Category: Champions

Goal in fifth OT lifts Valor Christian over Fort Collins for first state hockey title

More photos. (CHSAANow.com)

DENVER — The best things in life never come easy. That was a lesson the Valor Christian hockey learned Tuesday night at Pepsi Center.

The Eagles put 84 shots on goal against Fort Collins goalie Sam Simon. None of them went in.

But the 85th did — in the fifth overtime. Valor Christian’s Evan Pahos scored the winner with two minutes to play.

The result was elation. Elation from the Valor Christian players and elation from their fans that never wavered and never once thought of abandoning what may have been the greatest Colorado high school state championship game of all time.

With a 1-0 win, the Eagles are state hockey champions for the first time.

“I’ve been wanting this moment ever since I came here my sophomore year and started playing hockey here,” Valor goalie Trey Hirschfield said. “We got close one time. Before the season started, I knew we had to win or I would be crushed.”

But there were times where it seemed like no matter what happened, that puck was never going to get by Simon. After putting 14 shots on the net in the first period alone, the Eagles started the second period with another salvo at the Lambkins’ net.

Simon blocked one shot before an attempt off the rebound sailed over his left shoulder, but wide of the net. With nothing falling, the last thing coach George Gwozdecky wanted to see from his team was frustration and doubt start creeping into their heads.

“You just keep talking to them,” Gwozdecky said. “You educate on how tournament games are going to go and you have to prepare yourself for overtime.”

But maybe not five. The game was the longest state championship hockey game in state history.

More photos. (Paul Shepardson/PaulShedardsonPhotography.com)

Gwozdecky noted that the all the snacks and items that the Eagles brought to keep their energy up ran out after the first overtime. But they kept skating hard and firing shots on the net. Simon just kept turning them away.

“Sam Simon did a great job,” Gwozdecky said. “There are so many superlatives that you can use to describe his performance, but he was outstanding.”

As was Hirschfield. Regulation ended with neither goalie giving anything away. Then the first overtime. Then the second.

And so on.

But in the fifth overtime, as jokes were made from the stands about students having to get to school, Simon finally got beat.

Pahos scored the game-winning goal with 2:12 to play in the fifth OT for the Eagles:

Here's the goal that won the title for Valor Christian in the fifth OT! #copreps pic.twitter.com/lmpTKFD0FZ

— Colorado HS Hockey (@ColoHSHockey) March 11, 2020

“I saw the shots going into that fifth overtime and he had 76 saves,” Pahos said. “I’ve never seen that in my life and he had the game of a lifetime. It was getting annoying. We had to keep going and try to wear him out. Finally one by him.”

The championship-winning goal caps a remarkable week for Pahos, who also scored the game-winner against Regis Jesuit to put the Eagles in the state title game.

More photos. (Paul Shepardson/PaulShedardsonPhotography.com)

It was a complete team effort for all 88-plus minutes of hockey that was played on the sheet of ice normally home to the Colorado Avalanche. Example No. 1 is the way that Hirschfield kept his composure especially watching what Simon was doing from the other side.

“It was mostly my team and the guys in front of me, my defense,” Hirschfield said. “They were phenomenal tonight and put everything on the line. We had two guys block shots with their faces.”

Go big or go home. And that’s exactly what both teams did on Tuesday.

It may not feel like for the Lambkins, but there were no losers at Pepsi Center. Valor Christian may have won the game, but the chatter for years to come will certainly surround a monumental effort from Fort Collins and its netminder.

It is believed that the 84 saves from Simon tied a national record for saves in a game.

March 11, 2020
State skiing: Aspen claims team titles as Weiss siblings win nordic again

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

EDWARDS — Aspen claimed both the boys and girls state skiing championships on Friday behind outstanding individual performances which saw the programs claim six individual championships in the eight events.

And on Friday, that meant the Weiss siblings — Elsie and Anders — repeated their feat from Thursday when the brother-sister duo claimed the nordic events. This time, they each won the skate.

It helped Aspen’s boys win a third-straight state title, and 10th overall. The Skiers amassed 667 points, ahead of second-place Battle Mountain (620). Middle Park was third with 579, Steamboat Springs (555) was fourth and Evergreen (484) was fifth.

The Aspen girls won for the third time in six years, and ninth overall. They totaled 674 points. Battle Mountain (607.5 points) was second, Summit (561) was third, Middle Park (533.5) was fourth, and Steamboat Springs (530) placed fifth.

