Category: Champions

Evergreen boys soccer wins 4A title over The Classical Academy

Evergreen won the 4A boys soccer championship, taking down The Classical Academy. More photos. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)

COMMERCE CITY — The Classical Academy had designs on a championship on Saturday at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. After all, TCA was appearing in its fifth state finals match in the past six years, the Titans’ second straight since moving up to Class 4A.

Fourth-seeded Evergreen had other ideas as they shut down, and even shutout, one of the state’s best offenses during a 1-0 title-winning performance over the No. 2 Titans (18-2). The victory gave the Cougars their second boys soccer crown and first since 1989, the last season of unclassified play in Colorado when Evergreen took out Fort Collins 1-0, as well. They lost to Mullen in the 4A finals in 2011.

For a still youthful team with only four seniors among the 22 who suited up for the playoffs, Evergreen was already powerful, especially defensively. In finishing with a 17-2-1 record, the Cougars posted 10 shutouts, earning their 10th against a team that entered having scored more goals than anyone in 4A.

TCA was averaging five goals a game and had already scored 17 in four postseason contests. They still have never won in the finals.

In the title match, Evergreen, who hadn’t been as high-powered offensively as TCA during the regular season, averaging 2.6 goals a game entering the day, had put in 18 in the playoffs. But, against TCA, the Cougars got back to what they do best, limit scoring opportunities with a talented defense and get timely saves from their goalie.

After 34 minutes of scoreless play, Benner Cochran sent an absolute screamer to the left pocket of the goal to give Evergreen a 1-0 lead just before halftime.

“It was the happiest I’ve ever been after a goal in my entire soccer career,” the junior midfielder said. “It was awesome.”

Then, facing all kinds of pressure from a desperate TCA squad in the second half, especially in the closing minutes, the Cougars’ defense made the plays needed to preserve the win.

“We have a really athletic defensive line and they just did everything they could to keep their fast forwards out of the goal,” Cochran said. “Their star player getting a red card kind of helped us out too, but they did awesome.”

That star player, Titus Grant, a junior forward for the Titans who tallied 29 goals (tied for most in 4A) and 14 assists this season, earned a second yellow card and one-game suspension after a collision with the Standley Lake goalie on a fifty-fifty ball during a 4-1 semifinals win on Wednesday.

The second yellow card was controversial, but Classical Academy still had plenty of weapons in the likes of Jaden Borja (22 goals, 13 assists) and Anders Carlson (11 goals, 7 assists).

While no doubt missing one of the best players in the state made it that much more difficult for TCA to produce a goal, Evergreen’s defense was also just that dominant. And, in goal, junior Logan Westgard had a number of eye-opening saves.

In fact, during the Titans’ last great look at goal with just over three minutes to go, Jeremy Baldes used his speed to break away from an Evergreen defender. Westgard decided to run out to try and snatch the ball in a play that seemed like it could go either way with a goal or a stop. Westgard corralled the ball and Evergreen was able to drain the clock from then on.

Evergreen coach Ross Fowler, in his third year with the program, second as the head coach, says the depth the Cougars possessed in goal this season was a real asset.

“We are ridiculously fortunate as a squad, because we have three goalkeepers,” he said. “Logan was the starting keeper today. Jack Cardillo has had a lot of minutes and has been just as important. Brian Belrose played on our JV.

“It was Logan’s day today. I could’ve put any one of the three in there and I wouldn’t have had any doubts that they were going to get the job done. Logan’s save in the last three minutes was just pure desire, pure bravery.”

Both teams will return nearly everyone in 2016.

“The work and desire of the group that we’ve got, they didn’t want those seniors to leave without a state championship,” Fowler said. “We want to repeat next year.”

November 14, 2015
Kent Denver repeats as 3A boys soccer champion

Kent Denver won a second-straight championship in Class 3A boys soccer. More photos. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)

COMMERCE CITY — Kent Denver captured its second consecutive boys soccer state title on Saturday, shutting out Fountain Valley 2-0 and ending with a nearly perfect, yet still undefeated season, at 19-0-1.

The one tie in their record came in mid-September when Fountain Valley came to play, resulting in a 1-1 finish. The matchup nearly two months later looked unsurprisingly similar, even though the Class 3A championship was on the line. Both teams played fast and physical, with equal possession throughout.

Free kicks ruled the game, yet none could connect. Both teams kept poking and prodding at each goal, with goalies Philip Huxel and Ross Rainaldi keeping the game scoreless.

But at nearly 63 minutes into the game, the Fountain Valley Danes made a costly error, fouling halfback Davis Oudet in the box and giving the Sun Devils a penalty kick.

Kent’s lead scorer, Max Gottesfield, took the shot, keeping it on the ground and sending it left past Huxel.

