AURORA — Warren Mitchell, a coaching icon in Limon for 56 years, passed away Friday at his home in Aurora last season. He was 88.
Mitchell coached for nearly 60 years at two high schools and was the architect of one of the state’s top track & field programs. His Limon track athletes won 73 individual or relay state champions and set 15 individual state records.
He also coached boys’ basketball for 25 years at Eads and Limon, compiling a 399-162 mark that include four state titles, all with Limon.
In addition, he coached the legendary Limon football program for nine seasons, going 64-35 and winning the 1979 state championship.
Prior to coming to Limon, Mitchell also taught and coached at Eads High School for two and a half years, making his tenure as a high school coach a remarkable 59 1/2 years. Over that time, he coached 17 state championship squads in three different sports.
He was inducted into the Colorado High School Activities Association Hall of Fame in 2001, followed by the National High School Hall of Fame in 2008 and will be inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame in April 2015.
Love Funeral Home will be handling the services which will be in Limon.
COMMERCE CITY — Two teams with exceptional defenses — No. 3 seed Boulder Panthers and No. 12 seed Broomfield Eagles — squared off Saturday at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park to decide the Class 5A boys state soccer championship.
The two teams’ defenses were so strong, in fact, it took a penalty kick to finally put points on the scoreboard.
Broomfield junior midfielder Porter Milner’s penalty kick goal broke a 0-0 tie 15 minutes into the second half as the Broomfield Eagles defeated the Boulder Panthers 2-0 to win their the 5A championship in their first season at the level.
Milner’s deciding goal slithered just in the left side of the net.
“I’ve taken a lot of those this year,” said Milner. “I knew where I was going the whole time.”
The penalty kick was set up by sophomore forward Armando Ocampo’s deep run into the teeth of Boulder’s defense.
“Armando has had a fantastic season. Handling this as a sophomore is really incredible. I think he’s struggled a bit in front of goal early in the season, and he just stayed with it,” said Broomfield head coach James Davidson after the game. “For a sophomore to handle himself in that situation is pretty fantastic.”
The first half was a back-and-forth affair, with both teams at times dominating the ball — Boulder early in the half, Broomfield late. But while both teams threatened, neither could find the back of the net.
Boulder goalkeeper Leo Huettel was aggressive attacking the ball early in the night. Broomfield was able to set up a number of promising crosses, only for them to be punched out by Huettel or stifled by the Panthers defense.
The Panthers also had a number of opportunities late in the half. Junior midfielder Brian Castruita’s fancy footwork set up a golden opportunity for the Panthers, only for his shot, hampered as it was by Eagles defenders, to sail high.
Following Milner’s score, the Eagles would add another on an own-goal just a few minutes later to make it 2-0 in their favor. From there the game grew increasingly physical, as the Panthers threw everything they had at the Eagles. Through it all, the Eagles defense, and goalie Michael Genge, held strong.
“They were absolutely amazing,” said Genge of his defense in front of him. “All four of them. As a team, we just had such a defensive game again today.”
The Eagles finished the state tournament having allowed just one goal in five matches.
“They were stoic. They had to be great. It started with Michael (Genge). He had the game of his life in the state championship, not a bad thing to do,” said Davidson. “The back four were super organized. Our shape was great, and that’s not easy to do on a big field, especially with the way Boulder plays to it’s flanks. Our kids did a great job of tucking in and giving depth when we needed it, and obviously dealt with all the airplay really well.”
For Davidson, the win is his fifth championship in nine trips, but his first at the 5A level.
“I was worried about that, I wanted to be on the right side of .500,” joked Davidson. “I’m not sure it’s fair to the other teams to compare championships but this is without a doubt right up there. First year in 5A, we’re the little school, but apparently we’re the little school that could.”
Resurrection Christian players pose with the 2A volleyball championship trophy. (Ryan Casey/CHSANow.com)
DENVER — Two seasons ago to the day, the Resurrection Christian volleyball team was ousted from the Class 2A state tournament by eventual champion Lutheran.
“They stayed and watched the championship,” Resurrection coach Caleb Howard said. “They came up to me and said, ‘Coach, that’s going to be us’ (winning the state trophy).”
His players proved prophetic as the Cougars took home their second straight state title Saturday, defeating Yuma 25-15, 25-20, 25-16 in the championship match.
