PARKER — The Chaparral boys basketball team is determined to make its own version of the tip-in heard ’round Colorado.
The Wolverines’ lone state title came in 2012, when star Josh Adams pulled off one of the greatest plays in state basketball history with his incredible tip-in at the overtime buzzer to beat Arapahoe in the Class 5A championship.
In the 14 years since, Chaparral has been a perennial playoff contender, including Great 8 appearances in five of the six seasons under head coach and Wolverines alumni Nate Rohnert. But the program has yet to get back to another championship, a trend the Wolverines believe can change this year as the No. 1 seed in the Class 6A tournament bracket.
Chaparral High School head coach Nate Rohnert draws up plays for the team during a Class 6A second round playoff game against Fairview High School on Friday, Feb. 27, 2026, at Chaparral High School in Parker, Colo. (Photo by Timothy Hurst/The Denver Post)“Everybody who has played basketball at Chaparral has seen that crazy moment (by Adams) — it’s electrifying, it’s inspiring,” Chaparral junior guard Christian Williams said. “This year, we’re just trying to find a new way to get the job done. Whether we win by 15, or five, or two at the buzzer — we just want to be the last team standing at the end with our own identity.”
That 2012 title team had an array of playmakers, headlined by Adams (who went on to play at Wyoming, then overseas) as well as Cory Calvert. In that sense, this year’s Wolverines mirror the ’12 team, because Chaparral has four standout players who can take over a game at a moment’s notice.
Christian Williams and Luke Howery, Chaparral’s one-two scoring punch, are both putting up nearly identical scoring averages at 19.7 and 19.6 points through the regular season. The duo are best friends and have played club basketball together since middle school.
The Wolverines also feature 6-foot-10 senior center Luke Williams, who is averaging nearly a double-double with 10.2 points and 9.6 rebounds, as well as rising sophomore guard Champ Spears. That quartet catalyzed the Wolverines to a 22-2 record and Continental League championship amid a difficult schedule that Rohnert believes has Chaparral primed for a deep playoff run.
“This is a tight-knit group, they’re experienced from past playoffs, and I think the losses in the Great 8 in the last couple years hurt and helped fuel this team,” said Rohnert, who played at DU and then professionally overseas. “They’re hungry, they’re motivated. Our strength of schedule is probably the top in the state and that’s why we got the No. 1 seed.”
While Adams — who is now the head coach at nearby Lutheran, a few minutes down the road from Chaparral — came in to talk to the Wolverines ahead of this season, Rohnert says the emphasis with this group is on “creating their own path.”
So Chaparral doesn’t need a miracle tip-in. They just need to keep doing what they’ve done, which is spreading the scoring around, making the job hard on opposing offenses and playing their best when games get tense. Chaparral High School senior Luke Williams (35) looks to score during a Class 6A second round playoff game against Fairview High School on Friday, Feb. 27, 2026, at Chaparral High School in Parker, Colo. (Photo by Timothy Hurst/The Denver Post)
The Wolverines, who beat Fairview handily 66-33 in their second-round playoff opener on Friday in Parker, posted a signature comeback win to close the season over Mountain Vista 57-56 when Chaparral erased a 5-point deficit with a minute left.
The bracket is set up for Chaparral to meet Mountain Vista in the Great 8 again in 2026, one year after Howery said the Wolverines experienced what he described as a “cannon event” in that 71-57 defeat at the Denver Coliseum.
“We had a team meeting at the beginning of this year and committed to making some changes and playing unselfishly, with the understanding that every game is not going to be everyone’s night to shine,” said Howery, a CSU commit. “It’s a we over me mindset, and that’s been on our (locker room) white board all season. Everybody is buying into that and that’s what has brought us our success.
“Mostly, teams try to make ‘Big Luke’ and Champ beat us, and they load up the help side (defense) and try to rotate off to guard us. But it’s been hard for all our opponents to consistently slow us, because we have four legitimate scorers.”
Chaparral’s two losses this season came to Arizona powerhouse Sunnyslope, which is the No. 5 team in the country in the MaxPreps Top 25, as well as to Ralston Valley, which earned the No. 2 seed in the Class 6A bracket. The Wolverines blew a double-digit lead in the second half in that 68-66 defeat after Luke Williams got hurt in the first half.
Since that setback on Jan. 3, Chaparral has ripped off 15 straight wins. The Wolverines take on Brighton at home in the Sweet 16 on Tuesday. Chaparral High School junior Christian Williams (10) attempts a shot over Fairview defenders during a Class 6A second round playoff game on Friday, Feb. 27, 2026, at Chaparral High School in Parker, Colo. (Photo by Timothy Hurst/The Denver Post)
Chaparral’s four forces
A look at the four players driving the Wolverines’ state title push in the Class 6A state tournament.
Christian Williams, Jr. G — He’s been one of the state’s best pure scorers for a couple of years now, but the player who has offers from Stanford, CSU, and Cal is excelling in other areas, too. “He’s starting to guard the other team’s best player, he’s rebounding really well, he’s facilitating,” Rohnert said. “I’ve seen a lot of growth in those areas from him.”
Luke Howery, Jr. G — Like Christian Williams, the versatile 6-foot-5 baller can go into unstoppable mode, as the CSU signee did in the regular season finale against Mountain Vista. “Luke had it going that whole game, and then at the end, he went (coast-to-coast) for the game-winning layup,” Christian Williams said. “He consistently rises up in clutch moments.”
Luke Williams, Sr. C — The 6-foot-10 post presence has emerged as a pillar, and sets Chaparral’s defensive tone with 2.7 blocks per game. He’s also playing for a higher cause in mind, considering his dad died from cancer when he was in middle school. “I pray before every game, and ask him to watch over me,” Luke Williams said. “Every game, I think of him.”
Champ Spears, Soph. PG — While sophomore Derek Jensen rounds out the starting five and senior Tommy Humphrey and freshman Ty Weber provide depth off the bench, Spears is averaging 12.7 points and 3.3 assists. Christian Williams says Spears’ game “is very mature, and his role is very important — I’m very proud of Champ for his poise as a young player.”
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