Draws for the 2017 Class 4A girls tennis state tournament, held May 11-13 at Pueblo City Park, are below.
All matches start at 9 a.m. each day. The first two rounds at each position will be played Thursday. Friday morning will be all semifinals, and the playback matches will start immediately afterwards. All third- and fourth-place matches and finals will be at 9 a.m. on Saturday morning.
Should weather intervene, check CHSAANow.com for contingency plans.
These results will be updated throughout the tournament.
For more information on the process for creating these brackets, click here or scroll down.
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Class 4A girls tennis state tournament
Click on a tab to see that bracket, or team scores.
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Information on the state tournament and draw creation
Only those teams who qualify four or more positions to state are eligible for the CHSAA state team championship title. The bracket creation process is as follows:
All 16 individuals/teams will be considered for placement on the draw.
The top 4 individuals/teams will be placed.
The committee shall consider the following factors (in no particular order of importance): strength of league, overall record, strength of competition, head-to-head competition and common opponents.
The remaining Regional Winners (#1’s) will be randomly drawn for places on the draw.
The Regional Finishers (#2’s) will then be randomly drawn for matches against a Regional Winner.
All Regional Winners will be paired against a Regional Finishers.
No two teams or individuals from the same Region will play each other during the first round of the state championship.
Draws for the 2017 Class 5A girls tennis state tournament, held May 11-13 at Gates Tennis Center in Denver, are below.
All matches start at 9 a.m. each day. The first two rounds at each position will be played Thursday. Friday morning will be all semifinals, and the playback matches will start immediately afterwards. All third- and fourth-place matches and finals will be at 9 a.m. on Saturday morning.
Should weather intervene, check CHSAANow.com for contingency plans.
These results will be updated throughout the tournament.
For more information on the process for creating these brackets, click here or scroll down.
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Class 5A girls tennis state tournament
Click on a tab to see that bracket, or team scores.
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Information on the state tournament and draw creation
Only those teams who qualify four or more positions to state are eligible for the CHSAA state team championship title. The bracket creation process is as follows:
All 16 individuals/teams will be considered for placement on the draw.
The top 4 individuals/teams will be placed.
The committee shall consider the following factors (in no particular order of importance): strength of league, overall record, strength of competition, head-to-head competition and common opponents.
The remaining Regional Winners (#1’s) will be randomly drawn for places on the draw.
The Regional Finishers (#2’s) will then be randomly drawn for matches against a Regional Winner.
All Regional Winners will be paired against a Regional Finishers.
No two teams or individuals from the same Region will play each other during the first round of the state championship.
Disclaimer: The following is not to be viewed as a professional opinion, just more a causal overview from a veteran high school Coach who hopes to provide some insight to the 5A girls season and upcoming postseason.
Much of the results/opinions stem from MaxPreps standings and general knowledge of programs and players.
Tennis doesn’t have a recurring ranking poll, nor does it seem to receive the same amount of press as its spring counterparts for some reason. Whatever it may be, the teams and players are deserving of some recognition as we near the end of the season. I encourage or challenge a coach in 4A and 3A to throw their hat in the “amature review” ring so our players/teams can get the coverage the deserve.
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Team race
Defending champion: Fairview
Teams to watch in the team race: Fairview, Cherry Creek, Ponderosa, Fossil Ridge, Mountain Vista
Dark horses/spoilers: Denver East, Chatfield, Poudre, Heritage, Fort Collins, Rock Canyon, Regis Jesuit, Ralston Valley
Unlike the past decade (or decades), where you could easily say the girls Class 5A state title was a one- or two-horse race, many coaches feel the 2017 5A title is up in the air once again.
Like 2016, the team title could be decided by who knocks out who, and who has the most positions left standing in the end in addition to those head to head showdowns. In the name of excitement and competition, hopefully gone are the days where it is one or two schools dominating the finals, and everyone else is playing for third and fourth.
Of course, defending champion and oft runner-up Fairview and 33-time state champion Cherry Creek are the perennial favorites, however this year you can’t count out schools like senior-laden Ponderosa and battle-tested Mountain Vista and Fossil Ridge.
(Matt Daniels/mattdanphoto.com)
Looking at some tournament results, Cherry Creek won its own tournament and tied for first with Cheyenne Mountain in the Cheyenne Mountain Invite. Ponderosa placed third in the same tournament and Fossil finished fourth in both the Cheyenne Mountain and Creek tournament. Mountain Vista dominated the 16-team Western Slope Invite, with Poudre placing second and Heritage third. Denver East and Mountain Vista tied for second in the Phil Krouse Tournament, behind 4A power Cheyenne Mountain.