“I was skeptical about taking it but Davis told me to do it and I — well, I just made it,” said Gottesfield, the junior forward who continues to execute on the goal game and game again.

Fountain Valley fans were hopeful of their tenacious squad, but each close free kick, corner, or cross continued to come up short, Rainaldi punching out two potential game changers in those last 17 minutes.

Kent Denver then sealed its win in the last few minutes, finally finishing one of their crosses in the box. Senior halfback Tyler Nowak used his left finesse foot to put it over three defenders while fellow halfback, junior Rory Buck, met the ball in the air to head it perfectly past Huxel. Nowak put the finishing goal in the net at last year’s state championship, as well.

Fountain Valley wraps up its season 15-3-2. The Danes remain winless in their two state championship appearances, the last in 2007. This was Kent’s eighth appearance in the state championship, and second consecutive championship win.

More photos. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)

Gottesfield will head into his senior year and 2016 season with two back-to-back championships. He adds to his resume with game winning goals in both the semifinals and championship of this year’s state tournament.

“It feels amazing. We just worked hard all year,” said Gottesfield. “We tied this team in the regular season and we just had to keeping working to get it done this time while they continued to put up a really tough fight. It feels so good to have made it again.”

Though the sound structure and experience of Kent Denver took the trophy in this matchup, the hustle and heart from the Fountain Valley Danes was nearly tangible.

Fountain Valley senior midfielder Sam Bermingham seemed to be everywhere on the field. He played with a bandage on head, just missing on crosses and shots on the offensive, and stopping the Sun Devils perfect strikes from reaching goal.

“It was such a great season. I mean, I am so proud to be playing with these kids, for this school,” Bermingham said. “We never thought we were going to make it this far, we never thought we’d be playing on this professional field, or getting second place. It’s an amazing feeling.

“It’s been seven years since our school has made it and it would have been great to win it but second place isn’t that bad. Being next to these players is everything.”

November 14, 2015
Pomona’s Kelsey Boychuk steals the show at Day 2 of state gymnastics meet

(Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)

THORNTON – Pomona High School was in Kelsey Boychuk’s blood from the time she was born.

Her mother, Tracey Boychuk, has been involved with Pomona gymnastics as either the head coach or an assistant, except for a few years off to stay at home with the kids, since 1994.

“Kelsey has been in Pomona High School since she was a baby, because I was always there,” Tracey, the Panthers’ current head coach said. “Competing for Pomona was always something she said she wanted to do. We were fortunate that her club coaches agreed to it, because she really enjoys it.”

After being crowned as the 5A all-around champion back-to-back years as a sophomore, not to mention winning her second consecutive titles in the vault (9.800) and the balance beam (9.800), and being at the forefront of Pomona’s first-ever state championship in any girls sport this weekend at Thornton High School, the 15-year-old is off to a spectacular high school career.

But for many gifted gymnasts, competing outside of club never becomes a reality. For Kelsey, being a Panther was always going to be in the cards.

“I knew a lot of girls on the team,” Kelsey added. “For the experience, it’s fun.”

And for the already decorated gymnast, suiting up for Pomona just felt like home, and not just because her mom is the head coach.

“She got started when she was 18 months old and her first coach is one of my assistant coaches, Kristen Larrington,” the elder Boychuk said. “She did rec gymnastics for awhile and got into club about five years ago. She has just excelled at it.”

Tracey Boychuk, a former gymnast at Arvada High School and for the University of Northern Colorado, said her daughter has some similarities to the only other Pomona all-around champion, Natalie Gillan from 2001 and 2002.

“Kelsey actually reminds me a lot of Natalie with her focus,” Tracey said. “She goes out there and has fun and doesn’t really worry about what anybody else is doing. They are both even keeled and I think it’s served them both well.”

Nonetheless, she never expected this type of success from Kelsey, especially this early.

“Last year was a huge surprise,” the coach admitted. “Obviously I knew she was a talented gymnast, but this is more than I ever could’ve imagined.”

Asked if she’s thought about the possibility of becoming the only four-time all-around gymnastics champion in Colorado history after starting her career two-for-two, Kelsey said, “It’s something that I look forward to trying to do.”

While the Pomona sophomore stole the spotlight again this year, her teammate, Alyssa Minyard, a senior, won the uneven bars with a score of 9.700 for her first title. Another teammate, Brooke Weins, was the runner-up. Weins, then Minyard, were also second and third behind Boychuk in the vault, backing up Pomona’s record breaking Friday in which the Panthers set the all-classification best by becoming the first team to score over 190 points with 190.925.

Autumn Bottke of Rocky Mountain won her first individual crown in the floor exercise with a 9.825. Minyard was second (9.775).

