Angela Rae Harris's Blog, page 25

Veteran leader hopes communication can accelerate growth for young Air Force defense

Air Force’s timeline for a defensive breakthrough varies depending on who is asked.

Coach Troy Calhoun foresees a prolonged adjustment period for a defense that has already started six underclassmen through three games and has given up 98 points in two Mountain West games.

“It just takes time,” Calhoun said. “There’s not an explanation that goes beyond we need as many game snaps as we can possibly get.”

For seniors on the team, there’s an understandable wish to expedite that process.

“The biggest issue is just our communication,” said nose guard Payton Zdroik, a fifth-year senior. “Make sure we scream at each other, almost to an annoying amount. That’s our biggest thing we need to hone in on.”

Zdroik sees talent and a work ethic on the defense, but he believes what has been lacking thus far is the on-field talking to identify formations, tendencies and any other information that could help prevent the defensive busts that have bitten the team hard as it has given up 443.7 yards per game – 123rd in the nation.

He also knows as one of the most veteran players Air Force (1-2, 0-2 Mountain West) has ever had on its defensive line – this is a player who had 10 tackles for loss as a sophomore four seasons ago in 2022 – it partially falls on him to set a culture that holds teammates to a standard, gives room for growth and encourages that communication.

It’s a lot to ask from a leadership standpoint, but also part of why athletics are a pillar of service academies.

“That’s something I think I didn’t do great probably the last two years,” Zdroik said. “I was more of a mean guy, and I’m definitely working on trying to be more uplifting. It’s definitely a balance of keeping the culture on the field, but when you’re one-on-one reassuring that guy and making sure he’s feeling good about his position and just talking to him about what’s his biggest issue and trying to work that out.”

Some of these same issues popped up last year as the offense sorted through growing pains during a 1-7 start. Everything eventually came together during a season-ending four-game winning streak. But nobody in the program wants to wait that long this time around, though Calhoun reiterated that growth, at least on an individual basis, does not generally happen suddenly.

“No leaps,” Calhoun said. “It’s the tiniest of centimeters and inch-by-inch as you do it.”

With Hawaii (3-2, 0-1) bringing a pass-heavy offense to face this Falcons’ defense that ranks 106th nationally in defending the pass, Zdroik hopes communication can clean up some issues and accelerate the growth.

“We’re getting better week by week,” Zdroik said. “Those are talented guys who are going to get it right.”

Pine Creek grad Riley Cornelio named Washington Nationals Minor League Pitcher of the Year

Riley Cornelio’s breakout season earned recognition this week, as the Washington Nationals named the Pine Creek graduate their Minor League Pitcher of the Year.

Cornelio, 25, posted a 3.28 ERA in 134 1/3 innings with 135 strikeouts across three levels.

He started the season at High-A Wilmington, where he had spent the full 2024 season. He dropped more than 2.5 points off his ERA at that level (5.56 in 2024 to 3.03 through seven starts) before moving up to Double-A, where he continued to flourish with a 2.31 ERA and 0.980 WHIP (walks and hits per inning) in 66 1/3 innings across 12 appearances with Harrisburg.

That landed Cornelio yet another promotion, as he closed the season with eight starts at Triple-A Rochester. He went 1-3 with a 5.35 ERA with the Red Wings. He closed strong, giving up two earned runs and three hits across eight innings in his final two starts, striking out 12.

Cornelio, who attended TCU, led Nationals minor leaguers in ERA, starts (26), opponents batting average (.204) and went 6-1 with a 2.05 ERA at home.

The 2019 Colorado Gatorade Player of the Year, Cornelio went 8-2 with a 2.14 ERA as a senior for Pine Creek in 2019 while batting .446 with 33 RBIs.

The Nationals drafted him in the seventh round out of TCU in the 2022 MLB Draft.

CU Buffs wide receivers hope passing game found a breakthrough ahead of BYU game

BOULDER — The Colorado wide receivers saw a different Kaidon Salter this time last week.

The re-installed Buffaloes starting quarterback was making it a point to be more vocal, taking extra time to throw with the wideouts and suggesting an offensive breakthrough was about to come after an up-and-down first three games.