There seems to be more parity in girls tennis these days and that is a good thing. Ponderosa won the Continental League Championship with an undefeated record and strong performance in singles, but their doubles depth and experience have helped push the team to the top of the conference. Ponderosa knows if there is any year to get it done, this is the one.
Other teams looking to play spoiler (should they advance the numbers needed through Regional play) are Denver Conference champion Denver East, Continental’s Heritage and Rock Canyon, Jeffco’s Chatfield and Ralston Valley, and the Front Range teams of Fort Collins and Poudre.
Rangeview comes out at the top team in the East Metro Athletic Conference and Doherty is undefeated in the Colorado Springs Metro conference.
One look at the dual results and you may see some lopsided team scores, but when you dig into the box scores you will find many matches were decided with three-set matches and/or 10-point super tiebreaks (in lieu of a full third set). In other instances there were many 4-3 dual results in the Front Range and Continental leagues, which would lead one to believe that this may be the most exciting team race in years.
Mountain Vista, Rock Canyon and Cherry Creek roll in with some serious power and familiar faces at No. 1 and No. 2 singles. But all teams know you can’t win the title with three strong singles players anymore due to the team point structure. So depth is key in the team race.
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No. 1 Singles players to watch
Poudre’s Ky Ecton. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Once the regionals are completed this coming week/weekend, you will see a No. 1 singles draw that rivals some of the best USTA Jr. tournaments in Colorado. Nationally, Intermountain and State ranked players will fill most of the 16 spots making for some exciting match ups.
Returning impact players: Anshika Singh (Smoky Hill), Ky Ecton (Poudre), Sarah Fleming (Fruita), Casey Zhong (Mountain Vista), Micha Handler (Cherry Creek), Sophie Pearson (Fairview)
While No. 1 singles is always a battle, the waterfall format favors team play over individual accolades, so some players will face each other in Regional play next week. Most notably in Region 2, you have Poudre’s Ky Ecton and Cherry Creek’s Micha Handler most likely to fight it out for the championship.
While in Region 3, you have three of the state’s top players in Singh, Fleming and Chowdhury all battling for the two tickets to the State Championship.
This is preview is obviously written prior to any Regional play happening, and as any coach knows, anything can happen on any given day. Just like March Madness basketball, there can be upsets and other circumstances that alter the outcome of Regional play.
The advice to all players, those mentioned and those that were not, go out there next week and leave it all on the court. Let your racquet and results do the talking. And most importantly, have fun.
To all those supporting your athlete or team in the next few weeks please keep in mind, playoff pressure will be intensified and emotions heightened, seasons will come to an end for some and tears will be shed.
Just as CHSAA would like at any high school athletic competition: Let the players play, it’s their time. Let the coaches coach, it’s their job. Let the umpires make the calls when necessary, it’s what they are trained to do. And as a spectator, do just that. Spectate. If you must cheer, make sure it is for good shots instead of others errors.
When the match ends be there for a hug or high five for your athlete/player, and in some cases, both will suffice.
Best of luck to all next week.
Kim Greason is the girls tennis coach at Ralston Valley.
GREENWOOD VILLAGE — The Cherry Creek girls tennis team hosted the Cherry Creek Invitational this weekend where they defended their home court and won the tournament.
No Bruin finished below third and Sayuri Garud(No. 2 singles) and the team of Grace Shepard and Kaki Cantor(No. 4 doubles) each won the championship in their respective draws.
Cherry Creek finished first as a team with 33 points, Cheyenne Mountain was the runner-up with 25 points and Denver East placed third with 22 points.
“Winning the tournament as a team was huge for us and a really solid start to our season,” Bruin No. 1 singles player Micha Handler said. “The teams we played we will be seeing again at regionals and state so I think it felt really good to win. We know what we have to work on (to go) for that state title.”
Josie Schaffer of Kent Denver won the No. 1 singles bracket. Rosie Clark of Kent Denver too the win in No. 3 singles. Casey Ahrendsen and Ally Arenson of Cheyenne Mountain won No. 1 doubles. Amiga Pandey and Savanah Smith of Fossil Ridge won No. 2 doubles.
