texas A&M under then-coach Jimbo Fisher. He was not retained by new Aggies football coach Mike Elko.
At 16 games, Addazio’s stint as full-time Rams coach was the briefest since George Cassidy posted a 0-5 record in 1910. The longtime former Urban Meyer assistant was also the subject of internal and external investigations during his brief tenure, although a third-party investigation largely absolved Addazio of the accusations that had been levied against him.
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Sean Keeler
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For the first time since they were reintroduced to the state in December, Colorado’s gray wolves have moved out of central Grand County, state wildlife officials said in their July report.
In July, the 11 wolves and one pup stayed relatively in the same watershed areas as they did in May and June, traveling between Routt, Jackson, Larimer, Grand, Eagle and Summit counties, according to a new location map released Tuesday by Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
CPW releases a map each month showing which watersheds the state’s collared wolves have traveled in, wildlife officials said. A wolf may or may not remain there now, and it may not have traversed every part of that watershed.
The updated map shows wolf activity from June 25 through July 23 in watersheds from the Wyoming border to Interstate 70 and from west of Craig in Moffat County to west of Fort Collins in Larimer County.
While the monthly maps from December to June have shown wolves using watersheds across Grand County to the border of Boulder County, the July map showcases a lack of data in the area, indicating that wolves didn’t visit the area at all during July.
The collars record a GPS position every four hours and send the data to state biologists once four locations are recorded, CPW officials said. State officials do not share specific locations to protect the wolves and may “buffer” maps to protect wolves during certain times of year, such as mating season.
Although July’s map highlighted watershed areas south of Interstate 70, CPW officials said no wolves had passed the major highway and the population was exploring land to the north.
State officials released nine of the 11 adult wolves roaming northern Colorado in December as part of a voter-mandated reintroduction plan.
Since then, CPW officials said two of the wolves have mated together and given birth to at least one pup, and a pair of Wyoming-based wolves naturally migrated into the state and joined the Colorado pack.
Two of the ten collars placed on wolves in December stopped working, but those two wolves are still alive and traveling with other wolves with functioning collars, state officials said in April. There are no current plans to recollar the wolves or place collars on any of the pups.
The map’s accuracy will drop over time as wolves move into Colorado from other states, collars stop working and more wolves mate together and give birth to pups, state wildlife officials said. The goal is to keep at least two collared wolves in each pack.
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Lauren Penington
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Fire officials ordered evacuations in Arapahoe County Saturday after a brush fire burning southeast of Byers spread to at least one home and threatened others.
Multiple fire departments and the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s office responded to a brush fire Saturday morning in the 2400 block of South Quail Hollow Road, according to an 11:20 a.m. statement from the sheriff’s office.
South Metro Fire Rescue said seven crews responded to support Byers Fire Rescue in wildland and structure fire protection.
“The fire, which is currently about the size of a football field, is burning several hundred yards from homes,” sheriff’s officials said when crews first arrived on scene.
By 11:42 a.m., the fire had spread to at least one home and sheriff’s officials said more may be involved.
Deputies have evacuated a three-mile area near County Road 193 and County Road 34, sheriff’s officials said.
As of 11:45 a.m., no injuries had been reported and the fire was burning in the southeast direction.
This is a developing story and may be updated.
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Lauren Penington
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If DaRon Holmes calls you a legend, don’t be too flattered.
It’s nothing personal. It’s just Holmes’ all-encompassing expression, his hello and goodbye. It started in high school. By the end of college, it was practically a comprehensive attitude on life.
“Every time he saw you, every time you did something, it’s: ‘You’re a legend. You’re a legend. You’re a legend,’” Dayton basketball assistant coach Ricardo Greer said, laughing. “Eventually I was like, that’s the last ‘legend’ you’re gonna call me.”
“All my friends, we call each other kings and legends,” Holmes explained. “… So I always say to everybody, ‘You’re a legend.’ And the first time I say it, people are just happy, like, ‘Thank you, man!’ And then after a couple of times they’re like, ‘You call everybody this.’”
Denver’s newest rookie wields a friendly disposition to go with his versatile basketball skillset — characteristics that won over the Nuggets in equal measure this spring during the pre-draft process. They traded up six places in the first round Wednesday to select Holmes 22nd overall, their latest bet on non-lottery youth as a viable asset capable of contributing to championships.
