Category: History

Niwot overcomes season of injuries to win 4A gymnastics championship

Niwot won the 2015 state gymnastics championship in Class 4A. (Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)

THORNTON — Niwot began the season with plenty of question marks.

On Friday at Thornton High School, site of the Class 4A state gymnastics meet, the Cougars closed the year as state champions.

After finishing third in 2014 with 177.38 points, behind only the champion, Standley Lake (179.05), and Elizabeth (178.35), Niwot was returning some serious firepower, especially in the likes of Marissa Koski, a fourth place finisher in the all-around competition as a sophomore.

But Koski, and several of the other top Cougars, were sidelined early with ailments and injuries.

In the end, Niwot healed in time to put an assault on the 4A field at the state championships. Koski came through with first place finishes in her best event, the uneven bars (9.35), and the balance beam (9.5), and Niwot was able to stockpile points with Lindsey Chohon (first in floor), Ila Katechis (first in vault), Amelia Sears (second in balance beam), Alexis Carroll (third in vault), and a number of others in all four disciplines.

Niwot finished the day with 178.2 points. Elizabeth, the team champions in 2009, 2010, and 2012, was the runner-up with 177.175 and Pueblo Central was third with 166.525.

Katechis, who competed for Niwot as a freshman before focusing on club the past two seasons, rejoined the team as a senior. She said everyone played a role in winning Friday.

Niwot’s Ila Katechis. (Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)

“We didn’t have Marissa in the beginning,” Katechis said. “She scores big for us. We needed her bar score, for sure, so having her back was awesome. A couple of the girls who had minor injuries are also back. We wouldn’t be here without them.”

Despite this season’s question marks, Niwot knew it had a chance at a memorable state meet if health cooperated.

Marisa Purcell, in her initial season at the school after helping to lead Standley Lake to their first-ever state title in gymnastics in 2014, became the co-head coach with Mallorie Lang, who is in her seventh season at Niwot. Purcell said the team’s coaches were cautious with the ladies’ injuries and made sure not to rush them back too quickly. It paid off with Niwot’s fifth state championship in the sport (tied for 5th most all-time with Overland) and first since winning back-to-back 4A crowns in 2000 and 2001.

“For our co-head coach, Mallorie Lang, it feels so good to be able to get a state title for her and take it back to the school,” Purcell, whose daughter was already on Niwot in 2014, said after winning her second overall title.

Purcell’s former school, Standley Lake, finished fourth with 163.65 points.

On top of that, one of her former athletes, Rachel Cody, only a sophomore, was crowned as the all-around individual champion.

Cody, who earned third place in 2014 behind ultra-talented seniors Alyssa Carroll of Thompson Valley and teammate Jordan Ireland, was second in the uneven bars, third in the balance beam, fifth in the vault, and sixth in the floor on Friday. Her final point tally was 36.625, good enough to edge out the Elizabeth tandem of Lexye Wood (36.175) and Amanda Taylor (35.7), for her first all-around title.

The sophomore said her warm up didn’t go so well, but starting with the floor got her into rhythm and everything fell into place after that.

“It means a lot,” Cody said of being the 4A all-around queen. “It’s weird, because I’m just a sophomore. It’s really an honor.”

Asked if she paid much attention to her competitors, Cody admitted she had her eye on two other teams.

“I pretty much watched Niwot and Elizabeth over and over again,” she said. “I’m really close with Niwot’s team, because that was our old coach. I just focused on my performance today, but I definitely watched them a lot, too.”

As for what a state championship means to not only Cody, but also for her school, the sophomore was ecstatic in her response.

“Our school isn’t really too big on gymnastics but after last year, winning state, they definitely knew we were there,” she said. “It’s really cool for Standley Lake.”

The 4A and 5A state meet will continue on Saturday at Thornton at 4 p.m. Those who finished in the top 15 of any of the four events on day one will compete for the vault, beam, bars, and floor state championships on day two.

November 6, 2015
Colorado Academy field hockey wins fourth consecutive state title

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

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.”