Both teams reached the championship match by winning their semifinals 3-0.
Yuma defeated Akron 25-20, 25-11, 25-21. It marked the third straight-set victory by the Indians over the Rams this season.
Resurrection Christian topped Caliche 25-16, 25-20, 25-16 in their semifinal.
Yuma (27-2) hadn’t been in a state title match since it won the championship in 1990, when its coach, Jenn Noble, was one of its players.
Yuma was the top seed, something that Howard said may have worked in his team’s favor.
“I think what helped is coming in as the second seed,” he said of helping his players to not enter the tournament complacent after winning it last year.
Resurrection Christian players celebrate winning the 2A title. (Ryan Casey/CHSANow.com)
Except for brief points in the early portion of the second and third games, the Cougars never trailed.
Senior outside hitter Preston Lienemann said the team knew the Indians had a couple of big hitters.
“We were going to have to play really good defense,’ Lienemann said. “We couldn’t make many errors.”
Abby Skipworth, a junior outside hitter, said the team spent the season knowing everyone in 2A was gunning for them.
“It was never really easy,” Skipworth said.
Still, the Cougars made it look so, finishing the season undefeated and extending the team’s winning streak to 58 matches.
Passing was a key factor in the victory.
Skipworth said the team attended a summer camp in which one of the clinicians stressed the importance of sharp passing.
The team then adopted a Ken doll which they named Billy and brought it to each game. After accepting the championship trophy on Saturday, they took turns ‘dancing with Billy.’
“I attribute so much of it to their mental toughness,” Howard said of his team’s ability to win a second state crown.
Six seniors were the backbone of the squad.
“We just have great team chemistry,” Lienemann said.
“We have a bond that keeps us in the game,” said Maddy Janzen, a junior middle hitter.
Every time Yuma seemed poised to make a run, the Cougars had an answer. That answer came from six different players, making it tough to key on any of Resurrection’s big hitters.
Skipworth said it felt just as good the second time around.
“Yeah, it was sweeter,” she said of the repeat.
As for the future, Howard loses a solid core but has some big hitters returning, led by Skipworth and Janzen. His sub-varsity also looks promising.
“I’ve got a lot of hungry freshmen and sophomores coming up,” he said.
He’s got eight returning varsity players with state title experience.
And he’ll probably still have Billy to dance with.
Eaton players celebrate winning the 3A volleyball championship. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
DENVER – Bringing home a state championship as a freshman and a junior was sweet, but Kortney Lockey is going to cherish her final title just a little bit more.
The Eaton senior helped deliver the Reds a third Class 3A trophy in four years, and in doing so the Reds became the first 3A squad to go back-to-back since Colorado Springs Christian in 2008-09. Lockey had 10 kills, including the one on match point to seal a 25-22, 25-13, 26-24 sweep of Valley on Saturday night at the Denver Coliseum.
“Winning as a freshman and a junior is absolutely amazing,” Lockey said. “But to be a senior and just end your career with a state championship is the best feeling ever.”
Eaton (28-1) closed out the 2014 state tournament without dropping a single set. The Reds swept both pool play matches before holding off CSCS 25-23, 26-24, 25-16 in the semifinals.
“It means a lot to me because throughout my whole high school career I’ve never been to state without giving up at least one set,” Lockey said. “This year was my first clean sweep ever at state.
“We talked about finishing in three because anything can happen at state.”
Valley (25-4), which knocked out Manitou Springs in Saturday’s semifinals, has historically played Eaton as well as any team in the state. The Vikings dropped both regular-season meetings with the Reds, but took Eaton to five sets in the first matchup and took a set on Oct. 21 – the last team to do so to Eaton this season.
“It’s a state championship every time we play each other,” Reds coach Gwen Forster said. “We play each other the same way, so we knew it was important that we had to be able to go 0-0 and start fresh with them.”
Sophomore Tarynn Sieg led the charge Saturday, finishing the title match with a team-high 13 kills and eight blocks. Lindy Dixon had 10 kills, and freshman Chelsey Lockey recorded 36 assists and 18 digs. Bailey Schumacher led the team with 23 digs and Karlee Garland added 11.
It looked like Eaton would have another fight on its hands early Saturday night. Valley led 8-5 before Eaton began to surge back, with Dixon recording a pair of big kills during a 7-0 run. Sieg was equally big at the net, eventually putting the first set away with a kill.