That’s exactly what happened in a 37-20 win over Wyoming last Saturday as Salter threw for over 300 yards with completions to nine players and a touchdown each for the Buffs’ top three wide receivers — Omarion Miller, Joseph Williams and Sincere Brown.

“I felt like Kaidon’s approach (last) week was a lot different,” Williams said. “I felt like he was more of a leader and that showed up in the game last Saturday. You could tell he’s really trying to be the leader of this football team now.”

That same Salter has shown up this week as the Buffs prepare to resume Big 12 play on Saturday night (8:15 p.m. ESPN) with an Alamo Bowl rematch against a BYU team that is unbeaten in 2025.

“I don’t necessarily think that (Salter) wasn’t successful the first couple games, it’s just something that we were expecting and for him, it’s understanding the expectation of being in this program,” wide receivers coach Jason Phillips said. “When you follow Shedeur Sanders, who kinda built a culture around here not only with (the) offensive line but with receivers (and) the leaderships, it’s kinda a tough act to follow. I think he’s starting to embrace those things now because those are the things that we keep wanting him to do.”

No one is expecting Salter to be Sanders. CU wants the dual-threat quarterback to use his legs like he did with a 35-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter last week. But the Buffs also have a loaded wide receiver room capable of making the necessary plays to have an explosive passing offense.

“He sees it now,” Miller said. “He sees the offense and what this could be.”

Wyoming cornerback Tyrese Boss (8) tackles Colorado wide receiver Omarion Miller (4) in the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Miller was at the forefront of last week’s breakthrough in the passing game.

The oft-injured junior has looked like a future NFL draft pick at times throughout his college career, but hasn’t been on the field enough to produce on a consistent basis. With a hamstring injury suffered in Week 1 firmly in the rearview mirror, Miller led the way with six catches for 88 yards and the game’s first touchdown.

It was a ball that Salter floated to the back of the end zone. He trusted Miller to make the play.

“It took a while, but I’d definitely say that game gave me my confidence back, scoring my first touchdown of the season,” Miller said. “Definitely gave me that swagger back.”

Whether it’s Miller, Williams or Brown, the Buffs have multiple players capable of carrying the load in the receiving room on a week-to-week basis, something that was a key part of last year’s room that sent four players to the NFL.

But they prefer the games like last week where all three of them get in the end zone. That might be required this week for CU to win back-to-back games for the first time in 2025.

“It was super cool to see all of my guys get in the end zone, as well as myself,” Williams said. “It was a really big thing for the receiver room.”

PHOTOS: Annual elk rut and other wildlife in Rocky Mountain National Park

Locals and tourists alike have begun to flock to the eastern side of Rocky Mountain National Park and areas surrounding Estes Park in northern Colorado for the annual elk rut.

According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Colorado has the largest elk population in North America, with estimates varying from roughly 280,000 to over 300,000 animals, depending on the source and year of the statistic.

A bull elk chases after his herd during the elk rut in Estes Park, Colo. on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025. (Tom Hellauer, Denver Gazette).Longs Peak towers over all other mountains, as seen from the Sheep Lakes Information Station, on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025 in Rocky Mountain National Park west of Estes Park, Colorado. (Jonathan Ingraham, Denver Gazette).A male mule deer stops eating to pose for a photo Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025 in Rocky Mountain National Park west of Estes Park, Colorado. (Jonathan Ingraham, Denver Gazette).Cow elk run from a bull elk Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025 at Mary’s Lake south of Estes Park, Colorado. (Jonathan Ingraham, Denver Gazette).Stephanie McAndrews points to a map showing the location of where she usually sees elk during the annual elk rut Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025 in Rocky Mountain National Park west of Estes Park, Colorado. (Jonathan Ingraham, Denver Gazette).A bull elk bugles during the elk rut Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025 at Mary’s Lake in Estes Park, Colorado . (Jonathan Ingraham, Denver Gazette).A moose eats a shrub along the side of U.S. Highway 34 Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025 in Rocky Mountain National Park west of Estes Park, Colorado. (Jonathan Ingraham, Denver Gazette).

