AURORA — Arapahoe and Liberty are set to add field hockey programs this fall, bringing the sport’s total number of teams to 15 schools.
It marks the first expansion for the sport since Regis Jesuit added a program in 2009.
“We have been seeing a growth in participation over recent years, and it’s really exciting to see that transition into a growth of teams,” said CHSAA assistant commissioner Bethany Brookens. “We’re hopeful that the trend continues.”
Both Arapahoe and Liberty will play varsity schedules this fall.
Like the majority of the teams in the sport, both programs will draw athletes from other district schools.
Liberty is just the third Colorado Springs-area team to house a field hockey program, joining Cheyenne Mountain and Palmer Ridge.
Field hockey begins practice on Aug. 15, and teams may scrimmage on Aug. 20. The season officially begins with games on Aug. 25.
Through all the moments that we saw, we complied a list of some of our favorites moments from the past year.
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Cherokee Trail overcomes tragedy to take Class 5A volleyball title
The Cherokee Trail volleyball team began the season dealing with something no high school kids should have to deal with. Before the season, a friend and teammate, Celeste James, passed away.
West Grand gives football coach Chris Brown 306th win
Chris Brown. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
Playing with heavy hearts following the death of a teammate earlier in the week, West Grand football gave coach Chris Brown career win No. 306 last fall to tie a state record.
The 8-man team played just three days after quarterback JD Guess was killed in a car accident while driving home from practice.
“The win tonight had little to do with me,” Brown wrote in an email afterward. “First, credit goes to Eric Guess [JD’s father] and Will [his brother, and a former player at West Grand], our amazing assistant coaches, an unbelievable crowd, and a tremendous effort from our kids.”
Christian McCaffrey finishes second in Heisman voting
Christian McCaffrey. (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
A whirlwind of a regular season put Valor Christian alum Christian McCaffrey in the national spotlight. The Stanford star was named a finalist for the 2015 Heisman Trophy and finished as the runner-up to Alabama running back Derrick Henry.
McCaffrey was in the national spotlight again less than three weeks later as he helped the Cardinal roll to a 45-16 win in the Rose Bowl. The former Eagle record 368 all-purpose yards in the game and scored two touchdowns.
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Holy Family, Chris Helbig has record-setting start to football season
Chris Helbig. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
The start of the 2015 football season was a sprint, not a marathon for Holy Family quarterback Chris Helbig. The senior set a state record by throwing for 607 yards in the Tigers first game of the year in a win against Mountain View.
Helbig’s season came to a disappointing end as he tore his ACL and was unable to finish the football season or compete during the basketball season. Despite the injury, Helbig aims to continue his football career at the University of Colorado.
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Meeker’s T.J. Shelton win fourth wrestling title
Despite trailing early in his match, Meeker’s T.J. Shelton became the 19th wrestler in state history to win his fourth wrestling title.
Shelton accomplished the feat with a 16-7 major decision over Centauri’s Chris Martin.
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Houtsma recovers from crash to win nordic skate
Graham Houtsma. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Graham Houtsma took a nasty spill and lost one of his poles when he was leading the nordic skate at the 2016 state skiing championships.
He recovered, was a given a new pole by a teammate, and went on to win the race by one-tenth of a second.
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Kent Denver coach Scott Yates wins 300th game
Kent Denver’s Scott Yates. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Longtime Kent Denver football coach and athletic director Scott Yates won his 300th career game in October.
“It’s not a one-guy deal. That’s all there is to it,” Yates said after the game. “The school’s been great. The program has been a lot of fun. And the coaches and the kids that we’ve had the pleasure to work with is really what makes it.”
Yates was the fourth coach to reach the mark.
But like Brown’s 306th win, this milestone came in a wake of school tragedy. Kent Denver teacher Kristin Brown had passed away a week earlier, and the loss weighed heavy on the school.
“I don’t know if you heard him after the game, but after winning 300 games, he didn’t even talk about that,” said Kent Denver running back Will McKissick. “He talked about Ms. Brown, who we lost this week, and he talked about how there are more important things than football. I think that’s not your average guy.”
