No. 2 Kent Denver vs. No. 3 Battle Mountain, 8:30 p.m.
Championship games
Thursday, March 18
Class 4A, 5:30 p.m.
Class 5A, 8:30 p.m.
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Spectator Info
Each team will be allowed 100 spectators into the facility for their games.
School admin will be responsible for gathering spectators outside the main entrance on the SW side of Budweiser Event Center. Everyone MUST enter at one time. Spectators of the lower seeded team MUST sit on the east side of the arena (sections D-F) and spectators of the higher seeded team MUST sit on the west side of the arena (sections Q-S).
We will clear the arena of all spectators after the 5:30pm game before allowing 8:30pm spectators to enter.
There will be no on-site ticket sales for the Frozen Four. Spectators should reach out to their athletic director for information on attending,
Games will be live streamed on the NFHS Network, as well.
Parking at Budweiser Event Center is free.
All coaches, spectators and athletes not actively involved in competition MUST be masked at all times while inside Budweiser Event Center (if you are inside the arena and not a competitor actively involved in competition, you are WEARING A MASK).
There will be limited concessions available during all games.
We are thankful for the support of the Colorado Avalanche/KSE and Budweiser Event Center in hosting the CHSAA Frozen Four.
Chase Kelly owned the mountain as the state skiing championships continued at Loveland Ski Area on Thursday.
The Aspen freshman won both the giant slalom and the slalom race as he started his high school skiing career off with two titles. His strong performance helped to clinch the team championship for Aspen, which started off the event with standout performances in the nordic events.
In the morning event, Kelly finished with a two-run time of 1:38.17, finishing in 49.7 in his first run and 48.47 in his second. Steamboat Springs senior James Lahrman was second with his time of 1:38.4.
Durango’s Toby Scarpella (1:39.07) was third, Battle Mountain’s Will Bettenhausen (1:39.16) placed fourth, and Aspen’s Connor Stephen (1:39.62) was fifth.
Aspen also had Davis Colon finish seventh, Sasha Forman finish eighth, and Hank Sweeney place 10th as they had five among the top 10.
Kelly and Aspen extended their dominance to the afternoon’s slalom race. His two-run time of 1:30.87 was the fastest of the field. He finished his first run in 48.61, and his second in 42.26.
Larhman was also runner-up in the slalom, capping an outstanding day. He finished his two runs in 1:31.93.
Also finishing in the top-5 in the slalom were Aspen teammates Colon Davis (1:33.05) and James Kelly (1:33.61), and Durango’s Toby Scarpella (1:33.93). Aspen also had Connor Stephen place sixth (1:33.96).
This is Aspen’s fourth consecutive team title, and 11th overall. They are the first team since Summit won five consecutive from 1986-1990.
Aspen finished with 683 team points. Battle Mountain was second with 581.5. Rounding out the top five were Middle Park (570), Vail Mountain (553.5), and Steamboat Springs (549).
PUEBLO — A year ago to the date, it felt like the world was ending. But after a night of tough competition and well-earned medals, high school wrestling in Colorado indeed stepped into a brand new world.
Two years ago, the CHSAA Legislative Council sanctioned girls wrestling as the newest sport. At the Southwest Motors Event Center in Pueblo, a year after the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Chatfield became the very first face of that sport as the Chargers claimed the first official state championship.
“This has been the best thing we could ask for,” coach Sandra George said. “We’ve been having duals all season the. To just come into a tournament and fight from the beginning was special. At regionals we had to fight to get here and here we had to fight to be on top.”
Overall, the Chargers finished with five placers and totaled 91 points. Jeffco League rival Pomona took second as a team with 65.
The championship night for Chatfield was highlighted by the 127-pound championship performance from Savannah Cosme.
Her 9-3 decision over Doherty’s Sarah Savidge was the Chargers only gold medal of the night, but it served as the perfect representation of the effort the overall team gave since the start of the season in mid-January.
“It means a lot to me,” Cosme said. “I love my team. We put in a lot of hard work together. To all come together and be able to win this is really amazing.”
Janessa George took second in 105 while Journey Ruiz (111) and Taylor Miess (136) each finished third.
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
But the real winners of the night were each every single girl that stepped on a mat; from the very first 100-pound match of the day to the 215-pound championship. It will be something that each girl can point to in five years as a significant moment in Colorado school sports history and identify their role in laying the foundation.
“I’m going to look back and see that we made history,” Cosme said. “We’ve created something where people can continue to come and continue to grow. We’re going to make Colorado one of the top states for girls wrestling.”
The Chargers will have the unenviable burden of heading into the 2020-21 season with a target on its back as the first defending state champion.