Sieg was even more impressive in the second set, where Eaton never allowed Valley to make a run.
“Tarynn’s done a fabulous job this season and there’s not too many teams that can defend her,” Forster said. “She’s big and physical. Teams tend to camp out on Kort, but we had so many more weapons in our arsenal.”
The Vikings remained patient in the third set, allowing Eaton’s aggressive play to work against the Reds at times. Valley took a 21-19 lead on a kill by senior Cori Aafedt, but the block of Sieg and Kinzy Anderson put the Reds back into it.
Lockey put the match away with a routine hit that the Vikings were unable to return.
“I guess it wasn’t exactly the way I wanted it to end,” Lockey said with a laugh. “But it feels really cool to get the final kill and end your career that way.”
Both teams figure to be right back in the mix again next season. Valley graduates six seniors, including big hitters in Layne Pachl, Abby Wehrman, Micayla Crespin and Aafedt, but sophomores Ashlyn Martinez and Brooke Schilling enjoyed impressive showings against Eaton.
The Reds lose only two seniors in Lockey and Anderson.
“That’s what is nice, is we continue to build,” Forster said. “Obviously we always have another freshman class coming up, but even if you’re not stepping foot on the floor, we have so much depth that we knew we could rely on any one of them at any time.”
Grandview players pose with the 5A volleyball championship trophy. (Ryan Casey/CHSANow.com)
DENVER — Grandview had no interest on being a part of an improbable Class 5A state volleyball champion being crowned Saturday night at Denver Coliseum.
The No. 2 seed Wolves successfully defended their title defeating “Cinderella” and No. 12 Chatfield in straight sets 25-17, 25-22, and 25-17 in the championship match.
“Honestly it was great. I loved watching Chatfield progress through the tournament. They fought their way through,” Grandview senior Haley McLaren said. “Still, we wanted to win.”
Chatfield had a remarkable run during the two-day tournament. The Chargers lost their pool play opener to Eaglecrest on Friday morning. However, the 5A Jeffco League squad rallied from a 0-2 deficit and fought off four match points against Cherry Creek to work its way into a tiebreaker situation Saturday.
“I couldn’t be more proud of my team. They never gave up,” Chatfield coach Stephanie Schick said. “The believe my girls have shown this day has been amazing and a memory forever.”
Grandview players celebrate winning the 5A volleyball championship. (Ryan Casey/CHSANow.com)
The Chargers (18-11 record) won both one-set tiebreakers against Cherry Creek and Eaglecrest to advance to the semifinals against Rampart. Chatfield defeated Rampart 25-22, 19-25, 25-21 and 26-14 on Saturday afternoon to get a shot at the defending state champs.
“It was a little nerve-wracking because Chatfield beat all these teams we didn’t expect,” Grandview senior Katie Patrick said. “We were nervous, but I think we handled it pretty well.”
Patrick had the game-winning kill in the third set against Chatfield. The Wolves (22-7) now have five volleyball championships (2004, 2005, 2007, 2013 and 2014).
It was the 10th appearance for Grandview in a 5A state championship match since 2003. On the flipside, it was Chatfield’s first trip to a volleyball title match in the school’s history.
“It’s unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable,” Patrick said.
Chatfield was no pushover in the championship match. The Chargers actually took leads of 10-5 and 10-6 in the first and second sets. Grandview coach Patty Childress took timeouts in both situations. The Wolves got things together and quickly erased the deficits.
“Same thing that has been said all season long,” Childress said when asked what was said during each timeout. “We’ve got to talk to each other with the passing lanes. We’ve got to stabilize the lanes and be better talkers. In this environment it’s tough because it’s so hard to hear.”
McLaren, Patrick, along with junior Franchesca Reed, Madisen Busler each played big rolls in the rallies to take the first two sets.
The start of the first two sets was a bit of a microseism of Grandview’s season. The Wolves dropped matches against Cheyenne Mountain and Chaparral early in September.
“Honestly, we started off pretty rough this season. We had a lot of problems clicking,” Patrick said. “We figured everything out. The reason we won is because we are a team. We are the definition of a team. We play for each other and play for our school.”
Patrick also gave a ton of credit to her coach.
“My coach (Childress) is a genius,” Patrick said. “We never gave up. It didn’t matter if we were down.”
