There was something missing from the Class 4A and 5A state championship football games Dec. 3 at Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver.
The Colorado Sports Hall of Fame in partnership with the Colorado High School Activities Association and the Denver Broncos secured a great venue for these title games. Players and coaches love playing on the same field as the Denver Broncos and you don't hear complaints.
However, the atmosphere lacked the kind of buzz you might find at a smaller venue.
With 9,502 fans combined for the two games in the 76,125-seat venue, it was hard to get a real sense of the zealous fans and students who were in attendance.
There was an empty feeling looking at the vast surroundings and the estimated crowd of 4,500 that watched the second game between Valor Christian and Pomona.
The answer might be to move the championship games to a high school stadium in the Denver area. But it would have to be to be a neutral site for the teams playing in the title contests.
Echo Park Automotive Stadium in Parker, Jefferson County Stadium in Lakewood or Legacy Stadium in Aurora might be able to house a crowd of 10,000 with the addition of temporary end zone bleachers. All-City Stadium in Denver would be a great site, but it's probably too small.
Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City is a soccer venue, but it's the right size for a state football site. It's big enough (18,061) to handle an overflow gathering for both games but a crowd of 9,000 to 10,000 would not be lost.
Cyclo-Cross champion
Maurine Sweeney of Highlands Ranch won the UCI Masters Cyclo-Cross World Championships for the 65-69 age group on Dec. 2 in Mol, Belgium.
Cyclo-cross is the national sport of Belgium and the races always involve sections where the racers must dismount and carry their bikes over powder-sugar sand. Some races involve sections in which bikes must be carried up stairs or over obstacles.
Vista Nation finishes 13th
The Vista Nation girls cross country team --; which represents Mountain Vista High School in Highlands Ranch --; was 13th in the recent Nike Nationals cross country championship in Portland, Oregon.
Freshman Jenna Fitzsimmons led the way, finishing 69th in the individual standings, with a time of 19 minutes, 1.2 seconds. Freshman Sarah O'Sullivan was 97th in 19:26.5, with Mauren Fitzsimmons right behind at 19:27.6.
Hensley honored
Former Lindenwood University women's hockey goaltender Nicole Hensley is one of the 10 recipients of the NCAA Top 10 award that recognizes former student athletes for success in the field, classroom and community.
Hensley, who went to Green Mountain High School, is now an assistant coach for the Lindenwood women's hockey team in Saint Charles, Missouri. She had a school-record 2.52 goals-against average and a .922 saves percentage during her senior season. She is the NCAA all-time saves leader with 4,094.
from Lakewood Sentinel - Latest Stories http://lakewoodsentinel.com/stories/Title-games-need-more-electricity,240156
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