Thirty years ago, Highlands Ranch girls basketball put Colorado on notice about a dynasty in the making. It was Caryn Jarocki’s first season as the Falcons’ head coach in 1996-97, following an 11-year stint at Class 2A Colorado Academy. That Highlands Ranch team didn’t have any hoops superstars, but they were gritty enough to flip their record from 8-13 the year prior to 13-8, and lost a close game to state champion Montbello in the second round of the playoffs. “We get to that game, and our kids don’t know what they’re doing — I had a bunch of soccer players on the team, with a few freshman who were true basketball players,” Jarocki said. “But we played our butts off, they bought into my coaching, and the score was tight in the second half. Montbello was getting angry, getting a little physical. “My kids were not that physical. We had a couple kids go down (due to injury), and I think we lost by around 10 points, but it was one of those, ‘Holy cow, how are (the Falcons) staying with us?’ games from the Montbello perspective. We gave the champs a scare, and that showed me the potential of what could happen with our own program.” Highlands Ranch High School girls basketball head coach Caryn Jarocki yells to players on the court during a game against Regis Jesuit on Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, at Regis Jesuit High School in Aurora, Colo. (Photo by Timothy Hurst/The Denver Post) Three…
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