“At this point in the season, every (match) is tough, regardless of winning or losing, I feel that there are always things the team can improve on,” Handler said. “In the next couple weeks, training mentally and on the courts is what we’re going to do to get ready for the state tournament.”
The Bruins were just barely beaten out last season by Fairview for the team state title,
“I think all of us on the team are working really hard and wanting a state championship this more than ever,” Handler said. “After winning 18 years in a row, and getting second place to Fairview, everyone this year is pushing a little harder and fighting a little longer in hopes of achieving (a state title).”
Cherry Creek and Kent Denver will see each other again this week as the Bruins travel to Cherry Hills Village to face the 4A Sun Devils in a highly competitive dual.
Whoever wins this season’s Class 3A girls tennis championship will be the first to ever do so.
As for who will be hoisting the trophy, well, the race is wide open.
“It’s still going to be very competitive,” Colorado Academy coach Bob Ulrich said. “It’s going to be a wide open race for 3A at the state tournament. I don’t think anybody can be counted out because we haven’t even hit our first tennis ball yet, but I think it’s going to be pretty wide open.”
It could be Ulrich’s Colorado Academy team that finished fifth in last year’s 4A state championships and third the year before. Just below Colorado Academy in the final standings are D’Evelyn or Holy Family — both of whom have moved to 3A. The Jaguars and Tigers finished tied for sixth with 16 points each.
Or it could be any number of the schools chomping at the bit with a new opportunity in competition.
“With this new classification, it’s a great opportunity for the girls that might not have had a chance to get in the top 3 of state at 4A, but now it’s wide open,” D’Evelyn coach Woody Oliver said. “They could even win state. It’s pretty cool that they’re changing the level but they’re still going to be able to qualify for state and probably do even better.”
“It’s opened up the possibility to compete at a higher level for all of our spots,” Holy Family coach Brittany Storgaard said. “We were always feeling really competitive at three or four of our seven spots a year, but now the door is open top to bottom on the ladder for qualifying and competing at the state level.”
It goes even deeper than the Varsity 1 teams. The new classification gets girls on lower teams more competition and opportunity, too.
“We can get our Varsity 2 a little more play because we’re playing an independent schedule with our Varsity 1 and we’re putting our Varsity 2 in league,” Storgaard said. “Our Varsity 2 girls get to compete at a higher level now, too. Across the board it’s helping our program up its competition level.”
Cheyenne Mountain has five of the nine returning all-state players from last year. They won the last eight championships and nine of the last ten. They scored 10-plus points at all seven positions in last year’s championships.
But, Cheyenne Mountain is in 4A.
(Renee Rockford/Colorado Academy)
“It’s the same competition that we’re used to seeing, I just think there’s more equal playing ground,” Storgaard said. “We’re able to compete against each other and not have the automatic knockouts from a Cheyenne Mountain or one of those schools. It’s going to be a tough tournament. We’re really excited for that.”
This year’s first-ever 3A state meet will be at Centennial Park in Greeley on May 11-13.
Last season, Colorado Academy was largely carried by its No. 1 and No. 2 singles players at last year’s state meet.
“We graduated our number-one singles player and half of our number one doubles team who were very experienced players, but we have a number of players returning who have been to state at least once if not several times,” Ulrich said.
D’Evelyn, meanwhile, scored on the strength of its doubles teams. The Jaguars had the No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 doubles carried the load, grabbing 14 of 16 points.
(Kara Robbins/Courtesy photo)
“The strength of our team, what carried us, was the back end — the depth,” Oliver said. “We might not have the top-tier one singles talent that is going to win state, but the reason that we’ve been doing so good is because the whole team is really deep. I expect once again the strength of the team will be that we are deeper than everyone.”
Speaking of strength in the back, Holy Family follows the D’Evelyn model as the No. 3 doubles slot secured nine of 16 points at state.
“This is one of the hardest working groups of girls. From the preseason, I don’t think we’ve ever been more prepared,” Storgaard said. “We have about half our team returning, and they’re returning state qualifiers with great experience. The girls that we’re looking to absorb and fill (other) spots, they’re just as competitive.”
Each team has different definitions for success this year.
“If we did a good job of coaching, if the players work hard, you stay injury and illness free, I would definitely like to do the best we could — maybe get in top five and then go from there,” Ulrich said.
Oliver has less conservative aspirations for his first year as head coach at D’Evelyn.