Aspen’s Charlie Olsen won boys slalom event, recording the fastest time in each run. His combined time of 1:20.6 led the field, and earned him a state title. Battle Mountain’s Will Bettenhausen was second (1:21.57), and Durango’s Toby Scarpella, who won the giant slalom on Thursday, was third in 1:22.08.

Overall, Aspen continued its strong alpine showing with five races among the top 11 finishers.

The boys race had 17 racers who didn’t finish the first run, two who didn’t start, and another seven who were disqualified. Eight more didn’t finish the second run, and three more were disqualified. In total, 64 of the original 101 entrants finished both runs.

Olyvia Snyder. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

In the girls’ slalom, Olyvia Snyder of Summit capture the state title on the strength of second-run time of 41.86 which propelled her to a combined time of 1:22.12. Battle Mountain’s Berit Frischholz was second in 1:22.61, and Aspen’s Stella Sherlock was third (1:23.49).

Snyder’s win paced an impressive performance from Summit in the event, which placed four among the top 11.

When it came time for the nordic events at Maloit Park in Minturn, the Weiss tandem doubled up their titles.

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

Elsie, a freshman, won the girls race with a time of 14:43.5, edging out Colorado Rocky Mountain’s Lola Villafranco, who finished in 14:45.1.

Aspen’s Emma Barsness was third in 14:52.3, helping to lead an unbelievable contingent of Skiers at the top: four of the top five, five of the top eight, and six among the top 11.

Anders Weiss, a sophomore, led the boys skate field with a time of 12:17.0, ahead of teammate Taiga Moore (12:35.9) in second. Eagle Valley’s Ferguson St. John was third in 12:38.7.

Middle Park had three finishers in the top eight, led by Kimo Sullivan in fourth place (13:04.9).

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

February 29, 2020
2A state wrestling: Wray dominant in run to 14th state championship

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

DENVER — For the Wray Eagles, the night started with redemption. It ended the same way as last year’s state wrestling tournament; with an all-time record.

For the 14th time, the Eagles are the wrestling champion of Colorado. It’s a number that for the foreseeable future will go unmatched as was their 13th title that they claimed on this very same weekend a year ago. It’s also the third consecutive title for the Eagles.

“They set their goals the beginning of the year and the whole team’s been working their butts off and it’s nice to see it paid off,” coach Matt Brown said. “Last year we went 0-4 in finals and I think that shocked them a little bit and I think they went after a little harder this year.”

The difference in this win was the early emotional boost that came with it. In the second match of the night on the Class 2A mat, senior Cade Rockwell made up for last year’s painful defeat in the 113-pound title match. When the final whistle blew, the pain of last year and weight of defeat lifted away as his arms extended into the air.

It capped a remarkable tournament run where the Eagles had wrapped up the team title before they marched their four title contenders out in the Parade of Champions. They finished with 162.5 points. Rocky Ford was the runner-up with 123.5 points.

“Our team is great,” Rockwell said. “We all love each other. All we care about is wrestling and sticking up for going to each other all the time.”

For a year Rockwell worked through the sweat and tears. Midway through his match he had to add so blood into the mix. Despite a stoppage to attend to a bloody nose, he kept his focus on Cedaredge’s Lane Hunsberger and built a 12-2 lead as the final whistle blew, his hand was raised with a 12-2 major decision victory.

“He was talking to me the whole match on top and you have to let it go,” Rockwell said. “You wrestle your match and you humble yourself and you do the best you can.”

Rye’s Michael Atencio, the cause of Rockwell’s anguish from a year ago, also walked off the floor at Pepsi Center with a victory and a second state championship. He claimed the 120-pound championship. A junior, Atencio has a chance to become a three-time champion at next year’s tournament.

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

Oran Huff out of Lyons derailed a different bid for a third title. The defending champion of the 126-pound bracket, he held off Cedaredge junior Trey Geyer, a 2019 state champion at 120 via a 4-1 decision. Had Geyer won the match, he would’ve looked to 2021 for a chance to claim a fourth title.

“I knew I could beat him,” Huff said. “Just like last year I came out with confidence in my coaching and my training and my ability. That’s what it takes.”

It wasn’t too long after Huff’s win that a fourth state title opportunity made its way to Mat 2. John Mall’s Wesley VanMatre battled to a 10-3 decision win over Lyons’ David Gardner.

VanMatre’s title victory will certainly be a chapter in one of the most historic nights of Colorado wrestling history. He shared the honor with three other competitors marking 2020 the year that the most four-time champions were crowned.