Leadville man arrested after fatal road-rage shooting

A road rage incident turned fatal on U.S. Highway 24 in Lake County, after a Leadville man allegedly shot and killed another driver late Tuesday night.

Robert Price Chase, 31, was arrested and faces charges of second-degree murder after allegedly shooting and killing another driver around 10 p.m. in the 13200 block of U.S. 24., just south of Leadville.

Police believe that Chase and the victim, identified as 40-year-old Landon Lavelle Mentink, were involved in a road rage incident when it escalated into violence, with Chase fatally shooting Mentink in the altercation.

Chase was arrested at the scene of the shooting, and made his first court appearance on Wednesday, when a judge set his bond at $100,000. His next appearance is scheduled for 2 p.m. Oct. 16.

The Colorado Bureau of Investigation is working with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and the 5th Judicial District Attorney’s Office to investigate the incident.

Colorado State, Wyoming to continue Border War series in 2026

Colorado State and Wyoming in 2026 will play for the 80th straight year on the football field.

It will be the final time as Mountain West foes with CSU heading to the Pac-12 next summer. Up until Wednesday, a two-year gap existed before the Rams and Cowboys begin an annual series playing as nonconference foes in 2028.

A gap still exists in 2027, but CSU announced it will host Wyoming on Sept. 5, 2026, to play for the Golden Boot trophy.

A 2036 game has also been added in Laramie. Although no game is scheduled for 2027, both programs are working on scheduling adjustments to potentially add it to their nonconference schedules.

“Rivalry games are important to us at Colorado State and are a part of what makes college football so special,” CSU athletic director John Weber said. “Our scheduling goal for our football program is to host seven games every season on campus in Canvas Stadium. Ram Country and Canvas Chaos make a real difference on game day and there is no better place to play than at home on campus in Fort Collins.”

The two teams have met 116 times since 1899 and every year since 1946, when CSU was still named Colorado A&M. The Border War is tied for the third-oldest college football rivalry west of the Mississippi River, behind only Cal-Stanford and Oregon-Oregon State.

The Rams lead the all-time series 60-51-5.

Loss of one-time funding sources to impact Denver’s shelter budget

Denver’s Department of Housing Stability presented its slimmed-down 2026 spending plan on Monday as city budget hearings continue.

With a projected general fund request of $71.6 million – down 0.13% from this year – HOST Executive Director Jamie Rife detailed the effects of the city’s loss of one-time federal funding, such as ARPA, for many of its shelter and housing programs.

“This is the year that we are in a budget season where we don’t have the one-time funding anymore that we’ve had, really, since HOST’s inception,” Rife said. “As you know, we were formed four months before the pandemic hit, and did some extraordinary work, but this is the first budget season that we’ve had to create a budget based on an ongoing amount of revenue.”

Focused not only on solving the city’s immediate $200 million budget deficit, department heads have said the goal is to find more long-term ways to increase the efficiency of services to residents while reducing the growth and cost of government.

Department of Housing Stability by the numbers

General Fund: $71.6 million 
Homeless Resolution Fund: $51.9 million
Affordable Housing Fund (Linkage Fee): $31.5 million
Affordable Housing Fund (Property tax and other local revenue): $18 million
All other grants, special revenue funds: $32.6 million

TOTAL 2026 Budget: $205.6 million

Deputy Director of Homelessness Resolution and Housing Stability Jeff Kositsky stated that the city is losing nearly $33 million in programmatic funding, which will impact the department’s work.

“I want to point out that most of these cuts are due to losses in one-time funding or federal and state housing vouchers that we no longer have access to, which are impacting our budget.”

Federal funding for homelessness is facing significant cuts in 2026.

“The thing I’m the most worried about in terms of public impact of this is the loss of somewhere around 300 vouchers on housing exits, because those federal and state vouchers we lose, as you know, are the housing exits for the folks with the least capacity to work and support themselves,” Denver Mayor Mike Johnston said. “And so we have a risk of our higher need folks being stuck in the system, not being able to get housing exits. That means fewer open beds sites. That means it’s harder to get folks off the street into those beds, because they turn over less and less.”