In Class 4A, the Niwot Cougars, after winning their first team title since 2001 on Friday, saw winning performances out of senior Ila Katechis in the vault (9.450) and the balance beam (9.600). Marissa Koski, a junior, won the uneven bars (9.325) after finishing as the runner-up in the event in 2014. Both ladies became individual state champions for the first time, as well.

Elizabeth’s Lexye Wood, the all-around runner-up to Standley Lake’s Rachel Cody on Friday, won the floor exercise (9.450). She was also a first-timer as far as individual titles go.

November 8, 2015
Pomona sets scoring record in winning 5A gymnastics championship

(Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)

THORNTON — Pomona has come painfully close to winning state championships. While often in the mix in a number of sports, they’ve seemed to finish seasons in the semifinals or as the runner-up a number of times.

But on Friday at the Class 5A state gymnastics meet at Thornton High School, the Panthers left nothing to chance as they trounced all competitors and even the all-classification Colorado record with a monstrous 190.925 point total. The previous all-time best was set back in 1998 by Cherry Creek with 189.775.

Just how thorough was Pomona in their domination?

The Jeffco school had the individual champion in the all-around competition as the coach’s daughter, Kelsey Boychuk (38.825 points), won back-to-back this year as a sophomore. The Panthers also had the runner-up in Brooke Weins (38.725) and the third place finisher in Alyssa Minyard (38.625), an Oregon State commit.

Weins and Minyard were first and second in the uneven bars, Boychuk, Minyard, and Weins, in that order, were ahead of everyone in the vault, and Boychuk was first in the balance beam. In the Panthers’ worst event, the floor, Boychuk still finished fourth, Weins ninth, Minyard 11th, and Hadley Hagemann 13th.

With that type of top end talent on the same team, it’s no wonder Pomona was able to become the first-ever team to score over 190 points.

The school, located in Arvada, also won their first-ever state championship in any girls sport. It was their first title since winning 5A wrestling in 2013 and sixth title overall.

“It means a lot to the school and to the community,” Pomona coach Tracey Boychuk, in her 15th season at the helm, said. “They’ve worked so hard and they’ve wanted this for a long time. Four years ago, these seniors wanted this. The community deserves this. I’m so happy.”

Pomona’s Kelsey Boychuk. (Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)

Boychuk, whose team dominated in every discipline, yes, even the floor, said she liked the rotation for her team. They began with the floor and closed in style with the uneven bars.

“Floor, this whole year, has been our weakest event, and bars has been our strongest event, so we felt like it was a really good rotation for us,” she said. “They really came through. Their confidence showed tonight.”

And, even with a team tally that astronomical, the long-time Pomona coach felt it wasn’t a huge surprise for the level of talent they have and how hard her girls have worked.

“We had set a goal of 190 at the beginning of the season,” she said. “We hit a 188 earlier in the year without everybody and we hit a 187 at regionals without everybody. We knew this was going to be our chance.”

Broomfield finished as the runner-up with 185.875 points. Rocky Mountain was third with 184.900 and Overland, the defending champions and winners of four of the past six titles going in, finished fourth with 184.200. Interestingly enough, the Trailblazers nearly scored the same amount as they did in winning the 2014 state title when they racked up 184.97 points. Clearly, not just for Pomona, 2015 has been an extra special season for 5A gymnastics.

As for the individual all-around competition, Kelsey Boychuk achieved something that is often so elusive in sports, repeat as a champion. Her mom was proud.

“Her focus is just amazing,” Tracey said. “She loves what she does and she does it for the team. She loves being part of this team and I’m so happy for her.”

“It means a lot,” Kelsey added. “We did it for each other. It was much more exciting this year, because of the team.”

The 4A and 5A state meet will continue on Saturday at Thornton at 4 p.m. Those who finished in the top 15 of any of the four events on day one will compete for the vault, beam, bars, and floor state championships on day two.

November 7, 2015
Niwot overcomes season of injuries to win 4A gymnastics championship

Niwot won the 2015 state gymnastics championship in Class 4A. (Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)

THORNTON — Niwot began the season with plenty of question marks.

On Friday at Thornton High School, site of the Class 4A state gymnastics meet, the Cougars closed the year as state champions.

After finishing third in 2014 with 177.38 points, behind only the champion, Standley Lake (179.05), and Elizabeth (178.35), Niwot was returning some serious firepower, especially in the likes of Marissa Koski, a fourth place finisher in the all-around competition as a sophomore.

But Koski, and several of the other top Cougars, were sidelined early with ailments and injuries.