Schick admitted Grandview just had too much firepower in the championship match for Chatfield to pull off another upset.
“What a great champion in Grandview. Awesome for them to repeat,” Schick said. “They are a great team. They were big and better.”
McLaren, who will sign Nov. 12 to continue her volleyball at the University of Oregon, led the way with 13 kills and a handful of service aces. She was on all four of the last Grandview teams that advanced to the championship match.
“It was great,” McLaren said of her high school career. “Freshman and sophomore year we were good, but there was always a team better than us. We were at the top the last two years and finished it.”
Fleming players pose with the 1A volleyball state championship trophy. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
DENVER — The deafening noise at the Denver Coliseum and the delirium of five courts of state finals volleyball would seem to get just about any person amped.
But for some strange reason, it didn’t seem to get the Fleming girls volleyball team ready to defend its Class 1A state title.
“Oh,” Fleming senior Timmi Keisel said. “That’s not something new for us. A lot of times we start slow. Like I said our slow start wasn’t anything new. It didn’t’ freak us out or anything like that.”
Touché.
The slow start and a loss in the first set to challenger Idalia, though, couldn’t erase a magical season for Fleming.
Fleming players celebrate winning the 1A championship. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
The Wildcats overcame the first set and put together three brilliant ones, winning their second consecutive state title on Saturday at the Coliseum, 3-1. Fleming won 17-25, 25-16, 25-17 and 25-15.
“It’s a pretty special group,” Fleming coach Derek Herbert said. “What a night. What a great year.”
It certainly has been a banner year for the Wildcats. The defending 1A state champions came in having won 47 in a row — Saturday was 48 — and had some stark numbers throughout.
Fleming’s last loss, a five-setter, came in September of last year. In that time span they have dropped a total of just 15 sets.
Idalia, though, came to play. After falling to the Wildcats in the second week of the season, the Wolves weren’t intimidated by any of the numbers. Jennay Terrel, Reagan Shaffer, Bryce Shafer and Stephanie Helling owned the net in the first set and provided a diverse attack.
The teams traded leads until a Bryce Shafer kill made it 12-10 for the Wolves. From there Idalia put together mini runs of 4-0 and 6-0 to close out the set.
It seemed an upset could be in the making.
“We knew if they got a second set it would be so much harder,” Keisel said. “At that point it was do or die for us.”
Not to worry for the Wolves. Early in the second set, Fleming had turned the momentum. The Wildcats jumped out to a 16-4 second set lead and dominated the third set with a slew of hitters and the calm demeanor of senior setter Rachel Frantz.
Finally, in the fourth, Keisel took over.
The senior, who had a game-high 17 kills, couldn’t be stopped. She had five kills in the deciding fourth set, including the championship clincher.
“They’re a great team,” Idalia coach Kylie Chamberlain said. “If you’re going to lose in the championship you want to lose to a great team.”
The win caps off a 30-0 season for the Wildcats, one in which dominance in Class 1A became second nature.
“We got smart kids,” Herbert said. “They just adjust. You hurt us one game and we start to figure out how you hurt us. But every time is amazing. Every time is a blessing.”
DENVER — Coming into Saturday’s Class 4A state title game, the Lewis-Palmer Rangers had only dropped four sets on the year. In what should be their toughest game of the year, they lost their fifth, but overcame a tough Ponderosa Mustangs team to repeat as state champions.
The Rangers won the match 3-1 (25-22, 15-25, 25-22, 25-12) to give coach Susan Odenbaugh and her team and undefeated season their second consecutive state championship.
“To go undeafeated in Colorado in 4A as tough as it is and as many 5A opponents that we had is a major accomplishment for these girls,” Odenbaugh said. “Ponderosa is the toughest team we’ve played. We were hitting the ball and they were getting it up defensively.”
The title win gives the Rangers a 35-match winning streak dating to back to last season.
It also begs the question as to whether or not this is the best volleyball team the state of Colorado has ever seen. Led once again by senior Alexa Smith, the Rangers dropped only five sets to the 83 that they won through the course of the season.
Smith started the match with a kill, hoping to set the tone early. The Rangers built their lead in the first set by relying on their senior hitting combination of Smith and Nicole Montgomery.