Holmes is a player whose shape-shifting ability could position him to play right away. At 6-foot-9 without shoes, he occupies the awkward space between a power forward and small-ball center. Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth outlined a future this week in which Holmes can eventually start as a four. It’s certainly easy to envision him defensively in lineups next to Nikola Jokic, who plays higher up the floor against ball screens than most centers. Holmes was an elite college rim protector and help defender who could rotate across the paint to anchor Denver behind the less vertically gifted Jokic.
For now, he seems just as well suited to space the floor as a center, which could help provide Denver’s second unit a fresh look. Dayton played a lot of five-out last season with Holmes, even entrusting him to bring the ball up and start the offense.
“I definitely see (playing the four) in the future, especially the way the game is now,” Holmes said. “You look at the Grizzlies. They just got Zach Edey. They’re probably gonna play him and JJ (Jaren Jackson Jr.) together. I think that’s perfectly fine for me. Small-ball five will be good at times. I don’t think that will be an all-time thing for me. I’m probably not gonna start at the five if I’m gonna be a starter (someday).”
Holmes grew up mostly in the Phoenix area. His mom coached him in YMCA hoops, but he didn’t instantly gravitate toward basketball as a dream career. He enjoyed playing soccer as well.
Above all, Holmes’ goal was to travel the world. Then he started to develop basketball talent, and as he put it, “I found out, hey, I can make money playing this thing. After I found that out, I was like, ‘I’ve gotta train as hard as I can.’”
Holmes transferred twice in high school, going from Arizona to Florida and back, before becoming the highest-ranked high school recruit to ever sign with the Flyers.
His full potential as a pro prospect was unlocked last season, when he started making 3s. In his first two years at Dayton, Holmes was 27% beyond the arc. As a junior, he catapulted to 38.6% with a wide-base form that Booth compared to Al Horford’s.
Behind that improvement was a commitment to training that Denver loves to see in its draft targets.
“We did the same drill every night. And this was the first year I can truly say I was in the gym, dang near every day, and just getting up a lot of shots,” Holmes said. “I also was asking my coaches about just the little details I can fix on my shot.”
His standard regimen took anywhere from an hour to 90 minutes, usually after practice or otherwise the night before a game. It started with 10 shots from each of the five spots around the perimeter. Then a star drill. Then the same pair of exercises, repeated at the other end (but first, free throws in between). Then another drill in which he gradually slid his feet along the perimeter between every attempt, covering every inch of the arc until he hit 50 shots going corner to corner.
Then back the way he came. Another 50.
Then more free throws.
Then shots out of specific sets, like pick-and-pop 3s at game speed.
“My freshman and sophomore year, mainly the bigs would be in drop (coverage),” Holmes recalled. “I didn’t really even notice, because my mind was just: ‘Catch. Swing. What am I supposed to do next?’ … I was just trying to make sure I was doing everything right — which is good. You need to do a lot of things right. And then we looked at the film.”
Holmes remembers head coach Anthony Grant bringing him into his office, along with Greer, to show him how an improved shot could change the dimensions of Dayton’s offense. “I literally need to see how it can impact winning if I can bring that to the table,” Holmes said. “So they showed me how, if I’m able to knock down that shot, it will make the big come out. And if the big comes out, you have so many other options.”
With increased time in the gym came elevated confidence. That was the story of Holmes’ shooting evolution, but also of his entire development throughout college, from Greer’s perspective.
“The first year, I don’t think I heard him curse one time,” Greer said. “He would get mad, and he’ll go ‘Darn it’ or ‘Yeesh.’”
He was afraid of imperfection at first. Dayton allowed him to play through mistakes and mismatches, and he slowly learned to get over it.
The growing pains are the pivotal moments that resonate with Holmes now. Early in his freshman season, Lipscomb’s 275-pound center went for 21 points, eight rebounds and three blocks against him. Dayton lost by 19. A week later, he was the primary matchup against Belmont senior Nick Muszynski (245 pounds). Dayton escaped with a two-point win, but Holmes got demolished inside again.
“He was moving people with his arms,” Holmes said. “I will never forget, he had a play where he caught it on the right block, and I was trying to front him. And one of my teammates came to help me, and he literally had this arm right here and moved both of us. Hit a hook shot.
“This is when I’m a freshman, and I’m like, ‘I don’t know if I’m built for this.’ But all those moments really truly helped me out. Because I would go back and watch the film and see, ‘Hey, this is how you do handle those situations.’”
He learned to trust his IQ and talent eventually. Greer started to notice him swearing more — and calling people “legend” more — signs that Holmes was growing more comfortable in his own skin.
