With the Sweet 16 now upon us, I figured it would be a great time to put together a Sweet 16 tournament of some of the biggest Denver sports stories over the past 12 months. The only qualification of making the tournament was that you had to be a local team that made some big news. It didn’t matter if the team came from the professional, collegiate or even high school ranks.
Here’s how everything played out:
ELWAY REGION
(1) Peyton Manning retirement press conference vs. (4) Overland High School wins back-to-back 5A basketball championships
Peyton Manning capped off an amazing four-year run with the Broncos with a championship. There is no denying that Manning had his problems during his final season in Denver and that this press conference was expected; nonetheless, it was one of the most memorable moments of the year.
Overland is a sneaky good No. 4 seed. Deron Davis may be one of the best commitments ever to come out of the state of Colorado, as he now heads to Indiana. Overland finished the season 25-3 and ranked 23rd nationally according to Max Preps.
Although Manning’s retirement press conference was very predictable, he advances because it is not every day one of the best ever hangs them up.
WINNER: Manning’s Presser
(2) Nuggets draft Emmanuel Mudiay vs. (3) Broncos trade up to select Shane Ray
It’s been a bit of a bumpy beginning. However, in a few years, fans will realize what a blessing it was that Mudiay fell to the Nuggets in the 2015 NBA draft. A franchise that rarely hits with high draft picks did last June.
John Elway saw an opportunity and moved up in the first round to select pass rusher Shane Ray. This proved to add more depth on an already strong defense. Ray has that special ability that all NFL teams look for, and that ability is to cause havoc on opposing quarterbacks.
Emmanuel Mudiay wins going away as he is set to be the leader of the Nuggets going forward.
WINNER: Mudiay