The Mustangs were able to slowly battle back, ultimately dropping the first set by a tight score of 25-22. Knowing they could hang with Lewis-Palmer, Mustangs coach Rob Graham encouraged his team to keep fighting and try to take Smith out of the next set as much as possible.
“We thought we could compete with them,” Graham said. “In game one when we came out and hung with them I think our girls realized they could win a game.”
Lewis-Palmer players celebrate winning the 4A championship
The Mustangs responded by taking a quick 8-0 lead in the second set, putting the Rangers on their heels. Smith tried to bring her team back into the set with three big kills, but she couldn’t counter the hitting of Ponderosa’s Allison Smith. The Mustang hitter recorded five kills down the stretch as Pondersoa gave the Rangers what Graham called “the worst beating (Lewis-Palmer) had ever had.”
The Mustangs continued to ride the momentum of their second set win and continued to attack the Rangers. They found themselves up 10-7 and refused to let Lewis-Palmer get comfortable in their game. With the score sitting at 22-22, Michaela Putnicki slammed two quick kills to give the Rangers a 24-22 lead, at which point Alexa Smith ended the set, gently floating the ball just over the head of the Mustangs’ front line.
Now up 2-1, and back on solid ground, the Rangers came out in the fourth set playing the way they had earned them an undefeated record going into the title game. Smith begged her teammates to feed her the ball as she wanted to put the game on her back and walk away victorious.
“We figured things out and we made a few changes and that seemed to work,” the Purdue commit said. “I wouldn’t have it any other way. I was telling Mariah (Evans) ‘send me this, send me that’ and I can trust that she’ll either set me up, or if I draw the block to get it to someone else.”
Holding a 15-11 lead in the fourth set, the Rangers connected on eight straight points, giving them a 23-11 lead and draining the hope out of the Mustangs. Up 24-12 with match point at stake, a tandem block by Montgomery and Elziabeth Reich gave the Rangers the right to be called champions once more.
“I feel like this (title) is a lot cooler because we went undefeated this year,” Montgomery said. “It’s just an unbelievable feeling.”
Odenbaugh explained after the win that prior to the start of each season, the players get together for team building and as part of it, set goals for the year. With expectations at an all-time high coming off a state championship win, the Rangers decided to shoot for the moon and take aim at an undefeated year.
“We didn’t let anyone know,” Odenbaugh said. “But we knew that we had the potential to do that if we stayed together as a team and we worked hard. It’s nice to see a group of young girls give everything they can, pursue a goal and walk out successful.”
The Lewis-Palmer volleyball team poses with the 4A championship trophy. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Kent Denver’s boys soccer team celebrates its 3A title. (Jenn Roberts-Uhlig/CHSAANow.com)
COMMERCE CITY — It was a beautiful Saturday for soccer. Though Colorado Academy seemed to hit the field running, the brisk morning favored Kent. The No. 1 seed took the Class 3A boys soccer trophy with a 3-0 win over Colorado Academy.
Once the Sun Devils gained majority possession on their offensive half, it was just a matter of time until one of their many through passes and great connections ended in a goal.
They seemed to find every seam, and after a few close ones went over the crossbar, Greer Solarte put a penalty kick past Colorado Academy’s keeper, Noah Henry. Solarte’s touch kept the ball grounded and to the left to give Kent Denver a lead only 15 minutes in to the first half. The senior, who spent last year playing with the Colorado Rapids developmental team, came back to Kent for his final year. And what a sweet finish it was for the forward.
Though both squad’s speed and aggression was matched, Kent was all eyes on goal from there on out. A few shots went sailing just over the goal before another free kick was awarded to Kent. From right outside the box, Max Mehlman snuck the ball through the entire Colorado Academy line and into the top right corner of the goal.
The remaining seven minutes of the half were full of whistles and yellow cards. In the final seconds, Kent once again had a free kick but Colorado Academy kept it out to head into halftime with a 0-2 deficit.
Kent goalkeeper Cole Whitaker finally saw some action in the second half, as Colorado Academy brought a new level of play to the turf. The Mustangs had the first of many shots on goal, only seconds into the second half play. But in regular fashion for the season, Whitaker managed to keep his team out of trouble.
After the Mustangs were awarded a free kick, the hope was high for a comeback, but Whitaker had a diving save, putting momentum right back at his teams feet.
“I could not be happier. I did what I had to do,” said Whitaker, “I am so proud of the guys.”