It’s just one aspect of this year’s competition that makes the event special, an event where Wray walked into Saturday night with a 14th team title already in hand. It might be the most in state history, but Brown would never allow the quantity to water down the significance of the achievement. Tyler Collins also claimed a title at 152 and four other Eagles found their way to the podium..

“The time they put in and all the offseason stuff made this group special,” he said. “It’s an awesome group to be a part of.”

(Dan Morhmann/CHSAANow.com)

February 23, 2020
3A wrestling: Eaton and Valley share team title in rare tie

(Dan Morhmann/CHSAANow.com)

DENVER — Eaton and Valley earned a share of the team title at the Class 3A state wrestling championships — the first tie in state wrestling since 1992.

For two straight years, Eaton had “runner-up” labeled on it’s wrestling program. This year, they took one step further to the elusive team title.

“The monkey is not completely off our back yet,” Eaton coach Tony Mustari said. “We still have some work to do in the offseason to get better and fully take that team title home.”

Eaton’s Tanner True had one last chance to break the tie and vault his team into first place alone with his 285-pound division bout — and Valley could only watch.

“We wrestled our hearts out in every match we had,” Valley coach Ruben Lucero said. “If it was meant to be, it was meant to be.”

University’s Emanuel Munoz-Alcala held on for the 3-2 decision over True, resulting in the two-way tie between Eaton and Valley.

“We told him, ‘Worst case scenario, we have a split team title,’” Mustari said. “‘Go out and let it go. Wrestle like you do every day in practice.’ He wrestled from whistle to whistle and was always looking to score points — and that’s all we can ask.”

Jefferson placed third, while two-time defending champ Alamosa finished fifth.

Eaton’s Ryan Dirksen kept his team in front of the team race with a last-second pin of Jefferson’s Zander Condit.

(Cannon Casey/CHSAANow.com)

“We had no idea we would be that far,” Dirksen said after his match. “Knowing that now, it’s amazing I could do that for my team.”

Down to his last second and trailing 9-4, Dirksen had to go to work. He escaped a hold, then flipped Condit on his back for a pin as time expired. The judges gathered together and awarded Dirksen the win.

“I was just looking for a pin,” Dirksen said. “I was thinking, ‘Please, I know I pinned him.’ Once you get out there it kind of all goes blurry, and if you have the right mindset, it’s only you, the refs, and the mat.”

With the pin, Dirksen put the Reds in first place for the time being.

“These guys responded to the call tremendously this weekend,” Mustari said. “They come back and keep fighting, getting better every single time they step on the mat, and that’s all we can ask of them.”

Trailing in the team standings after Dirksen’s pin, Valley’s Jaziah Whaley held his team’s title hopes in his hands ahead of his bout.

“Going into that match, my coaches came and told me a major decision gets us the lead,” Whaley said. “That was the goal. Go out there and get the major.”

Whaley completed his undefeated campaign and individual 160-pound title defense with a major decision vs. Tanner Baumgartner (Weld Central).

“It’s unreal,” Whaley said. “The goal coming into high school was four [titles]. Settle for the next best thing: two.”

However, Whaley’s flurry of points in the third period meant much more than an individual title. His major decision resulted in a temporary tie at the top of the team standings with Eaton.

And, after the last match of the night, that tie at the top became permanent.

(Cannon Casey/CHSAANow.com)

[divider]

106-pound division

Roberto Estrada (Weld Central) won by decision, 3-0, over Matthew Medina (Eagle Valley) to complete his undefeated season with a state title in the 106-pound division.

“I wrote down a goal at the beginning of the year,” Estrada said. “State champ with a perfect season, and I did it tonight. Special night.”

113-pound division

Jefferson’s Angelo Lozado wrapped up a 6-1 decision against Alamosa’s Davion Chavez to give life to the Saints’ run at the 3A team title. This was Lozado’s second individual title.

120-pound division

Isaiah Gamez (La Junta) was looking for a third individual title, but Brady Hankin (Woodland Park) held off Gamez for an 11-6 decision. Hankin won the 106-pound title in 2019.

126-pound division

Jacob Duran (Fort Lupton) edged Johnny Masopust (Florence) in a 4-3 decision for his second individual title.

132-pound division

Zane Rankin (Lamar) repeated as the 132-pound champion after a hard-fought 2-1 decision over Zach Marrero (Strasburg).

138-pound division

Isaiah Rios (Valley) defended his 138-pound title vs. Lucas Comroe (Eagle Valley). Rios’ second individual title came off a clean 10-1 major decision.