In the end, Niwot healed in time to put an assault on the 4A field at the state championships. Koski came through with first place finishes in her best event, the uneven bars (9.35), and the balance beam (9.5), and Niwot was able to stockpile points with Lindsey Chohon (first in floor), Ila Katechis (first in vault), Amelia Sears (second in balance beam), Alexis Carroll (third in vault), and a number of others in all four disciplines.

Niwot finished the day with 178.2 points. Elizabeth, the team champions in 2009, 2010, and 2012, was the runner-up with 177.175 and Pueblo Central was third with 166.525.

Katechis, who competed for Niwot as a freshman before focusing on club the past two seasons, rejoined the team as a senior. She said everyone played a role in winning Friday.

Niwot’s Ila Katechis. (Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)

“We didn’t have Marissa in the beginning,” Katechis said. “She scores big for us. We needed her bar score, for sure, so having her back was awesome. A couple of the girls who had minor injuries are also back. We wouldn’t be here without them.”

Despite this season’s question marks, Niwot knew it had a chance at a memorable state meet if health cooperated.

Marisa Purcell, in her initial season at the school after helping to lead Standley Lake to their first-ever state title in gymnastics in 2014, became the co-head coach with Mallorie Lang, who is in her seventh season at Niwot. Purcell said the team’s coaches were cautious with the ladies’ injuries and made sure not to rush them back too quickly. It paid off with Niwot’s fifth state championship in the sport (tied for 5th most all-time with Overland) and first since winning back-to-back 4A crowns in 2000 and 2001.

“For our co-head coach, Mallorie Lang, it feels so good to be able to get a state title for her and take it back to the school,” Purcell, whose daughter was already on Niwot in 2014, said after winning her second overall title.

Purcell’s former school, Standley Lake, finished fourth with 163.65 points.

On top of that, one of her former athletes, Rachel Cody, only a sophomore, was crowned as the all-around individual champion.

Cody, who earned third place in 2014 behind ultra-talented seniors Alyssa Carroll of Thompson Valley and teammate Jordan Ireland, was second in the uneven bars, third in the balance beam, fifth in the vault, and sixth in the floor on Friday. Her final point tally was 36.625, good enough to edge out the Elizabeth tandem of Lexye Wood (36.175) and Amanda Taylor (35.7), for her first all-around title.

The sophomore said her warm up didn’t go so well, but starting with the floor got her into rhythm and everything fell into place after that.

“It means a lot,” Cody said of being the 4A all-around queen. “It’s weird, because I’m just a sophomore. It’s really an honor.”

Asked if she paid much attention to her competitors, Cody admitted she had her eye on two other teams.

“I pretty much watched Niwot and Elizabeth over and over again,” she said. “I’m really close with Niwot’s team, because that was our old coach. I just focused on my performance today, but I definitely watched them a lot, too.”

As for what a state championship means to not only Cody, but also for her school, the sophomore was ecstatic in her response.

“Our school isn’t really too big on gymnastics but after last year, winning state, they definitely knew we were there,” she said. “It’s really cool for Standley Lake.”

The 4A and 5A state meet will continue on Saturday at Thornton at 4 p.m. Those who finished in the top 15 of any of the four events on day one will compete for the vault, beam, bars, and floor state championships on day two.

November 6, 2015
Colorado Academy field hockey wins fourth consecutive state title

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

DENVER — It turns out there was gold on the end of the rainbow that was the 70-game unbeaten streak for the Colorado Academy field hockey team.

The Mustangs topped Cherry Creek 1-0 Saturday night to win the 2015 state championship. It is the fourth-straight state title for the Mustangs.

“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.”

It was a tough night for either offense to get anything going. The best opportunity for either team came with about five minutes left in the first half as Colorado Academy was given a corner opportunity and the ball was played right in front of Cherry Creek keeper Sara McGuire.

She was able to kick it out of immediate danger, and the Bruin defenders were able to clear the ball away from the net, preserving the 0-0 tie.

The Mustangs got another corner opportunity with about 20 seconds left in the half, but Clara Petch’s shot was deflected and time ran out. The teams went into halftime at a scoreless tie and began making adjustments, hoping something would give.

“We tried to change up a few things,” Cherry Creek coach Taylor Silvestro said. “The main thing was keep up the intensity and try to beat C.A. to the ball.”

The Bruins came out in the second half trying to press a little more on the offensive end, but turned the ball over to the Mustangs and then committed a foul inside the circle, leading to another Colorado Academy corner. Emma Richards played the ball in and then received a pass with a great shot at the net.

Bu like she had for most of the night, McGuire turned the ball away and kept the Bruins in the game.

But the Mustangs began to feed off the momentum from that shot. They consistently played in the Cherry Creek zone and put pressure on McGuire and the Cherry Creek defense.

Colorado Academy thought they had a goal on a Petch shot, but the officials deemed it a dangerous ball and the goal was waived off.