Head coach Arty Smith said, “He is a great keeper. He made the saves we needed.”
In those latter 30 minutes, Colorado Academy looked ambitious to find the hole in one of the state’s best defenses. But instead, it was Kent, whose offense prevailed again with under 10 minutes left. Another halfback, Tyler Nowak, gave a gentle and purposeful poke into the goal to seal the deal for the Sun Devils.
With the win, Kent Denver finishes 19-1, having only lost their very first game of the regular season. They scored 13 playoff goals — and didn’t give one up.
“For the most part, we stayed organized when we had to. Colorado Academy did put pressure on us. They moved their guys around but we were able to hold them off,” Smith said. “It feels good.”
Kent Denver had been to a championship five times prior to Saturday’s game. Each time, the Sun Devils accepted the runner-up trophy.
Air Academy’s boys soccer team poses with the 4A championship trophy. More photos. (Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)
COMMERCE CITY — Air Academy capped off one of the most dominant seasons in Colorado boys soccer history with the Class 4A state championship.
The Kadets completed a perfect 20-0 campaign with a 2-0 victory over previously undefeated Classical Academy (19-1) at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.
In outscoring opponents by a lofty total of 102 to five goals this season, Air Academy relied heavily on standout forward Austin Dewing and all of his speed and fancy footwork on creative run after creative run. Dewing entered the game as the all-classification leading scorer in goals (34) and points (90) by a large margin. In the state finals, Dewing’s talent was certainly on display with a dazzling array of moves in the first half.
No. 1 seed Air Academy and No. 2 Classical Academy, 4A’s highest scoring teams, remained scoreless at halftime though. Dewing needed his fellow Kadets to step up.
“We were a little bit one-dimensional in the first half,” Air Academy coach Espen Hosoien said. “We weren’t working hard off the ball. We were a little standoffish when it came to supporting Austin.
“In the second half, I thought we got a little more support. That opened up some space for him, as well. We talked about not just playing short stuff in the back, but also flicking the ball up top, because Austin’s got speed and he’s got technique. He’s a great player, he’s dangerous, and he’s hard to defend. I wanted him to get the ball more in dangerous positions.”
After a first half that saw both teams have several good looks at goal, but neither able to convert, Air Academy sped up play even more in the second half and attempted to unleash their full arsenal of weapons. They weren’t able to do so until the 59th minute when Dewing put a few tricky moves on Classical Academy’s defense before getting hammered in the box. A foul was called on the Titans, setting up a personal kick.
“Usually I’m the PK taker on our team,” Dewing said, “but because I got fouled I was on an emotional high and so it wouldn’t have been smart for me to take it.”
Dewing’s cousin, senior James Sims, stepped in and stepped up finding the back of the net to give Air Academy a 1-0 lead.
14 minutes later, another hard foul in the box on Dewing set up another cousin, David Louthan, for a penalty kick. The senior nailed it, giving the Kadets a 2-0 lead and the 4A crown.
“Austin’s two cousins stepped up and finished the job for him so that was just a family thing,” Hosoien said. “Maybe it was rock, paper, scissors at dinner yesterday or something, but James is solid. I think Austin was fine not having to take those PK’s.”
“I totally trust my teammates quite a bit and they were rock solid,” Dewing added.
After a breezy 6-1 semifinals victory over D’Evelyn with three goals by Dewing in the first half alone on Wednesday, Air Academy didn’t expect a defensive battle with two penalty kick goals. But, a year after a 2-1 loss to Cheyenne Mountain in the championship game, the Kadets were more than happy to win any way they could.
“It was a little bit of an empty feeling last year, although I was real proud of my team,” Hosoien said.
“It was a little bit of relief I think after going through the whole season undefeated, ranked No. 1 nearly the entire time. It’s not an easy thing to do for any athlete or for a soccer team, but especially younger players. I’m proud of how we solved that and just relieved that a team that I think is the best 4A team this season found a way to win here.
“I thought TCA played well. They were well organized and we knew they were going to be dangerous on counters. My hat’s off to them. I thought they played a really good game. They made it hard for us to do the things we like to do.”
Players and coaches alike said the cohesiveness of this year’s Air Academy team helped them earn their first state championship since winning 4A in 2010 and third state championship overall in the sport. They also won 5A in 1990.
