BY BRIAN ROTH

Yes, CET Sports has Rocky Mountain at number one in our latest poll.  After all, they are the two-time defending champions and are loaded once again.  But, not until you have seen the Lobos in person do you really understand just how good they are. CET Sports was in Fort Collins on Thursday, April 23rd for the highly anticipated Rocky /Collins game and after the Lobos destroyed their rival 14-3 in 5 innings, we are convinced.....Rocky is the unquestioned team to beat as we head into the post-season. Lets start at the top. It could be argued Rocky Mountain has the two best players in the state of Colorado in Bryan Peters and Jake Stewart. The Nebraska-bound Peters is the bulldog who does it all.  On the mound, he improved his career record to 18-0 with the win over Fort Collins on Thursday. He also hit his team leading 8th home run.  The Stanford-bound Stewart is the best Center Fielder in the state, hands down.  He possesses outstanding speed and runs down just about every fly ball hit his way.  At the plate, he is hitting over .550 and has gone deep 5 times on the season. And don't forget, these two were the best pass-catch combo in all of Colorado high school football last fall.

However, the Lobos are far more than just a two-man show. There is junior Marco Gonzales (verbal to Gonzaga). He is one of the top left handed pitchers in the state and is hitting over .560 from the plate.  Senior Chris Rogglen - who had a great Championship Series last May, leading the Lobos to their 2nd straight title - is hitting over .400. And junior pitcher/infielder Pierce Trumper (verbal to Arkansas) is hitting over .400 and would be one of the top pitchers in the state if not for some arm trouble. Trumper has only pitched 1 inning this season, but Lobos coach Scott Bullock says they hope Trumper will be ready to go for the playoffs.  However, that is still very much in the air.  In short, Rocky Mountain has the arms, the bats and the gloves to make a run at a 3-peat.

And finally, props to the community of Fort Collins. There were over 1,000 fans at the game on Thursday afternoon, spilling out of the stands and down both outfield lines.  I have been covering high school baseball for over 10 years and never have I seen more people at a regular season baseball game in my life. Weather it is football, basketball, wrestling or baseball, the Fort Collins community comes out in droves when Rocky Mountain and Fort Collins hook up.  It certainly is one of the best rivalries in Colorado.

Feedback may be made via e-mail to: brian@ispn.tv