Fairview freshman Seraphin Castelino will play in the No. 1 single finals. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
DENVER — For the first time in nearly two decades, there might be a new champion in Class 5A girls tennis.
Emphasis on might.
Fairview and 19-time defending champion Cherry Creek are locked in a battle for the team title at the 5A state championships. Fairview holds a slim 58-56 lead in team points following the second day of competition on Friday.
It is a major development in the world of girls tennis. On top of the 19 consecutive titles, Cherry Creek has won 20 of the past 21 championships. And more often than not, those championships have come in a runaway fashion: The Bruins have bested the second-place finisher by an average of 27.6 points during their streak.
The streak is to a point where, from outsiders looking in, championships are simply expected from Cherry Creek girls tennis.
Cherry Creek coach Chris Jacob talks with Gloria Son during her match on Friday morning. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
“We try to really make it about these 11 girls this year. It’s not about the steak,” said Cherry Creek coach Chris Jacob. “But they know about it. They’re smart and they research stuff. … Everybody talks about it at school. They hear about it constantly, so there’s tremendous pressure that goes along with that.
“But they handle it well. I can’t imagine handling myself like that at 17; it’s lovely to see.”
The Knights, on the other hand, have been runner-up four times — 2015, 2012, 2011 and 2010 — in recent seasons.
“We don’t talk about winning,” Fairview coach Susan Stensrud said. “I believe we have the opportunity, the chance, the potential to win it all. But on a day-to-day basis, I don’t talk about winning. I talk about the girls playing their best match, playing their best game, maximizing their potential, and how they can support their teammates.”
Still, Stensrud later, “(The girls) are excited, but they’re very focused on the fact that all of us have a part in it. They’re all trying to think of what their part is.”
Fairview’s current position is made more impressive considering that only four players returned from last season’s varsity team, including the loss of defending No. 1 singles champion Amber Shen, who opted not to play this season as a sophomore.
Seraphin Castelino, a freshman, stepped into the No. 1 singles spot for the Knights, and will play in the final on Saturday. Castelino beat Mountain Vista’s Casey Zhong in three sets (6-7, 6-1, 6-1) to advance. She is the younger sister of former 5A boys No. 1 singles champion Ignatius Castelino.
Castelino will face Poudre’s Ky Ecton in the final. Ecton outlasted Cherry Creek’s Gloria Son in three sets.
“Amber was focused on her studies this year, and Seraphin just stepped right in,” Stensrud said. “For her to — two freshmen, she and Sophie (Pearson) — to drop in our lap this year has been quite a coup this year.”
Pearson will be in a crucial matchup on Saturday, in the No. 3 singles final against Cherry Creek freshman Sayuri Garud. It is one of two remaining head-to-head matchup between the two teams, the other coming in the third-place match at No. 4 doubles.
The Knights also have Clare Lupo and Denali Pinto playing for a title at No. 4 doubles.
Cherry Creek, meanwhile, underwent a rebuild of its own. The Bruins lost three top players to transfers at the January semester break, and returned just five varsity players.
But the transition?
“Not a problem, really,” Jacob said. “It allowed other girls to step up and move into these spots that they’ve worked for.”
The Bruins really gelled during a trip to Chattanooga, Tenn., for a national tournament in March, Jacob said.
And so, “For as tough as that sounds, it was a real smooth transition for us,” Jacob said. “The girls responded, and they get along really well, and they’re supporting each other. We’re in a good spot.”
In addition to Garud, the Bruins have sophomore Micha Handler playing for the No. 2 singles championship, and the duo of Allison Murphy and Emily Wilkens in the No. 2 doubles title match.
Counting playbacks — each team has three positions in third-place matches — both Fairview and Cherry Creek have 15 potential points remaining.
“Some people ask me, ‘Do you want to know what the (team) points are?’” Stensrud said. “And I don’t want to know. I just to know at the end. … It stresses me out too much.”
