Are Mountain Range Athletics Falling Behind?

By Mark S. and Wyatt W.

Mountain Range High School athletics has a record of 43 wins and 80 losses so far this school year, compared to a record of 57 wins and 138 losses last year. Now, while all the sports this year have not been finished, it is no secret that the Mustangs athletes have been struggling as of late, and it may be due to a number of factors, including coaching, facilities and lack of interest and enthusiasm.

Now, while many coaches have come and gone in recent years, it is no secret that the constant change of coaching has affected our sports more than we would like to admit. For example, a 10th grade basketball player who wished to remain anonymous stated, “Yeah, it's been hard to adjust to a new coach and his style of play. It's the pace of the game we have not yet adjusted to, and I think our record shows it.”

When it comes to athletic facilities and training rooms, Mountain Range has a lot to offer, with one of the biggest gyms for their basketball games making the crowd loud and making players feel their best at home games. One 12th grader expressed his concerns, though: “I think our weight room can be bigger and have better equipment to choose from when doing certain workouts.” This issue has been something that many players have expressed concern about because it is hard to follow a routine if you don’t have the right equipment. The baseball team has experienced issues with the facilities, being that in preseason, when the weather is ugly, it is hard to get to work when not having access to certain areas of the school or not having enough space to do certain drills.

Some may have noticed the absence of both participating in sports and attending to the audience. Many coaches and players have shown less interest in participating than in previous years, such as the on Mountain Range baseball team and the boys' golf team. “I feel like people don't really go to Mountain Range for our sports,” another sophomore expressed. “I feel like people would rather go to a school like Broomfield (who have a consistently stronger athletic record). ”

While it may seem that Mountain Range lacks all sports, you would be wrong. Mountain Range is one of the best schools in the state when it comes to our gymnastics program and their volleyball team has shown many signs of improvement, including having the best record they have had since 2016. It is obvious that the Mountain Range can improve its athletics with consistent coaching, better funding and more engaged student athletes.

So how can Mountain Range sports improve and have more wins than losses in the next few years? Nothing is stopping us from being a really successful sports school. The biggest issue MRHS is facing is CHSAA (Colorado High School Activities Association) allowing students to transfer to schools with better funding. For example, Cherry Creek school district is one of the highest funded districts in Colorado, leading to very good athletic programs and facilities. This makes talented athletes more persuaded to go there, especially when you look at their winning record over the past few years. The 25-26 football team had their first winning record in over a decade, proving that even though funding is an issue, MRHS is putting in the effort to put themselves back on the map.