But the Bruins wouldn’t be as fortunate only minutes later. Sammy Little played her way behind McGuire and a received a pass leaving her with a wide open net. She buried the shot home, giving the Mustangs a 1-0 lead and inching them closer to championship gold.

“I think it was a very even game and that’s why it took a while for the opportunity to come,” Little said. “Luckily we were in the right place at the right time and it worked out for us.”

And that it did. Being in the right place at the right time once again had the Mustangs lifting championship gold. Colorado Academy had beaten Cherry Creek 2-1 earlier in the season and the Bruins felt they also could have won that game.

At half, with the game scoreless, it seemed that the title of champion was in play for either team, but it was the Mustangs who kicked up the intensity in the last 30 minutes to come away as winners.

“Our nerves started to kick in during the first half,” Little said. “In the second half we were able to relax and get into the swing of things and trust our teammates and trust ourselves.”

November 1, 2015
Air Academy’s Katie Rainsberger highlights girls cross country state championship races

(Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)

COLORADO SPRINGS — In a tradition-rich state for distance running, becoming a legend takes plenty of state titles and, just as important to a legacy of that magnitude, plenty of dominance.

The all-time great girls, the Melody Fairchild’s, the Megan Kaltenbach’s, the Rebekah McDowell’s, the Elise Cranny’s, they’ve all had one thing in common. Not only have they won and won a lot, but they’ve had an aura of invincibility about them. When the greats toe the starting line, they command respect.

Well, Katie Rainsberger, a senior dynamo on any type of cross country course and in a number of disciplines on the track, has that aura to her.

Sure, winning back-to-back individual Class 4A state championships, which she did Saturday at the Norris Penrose Event Center in Colorado Springs, helps. Claiming the distance triple crown—state titles in the 800 meters, the 1,600, and the 3,200, not to mention anchoring the winning 3,200 relay for Air Academy last spring—also helps.

(Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)

Still, despite accomplishing just about everything there is to be accomplished state-wide, Rainsberger was missing one award for her trophy case. That is, until Saturday morning when the future Oregon Duck, with the help of four teammates in Paige Embaugh (freshman, 5th), Maria Mettler (junior, 10th), MacKenzie Moss (freshman, 14th), and Kayla Wiitala (senior, 30th), won their first girls cross country state championship in school history.

“I am so excited. It’s my senior year and that’s all I could have asked for,” Rainsberger said of the team title. “I don’t even have words right now.”

For all the senior has achieved in her high school career—she is one of the very best in Colorado history—she said winning with her teammates was something extra special.

“I think that is the highlight of my high school career. Individual titles are great, but when you are working with a team and for a team, it means all the more.”

Individually, she ran 17:38, the top time of the day by 35 seconds over 4A runner-up Kayla Young of Denver North (18:13) and, as one of the favorites to win the Nike national championship coming up, has plenty of individual pursuits ahead in high school and beyond. But for Rainsberger, nothing was sweeter than a team title.

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Class 5A:

(Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)

Another all-time great, Lauren Gregory of Fort Collins, entered Saturday with two state championships under her belt. And she’s only a junior. With that, she did feel an added amount of pressure to keep her run as the 5A queen alive.

“There was a lot more hype this year and the self-imposed pressure of not losing the streak,” Gregory said. “Our coach says, ‘clear mind, clear mind,’ and I had to remember that.”

The Lambkin, another of the country’s finest runners, was going against a crazy talented 5A field that included Grandview’s Brie Oakley, Legend’s Catherine Liggett and Mountain Vista’s Allie Chipman. After winning by huge margins each of the previous two state meets, Gregory gapped the others by a few seconds and then held on for the win over Oakley, 18:15 to 18:17.

“That was the hardest I’ve had to work,” she said. “This was such a harder race, because everyone was on their A-game.”

Gregory will have a chance at becoming one of the only four-time cross country champions in state history next year.

As for the team race, the Broomfield Eagles claimed their first-ever girls state title with 112 points, a narrow eight point margin of victory over Cherry Creek. Fairview was third with 124.

Emily Mitchem (8th place), Ivy Gonzales (18th), Katelyn Mitchem (19th), McKenzie Gaines (23rd), and Alena Valdez (44th) was the scoring five for the Eagles, a program with plenty of distance running success over the years, but now a team title on top of it.

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Class 3A:

(Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)

This race ended with some fascinating finishes, both individually and team-wise.

Peak to Peak had two freshmen, Quinn McConnell and Anna Shults, place first and second. On a side note, McConnell, already a high school state champion, also won the middle school state meet last year. Her time Saturday was 18:41, nine seconds clear of Shults.

