Category: Champions

Purchase shines as Cherry Creek downs Valor Christian for 5A football title

PUEBLO — At times, it looks like Myles Purchase is just playing a different game than everyone else on the field. Conventional wisdom says when a ball carrier runs into a wall of defenders, the wall tends to win.

Unless Purchase is the ball carrier. He broke away from a horde of Valor Christian defenders to scamper into the end zone putting his Cherry Creek Bruins up two touchdowns.

That was more than enough as Creek rolled to a 21-0 win to claim the Class 5A state football championship, its 11th overall football title and its second in as many years.

“You never know what’s going to happen in the flow of the game,” Purchase said. “I was just happy was put into a position to play and make plays.”

More photos from the game. (PaulDiSalvoPhotography.com)

The thing about this Cherry Creek team is it might have put on display the single best grouping of talent in a long time. Purchase will play his college football at Iowa State. Quarterback Julian Hammond and receiver Chase Penry will both head to Boulder, Hammond to play basketball and Penry to play football.

“I think this is the most talented team I’ve seen in a while,” Hammond said. “I would put our team against any team out there. I believe in everyone.”

Overall, Cherry Creek has five Division I football commits with Al Ashford III heading to Wisconsin, Gunnar Helm going to Texas and Gus Zilinskas bound for Rutgers.

The CU duo connected for a 33-yard touchdown pass to put the Bruins (9-0 overall) up 21-0 which was more than enough of a lead for Creek to work with.

Commitments don’t win state championships however and Purchase made that clear early in the game. Out of a wildcat formation, he ran for Cherry Creek’s first two touchdowns of the game and recovered a ball stripped way from Valor running back Zach Wiley.

The Eagles (7-1) were hoping to ride their high-tempo offense through junior standout back Gavin Sawchuk, but Creek’s early scores combined with its unrelenting defense made it difficult for Valor to find any rhythm.

Sawchuk broke for a 57-yard run early in the third quarter, appearing to put a crack in the dam but Creek once again dialed up the defensive intensity, getting a hit on Valor quarterback Sean McNair and forcing the second turnover of the night.

They got a third off a Purchase interception, but were only on defense because he himself had been picked off two plays earlier.

“(Hammond) talked a little bit after that,” Purchase said with a laugh. “It was all playful and was able to get it back.”

The Eagles did adjust accordingly on the defensive side of the ball, holding James Walker to just nine rushing yards in the third quarter.

But they had to offense to counter. Outside of Sawchuk’s long run, the Eagles couldn’t find a way to move the ball down field and get into striking distance. After spotting the Bruins three early touchdowns, there was no bouncing back.

Creek, meanwhile, seemed content running out clock as confidence in the defense’s ability to shut down the Eagles. It was a quality that made this team so special in a year where no one knew if they’d get a chance to tell a special story on the field.

“This is a hard-working group that loves football,” Cherry Creek coach Dave Logan. “This was the most unique of seasons. Everybody’s practices were different. We couldn’t work ones versus ones, we had to work in pods. There were a lot of teams that I was proud, not just of my teams but of other teams around the state, that they were able to get accomplished.”

This is the ninth state championship for Logan as a coach, putting him just one behind legendary Limon coach Lloyd Gaskill who has the most in state history with 10.

More photos from the game. (PaulDiSalvoPhotography.com)

More photos from the game. (Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com)

December 6, 2020
Loveland’s smash and dash attack sinks Palmer Ridge to claim 4A football title

PUEBLO — Loveland coach Jeff Mauck stood with his players on the balcony of the CSU-Pueblo athletic facility and got a good look at the turf of the Neta and Eddie DeRose ThunderBowl.

He told his players he wanted them to show him something early that make would make everyone in the building believe they belonged there. The players did him one better. They marched down the field in 18 plays over the course of almost nine minutes, capping it off with a Jadyn Tafoya touchdown run.

By the time the night was over, it was obvious that Loveland didn’t just belong there, but for a night it was their house.

Loveland dominated offensively and defensively to get a 42-6 win over Palmer Ridge to hoist the Class 4A state football championship trophy for the second time in three years. And it happened without a single pass being thrown.

“Being underdogs two weeks in a row and taking down the No. 1 and No. 2 seed, I wouldn’t ask for it any differently,” running back Zach Rakowsky said. “The season was rough the whole time with COVID and everything, but I wouldn’t trade these dudes or this season for anything.”