(Cannon Casey/CHSAANow.com)

152-pound division

Cameron Lucero (Pagosa Springs) put a stop to any chance Jefferson had at the team title. Lucero won a 2-0 decision vs. Nick Gallegos (Jefferson) for his second individual title.

170-pound division

Mac Copeland (Bennett) pinned Cole Gray (Woodland Park) at the 4:40 mark.

182-pound division

Cody DuBois (Bennett) joined Copeland, his teammate, as an individual champion. DuBois’ major decision vs. Brian Paxton (Fort Morgan) solidified him as the 182-pound champion.

195-pound division

Nick Wellen (Brush) won by decision, 5-2, over Jeremiah Garcia (Platte Valley).

220-pound division

John Foutz (Bayfield) topped Cody Ponce (Eagle Valley) by decision, 4-1.

February 23, 2020
5A wrestling: Pomona stakes claim to 4th team title in 5 years

Pomona – Class 5A state champions. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

DENVER — Pomona left no doubt when it comes to the Class 5A state wrestling team title.

“I’ll tell you what. It was fun,” Pomona coach Sam Federico said. “Man our kids wrestled really hard.”

The Panthers led from start to finish during the 3-day tournament at Pepsi Center racking up 198.5 points. Rocky Mountain finished second with 110.5 points.

Pomona sophomore Daniel Cardenas (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

“You can call this a dynasty for sure,” Pomona sophomore Daniel Cardenas said after he pinned Poudre senior Dean Noble in the second period in the 138-pound final. “We have more generations coming too. Pomona isn’t going anywhere.”

Federico had an impressive total of 10 wrestlers take the podium Saturday night. Maybe even more remarkable is the amount of underclassmen that walked away with medals, only heavyweight Christian Buchholz is a senior.

Buchholz was in interesting story. He just moved up from 220 pounds to heavyweight before regionals and placed third at state.

“Our coaching staff doesn’t just consist of the five or six guys you see here. It’s our youth coaches. It’s our parents,” Federico said. “It’s not a team. It’s a program. That is what we’ve build. It’s fun.”

Juniors Gage Bernall (160 pounds) and Franklin Cruz (195), along with Cardenas (138) and freshman Jakob Romero (126) were the four Panthers to make the championship matches.

“I have high expectations for myself and for this whole tournament,” Cardenas said. “Everything went as planned.”

It was a battle of returning state champions between Cruz and Rocky Mountain senior Alec Hargreaves for the 195-pound title. Cruz took a 5-1 victory.

Cardenas also became a two-time state champion with his victory. The Pomona sophomore is halfway to the coveted 4-time state champion club that grew by four members on Saturday night.

“Every time I see one of my buddies does it, it looks so cool,” Cardenas said of halfway to winning four individual state titles. “That’s one of my goals, to be a 4-timer.”

Monarch junior Vince Cornella (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

Monarch junior Vince Cornella also took another step toward a historic fourth individual title. Cornella, who has verbally committed to Cornell University back in September, won his third state championship with the win over Romero at 126 pounds.

It prevented Pomona from winning four individual state titles.

“It was a tough one,” Cornella said after his 15-0 technical fall. “He (Romero) is a talented young guy. I’m sure I’ll see him again next year. He made me work for it.”

Cornella underwent shoulder surgery over the summer and was out for six months, but that didn’t slow down the junior who now has a career high school record of 117-9 over three seasons.

“Everything that he does is laser focused,” said Monarch coach Ezra Paddock, who has never coached a 4-time state champion. “He wants to be the best and really works to be that way. Not only at wrestling, but school, being a teammate and being a friend.”

Corenella has a number of plans, including wrestling at the national level and a trip to Russia before getting ready for his senior year. Zeroing in on that fourth state title is on his mind.

“It would mean a lot,” Cornella said. “I’ve been coming to this state tournament since I was a young kid and I’ve got to see my buddies accomplish it — Jacob Greenwood, Andrew Alirez and Cohlton Schultz — I’ve grown up with all those and even some of the guys who are going for it tonight. It would be cool to join them.”

Grand Junction senior Dawson Collins (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

Brighton junior Kenny Salias (113), Grand Junction senior Dawson Collins (120) and Regis junior Antonio Segura (145) grabbed their second state titles with victories Saturday night.

Doherty senior Tyson Beauperthuy (170) and Cherokee Trail junior Sam Hart (220) were able to complete their undefeated seasons capped off with state titles. Beauperthuy finished with a perfect 40-0 record and Hart completed a 38-0 mark.

