This article originally appeared in Mile High Sports Magazine. Read the full digital edition.
The February issue of Mile High Sports Magazine tackled both sides of the question, “In a world that loves a winner, why do people hate Valor Christian High School?”
But Valor is far from being alone in the “hated” category. As editor-in-chief Doug Ottewill noted in his monthly letter, the reality is that the degree of “hatred” for a team usually directly correlates to their level of success on the field, court, mats, etc. – even at the prep level.
Sure, many in Colorado may “hate” (and we use that term relatively) for Valor these days, but much of that is because they’re winning so much.
Here’s a look at some of the high school athletics programs, big and small, that people have loved to loathe over the years. Consider them the “Hated Eight,” but know that there are many, many more programs that have been (perhaps unfairly) labeled with that dubious description over the years.
- Cherry Creek
The Bruins are the quintessential, undisputed, most-hated high school in Colorado sports history. They’re bigger, boasting the biggest enrollment in the state, and most often, they’re just better. The absurd collection of 73 total state titles in boys and girls tennis is grounds for “strong dislike” alone, but Creek wins at just about everything. A powerhouse from the beginning, the Bruins own more state titles than any other school – 192 to be exact, and second place (Cheyenne Mountain, with 88) isn’t even close. You don’t like ‘em? Tough. Good luck trying to stop them.
- Mullen
How quickly we forget the disdain most 5A schools have had for the Mustangs of Mullen, Colorado’s original big, private school bullies. These days, Dave Logan – now the head football coach at Cherry Creek – is applauded for finally breaking Valor Christian’s string of state championships on the gridiron. But from 2004 to 2010, Logan was the villain, as his Mustangs appeared in six state title games, claiming four. But football isn’t Mullen’s only specialty; the school owns 75 state championships across all sports, good for third-most all time.
- Valor Christian
From the outset, the powers that be at Valor Christian weren’t shy about their desire to be good… at everything. With college-like facilities and well-documented recruiting issues early on, the Eagles made few friends. Things got worse when the upstart started to win, blasting opponents in high-profile football title games; from 2009 to 2013, the Eagles won five state football championships (one in 3A, two in 4A, and two in 5A) by an average margin of 33.6 points. For a brief time, no league accepted Valor as a member school.
- Denver East
Plenty of boys basketball programs around the state currently hate Denver East, a program that’s owned the Denver Prep League and played in eight of the last 20 5A state championship games (winning six). But hate for East has far deeper roots. As legendary Denver North alumnus Irv Brown recently said, “East won everything.” The Angels dominated the Denver Prep League from the ’30s to the ’70s, and collected a trophy case full of state titles along the way. All told, the Angels own 69 state championships, good for fourth on the all-time list.
- Belleview Christian
Understanding why anyone would hate Westminster’s tiny Belleview Christian is a more complex issue than simply looking at the school’s list of state championships, which, in fact, is not really that impressive – the Bruins only claim two, both occurring in boys basketball (1999 and 2000). More interesting is that both titles were earned in class 1A. And therein lies the problem. “It was the first time that the 1A schools got a taste of a competitive private school,” explains former CHSAA commissioner Bob Ottewill. “And it didn’t taste too good to them.”
- Limon
Anyone from Colorado’s eastern plains will tell you one thing about Limon – the Badgers want to win (they’ll tell you other things, too, none of which are fit for print). As rumor goes, former athletic director, coach and businessman Lloyd Gaskill, had an uncanny knack for finding employment for fathers of area athletes who didn’t already live in Limon. While that can’t be confirmed or denied, Gaskill’s 43-game win streak (the longest in state history) and 10 class 2A state football championships through the ’60s and ’70s, are simply facts. Today, Limon has 16 state football titles and 48 overall.
- Lakewood
Despite a recent resurgence, it’s hard to imagine Lakewood being “hated.” And state-wide hatred, even at the school’s peak, might not have been the case. But if you ask the old timers from the famed JeffCo League, it’s Lakewood that’s usually cited as Enemy No. 1. From 1943 to 1968, Lakewood racked up six state football titles and three runner-ups, while churning out tons of D-I football players. They added state titles in hoops (’68), track and field (’41, ’51) and baseball (’54, ’70), but first and foremost, they didn’t play nice with their JeffCo counterparts.
- Ridgway
When assessing why tiny western slope juggernaut Ridgway was hated in the early ’80s, the finger is likely pointed at the boys and girls basketball teams. More specifically, the blame might go to one name – “Hill.” Steve, athletic director, coach and father of Scott (’79-82) and Tracy (’80-83) – two of the most prolific scorers in state history. Scott’s 1,917 points still ranks ninth all time, while Tracy’s 2,934 still ranks first. Helpless opponents recall not getting much sympathy from dad, who rarely put the brakes on big games from Steve or Tracy. Nobody liked that.
Image Credit: Drew Litton