His rookie season in the NBA might resemble a reset of freshman year, but Holmes wanted the opportunity to experience that in Denver, where he can observe “one of the best big men of all time.” He knew the Nuggets were especially interested in him during the pre-draft process, though he says he wasn’t sure if that interest was to the extent of a full promise.
“I’m here to have fun. I’m here to win. I’m here to get better,” Holmes said. “And if (people) do see me (in Denver), don’t be afraid to come up to me and say what’s up. I’m very cool, chill. I’m not the type of athlete that’s like, ‘Oh, I can’t talk to you.’ That doesn’t apply to me. My family raised me a way to be respectful to everybody.”
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Bennett Durando
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The way the Colorado Rapids celebrated last Saturday after Rafael Navarro scored his 11th goal of the season said it all.
The one-touch laser to the far post in second-half stoppage time of a 4-1 win over CF Montréal garnered wide smiles — even wider than the one usually on Navarro’s face — and a group hug.
In the back of their minds, his teammates and coach Chris Armas knew a permanent signing was on the horizon. Wednesday, pen was put to paper, and Navarro will remain in burgundy through 2027 with an option for 2028.
“That (celebration) spoke volumes to how he’s liked in the locker room,” Rapids president Pádraig Smith told The Denver Post.
Navarro has 11 goals in 20 games this season, good for sixth in the MLS this year. His loan period was set to conclude at the end of the month. Now, the 24-year old Brazilian will stay in Commerce City for years to come.
“I’m very happy to be here,” Navarro told media members after Friday’s training through his translator and Rapids language specialist Andre Hilf. “All three of (Hilf, Armas and Smith) were fundamental for me and for my performance. If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t be in this situation and wouldn’t be performing the way I’m performing.”
Like much of the team last season, Navarro got into dangerous spots but only had one goal to show for it through 10 games. But what the organization saw was a goal-dangerous forward who was willing and able to defend, no matter the lows the team saw in its results.
With a revamped team around him and a coach in Armas who centers game plans around players like Navarro, goal-dangerous turned into goal-scoring in 2024. At one point, he scored in five straight games, one game shy of the franchise record.
“With Armas’ arrival, the style of play changed a lot and helped me very much,” Navarro said. “The coaching staff has been very supportive of me and has a lot of trust in me. They’ve told me what to do, what’s expected of me, playing inside and outside the box, so that has helped me a lot. I’m very grateful for it.”
At his position, Navarro is one of the best defenders in the league this year, too.
According to FBref, he is among the top 20% in a number of defensive metrics. It’s always been a part of Navarro’s game, but it has flourished in the MLS.
“Back in Brazil, (Palmeiras coach) Abel Ferreira also practiced this style of play, so it helped when I came here and played this style,” Navarro said. “If I’m not scoring goals, I can help the team in other ways, whether it’s defending or anything else, I have to help the team. That’s the way it has to be.”
For Smith, the decision to pursue a permanent deal wasn’t made the night Navarro scored his 11th, though. It wasn’t when he scored in five games straight.
Thoughts of keeping him came much earlier. As the deadline came closer, it was only a matter of when, not if, the signing would take place.
“We felt very early on that Rafa was a player we wanted to keep on the team,” Smith said. “We knew he was a good fit culturally, we had seen that last year. That was further confirmed right from the beginning of preseason this year.
“Once he got on his run, it was like, ‘Look, this kid’s the full package.’ He’s just turned 24 years of age, so there’s still a lot of room for growth. He does everything we want from our possessions and everything we want from a character perspective. He’s a culture fit, works hard against the ball and can score goals at the MLS level. That’s a great package for us.”
Navarro said his personal goal for down the line is to win the Golden Boot in the MLS. In a normal year, he’d be on pace to do so, but 2024 has been far from it. Navarro’s 11 goals has him in sixth, five behind Real Salt Lake’s Cristian Arango, who leads the league with 16 goals just more than halfway through the season.
In the team’s future, Navarro has MLS Cup aspirations in mind. But now that he’s a permanent Rapid, his first test on the job will be a tough road match against LAFC this Saturday at 8:30 p.m.
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Braidon Nourse
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A 28-year-old Denver truck driver was sentenced to 11 years in prison Friday for a deadly Interstate 25 crash that killed a Wyoming family of five.
Jesus Puebla was sentenced to 11 years in the Colorado Department of Corrections by 19th Judicial District Judge Allison Esser, according to court records and the Weld County district attorney’s office.
Puebla was convicted of five counts of vehicular homicide after a jury trial in April for the deaths of Emiliano and Christina Godines, 51 and 47; their son Aaron, 20; his wife, Halie Everts, 20; and their 3-month-old daughter, Tessleigh Godinez.
