Usually when a record is broken, there is a celebration set in place for the individual who accomplished the task. However, with a player as naturally talented as Fossil’s own Braxton Bertolette, success is expected not just celebrated.

Thursday night, February 16, Bertolette lead the team to their 9 league win, and 14 overall win preceding playoffs. He recently broke a record here at Fossil, becoming the all-time leading scorer for Fossil Ridge basketball beating the 1507 point record by 120 points. Not only did he crack the record book, but he was also nominated as Athlete of the Month this February by Maxpreps.

Last year, as a junior, Bertolette was selected to the All-State Second Team for the 2015-2016 season and also named the Front Range League Player of the Year for the 2015-2016 season. In addition, he led 5A in scoring as a junior with 24 points per game, and again this year as a senior with 28 points per game.

The SaberCats have won four out of five of their previous league games – (76-55) win over Fairview High School, a (63-65) loss to Boulder High School, a (84-58) win over Legacy High School, a (63-54) win over Mountain Range High School, and a (89-58) win against Northglenn High School. With that said, in those last five games, Bertolette has racked up 180 points, averaging 36 points per game, and is ranked #1 in 5A and #55 in the country.

It is no mystery that Bertolette is the leader of this team. During an interview with the high school star, he was asked how taking on the leadership role has affected him, and he commented, “I’ve had to become a lot more vocal on the court and in the locker room. I’m usually a silent leader, because I think actions speak louder than words. With that said, I’ve lettered each of my four years here and have experienced playing at the highest level that the team needs to be competing at in order to succeed. I’ve been told that my input is extremely valuable for the team due to my experience playing here. Now actually being this far into the season, I realize how important it is to instruct my teammates on where they should be on the court, and after figuring it out myself, telling them what our opponents are trying to do, so that we can break their plays down. Leading this team, not only through my actions but also with my words, has been the biggest challenge I’ve had to take on this season. I’m grateful to be the guy that my teammates look to, I think being the leader of the team has helped me improve as a player and person on and off the court.”

In the duration of the last three months, Bertolette has been one of the strongest contributors on this team, but has also put a target on his back leading up to playoffs. Yesterday, Wednesday February 23, the SaberCats hosted Lincoln High School at home for their first playoff game in the 2016-2017 season. The ‘Cats won (79-63), and will take on Denver East High School on Saturday, February 25 at Denver East High School.

Preceding this season, in the Gojo Tipoff Classic, the SaberCats played Denver East High School, and took a tough (58-68) loss. However, it has been a long couple of months since that game, and the boys have improved their game by leaps and bounds. Surely on Saturday, it will be a much more competitive game than that of last December. 

After being asked about playoffs, Bertolette commented, “I was confident going into playoffs. We’re playing our best basketball right now and peaking at the right time. I know my coaches and my teammates will do their jobs, and I will definitely do mine. I think we had a great start to our playoff run last night, we played quick and smart. I’m excited to take on Denver East, I think we will give them a good game. I don’t want this season, or my career here at Fossil to end, and I plan on doing whatever I can to help this team win more games. I owe it to my teammates, my coaches, and all of the people who have supported me at Fossil for the last four years.”

As Bertolette mentioned, he wouldn’t be where he is now, if it wasn’t for the support group he has had these past few years. Along with the students here at Fossil, his family, and especially his father, have supported and pushed him inside and outside of the paint.

During an interview with Marty Bertolette, Braxton’s father, he commented, “It has been incredibly fulfilling to see him achieve success. As his dad and coach it’s been very rewarding. It’s also been challenging because he’s a perfectionist and has set high goals for himself. It’s been a long journey up until now, but he has earned it all by himself. With that said, he couldn’t have done it without the help of great coaching along the way from Coach Johannsen at Fossil, and his other club and personal coaches.” 

Mr. Bertolette has been coaching and training players for over 28 years, and knows a lot about the game, and more importantly what it takes to be a great player. He has been working with and teaching Braxton important skills and training his mental toughness. “Since he could walk he’s loved basketball. I have video of him sweating after 30 minutes of walking across the room dunking in diapers at 13 months old. Even to this day, his self belief is his biggest strength. He has always believed he was capable of “greatness”, and his work ethic is like no other I have ever seen. He works everyday to improve his skills, he’s simply just in love with the game.”

Bertolette’s dedication has resulted in a staggering statistic report over his last three years as a SaberCat. His freshman year, he finished with (36) points, and (18) of those points came from three point shots. Sophomore year, he made huge progress, racking up (317) points at the end of the season, with (153) of those points coming from three point shots. Last year, as a junior, he ended with (590) points, hitting (97) three point shots. In his first three years at Fossil alone, he totaled (943) points, including (154) three point shots. This year, up through the ‘Cats most recent game against Lincoln High School, Bertolette has racked up (684) points, with (102) three point shots. Over the course of his four years at Fossil, he currently has (1627) points, including (256) three point shots in total.

Bertolette has received multiple D1 offers from schools like Rider University and University of North Dakota, along with many others this spring. He mentioned that in the next month or so he is expecting more offers, but hasn’t made his final decision quite yet.

After talking to the Bertolettes it was clear that Braxton and his father have a very special relationship. One bit of advice that Mr. Bertolette has continuously given his son is, “Never let anyone tell you what you can or cannot do. You are exactly what you believe you are and you’re capable of achieving exactly what you believe you can. You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take; never hesitate…take your best shot.”

On Saturday, February 25, come to Denver East High School to support Bertolette and the boys as they undergo their second playoff game this season. Follow @frhssportsnews and @EmilyBreyEIS on Twitter for updates, and live tweeting if you can’t make it to the game.