But with the way the girls competed throughout the one-day, it’s a challenge their eager to take on and they’re anxious to get back on the mat, continue competing and using every opportunity to get better.
“My girls are such a great group of girls,” George said. “They’re appreciative of everything we’ve worked for. It’s amazing. We’re all on Cloud 9 and we’re going to keep wrestling through the summer. Next year will be even better because hopefully we’ll do this at (Ball Arena).”
While the future of the event’s home has time to get sorted out, one very important fact is clear: the evolution of girls wrestling in Colorado has only just begun.
The future is bright, but the historic night that saw the first state champion crowned will forever serve as a launching pad for future generations of student-athletes.
ARVADA — Ball movement Thursday night was a key to advancing Ralston Valley into the quarterfinals of the Class 5A girls state tournament.
It took a little while for the No. 5-seeded Mustangs to hit their stride against No. 21 ThunderRidge in the Sweet 16 game at Ralston Valley High School. The Mustangs (14-2 record) held just a 8-6 lead after the first quarter, but turned things around to take an eventual 57-29 win.
“I feel like we were slow out of the start,” Ralston Valley junior Saya Sabus said. “Then we just turned it on and it was go, go, go from there.”
Ralston Valley senior Brooklyn Seymour (14) goes up between ThunderRidge senior Angel Makoski (5) and freshman Halle Hanchett (11) during the Class 5A round of 16 game Thursday night at Ralston Valley High School (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
Ralston Valley went on a 13-0 run to start the second quarter and held the Grizzlies (8-7) scoreless for more than 8 minutes from the end of the first quarter until ThunderRidge freshman Alexis Baker scored and was fouled with 1:20 left in the second quarter.
Senior Sydney Bevington and Sabus poured in six points each in the second quarter for the Mustangs. Senior McKenna Nichols and freshman Hannah Somorin both hit a 3-pointer each to help Ralston Valley take a 26-9 lead at halftime.
“When our post start touching the ball and we can go inside-out against the zone the shots are easier,” Ralston Valley coach Jeff Gomer said of how the Mustangs attacked ThunderRidge’s zone defense after the first quarter. “Once we realized we could use our posts it’s amazing how it changed.”
What hasn’t changed over the past four years for Ralston Valley is where Bevington continues to do her damage offensive. The senior has more that 1,200 points career points and isn’t afraid to pull up with the old-school mid-range jumper.
“She (Bevington) has so much confidence in that mid-range shot,” Gomer said. “People say, ‘Why not have her step out to the 3 with her?’ She is just dead-eye with the 15 to 12-footer. Even on the break she’ll put up for a 10-footer. She shoots it well. It works.”
Bevington scored a game-high 21 points, shooting 10-for-16 from the field against the Grizzlies.
Ralston Valley freshman Sophia Sabus takes a 3-pointer during the second half Thursday night against ThunderRidge. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
“That’s how I’ve always played with driving and the mid-range shots,” Bevington said. “It’s always open with the offense we run. It’s been successful so I’ve been keeping it that way.”
ThunderRidge couldn’t get much going offensively with Ralston Valley using pressure defense through the first three quarters to keep the Grizzlies from getting into a rhythm offensively.
“I think with our defensive pressure and size we were able to get traps in the corners,” Bevington said. “I think that helped swing the momentum with forcing those turnovers.”
Ralston Valley advances into the Great 8 for the third time over the past four years. The Mustangs hit the road to face No. 4 Highlands Ranch on Monday in the 5A state quarterfinals. The impending snowstorm predicted to hit Colorado from Friday night through Sunday moved all Great 8 basketball playoff games from Saturday to Monday, March 15.
“We sure would like to take another step here,” said Gomer, who guided the Mustangs to the state quarterfinals last year where Cherry Creek ended Ralston Valley’s season. “Highlands Ranch is hard to play against. We’ll watch some film, get them on the floor, roll the ball out there and see what happens.”
Ralston Valley has won 12 straight games. The Falcons (13-2) have won 9 straight games.
“We just have to go out and play our best,” Sabus said. “That’s it.”
Ralston Valley freshman Hannah Somorin (23) applies defensive pressure Thursday night during the Mustangs’ 57-29 victory in the Class 5A state Sweet 16 game against ThunderRidge. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
THORNTON — Cherry Creek, the winningest girls swim program in Colorado history, added another team title to its collection at the 5A swimming and diving state championships at the Veterans Memorial Aquatic Center Thursday night.
The Bruins ended Fairview High School’s two-year reign as state champ as they won the meet by a score of 430-392 over the Knights. Regis Jesuit finished third overall with 298 points.
It is Cherry Creek’s 27th state crown in girls swimming and diving, and its first since the 2010 season capped a run of six-straight championship results.