November 1, 2015
Air Academy’s Katie Rainsberger highlights girls cross country state championship races

(Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)

COLORADO SPRINGS — In a tradition-rich state for distance running, becoming a legend takes plenty of state titles and, just as important to a legacy of that magnitude, plenty of dominance.

The all-time great girls, the Melody Fairchild’s, the Megan Kaltenbach’s, the Rebekah McDowell’s, the Elise Cranny’s, they’ve all had one thing in common. Not only have they won and won a lot, but they’ve had an aura of invincibility about them. When the greats toe the starting line, they command respect.

Well, Katie Rainsberger, a senior dynamo on any type of cross country course and in a number of disciplines on the track, has that aura to her.

Sure, winning back-to-back individual Class 4A state championships, which she did Saturday at the Norris Penrose Event Center in Colorado Springs, helps. Claiming the distance triple crown—state titles in the 800 meters, the 1,600, and the 3,200, not to mention anchoring the winning 3,200 relay for Air Academy last spring—also helps.

(Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)

Still, despite accomplishing just about everything there is to be accomplished state-wide, Rainsberger was missing one award for her trophy case. That is, until Saturday morning when the future Oregon Duck, with the help of four teammates in Paige Embaugh (freshman, 5th), Maria Mettler (junior, 10th), MacKenzie Moss (freshman, 14th), and Kayla Wiitala (senior, 30th), won their first girls cross country state championship in school history.

“I am so excited. It’s my senior year and that’s all I could have asked for,” Rainsberger said of the team title. “I don’t even have words right now.”

For all the senior has achieved in her high school career—she is one of the very best in Colorado history—she said winning with her teammates was something extra special.

“I think that is the highlight of my high school career. Individual titles are great, but when you are working with a team and for a team, it means all the more.”

Individually, she ran 17:38, the top time of the day by 35 seconds over 4A runner-up Kayla Young of Denver North (18:13) and, as one of the favorites to win the Nike national championship coming up, has plenty of individual pursuits ahead in high school and beyond. But for Rainsberger, nothing was sweeter than a team title.

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Class 5A:

(Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)

Another all-time great, Lauren Gregory of Fort Collins, entered Saturday with two state championships under her belt. And she’s only a junior. With that, she did feel an added amount of pressure to keep her run as the 5A queen alive.

“There was a lot more hype this year and the self-imposed pressure of not losing the streak,” Gregory said. “Our coach says, ‘clear mind, clear mind,’ and I had to remember that.”

The Lambkin, another of the country’s finest runners, was going against a crazy talented 5A field that included Grandview’s Brie Oakley, Legend’s Catherine Liggett and Mountain Vista’s Allie Chipman. After winning by huge margins each of the previous two state meets, Gregory gapped the others by a few seconds and then held on for the win over Oakley, 18:15 to 18:17.

“That was the hardest I’ve had to work,” she said. “This was such a harder race, because everyone was on their A-game.”

Gregory will have a chance at becoming one of the only four-time cross country champions in state history next year.

As for the team race, the Broomfield Eagles claimed their first-ever girls state title with 112 points, a narrow eight point margin of victory over Cherry Creek. Fairview was third with 124.

Emily Mitchem (8th place), Ivy Gonzales (18th), Katelyn Mitchem (19th), McKenzie Gaines (23rd), and Alena Valdez (44th) was the scoring five for the Eagles, a program with plenty of distance running success over the years, but now a team title on top of it.

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Class 3A:

(Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)

This race ended with some fascinating finishes, both individually and team-wise.

Peak to Peak had two freshmen, Quinn McConnell and Anna Shults, place first and second. On a side note, McConnell, already a high school state champion, also won the middle school state meet last year. Her time Saturday was 18:41, nine seconds clear of Shults.

Obviously with the top-two finishers in the race, the Pumas seemed bound to fare well in the team standings. They ended up with 56 points and were second.

Salida, after a uniform incident a season ago, non-identical singlets, led to the Spartans only being allowed five competitors instead of the usual seven, Salida had a measure of redemption Saturday as they won the team crown with 50 points. It was their second state title in the past three years after finishing as runner-up to Alamosa by a mere four points in 2014.

