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Honoring our High Plains Seniors: Tier I

05/29/2020, 2:00pm MDT
By Scott Cattelino

We wrap up our recognition of all of our High Plains Seniors with a look a some of the graduates from our Tier I division.


Andrew O'Connor and five other 2020 Tier I High Plains, Chaparral Seniors are celebrating as they graduate this spring. Andrew is hoping to play Junior hockey with the Janesville Jets next season.

     The 2020 High Plains hockey season is one that we will never forget, unfortunately for all the wrong reasons.  Although we didn't get the chance to take the ice and enjoy the comradery of our friends, teammates, and coaches, we would like to take a moment to recognize and honor our High Plains Hockey League Seniors for their accomplishments and the culmination of their amazing high school careers.

     We at High Plains would like to extend our apologies for the heartbreak that you all have had to endure during your final days of high school.  We know it was not the ending that you had hoped for, but we are also here to applaud your courage and resiliency during these harsh and uncertain times.

     I wish there were some words of wisdom or enlightenment that I could bestow upon you Seniors to ease the frustration as you close this chapter of your lives in such an ominous manner, but the truth is none of us have been here before.  

     The class of 2020 has overcome something that we have never been through during our lifetimes, and that will only make you stronger.  The perseverance and determination to overcome that you all have displayed is inspiring and we have taken notice, so thank you.  Thank you for your strength.  Thank you for your resolve.  Thank you for showing us all the same conviction and persistence that we saw from you on the ice during your careers.  And thank you for making High Plains the fun and amazing league that it is because of all of you.

     We conclude our tributes to our 2020 High Plains Seniors with a look at all of our Tier I players.  This spring we graduate 41 Seniors from five different Tier I teams.  Thank you to all the players for the memories and we wish you the best of luck as you move forward.

High Plains Tier I Graduating Seniors

Andrew O'Connor - Chaparral

High School: Chaparral

Position: Right Wing

Favorite hockey player and team? My Favorite Hockey player right now is Cale Makar from the Colorado Avalanche due to his quick feet and vision up the ice he’s a great play maker which makes him so unique to watch.

What’s your favorite thing about hockey? I love playing hockey ever since I touched the ice for the first time. The brotherhood and bondes made on and off the ice will definitely stick with me. There is such a great hockey community that makes playing feel more special than just a game.

Why do you like playing High Plains hockey? High plains was such a great season to end off the year. It was always fun playing with kids that only go to your school and that may not play as competitive or kids that are on a travel team during most of the school year. It was hard to not play in the Parker Cup this year because we have won it the past 3 years so it would have been nice to have won the Parker Cup all 4 years.

What are your future plans? I’m planning to try out for the Janesville jets in mid June and see where junior hockey can hopefully take me.

Henry Spencer - Chaparral

High School: Chaparral

Position: Forward

Favorite hockey player and team? Calgary Flames

What’s your favorite thing about hockey? Fighting.

Why do you like playing High Plains hockey? Fighting.

What are your future plans? Go to college--first to Metro State Denver, and then probably somewhere out of state.

Jackson Whitmore - Chaparral

High School: Chaparral

Position: Forward

Favorite hockey player and team? MacKinnon/AVs

What’s your favorite thing about hockey? Scoring.

Why do you like playing High Plains hockey? Love playing hockey.

What are your future plans? Playing Juniors for the Drumheller Dragons in the Alberta Junior Hockey League while also taking college courses.

Nick Fall - Cherry Creek

High School: Cherry Creek

Position: Center

Favorite hockey player and team? Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins

What’s your favorite thing about hockey? Winning.

Why do you like playing High Plains hockey? Playing with my longtime friends.

What are your future plans? I will be playing for the Elite Hockey Academy in the 2020/2021 season.

McKay Pond - Cherry Creek

High School: Cherry Creek

Position: Center

Favorite hockey player and team? Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins

What’s your favorite thing about hockey? The compete level.

Why do you like playing High Plains hockey? It’s a chance to play infront of all my friends and classmates.

What are your future plans? Playing hockey at the University of Utah.

Kyle Venya - Cherry Creek

High School: Cherry Creek

Position: Center

Favorite hockey player and team? Auston Matthews and Colorado Avalanche

What’s your favorite thing about hockey? Playing with my friends and brothers.

Why do you like playing High Plains hockey? Because it’s less competitive and allows me to have fun.

What are your future plans? Play Juniors.


Pine Creek's Trevor Porter is one of 12 Seniors graduating from our 2020 High Plains Front Range Rangers Tier I team, the most of any team in any division.