Poudre’s Ky Ecton will play for the title at No. 1 singles. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Mountain Vista is currently in third place with 37 points, ahead of Poudre (29 points). Poudre has two finalists: Ecton and No. 2 singles finalist Alessia Fabiano, who is an exchange student from Italy.
Heritage is in fifth place with 19 points, while Fossil Ridge, Denver East and Ponderosa sit in a tie for sixth at 15 points.
The finals all begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday at Gates Tennis Center. Admission is free.
Kent Denver still has a chance to unseat Cheyenne Mountain as 4A girls tennis state champion. More photos. (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
PUEBLO — It’s not going to be easy, but it can still be done.
At the conclusion of semifinals and playbacks at the Class 4A girls state tennis tournament, Kent Denver was still alive. That wasn’t the case a year ago as Cheyenne Mountain was able to wrap up their seventh-consecutive title on the second day of competition.
This year, they’ll have to fight to the end.
The Indians currently sit in first place with 69 points and the Sun Devils are right behind them at 56. Cheyenne Mountain will compete in five championship matches Friday while Kent Denver will compete in four. They’ll go head-to-head in two of those matches.
“It’s hard when you hear of the mystique of Cheyenne Mountain,” Sun Devils No. 3 singles player Natalie Bronsdon said. “I think being the underdog and not having as much pressure on us, we come out and we’re going to fight for it.”
Bronsdon scored a major victory for her team in taking Cheyenne Mountain’s Claire Dibble in the semifinals. She won the match 6-3 6-2.
Dibble was forced to put the loss out of her mind and hit the court for playbacks. She beat Discovery Canyon’s Emma Zamora to earn crucial points for the Indians in the race for the team title.
“(The playbacks) are very important points-wise,” Dibble said. “Coach (David) Adams really stresses the importance that if you lose your first match to really shake that off and look toward the next one because that’s where the team is really counting on you.”
And when matches begin at 9 a.m. Saturday, it’s going to be all about team effort. Cheyenne Mountain has a little more padding with a 13-point lead and Kent Denver knows that in order to prevent the Indians from coming away with their eight-straight title, they’ll have to all battle together.
“Every match is really important,” Bronsdon said. “Even if we’re not playing, it’s really important to be off the court and be cheering on our other teams. The support from your teammates is unbelievable. It helps so much and it makes such a huge difference.”
With so much on the line, it begs the question as to how the Sun Devils will approach their day. They’ve already scored better than they did a year ago and as stated before, still alive for the team title.
With that being the case, Kent Denver coach Gay West doesn’t want to disrupt her players in any way, shape or form. To her, normal is the best case scenario.
“At this point of the tournament, there isn’t really much to say (to them),” she said. “They got here doing what they do and for me to try and tell them anything different than what they’ve been doing would be doing them a disservice. Just keep them confident, keep them going, keep them having fun. It’s not rocket science.”
The Sun Devils will have two chances to take points right out of the Indians’ pockets as they’ll face off in No. 1 and No. 4 doubles.
For the rest of the day, they’ll be looking for some outside help, but none of that matters if they don’t take care of their own business.
“It’s going to be a lot of fun and knowing that our teammates are going to be cheering for us and our families and our coaches,” Bronsdon said. “We’ve done everything this season to prepare for this moment, so I think we’re ready.”
Draws for the 2016 Class 4A girls tennis state tournament, held May 12-14 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 2016 Class 5A girls tennis state tournament, held May 12-14 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.
[divider]
Class 5A girls tennis state tournament
Click on a tab to see that bracket, or team scores.
[toggler title=”Team scores” state=”close”]
[adrotate banner=”25″]
[/toggler]
[toggler title=”No. 1 Singles” state=”close”]
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.