Obviously with the top-two finishers in the race, the Pumas seemed bound to fare well in the team standings. They ended up with 56 points and were second.

Salida, after a uniform incident a season ago, non-identical singlets, led to the Spartans only being allowed five competitors instead of the usual seven, Salida had a measure of redemption Saturday as they won the team crown with 50 points. It was their second state title in the past three years after finishing as runner-up to Alamosa by a mere four points in 2014.

Sydney Fesenmeyer (6th place), Taryn Ceglowski (7th), Phoebe Powell (8th), Cecilia Kastner (10th), and Bari Beasley (19th) led the way for the Spartans.

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Class 2A:

(Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)

Much like the 3A race, except this time it was twin sisters, the same team had the individual state champion and runner-up.

Heritage Christian seniors Rachel (19:55) and Rebekah Rairdon (20:05) fended off Telluride’s Soleil Gaylord (20:09) in a tight top-three battle.

In a bit of a surprise though, Telluride, with Maya Ordonez coming in sixth and Larkin Brodie coming in seventh, tallied 16 points, good enough for a three point margin of victory over Heritage Christian. Carrying on with the theme of the day, the Miners also won their first-ever state championship in girls cross country.

And, Telluride will return all three scorers from their winning effort as Gaylord is only a sophomore, Ordonez a freshman, and Brodie a junior.

October 31, 2015
Paul Roberts wins fourth individual title, Lyons captures team boys cross country championship

(Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)

COLORADO SPRINGS — Paul Roberts, though it may seem that way when considering all he’s accomplished, isn’t superhuman.

But, when it comes to the Class 2A state cross country meet the past four seasons, Roberts is perfect. He’s a perfect 4-for-4 in winning state individually and, on top of that, he’s 4-for-4 in helping Lyons to team crowns.

In that measure, the senior might not be superhuman, but his results are spectacular. So spectacular that, throughout Colorado history, no male runner before him had ever won four individual state championships in cross country. Not Adam Goucher, who won the Foot Locker National High School Cross Country Championship in 1993 before a storied collegiate and pro career. Not Bret Schoolmeester. Not Kevin Williams. Not Evan Appel.

Also, although 2A is the smallest classification in cross country, consider the fact that Roberts did have either the first or second fastest time for any classification at the state meet during each of his four seasons.

On Saturday at the Norris Penrose Event Center, the senior ran a time of 15:33, a 17-second betterment of the 3A champion (Ben Butler of Skyview Academy) and the 4A champion (Tanner Norman of The Classical Academy), who both ran 15:50. The 5A champion, Isaac Green of Monarch, finished in 16:03. At least this season, the best 2A runner was the best runner, period.

For Roberts, four individual crowns seemed in the realm of possibility pretty much from the time he first donned the Lyons singlet, but four team championships just adds to his legacy.

“Honestly I’ve had that goal for awhile,” he said of being a four-time solo champ. “The team thing is even more important to me. It’s been tough every year. I’m a little more excited for the team. The individual is just a cherry on top.”

Roberts has always led the way, but it’s not like he hasn’t had help. After all, cross country is, first and foremost, a team sport. Joel Such, another senior and a teammate of Roberts since sixth grade track, was the runner-up Saturday in 16:33. He was eighth at the state meet as a freshman, third as a sophomore, 21st as a junior, despite battling injuries, and now the runner-up.

“We’ve been together for a really long time,” Roberts said. “He’s a great guy to train with, a great guy to race with, and I wouldn’t want to race for anybody else.”

The final scorer for Lyons on Saturday was Landon Milbrath, a sophomore who came through with a 14th place showing.

Even though only three runners score in Class 2A, compared to five in the bigger divisions, Paul’s dad Mark, the Lyons coach, was equally proud of their fourth finisher, senior Cameron Cross (22nd).

“He was the glue for our next group after Paul and Joel,” the elder Roberts said. “He didn’t score for us, but he was the unsung hero of this group.”

For Lyons, the school had never won state in boys cross country before Roberts and Such showed up. Now, led by Paul, a recent Colorado State-Pueblo commit, they are a dynasty.

“We hope we can continue to build off the culture that has been established by this group,” Mark Roberts said.

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Class 5A:

(Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)

As Lyons has owned 2A for years, in 5A, the elite team has been Mountain Vista. The Golden Eagles spread their wings again Saturday in winning their fourth consecutive state championship. In doing so, they became the first-ever program to win four 5A boys cross country crowns in a row.

In 2014 they became the first to win three in a row, as well, so this season cemented their place in history to an even further extent.

“I have to give credit to the people before us,” senior Paxton Smith, a member of all four titles teams, said. “They really developed the dynasty. It’s something special.”