Sydney Fesenmeyer (6th place), Taryn Ceglowski (7th), Phoebe Powell (8th), Cecilia Kastner (10th), and Bari Beasley (19th) led the way for the Spartans.

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Class 2A:

(Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)

Much like the 3A race, except this time it was twin sisters, the same team had the individual state champion and runner-up.

Heritage Christian seniors Rachel (19:55) and Rebekah Rairdon (20:05) fended off Telluride’s Soleil Gaylord (20:09) in a tight top-three battle.

In a bit of a surprise though, Telluride, with Maya Ordonez coming in sixth and Larkin Brodie coming in seventh, tallied 16 points, good enough for a three point margin of victory over Heritage Christian. Carrying on with the theme of the day, the Miners also won their first-ever state championship in girls cross country.

And, Telluride will return all three scorers from their winning effort as Gaylord is only a sophomore, Ordonez a freshman, and Brodie a junior.

October 31, 2015
Paul Roberts wins fourth individual title, Lyons captures team boys cross country championship

(Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)

COLORADO SPRINGS — Paul Roberts, though it may seem that way when considering all he’s accomplished, isn’t superhuman.

But, when it comes to the Class 2A state cross country meet the past four seasons, Roberts is perfect. He’s a perfect 4-for-4 in winning state individually and, on top of that, he’s 4-for-4 in helping Lyons to team crowns.

In that measure, the senior might not be superhuman, but his results are spectacular. So spectacular that, throughout Colorado history, no male runner before him had ever won four individual state championships in cross country. Not Adam Goucher, who won the Foot Locker National High School Cross Country Championship in 1993 before a storied collegiate and pro career. Not Bret Schoolmeester. Not Kevin Williams. Not Evan Appel.

Also, although 2A is the smallest classification in cross country, consider the fact that Roberts did have either the first or second fastest time for any classification at the state meet during each of his four seasons.

On Saturday at the Norris Penrose Event Center, the senior ran a time of 15:33, a 17-second betterment of the 3A champion (Ben Butler of Skyview Academy) and the 4A champion (Tanner Norman of The Classical Academy), who both ran 15:50. The 5A champion, Isaac Green of Monarch, finished in 16:03. At least this season, the best 2A runner was the best runner, period.

For Roberts, four individual crowns seemed in the realm of possibility pretty much from the time he first donned the Lyons singlet, but four team championships just adds to his legacy.

“Honestly I’ve had that goal for awhile,” he said of being a four-time solo champ. “The team thing is even more important to me. It’s been tough every year. I’m a little more excited for the team. The individual is just a cherry on top.”

Roberts has always led the way, but it’s not like he hasn’t had help. After all, cross country is, first and foremost, a team sport. Joel Such, another senior and a teammate of Roberts since sixth grade track, was the runner-up Saturday in 16:33. He was eighth at the state meet as a freshman, third as a sophomore, 21st as a junior, despite battling injuries, and now the runner-up.

“We’ve been together for a really long time,” Roberts said. “He’s a great guy to train with, a great guy to race with, and I wouldn’t want to race for anybody else.”

The final scorer for Lyons on Saturday was Landon Milbrath, a sophomore who came through with a 14th place showing.

Even though only three runners score in Class 2A, compared to five in the bigger divisions, Paul’s dad Mark, the Lyons coach, was equally proud of their fourth finisher, senior Cameron Cross (22nd).

“He was the glue for our next group after Paul and Joel,” the elder Roberts said. “He didn’t score for us, but he was the unsung hero of this group.”

For Lyons, the school had never won state in boys cross country before Roberts and Such showed up. Now, led by Paul, a recent Colorado State-Pueblo commit, they are a dynasty.

“We hope we can continue to build off the culture that has been established by this group,” Mark Roberts said.

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Class 5A:

(Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)

As Lyons has owned 2A for years, in 5A, the elite team has been Mountain Vista. The Golden Eagles spread their wings again Saturday in winning their fourth consecutive state championship. In doing so, they became the first-ever program to win four 5A boys cross country crowns in a row.

In 2014 they became the first to win three in a row, as well, so this season cemented their place in history to an even further extent.