Columbine captured a pair of individual titles with juniors Jake Forbes (182) and Zach Schraeder (285) combining to go 8-0 as the lone two Rebels to qualifying to state.

February 23, 2020
4A state wrestling: Windsor captures team championship behind four-time performances

(Dan Morhmann/CHSAANow.com)

DENVER – Saying Windsor’s wrestling team illustrated perfection in the Class 4A state wrestling championship on Saturday isn’t hyperbole – it’s a fact.

The Wizards finished five for five in their finals matches at the Pepsi Center and won their second title in three years with 190 points. It’s the Wizards fourth title in school history and first since 2018.

Windsor also crowned a pair of four-time state champions in 132-pounder Dominick Serrano (43-0), who never lost a high school match, and 182-pounder Isaiah Salazar (37-0).

“This was an incredible team who had an incredible performance and I couldn’t be more proud of the entire group,” said Wizards coach Monte Trusty. “This was possible because of staff, administration and our awesome fans.”

Pueblo East, last year’s state champion, finished as runners-up to the Wizards with 149.5 points and battled with the Wizards until the semifinals.

The Wizards held a 78.5-70 lead over the Eagles when three key victories at 132, 138 and 170 buoyed Windsor to a comfortable lead.

“We were going after those wins no matter who they were against,” Trusty said. “It just happened to be our major competition, so it ended up pretty nice for us.”

Junior Vance VomBauer (138 pounds, 40-2) capped a miraculous return after missing state following a torn ACL and meniscus in his right knee in 2019.

VomBauer finished as a runner-up his freshman year and redeemed himself with a pin at 1:03 in the first period against Longmont’s John Nicholas.

“I came up short my freshman year and I never wanted to feel that again,” VomBauer said. “To finally get one and get what I thought I deserved is amazing. Our fans were amazing and this feels so good.”

Senior Cody Eaton (160, 34-4) earned another pin for the Wizards with 16 seconds left in the second period against Thompson Valley’s Chase Engelhardt, which marked the Wizards’ third title of the night.

For Eaton, the win represented the culmination of climbing the metaphorical ladder – his freshman year, Eaton missed state.

“My freshman year, I was winning in the blood round 13-0,” Eaton said. “I took a double and I passed out.”

His sophomore year, he placed third and Eaton finished second his junior year. This season he pinned his way through regionals and state to earn the title.

“Those nights I spent an hour at 1 a.m. running stairs at my house were worth it,” Eaton said. “All my hard work paid off and I’m so grateful.”

Tristan Perez (170, 28-8) won his first title with a 5-1 decision over Loveland’s Marcelo Espinoza Diaz and gave Windsor their fourth title of the night. Salazar’s win made it five for the Wizards.

Pueblo East also crowned a four-time champion in heavyweight Andy Garcia (33-3), who is the school’s lone four-time champion.

Fellow Eagles wrestler and freshman Weston Dalton (120, 34-4) capped a stellar season with a pin with 16 seconds left in the second period against Pueblo County’s Boden White.

Dalton’s only loss of 2020 came Feb. 1 at the Rocky Welton invitational. To end the night with a four-time champ and start with a stout freshman excited Eagles coach Pat Laughlin.

“It’s been a privilege for me to coach a four-timer who is also a great man and I’m fortunate to have a kid of his status,” Laughlin said. “Having guys like Weston and Andy just speaks to our staff and our team as a whole. Weston is a working machine and right now the focus is next year. We take it period by period, match by match and season by season. (Weston) has all the tools to make it four. I’ll leave it at that.”

February 23, 2020
4A girls swimming: Cheyenne Mountain rallies late to capture state title

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

THORNTON — Caroline Bricker already had a state record to her name. But all the freshman really wanted was to help her team capture a state title.

Little did she know that her win in the 100-yard breaststroke put Cheyenne in a position to do just that. After holding off Rampart in the 400 freestyle relay to cap the night, Cheyenne was a Class 4A girls swimming and diving state champion for the the second time in three years.

Bricker had just finished up her win in the breaststroke and watched her teammates compete in the relay not knowing where things stood with the team score, but she knew they had to battle.

“I just went out there and was thinking about my teammates,” she said. “I knew it was going to be close and I knew it was coming down to me or the relay.”

Cheyenne Mountain finished with 348 points. Two-time defending champion Rampart finished as the runner-up with 340 points.

In that freestyle relay, Cheyenne Mountain finished in sixth place with a time of three minutes, 38.79 seconds, just over a second faster than the Rams. As sophomore Elizabeth Brower touched the wall, the contingent of Cheyenne Mountain swimmers erupted in celebration. It had been just three years since its last title, but it felt like forever.

