REGIS JESUIT LOSES TRY AT SECOND STRAIGHT TITLE
Regis Jesuit’s chance to repeat as 5A champs wiped out by coronavirus
Pitcher Jacob Thompsen and catcher Owen Best spent a good chunk of their Tuesday morning swapping memories via computer. Such is the life of high school seniors in the age of the coronavirus.
“We sent videos back and forth and talked about last season,” Thompsen said.
Ah, yes, last season. Thompsen’s Regis Jesuit Raiders won the Class 5A state championship, beating Cherry Creek 8-3 in the title game.
The Raiders — armed with a strong pitching staff and six seniors who’ve committed to Division I college baseball programs — were heavy favorites to repeat. Until the pandemic benched their dreams. Last week, the Colorado High School Activities Association canceled the remainder of the spring sports season.
“I still felt there was a little bit of hope and I kept that alive,” said Thompsen, a star right-handed pitcher and shortstop who is headed to Long Beach State next fall. “But when I heard that announcement, that was when I knew for sure that I was not going to have a senior season. That was tough.”
Gone, too, is Thompsen’s prom (it was supposed to be Saturday), the camaraderie of the last few precious months of high school and the pomp and circumstance of graduation.
“I think Regis is still going to try and do a live ceremony, sometime later this summer,” Thompsen said. “I hope we do. I want the chance to see everybody again because you never know when you’ll see them again (after that).”
Regis coach Matt Darr is wrestling with his emotions.
“I feel really disappointed for these kids,” he said. “This is something they will never get back. So there is this kind of empty void, something in the pit of
your stomach. Some days, I wake up and I think it can’t be real. But it is and it tears me up.
“I wish the kids had their chance. Because we talked about how rare it is to repeat, especially in 5A baseball. Our guys really embraced that challenge from Day 1.”
The Rockies, well aware of what students are going through, have reached out with a series of videos for Colorado kids.
“To all of the students out there, I want to say I’m sorry for what’s going on,” star third baseman Nolan Arenado says in his video. “Some of you seniors won’t be able to walk and that’s really sad and I’m sorry to hear that.
“In times like these, it’s easy to get caught up in the negativity or be down. I understand. And don’t get me wrong, you guys have a right to be upset about it and you have a right to not be happy about it.
“But we also have to see that there is a bigger picture and we must focus on those things. Because that’s going to keep us moving forward and that’s going to be really important in our lives.”
Pitcher Kyle Freeland, a graduate of Denver’s Thomas Jefferson High School, reached out in a video to seniors in Westminster Public Schools. Freeland lamented the losses students are enduring but encouraged them to keep their community intact.
“Reach out to your friends, classmates, teammates, teachers and coaches,” he said. “This is important to talk about and support each other as we all work through this time together.”
Last week, Darr put together a video for his players in which he attempted to explain the big picture of the coronavirus.
“This is the reality of life right now,” he said. “Ultimately, I truly believe that it will make them better and we all learn lessons. But it’s really hard to sell kids on that right now. But overall, they have done a fabulous job handling this. I’m very proud of them.”