Kent Denver advanced to the 2A semfinals in the fall, which puts Yates’ career mark at 304-74. The state record, held by Brown and Pat Panek, is 306 wins.
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Regis Jesuit boys basketball coach Ken Shaw wins No. 700
Regis Jesuit players pose with coach Ken Shaw after he won his 700th game. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
The greens at the Pueblo Country Club are no joke. But with a championship on the line, Silver Creek senior Erin Sargent refused to let them stop her from claiming the 4A girls golf championship in May.
She sank a birdie putt on 18 to top Caroline Jordaan and end her high school career as the best 4A golfer in the state.
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Mountain Range wins 5A softball title
Mountain Range won the 5A softball championship. (Tim Visser/TimVisserPhotography.com)
The 5A softball title went to a team that had never even reached the state tournament before. Mountain Range started play in 2009 and made the state tournament for the first time in 2015.
The Mustangs made the most out of the opportunity, coming away with the 5A championship with a 12-2 win over Pomona. It was only the second overall state championship in school history.
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Valor Christian avenges early-season loss to claim 5A football title
Pomona was good enough to beat Valor Christian in the regular season. But the Eagles proved to be tougher to handle with gold on the line.
Valor forced a turnover with less than three minutes left and was able to capitalize on it to come away with its sixth championship in seven seasons.
“In our program, we don’t want to focus too much on peaks and valleys,” Valor coach Rod Sherman said. “We lost a close game like this last year and tried not to be too devastated about it, and this year we’ll try not to be too over the moon.”
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Castle View’s co-ed spirit title felt like a win for all
In perhaps the year’s best example of all for one and one for all, the Denver Coliseum exploded with cheers for Castle View when it was announced the Sabercats had won the 4A/5A co-ed title.
The reason was easy, coach Heather Acampora has become known for actively rooting on all teams at the event, competition or not. With Acampora’s desire to see all teams succeed at the highest level, it was easy to be happy for her own team’s victory.
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Rainsberger caps incredible career
Katie Rainsberger. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
The 2016 state track meet proved to be the perfect sendoff for Air Academy senior Katie Rainsberger. After bringing home the cross country title in the fall, the Oregon commit swept the 800, 1,600, 3,200 and 3,200 relay to end her high school career as one of the top runners the state has ever seen.
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Sanford ties record for winning streak
Sanford won the 2A boys basketball title. (Jeff Tucker/jefferywtucker.zenfolio.com)
Sanford boys basketball won its third-consecutive 2A championship in March, and in the process extended its winning streak to 73 games. That ties the state record held by Ridway in 1993-96.
The winning streak dates to the middle of the 2013-14 season.
Sanford beat Resurrection Christian 63-58 in dramatic fashion to win the 2A title.
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Oliana Squires ties state tournament scoring record
Sand Creek’s Oliana Squires. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Oliana Squires put on an historic performance during the 4A girls basketball Final 4. The Sand Creek senior tied a state tournament record by scoring 43 points in the Scorpions loss to Evergreen.
Valor Christian went on to win the girls 4A title, but the scoring effort by Squires in the semifinals was the standout performance of the tournament.
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Gifs used to help pass time for 5A basketball bracket release
I might be tough to recall games off the tops of our heads, but the fun we all had while waiting for the basketball selection committee to release the 5A boys basketball was definitely one of the top moments of the year.
Vista Ridge, Sand Creek produce wild ending in boys hoops
In one of the craziest endings all year, in any sport, Sand Creek battled back from a 20-point deficit in the second half to take its first lead of the game on a Jordan Phillips 3-pointer (video above).
The Scorpions forced a turnover and possessed the ball with 10 seconds remaining, but a steal led to an open shot for Raymon Harper who would knock it down, giving the Wolves a huge win over their district rivals.
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Juarez throws a gem to give Holly first baseball title
Seven innings of dominance on the mound gave Holly its first baseball championship in school history, as the Wildcats came away with the 1A crown.
Ricardo Juarez threw seven innings, allowing only four hits while striking out six Fleming hitters in the win.
