![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)
![The girls varsity soccer team walk back to their bench during halftime April 1. The Jags played against the Castle View Sabercats at the Douglas County Stadium and scored 3-0 W. “It felt really good [to beat Castle View]. I feel like that was a big win for us because knowing that we came together to beat a pretty good team has definitely given us some leverage for this season,” attacking midfielder Grace Rossner ‘24 said.](https://rockmediaonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC_4906-1-1200x1057.jpg)
![English teacher Colleen Lamb grades College Prep English assignments during period two Nov. 10. Lamb, who has been teaching for 27 years, decorates her classroom with posters and handmade college flags from her senior students. Everything I enjoy about English happens primarily in the classroom, Lamb said. So, thankfully, the college [I worked at] had a teaching program, and I was able to do my post-grad work for free while I was working [there].”](https://rockmediaonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMG_1158-1200x900.jpeg)
Water bottles are filled. Fingers are taped. Matching black and gold away jerseys are put on by players. Following suit, hundreds of students dress in all-black outfits, including headbands, face paint and more.
It’s time for boys varsity basketball to head into enemy territory.
The Jags took on the Highlands Ranch High School (HRHS) Falcons at HRHS at 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 12. Despite temperatures in the low 20°s, hundreds of students were still in attendance to see the annual rivalry showdown, screaming, stomping and chanting as loud as they could in competition with the opposing student section.
The crowd noise reached as loud as 127 decibels.
“The number of tickets we get is set by the home team as each gym in our league has a different capacity,” Athletics Director Tom Brieske said. “Our Continental League Bylaws state that it should be a 60/40 split between home and away. We received 500 tickets from Highlands Ranch and I’m pretty sure we sold all of them.”
The Jags and the Falcons stayed neck-and-neck throughout the four quarters, with the Jags only narrowly maintaining their lead. The first quarter ended with a score of 18-15, then the teams headed into halftime 37-36.
“During away games, [team manager] Danielle Yoder and I get to film,” team manager Lexi Hayden ‘24 said. “I help out with drills, score and time and doing all the waters for practices and games. At home games, we get to be on the bench. We’ve also been learning to control the hype video and the music for home games.”
By the end of the third quarter, the score was 54-46. The game ended with a score of 67-64 W. This was the fifth year in a row that the team beat the Falcons in a league game.
“It was awesome! [Winning] feels great. We all did super great and everyone had their moments, good and bad, but we pulled it out,” varsity forward Trevor Olsen ‘24 said. “We celebrated in the locker room with lots of screaming and cheering and throwing water.”
But, this wasn’t the only win for the Jags. The boys JV team also won their game, and all levels of the lady Jags won against Ranch, earning themselves a full sweep against the Falcons for the second time in school history.
“I’m just glad we beat Ranch because I hate Ranch. I was expecting to win but I knew they were gonna play scrappy and that the refs were gonna be on their side. They were really scrappy,” varsity forward Reid Finch ‘24 said.
As of Jan. 17, according to MaxPreps, the varsity boys team is currently ranked eighth in Colorado and seventh in Division 6A. Their overall win/loss record is 11-3.
“If you see us in the playoffs, you might not want to, because we’re gonna be scrappy, we’re gonna play how we wanna play and we’re gonna beat you,” Coach Payton Holloway said.
The team’s next game takes place at home at 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 19, against Regis Jesuit High School. See below for the full season schedule.