“A big difference was last year we had almost the same talent, but this year we had even greater camaraderie,” Dewing said. “We wanted to work hard for each other and we knew what each other could do.”
“We definitely had a chip on our shoulder,” Sims added. “Last year we came into the finals thinking we could win, because we had already beaten (Cheyenne Mountain) before. This year we definitely had a different mentality. We were more focused and more prepared for this game.
“Losing last year and then coming back this year and winning was such a privilege. Who could ask for a better ending to the season than that?”
THORNTON — Every fall, Thornton High School, site of the Class 4A and 5A state gymnastics meets, becomes a spectacle for whirling dervishes, for powerful and graceful performers.
On Friday, in the 4A all-around competition, Thompson Valley’s Alyssa Carroll displayed more poise and power than the rest in placing first in all four events, the uneven bars, the floor, the vault, and the balance beam. The senior dominated the field in claiming her second straight state championship in all-around with 38.55 points, more than a point and a half clear of Standley Lake’s Jordan Ireland.
After such a dominating performance Friday, Carroll was looking for an encore Saturday in the individual event competition. The future Nebraska Cornhusker more than delivered with three individual state championships.
Carroll came in to the evening hoping for four crowns and came within tenths of a point of achieving her goal. A touch of too much power caused a slight stumble in the floor exercise, giving her a score of 9.475 — a mere .025 points off Ireland’s 9.500. She was more than pleased with three titles, though.
“I did want to win floor just because I won last year. You know that quote that you can’t win everything? It kind of applies here,” Carroll said with a laugh. “But that’s OK. Jordan did a really good floor today and she deserved it.”
Outside of the stumble, Carroll was thorough in a performance that varied from solid to spectacular.
The senior kicked off her Saturday by claiming the state championship in the uneven bars with 9.7 points, well ahead of Niwot’s Marissa Koski’s score of 9.275.
Then, came Carroll’s slight stumble in floor. She recovered with a title performance on the balance beam (9.75). Niwot’s Gabby Casey placed second (9.45).
“My beam routine really stuck out,” Carroll said. “Yesterday I was kind of wobbly on it and today most of it was solid.”
Then, came the spectacular. Carroll used her speed and power to elevate high into the air during the vault. Her landing was picturesque, causing a few judges to give her a score of 9.9. Her average of 9.85 points claimed a third crown of the day, a sweet ending to an illustrious career.
“That was such a good vault,” Carroll said. “That’s one of my best vaults that I’ve done all season, because usually I take a huge step back and today I just stuck it. It felt really good. My heart felt whole.”
“She has not stuck it with two feet planted and no movement ever that I have seen,” Thompson Valley coach Jaia Sattler added. “Tonight, she stuck it. We were all crazy excited. That was the cherry on top of a good weekend.”
4A may not miss Carroll’s immense talent next year, but Sattler and Thompson Valley certainly will.
“It’s really nice to have her on the team, especially as a new head coach,” Sattler, in her first year as head of the program, said. “She’s just a really good leader. We have such a young team and a lot of girls are new to high school and so to be able to watch her. There’s girls who are like, “Alyssa is so fearless. I want to be like her. It helps drive the other girls. We are going to miss her a lot.”
Carroll finished her brief but spectacular two-year Thompson Valley career with two all-around state championships and five individual event state championships. She was also part of a team state title as a junior.
In 5A, Pomona freshman Kelsey Boychuk, after winning all-around Friday, added to her memorable weekend with a state title in the vault. Her score of 9.85 was more than enough to hold off Cherry Creek’s Mackenzie Doerr (9.75) and Thornton’s Sierra Kirylo (9.725).
Boychuk was ecstatic about her first high school season.
“I’ve done a lot to get here, but it’s kind of unexpected,” Boychuk said of winning both all-around and vault. “I know there’s a lot of good girls here.”
Overland’s Devin Bundas, the 2013 state champion in the floor exercise, won the uneven bars with a tally of 9.725 points, just ahead of Broomfield’s Kailey Licata (9.7). Bundas, a senior who finishes as a two-time all-state competitor, was a key member of Overland’s second-straight team title Friday.
Licata, fifth-place in the all-around competition, came back to win the floor exercise with 9.7 points. Broomfield’s Sarah Holbrook won the balance beam with 9.7 points, as well.