Loveland (9-0 overall) knew its hands were going to be full with Palmer Ridge’s pass-heavy attack so a long drive to start combined with a defensive stop on the Bears’ first possession was the ideal way to build confidence.

In all, Loveland picked off Bears quarterback Luke McAllister five times to put a stamp on one of the more impressive defensive performances in recent memory. Mauck was upset just three weeks ago when he heard whispers that Loveland wasn’t getting its due on the defensive side.

More photos from the game. (Lance Wendt/wendt5280.com)

“They took a lot of that personally,” Mauck said. “What’d we give up? Six points tonight. They’ve done that every week. We shut down the top two teams, basically. Phenomenal.”

Touchdown runs from Rakowsky, Joe Killian and Tafoya in the first half sent Loveland into halftime with a 21-0 lead. This wasn’t unfamiliar territory for Palmer Ridge who had been down early against Montrose earlier in the year.

But a Tafoya interception early in the first half stifled any momentum the Bears (6-1) were hoping to build in the second half.

“We came up with five picks, a couple of sacks. We gave him a lot of pressure,” Tafoya said. “He wasn’t used to that.”

And they complimented the play defensive by pounding the rock on the ground game. Rakowsky totaled 183 yards and three rushing touchdowns while also picking off McAllister twice.

That resumé was solid enough to win Most Outstanding Player honors.

“I have so much respect for the guys on the other team,” Rakowsky said. “Our whole team put it together, our defensive line and linebackers were getting pressure so I could get those interceptions. Our offensive line was just pushing those dudes so I could run through. Our whole team played together, it was insane.”

This marks the eighth state football championship for Loveland. The last one came in 2018 at Mile High Stadium with a win over Skyline.

But this one will have an aura all on its own. Palmer Ridge had entered the game as one of the state’s most potent passing offenses. McAllister will play collegiately at Colorado State and wasn’t completely shut down as he found Marcellus Reed for the Bears’ lone score of the game.

But Mack and his players were aware that they entered the game as underdogs. They just never had any intention of playing like one.

“Everybody judges a book by its cover,” Mauck said. “They look at us like we’re the Little Giants. They think we’re smaller, we don’t look as fast, we don’t have a bunch of Division I commits, but that group rallies together every single week.”

And they do so in a way that earns championship hardware.

More photos from the game. (PaulDiSalvoPhotography.com)

December 5, 2020
Tacha powers Limon over Strasburg to claim third straight 1A football title

PUEBLO — Not even a bum ankle was going to stop Kory Tacah on Limon’s first drive of the day. The senior running back and 2019 Class 1A player of the year broke for a 77-yard score, running somewhat gingerly at the end.

No matter. It put the Badgers up early and they never looked back, getting a 28-0 win over Strasburg to claim the 1A football championship for the third year in a row and a state-record 20th time overall.

All three championship wins came over the Indians and Tacha has shined in each one of those games.

He kept his annual tradition going by breaking for that first score and running for 109 yards in the first half alone, even with pain shooting through his ankle.

“I haven’t run that far in over a month,” Tacha said. “It took some work and (my ankle) held up so it was good.”

The Badgers (7-0 overall) controlled the ball with a heavy dose its standard ground game. Jeremiah Leeper and Trey Hines were also factors to help the champs rush for 254 yards in the first two quarters. Hines broke for a 28-yard rushing touchdown on his first carry of the game.

More photos from the game. (PaulDiSalvoPhotography.com)

The Limon defense was every bit as impressive, holding the Indians (8-1) scoreless and allowing just 80 yards of total offense in the first half.

“I thought we did a great job with our scheme,” Limon coach Mike O’Dwyer said. “We did a great job putting our defensive backs in position, but in order for that to work you have to stop the run. Our front seven guys were tremendous.”

Leeper added a four-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter to push the lead to 21-0. And he was helped out on the defensive side. Each time Strasburg got into scoring range, the defense made big plays to end any scoring hopes.

On top of Hines’ spectacular day under center, he hauled in a pair of interceptions with the goal of maintaining the shutout.

“The minute we scored early in the first quarter we were playing it like a 0-0 game,” Hines said. “There’s no let up. You always have to think that you have to play as hard as you can and put it all out there.”

Tacha finished the day with 149 rushing yards and a touchdown to claim Most Outstanding Player honors.

Indians quarterback Collin Russell did his best to make something happen for his offense, but getting stopped on a crucial 4th and 1 late in the third quarter demonstrated how unyielding hte Limon defense was all day.