Puebla also was convicted of vehicular assault, careless driving, reckless driving and two commercial traffic violations.
Puebla was driving a 1999 Kenworth T800 box truck on the afternoon of June 13, 2022, when he crashed into a 2015 Ford Edge driven by Aaron Godinez as the family returned home to Gillette, Wyo., according to previous reporting.
The crash occurred on northbound Interstate 25 near Colorado 66, and Puebla collided with two other vehicles in the crash. A Greeley man in one of the other vehicles also was injured.
“These families have had to deal with the trauma and this devastating loss every single day,” Deputy District Attorney Yvette Guthrie said in a statement. “Absolutely nothing that this defendant did the day of this tragic crash was an accident. This wasn’t road rage; this was traffic terrorism.”
Puebla’s attorney could not immediately be reached for comment on the sentencing.
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Katie Langford
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The roof of an auto body repair shop in Littleton collapsed Saturday morning, fire rescue officials said.
South Metro Fire Rescue crews and Littleton police officers responded to reports of a roof collapse at Bradford Auto Body around 8:45 a.m. Saturday, the fire department said in a statement on social media.
No one was in the building — located at 2659 Main St. in Downtown Littleton — when the roof collapsed and no injuries have been reported, according to South Metro.
The fire department said a 900-square-foot section of the roof collapsed, but the cause remains under investigation.
Firefighter, Technical Rescue, Hazmat and Heavy Rescue crews were all on scene to stabilize the remaining sections of roof, and South Metro handed the building over to the City of Littleton around 10:15 a.m.
The city’s building inspector will work with the business owner to determine the cause of the collapse and next steps moving forward.
This is a developing story and may be updated.
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Lauren Penington
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Five people rescued from a burning apartment building in Denver’s Five Points neighborhood were sent to the hospital Saturday morning.
Fire crews responded to reports of smoke coming from an apartment building near East 22nd Avenue and North Clarkson Street, the Denver Fire Department said in an 8 a.m. statement on social media.
Denver firefighters rescued people from the upper floors of the building using ladder trucks and quickly extinguished the blaze, the fire department stated.
Paramedics transported five people to hospitals after the fire, but their condition is unknown, the fire department said in an 8:24 a.m. update.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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Lauren Penington
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Justin Simmons the football player remains in a state of limbo.
Simmons the person looked right at home Saturday morning in Montbello.
The 31-year-old, released by the Broncos after eight seasons back in March, has seen his free agency now inch toward the three-month mark.
You wouldn’t have known it at the Denver Broncos Boys & Girls Club for the annual March for Peace on this sun-splashed morning.
“God is so good. I’m so thankful for this time and for his faithfulness in terms of slowing me down and not taking things for granted,” Simmons said in his first public comments since his Broncos tenure ended this spring. “This offseason has been such a blessing. I’ve had a tremendous opportunity in my eyes to regain some lost moments of hanging out with family, I’ve got to go to my daughter’s dance recitals and I’ve got to see them grow and I’ve got to be home a lot more. All while training and staying ready so I don’t have to get ready.
“One door closes and another opens and that’ll open at some point here in the future.”
The two-time Pro Bowl safety didn’t want to talk much about football or about his future prospects with a pair of reporters on hand, but he readily acknowledged a piece of symmetry that borders perhaps on poetic.
The organizers of this event, Nashara Ellerbee and Naja’Ray West, are graduating seniors and off to Colorado State University in the fall. It’s a time of change in their lives. A time of excitement but also anxiousness. When you’ve made the impact they’ve made on a community, you don’t know quite what’s coming behind you, but if you’ve made your mark well, you can have confidence that it’s something good.
That’s Simmons, too. He doesn’t know where he’ll be playing next year just yet, but he knows he’s enjoying this offseason. He knows he finds himself feeling every bit as rooted here among the familiar faces and folks who perhaps once saw him as a football player but now just see him as justin.
“Honestly, even now in this time of transition, I’ve talked to them because they’re both getting ready to go off to college and we’re talking about next steps and who’s roommates and classes and what are we going to do here and when do we get to visit family?” he said. “And I’m talking them through it from my experience in college. But similarly I’m taking the same step just with another team at some point. And so it’ll be the same thing, right? New locker room, new coaches, wanting to fit in, wanting to establish yourself with your play. So we’re both in this thing almost together in different aspects. I’m looking to them for encouragement and they’re encouraging me and I hope I’m doing a good job encouraging them.
