CLASS 3A BOYS BASKETBALL TEAM CAPSULES
The Class 3A Boys State Basketball Tournament will be played at the University of Denver with the first quarterfinal starting at 10:15am on Thursday. The complete brackets, with game times, are available at milehighprepreport.com or on MileHigh Prep Report on Facebook. The capsules for each team are in bracket order.
Individual statistics quoted below are courtesy of MaxPreps. Teams are listed in bracket order.
#1 FORGE CHRISTIAN FURY (20-3)
- COACH: ABRAM ZIEMER
- STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS (as Faith Christian)
- 2002, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2023
- Runner-Up: 2003, 2017
- RECORD AGAINST GREAT 8 QUALIFIERS 2-2
- WINS: DENVER CHRISTIAN (1), COLORADO ACADEMY (1)
- LOSSES: KENT DENVER (1), DSST-MONTVIEW (1)
- Team Notes: Forge Christian advanced to the Elite 8 with a pair of wins last weekend. Forge Christian defeated St. Mar’s 72 to 34 and Stargate School 52 to 41. Forge Christian is your defending state champions.
- STAT LEADERS
| Players | Points per Game | Rebounds per Game | Assists per game | Other Notable Stats |
| Owen Hovis Jr. | 16.7 | 3.6 | 2.5 | 1.9 steals |
| Peyton Miller Sr. | 12.3 | 3.7 | 3.9 | 1.3 steals |
| Levi Clark So. | 12.0 | 5.9 | 2.0 | 1.2 steals |
| Jakan Sederwall Jr. | 9.7 | 3.5 | 2.3 | 1.2 steals |
| Sebastian Still So. | 3.1 | 2.1 | 0.9 | |
| Austin Farris Sr. | 2.6 | 5.2 | 0.9 |
#9 SALIDA SPARTANS (20-4)
- COACH: ADAM CHRISTENSEN
- STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
- 1961, 1964
- Runner-Up: 1963, 1991, 2023
- RECORD AGAINST GREAT 8 QUALIFIERS 3-4
- WINS: SANFORD (1), CENTAURI (1), BANNING LEWIS (1)
- LOSSES: VANGUARD (2), PAGOSA SPRINGS (1), BANNING LEWIS (1)
- Team Notes: Salida advanced into the great 8 hitting the road at regionals. Salida advanced to the Elite 8 defeating Dawson School 69 to 43 and Peyton 75 to 52. Salida was your runner-up a season ago.
- STAT LEADERS
| Players | Points per Game | Rebounds per Game | Assists per game | Other Notable Stats |
| Ryan Osness Jr. | 17.8 | 2.2 | 2.2 | 2.5 steals |
| Kason Westphal Jr. | 15.0 | 10.4 | 10.3 | 2.5 blocks |
| Dylan Grant Jr. | 7.8 | 4.3 | 1.5 | 1.4 steals |
| Daniel Edgington Sr. | 6.8 | 3.8 | 2.9 | 2.4 steals |
| Eli Schwarz So. | 6.1 | 2.6 | 0.7 | 1.3 steals |
| Ashton Walker Sr. | 5.1 | 2.5 | 1.3 | 1.3 steals |
#4 YUMA OUTLAWS (19-4)
- COACH: DAVE SHEFFIELD
- STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
- 1958, 1963, 1981, 2018, 2019, 2022
- Runner-Up: 1962, 1964, 1967
- RECORD AGAINST GREAT 8 QUALIFIERS 1-1
- WINS: HIGHLAND (1)
- LOSSES: MERINO (1)
- Team Notes: Yuma advanced to the Elite 8 going 2-0 at regionals. Yuma defeated Liberty Common 64 to 43 and were able to fight off Windsor Charter in the regional finals 56 to 50. Yuma lost in Elite 8 last season and have reached the State Tournament every year since 2016-2017.
- STAT LEADERS
| Players | Points per Game | Rebounds per Game | Assists per game | Other Notable Stats |
| Brody Sheffield So. | 19.6 | 4.2 | 3.4 | 1.8 steals |
| Cristian Duarte Sr. | 13.6 | 1.6 | 1.6 | 2.0 steals |
| Jonathan Thomson Jr. | 13.4 | 9.7 | 2.3 | 0.6 blocks |
| Edwin Munoz Sr. | 8.3 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 2.1 steals |
| Cesar Gamboa Sr. | 5.2 | 4.5 | 1.3 | 1.6 steals |
| Alex Pensado Fr. | 2.1 | 0.7 | 1.2 | 1.2 steals |
#5 CENTAURI FALCONS (18-5)
- COACH: LARRY MORTENSEN
- STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
- None
- Runner up: 1994, 1997, 2022
- RECORD AGAINST GREAT 8 QUALIFIERS 0-5
- WINS: NONE
- LOSSES: SALIDA (1), SANFORD (1), FRUITA MONUMENT (1), PAGOSA SPRINGS (2)
- Team Notes: Centauri advanced to the Elite 8 picking up a pair of wins. Centauri defeated Timnath 50 to 30 and Manual 61 to 37. Centauri has reached the State Tournament (Elite 8) every year since 2018-2019. Last season Centauri lost in the Elite 8.