“I wish we could’ve gotten more pressure on that quarterback,” O’Dwyer said. “That kid’s a great athlete so you have to hand it to him.”

This is now the fourth time in the program’s history that Limon has claimed three consecutive championships. The Badgers last accomplished this feat from 2003-05. While three titles has turned into a semi-regular occurrence, it’ll take a long time for 20 overall championships to be matched by any other program.

And in the year 2020 when nothing has been a certainty, a 20th state title is something that O’Dwyer will always remember.

“I never put that together; 20 in 2020,” O’Dwyer said. “I don’t know how to write that script. I didn’t know how to write the script for last year when it was our 100th year and we lost to two teams, Holyoke and Strasburg, and had to beat them in the playoffs. And now this year, it was just a crazy year.”

Like a seasoned championship veteran, O’Dwyer did his best to avoid the traditional water bucket bath before letting his boys have their fun. In his 19 years as coach, he’s had plenty of them. He’s learned that each one comes with the joy of claiming a championship but no matter how many times it happens, they still have a way of feeling special all on their own.

More photos from the game. (PaulDiSalvoPhotography.com)

More photos from the game. (PaulDiSalvoPhotography.com)

December 5, 2020
Durango topples Roosevelt to claim 3A football title, first since 1954

PUEBLO — When the ball left Jordan Woolverton’s hand in the third quarter, he knew the throw was on the money. Like a basketball player holding his follow through or a golfer twirling his club after a purely-struck iron shot, Woolverton took his time to watch the rest of the play, even though he knew the result.

The ball found the hands of Gage Mestas and his speed carried him into the end zone. That play lifted Durango to a 21-14 win over Roosevelt at the Neta and Eddie DeRose ThunderBowl at CSU-Pueblo, giving the Demons the Class 3A state football title – the first championship for the school since 1954 and the first outright championship in school history.

“We originally came out in a zone play and they came out in man coverage and left a big hole right where Gage was going to be,” Woolverton said. “I checked the play and trusted him to be in his spot. It was amazing. I knew right when the ball came out of my hand, it was a touchdown.”

The second half the game could be defined by three key plays for the Demons. Woolverton grabbed a huge interception off a Brig Hartson throw, which set up that touchdown pass to Mestas. Then Mestas, the game’s Most Outstanding Player, came up with an interception of his own as the Rough Riders (7-1 overall) neared the end zone for what would have been the game-tying score.

“I was surprised I caught it myself,” Mestas said. “I came down with it and thought ‘what just happen?’ Luckily I have stickier gloves so I was able to come down with the ball.”

It was the capping play of of a memorable championship experience. He got the game going when Woolverton found him wide open for a 23-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter.

“They wanted to stop the run,” Durango coach David Vogt said. “To win the game we had to make some deep catches. I’m glad we did that.”

More photos from the game. (Lance Wendt/wendt5280.com)

But Roosevelt came into the 3A tournament as the top overall seed for a reason.

Hartson got his offense in sync early in the second quarter as he threw the ball up for Tucker Peterson who adjusted mid-route and made a great athletic move to come down the ball in the end zone to tie the game.

The Rough Riders followed the score up on the kickoff by kicking the ball where the Demons weren’t standing. The Rough Riders fell on top of it and Hartson found Keegan Sterkel on a screen pass that went for a 33-yard touchdown, giving Roosevelt its first lead of the game.

But Durango (8-0) struck back quickly. On 1st down with just 1:35 left in the second quarter, Ben Finneseth broke through the first two levels of the Roosevelt defense and outran the secondary to score from 55 yards out to lock the teams in a 14-14 tie at halftime.

That tie was broken was Woolverton made his read on the Roosevelt defense and fired that perfect strike to Mestas.

“That was a laser,” Mestas said. “Great ball by Jordan, he’s an amazing quarterback. He put that on the money and I was so, so happy to catch that.”

As was the Durango sideline. Despite a few missteps in the second quarter, the Demons were sound defensively as it picked off Hartson three times and held the Rough Riders to just 45 rushing yards in the second half.

The effort was culminated with a crowning that the Durango seniors had been working toward since they were in third grade. They feel that they put their school on the football map and have no desire to see their efforts go to waste in the coming years.

“This is so important for the future generations coming up,” Woolverton said. “We want Durango on the map, like I said a long time. To be able to get the job done today for them, for our town, it’s just amazing.”

