AURORA — The 5A boys lacrosse quarterfinal matchups at Regis Jesuit were decided on whether a team could shift into high gear or not.
Cherry Creek, the No. 1 seed in the tournament, did just that in a 12-5 victory over No. 8 Rock Canyon Saturday afternoon to advance to the semifinals.
The Bruins, a team with a bevy of weapons, got everything they could handle from Rock Canyon in the first half. Creek held a 3-2 halftime advantage in a physical, defensive battle. Rock Canyon was able to get the typically dynamic Bruin offense out of sync.
“They were stretching us out a little farther than we were ready for,” Cherry Creek coach Bryan Perry said. “They took us out of what we were trying to do a little bit. We still had some good shots and their goalie stood up pretty good. It wasn’t like it was a disaster, but we made some adjustments and just kind of got our guys’ minds right. We were able to take advantage of some opportunities.”
The Bruins were stalled in the first half, but shifted into fifth gear and unleashed a dazzling display of speed, crisp passing, and shot-making. Cherry Creek scored five consecutive goals during the first three and a half minutes of the third quarter, breaking the game open with a commanding 8-2 lead.
Ryan Arthur and Mikey McCauley, a pair of seasoned seniors who are talented attackers, led all scorers with three goals apiece. They were tough to stop in transition and their second half intensity helped fuel the dominating run.
“We made a conscious effort today to try and win a hustle battle and I think definitely in the second half, that’s what contributed to our win,” Arthur said. “I think at halftime, we got together and made a conscious effort to get the ground balls. If we do that, everything else will come and we shut them down on the scoreboard.”
Another senior, goalie Addison Christensen, padlocked the goal for Cherry Creek.
“Addison has been a superstar,” Perry said. “His attitude has been phenomenal, a very hard working kid, made some huge saves for us today and we’re just real proud of him. He’s just a wonderful human being and I’m real proud to be able to coach him.”
Overall, it was the Bruins’ ability to raise their game to another level that earned them a spot in Wednesday’s semis. Their versatile offense and rugged defense overwhelmed Rock Canyon when it counted most.
“We’ve been a very good transition team all year, we’ve been very good in early offense, and now we’ve started to learn how to score in settle situations,” Perry said about his still improving team. “That makes you pretty tough to beat when you can be that multi-dimensional.”
Perry and his crew hope it will be enough for the Cherry Creek boys, a program that has claimed 11 state championships, to win their first title since 2010. They fell to Arapahoe in the championship game last season, 10-7, and admit the game is still on their minds.
“Yeah, there’s no question,” Perry said. “That’s always going to live a little bit and it should. You use those kinds of things as an asset, right? A little bit harder, one half better, one quarter better, got to be a little stronger this year. The guys have been able to do that.”
Cherry Creek wasn’t the only team who used an extra gear to secure a spot in the 5A semifinals.
Regis Jesuit, the No. 2 seed, had a nerve-racking game against long-time parochial rival Mullen in the first quarterfinal matchup Saturday. No. 7 Mullen only trailed 5-4 early in the second half, but the Raiders fought back the pesky Mustangs with a 6-2 run to win 11-6. Regis’ top-level was too much for Mullen.
No. 6 Arapahoe, the two-time defending state champs — but a team that lost 20 seniors — seemed incapable of matching upstart No. 3 Mountain Vista’s high-level play. The Golden Eagles were dominating, but gutsy Arapahoe roared back from a 10-3 deficit to force overtime. The Warriors had a storybook 12-11 victory on Austin Shindoll’s spectacular over-the-shoulder game winning goal with 1:40 remaining in overtime. Arapahoe will face Regis for the second straight year in the semifinals.
No. 4 Kent Denver was getting smothered by No. 5 Colorado Academy in a grind of a game. Colorado Academy held a 5-2 advantage in the third quarter, a lead that felt wide given the nature of the game. Kent slowly chipped away and finally took their first lead of the game, 6-5, with 3:12 remaining. The Sun Devils’ late push was enough to claim a 6-5 victory and a spot against Cherry Creek in the semis.
All four semifinalists, each of which are traditional powers in boys lacrosse, discovered a top-flight tier that pushed them over the top. Cherry Creek was the gold standard Saturday in shifting into a powerful gear. Their gear allowed them to nullify any hopes Rock Canyon had at an upset. The others followed the Bruins’ lead.