Schools: Eaton,* Greeley Central, Fort Lupton, Fort Morgan, Justice, Mead, Mountain View, Northridge, Sterling, Thompson Valley, University, Windsor
Region 5
Date: 5/4-5/5
Site: CU south courts
Site contact: Chase McBride, Niwot
Coaches meeting: TBD
Schools: Niwot,* Dawson, Berthoud, Centaurus, Erie, Frederick, Holy Family, Longmont, Peak to Peak, Silver Creek, Skyline, Skyview, Standley Lake
Region 6
Date: 5/4-5/5
Site: Cheyenne Mountain HS
Site contact: Kris Roberts, Jackie Jones
Coaches meeting: 5/3, 6 p.m.
Schools: Cheyenne Mountain,* Air Academy, Colorado Springs Christian, Colorado Springs School, Harrison, Mitchell, Sand Creek, Sierra, St. Mary’s, Vanguard, Widefield
Region 7
Date: 5/6-5/7
Site: Pueblo City Park
Site contact: Cherie Toussaint, Pueblo County
Coaches meeting: TBD
Schools: Pueblo County,* Canon City, Fountain Valley, La Junta, Mesa Ridge, Pueblo Centennial, Pueblo Central, Pueblo East, Pueblo South, Pueblo West, Salida
Region 8
Date: 5/5-5/6
Site: Canyonview Courts, GJ
Site contact: Jeremy McCormick, Delta
Coaches meeting: 5/4, GrandVista Hotel, GJ
Schools: Delta,* Aspen, Cedaredge, Durango, Glenwood Springs, Hotchkiss, Montezuma-Cortez, Montrose, Roaring Fork, Steamboat Springs, Vail Mountain
DENVER — The 16th annual Phil Krous Invitational brought eight girls tennis teams to City Park on Saturday.
Cheyenne Mountain won the invite with 39 total points. Fairview finished second with 32, and Mountain Vista (25) was third.
Kent Denver scored 19 points to place fourth, and Heritage was fifth with 16. Arapahoe and Denver East tied for sixth with eight points, and Cherry Creek placed eighth with seven points.
[dropcap]S[/dropcap]uccess breeds success. That’s definitely the case for Cheyenne Mountain’s girls tennis team.
The Indians won their seventh-consecutive Class 4A state championship last May, and they are going to be make a run at No. 8 in a row this spring.
That, however, is the main thing, on veteran Cheyenne Mountain coach Dave Adams’ mind.
“We’re not even going down that road at this point,” said Adams about winning another state crown. “We have a lot of changes. Last year we were so spoiled because we had all four doubles teams intact from the year before.”
Cheyenne Mountain lost No. 1 singles player Peyton Fielding (to graduation), and as of press time, Jessica Metz, who lost in the state finals at No. 3 singles a year ago, was not on the team.
The Indians do return juniors Casey Ahrendsen and Ally Arenson, who won state at No. 1 doubles last year, and junior Claire Dibble also returns. She and Tory Louis were state champs at No. 2 doubles in 2015. Senior Chelsey Geisz, who teamed with Megan Dibble to win No. 3 doubles, also is back.
Tatum Mika also returns. She and Rachel Perry (No. 4 doubles) took third last season.
“I know the girls who have been there before, they don’t want to give up the state championship,” Adams said.
Adams added he also has freshman Morgan Hall in Cheyenne’s fold, and she will be playing singles. Hall is the younger sister of Kalyssa Hall, a former No. 1 singles state champion as a freshman and sophomore for Cheyenne Mountain. Kalyssa, a senior at Cherry Creek, lost in the 5A No. 1 singles state finals to Fairview freshman Amber Shen last year.
“Morgan is a strong player,” Adams said.
The Indians have captured 20 state girls tennis crowns in school history. Their school record for consecutive state titles in a row is eight from 1991-98. The Cheyenne Mountain boys tennis program has won 17 state titles.
“I try to telescope our focus a little bit,” Adams said. “We need to focus on the next match and get as good as we can be by the time the state tournament rolls around and we will let the chips fall where they may. I do think it is exciting to try and repeat. I’m intrigued to see how things work out.
