ENGLEWOOD — The boys lacrosse season came to a thrilling end as Mountain Vista and Cheyenne Mountain claimed state championships.
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By Steve Abeyta
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By Steve Abeyta
This season’s boys swimming state meets are June 24-25. Find heat sheets for both the Class 5A and 4A meet below.
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GREELEY — Less than 20 days ago, Holly baseball coach Dayne Eaton made a crucial decision that would greatly shape the ending of his team’s season.
Flatirons Academy was on its way to Holly for a doubleheader and Eaton had to decide whether or not a regular season win was more important than gambling on a pitching matchup for a potential state championship showdown. By the time the decision was made, Eaton had decided that Brigden Parker, the team’s ace, wouldn’t pitch in that regular season doubleheader.
He wanted to save him for state.
The gamble paid off in a big way as Parker threw a complete game shutout and Holly beat the Bison 1-0 to win the program’s second Class 1A state baseball crown and first since 2016.
“Our strength is our depth in pitching,” Eaton said. “So I left (the regular season games) up to those other guys and we were going to save Brigden. The Limon coach (Rocky Rockwell) told me we were on a collision course with them for the state title. Limon beat them by one and beat us by one and both games could have gone either way.”
It was a much bigger gamble considering that Eaton was determined not to throw Parker until the state title game and left the semifinal showdown up to his son, Dakota.
The Wildcats (16-4 overall) helped him out in a big way. Home runs from Parker and Jose Magallanes led the way to a 9-1 win, setting up that showdown between Holly and Flatirons Academy.
That collision course came to a head and right in the middle of it was a pitchers duel. Both Parker and Bison (12-3) starter Trenton Rowan were fantastic throughout the day.
In seven innings, Rowan allowed just four hits and walked one hitter. He struck out 13 batters that he faced. He made just one mistake. He left a pitch over the plate enough that Magallanes blasted it over the left field fence to give the Wildcats a 1-0 lead in the sixth inning.
“He told me it was an inside changeup and he wondered how I got it,” Magallanes said. “He was really confused with how I got it.”
It didn’t matter. A 1-0 lead with the way Rowan and Parker were throwing might as well have been a 10-0 lead. When he saw the ball disappear over the fence, Parker accepted the challenge of finishing the game with a one-run lead.
“I knew it was up to me to shut it down,” Parker said. “Once he hit that, I knew. We got this one.”
His pitch count was creeping up there and his goal was to finish the game. Evan Moll reached base on a throwing error by Parker, but he responded by striking out the next two hitters with a combined 10 pitches.
He needed just one pitch to induce a groundout from Blake Swearingen that gave the Wildcats the state title. He finished the day with 13 strikeouts and worked ahead of hitters very often. Of the 26 batters he faced, he threw 19 first pitch strikes. Overall, he can’t remember a better performance he’s ever had on the mound.
“That has to be No. 1,” he said.
And it all goes back to that June 5 decision from Eaton. He could’ve thrown Parker that day and given his team a mental edge should they play each other for state. But he decided he would save Parker’s best performance for the last game of the year.
AURORA – You have to hand it to the Discovery Canyon foursome on their performance on Monday at CommonGround G.C. in the opening round of the Class 4A state golf tournament.
Mere moments before their collective morning tee times, the Thunder group of Emily Cheng, Christina Cheng, Lauren Jaworowski and Mena Song-Lew got the usual words of encouragement from their coach Mark Liggett.
But they didn’t get to see his face, just heard his voice from back home in Colorado Springs, where he was at the bedside of his wife Susan, who is still in the hospital after complications from a surgery the week prior.
The Thunder (team score of 255), who to a player will admit they didn’t play their best golf on Monday in the ideal conditions at CommonGround, played for their coach and will carry an eight-shot lead over Holy Family (263) into Tuesday’s second round. Cheyenne Mountain (266) is in third and both Windsor (272) and Mullen (272) are lurking in fourth.
“They were all in a better mood this morning when they got the news last night that (Susan) had come out of her third surgery and found out what was making her so sick,” said Discovery Canyon assistant coach David Schwartz, whose team is in search of its first title in the sport. “They were happy to hear that and they all had a chance to talk to him on the phone and that put them all at ease that she is in a better place at least physically.”
