COLORADO SPRINGS — They are the high school team to watch right now, the Mesa Ridge Grizzlies boys basketball team.
The boys currently have a 16-game win streak and the team has won the state championship for the last two years.
The Grizzlies back-to-back titles are the only championships in the program's history - so far.
Head Coach Joel Babbit took over the program two seasons ago and has already put up two state championship banners. While many in this position would have their eyes set on a three-peat, the Grizzlies haven't looked that far ahead.
"We're never really thinking about the three-peat. We're really just thinking about how we are going to win the next play, how we are going to win the next possession on defense and offense," says Mesa Ridge junior J'Marius Jones.
After winning the title last year, Coach Babbit spoke about Mesa Ridge being a real program now.
But it's not the championships that made that happen, it's the culture they've built and the core values they've embraced.
According to Coach Babbit, "It's not about being a great player or making mistakes, but if they give us perfect effort and perfect communication and willingness to be a great teammate then we feel like we are going to be a good program."
Mesa Ridge has lost only one game this season - the first one.
That loss served as a reality check for the grizzlies and lit the fire beneath them
"After losing that first game I feel like we got a wake-up call. We didn't think we should've lost that first game but we lost it so we just had to come to practice the next day and work harder and keep getting better," says Jones.
The Grizzlies are currently ranked number one in CHSAA's 5A rankings and they will conclude the regular season on February 21.
Editor's note: The Mesa Ridge Grizzlies now have a 17-game win streak after playing against the Discovery Canyon Thunder on February 8. Grizzlies won 54-51.
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