This summer, the city announced that it would be terminating leases for two hotel shelters, the Radisson and the Comfort Inn, and closing the Monroe Village micro-community, resulting in a savings of nearly $11 million.

“A lot of these shelters were stood up to address the crisis of encampments in Denver and the impacts on the downtown community in particular,” Kositsky said. “Much of that has been addressed in a pretty dramatic way.”

However, closing shelters will result in a reduction in the number of available shelter beds, prompting the city in 2026 to focus more on reducing the length of stay in order to improve “throughput,” exiting residents to more permanent housing options.

Approximately 18 months ago, the average length of stay in a city-run shelter was consistently over 210 days, according to officials. That number has now dropped to approximately 180 days.

“It’s certainly not perfect, and there’s always going to be work to do, but we have to do better, because we have fewer shelter beds,” Kositsky said. “But the faster that we can get folks housed somewhere, the more it will mitigate the impact of the loss of the shelter beds.”

Three new contracts will be awarded shortly for non-congregate shelter services: $8.7 million for the former DoubleTree, $7 million for Tamarac, and $4.4 million for the Best Western, using a new performance-based criteria to ensure vendors deliver services as agreed.

Rife said there will be no changes to funding for affordable housing units, the city’s severe weather shelter programs, or its down payment assistance programs.

Although fewer people are sleeping on the streets in Denver, the total number of homeless individuals in the city has grown, a new report showed. 

This year, a total of 7,327 people were counted as homeless — a number that grew by 788 over 2024, according to the newest annual point-in-time count released by the Metro Denver Homeless Initiative in June. 

The count is a nationwide, yearly, unduplicated count of the homeless population conducted on a single night in January.

Since taking office in July 2023, the Johnston administration has spent $155 million to address homelessness — $65 million more than initially estimated.

Daughter of former mayor died while leading group on via ferrata in Colorado

At about 3:05 p.m. on September 20, the Idaho Springs Police Department, along with other local emergency services, responded to the report of a fallen climber at AVA Rafting and Zipline in Idaho Springs.

The climber, identified as 26-year-old Olivia Copeland of Fort Collins, sustained significant injuries as a result of the fall and did not survive.

Additional details have since been released about the incident, including that preliminary information indicates that Copeland was guiding a group of AVA customers on the Mount Blue Sky Via Ferrata course when the fall occurred. This detail has since been confirmed by The Kansas City Star. Officials noted that the accident appears to have happened during a portion of the course that involves rappelling. The Kansas City Star report notes that her death appears to have been accidental in nature, per information from police.

Olivia Copeland was the daughter of late Michael Copeland, who served as the mayor of Olathe, Kansas from 2001 until his 2020 death – the longest-serving mayor in Olathe’s 162 years. A statement from the Copeland family that was released on social media remembers Olivia as “a vibrant, adventurous, and deeply loved young woman whose light and kindness touched all who knew her.”

The investigation into Olivia’s death is still underway.

Sincere condolences go out to Olivia Copeland’s loved ones during this time.

The Mount Blue Sky Via Ferrata is a popular attraction in Idaho Springs, with participants utilizing iron rungs, bars, and cables to navigate the course while clipped in at all times. The course also features ziplines, a controlled free fall, and a rappel. Information related to exactly what led to the fatal accident has not been released at this time.

Denver area events for Sept. 24

If you have an event taking place in the Denver area, email information to  carlotta.olson@gazette.com  at least two weeks in advance. All events are listed in the calendar on space availability.

Wednesday

Yogarita — Yoga followed by a margarita, 6-8 p.m., The Orchard Town Center, 14697 Delaware St., Suite 850, Westminster, $8. Tickets: events.humanitix.com/yogarita-2025.

Chris Brown — 7 p.m., Coors Field, 2001 Blake St., Denver, $109 and up. Tickets: ticketmaster.com.

Noah Cyrus — 7 p.m., Fillmore Auditorium, 1510 Clarkson St., Denver, $44 and up. Tickets: ticketmaster.com.

Brutalismus 3000 — 7 p.m., Summit Music Hall, 1902 Blake St., Denver, $50 and up. Tickets: summitdenver.com.

Oracle Sisters — p.m., Marquis Theater, 2009 Larimer St., Denver, $30. Tickets: marquisdenver.com.

