A TRUSTED TRIO
Resurrection Christian seniors hoping to bring home elusive state title
Resurrection Christian’s trio of seniors have been through a lot over the course of their four years of high school.
They watched as the undefeated 2020 team was denied a chance to play for a state championship. They played through a shortened season in 2021 in which they lost in the Class 3A Great 8. They made another Great 8 appearance in 2022, but lost to eventual 3A state champion Aspen.
Now the three, who have been a vital part of the Cougars’ success this season, hope to end their senior campaign with a state championship. They are two wins away from achieving that goal.
Cody Michaelson, Jackson Bethune, Charlie Riggs and the rest of the Cougars (22-4) will meet Lutheran (18-8) in the Final 4 at 4 p.m. Thursday at the Denver Coliseum for a berth in Saturday’s 4A title game.
The three seniors share a bond not only on the court but off it having taken the same path through high school and basketball. Even before they were members of the RCS varsity squad, they played with and against each other in club ball.
“We’re getting really tight, especially, crazy to think about on a playoff run, last chance to do it with your guys,” Bethune said. “This year has been great for us. I know we have bonded a lot, hung out off the court. That’s gotten us closer on the court.”
“We’re very close, I’d say, going to school now all four years,” Michaelson added. “I’ve played with Jackson on a club team outside of school and played against Charlie. So, I mean, I would say we are pretty close.”
Each of them brings something unique to the team. Michaelson starts while Bethune and Riggs come off the bench.
Michaelson is third on the team in rebounds (117), rebounds per game (4.7) and blocks per game (0.2). He shoots 78 percent from the free-throw line, good for second on the team and averages 7.6 points per game for the Cougars.
“Cody has grown a ton as a player from three years ago when I really started coaching them, when he was a sophomore on the JV,” RCS head coach Ryan Yoder said.
“He is super effective driver, really worked on his free-throw shooting. He is up in the high 70s now, really good leader, great defender. But really a highquality guy. He’s one of the emotional, physical leaders on our team.”
Bethune is second in assists (80) and third in assists per game (2.7). He averages 3.7 points per game and is one of only three Cougars to have seen action in all 25 of their games this season.
“I would say similar things about Jackson,” Yoder said. “He is different in his style of game. He’s a great leader. He is one of our captains. He was voted by his teammates as one of our three captains, so he is very well respected by his teammates. He’s in throughout the game, but at the end of the game, you almost always see him in there because we want his ball handling, his clutch free-throw shooting and his leadership. He’s a great leader on the team.”
Riggs is third on the team in steals (21) and steals per game (0.8). He has played in 23 of the Cougars’ 25 games.
“Charlie is an effort guy, a dive on the floor guy, a get all the loose balls guy, tremendous effort guy, and just really, really coachable,” Yoder said.
Even though none of them were on the varsity roster in 2020, they were around enough to feel the pain and disappointment that team felt after having its season cut short.
It has been the goal of each of the three teams since to get the program’s first state title for that team. After coming close two years in a row, they have that chance in their final year.
“They kind of got cheated out of their season, in my opinion,” Riggs said. “If we could win one for them to kind of avenge their efforts, and also for us too, to show that we worked hard and we deserve it as much as they did, is one of our goals.”
Fast forward past two Great 8 appearances following that 2020 season and the Cougars began the 2022-23 season ranked No. 1 in Class 4A. However, the start to the season was a rocky one.
An injury to sophomore Ty Yoder in their first game led to three consecutive losses, including one to Final 4 mate Eagle Ridge Academy, saw them drop significantly in those rankings.
After getting back on track and winning 18 of their last 19 to close the regular season, they climbed all the way back to No. 2 in the final CHSAA 4A regularseason poll.
The key to that run after losing their first three was not panicking.
“It didn’t really affect us, I would say,” Michaelson said. “We knew what we were capable of. We knew what we were going to do, and we came out and did it despite that bad start. It didn’t affect us, I’d say.”
After defeating DSST, Byers, Steamboat Springs and, most recently, The Classical Academy in the playoffs, the Cougars have their eye on winning it all.
For the seniors, the best moment they can imagine is hoisting that championship trophy Saturday afternoon at the Denver Coliseum.
“That would be awesome,” Riggs said. “That would be the apex of my high school career, would be to win this game. There’s still work to be done. We’ve got two games to go, but we are the best prepared team. We know the ins and outs of the other team’s game. We’re just working the hardest to get it.”
“We’ve got all the pieces we need, and everyone is together,” Bethune added. “This is our best shot and I think we are going to get it done.”