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
HELTON REGION
(1) DU Lacrosse wins National Championship vs. (4) CU returns to the NCAA Tourney as a No. 8 seed
Bill Tierny once again elevated lacrosse in the western half of the United States by leading the Pioneers to a National Championship. In previous years Denver had made nice runs. However, a 10-5 win over Maryland in the title game solidified an already great coaching career and a championship team where the country has never seen one before.
Tad Boyle took Colorado back to the NCAA tournament where they eventually fell to Connecticut. The maturation of Josh Scott was fun to see. Colorado was one of the best rebounding teams in college basketball, and fans will remember the upset of Arizona in Boulder as the highlight of the Buffs’ season.
WINNER: DU
(2) Brock, Malik and Danny highlight Broncos’ free agent losses vs. (3) Ryan O’Reilly traded to the Buffalo Sabres
The question of whether or not to overpay in free agency was answered by John Elway, and as a result, some key players were lost this free agency season. This will definitely be the big news going forward; however, until I don’t have a reason to trust in Elway, I will.
Ryan O’Reilly has always been a fan favorite for the Avalanche, but management felt it would be best to trade O’Reilly for younger talent. This move may cost the Avalanche a playoff appearance this season, and it is uncertain how this team will look in future years.
Ryan O’Reilly moves on; it is much more difficult for the Avalanche to fill voids than the Broncos.
WINNER: Ryan O’Reilly
SAKIC REGION
(1) Broncos win Super Bowl 50 vs. (4) Valor Christian wins 5A Football Title
The Broncos won their third title in team history, riding an all-time great defense. Von Miller wins the Super Bowl MVP leading a defense that stopped Ben Roethlisberger, Tom Brady and Cam Newton throughout the playoffs.
Valor Christian caps off another championship season after losing in the 5A title game just a season ago. Dylan McCaffrey, who is one of the top rated pro-style passers commits to Michigan.
This is just a tough draw for Valor Christen. The team had an unbelievable season in route to another championship. However, the Broncos advance on.
WINNER: Broncos
(2) Coors Field hockey vs. (3) Michael Malone named Nuggets’ head coach
It was very interesting to see hockey played at Coors Field, no matter how bad some of the seats were. The city got an awesome mix of college and pro hockey over the span of a couple weekends. This was the perfect event to transition from the Broncos Super Bowl honeymoon.
Honestly, any hire would have been an upgrade over Brian Shaw for the Nuggets. Michael Malone was a solid hire for Denver and has done decent things with the team so far. Remember that this is a very young team and patience is a virtue with the Nuggets.
The Michael Malone hire advances because Denver has already forgotten about the stadium series, while Malone should be a large part of the Nuggets’ future.
WINNER: Michael Malone
MOE REGION
(1) Brock comes in for Peyton vs. (4) Tim Howard joins Rapids
Brock vs. Peyton dominated Denver sports talk radio much of the second half of the season. Was Manning healthy enough to play? Was the team better off with Brock? The topic forced loyal fans of the Broncos to clash in regards to who should lead the offense down the stretch.
The most popular United States’ goalkeeper in history suddenly joins the Colorado Rapids? This story has pleasantly surprised soccer fans in Denver. We will see if the money pays off in terms of a playoff spot for the Rapids.
WINNER: Brock Osweiler
(2) Troy Tulowitzki traded to the Toronto Blue Jays vs. (3) CSU women enter NCAA Tourney as a No. 11 seed after going 31-1
The Rockies are part of perhaps the biggest blockbuster of the summer. Colorado sends Troy Tulowitzki to the Blue Jays for Jose Reyes and pitching prospects. Some fans are happy the team is moving on, others upset about trading the franchise player.
The Colorado State Women’s basketball team reaches their first NCAA Tournament since 2002. The team enters the tournament 31-1 and on a 28-game winning streak fresh, off of a Mountain West Conference regular season and tournament championship.
As cool as at was to see the CSU women nearly upset South Florida in the tournament, the Rockies moving on from Tulowitzki moves on in this bracket.
WINNER: Tulo Trade
ELITE 8
ELWAY REGION: (2) Nuggets draft Emmanuel Mudiay over (1) Peyton Manning retirement press conference
HELTON REGION: (1) DU Lacrosse wins National Championship over (3) Ryan O’Reilly gets traded to Buffalo Sabres
SACKIC REGION: (1) Broncos win Super Bowl 50 over (3) Michael Malone named Nuggets’ head coach
MOE REGION: (1) Brock takes over for Peyton over (2) Troy Tulowitzki traded to the Toronto Blue Jays
The Nuggets drafting Mudiay was a surprise to many fans. Therefore, it created more of a buzz around town than an expected retirement press conference.
Ryan O’Reilly’s trade to the Sabres shocked many, but the University of Denver becoming the first school west of basically the east coast to win a lacrosse title trumps the Avs’ offseason deal.
The Broncos winning the Super Bowl is larger than the Nuggets hiring Michael Malone by every standard.
Finally, sorry Rockies fans, but when you lose close to 100 games per season, even a quarterback controversy becomes more topical than Colorado sending their franchise player across the border.
FINAL 4
(1) DU Lacrosse wins National Championship over (2) Nuggets draft Emmanuel Mudiay
(1) Broncos win Super Bowl 50 over (1) Brock takes over for Peyton
In Denver, championships are always more important than just sports news or topics. The two titles won by the city this season square off in the championship.
CHAMPIONSHIP
(1) Broncos win Super Bowl 50 over (1) DU Lacrosse wins National Championship
No disrespect to the Pioneers, but the Broncos, without a doubt, reign king in this tournament of biggest Denver sports stories over the past 12 months.