Great tradition carries the weight of great expectations.
The Holy Family Tigers say: “Bring it on.”
“Honestly, it’s an honor,” said Essynce Contreraz, the Tigers’ senior point guard.
Holy Family is the defending Class 4A girls state champion, having defeated D’Evelyn 49-44 last season to win the school’s seventh state hoops title, but its first since 2014. Coach Ron Rossi had led the team to six 3A state titles before winning his first 4A championship.
But a repeat feat won’t be easy. Asked if his Tigers have a target on their backs, Rossi chuckled.
“We felt like we were hunted last year, too,” he said. “You just have to have the attitude that when you step on that court you are going to do the best job that you can and play together, play smart.”
Asked if it’s been hard preventing his girls from looking too far down the road, Rossi referenced Michael Malone, who coached the Nuggets to their first NBA title last season.
“I think Coach Malone kind of hits the nose on that one,” Rossi said. “When you come to practice, you have to be excellent. And when you come to a game you have to be excellent because everyone is coming at you. So that’s kind of the route we are taking. Everybody has to bring their A-game to us, so we have to have our A-plus game.”
After going 25-3 last season, Holy Family returns 11 players to the court, including senior guards Julia Hodell and Jennifer Altshuler. The one player the Tigers lost to graduation was 6-foot-1 forward/center Fiona Snashall, who now plays for Regis University. Her departure left a big void.
“Obviously, we want to win another (championship), but this early in the season, that’s not what we’re talking about right now,” Altshuler said. “We’re focusing on the identity of the team. We have such a different identity now that Fiona is gone, so I think a lot of it is going to be figuring out who we’re going to be this year.”
Last season, the Tigers’ winning tradition factored into their comeback victory over D’Evelyn. Enyiah Contreraz, now a sophomore, hit a pair of 3-pointers as part of the Tigers’ 11-0 third-quarter run that swung the game in their favor. The Tigers then hit five clutch free throws down the stretch.
“Especially playing Holy Family and Coach Rossi — he’s been around a while — when he gets a five-point lead, it’s like 20 points,” Jaguars coach Chris Olson said at the time. “You’re like, ‘Oh my God!’ because they’re so methodical with how they do stuff.”
Rossi has a clear vision of what the Lions must do to repeat.
“Fiona was an excellent center for us, who was really a (forward) playing center,” Rossi said. “But we are going to play the same kind of style, but maybe a little more aggressive defensively. And we are going to get up and down the floor.
“All of our girls are improved, and 11 of them are coming back. So we are really excited.”
The bedrock of the Tigers’ tradition was a remarkable run of six state championships over a seven-year span from 2008 to 2014. Holy Family would have played in the 4A championship game in 2020 against Mullen, but the COVID-19 pandemic abruptly canceled all the championship games.
Rossi received the 2018 Dave Sanders Colorado Coach Award, presented annually by The Denver Post to someone who has demonstrated longevity and success in teaching and coaching female athletics. Now 73, he’s in his fifth decade of coaching. He’s still going strong.
“It has to do a lot with the kids,” Rossi said. “It has a lot to do with my energy. Am I having fun with it? Am I making a difference for my team?
“My name is ‘Rocket Ron,’ so really, I’m just going to keep doing that. If ‘Rocket Ron’ fizzles and I don’t have the energy to keep doing it, then I’ll get out.”
But for now, he’s all in. And so are his girls.
At a recent CHSAA winter sports media day, Contreraz, Hodell and Altshuler proudly wore their state championship rings. Asked how often she wears her ring, Contreraz flashed a smile and said: “Not a lot. But when we need to present them, we present them.”
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