“Ricardo’s been our guys since he was a freshman,” Holly coach Dayne Eaton said. “We’ve been so close. Two years ago we knocked off a great Stratton team and then last year we tried to save Ricardo and got beat by Dove Creek and they went on to win it.”
Holly had fallen to Fleming in the 2013 1A title game.
The Lewis-Palmer girls soccer team finally got the state championship that barely eluded them a year ago. After falling to Cheyenne Mountain in penalty kicks in 2015, the Rangers needed to find the back of the net only once in 2016.
Annica Fletemeyer scored the only of goal of the game as the Rangers topped Valor Christian 1-0.
“I didn’t want to miss it, that’s what was going through my mind,” Fletemeyer said. “It was a great ball by Brianna (Alger). I didn’t want to miss it because I didn’t want to let my team down. It was just such a rushing feeling of emotion, so I’m just really glad I could put it away.”
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Colorado Academy wins fourth-consecutive field hockey title
Colorado Academy field hockey has won 70-straight games. (Lance Wendt/LanceWendt.com)
For the seniors on Colorado Academy’s field hockey team, the feeling of not winning a state championship will never be felt.
The Mustangs increased their winning streak to 70 games and captured their fourth state field hockey title in as many years.
“It’s definitely not routine,” Colorado Academy coach Veronica Scott said. “It’s beautiful for the seniors because there’s eight girls here who have not lost a game in four years. It’s their fourth championship. For them, that’s extra special.”
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Pueblo West finishes quest for first boys basketball title
Pueblo West was not among the early favorites to come away with the 4A boys basketball title. But that didn’t stop the Cyclones from storming through the bracket.
The win gave the Cyclones their first boys basketball championship in school history.
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Fairview girls tennis ends Cherry Creek’s 19-year state title run
Fairview girls tennis won this year’s 5A championship. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
For 19 straight years, Cherry Creek was the talk of 5A girls tennis. That run ended in may as Fairview became the first team since the Bill Clinton administration to best the Bruins for the team title.
Thanks to Sophie Pearson’s win in No. 3 singles, the Knights edged Cherry Creek by three points. But it took some time for the feat to sink in for Fairview coach Susan Stensrud.
“I’m not one hundred percent,” she said. “I don’t believe it one hundred percent. It hasn’t sunk in, but I’m so glad it’s this team of girls.”
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Valor Christian wins twice on a Sunday to capture 4A baseball
Valor Christian baseball won 4A. (Tom Robinson/CHSAANow.com)
Weather (shockingly) pushed the completion of the 2016 baseball championships back one day. So it was on a Sunday that Valor Christian was able to beat Pueblo West twice to come away with its first baseball championship.
It was the seventh team championship on the year for the Eagles which led all schools.
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Limon’s sportsmanship helps Rocky Ford en route to softball tourney
The Rocky Ford softball team returned to Limon in May to thank the community for its sportsmanship. (Tom Robinson/CHSAANow.com)
Rocky Ford softball was on the way to the 3A state tournament last fall, and when it passed through Limon, the team was met with a road block — and a banner directing the team to a parking lot.
The Rocky Ford team had two players who recently lost their parents, and the tragedies were “widely and deeply felt,” according to coach JC Carrica.
Limon’s community rose up. They prepared goody bags for each player, took the time to talk with the players who recently lost their parents, and then sent Rocky Ford off with honking horns and more banners.
“The girls were hanging their heads out of the bus window, yelling, smiling, of course taking pictures and selfies,” Carrica said. “It was just the encouragement and lift we needed. As we left Limon and entered the interstate, there was not a dry eye on the bus.”
Loveland ends Pine Creek football’s 37-game winning streak
(Josh Watt/CHSAANow.com)
Pine Creek football was a juggernaut this season, storming it was through the 4A ranks.
But then the Eagles ran into Loveland, a No. 13 seed which stunned Pine Creek with a 26-14 win in the semifinals. The loss ended a 37-game winning streak for Pine Creek, which spanned two championships.
Loveland advanced to the 4A title game, where it lost to Windsor.