In Smith’s estimation, this was the best Vista team ever. With an absolutely dominant 50-point total, well ahead of Fort Collins (110), he seems to be right. Smith (fifth place), Alex Fu (eighth), and Ryan Currie (26th) proved to be a special senior class. Throw in junior Joshua Romine (sixth) and sophomores Parker Mackay (11th) and Shayan Zarrin (22nd) and the Golden Eagles proved far too much for anyone to handle in 5A, once again.

The individual race provided more drama as Monarch junior Isaac Green outkicked and outlasted Broomfield senior Jake Mitchem by the slimmest of margins, 16:03 to 16:04. Steven Goldy of Arapahoe was third in 16:07.

For Green, a cross country state title backed the idea that he has become 5A’s best after also winning the 1,600 meters in track last spring as a sophomore. His speed paid off again.

Class 4A:

(Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)

In the second largest classification, a number of individual contenders seemed to have a real chance at winning it all.

Golden’s Alec Hornecker, Montrose’s Ian Meek, Widefield’s Maximilliano Martinez, Thompson Valley’s Jarrett Thollot, and The Classical Academy’s Tanner Norman all toed the line with title hopes.

After a torrid early pace set by Meek, who had at least a couple of seconds on the field through the mile, the large chase pack eventually caught the junior. Then, Norman emerged as the champion with a 15:50, just two seconds in front of Hornecker. Martinez (3rd), Meek (4th), and Thollot (6th) all capped off strong seasons with high finishes.

The team competition, as expected, came down to Durango and Palmer Ridge as they established themselves as the powers this year from the get-go.

The Demons, third place in 2014 and with seven seniors comprising the varsity, beat the defending champion Bears 73-75. It was the team’s seventh state title in boys cross country, but first since 1999. They are now tied with Pueblo Centennial for the third most championships by any school and only trail Fort Collins (8) and Lake County (19).

Benjamin Lachelt (5th), David Moenning (10th), Nicholas Turco (14th), William Chandler (19th), and Jordan Helms (25th) led the way.
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Class 3A:

(Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)

Ben Butler, a senior at Skyview Academy and another highly rated runner nationally, won back-to-back state titles in commanding fashion with a time of 15:50. He also finished fourth as a sophomore and was the 3,200 meter state champion last spring.

Salida senior Taylor Stack (16:16) was the 3A runner-up for the third time in a row. He was seventh as a freshman. No surprises from those two.

As for team standings, Alamosa, for the second straight year, handled runner-up Frontier Academy and everyone else for a seemingly easy state crown. After returning five of their top seven runners from 2014, the Maroons tallied 55 points and ran away from Frontier (118).

Isaiah DeLaCerda (3rd), Caleb Palmer (6th), Miguel Mateo Baltazar (10th), Caleb Berlinger (14th), and Oscar Martinez (22nd) were the five scorers this year. Perhaps a budding dynasty, Alamosa will return their entire varsity in 2016.

October 31, 2015
Abby Zuschlag’s sixth inning home run lifts Valor Christian to back-to-back softball titles

Valor Christian won the 4A softball championship. More photos. (Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com)

AURORA — The message was clear. If Wheat Ridge was going to take the Class 4A state softball championship from Valor Christian, they were going to have to pry it out of the Eagles’ hands.

The Farmers came up short on offense and a sixth inning home run by Abby Zuschlag gave Valor a 2-1 win, and they second-straight softball championship.

“When the bracket came out, we knew we would have to go through Frederick, Erie and Wheat Ridge and sure enough, we did,” Eagles coach Dave Atencio said. “Thank the lord we got through all three of them. They were the best three teams we played all year. Our hitting came through once again.”

It was almost eerie in the way the Eagles won in the semis and then similarly brought home the state championship. Locked in a 0-0 tie late against the Erie Tigers, Lauren Foster launched a home run — Valor’s only hit of the game — to give them a 1-0 lead.

In the finals, the Farmers and Eagles were locked in a stalemate until Zuschlag got ahold of a pitch, sending it over the left field fence.

“It was such an incredible feeling,” Zuschlag said. “I was planning on bunting because I thought Vannah (Behabetz) was going to get on, and doing what I needed to for the team. The minute that hit my bat, it was an unbelievable feeling.”

But the feeling of holding the state championship trophy in her hand was better.

The Eagles had to battle through Erie and Frederick last year to come away as champions. Coming into this season, the Eagles thought that some observers were down on them and questioned their ability to successfully repeat.

More photos. (Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com)

“We were able to prove ourselves,” Zuschlag said. “We worked so hard all season and we were able to just come to this tournament and prove that we could do it again. We’re the same team and we’re just as good, if not better.

Alexandria Kilponen came up big for Valor on the mound. She allowed a home run to Anna Marie Torres, the first batter she saw, but then settled down.

