Today's Sports

Lane Williams learned how to come out of nowhere and ruin a wrestler’s senior season. Now he wants to teach the Evergreen Cougars that mentality.

Williams is the new wrestling coach at Evergreen, taking over for Steve Hitchens via stops at Hinkley High School in Aurora, Holyoke, and a collegiate career at Portland State.

“I see a lot of potential,” Williams said of the Cougars after practice. “After watching these kids for the last couple weeks, I see a lot of potential, but them just missing the belief in themselves that they can do this.”

THORNTON — The risk for Bethel Lindsley was certainly worth the gain.

Had it been your run of the mill regular-season meet, Lindsley likely wouldn’t have competed with her injured shoulder.

But, this was state, and being a senior, it was her last time to compete on the sport’s biggest stage. She also knew that if the Cougars were to realize their dream of winning a state title, she had to be out on the floor.

She was there, and she certainly didn’t disappoint.

LAKEWOOD — Trent Butler couldn’t help but stop what he was saying and laugh.

Running across the turf at Trailblazer Stadium following Evergreen’s season-ending victory over Ridge View Academy was head coach Mike Sellers. In hot pursuit was senior Brandon Gustafson, armed with a cooler of ice water.

“I think it could have gone a lot better, but for the most part, a win is a win, and that’s how you want to go out,” Butler said before stopping to watch Gustafson finally hit his target. “Obviously, everyone is having fun.”

FORT COLLINS — In his final race at Evergreen, Ryan Haebe wanted to leave everything out on the course.

That’s exactly what the senior did Oct. 25 at the Colorado High School Activities Association’s State Cross-County Championships at Fossil Ridge High School, and he was rewarded with a top-10 finish and was just four seconds shy of breaking the school record.

Haebe, sporting a new closely-cropped haircut, finished the very flat course in 15 minutes, 51.67 seconds.