Season Preview: Frontier League

<strong>How it all shook out in ‘19-20 </strong>The Academy (11-0) ran the Frontier table. Middle Park (10-1) and Denver School of Science and Technology-Montview (9-2) also had strong loop showings, and Arrupe Jesuit (8-3) was another game back. Overall, seven of the dozen Frontier teams finished with losing records and another, Sheridan, finished at 11-11. <strong>Teams –</strong> Arrupe Jesuit, Bennett, Bruce Randolph, DSST-Montview, Jefferson, KIPP Denver Collegiate, Lake County, Middle Park, Platte Canyon, Sheridan, The Academy, The Pinnacle. <strong>Which playoff team advanced the furthest?</strong> It was a very lean, quick and disappointing postseason for the Frontier. The Academy, which entered the 3A 32-team Colorado field undefeated at 22-0 and as the second seed, smoked Sterling in the first round, then fell to Brush in the Sweet 16 … and that was it for the league. <strong>A few returning players to watch</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="116809" first="Felisha" last="Chavez"], DSST-Montview, 2021, G, 5-6</strong> Chavez shot 56 percent from the floor in ’19-20, while leading her team in scoring with 16.4 points per game. She also had a team-high 3.4 steals and averaged 5.3 rebounds a night. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="117724" first="Mikylah" last="Espinosa"], The Academy, 2022, G-F, 5-8</strong> Averaging 16.9 points as a sophomore, Espinosa was part of a deadly one-two punch that is back for this upcoming season. Espinosa also averaged 4.7 rebounds, 7.2 steals, 2.1 blocks and 5.5 assists to set the pace for The Academy in 2019-20. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="145393" first="Aryanna" last="Perez"], The Academy, 2022, G-F, 5-6</strong> If Espinosa was the jab last winter, Perez was the right hook. Frontier’s leading scorer (18.5 points) returns for another run after finishing possession after possession for the Wildcats in 2019-20. Also a dynamic player like Espinosa, Perez averaged 3.4 rebounds, 2.6 assist and four steals a night. It’s safe to say The Academy is in good hands. <strong>Aspen Riesberg, Platte Canyon, 2021, G-F, 5-8</strong> It takes a thief -- Riesberg averaged 4.2 steals as a junior. She also led her team in scoring with an average of 12.3 points per game that included a season-best scoring output of 29 points in a 67-34 win over Bruce Randolph on Jan. 22. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="145416" first="Emily" last="Sanchez"], Sheridan, 2022, G, 5-8</strong> Sanchez led the Frontier a year ago with 52 made 3-pointers. She also averaged 15.3 points and 3.7 steals a night, and will likely be thrust into an even bigger role with senior leader [player_tooltip player_id="115774" first="Arianna" last="Drake"] now graduated. <strong>Some other names to know</strong> Allyssia Hurtado, Jefferson, 2022, C, 5-10 Destiny Jacobo, The Pinnacle, 2021, G, 5-3 Chyann Kelly, Platte Canyon, 2022, G, 5-6 Eloisa Macias, Arrupe Jesuit, 2022, G, 5-6 Kaytlin Sprague, Lake County, 2021, G-F, 5-6 <strong>A quick, early look to Season B</strong> This is a recording – it will be about The Academy … again. The Wildcats lost only two seniors and are the clear Frontier leader.