“We have different girls this year at different combinations and people playing at different places. To me as a coach, to be the architect of getting everybody where they need to be mentally and getting a sense of playing for the team, that’s where a lot of the fun comes into it for me because you feel like you can have some impact there.”
Last year, Cheyenne Mountain won state with 73 points followed by Kent Denver with 46 points. Kent is expected to return No. 2 singles player Caroline Kawula and No. 3 singles player Maeve Kearny, both who were state champions. Kawula is a senior and Kearny is a junior.
“Kent Denver is going to be tough and so should Steamboat Springs, they won at No. 1 singles last year with (freshman Tatum Burger),” Adams said. “Colorado Academy also is going to be good and Niwot is always good.”
Kent Denver’s Kawula defeated the Indians’ Adamczyk 6-4, 6-7, 7-5 in a near-three-hour match for the No. 2 singles championship.
Kent Denver has won five girls state tennis crowns, the last coming in 2005.
In 5A, powerhouse Cherry Creek is the team favorite again. The Bruins have win 33 girls state tennis titles.
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Girls Tennis preview
Regular season began: March 3
Regular season ends: 5A regionals are April 28-May 1; 4A regionals April 29-May 2
Championships: 5AMay 12-14, Gates Tennis Center, Pueblo; 4A, Pueblo City Park
The Thunderbolts, overwhelming favorites to win 2A this spring, trailed Hotchkiss 6-0 in the semifinals before rallying to take a lead just before a thunderstorm delayed the game and forced the teams to switch fields in the sixth inning. When they resumed, Rye pulled off a hidden-ball trick (video via KRDO) to seal its 9-8 semifinal win.
Rye pitcher Junior Ortiz faked throwing a ball away on a pickoff attempt, and his fielders reacted accordingly. The Hotchkiss runner took off toward third, but Ortiz was able to tag him out.
“We weren’t real sure if it was going to work,” Rye coach Stacey Graham said of the hidden-ball trick. “We practice it quite a bit and we ran it one time successfully, and it worked again. It’s a tough play to do and the guys executed it real well.”
We very nearly erased the football record book and started it over after Air Academy and Sand Creek met on the football field last September.
The two teams accounted for 130 total points, and countless records, in Sand Creek’s 68-62 win. Included in the record performances were 553 yards and nine touchdowns rushing for Sand Creek’s Daniel Quin, and 589 yards passing from Air Academy’s Adam Brown.
In all, four records were set outright, and another 14 entries were made in the record book.
“At the end of the game, the kids were so tired, they could barely shake hands,” Sand Creek coach Rod Baker said. “It was like a brotherhood between them, what they’d been through. It was an amazing event. The high school spirit was amazing tonight for both teams. And they just battled.”
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56-yard field goal to win in football playoffs
Ralston Valley, a No. 1 seed, was 3.4 seconds away from being the first major upset victim in the Class 5A football playoffs.
The Mustangs had one shot at advancing, and it was slim: A 56-yard field goal.
“There’s no loser here,” Cherry Creek coach Jeff Mielnicki said. “They played so hard. We had guys completely dehydrated, drinking whatever they could, but we somehow found a way.”
Chaparral, holding onto teammate’s memory, wins Jazz title
Thousands of fans packed into the Denver Coliseum in early December to watch the state spirit championships. It’s often a raucous affair. But when Chaparral’s jazz team took to the stage, a hush fell across the arena.
Many knew Chaparral’s story: Taylor Llewellyn, their friend and teammate, passed in October. The Wolverines’ routine, narrated by Taylor’s mother, honored her memory.
The routine itself was a powerful moment, eclipsed only by the announcement of the team’s championship later on.
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Jesse Reed wins fourth wrestling championship
Paonia senior Jesse Reed became the 18th four-time wrestling champion in state history in February when he won the 2A 126-pound championship.