More photos from the game. (Lance Wendt/wendt5280.com)

More photos from the game. (PaulDiSalvoPhotography.com)

More photos from the game. (PaulDiSalvoPhotography.com)

December 5, 2020
No. 1 Sedgwick County downs No. 2 Sanford to claim record-tying sixth straight 8-man football title

PUEBLO — When it comes to the state record for winning consecutive football championships, Limon has company.

With its 72-32 win over Sanford at the Neta and Eddie DeRose ThunderBowl at CSU-Pueblo, Sedgwick County claimed its sixth straight 8-man football championship. The Cougars tie a state record set by Limon in the 1960’s. Sedgwick County, however, becomes the first program to ever win six straight titles in the same classification.

And it got the record in style by adding a championship game scoring record in the process. The Cougars (9-0 overall) broke the championship scoring record of 66 points and did it on a touchdown pass that capped a drive in which coach Chris Michel let his offense call its own plays.

“They’re a special group,” Michel said. “I would’ve taken a 6-0 win with these guys. At the end of the game I promised them a long time ago that in the fourth quarter I’d give them a drive and would let them call their own plays.”

After surviving a a pair of long touchdown runs from Sanford’s Kelton Gartrell, Sedgwick County quarterback Jared Ehmke got his offense in gear.

More photos from the game. (Lance Wendt/wendt5280.com)

He threw for four touchdown passes in the first half, with Jaciel Villabolos and Terrance Heath each catching two. The Cougars also got rushing touchdowns from Brody Parker and Kaleb Fowler.

“I have a lot of confidence in my offense and my offensive line,” Ehmke said. “They scored a few but I had faith that we could score a few too.”

While playing in the first state championship game in program history, Sanford (7-1) had no intention of being just a footnote for this historical feat. It was going to make the Cougars earn it. Through just four carries, Gartrell amassed 108 yards and two touchdowns to give the Cougars an early scare.

Sanford kept itself in the game with a halfback pass as Cash Caldon found Ruben Chavez in the back of the end zone to cut the Sedgwick County lead to 22-18.

But the Cougars had the horses to pull away. They scored three straight touchdowns to close the first half, getting a firm grip on Colorado football history.

“It’s going to take a second to really feel like we made history,” Heath said. “Only one other team in the state has done this. It’s going to take a long time for this to set in.”

In a way, the fact that it came during an unpredictable 2020 season was fitting. Because of the nature of the way the season played out during the COIVD-19 pandemic, all football games were moved to CSU-P which gave the 8-man players an experience never before seen at in the classification.

Under the bright lights normally occupied by a national championship winning program, the Cougars put their now all-time great program on display.

“I love the atmosphere here,” Heath said. “Eight-man, 6-man, 1A, we all play at home fields and this is the first time we’ve played on a big field. To win a championship on it is pretty awesome.”

Ehmke’s day ended with five touchdown passes and a rushing touchdown. He was named the game’s Most Outstanding Player despite solid performances from several players on the team.

“They have a really good offense and we have a really good offense,” Ehmke said. “It was a lot of fun at the beginning. My coach called some great plays, my o-line blocked for me, my wide receivers caught the passes I threw to them so all the credit to them.”

The Cougars historical performance is a fitting cap to a historic six-year championship run, and it’s not necessarily a run that is ready to end.

More photos from the game. (Lance Wendt/wendt5280.com)

More photos from the game. (Ismael Gomez)

December 4, 2020
Defensive plays put Eaton out of reach of Lamar to claim 2A football title

PUEBLO — For the entire first half, it felt like both Eaton and Lamar just needed a big play to solidify control of the Class 2A football championship game.

Nothing came in the first 24 minutes, but Eaton’s Ryan Dircksen opted for two massive plays in the third quarter that quickly gave the Reds control and an eventual 28-21 win to give the team its second-ever state football title.

Dircksen blocked a punt setting up Tanner True’s one-yard score and on the next possession nearly sacked Lamar quarterback Zane Rankin in the end zone for a safety. He settled for an intentional grounding call, forcing Lamar to punt the ball from its own one. That play was rewarded later when Juan Maravilla scored from five yards out, his second touchdown of the game.

“That’s how we do it,” Dircksen said. “There are ups and downs all over the place and it’s just about if (the offensive) guys want it or not. We just had to ask what they wanted and that’s what they got.”

