DOVE CREEK – On the final Friday in February, Dove Creek head coach Julie Kibel stood with her four Class of 2026 seniors for Senior Night, a ritual she has repeated nearly three dozen times.
The embraces and bittersweet tears inside The Dawg House marked the end of another era and the final home game for the Class of 2026. But while the names and faces change, much remains consistent on Kibel-led teams.
“She bonds with different girls in different ways, and then the whole team bonds,” said Jonce Hatfield, Kibel’s longtime assistant coach and father of senior Hadley Hatfield. “The team is a reflection of her.”
Kibel’s patience, paired with high expectations, has defined her second stint with the Bulldogs. Wins have followed, but she measures success less by the scoreboard and more by the growth of her players.
Since returning for the 2017-18 season, her teams have produced nine consecutive winning campaigns, finishing in the top two of the San Juan Basin League each year. Combined with her first tenure from 1987 to 1990, Kibel surpassed 170 career wins at her alma mater with a Jan. 31 victory over Telluride.
Even with a 16-year coaching stop in Fort Morgan, her journey began – and continues – in a community that bleeds blue and yellow.
Kibel’s maiden name, Guynes, sits atop the all-state banner on the north wall of The Dawg House. A 1980 Dolores County graduate, she emerged as girls high school sports gained traction statewide. The Colorado High School Activities Association introduced its first girls basketball and volleyball championships in 1975-76, ushering in a new era.
Kibel earned all-state honors in 1979 and 1980 while competing against one of Colorado’s most prolific scorers. She faced Ridgway standout Tracy Hill, who averaged 44 points per game as a senior before the three-point line existed. Hill’s four-decade scoring record was broken this year by Riverdale Ridge’s Brihanna Crittendon.
Kibel returned to Dove Creek as head coach in 1987-88 and led the program for three seasons before heading to northeast Colorado. After nearly two decades at Fort Morgan, she came back to Dove Creek, first at the junior high level and later reclaiming the varsity job.
Her playing background still surfaces in practice.
“Julie will be trying to teach the girls different moves – she’ll say ‘this was my go-to move when a girl guarded me like this’ – and she’ll use so much of her past playing experience to help the girls be more successful,” Hatfield said.
Kibel set a high bar with her offensive skills during her playing days, posting numbers that many of her future players would later surpass. But on the banners that ring The Dawg House, her name will always come first.
Kibel quickly restored the Bulldogs to league prominence, increasing the win total by nine in her first season back.
The program has continued to climb. Dove Creek posted its best finish in 2022-23, taking third at the Class 1A state tournament, followed by a fifth-place finish the next season. The Bulldogs won more than 20 games in three straight seasons from 2021-22 through 2023-24, the program’s first such stretch since the late 2000s.
The 2025-26 team again produced a winning season built on defense, rebounding and disciplined offensive execution.
Kibel tailors her system to each class, defining roles from starters to reserves and emphasizing fundamentals that travel well in postseason play.
One focal point this season is senior Taylor Hampton, who is nearing the 1,000-point milestone. She would become the first Bulldog to reach that mark since Grace Hatfield in 2021.
Hampton helped guide Dove Creek to a 14-8 regular-season record, including a 40-20 Senior Night win over Ridgway.
“Julie is detail-oriented, and that bleeds through the whole team,” Hatfield said. “And at the end of the day, she’s just trying to make her players into better young women – and basketball is just a small part of that. She’ll remind them that ‘There’s things that you’ll learn on the court that you’ll take with you into the real world.’”
Former players continue to circle back. Kalie Gatlin, a 2024 graduate, now keeps statistics on the bench. Ralynn Hickman, Class of 2025, returns from college breaks to assist current players. Rylee Hickman, a 2023 graduate, now serves as an assistant coach at Mancos High School.
For Hatfield, the highlights extend beyond wins and banners.
The Bulldogs carried a home winning streak from the 2019-20 season into the 2024-25 campaign, but he said the most meaningful memories often came on bus rides, at team meals and during holiday gatherings at Kibel’s home.
Those shared experiences, he said, forge lasting bonds.
Now, as she approaches three decades leading varsity programs, Kibel’s enthusiasm has not waned. Whether running a preseason drill or pacing the sideline during a tight postseason matchup, her approach remains steady.
Hatfield, her assistant throughout her second tenure, expects that commitment to continue. His youngest daughter – following sisters Marissa, Grace and Hadley – is poised to join the program in the coming years.
“Julie’s bought in for the next generation, and as long as she’s in it, I’m in it, too.”