“I have to give credit to the people before us,” senior Paxton Smith, a member of all four titles teams, said. “They really developed the dynasty. It’s something special.”

In Smith’s estimation, this was the best Vista team ever. With an absolutely dominant 50-point total, well ahead of Fort Collins (110), he seems to be right. Smith (fifth place), Alex Fu (eighth), and Ryan Currie (26th) proved to be a special senior class. Throw in junior Joshua Romine (sixth) and sophomores Parker Mackay (11th) and Shayan Zarrin (22nd) and the Golden Eagles proved far too much for anyone to handle in 5A, once again.

The individual race provided more drama as Monarch junior Isaac Green outkicked and outlasted Broomfield senior Jake Mitchem by the slimmest of margins, 16:03 to 16:04. Steven Goldy of Arapahoe was third in 16:07.

For Green, a cross country state title backed the idea that he has become 5A’s best after also winning the 1,600 meters in track last spring as a sophomore. His speed paid off again.

Class 4A:

(Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)

In the second largest classification, a number of individual contenders seemed to have a real chance at winning it all.

Golden’s Alec Hornecker, Montrose’s Ian Meek, Widefield’s Maximilliano Martinez, Thompson Valley’s Jarrett Thollot, and The Classical Academy’s Tanner Norman all toed the line with title hopes.

After a torrid early pace set by Meek, who had at least a couple of seconds on the field through the mile, the large chase pack eventually caught the junior. Then, Norman emerged as the champion with a 15:50, just two seconds in front of Hornecker. Martinez (3rd), Meek (4th), and Thollot (6th) all capped off strong seasons with high finishes.

The team competition, as expected, came down to Durango and Palmer Ridge as they established themselves as the powers this year from the get-go.

The Demons, third place in 2014 and with seven seniors comprising the varsity, beat the defending champion Bears 73-75. It was the team’s seventh state title in boys cross country, but first since 1999. They are now tied with Pueblo Centennial for the third most championships by any school and only trail Fort Collins (8) and Lake County (19).

Benjamin Lachelt (5th), David Moenning (10th), Nicholas Turco (14th), William Chandler (19th), and Jordan Helms (25th) led the way.
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Class 3A:

(Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)

Ben Butler, a senior at Skyview Academy and another highly rated runner nationally, won back-to-back state titles in commanding fashion with a time of 15:50. He also finished fourth as a sophomore and was the 3,200 meter state champion last spring.

Salida senior Taylor Stack (16:16) was the 3A runner-up for the third time in a row. He was seventh as a freshman. No surprises from those two.

As for team standings, Alamosa, for the second straight year, handled runner-up Frontier Academy and everyone else for a seemingly easy state crown. After returning five of their top seven runners from 2014, the Maroons tallied 55 points and ran away from Frontier (118).

Isaiah DeLaCerda (3rd), Caleb Palmer (6th), Miguel Mateo Baltazar (10th), Caleb Berlinger (14th), and Oscar Martinez (22nd) were the five scorers this year. Perhaps a budding dynasty, Alamosa will return their entire varsity in 2016.

October 31, 2015
Abby Zuschlag’s sixth inning home run lifts Valor Christian to back-to-back softball titles

Valor Christian won the 4A softball championship. More photos. (Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com)

AURORA — The message was clear. If Wheat Ridge was going to take the Class 4A state softball championship from Valor Christian, they were going to have to pry it out of the Eagles’ hands.

The Farmers came up short on offense and a sixth inning home run by Abby Zuschlag gave Valor a 2-1 win, and they second-straight softball championship.

“When the bracket came out, we knew we would have to go through Frederick, Erie and Wheat Ridge and sure enough, we did,” Eagles coach Dave Atencio said. “Thank the lord we got through all three of them. They were the best three teams we played all year. Our hitting came through once again.”

It was almost eerie in the way the Eagles won in the semis and then similarly brought home the state championship. Locked in a 0-0 tie late against the Erie Tigers, Lauren Foster launched a home run — Valor’s only hit of the game — to give them a 1-0 lead.

In the finals, the Farmers and Eagles were locked in a stalemate until Zuschlag got ahold of a pitch, sending it over the left field fence.