“Before my match, all I could think about is, ‘I’m one match away, I’m one match away from being up there with all the elites,’” Reed said. “It’s an honor, it truly is.”
Cherry Creek and Valor Christian’s matchup in the 5A football title left long lines of people waiting to get in. Once they did, they saw Cherry Creek win an epic 25-24 back-and-forth game.
The deciding moment? A two-point conversion with five minutes to play.
“It was a gamble,” Cherry Creek coach Dave Logan said after the game, “and the kids made it work.”
“I knew I could do it,” said DJ Luke, who scored the conversion. “I just wanted to help my team win. It’s the greatest feeling ever.”
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Standley Lake wins gymnastics title after program is nearly canceled
Standley Lake won the 4A gymnastics championship last October. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
In January 2014, there was to be no more Standley Lake gymnastics program. Yet, come October, it was Standley Lake holding up the 4A championship trophy.
How?
“Coming into this year, we only had three girls and so we just kept trying to get as many girls as we could to come out,” Standley Lake coach Kristen Larrington said. “We have five seniors, one junior, and two freshman. So we fought. We wanted it from day one.”
The Gators were led by Jordan Ireland, who finished second in the all-around competition.
“The fact that we even got enough girls to compete is still unbelievable,” Ireland said. “Actually winning is even better.”
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Chaparral boys basketball wins 2OT game with four players
Chaparral beat Denver East in an epic game in January. (Kevin Keyser/KeyserImages.com)
In January, Chaparral and Denver East boys basketball met in a highly anticipated game.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen that,” Chaparral coach Rob Johnson said the morning after the game. “There were so many crazy things that happened just to even go to that point.”
The last Wolverine (Peter Wilson) fouled out with 25 seconds to play in the second overtime.
“I said, ‘Peter, you cannot foul, we don’t have any players left on the bench.’ He goes in there and gets a foul,” Johnson said, laughing.
Chaparral won 82-78.
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Regis Jesuit’s Kyle Goodwin wins fourth diving title
Regis Jesuit’s Kyle Goodwin. (Cliff Lawson)
Kyle Goodwin was marked for stardom before he even began his high school career. By the time it was over? Well, he had accomplished more than any other male diver in state history.
Included: The boys’ all-classification record going down twice in 45 minutes.
Cheyenne Mountain’s William Mayhew ran 1:50.74 to win the 4A event on May 15. That broke the record of 1:51.20, which was set by Smoky Hill’s Blake Yount two weeks earlier.
“Records are meant to be broken,” Mayhew said after his race.
That they are.
Less than an hour later, Yount went 1:50.59.
“Time means more to me,” he said. “There’s kids in other classifications, like Mayhew and (Lyons’ Paul Roberts) — there are people who can race fast across the state. Time is a universal measurement to compare everyone.”
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Chatfield volleyball’s stunning run at state
The Denver Coliseum, site of the state volleyball tournament. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Chatfield volleyball didn’t even host a region during the 2014 season. But the Chargers, a No. 17 seed, advanced out of their region to make the state field of 12.
Once there, Chatfield rallied from down 0-2 in its second match of pool play to force a tiebreaker against Eaglecrest and Cherry Creek, their poolmates.
The Chargers had to beat Cherry Creek in a winner-moves-on set (they did, 25-22), and then Eaglecrest (they did, 25-21) to reach the semfinals.
The crowd only kept buzzing when Chatfield beat Rampart 3-1 in those semifinals to advance to the title game — the lowest seed to ever do so. Ultimately, Grandview ended Chatfield’s run there when the Wolves repeated as champion.
“I loved watching Chatfield progress through the tournament,” said Grandview senior Haley McLaren. “They fought their way through.”
“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.”
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Air Academy stuns Longmont in 4A boys basketball championship
Air Academy won the 4A boys basketball title. (James Bradbury)
Longmont, for all intents and purposes, was the favorite to win the 4A boys basketball title this season. And, in fact, the Trojans rolled to a 27-0 record en route to the title game in March.