The Sax Syndicate – The Music of “Saxology” — 7 p.m., Dazzle at Baur’s, 1080 14th St., Denver, go online for prices. Tickets: dazzledenver.com/#/events.

Jordan Davis — With Mitchell Tenpenny, Vincent Mason, 7 p.m., Red Rocks Amphitheatre, 18300 W. Alameda Parkway, Morrison, $79 and up. Tickets: axs.com.

Anthony Rodia — 7:30 p.m., Comedy Works Downtown in Larimer Square, 1226 15th St., Denver, $30-$35. Tickets: comedyworks.com.

Mike Stanley — 7:30 p.m., Comedy Works South at the Landmark, 5345 Landmark Place, Greenwood Village, $14. Tickets: comedyworks.com.

Quannnic — With Kmoe, 8 p.m., Bluebird Theater, 3317 E. Colfax Ave., Denver, $35. Tickets: axs.com.

Cuco — 8 p.m., Ogden Theatre, 935 E. Colfax Ave., Denver, $54.60. Tickets: axs.com.

Soft Blue Shimmer — With Wave Decay, Look at Fiona, 8 p.m., Skylark Lounge, 140 S. Broadway, Denver, $14.47. Tickets: skylarklounge.com.

Aurorawave — With Brace Yourself, 8 p.m., Larimer Lounge, 2721 Larimer St., Denver, $24.60-$27.60. Tickets: larimerlounge.com.

Quannic — 8 p.m., Globe Hall, 4483 Logan St., Denver, $35.01. Tickets: globehall.com. 

Pepper — With Tunnel Vision, 8 p.m., Boulder Theater, 2032 14th St., Boulder, $42.49-$44.55. Tickets: axs.com.

CARLOTTA OLSON, The Denver Gazette

Air Force offense enjoying success through air, ground thus far in 2025

Air Force football is often the topic of notable statistical nuggets, but few that include the word “receiving.”

Then along came Cade Harris.

The Air Force senior is not only the only player in FBS football with 300 receiving yards (323) and 100 rushing yards (153), but he’s the only player this century to hit 320 receiving and 150 rushing through his team’s first three games.

“I think it speaks to Cade’s will, his drive, his maturity,” coach Troy Calhoun said.

It also speaks to the multiple ways in which Air Force has been able to attack offensively, as it features the highest-scoring offense in the Mountain West (38.7 ppg) and over the past two games it has thrown for an average of 210.5 yards and rushed for an average of 267.5 yards.

Some of this passing offense has been driven by game situations. In losses at Utah State and Boise State over the past two weeks the Falcons have had zero first-half passing yards but have aired it out while playing catch up.

But that also means that yardage came in situations where the defense was looking for the pass, and the Falcons have been able to move the ball anyway.

For a program that has finished in the top 10 nationally in rushing each of the past 11 years and all but once since 1987 but hasn’t averaged more than 100 yards passing since 2019, this versatility is unique.

“We have had some deeper throws,” Calhoun said. “Will that be frequent? I don’t know if that necessarily is a given.”

The Falcons rank first nationally with 19.47 yards per completion and 21st with 165.88 passing efficiency. While the passing yardage places it down on the list nationally (94th), it is near the middle of the pack in the Mountain West.

And this hasn’t come at the expense of the running game, which ranks sixth in the nation at 267 yards per game.

Quarterback Liam Szarka broke out against Boise State, as the sophomore completed 13-of-18 passes for 242 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.

“Just shows how capable we are across all aspects of the offense,” said receiver Quin Smith, who caught four passes against Boise State for 65 yards and a touchdown.

Smith said he knew the ball wouldn’t be frequently coming his way when he committed to Air Force. He came to the academy to follow a family path. His father was a pilot in the Marine Corps, and his older sister is a 2023 Air Force graduate who is also a pilot.

Smith will enter pilot training following graduation.

But while he didn’t expect to make catches in great quantity, he was hoping for the quality.

“I was told, when you get your chance it’s going to be big,” he said.

So far, the stats reflect just how big Air Force’s offense has cashed in on those plays – by air and by land.