“These last 10 years we’ve had our share of ups and downs, mostly down,” said Cherry Creek head coach Eric Craven, now in his 30th year. “This year we got it done, and it sure is nice to be back on top.”
The Bruins finished second to Fairview last season (382.5-342), a result that stuck with Cherry Creek all year.
“Last year the girls were kind of hoping and wishing they could win state,” Craven added. “We had the athletes. Finishing second last year gnawed on them a little bit. This year, they just had that look in their eyes that said “We’re going to win it.”
For senior Jenna Smith, Thursday’s win was especially sweet.
“Last year we came really, really close, and it was pretty heartbreaking for all of us,” she said. “We were really proud of our team last year, but it was hard to get that second place. Just going into this season, even though it was a lot different than past seasons, we were like: “It’s time for the Lady Bruins to take the win!”
“We pulled together all season long and we trained so hard. I have never seen this team work so hard,” Smith added. “I don’t really have words for how happy I am right now. This is absolutely incredible, especially being my senior year. We’ve set a standard for years to come, and so I think there will be a lot more state championships in our future.”
For junior Elizabeth Brock, winning the state championship is “kind of a surreal moment. A lot of us were expecting this to happen, but we didn’t realize the enormity of it until it happened.”
“This win means more than anything, especially this year,” she added. “I’m going to look back on this when I am an adult and be so happy that we did it, and that I spent time with people that are hilarious and work hard and make me feel good.”
While Cherry Creek dominated the team competition, a trio of swimmers — Lucy Bell of Fossil Ridge, Kathryn Shanley of Chatfield and Emma Weber of Regis Jesuit— each won two individual events during the meet.
Bell, a junior, flew to an easy win in the 100 butterfly with a time of 52.50. It marked the first time since 2015 that someone without the last name Gillilan captured the state championship.
Coleen Gillilan of Fossil Ridge won the title from 2016-18. Her sister, Renee, earned state crowns for the SaberCats in 2019 and 2020.
Fairview took the second- and third-place spots in the race thanks to Edith Simecek (53.87) and Jenna Reznicek (54.51).
Bell rung up another state championship in the very next race as she defended her crown in the 100 freestyle with a time of 50.23. Lyndsey Wehr of Arapahoe finished in second place (51.03), followed closely by Ana Rojas of Doherty (51.11).
(Paul Soriano/CHSAANow.com)
Shanley, a senior, repeated as state champion in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:48.65. Karolina Bank, a junior from Fairview, finished second (1:49.93), followed by Brock of Cherry Creek (1:50.77).
In the 500 freestyle, Shanley hit the repeat button once again. The 2020 champion lit the scoreboard with a time of 4:51.18. Brock finished second in 4:56.04, while Sabrina Rachjaibun, a sophomore from Legacy, took third place with a time of 5:02.94.
Weber, a junior, earned a victory in the 200 individual medley with a time of 2:01.71. Fossil Ridge’s Mahala Erlandson finished second (2:02.51) and Rachjaibun claimed the third spot (2:04.16) just ahead of Julianne Jones of Fairview (2:04.59).
Weber then blew away the field in the 100 breaststroke to win her second state title in the event. Her time of 59.93 set a new state record, eclipsing the mark of 1:00.22 set by Zoe Bartel of Fossil Ridge in 2017.
Weber was a freshman at Fairview in 2019 when she captured the title for the first time with a time of 1:02.04.
Dahlia Allen, a junior from Lewis-Palmer High School, began the day by winning the state championship in 1-meter diving with a score of 503.10. Isabel Gregersen of Ralston Valley, last year’s champion, finished second (485.45), while Catherine Rodocker of Eaglecrest finished third (469.20).
Fossil Ridge captured the first swim event of the day, the 200 medley relay. The SaberCats (Gillilan, Erlandson, Rylee O’Neil and Bell) blazed to a time of 1:40.88 in Lane 1. Fairview finished second (1:41.54), followed by Regis Jesuit (1:43.12) and Cherry Creek (1:43.26).
In the 50 freestyle, Wehr of Arapahoe won the state championship with a time of 23.22. Lawson Ficken of Cherry Creek finished second with a time of 23.32, followed by Morgan Lukinac of Fairview at 23.46.
Fairview earned the state championship in the 200 freestyle relay with a record-time of 1:33.80. That mark — set by Samantha Mosier, Julia Urbanowski, Bank and Lukinac — shattered the Colorado state record in the event set by Chatfield High School in 2020 (1:34.12). Cherry Creek finished second with a time of 1:34.45 as the Bruins barely edged Chatfield (1:34.47).
Sydney Bales of Legacy won the 100 backstroke in 54.07 to edge Fairview teammates Reznicek (54.53) and Simecek (55.16).