Yet Air Academy had some championship experience in their corner. Five players, including three cousins, had helped the Kadets win the 4A boys soccer title in the fall. And Air Academy jumped out to a 26-8 lead.
Longmont did rally, tying the game at 34 late in the third quarter. Ultimately, the two teams went to overtime, where Air Academy pulled out a 64-59 win.
“Most of us had already played in two state championships,” said Air Academy star David Louthan. “I think it helped us stay more composed. We were used to the pressure.”
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Colorado Academy’s streaks stretch in field hockey
Colorado Academy won yet another field hockey championship. (Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com)
Colorado Academy won a third-straight field hockey championship last fall. In the process, the Mustangs extended their winning streak to 41 games, as well as an unbeaten streak to 52 (50-0-2).
Colorado Academy went 17-0-0 during the 2014 season, and outscored opponents 7-0 during the postseason.
“They’re a damn good team,” said Palmer Ridge coach Paul Lewis, whose team faced CA in the final.
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Vail Mountain wins first 2A girls soccer title
Vail Mountain players await the 2A trophy. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Girls soccer is growing in Colorado. That necessitated the creation of a fourth classification — 2A — this season.
It wasn’t only the first-ever 2A title contested. It was also the first girls championship of any kind for Vail Mountain.
“This has been a season of a lifetime,” said Vail Mountain’s Tess Johnson, who was later named 2A player of the year.
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Broomfield girls basketball sends coach out on top
Broomfield players surround coach Mike Croell after winning the 5A title. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Mike Croell is an iconic girls basketball coach in Colorado. And what better sendoff for an icon than a title?
Broomfield beat ThunderRidge in March to claim the 5A crown, and give 20-year coach Croell another championship just before his retirement.
“It means so much,” said Broomfield senior Brenna Fankell. “Being Croell’s last year, we wanted to win it for him.”
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Aspen wins first-ever boys lacrosse championship
(Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)
It was a group of boys who started playing lacrosse together for the first time 10 years ago. According to their coach, Mike Goerne, “They were the first kids to have lacrosse sticks in Aspen.”
In May, they became the first with a title, too.
Aspen beat Valor Christian 17-12 to win the 4A championship behind a barrage of early goals.
“They’ve been fighting for this the last 10 years,” Goerne said. “This is the final piece.”
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Softball equipment for a cause
The Diamond Project, setup at state softball. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Chaparral junior Emily Moore hatched a plan to donate softball equipment to less fortunate players in the Dominican Republic during the 2014 season.
The effort culminated at the state tournament, where Moore, her teammates, and her family, set up a booth to gather donations from across the state.
“I’ve never done anything like this,” Moore said.
Ultimately, all kinds of bats, cleats, helmets, catcher’s gear and softballs were sent down to the Dominican.
Two freshmen rose to the top of the girls tennis world this spring. Fairview’s Amber Shen won No. 1 singles in 5A and Steamboat Springs’ Tatum Burger did the same in 4A.
“Even now, I don’t believe I won,” Shen said after her match. “Even at match point I wasn’t sure if I was going to win or not.”
Said Steamboat Springs coach John Aragon of Burger: “She’s like a little pitbull. She’ll fight to the end.”
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Fossil Ridge boys swim wins title on a relay
(Ray Chen/CHSAANow.com)
Late during the 5A boys swimming and diving championships in May, Fossil Ridge needed a win in the 200-yard freestyle relay to secure a title.
The Sabercats got just that, edging out Cherry Creek by one-hundredth of a second, and beating Regis Jesuit — the team they were battling for the title — by 17-hundredths of a second.
“We knew we needed to win one of the two free relays,” Fossil Ridge coach Mark Morehouse said. “We didn’t know which one, but what we knew is that we couldn’t make a mistake.”
Fossil Ridge’s girls also won the 5A championship in the winter.
