Winter wonders: 'Stangs now on Season II
Hoops, ice hockey, swimming and wrestling to open drills.
Season No. 2 in the 99th year of Colorado high-school sports opens today (Nov. 18).
Mullen will field five full teams for winter sports – it will compete in boys and girls basketball, girls swimming and diving, ice hockey and wrestling.
Anticipation has been building throughout the school’s halls and in-season athletic venues.
“We are excited for the start of the winter sports season,” Mustangs athletic director Vince Massey said. “Our teams have been working hard to represent the Mullen Community in the best possible fashion. We are looking forward to the competition.”
The Mustangs’ best bet for winter success will begin with coach Frank Cawley’s girls basketballers, who return as defending Colorado champions in Class 4A. A year ago, they were 20-8, won their final eight games in succession and rolled in the quarterfinals, semifinals and title game by a combined 75 points. And the Mustangs lost just three seniors from the 2018-19 season.
In addition, significant opportunities for Mullen may lie with ice hockey and girls swimming and diving, which return talent and experience. And boys basketball and wrestling will be reloading with opportunities for a new wave of Mustangs.
Preseason practice will last into Monday, Dec. 2, when the season will open competition.
As usual, play will be interrupted over the holidays of Christmas and New Year’s Day, and there will be limited practice time.
Mullen will begin winter in earnest during the first full week of December.
Its first official event of winter will be on Tuesday, Dec. 3, when boys basketball will be at Columbine, 3 p.m. The girls will open on Wednesday, Dec. 3, at the Castle View Tournament. Girls swimming will begin on Thursday, Dec. 4, in a dual meet at perennial power Cherry Creek, 5 p.m. Ice hockey will drop its first puck on Friday, Dec. 6, against Columbine at the Edge Ice Arena, 8:30 p.m. And wrestling will start matches on Saturday, Dec. 6, at the Golden Tournament in an all-day happening.
Concerning state championships, 4A girls swimming and diving will oddly be on a Monday-Tuesday (Feb. 17-18) schedule as opposed to 5A and 3A being contested on the usual Friday-Saturday (Feb. 14-15) at the Veterans Memorial Aquatic Center in Thornton; wrestling will be Feb. 20-22 at the Pepsi Center; ice hockey’s title game is set for on March 9 at the Pepsi Center; and basketball finals will be at the Denver Coliseum on March 14.
© 2020 Mullen High School. All Rights Reserved.