Sophomore Emily Cheng led the way for Discovery Canyon, firing a 6-over par 78 on the 5,907-yard layout. She sits alone in third place and will be in the final pairing tomorrow with Holy Family’s Jessica Mason (3-under par, 69) and Mead’s Timbre Shehee (77).
Christina Cheng (88) and Jaworowski (89) rounded out the scoring three for Discovery Canyon.
“They did exactly what they needed to do today, finish in first place, and I think tomorrow will be a better day,” Schwartz said. “They didn’t play their best today and our top three really weren’t on their game, but we are looking forward to tomorrow and the warm weather.”
Schwartz and his team, who are hoping to have Liggett back tomorrow, know that the course they saw on Monday – damp and somewhat receptive after the overnight rains – will play a lot differently on Tuesday in what is supposed to be a 90-plus degree dry day.
“It did play a little slower as compared to the practice round yesterday and that is the most difficult thing for younger players is to readapt to changing conditions,” he said. “Tomorrow will be a totally different day and now that they have the bad rounds out of the way, they know what is in store for them tomorrow.”
As for Mason, who is attempting to keep the medalist honors at Holy Family after three straight wins by Hailey Schalk from 2017-2019, it was a nearly flawless round of golf.
The Tigers junior had it to 4-under after pouring in a 12-foot eagle putt on No. 15, and ultimately finished with a 3-under score of 69. The only blemishes on the card were a couple of three putt bogeys on the inward nine’s two difficult par-3’s.
Mason will carry an eight shot lead into tomorrow’s final round and will have a front row seat to watch her two closest chasers try and catch her.
“I was relaxed today and everything was good today, so tomorrow I just have to come back out and do the same thing,” said Mason, who went a perfect 5-for-5 in Northern Colorado Athletic Conference tournaments this season. “Even if you do have an eight-shot lead, you still have to play well.”
HIGHLANDS RANCH — Four teams met up at Shea Stadium on Monday evening to decide which two programs would have the honor of playing in Colorado’s first ever Class 4A girls lacrosse state championship. By the time the stadium lights were shut off, top-seeded Evergreen and No. 10 Castle View had punched their ticket to the new classification’s inaugural title game.
The Cougars and Sabercats will square off for the 4A trophy on Wednesday at 5 p.m. at Legacy Stadium in Aurora.
There were nerves, but Evergreen’s girls lacrosse team projected complete confidence during the program’s first state semifinal game Monday night at Shea Stadium.
“I have lot of faith in this team. Everyone worked together,” Evergreen senior Kate Nierenberg said after the Cougars’ 17-5 victory over Thompson Valley punched their ticket to Wednesday’s Class 4A state championship game at Legacy Stadium in Aurora. “To have a running clock before halftime was pretty great.”
Nierenberg and sophomore Bella Reece had four goals each for the No. 1-seeded Cougars. Senior Margo Miller and sophomore Averi Gardner poured in three goals each.
“We have a lot of offensive threats,” Evergreen coach Rachel Sanford said of Evergreen having four different multiple goal scorers against Thompson Valley (10-3). “They really moved the ball well and shot well. I’m proud of the chemistry of the team looking for one more pass.”
Evergreen (10-2 record) actually induced a running clock with 2:09 left in the first half when senior Carly Poole scored to give the Cougars a 12-2 lead.
Senior Lauren Spence — who has signed to play women’s lacrosse at Loyola University Maryland — was stellar in net facing the Eagles’ Carr sisters. Sophomore Aidan Carr and freshman Rory Carr had combined for 89 goals so far this season.
“They (Thompson Valley) has some very good shooters,” Spence said. “The Carr sisters are very good. I was ready for those.”
Evergreen hasn’t allowed double-digit goals by an opponent since the Cougars’ opening season loss to ThunderRidge. The Cougars actually started the season 0-2 with losses to ThunderRidge and Fairview.
“She (Spence) is just incredible,” Sanford said. “She is so fast and her decision making is amazing.”
The Cougars will enter Wednesday’s title game on a 10-game winning streak.
“It’s really exciting,” Sanford said of the Cougars headed to the title game against the winner of Castle View and Grand Junction that played in the night cap at Shea Stadium. “I hope we bring it like we did tonight.”
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The 2020 season was canceled on the same day the Castle View girls lacrosse team was scheduled to play its first game last spring, which was meant to be filled with excitement surrounding the first season of Class 4A girls lacrosse in Colorado.