“They’ve just been a huge blessing. I love their heart, I love their passion for people and their community and that’s what I’ve learned the most from them is just how impactful you can be just by loving on people.”
It’s one more way in which West, Ellerbee and Simmons have drawn from each other over several years worth of their respective lives and development.
“I’ve learned so much, even the intentionality that they’ve put into trying to help their own hometown, backyard,” Simmons said. “For me, you’re so plugged into trying to help as many people as you can. And I think Nashara and Ray Ray have done a good job of putting into perspective for me as, like, helping the people that you’ve done life with. That’s super important. Never lose sight of that. I think it’s great if you want to help as many people as you can and inspire as many people as you can, but you never want to forget the community and the people that helped you along the way and helped raised you and helped grow with you.”
Simmons, of course, is a Florida native. He went to college at Boston College. Now he’s been in Denver since 2016. The past several years, this has been his community.
“This is our brother at the end of the day,” West said of Simmons. “Regardless of where we end up and they end up, where he ends up on a new team, we’re family. We’re always going to have each other. When he comes to this event he comes not as a football player but as himself. Justin Simmons the guy that we know. Not the Denver Broncos safety.
Added Ellerbee, “I just know that he’s going to be there for us. He goes to our graduations, both of our senior nights. He’s just a guy we can count on if we need anything.”
As the pair addressed the crowd just before the run through Montbello started, they waved Simmons to the front to stand with them. He did for a minute and helped get the group’s attention, but then ceded all of the talking to West and Ellerbee.
He watched from the side and nodded along as they talked about their confidence in the future of the event despite their departures and about how much the community means to them.
“They’ve helped me so much,” Simmons said. “I’m looking forward to seeing this last hoo-rah, but also looking forward to seeing what the kids in the future here do to continue on Ray Ray and Nashara’s legacy.”
The same could be said of he and the Broncos.
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Parker Gabriel
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Heroes have been hard to find for the Rockies, but Friday night, there were plenty of them in LoDo.
Shortstop Ezequiel Tovar ripped an RBI single down the left-field line off Phillies left-hander Gregory Soto to score Brenton Doyle from third and lift Colorado to a thrilling 3-2 victory.
Tovar hit Soto’s 0-1 slider for the second walk-off hit of his career.
“Honestly, I was just thinking, ‘Get a good at-bat there because our bullpen did a hell of a job tonight,’ ” Tovar said, using bullpen catcher Aaron Munoz as his interpreter.
“Situations like that are extremely fun,” Tovar continued. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous in pregame or in any of those at-bats. But any situation, in any at-bat, I just try to get a hit up the middle, basically.”
Tovar, who went 4 for 6 and had the first four-hit game of his career, would not have had the chance to don Superman’s cape had it not been for backup catcher Jacob Stallings. Or a lockdown night by the bullpen.
In the ninth, with the Rockies trailing 2-1 and down to their final out, Stallings ripped a 427-foot, pinch-hit homer off Phillies closer Jose Alvarado to tie the game, 2-2. Stallings ambushed Alvarado’s first pitch, a 97 mph sinker, to send the game into extra innings.
“I know what a tough at-bat Alvarado is,” said Stallings, who hit the first pinch-hit homer of his nine-year career. “But that was a really cool moment and it ranks up there as one of my favorites. But contributing to the win was the most important thing.”
Stallings is the third player in Rockies history to launch a game-tying, pinch-hit home run with two outs in the ninth inning. The others were Larry Walker, on July 17, 1999, at Cincinnati, and Sam Hillard, on Sept. 28, 2019, vs. Milwaukee.
And Colorado’s much-maligned relief corps came through big time.
Reliever Nick Mears found himself against the ropes in the 10th. A one-out walk by Whit Merrifield, followed by a bloop single to center by pinch-hitter Kody Clemens, loaded the bases. But Mears struck out the dangerous Kyle Schwarber looking at a curveball and got J.T. Realmuto to ground out to first.
On a night when Colorado desperately needed a reliever to come through, Mears delivered two scoreless innings. And then Tyler Kinley delivered a scoreless 11th to notch the win.
The Rockies have become extra-inning warriors. They beat Oakland in 12 innings Wednesday night and lost to the A’s in 11 innings on Thursday. Friday marked just the second time the Rockies have played three consecutive extra-inning games. It last happened June 20-22, 2002, when the Rockies beat the Yankees in the 10th, followed by a win over Tampa in the 10th, then another win over Tampa in the 11th.