She struck out seven Farmer hitters and only allowed one base runner to reach third base. That came in the third inning when the Farmers had their best chance to put runs on the board, loading the bases with only one out.

“(Kilponen) did a good job pitching against us,” Farmers coach Marty Stricklett said. “We just have to come out with base hits after loading the bases with one out. To (come away empty) … that’s going to haunt me for a year.”

As tight as the semifinal and championship games were for the Eagles, they knew that Kilponen didn’t need that much run support for them to get their hands on the hardware.

Only a sophomore, she gives the Eagles a great look to take more championships in the years to come.

“With a pitcher like Kilponen, we know if we get one or two runs, we’re tough to beat,” Atencio said. “She’s only a sophomore, but she comes through in the clutch. Once we got that lead, it was ours.”

Desperately needing a runner to reach for Torres to get one more at-bat, Julia Shippley hit a dribbler down the first base line. Skylar Vaughn initially mishandled the ball but recovered and hustled to the bag to end the game and etch the legacy of the 2015 Valor Christian Eagles in stone.

October 25, 2015
Strasburg caps perfect season with 3A softball championship

Strasburg won the Class 3A softball championship. More photos. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

AURORA – After a year away, Strasburg’s softball team is once again the queen of Class 3A.

The Indians won their third Class 3A state championship in four years, the latest coming Sunday when they beat Eaton 7-5 in the title game at Aurora Sports Park.

“This is just great icing on the cake,” Strasburg coach Michelle Woodard said. “These seniors and this team has been working so hard and they just wanted to come back and win one more. Plus, the best part about this team if someone else is not hitting someone else steps up and that’s what happened.”

The Indians completed their memorable season with a perfect 23-0 record. Strasburg, which has all three of its school’s state softball titles in the last four years, was in the finals a year ago, losing to La Junta 3-2. Actually in the last four years, the Indians have only lost four games.

“This feels so much more amazing that I thought it would,” said Strasburg senior Annie Oakley, who had a two-run single in the sixth which put the Indians up 7-3. “I’ve been here before, but it is just not the same. I’m going to miss this so much, but this is the best feeling I’ve ever felt.”

Eaton (17-8) had its dream season end in the finals when it lost to Strasburg for the third time this year. The Reds improbable run, which included an 8-4 win over La Junta in the quarterfinals, were making their inaugural appearance in the state softball championship game. The Reds previous best run was in 1998 and 1999 when they lost in the semifinals.

More photos. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)

“This is a good start for us,” said Eaton coach Dale Hughes, who just finished his 12th season guiding the Reds. “We’re still pretty young and now we believe in ourselves. For years, we’ve had some good teams and it’s just hard for us to get out of that Patriot League, we go up against Strasburg, Sterling, Valley and Brush.”

In the top of the first, Eaton’s Brittany Knutson had a lead-off infield single and scored on Taylor Renaud’s sacrifice fly.

Strasburg countered in the bottom of the first to take a 2-1 lead, thanks to Dakota Stotyn’s two-run, two-out single.

Eaton tied the game in the top of the third at 2-2 on Karissa Hatchell’s RBI single.

With the bases loaded, Eaton’s Casse Strole walked to put the Reds up 3-2. Strasburg pitcher Alexis Rayburn stopped the rally with back-to-back outs, the last one a strikeout of Sieara Price.

The Indians tied the game at 3-3 in the bottom of the third when an errant throw was made on a grounder hit by Oakley. Moments later Stotyn struck again, this time with a two-run home over the 205-foot fence in left center field off starting Eaton pitcher Rachel Graham to put the Indians up 5-3.

“I was more relaxed more than anything,” said Stotyn, a sophomore, about her mindset at the plate. “I trusted that everybody would back me up even if I didn’t do well.”

Eaton brought in relief pitcher Lauren Frink to get out of the inning.

“I went with my junior pitcher Rachel (Graham) after she pitched that enormous extra inning game against Sterling (a 6-5 Eaton in eight innings in the semifinals), and she came off a hard game (Saturday),” Hughes said. “I knew she was getting a little tired and probably in hindsight I should have pulled her a half inning sooner. She’s a bulldog and she wants the ball and she gave us all she had.”

Strasburg was in business again in the sixth when Jacee Dinius singled and then she went to third when an error was made on a bunt by Jordan Roesch. Both scored on a single to left by Oakley stretching the Indians’ lead to 7-3.

Alexis Rayburn pitched five innings and Stotyn was in the circle in the third and seventh frame. Stotyn ran into some trouble in the seventh, giving up two runs before closing the door and setting off the celebration.

“I’m really proud of everybody that we were able to win state again,” Stotyn said.

October 25, 2015