Rossi wins record- tying seventh state title as Tigers rally to victory
Amid the din of the Holy Family girls basketball team’s championship celebration, head coach Ron Rossi tearfully embraced his wife off to the side.
Stephanie hadn’t been around for all 52 years of her husband’s high school basketball coaching career, but she’d been there for most of them. And she’d most assuredly been there for each of the state championships he’s won over the last two decades leading the Tigers.
So, too, had the faded purple tie draped awkwardly over his Holy Family pullover.
No way that talisman was staying home with a shot at matching Highlands Ranch coach Caryn Jarocki’s Colorado record of seven girls’ basketball state titles.
“It has a lot to do with your kids, your administration. They provide you an environment that you can reach that,” said Rossi, 73, whose top- seeded Tigers rallied to beat No. 2 D’evelyn 49- 44 in the Class 4A championship Saturday inside Denver Coliseum to give him title No. 7 — and first since 2014.
“They let me coach, even though I’m kinda of crazy sometimes. I do kind of crazy things, different things.”
It’s not just the tie, either. The former Lakewood boys ( 17 years) and Arvada girls ( five) head coach is as animated as they come on the sideline. From his dramatic fist- pumping celebrations to turning his back when his girls are at the free- throw line, Rossi hardly acts his age.
Neither did Holy Family’s Enyiah Contreraz on Saturday, who bookended an 11- 0 third- quarter run with a pair of 3s that swung the game in the top- seeded Tigers’ favor. The precocious freshman came off the bench to sink three of the Tigers’ five 3- pointers in an afternoon that saw both teams struggle to shoot from outside.
“Before the game I told her whenever she gets the opportunity to get on the floor to go out there and ‘ do her,’ “said Essynce Contreraz, the Tigers’ starting junior point guard and Enyiah’s older sister. “And ‘ her’ is to shoot and make some buckets.”
That’s exactly what she did … with an assist from big sis.
Essynce found her sister on two of her three triples, the last putting Holy Family ahead 33- 26 with 2: 40 left in the third quarter. It was part of a 10- point, seven- rebound, seven- assist day for Essynce.
“It’s amazing,” Enyiah said of winning with her sister. “I’ve always dreamed of it. … Me and her, we’ve always thought we were going to be here one day at state.”
Senior forward Fiona Snashall helped keep D’evelyn at arm’s length in the fourth quarter, scoring eight of her team- high 14 points. She added 10 rebounds and three assists for the Tigers ( 25- 3), while junior guard Julia Hodell hounded D’evelyn’s top scoring option, junior forward Peyton Marvel ( 11 points, 16 rebounds), on defense.
“The coaches that we have, and the girls that we have, you can’t find that anywhere,” Essynce said.
The Jaguars ( 27- 1) led for most of the first half thanks to their high- pressure fullcourt press and nine points from junior forward Macy Scheer and Marvel’s 11 rebounds. Scheer finished with a game- high 18 points. Marvel’s free throw with 36.6 seconds to go brought the score to 46- 44. But Holy Family made 5 of 6 from the free- throw line in the last minute.
“We played the entire game, all the way to the very end,” D’evelyn coach Chris Olson said. “… We just didn’t make a couple of shots and they hit some free throws. I was just proud of the effort.”