Surrendering 21 points doesn’t exactly scream defensive lockdown, but there is no doubt that Eaton doesn’t have a state championship without big plays on the defensive end. The Reds (4-2 overall) kept Rankin contained to just 28 rushing yards and 70 passing yards in the first half.

More photos from the game. (PaulDiSalvoPhotography.com)

Eaton was on the board thanks to a Maravilla six-yard touchdown run. But that was the lone score of the first half and Eaton knew that eventually, Rankin would find a way to make his big plays.

“We were up, barely,” True, the game’s Most Outstanding Player, said. “But it was like that last week and we had some tough plays right before half, we were getting down a bit but we just had to stay positive.”

Maravilla’s 68 rushing yards and rushing touchdown for the Reds helped set the early tone. That tone carried over in the second half as he rode the emotional momentum that the defense established.

“Honestly we didn’t make any major adjustments,” Eaton coach Zac Lemon said. “We knew coming into this we just had to do what we do. We weren’t going to do anything crazy or try anything different.”

Lamar (7-2) got on the board with 1:36 left in the third as Rankin finally found space and broke for a 29-yard touchdown run.

That seemed to free up Lamar a bit. The next drive, Rankin found Greyden Martinez for a 71-yard touchdown pass to make it a 21-14 game. Blake Buxton then ripped the ball loose from Maravilla on the first play of the next drive, to get the ball back with a chance to tie the game.

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous,” Lemon said.

But the defense again showed up in a big way.

Brogan Barr ended any hopes Lamar had of pulling even as he picked off Rankin on a long 3rd down play and returned it for a touchdown to once again give the Reds a comfortable lead.

Rankin added another touchdown pass, this time finding Buxton from 32 yards out, once again getting Lamar within a score. Eaton’s final offensive drive stalled at midfield, giving Lamar one last chance to either extend the game or get a chance to get the win.

But the game was clinched thanks to a familiar theme. Morgan Tribbett sacked Rankin and knocked the ball loose. Dircksen jumped on top of the ball and held on to it the same way he and his teammates held on to the state championship trophy just a few minutes later.

More photos from the game. (PaulDiSalvoPhotography.com)

More photos from the game. (Lance Wendt/wendt5280.com)

December 4, 2020
Big plays lift No. 1 Fleming over No. 2 Stratton/Liberty to claim 6-man football title

PUEBLO — Charles Hobbs and Nolan Japp had one job. Don’t let Stratton/Liberty’s Alex Cruz into the end zone.

The Fleming duo allowed Cruz three yards when he needed four on 4th and goal. For their effort, Chris Goss rewarded his teammates by breaking for a 79-yard touchdown run on the very next play, putting the Wildcats firmly in control as they claimed their second straight 6-man football title with a 60-28 over Stratton/Liberty at the Neta and Eddie DeRose ThunderBowl at CSU-Pueblo.

“That was going to be a big play that we were going to have and we just happened to use it right then,” Goss said. “It worked out to where my blockers made the hole and I hit it and just went.”

This is the fourth state football championship for Fleming, all of which have been won since 2011. But this version might prove to be the most memorable of the bunch considering the obstacles that all teams had to battle through during a COVID-filled 2020 season.

“This year has been such a roller coaster.,” Fleming coach John King said. “I don’t know how many times since August we’ve been heartbroken. There was a time early in the season and a time about three weeks ago that I had anxiety attacks almost. Every time my phone rang or I got a text, I thought they were shutting us down.”

The call that King was dreading never came. The Wildcats and Knighted Eagles fought their way through the playoffs and notched a special game in history as the first to be played on a weekend where all seven games converged on one location.

Rather than the game being held at a home site as has been tradition, the 6-man title game was the first of all seven games to be play at the ThunderBowl. With the field constructed for a a regulation 11-man situation, a little work had to be done to get it to 6-man specs, but made for an overall great atmosphere for a championship game.

“(6-man) is different because the sidelines aren’t what you normally see,” Goss said. “They had to reconstruct the field a little bit to make it smaller, but I thought it was exciting.”

More photos from the game. (Lance Wendt/wendt5280.com)

Cruz sparked the first half scoring run with a 35-yard touchdown to put the Knighted Eagles (6-1 overall) up 8-0 early. The Wildcats (8-0) responded quickly with a 55-yard run from Japp. Cruz added a second rushing touchdown to once again put the Knighted Eagles in front, but that’s when Fleming kicked things into high gear.