Just over a year later, the Sabercats are making up for lost time in a big way.
With the shot to play in an historic title game on the line, the Castle View girls lacrosse team didn’t take any chances in securing its spot against Grand Junction on Monday night. The 10th-seeded Sabercats (8-5) raced out to an early lead over the higher-seeded and unbeaten No. 3 Tigers (11-1) at Shea Stadium and powered their way to a 17-4 semifinal victory.
On Wednesday night, the Sabercats will have a chance to become the first 4A state champions in Colorado history.
“It was devastating,” Castle View head coach Samantha Silverman said. “It happened right as we were getting ready to play. We actually had a lot of freshmen on our team last year and they never got to play. So to come out this year and make it all the way to the championship game is extremely exciting.
“We are super excited. It feels great and not having a season last year, coming together as a team this year was really special to make it happen. It was awesome.”
In the state championship game on Wednesday, Castle View will play No. 1-seeded Evergreen at Legacy Stadium in Aurora.
PARKER — Four teams met up at EchoPark Stadium on Monday evening to decide the final two teams that would be playing for a Class 5A trophy at the end of Season D. No. 1 Colorado Academy and No. 2 Valor Christian prevailed.
In the final game of the Season D campaign on Wednesday night, the Mustangs and Eagles will play for the 5A championship at Legacy Stadium in Aurora.
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Champions miss the championship feeling, so the Colorado Academy girls lacrosse team felt the same emptiness that every spring athlete experienced last spring when the coronavirus pandemic wiped out the season.
The Mustangs had won the last five state championships in the sport.
Top-seeded Colorado Academy will have a chance to get that championship experience again after advancing to Wednesday’s Class 5A state championship game with a methodical 16-4 victory over fifth-seeded ThunderRidge on Monday evening at EchoPark Stadium. The Mustangs will face No. 2 Valor Christian.
“You don’t know what you have until it’s gone,” Mustangs senior captain Katharine Merrifield said. “It was so tough not having playoffs last year and not having that excitement. You really miss all of that. It makes you appreciate the little things, the practices, the games and just getting to hang out with teammates.”
Colorado Academy turned in the epitome of team play in topping the Grizzlies, who came into the game after becoming the team that kept Cherry Creek out of the championship game for the first time in the sports’ sanctioned history. ThunderRidge downed the Bruins 13-12 in the quarterfinals.
Senior Jessie Bakes scored just 38 seconds into the game and finished with five goals, a total matched by freshman Zoe Martin, while Merrifield added four in a thorough performance that pleased Colorado Academy head coach Laura Sandbloom.
“We played very well as a team; it was a complete performance, which was nice since we only had a 10-game season, which made it a challenge,” said Sandbloom, an assistant on the Mustangs’ five championship teams under Steph Sanders who had her first season as head coach canceled last season.
Sandbloom and her coaching staff prepared Colorado Academy to face a difficult defense in ThunderRidge and the Mustangs looked ready, especially after going against the team’s own veteran defense in practice.
Bakes, who passed the 50-goal mark on the season with her performance, said Colorado Academy was ready.
“They are scrappy and a great defense, but we practice against the best defense in the state with our own players, so that just helps us prepare for games like this,” Bakes said. “We know how to move the ball fast. It was really a team effort.”
ThunderRidge evened the game early on a goal by Lucy Munro, but faced an eight-goal deficit at halftime that grew to double digits in the second half after back-to-back goals by Bakes.
Munro scored twice for the Grizzlies, who finished the season 11-2 overall.
“There’s no woulda, coulda, shouldas, they put it all out there from the beginning to the end,” ThunderRidge coach Dana Srdoc said. “We went up against a team that you can’t make mistakes against and if you do, they take advantage.”
Colorado Academy’s victory was its 22nd in a row in the postseason dating back to a quarterfinal loss to Centaurus in the 2014 quarterfinals.
The Mustangs will play for the state championship for the seventh time and for the first time, Cherry Creek won’t be the opponent. Colorado Academy defeated both Valor Christian and Regis Jesuit this season, but know that whoever emerges from the other semifinal will be ready to play.
“We played both those teams early on in our season and obviously things have progressed since then,” Bakes said. “You’re fighting 10 times harder for that win, so I’m excited to see what either of those teams brings.”