“In terms of actually competing for a state championship, that’s the goal,” Oliver said. “We’re definitely capable of winning it. This is my first year as head coach, so that would be a pretty awesome way to start. To come aboard my first year, the first year of 3A, and win the school’s first state championship, that’s definitely the goal.”
Storgaard and Holy Family aren’t backing down, either.
“To get a state championship has always been our goal regardless of the competition,” Storgaard said. “It’s a little bit of both. We’re excited for the opportunity at 3A, but we were going to fight wherever we were.”
But, really what it’s about is opening a window of opportunity that otherwise wasn’t there.
“I think it’s incredible,” Urlich said. “For the girls that have been fortunate enough to qualify, it’s always been an amazing experience. I think that’s one of the reasons why they went to 3A is to give more girls an opportunity to experience the state playoffs. For that reason, I think it’s excellent.”
Storgaard said the announcement of a 3A classification lit a fire under her team.
“They’re really fighting for spots,” Storgaard said. “We’re already seeing upsets on the ladder and it’s really great when you can see that kind of excitement from the girls to know that a door has been opened that maybe wasn’t open before and they’re ready to push through it. I think the girls can taste the blood and they’re that much more eager to go at it.”
Only time will tell who will hoist the first 3A trophy.
“The girls are excited to be out there on the court and let it rip,” Ulrich said.
“We were fighting for it at 4A, we’re going to be fighting for it at 3A,” Storgaard said. “I’m really proud of my girls and the preseason effort that they put forth. We’re excited to see how we stack up in this new classification.”
Through all the moments that we saw, we complied a list of some of our favorites moments from the past year.
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Cherokee Trail overcomes tragedy to take Class 5A volleyball title
The Cherokee Trail volleyball team began the season dealing with something no high school kids should have to deal with. Before the season, a friend and teammate, Celeste James, passed away.
West Grand gives football coach Chris Brown 306th win
Chris Brown. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
Playing with heavy hearts following the death of a teammate earlier in the week, West Grand football gave coach Chris Brown career win No. 306 last fall to tie a state record.
The 8-man team played just three days after quarterback JD Guess was killed in a car accident while driving home from practice.
“The win tonight had little to do with me,” Brown wrote in an email afterward. “First, credit goes to Eric Guess [JD’s father] and Will [his brother, and a former player at West Grand], our amazing assistant coaches, an unbelievable crowd, and a tremendous effort from our kids.”
Christian McCaffrey finishes second in Heisman voting
Christian McCaffrey. (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
A whirlwind of a regular season put Valor Christian alum Christian McCaffrey in the national spotlight. The Stanford star was named a finalist for the 2015 Heisman Trophy and finished as the runner-up to Alabama running back Derrick Henry.
McCaffrey was in the national spotlight again less than three weeks later as he helped the Cardinal roll to a 45-16 win in the Rose Bowl. The former Eagle record 368 all-purpose yards in the game and scored two touchdowns.
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Holy Family, Chris Helbig has record-setting start to football season
Chris Helbig. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
The start of the 2015 football season was a sprint, not a marathon for Holy Family quarterback Chris Helbig. The senior set a state record by throwing for 607 yards in the Tigers first game of the year in a win against Mountain View.
Helbig’s season came to a disappointing end as he tore his ACL and was unable to finish the football season or compete during the basketball season. Despite the injury, Helbig aims to continue his football career at the University of Colorado.
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Meeker’s T.J. Shelton win fourth wrestling title
Despite trailing early in his match, Meeker’s T.J. Shelton became the 19th wrestler in state history to win his fourth wrestling title.
Shelton accomplished the feat with a 16-7 major decision over Centauri’s Chris Martin.
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Houtsma recovers from crash to win nordic skate
Graham Houtsma. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Graham Houtsma took a nasty spill and lost one of his poles when he was leading the nordic skate at the 2016 state skiing championships.
He recovered, was a given a new pole by a teammate, and went on to win the race by one-tenth of a second.
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Kent Denver coach Scott Yates wins 300th game
Kent Denver’s Scott Yates. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Longtime Kent Denver football coach and athletic director Scott Yates won his 300th career game in October.
“It’s not a one-guy deal. That’s all there is to it,” Yates said after the game. “The school’s been great. The program has been a lot of fun. And the coaches and the kids that we’ve had the pleasure to work with is really what makes it.”
Yates was the fourth coach to reach the mark.
But like Brown’s 306th win, this milestone came in a wake of school tragedy. Kent Denver teacher Kristin Brown had passed away a week earlier, and the loss weighed heavy on the school.