“It was such an incredible feeling,” Zuschlag said. “I was planning on bunting because I thought Vannah (Behabetz) was going to get on, and doing what I needed to for the team. The minute that hit my bat, it was an unbelievable feeling.”

But the feeling of holding the state championship trophy in her hand was better.

The Eagles had to battle through Erie and Frederick last year to come away as champions. Coming into this season, the Eagles thought that some observers were down on them and questioned their ability to successfully repeat.

More photos. (Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com)

“We were able to prove ourselves,” Zuschlag said. “We worked so hard all season and we were able to just come to this tournament and prove that we could do it again. We’re the same team and we’re just as good, if not better.

Alexandria Kilponen came up big for Valor on the mound. She allowed a home run to Anna Marie Torres, the first batter she saw, but then settled down.

She struck out seven Farmer hitters and only allowed one base runner to reach third base. That came in the third inning when the Farmers had their best chance to put runs on the board, loading the bases with only one out.

“(Kilponen) did a good job pitching against us,” Farmers coach Marty Stricklett said. “We just have to come out with base hits after loading the bases with one out. To (come away empty) … that’s going to haunt me for a year.”

As tight as the semifinal and championship games were for the Eagles, they knew that Kilponen didn’t need that much run support for them to get their hands on the hardware.

Only a sophomore, she gives the Eagles a great look to take more championships in the years to come.

“With a pitcher like Kilponen, we know if we get one or two runs, we’re tough to beat,” Atencio said. “She’s only a sophomore, but she comes through in the clutch. Once we got that lead, it was ours.”

Desperately needing a runner to reach for Torres to get one more at-bat, Julia Shippley hit a dribbler down the first base line. Skylar Vaughn initially mishandled the ball but recovered and hustled to the bag to end the game and etch the legacy of the 2015 Valor Christian Eagles in stone.

October 25, 2015
Strasburg caps perfect season with 3A softball championship

Strasburg won the Class 3A softball championship. More photos. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

AURORA – After a year away, Strasburg’s softball team is once again the queen of Class 3A.

The Indians won their third Class 3A state championship in four years, the latest coming Sunday when they beat Eaton 7-5 in the title game at Aurora Sports Park.

“This is just great icing on the cake,” Strasburg coach Michelle Woodard said. “These seniors and this team has been working so hard and they just wanted to come back and win one more. Plus, the best part about this team if someone else is not hitting someone else steps up and that’s what happened.”

The Indians completed their memorable season with a perfect 23-0 record. Strasburg, which has all three of its school’s state softball titles in the last four years, was in the finals a year ago, losing to La Junta 3-2. Actually in the last four years, the Indians have only lost four games.

“This feels so much more amazing that I thought it would,” said Strasburg senior Annie Oakley, who had a two-run single in the sixth which put the Indians up 7-3. “I’ve been here before, but it is just not the same. I’m going to miss this so much, but this is the best feeling I’ve ever felt.”

Eaton (17-8) had its dream season end in the finals when it lost to Strasburg for the third time this year. The Reds improbable run, which included an 8-4 win over La Junta in the quarterfinals, were making their inaugural appearance in the state softball championship game. The Reds previous best run was in 1998 and 1999 when they lost in the semifinals.

More photos. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)

“This is a good start for us,” said Eaton coach Dale Hughes, who just finished his 12th season guiding the Reds. “We’re still pretty young and now we believe in ourselves. For years, we’ve had some good teams and it’s just hard for us to get out of that Patriot League, we go up against Strasburg, Sterling, Valley and Brush.”

In the top of the first, Eaton’s Brittany Knutson had a lead-off infield single and scored on Taylor Renaud’s sacrifice fly.

Strasburg countered in the bottom of the first to take a 2-1 lead, thanks to Dakota Stotyn’s two-run, two-out single.

Eaton tied the game in the top of the third at 2-2 on Karissa Hatchell’s RBI single.

With the bases loaded, Eaton’s Casse Strole walked to put the Reds up 3-2. Strasburg pitcher Alexis Rayburn stopped the rally with back-to-back outs, the last one a strikeout of Sieara Price.

