![On Oct. 30, 24 Eco Club members took a tour of the school’s solar panels on the roof. They were guided and taught by an employee from E Light Electric, the company that maintains the school’s solar panels, and learned about how the panels are maintained and cared for. “I was definitely very excited about being on the roof in general,” Eco Club member Olivia Fang ‘26 said. “[It was exciting to] learn more about solar panels and how they work and how they supply energy to our school.”](https://rockmediaonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/RCH_2632-1200x800.jpg)
![Ice and snow make it difficult for drivers on the road. During snowstorms, drivers have poor visibility, and frozen roads make it difficult to stay in control. “Driving home from Denver [on Friday], the neighborhoods weren’t plowed. By the time we got back they were only plowing highways. We spun out, nearly got stuck and fishtailed a few different times,” Connor Pugh ‘26 said.](https://rockmediaonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Untitled_Artwork-e1732045465987.jpg)
![Varsity girls soccer midfielder Leah Sheahan ‘24 hugs a friend during the Senior Night celebrations before the home game against Mountain Vista High School (MVHS) at Echo Park Stadium April 29. During Senior Night, seniors were given flowers and the opportunity to walk out and take pictures with their family as their future plans and favorite memories were announced over the speakers. The Jags tied 0-0, losing the Continental League Championship. “We were obviously the stronger team but just couldn’t find a way to score, but otherwise our connection and our intensity was really high so I’m proud of that. We just have to find the net,” defense midfielder Clara Geuzaine ‘24 said. “[Losing League] wasn’t the best. It’s better than last year and like, I know our team and we are doing really good. I don’t want to jinx it but like hopefully [we’ll do] good [in playoffs].”](https://rockmediaonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Copy-of-DSC_4277-1-1200x868.jpg)
![In room 4101, Natalie Patterson ‘26, Ariana Magor ‘25 and Celina Salazar ‘25 create a poster in science teacher Kerry Reilly’s Chemistry Honors April 18. The three completed a worksheet and drawing to explain the implosion of a tank for their unit on gas laws. “At the start of class, we watched a video of the tank imploding,” Patterson said. “I think [making a drawing] is something new. I like more artsy activities.”](https://rockmediaonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMG_5019-1200x900.jpeg)
Stunning the State
Ice Hockey team topples reigning national champions, Denver East High School, in the High Plains Hockey Leagues Championship.
media by Photo Courtesy Sam Ballantine
Varsity boys ice hockey team holds up the 2023 Wales Division Banner May 14. The team won against the reigning championships, the Denver East Angels, 9-2. “It felt amazing. It really showed that, with a full group of guys, with the right mindset, we can do anything,” right wing Easton Stockert ’25 said. “We took down the back-to-back champs, which was my personal first time ever beating Denver East.”
May 24, 2023
For the first time in school ice hockey history, the Jaguars took away a win against the Denver East Angels during the final championship games that took place May 11 to May 14.
High Plains Hockey League (HPHL) is spring hockey where players play individually for Rock Canyon, separate from the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) season where they play as the Sabercats, a team combined with Douglas County High School and Castle View High School.
“My mindset was to just win,” varsity forward Joey Wennogle ‘24 said. “Last year, against them, we lost in the semifinals and that has stuck with me since then. I wanted revenge.”
Other teammates also believed it was a chance to not only redeem the team but also to have a chance to prove themselves after their loss.
“Last year, we played them in the semifinals, in a close game that ended in a 6-4 loss. So, being able to come back and get some revenge was so amazing for the team and me,” varsity forward Branddon Lorenz ‘23 said.
Throughout the season, the team struggled with team attendance and had to overcome the challenge of not having the full team there during many of the games. Some players had tryouts for Triple-A teams and academic conflicts resulting in the miss of games.
“We have a great group of guys,” Wennogle said. “But, during the season we couldn’t all attend every game, so there were games where we had eight guys. But, I would say we got better as the season went on.”
A full roster consists of 18 players, with six of the players on the ice at a time. With only a partial roster for the majority of their games, players had to rotate quicker off the bench and onto the ice, resulting in less rest time.
The team may not have had a full roster, but that didn’t stop them from building chemistry with each other over the season into the playoffs.
“I think the team was great already but players built chemistry and we all formed as a team at the perfect time to play the way we did during playoffs,” varsity right-wing Easton Stockert ‘25 said.
“In the regular season, we lost to Denver East 5-0, but then in the Championship we beat them 9-2.”
Going into the playoffs, the Jaguars had a win/loss record of 7-5.
“It was hard still having a winning record while not having a whole ton of guys before playoffs. It was tiring, but we managed to have a winning record and still be a force to reckon with going into playoffs,” Wennogle said.
During the four games that took place, the Jaguars played against the Front Range Rangers in game one May 11, winning 7-2 and advancing to the quarterfinals.
“Going into the playoffs, I made it my goal to work as hard as I could,” Lorenz said. “Being a senior, I knew that any game could potentially be my last, and I would regret it if I didn’t give everything I had.”
In game two, the Jaguars took a 3-1 win against the Arapahoe High School Warriors May 12. In the semifinals, they played against The North Alliance, which combined teams with Jefferson County schools and Adam 12 Five Star schools. The Jags won the game 9-7 and advanced to the finals.
“They are just a team and the same as everyone else. We played to win, not to win against a specific team,” varsity defender Zac Northrup ‘23 said.
The final game took place May 14, ending in the Jags taking away the title of High Plains Hockey League 2023 Wales Champions from the reigning champions, Denver East.
“It was the first time our school had [won an HPHL championship] in nearly a decade, so being able to do that gave us a lot of pride,” Lorenz said.