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Regis Jesuit stuns Monarch to win hockey’s championship
Regis Jesuit won hockey’s championship in the winter. (Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com)
Monarch was the team in Colorado hockey this season, entering with a 21-0 record, and beating teams by a combined score of 20-4 on its way to the championship game.
The Coyotes even took a 1-0 lead 13 seconds into that championship game, against Regis Jesuit in March.
Oh, but. The Raiders stormed back with six unanswered goals to stun Monarch and win the title, 6-1.
AURORA — Field hockey’s semifinals and championship games will move up in the week beginning next season.
The sport’s committee met at the CHSAA office on Friday morning, and decided to move the semifinals to a Tuesday, and the championship to a Thursday. In recent seasons, the semifinals have been on a Wednesday and the championship on a Saturday.
“The hope is that it showcases the sport a little bit more, and increases attendance at those games,” said CHSAA assistant commissioner Bethany Brookens, who administers the sport.
Times are still to be determined, and a host site needs to be finalized — the games will likely remain at All-City Stadium in Denver — but next season’s semifinals will be held Oct. 25, 2016, and the championship will be Oct. 27, 2016.
Additionally, with the move to RPI in all sports beginning next season, the field hockey committee decided that not only will the eight playoff qualifiers be set by the formula, they will also seed their field directly off of the final RPI standings of the regular season.
Field hockey’s committee report will need to be approved by the Legislative Council at its next meeting in January.
DENVER — It turns out there was gold on the end of the rainbow that was the 70-game unbeaten streak for the Colorado Academy field hockey team.
The Mustangs topped Cherry Creek 1-0 Saturday night to win the 2015 state championship. It is the fourth-straight state title for the Mustangs.
“It’s definitely not routine,” Colorado Academy coach Veronica Scott said. “It’s beautiful for the seniors because there’s eight girls here who have not lost a game in four years. It’s their fourth championship. For them, that’s extra special.”
It was a tough night for either offense to get anything going. The best opportunity for either team came with about five minutes left in the first half as Colorado Academy was given a corner opportunity and the ball was played right in front of Cherry Creek keeper Sara McGuire.
She was able to kick it out of immediate danger, and the Bruin defenders were able to clear the ball away from the net, preserving the 0-0 tie.
The Mustangs got another corner opportunity with about 20 seconds left in the half, but Clara Petch’s shot was deflected and time ran out. The teams went into halftime at a scoreless tie and began making adjustments, hoping something would give.
“We tried to change up a few things,” Cherry Creek coach Taylor Silvestro said. “The main thing was keep up the intensity and try to beat C.A. to the ball.”
The Bruins came out in the second half trying to press a little more on the offensive end, but turned the ball over to the Mustangs and then committed a foul inside the circle, leading to another Colorado Academy corner. Emma Richards played the ball in and then received a pass with a great shot at the net.
Bu like she had for most of the night, McGuire turned the ball away and kept the Bruins in the game.
But the Mustangs began to feed off the momentum from that shot. They consistently played in the Cherry Creek zone and put pressure on McGuire and the Cherry Creek defense.
Colorado Academy thought they had a goal on a Petch shot, but the officials deemed it a dangerous ball and the goal was waived off.
But the Bruins wouldn’t be as fortunate only minutes later. Sammy Little played her way behind McGuire and a received a pass leaving her with a wide open net. She buried the shot home, giving the Mustangs a 1-0 lead and inching them closer to championship gold.
“I think it was a very even game and that’s why it took a while for the opportunity to come,” Little said. “Luckily we were in the right place at the right time and it worked out for us.”
And that it did. Being in the right place at the right time once again had the Mustangs lifting championship gold. Colorado Academy had beaten Cherry Creek 2-1 earlier in the season and the Bruins felt they also could have won that game.
At half, with the game scoreless, it seemed that the title of champion was in play for either team, but it was the Mustangs who kicked up the intensity in the last 30 minutes to come away as winners.
“Our nerves started to kick in during the first half,” Little said. “In the second half we were able to relax and get into the swing of things and trust our teammates and trust ourselves.”