Touchdown runs from Hobbs and Goss along with a Kenny Bandy field goal pushed the lead to 28-14 at halftime.

Charlie Clapper sparked Stratton/Liberty early in the second half, breaking for a 41-yard score on the first offensive play of the third quarter to cut the lead to 28-20. But the Wildcats responded quickly as Hobbs scored from 13 yards out to once make it a two-score lead.

And they never looked back.

Hobbs rushed for two touchdowns in the second half, Kade Comstock threw a touchdown pass to Joel Muller and Goss added a late touchdown run of his own to lock up the Wildcats’ second consecutive title.

Hobbs was named the game’s Most Outstanding Player thanks in part to his big stop on defense as well as his three rushing touchdowns.

“I don’t know how to express my feelings right now,” Hobbs said. “It’s not my win, it’s the whole team’s win. Without them this wouldn’t be possible.”

As time expired and the sun set behind the Rocky Mountains, the Wildcats used just enough of the remaining sunlight to appreciate the sparkling gold of another championship trophy.

More photos from the game. (Lance Wendt/wendt5280.com)

More photos from the game. (Ismael Gomez)

December 3, 2020
5A cross country: Wolfe sets course record; Cherry Creek and Mountain Vista claim titles

More photos from the race. (Steve Abeyta)

COLORADO SPRINGS — Rather than jumping at the chance to run the state course over a month ago, Cherry Creek’s Parker Wolfe opted to set a record and earn the fastest cross country time in the state.

When he finally got to the Norris Penrose Event Center for the state meet, another record became his. Wolfe claimed the individual Class 5A state title with a time of 15 minutes, 10.4 seconds, about two seconds faster than Valor Christian’s Cole Sprout ran the race a year ago.

And as soon as he was getting the opportunity, Wolfe had a very specific text message he was planning on sending to Sprout.

“Your course record is gone,” he said with a laugh.

Wolfe has overcome a lot in just this year alone. Before the season he battled through COVID-19, the very virus that gave state cross country and much different feel this year.

As the season he approached, he couldn’t help but feel the anxiety that was coming along with it.

“I didn’t know how it affect my lungs and all that,” Wolfe said. “Coming into the season my goal was to get to that Liberty Bell and get that time and make sure my lungs were still there.”

Wolfe actually lost his footing at the start of the 5A boys race but recovered quickly and put a lot of distance between himself and the field.

The other part of his goal beyond breaking Sprout’s record was to go sub-15. While he didn’t quite do it, he was still pleased with how the race turned out.

“I really wanted to get that sub-15 mark on this course because no one has done it,” Wolfe said. “I went out a little hard and it kicked me in the butt but overall I’m happy.”

It was just the start of a banner day for Cherry Creek.

Wolfe’s performance was backed up on the girls side by Riley Stewart who won the race at 17:33.8. Like Wolfe, she put plenty of distance between her and the rest of the field to get a decisive win.

“Two Creek kids in one day is pretty phenomenal,” she said.

More photos from the race. (Steve Abeyta/steveabeytaphotography.com)

Her win had a bit more luster as the Bruins also claimed the girls team title. As much as Stewart wanted to get that individual win, being able to share a championship with her team was an even better feeling.

“We were runners-up two years in a row,” Stewart said. “To finish first this year and to finally get it is amazing.”

Centennial League rival Arapahoe came in second.

The boys championship once again fell into the hands of Mountain Vista.

“It means everything,” junior Jayden Nats said. “All the workouts that we’ve had and training together like we have, it means the world to feed off each other.”

Nats led was the top finisher – and only top-10 finisher – for the boys, coming in 10th place at a time of 16:11.0

This is the second team title in a row for the Mountain Vista boys and the sixth title overall.

More photos from the race. (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

More photos from the race. (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

October 18, 2020
4A state cross country: Niwot’s Zane Bergen, Air Academy’s Bethany Michalak win titles

More photos from the race. (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

COLORADO SPRINGS – The end of the Class 4A boys cross country race was the talk of the course on Saturday morning.

In the final stretch as they approached the finish, Niwot’s Zane Bergen and Green Mountain’s Grahm Tuohy-Gados were in close pursuit of one another. Roughly 50 feet from the finish, the two got tangled up and Bergen fell to the ground before regaining his feet and finishing.