“I don’t know if you heard him after the game, but after winning 300 games, he didn’t even talk about that,” said Kent Denver running back Will McKissick. “He talked about Ms. Brown, who we lost this week, and he talked about how there are more important things than football. I think that’s not your average guy.”
Kent Denver advanced to the 2A semfinals in the fall, which puts Yates’ career mark at 304-74. The state record, held by Brown and Pat Panek, is 306 wins.
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Regis Jesuit boys basketball coach Ken Shaw wins No. 700
Regis Jesuit players pose with coach Ken Shaw after he won his 700th game. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
The greens at the Pueblo Country Club are no joke. But with a championship on the line, Silver Creek senior Erin Sargent refused to let them stop her from claiming the 4A girls golf championship in May.
She sank a birdie putt on 18 to top Caroline Jordaan and end her high school career as the best 4A golfer in the state.
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Mountain Range wins 5A softball title
Mountain Range won the 5A softball championship. (Tim Visser/TimVisserPhotography.com)
The 5A softball title went to a team that had never even reached the state tournament before. Mountain Range started play in 2009 and made the state tournament for the first time in 2015.
The Mustangs made the most out of the opportunity, coming away with the 5A championship with a 12-2 win over Pomona. It was only the second overall state championship in school history.
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Valor Christian avenges early-season loss to claim 5A football title
Pomona was good enough to beat Valor Christian in the regular season. But the Eagles proved to be tougher to handle with gold on the line.
Valor forced a turnover with less than three minutes left and was able to capitalize on it to come away with its sixth championship in seven seasons.
“In our program, we don’t want to focus too much on peaks and valleys,” Valor coach Rod Sherman said. “We lost a close game like this last year and tried not to be too devastated about it, and this year we’ll try not to be too over the moon.”
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Castle View’s co-ed spirit title felt like a win for all
In perhaps the year’s best example of all for one and one for all, the Denver Coliseum exploded with cheers for Castle View when it was announced the Sabercats had won the 4A/5A co-ed title.
The reason was easy, coach Heather Acampora has become known for actively rooting on all teams at the event, competition or not. With Acampora’s desire to see all teams succeed at the highest level, it was easy to be happy for her own team’s victory.
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Rainsberger caps incredible career
Katie Rainsberger. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
The 2016 state track meet proved to be the perfect sendoff for Air Academy senior Katie Rainsberger. After bringing home the cross country title in the fall, the Oregon commit swept the 800, 1,600, 3,200 and 3,200 relay to end her high school career as one of the top runners the state has ever seen.
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Sanford ties record for winning streak
Sanford won the 2A boys basketball title. (Jeff Tucker/jefferywtucker.zenfolio.com)
Sanford boys basketball won its third-consecutive 2A championship in March, and in the process extended its winning streak to 73 games. That ties the state record held by Ridway in 1993-96.
The winning streak dates to the middle of the 2013-14 season.
Sanford beat Resurrection Christian 63-58 in dramatic fashion to win the 2A title.
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Oliana Squires ties state tournament scoring record
Sand Creek’s Oliana Squires. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Oliana Squires put on an historic performance during the 4A girls basketball Final 4. The Sand Creek senior tied a state tournament record by scoring 43 points in the Scorpions loss to Evergreen.
Valor Christian went on to win the girls 4A title, but the scoring effort by Squires in the semifinals was the standout performance of the tournament.
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Gifs used to help pass time for 5A basketball bracket release
I might be tough to recall games off the tops of our heads, but the fun we all had while waiting for the basketball selection committee to release the 5A boys basketball was definitely one of the top moments of the year.
Vista Ridge, Sand Creek produce wild ending in boys hoops
In one of the craziest endings all year, in any sport, Sand Creek battled back from a 20-point deficit in the second half to take its first lead of the game on a Jordan Phillips 3-pointer (video above).
The Scorpions forced a turnover and possessed the ball with 10 seconds remaining, but a steal led to an open shot for Raymon Harper who would knock it down, giving the Wolves a huge win over their district rivals.
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Juarez throws a gem to give Holly first baseball title
Seven innings of dominance on the mound gave Holly its first baseball championship in school history, as the Wildcats came away with the 1A crown.
Ricardo Juarez threw seven innings, allowing only four hits while striking out six Fleming hitters in the win.