Added Merrifield: “Both are really great teams, but our goal is focusing on CA lacrosse and how we can play together as a team.”
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The foundation had been set for the Valor Christian girls lacrosse team and some new additions have helped take it over the top.
The Eagles had never been as far as the state semifinals before, but bolstered by some young talent, earned the chance to play for a state championship for the first time with Monday night’s 11-7 victory over sixth-seeded Regis Jesuit in a Class 5A semifinal at EchoPark Stadium.
Coach Terry Ellis’ second-seeded team has a tall task ahead of it, however, with undefeated and top-seeded Colorado Academy — which has a 22-game postseason winning streak and is in search of a sixth straight state championships — awaiting in Wednesday night’s title game at Legacy Stadium.
“It’s huge for us, it’s incredible to see how the program has grown,” said Ellis, whose team won its 10th game in a row and improved to 11-1. “It’s a testament to all the people that have come before us, the coaches and players. Without having last year, the girls came out really focused and wanting to win and hopefully we can continue doing that.”
The Eagles joined the school’s boys team in playing for state lacrosse championships — Valor Christian also defeated Regis Jesuit in the boys semifinals — and earned the chance to avenge their only loss of the season, a 15-12 defeat at the hands of Colorado Academy back on May 19.
Valor Christian got that chance with a fast start against Regis Jesuit (8-5), another program in search of its first state championship game appearance. The Raiders were playing in the semifinals for the third time and for the first time since 2013.
The Eagles took the edge in the opening minute on the first goal from sophomore Reagan Digby, who finished the half with a hat trick that helped create a 7-2 lead.
“We have a lot of heart on this team, so I think everybody on this team came out from the beginning with everything they had,” said Digby, who finished with a team-high four goals. “We want to win state so bad.”
Regis Jesuit wanted it badly as well and came out on fire in the second half.
Coach Kathyn Ames’ group reeled off four of the first six goals of the half to pull as close as 9-7 with 11:54 remaining when sophomore Emily Bradac converted a free shot opportunity.
That would be the last score Regis Jesuit would get, however, as Valor Christian added goals by juniors Rachel Pallo and Tess Osburn to keep the game out of reach.
“You get nerves in semis and early some of the jitters and mistakes came out, but I’m definitely proud of the fire and energy we had in that second half,” Ames said. “Sometimes you work so hard to get back and then you can’t get it over the hump.”
Osburn finished with three goals and Pallo had two for Valor Christian, which now can turn its attention to Colorado Academy.
The Eagles believe that Ellis has some tricks up his sleeve to help them get over the top against the Mustangs.
“We’re just going to keep playing our game and see what happens,” senior Lauren Rismani said. “And Coach Terry definitely knows what he’s doing.”
Ellis believes his team can match Colorado Academy with talent and he’ll try to keep his team steady during the early stages of the championship game, so they can be ready to take advantage in key situations.
“We have to play our best and we have to come out strong and understand they are a talented team,” Ellis said. “These are the games you look forward to as a coach, the best against the best. I’m looking forward to it and I know the girls are, too.”
This season’s boys and girls state track and field meet runs June 24-26 at Jefferson County Stadium. A list of heat sheets is below.
More info: Schedule of events
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PUEBLO — As a freshman, Aubri Braecklein trotted around Elmwood Golf Course and finished at 19-over in the Class 3A girls golf state championship. She, like every other competitor that year, watched as Holy Family’s Hailey Schalk grabbed a six-stroke win.
Her sophomore year, she faced a four-stroke deficit to Colorado Academy’s Caroline Jordaan but the second day of the tournament at Eagle Valley Ranch was wiped out by weather.
In 2021, after her junior season was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Braecklein decided that she wouldn’t be denied a third time. She entered the day trailing St. Mary’s Academy freshman Maddy Bante by three strokes but fired a 2-under-par 69 to battle back and win the state championship in her final high school competition.
“This is really special,” Braecklein said. “I’ve had a rough season. I hurt my wrist and I’ve been trying to battle back from that so that made today really special.”
She had her moments where her round was looking spectacular. She got her first birdie of the day on the par 5 third hole then landed her tee shot on No. 6 within two feet of the cup. But it was her shot on the par 3 seventh that truly made it feel like it was going to be her day.