DENVER — Palmer Ridge forward Sydney Chytka placed Colorado Academy in an unfamiliar position.
During a now 69-game unbeaten streak, the Mustangs haven’t exactly been used to trailing. But, Chytka, a sophomore, applied pressure early with a goal one minute and 26 seconds into the Bears’ semifinal showdown with CA on Wednesday. Palmer Ridge was rolling.
(Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)
Then, a goal by Clara Petch, the state’s leading scorer, twelve minutes later righted the ship. Two more goals by Emma Richards opened up a lead and before the Bears could fully recover, Colorado Academy earned their way to a fifth consecutive state championship appearance with a 4-2 victory.
Colorado Academy coach Veronica Scott was quick to credit Palmer Ridge though, a team the ‘Stangs have knocked out of the playoffs five times in a row, for challenging them.
“We played a really good team,” Scott said. “They came out and you have to give them absolute respect. I’m really proud of the girls. We came from a position we haven’t experienced that much during the year. They came out hard, hit us with that first goal, and our girls had to dig deep.”
They did just that, even as Palmer Ridge, after trailing 2-1 at the half and 3-1 with 27 minutes remaining, pulled within 3-2 on a Shannon Snediker goal off an assist from Liz Phillips. Nellie Turnage got the insurance goal for the Mustangs with 4:44 left.
With the win, Colorado Academy improves to 16-0-1 on the season. They also beat the Bears 1-0 Sept. 12 and 4-1 on Oct. 12 and, as mentioned, have a long history of success against Palmer Ridge (12-4-1), even while the Bears have been arguably the second best program in the state in recent years.
CA took out Palmer Ridge in the state finals in 2014, the semifinals in 2013, the state finals in 2012, and the semifinals in 2011.
Bottom line, Colorado Academy will be going for their fourth consecutive state championship on Saturday at All-City Stadium, a feat only Kent Denver (2003-2006) has accomplished. The Mustangs did become the first program in history to reach five consecutive finals as only Kent and CA (runner-up every year from 2004-2007) had ever reached four in a row.
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(3) Cherry Creek 1, (2) Regis Jesuit 0
(Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)
In a scoreless game through 37 minutes, and while going against a returning all-state goalie in Claire Stemper, the Bruins knew they needed an offensive sparkplug.
They found one in Ashley Hilyard, a senior midfielder who was able to rifle a shot past Stemper with just under 23 minutes to play. The goal proved the difference in a 1-0 semifinals victory over Regis Jesuit, sealing a 6th state finals appearance for Cherry Creek (11-3-1) and their first since 2013, when they were the runner-up to Colorado Academy.
After splitting the regular season series with the Raiders (8-3-5) as Creek won 1-0 on the road on Sept. 8 but lost at home 2-0 on Oct. 6, the Bruins had plenty of scoring opportunities in the first half, but were never able to garner a lead. That is, until Hilyard came through.
“We had so many opportunities,” the senior said. “I was just glad we could finish one.”
“We knew it was going to be a battle,” Cherry Creek coach Taylor Silvestro added. “We played Regis twice during the season and those were great games. They are a hard working team and they have a lot of strong players. We knew we had to win fifty-fifty balls and we were able to do that.”
And so, Creek is back in the championship game against the dynasty that is Colorado Academy. The Bruins have reached the finals in not only 2013, but also 2007 (won), 2003, 2002 (won), and 2000. Their last crown was, in fact, earned with a 1-0 victory over CA.
“I think if we just go out there and play our game and just really connect passes and play with intensity, we have a great chance of beating them,” Hilyard said confidently.
The state championship game will be played at All-City Stadium on Saturday, October 31 at 7:30 p.m. The Mustangs beat Cherry Creek 2-1 on the road on Oct. 3.
DENVER — Maddie Webster had two goals, both in the second half, to lead top-ranked Colorado Academy to a 3-0 win over No. 8 Smoky Hill in the first round of the field hockey playoffs.
Jill Murphy also scored as the Mustangs, two-time defending champions, extended their unbeaten streak to 68 games.