Before all of the late-game drama, Colorado left-hander Ty Blach pitched a terrific game.
The Phillies came to LoDo on a roll, having won 29 of their previous 35 games but Colorado went toe-to-toe with them.
The night’s fireworks came early when Phillies star first baseman Bryce Harper was ejected in the first inning for arguing balls and strikes with home plate umpire Brian Walsh. Harper struck out on three pitches against Blach. Harper spiked his batting helmet and then continued to argue. It was Harper’s first ejection of the season and the 21st of his career.
“Bummed,” Harper told reporters in the Philadelphia clubhouse. “I wasn’t trying to get thrown out. I was just having a conversation. There are guys who are professionals in this league. They understand it. I guess 120 didn’t understand it.”
The “120” Harper reference is Walsh’s umpire jersey number.
Crew chief Vic Carapazza provided a pool report about Harper’s ejection after the game.
“What led to the ejection was that Bryce Harper was clearly upset about the pitches and Brian gave him a long leash,” Carapazza said. “He kept him in the game, and Bryce just kept arguing about balls and strikes and, at the end of the day, equipment violation is basically a big warning and, if you continue to talk about pitches, then Brian had to handle it. So that’s it, really.”
Besides striking out Harper, Blach set the stage for the Rockies’ victory. Following in the footsteps of Cal Quantrill, Austin Gomber and Ryan Feltner’s excellent starts in Oakland, Blach slowed down the Phillies for 6 2/3 innings.
The Phillies hurt him with two swings in the fifth inning. Nick Castellanos led off with a 445-foot blast to center, teeing off on Blach’s 1-0 cutter. Two batters later, Edmundo Sosa launched Blach’s 2-1 sinker into the left-field bleacher for a 2-0 Philly lead.
Blach allowed five hits, struck out two, and walked two. Of his 78 pitches, 58 were thrown for strikes. Most impressive, his only three-ball counts of the night came vs. the final two batters he faced.
“The key was to pitch down,” Blach said. “I know they like to do damage, so I tried to get some groundballs.
He threw 78 pitches, 58 for strikes, in his very efficient night.
“When I’m right, that’s how things are going,” he said. “I’m just attacking the zone and changing speeds, going in and out. The changeup was good tonight and I was able to keep those guys off-balance.”
Colorado sliced Philadelphia’s lead in half in the bottom of the fifth, combining a double by Hunter Goodman, a single up the middle for Alan Trejo, who was filling in at third base for Ryan McMahon, and an RBI single by Tovar. Tovar’s 23 RBIs rank are tied for second on the team with Elias Diaz and trail only McMahon (30).
Phillies RHP Aaron Nola (6-2, 3.05 ERA) at Rockies RHP Dakota Hudson (1-7, 5.89)
7:10 p.m. Saturday, Coors Field
TV: Rockies.TV (streaming); Comcast/Xfinity (channel 1262); DirecTV (683); Spectrum (130, 445, 305, 435 or 445, depending on region).
Radio: 850 AM/94.1 FM
While right-hander Cal Quantrill and lefty Austin Gomber have been pitching like All-Stars this month, Hudson continues to struggle. But he has made some progress, even though he picked up his seventh loss on Sunday at San Francisco. He allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits over 4 2/3 innings. Lack of pitch efficiency has been a problem for the right-hander all season. And Hudson has struggled at Coors Field, going 0-3 with a 9.00 ERA, 15 walks and 11 strikeouts over four starts. In five career starts against the Phillies, he’s 1-2 with a 3.58 ERA, 16 walks and 15 strikeouts. As a member of the Cardinals last season, he made two starts against Philly, going 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA.
Nola has pitched well against Colorado, going 4-2 with a 3.36 ERA in 10 starts, striking out 72 while walking only 11. He dominated the Rockies in Philadelphia last month, allowing one run on four hits over 7 1/3 innings. He fanned nine and walked one. Nola is coming off a strong performance vs. the Nationals last Sunday when he allowed three runs (two earned) on two hits and three walks across seven innings. He struck out five. In five career starts at Coors Field, he’s 2-2 with a 4.22 ERA.
Sunday: Phillies LHP Ranger Suarez (9-0, 1.36) at Rockies RHP Cal Quantrill (3-3, 3.59), 1:10 p.m.
Monday: Guardians RHP Xzavion Curry (2-2, 1.93) at Rockies LHP Austin Gomber (1-2, 2.76), 2:10 p.m.
Tuesday: Rockies TBD at Guardians TBD, 6:40 p.m.
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Patrick Saunders
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