The ball landed on the right side of the green then started rolling forward and banking left, toward the direction of the pin. She was a foot away from a hole-in-one, but felt like she had every bit of momentum at that point.
“I knew I was close, but I didn’t think it was tap-in range,” Braecklein said. “It was a lot closer than I thought.”
Bante did her best to keep up with Braecklein’s pace, but the course wasn‘t as favorable to her Tuesday as it was in Round 1.
Too many times it looked as though her putts were going to fall but they ended up missing the cup by inches on either side. She didn’t quite finish her hunt to become the first freshman to win the 3A title since Schalk in 2017 but competing on that stage gave her valuable experience that she’ll look to apply in the future.
“I need to stay the course and not think too far ahead,” Bante said. “I have to think about the next shot and follow what I think is right and just do what I need to do.”
She’s far from going away empty-handed. Bante and teammate Natalie Tatar finished second and third on the individual leaderboard and Mallory Hopper finished in a tie for 11th after firing an 86. Those scores were good enough to win a team state title, the first girls golf title in school history, the second overall team championship in school history and the first since a field hockey title in 2008.
“It’s really special because I know that I made a difference that helped our team win,” Bante said. “I couldn’t have done it without the other three players we had in Reese (Brown), Natalie and Mallory.”
They also did it for their coach. Ann Wolta Blackstone is in her third battle with breast cancer and watching the way her team battled through two days of competition had her fighting back tears when trying to process the weight that the accomplishment carried.
“It’s such an amazing feat,” Wolta Blackstone said. “In all these years we’ve never won state and we’ve never even won regionals. I’m so proud of my girls. It was such an amazing and beautiful thing to watch.”
And they’ll have a chance to do it again. Bante and Brown are freshmen, while Tatar and Hopper are both juniors.
All of them will be back looking to win more gold in the spring of 2022.
Katelyn Lehigh accomplished several personal goals in spectacular fashion while winning the Class 5A girls golf individual state championship on Tuesday.
The junior golfer opened the final day at City Park Golf Course in a tie for the lead with teammate Taylor Bandemer and turned in a 4-under 66 that tied the 18-hole course record during her closing round and clinched her first state title. It was a championship effort over two years in the making. Lehigh’s two-day score of 138 added a third individual title to her family name – her older sister Lauren Lehigh won state titles in 2019 and 2018 (4A).
While she accomplished each of those things, Katelyn Lehigh’s focus remained elsewhere.
From the start, Lehigh was invested in helping Loveland win its first team title since moving up to 5A and second overall in the program’s history, which the Loveland girls accomplished collectively on Tuesday with a team score of 450.
“The team title always comes first and we did it together,” Lehigh said. “It has always been the goal to win it as a team and win it individually. But playing for the team title is the most important thing and it took all of us. If Reece (Bandemer) and Taylor (Bandemer) and Maryn (Harlow) didn’t play well, it wouldn’t have really mattered what I did.”
Taylor Bandemer tied for eighth with a 154. Reece Bandemer shot a 77 on Day 2 and finished in 14th place. Harlow tied for 50th with a score of 181.
After overcoming her fear of a blow-up opening round on Monday to position herself as the frontrunner for Day 2, Lehigh said her nerves disappeared when it came time to seal the deal on Tuesday. She split six birdies equally between the front and back nines for a 66.
“I was super nervous about everything yesterday,” Lehigh said. “Today, being paired with Olivia (Steen), it felt like pretty much every other high school tournament because we pretty much played together pretty much every single high school tournament. So, I was surprisingly calm today.”
Chasing Lehigh for most of the tournament, Prairie View junior Lily Nelson finished runner-up. She shot a 1-under 69 on the second day. It was the first tournament round under par of her prep career, and it came at a good time.
“It went really well,” Nelson said. “My putting was really good today and I was able to get some up-and-downs. My driver was also pretty good. I’m more confident because I’ve gotten better over the season and I’m looking forward to doing it again next season.”
Fossil Ridge’s Olivia Steen placed third, going 2-over on Tuesday for an overall 146. Eaglecrest’s Emma Bryant, who won the 5A individual title as a freshman in 2018, carded a 147. Valor Christian’s Grace young placed fifth at 149.
Rock Canyon was second in the team scoring. The Jaguars were 25 strokes behind Loveland and Cherry Creek was third with a score of 492.