“Ricardo’s been our guys since he was a freshman,” Holly coach Dayne Eaton said. “We’ve been so close. Two years ago we knocked off a great Stratton team and then last year we tried to save Ricardo and got beat by Dove Creek and they went on to win it.”
Holly had fallen to Fleming in the 2013 1A title game.
The Lewis-Palmer girls soccer team finally got the state championship that barely eluded them a year ago. After falling to Cheyenne Mountain in penalty kicks in 2015, the Rangers needed to find the back of the net only once in 2016.
Annica Fletemeyer scored the only of goal of the game as the Rangers topped Valor Christian 1-0.
“I didn’t want to miss it, that’s what was going through my mind,” Fletemeyer said. “It was a great ball by Brianna (Alger). I didn’t want to miss it because I didn’t want to let my team down. It was just such a rushing feeling of emotion, so I’m just really glad I could put it away.”
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Colorado Academy wins fourth-consecutive field hockey title
Colorado Academy field hockey has won 70-straight games. (Lance Wendt/LanceWendt.com)
For the seniors on Colorado Academy’s field hockey team, the feeling of not winning a state championship will never be felt.
The Mustangs increased their winning streak to 70 games and captured their fourth state field hockey title in as many years.
“It’s definitely not routine,” Colorado Academy coach Veronica Scott said. “It’s beautiful for the seniors because there’s eight girls here who have not lost a game in four years. It’s their fourth championship. For them, that’s extra special.”
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Pueblo West finishes quest for first boys basketball title
Pueblo West was not among the early favorites to come away with the 4A boys basketball title. But that didn’t stop the Cyclones from storming through the bracket.
The win gave the Cyclones their first boys basketball championship in school history.
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Fairview girls tennis ends Cherry Creek’s 19-year state title run
Fairview girls tennis won this year’s 5A championship. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
For 19 straight years, Cherry Creek was the talk of 5A girls tennis. That run ended in may as Fairview became the first team since the Bill Clinton administration to best the Bruins for the team title.
Thanks to Sophie Pearson’s win in No. 3 singles, the Knights edged Cherry Creek by three points. But it took some time for the feat to sink in for Fairview coach Susan Stensrud.
“I’m not one hundred percent,” she said. “I don’t believe it one hundred percent. It hasn’t sunk in, but I’m so glad it’s this team of girls.”
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Valor Christian wins twice on a Sunday to capture 4A baseball
Valor Christian baseball won 4A. (Tom Robinson/CHSAANow.com)
Weather (shockingly) pushed the completion of the 2016 baseball championships back one day. So it was on a Sunday that Valor Christian was able to beat Pueblo West twice to come away with its first baseball championship.
It was the seventh team championship on the year for the Eagles which led all schools.
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Limon’s sportsmanship helps Rocky Ford en route to softball tourney
The Rocky Ford softball team returned to Limon in May to thank the community for its sportsmanship. (Tom Robinson/CHSAANow.com)
Rocky Ford softball was on the way to the 3A state tournament last fall, and when it passed through Limon, the team was met with a road block — and a banner directing the team to a parking lot.
The Rocky Ford team had two players who recently lost their parents, and the tragedies were “widely and deeply felt,” according to coach JC Carrica.
Limon’s community rose up. They prepared goody bags for each player, took the time to talk with the players who recently lost their parents, and then sent Rocky Ford off with honking horns and more banners.
“The girls were hanging their heads out of the bus window, yelling, smiling, of course taking pictures and selfies,” Carrica said. “It was just the encouragement and lift we needed. As we left Limon and entered the interstate, there was not a dry eye on the bus.”
Loveland ends Pine Creek football’s 37-game winning streak
(Josh Watt/CHSAANow.com)
Pine Creek football was a juggernaut this season, storming it was through the 4A ranks.
But then the Eagles ran into Loveland, a No. 13 seed which stunned Pine Creek with a 26-14 win in the semifinals. The loss ended a 37-game winning streak for Pine Creek, which spanned two championships.
Loveland advanced to the 4A title game, where it lost to Windsor.
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Regis Jesuit stuns Monarch to win hockey’s championship
Regis Jesuit won hockey’s championship in the winter. (Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com)
Monarch was the team in Colorado hockey this season, entering with a 21-0 record, and beating teams by a combined score of 20-4 on its way to the championship game.
The Coyotes even took a 1-0 lead 13 seconds into that championship game, against Regis Jesuit in March.
Oh, but. The Raiders stormed back with six unanswered goals to stun Monarch and win the title, 6-1.