- STAT LEADERS
| Players | Points per Game | Rebounds per Game | Assists per game | Other Notable Stats |
| Carson Bagwell Jr. | 12.0 | 4.6 | 1.8 | 1.4 steals |
| Chaz Holman Sr. | 9.3 | 3.9 | 4.5 | 4.1 steals |
| Troy Sowards Jr. | 8.2 | 1.5 | 1.7 | 1.6 steals |
| Kaleb Anderson Sr. | 7.4 | 5.4 | 0.7 | 1.3 steals |
| Jace Haslett Jr. | 7.0 | 5.0 | 1.4 | 1.0 steals |
| Kallon Russell Sr. | 6.8 | 3.6 | 2.1 | 1.9 steals |
#2 BISHOP MACHEBEUF (22-1)
- COACH: SETH FLAGEOLLE
- STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
- None
- Runner-Up: 1986
- RECORD AGAINST GREAT 8 QUALIFIERS 3-0
- WINS: DENVER CHRISTIAN (1), HERITAGE CHRISTIAN (1), DENVER JEWISH DAY (1)
- LOSSES: NONE
- Team Notes: Bishop Machebeuf advanced to the State Tournament going 2-0. Machebeuf defeated Ignacio 63 to 54 and Crested Butte 70 to 40. Last season Machebeuf fell at regionals to Brush. The last time Machebeuf made the State Tournament was in 2013-2014.
- STAT LEADERS
| Players | Points per Game | Rebounds per Game | Assists per game | Other Notable Stats |
| Miles Edgar-Parchman Jr. | 15.9 | 7.5 | 4.4 | 3.3 steals |
| Kibrre Sibhat Sr. | 15.6 | 3.8 | 2.9 | 2.6 steals |
| John Menke Jr. | 11.5 | 2.3 | 3.7 | 4.0 steals |
| Jack Menke Jr. | 10.7 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 2.5 steals |
| Landon Sulser Jr. | 9.1 | 5.1 | 1.2 | 1.4 steals |
| Ben Mages Jr. | 4.6 | 5.0 | 1.0 | 0.9 blocks |
#10 BANNING LEWIS STALLIONS (20-4)
- COACH: WES MCKENZIE
- STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
- NONE
- RECORD AGAINST GREAT 8 QUALIFIERS 2-3
- WINS: VANGUARD (1), SALIDA (1),
- LOSSES: KENT DENVER (1), DSST-GREEN VALLEY RANCH (1), SALIDA (1)
- Team Notes: Banning Lewis hit the road for their regionals traveling to Meeker. Banning Lewis was able to get a pair of wins defeating Montezuma-Cortez 66 to 51 and Meeker 73 to 50. This is just Banning Lewis fourth year as a program and they make their first ever trip to the State Tournament (Elite 8).
- STAT LEADERS
| Players | Points per Game | Rebounds per Game | Assists per game | Other Notable Stats |
| Trey Oden Jr. | 15.2 | 6.1 | 2.6 | 1.4 steals |
| Joseph Bjegovich Sr. | 11.7 | 4.8 | 2.9 | 1.8 steals |
| Tyson Robertson Sr. | 8.0 | 3.4 | 2.6 | 1.7 steals |
| Kobe Welch Jr. | 7.9 | 1.5 | 1.0 | |
| Jordan Jones So. | 6.0 | 8.0 | 1.6 | 1.9 steals |
| Ben Early Sr. | 4.5 | 5.5 | 1.1 | 1.2 blocks |
#3 VANGUARD COURSERS (23-1)
- COACH: JOE WETTERS
- STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
- None
- Runner-Up: 2019
- RECORD AGAINST GREAT 8 QUALIFIERS 2-1
- WINS: SALIDA (2)
- LOSSES: BANNING LEWIS (1)
- Team Notes: Vanguard advanced to the State Tournament going 2-0 at regionals. Vanguard defeated Cedaredge 83 to 47 and SkyView Academy 72 to 51. Vanguard lost in the opening round of regionals last season. Vanguard last trip to the State Tournament was 2019-2020.
- STAT LEADERS
| Players | Points per Game | Rebounds per Game | Assists per game | Other Notable Stats |
| Cameron Rowney Sr. | 19.2 | 3.0 | 3.8 | 3.6 steals |
| Nathan Morris Sr. | 12.6 | 7.1 | 3.3 | 2.5 steals |
| JJ Wetters Jr. | 12.0 | 2.8 | 7.6 | 4.3 steals |
| Matty Dessalegn So. | 11.8 | 10.2 | 1.2 | 1.1 blocks |
| Josh Alade So. | 8.0 | 6.0 | 0.3 | 1.0 steals |
| Mason Hoover Sr. | 6.0 | 6.3 | 1.3 | 1.7 steals |
#6 HIGHLAND HUSKIES (20-4)
- COACH: PETE FREEMAN
- STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
- 2000
- Runner-Up: 1965, 1971, 1972, 1977, 1978, 2019
- RECORD AGAINST GREAT 8 QUALIFIERS 0-1
- WINS: NONE
- LOSSES: YUMA (1)
- Team Notes: Highland advanced to the State Tournament going 2-0 at regionals. Highland defeated Bennett 70 to 41 and rival Strasburg 63 to 57. Highland took 3rd place last year defeating Windsor Charter 79 to 68.
- STAT LEADERS
| Players | Points per Game | Rebounds per Game | Assists per game | Other Notable Stats |
| Sawyer Morgan Jr. | 17.6 | 12.2 | 5.3 | 1.1 blocks |
| Jacob Wares Sr. | 14.6 | 3.7 | 2.5 | 2.2 steals |
| Carson Steinke Sr. | 14.5 | 3.8 | 2.4 | 1.4 steals |
| Brogan Palmer So. | 7.5 | 5.5 | 0.6 | |
| Tanner Fabrizius Sr. | 6.6 | 3.2 | 2.3 | 1.2 steals |
| Dom Huntington So. | 3.6 | 1.5 | 0.6 |
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