Ignacio Bobcats Austin McCaw and Anthony Manzanares played this week at the Senior All-State Games in Denver.
Ignacio Bobcats Austin McCaw and Anthony Manzanares played this week at the Senior All-State Games in Denver.Photo by Dawn Rock

On DA-West on Monday, the 1A/2A ‘Best of the Best’ faced a Western Slope Leagues collective, while on DA-East at the same time a 1A/2A ‘East-West’ hodge-podge battled a 1A/2A ‘North-South’ mish-mash.

The Games’ roots date back to the Denver Post-organized Public & Parochial games played in the 1950s at then-Bears (later Mile High) Stadium. Meanwhile, and at the same time Monday, Bayfield’s graduated Zane Phelps suited up inside Denver’s Coors Field for the Colorado Rockies-hosted 2016 High School All-Stars/Futures Game. The Seniors and Underclassmen were tied 5-5 after the nine-inning showcase, with Phelps (0-for-2) and Eaton’s Matt Burkart (1-3, RBI) the only Class 3A reps on the senior team.