So while Tuohy-Gados crossed first, with Bergen just behind, Tuohy-Gados was disqualified for impeding a runner. It meant Bergen won the state title.

Even though he fell, Bergen’s time of 15 minutes, 29.5 seconds still set the 4A course record, which was previously held by former Niwot teammate Cruz Culpepper.

“It was a pretty physical race the whole way,” Bergen said. “I knew I had a shot to catch him when we were coming into the stadium. I got cut off when I tried to pass him and got tangled up and I fell. But I just knew I had to get up and finish the race for the team.”

Paced by Bergen’s late-race efforts, the Niwot boys won the team championship with a score of 36 and well ahead of runner-up Cheyenne Mountain.

More photos from the race. (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

In fact, the Cougars took home both the 4A boys and girls team trophies for the second year in a row. For the Niwot girls, it was their third straight year winning the team title. This time, it was a freshman, Mia Prok, who led the way with a runner-up finish and a time of 18:02.4 that helped the Cougars beat Battle Mountain by 38 points with a team score of 55.

Ahead of Prok’s impressive freshman debut was an even more impressive finish by Air Academy freshman Bethany Michalak. Leading the Kadets to a third-place team placing, Michalak won the girls 4A race with a time of 17:59.1.

“It was an incredibly hard race today,” Michalak said. “It was really hot and there wasn’t a ton of shade but I’m really happy with how it turned out. Me and Mia have raced against each other in club a lot, so I knew she was a really amazing runner and a great competitor. With her and Samantha Blair (Eagle Valley), I knew there was going some great competition.

“I’m glad I was able to win.”

More photos from the race. (Brad Cochi)

More photos from the race. (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

October 17, 2020
3A state cross country: Gunnison’s Alex Baca is school’s first champ; Basalt’s Katelyn Maley claims title

More photos from the race. (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

COLORADO SPRINGS — Alex Baca made school history on Saturday, and what a time to do it.

Baca, a senior, won the Class 3A boys cross country state championship, becoming the school’s first ever cross country champion.

“I’m shaken and blown away, it’s a lot to process,” said Baca. “I’m so grateful, it’s hard to put into words because of how crazy things have been in this world, a lot of people worked very hard to put this on for us and I’m just grateful to even be here.”

Baca crossed the finish line at 16:07, only two seconds in front of second place finisher Joshua Medina of Alamosa.

The course proved to be difficult, and the final stretch forced the runners to push their limits.

“This course is unforgiving and that last quarter is tough,” Baca said. “It’s a gutsy course and you have to be brave and tough.”

Being Gunnison’s first school champion is a huge honor that Baca feel very fortunate to have.

“I just tried to do this for everyone who tried to do this in the past and all my mentors like Colton Stice, who taught me how to run brave,” Baca said with a smile. “I hope Gunnison is proud of me.”

More photos from the race. (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

Despite a strong effort from The Classical Academy and Holy Family, the Frontier Academy boys proved to be too much on Saturday.

Frontier Academy scored 48 points to repeat as the 3A champions. Their top finisher Senior Abuzaid Fanning came in fourth and the team had four top-20 finishers that helped the team finish on top again.

During the girls race, Basalt sophomore Katelyn Maley turned in an outstanding individual effort to claim the title.

“I’m just feeling very excited and we did very well as a team today, especially since we came in today without one of our main runners,” said Maley. “I was in shock when I crossed the finish line and I was only thinking about getting water.”

Maley crossed the finish line with an impressive 18:39 time, 34 seconds ahead of the next finisher, Kennedy McDonald of The Classical Academy. Approaching the last quarter of the race, Maley had a 24 second lead over all other racers.

More photos from the race. (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

“The hills and heat were really tough today,” said Maley. “Luckily I kept myself mentally tough and just kept telling myself it would be over soon.”

While Maley may have won the cross country state title, her mind is already looking to the next competition.

“I’m just going to keep grinding till track and field,” Maley said. “Although this season is abbreviated, I’m just glad we got to be here and I’m grateful for everything.”

In the girls team race, The Classical Academy claimed the championship for the second straight year, its twelfth girls team cross country state title in school history.

“I don’t think we felt as much pressure this year, but it just feels really good to be here again and we’ll just keep trying to continue to win,” said McDonald.

TCA claimed that top spot on the toughness of the three top-ten finishes from Kennedy McDonald (second), Cassidy McDonald (eighth), and Sophia Valentine (ninth).

More photos from the race. (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

October 17, 2020