Nicholas Boss - Front Range Rangers

High School: Lewis Palmer

Position: Center

Favorite hockey player and team? Josh Cronk, Lewis Palmer hockey

What’s your favorite thing about hockey? Meeting new people.

Why do you like playing High Plains hockey? It's basically a second chance at high school hockey, but more fun.

What are your future plans? Retirement.

Trevor Porter - Front Range Rangers

High School: Colorado Connections Academy/Pine Creek HS

Position: Center

Favorite hockey player and team? Nathan MacKinnon - Colorado Avalanche

What’s your favorite thing about hockey? Setting up teammates to score, team play, playing with life-long friends, and continuing to play a sport I love.

Why do you like playing High Plains hockey? Get to play with other high school players, who I have played with since a Mite and getting a chance to reconnect each year through HPHL.

What are your future plans? Going to attend CU Boulder to pursue Engineering and to play ACHA hockey there.

Andrew Santos - Front Range Rangers

High School: The Classical Academy

Position: Forward

Favorite hockey player and team? Nathan MacKinnon and Avalanche

What’s your favorite thing about hockey? Continuous high speed flow of the game.

Why do you like playing High Plains hockey? All teams are at a high level and fun opponents.

What are your future plans? I am playing Juniors next year for the New England Wolves.

Austin Sawyer - Front Range Rangers

High School: Pine Creek

Position: Forward

Favorite hockey player and team? Alex Ovechkin, Avalanche

What’s your favorite thing about hockey? My teammates.

Why do you like playing High Plains hockey? It is fun to play with all my friends from different high schools.

What are your future plans? Playing Juniors on Walpole Express.

Jax Bayer - Mountain Militia

High School: Durango High School

Position:Defence 

Favorite hockey player and team? Dion Phaneuf, and the Philadelphia Flyers 

What do you like best about playing hockey?  I just enjoy the boys. Growing up playing hockey, there was always one thing you can always look forward to, and that was hanging out with your team. Nothing better. Without hockey boys the word ferda May never have been invented. 

Why do you like playing high plains?  High plains gives the athletes an opportunity to play competitive hockey when the regular  seasons are over. Growing up in the mountains, as soon as spring hits hockey’s over. With HPHL, it gives the kids without ice a chance to skate when they originally never had that opportunity. 

What are your future plan? I am playing junior hockey for the Walpole Express.

Hunter Hadsock - Mountain Militia

High School: Glenwood Springs High School

Position: Goalie

Favorite hockey player and team? Patrick Roy/Avs

What do you like best about playing hockey? I feel home when I am on the ice.

Why do you like playing High Plains? High level, intense hockey with great coaches and teammates.

What are your future plans? Playing junior hockey for the NA3HL.


Mountain Militia's goalie Hunter Hadsock will graduate from Glenwood Springs in 2020 and will be playing junior hockey in the NA3HL.

Honoring our remaining Tier I Seniors

Name                       Team                     School

Simon Herz             Chaparral                 Chaparral

Alex Karch              Chaparral                 Chaparral

Braeden Piper          Chaparral                 Chaparral

Blake Barnes          Cherry Creek            Cherry Creek

Blake Benson         Cherry Creek            Cherry Creek

Gavin Berkey          Cherry Creek            Cherry Creek

Cole Berlin             Cherry Creek            Cherry Creek

Hunter Katz           Cherry Creek            Cherry Creek

Charles Krause       Cherry Creek             Grandview

Anthony Capra        Denver East              Denver East

Wyatt Cirbo             Denver East              Denver East

Jack 'John' Dee         Denver East              Denver East

Jack Kresl                Denver East               Denver East

John Larchenko       Denver East               Denver South

Matthew MacDonald  Denver East             Denver East

Iain Riordon             Denver East               Denver East

Ian Costa                  Front Range          Discovery Canyon

Luke Doyle               Front Range               Pine Creek

Jarid Humphries       Front Range               Pine Creek

Garrett Jansky          Front Range             Palmer Ridge

Mathew Johnson       Front Range            Palmer Ridge

Anthony Lupo III       Front Range               Pine Creek

Mitchell Willis           Front Range              Air Academy

Blake Davis            Mountain Militia              Summit

Issac Eland             Mountain Militia              Summit

Luke Gosnell          Mountain Militia          Springs Studio

Jake Mallory           Mountain Militia               Summit

Timothy Miller       Mountain Militia   Southwest Colorado eSchool

Chris Myers           Mountain Militia  Crested Butte Community School


Cherry Creek's Blake Benson is one of nine Seniors that the Bruins will graduate in 2020.

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