On January 28, Frederick High’s Unified Basketball team narrowly beat the Niwot Cougars with a score of 77 to 73. Coming off a weekend tournament where the Golden Eagles won second out of 20, this game proves the Unified team is on an upward trajectory after a pair of hard losses at the start of the season.
Unified teams are a combination of players with exceptionalities enrolled in a school’s special education program that are paired with mentor students from outside special education. Frederick usually has three Unified sports and two Unified arts programs, if enrollment is high enough: Unified Theatre and Bowling in the fall, Unified Basketball in the winter, Unified Soccer in the spring, and Unified Band year-round.
Unified Basketball typically plays eight games and two tournaments, and Frederick’s past Unified teams have made it to State. This year’s Frederick High Unified Basketball team has ten players and six student mentors. Teams are co-ed, with both male and female players and mentors working together on the court.
Freshman player Peyton Fenicle said she joined Unified “because it’s fun.” Senior mentor Taylor Topliss said that she joined Unnified Basketball because “I want [everyone] to feel included in the school. My boyfriend, one of my friends, and I joined to help them out.”
Frederick Unified went into Tuesday’s game with a losing record after falling to Skyline and Longmont at the start of the season. However, the team turned things around with a win against Roosevelt and a great showing at a regional tournament held at the Gold Crown Field House on Saturday, January 25. The Golden Eagles won several rounds and ended up in second place out of 20 teams.
With the wind at their backs, Frederick Unified played well against Niwot at home. The atmosphere was very welcoming, and everyone was there to cheer on both teams. Unified games are divided into two 20-minute halves, and both teams were neck-and-neck the entire time. However, Frederick scored in the last few minutes with a lead Niwot just couldn’t overcome.
One of the biggest challenges the team faces this year is having a lot of new freshman players. However, sophomore player Conner Fahernbruch likes how the dynamic has changed since last year because, “We have new students, and they [make it] fun. We help them do [better] and be a good team.”
Now with more wins than losses, Unified Basketball has three more tough games ahead:
- The first is on February 4 against Mead, and while Mead always has a strong team, Frederick will have home court advantage, where they haven’t lost all season.
- Unified then goes against Silver Creek, and while Unified has kept a solid win record over the Raptors in the past, the team has struggled during its away games this year.
- The last regular season game happens on February 11 and will give Frederick home court advantage; however, the Golden Eagles will face Erie, their most talented rival.