The Indians tied the game at 3-3 in the bottom of the third when an errant throw was made on a grounder hit by Oakley. Moments later Stotyn struck again, this time with a two-run home over the 205-foot fence in left center field off starting Eaton pitcher Rachel Graham to put the Indians up 5-3.

“I was more relaxed more than anything,” said Stotyn, a sophomore, about her mindset at the plate. “I trusted that everybody would back me up even if I didn’t do well.”

Eaton brought in relief pitcher Lauren Frink to get out of the inning.

“I went with my junior pitcher Rachel (Graham) after she pitched that enormous extra inning game against Sterling (a 6-5 Eaton in eight innings in the semifinals), and she came off a hard game (Saturday),” Hughes said. “I knew she was getting a little tired and probably in hindsight I should have pulled her a half inning sooner. She’s a bulldog and she wants the ball and she gave us all she had.”

Strasburg was in business again in the sixth when Jacee Dinius singled and then she went to third when an error was made on a bunt by Jordan Roesch. Both scored on a single to left by Oakley stretching the Indians’ lead to 7-3.

Alexis Rayburn pitched five innings and Stotyn was in the circle in the third and seventh frame. Stotyn ran into some trouble in the seventh, giving up two runs before closing the door and setting off the celebration.

“I’m really proud of everybody that we were able to win state again,” Stotyn said.

October 25, 2015
Mountain Range wins school’s first-ever softball title in claiming 5A

Mountain Range won the Class 5A softball championship. More photos. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

AURORA — Mountain Range had never been to the Class 5A softball state tournament. In fact, they didn’t even start a program until 2009.

On Sunday afternoon at the Aurora Sports Park, the Mustangs made history by winning their first-ever softball state championship after defeating Pomona 12-2 in six innings.

It was the school’s second state championship in any sport. They also won 4A gymnastics in 2007.

For Mountain Range, 2015 was a culmination of a seven-year process for Dane Craig, who is the lone coach in program history.

“It puts us on the map for softball and puts us on the map for sports, in general,” Craig said. “It’s been nine years and we hadn’t had any state berths at all, but we came into this year and we ran the table. It was absolutely fantastic. History was made today for Mountain Range High School.”

So, how did they get here?

After going down 1-0 in the fourth inning on a steal of home plate and then 2-0 in the fifth after a two-out RBI single by Jessica Espinoza, the floodgates opened for the ‘Stangs.

First, there was an error. Then, an RBI bunt by Trinity Gallegos. Then, Gallegos scored on an error. After that—five more errors and five more runs, seven of each, plus three hits — gave Mountain Range a 7-2 lead on Pomona after one of the more chaotic fifth innings you’ll ever see. Once the Mustangs grabbed the lead, they poured it on with five more runs in the sixth, earning the 10-run rule and a state title.

“We had to change something up,” Craig said. “We were down two runs and our bats weren’t getting it done. We decided to go small ball and see if they could defend well and before you knew it we had four or five runs and we are winning the whole thing.”

More photos. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)

It seemed an appropriate wild finish to a crazy day of 5A softball that started with a 13-11 Pomona win over Fossil Ridge in eight innings and ended with 12 runs in two innings by Mountain Range in the finals.

Despite the pandemonium, through it all the Mustangs knew they could rely on their ace on the mound, junior Hunter Huser, who held Chaparral to two runs during a 4-2 semifinals victory, and Pomona to two runs.

“I told everybody at the beginning of the year that she was the best pitcher in the state,” Craig said. “The last two weeks, she proved it on the biggest platform. She stepped up huge, had great defense behind her, and was never fazed one time.”

Huser was quick to credit her teammates, as well.

“We always have each other’s back,” she said. “No one is ever worried. We can always pick each other up.”

In the end, for a team with a mixture of experience and youth, boasting six seniors and even three freshmen, the Mustangs proved to have the perfect recipe in 2015. They finished with a 23-2 record and a No. 18 national ranking by MaxPreps.

Pomona, a No. 14 seed in the 5A tournament, completed a 19-7 campaign. Certainly their season came to an end in heartbreaking fashion, but the Panthers were a bit of a Cinderella story after tying for third in the Jefferson County Conference and earning the No. 15 seed for Regionals last weekend.

They actually lost to Chaparral 13-12, but took out Grand Junction Central 15-13 to seal a bid to the state tournament.

The Panthers, who have never won state in softball, lost their fourth title game. They were also the runner-up in 2005 in 5A, 1993 in 6A, and 1987 when there were no classifications.

October 25, 2015
Kent Denver takes team, No. 1 singles 4A boys tennis championships

Kent Denver won the 4A boys tennis team championship. (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

PUEBLO — At the end of the day, the No. 1 singles battle between Kent Denver’s Casey Ross and Discovery Canyon freshman Nick Lorenz meant nothing for the team title. Ross was able to just go out and play himself.

And that he did.

He came away with a 6-3, 6-1 win to take the No. 1 singles championship, just as his teammates helped the Sun Devils come away with their third-straight Class 4A state tennis title.

“It was a really tough match from the start,” Ross said. “Towards the end, once I took control, I was able to use my forehand a little bit better and I was able to step into the court more and take advantage of that.”

At the start of the match, it seemed to shape up as a contest that could find its way to three sets. Neither player could break the other’s serve from the start and they both delivered their share of crowd-pleasing shots.

Holding a 3-2 lead in the first set, Ross was finally able to break Lorenz’s serve to take a 4-2 lead and grasp momentum. Lorenz was able to take one more game, but he couldn’t battle back to take the first set.

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

With the lead, Ross wanted to capitalize early and hold off any chance for Lorenz to make a comeback.

“I just want to get off the court as fast as possible once I get that lead,” Ross said. “Whatever I have to do, just keeping it solid and always going for my shots; keeping it simple.”

The loss for Lorenz ends an impressive run for his first year at the state tournament. His initial goal was to reach the finals and he knows that he can play at the level he needs to win that final match.

“I’m definitely proud of myself for making it to the finals,” Lorenz said. “I could’ve played better in the finals. I think I could’ve won that match.”

With three more chances to return, Lorenz says that he will return and take that top spot on the podium.

While Ross was working to lock up that No. 1 singles title, his dad and coach, Randy Ross, was busy running around the various courts and coaching the other teams he had playing. Kent Denver and Colorado Academy were squaring off in every final match with the exception of No. 1 singles and the Sun Devils only needed one win to take the team title.

Kevin Adams and Jack Moldenhauer were the first Kent Denver players to report their win. That championship in No. 1 doubles gave the Sun Devils the 4A team title.

“It’s hard to cover all these positions,” Randy Ross said afterwards. “I’ve got Casey that I have an emotional attachment to and I also have an emotional attachment to all the seniors that have been on this team for four years.”

When the elder Ross thinks about all the state championship teams he’s presided over, this one will hold a special place in his heart because three of the Sun Devils champions — including Casey — went undefeated through the entire season.

After the championship ceremony, Randy gathered his team for what has become a tradition following a state title win. Each player was given a snip at Randy’s mustache until it was shaven off and the kids were all given buzzcuts in honor of once again finishing their season as the best in the state.

October 17, 2015
Point deduction fuels Boulder’s Kap Smith in run to 5A No. 1 singles boys tennis title

Boulder’s Kap Smith on the No. 1 singles title. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

DENVER — Things weren’t looking good for Kap Smith.

After losing the first set 7-5, the Boulder High School sophomore trailed Cherry Creek’s Ryan James 4-0 in the second set of their Class 5A state championship No. 1 singles match Saturday morning.

It was then that a frustrated Smith, in returning balls to James for service, lobbed them a little too high. The chair umpire docked Smith a point for ball abuse.

“That really got me pumped up,” he said.

In addition to providing motivation, the incident helped Smith change his focus against James as he came back to win the next six games and take the set, then held off James’ furious third-set rally to win the match 5-7, 6-4, 6-4.

Smith had a few unforced errors, but not many, through the first set and a half. Through the remainder of the match, he had hardly any.

“(James) hits more winners (than I do) but he makes more mistakes,” Smith said.

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

So he changed his tactics to force James into hitting errors, including on match point.

When does the quest begin for Smith’s second state title?

“Tomorrow,” he said.

He thought about it again and decided, “Probably Monday.”

Smith was not the only Boulder singles player to win a state title. Teammate Jackson Hawk, a senior, took the crown at No. 2 singles, defeating Charlie Franks of Denver East 6-1, 6-2.

Cherry Creek’s Mitch Johnson earned the No. 3 singles titles as a sophomore, downing another Boulder player, Cutter Esson, 6-4, 7-6.

Cherry Creek also won the No. 3 doubles title, Ben Murray and Spencer Buted taking a hard-fought 7-6, 7-6 victory over Evan Nuss and Kosta Garger of Regis Jesuit.

Regis did win state titles at No. 1 and No. 2 doubles, Steven Bummer and Erich Nuss earning the former and Patrick Seby and Luca Abbott the latter.

The No. 4 doubles title went to David Glazer and Will Burton of Denver East.

With wins at No. 3 singles and doubles, Cherry Creek, which wrapped up the team title on Friday, won the tournament with 75 points, outdistancing second-place Fairview by 28 points. Denver East was third with 46.

The title is Cherry Creek’s fifth-straight, and 20th in 22 seasons.

Cherry Creek won a fifth-consecutive state championship. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

October 17, 2015
Peak to Peak wins 3A boys golf team and individual titles

More photos. (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

EAGLE — Sam Taylor entered Tuesday final round of the Class 3A boys state golf tournament tied for the individual lead, while his Peak to Peak Pumas held a 10-stroke lead in the hunt for the team championship.

He erased any threat of not winning either category by opening his final round with a 5-under 31 on the front nine, leading to a 3-under 69 on the day to win the individual state championship while helping the Pumas capture the team title. Taylor shot 141 for the entire tournament.

The Pumas shot a total of 453 for the team title, nine strokes ahead of runner-up Kent Denver. (Find full results here.)

“I was struggling with my tee shots on the range so I told myself get it in the fairway and I’d have some chances,” Taylor said. “I was hitting some wedges off some slopes and they were getting close and making birdie putts.”

Entering the round, Taylor was tied with teammate Nishant Datta going into Tuesday’s round. After seeing where they landed in the scoreboard after Monday, Taylor said he would obviously be cheering for Datta but that the guy who played the best deserves to win.

It was Taylor who followed up with that statement.

He started his round with birdies on four of his first five holes, capping that run off with a difficult downhill putt on the par 3 fifth hole putting him on top of the leaderboard by three strokes.

“Last year I had an experience where I was nine back with nine to play,” Taylor said. “So I told myself in this tournament I wouldn’t look at the leaderboard at all.”

By the time he made the turn, he was seven strokes ahead of Basalt’s Linc Kleager who was in second place.

Although Datta had fallen back into the pack, the overall team score wasn’t affected too much and by the Pumas had all but wrapped up the win by the time he and Taylor made the turn.

An individual title would was certainly the hope for Datta but he was thrilled that he didn’t come away empty handed.

“It feels great, especially after a round like (Tuesday), to have positives to look back on,” Datta said. “(It helps) knowing that my round yesterday contributed a lot and helped give us that cushion that we had today to just play our games rather than just stress out about it.”

Taylor did show to be somewhat human as he bogeyed 14 and 15, but quickly bounced back with consecutive pars to wrap up the title.

He made the casual stroll to the 18th tee box holding on to a seven-stroke lead, but that didn’t change mindset.

“It’s just a hole at a time,” Taylor said. “That up-and-down on 17 from the hazard was a decisive moment. It was just a couple of bad shots, but I knew my game was still great.”

Taylor, only a junior, will have a chance to defend his championship in 2016. But for now he’s going to enjoy the feeling of bringing the first boys golf title to Peak to Peak.

“Coming in our goal was to play at our season stroke averages,” Pumas coach John Thornbury said. “Sam just really hit the accelerator on the from nine and blew the rest of the field away.”

More photos. (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

October 7, 2015