“This felt like a long one coming,” coach Kate Doane said. “The day-in and day-out work for the last couple of years paid tribute to today.

Cheyenne had to withstand a barrage of top finishes from Rampart including 50 and 100 freestyle wins from Lindsey Immel. Laelle Brovold added a win in the 100 butterfly and the Rams kicked off the night with a win in the 200 medley relay.

Bricker’s 2:02.03 in the 200 individual medley was good for a state record.

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

One of the more impressive swims of the night came in the 500 freestyle as Niwot’s Mary Codevilla blitzed the field, finishing in 4:57.37. The sophomore was two seconds faster in her prelim time and has dreams of doing big things in her last two chances at state.

“I’d love to get the state record in the 500 free,” she said. “I was so close in prelims and fell short in finals.”

Monarch’s Katey Lewicki had a shot at setting a state record in the 100 backstroke but fell just sixth-hundredths of a second short.

It was after that backstroke swim that things got interesting in the team race. Not only did Bricker win the championship heat, but Elizabeth Carrell also won the consolation heat, adding nine team points to the total.

That race was reflective of the depth that Cheyenne Mountain had that played a big role in the championship win.

“These girls work so hard in the offseason,” Doane said. “They knew that each person counted.”

The girls swimming championship is the second team championship for Cheyenne Mountain this year and the 99th team title in school history.

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

February 20, 2020
3A girls swimming: Evergreen bookends meet to repeat as state champ

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

THORNTON — The history book for Class 3A swimming not is a long read, but that doesn’t mean it’s not fun to add chapters to it.

That’s exactly what Evergreen did at the Veterans Memorial Aquatic Center on Saturday. Relay teams won their races to start the meet and end the meet and the Cougars ended the night with 372.5 points and, more importantly, their second straight state championship. Aspen was the runner-up with 214 points. (Find the full results here. And the Team Manager file here.)

“It’s not easy to win,” Evergreen coach Liz Hudd said. “This meet was really faster. Our girls swam faster than they did last year and were lower in places. This was much faster and it was an amazing experience.”

The 2019-20 season marked just the fourth season of 3A’s existence. The rising numbers of participation prompted the addition of the classification for the 2016-17 winter season. With the fourth championship in program history, Evergreen became the first 3A school to successfully defend the title it had won the year before.

And that was the mission from the very start. After grabbing the top seed in the 200-yard medley relay during Friday’s preliminaries, the Cougars matched their prelims pace, finishing in one minute, 51.28 seconds to claim gold.

Then senior Remi Gucker added some instant padding to the team lead. Her 1:56.61 in the 200 freestyle helped the Cougars build up a quick 83 points and take every bit of momentum a team could ask for to start a championship meet. St. Mary’s Academy’s Sydney Silver won the race at 1:52.06.

“We were on the top of the roller coaster from the start,” Gucker said. “They had the team scores posted after the fourth event and we knew we were ahead. I didn’t do as well as I wanted in my event, but we had a lot of great swims. We had a lot of personal bests.”

She later added a third-place finish in the 500 freestyle with a time of 5:15.71, only adding to a banner performance for herself and her team. Kent Denver’s Jolie Kim won the race at 5:08.16.

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

After taking the top seed in the 50 freestyle last year and falling just short of winning the race, St. Mary’s senior Caitlin Cairns wasn’t going to be denied gold or a lasting legacy this year. Her 23.09 in the sprint set a 3A state record.

“Both (winning the race and setting the record) felt great,” Cairns said. “I was just happy to win again and represent my team.”

After Discovery Canyon’s Rachel Alexander claimed the diving crown, Cairns jumped right back in the pool for the 100 butterfly and won with a time of 55.27

Other notable wins included Salida’s Elise Mishmash in the 100 freestyle, defending the title she won a year ago.

Silver added a win in the 100 backstroke to go with her earlier win in the 200 freestyle and in doing so she set a 3A state record at 54.55.

Delta’s Jillian Carlson took the 100 breaststroke at 1:07.09 as the 400 freestyle relay teams prepared for the final event of the day.

Evergreen closed out the meet the way it opened it, by building a solid lead in the race and riding to a time of 3:39.77. That win gave the Cougars another gold medal, but more importantly it also cemented a stellar performance that earned another state championship trophy.

“The girls brought it,” Hudd said. “They’re competitive and they knew what had to get done.”

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

February 16, 2020
5A girls swimming: Late rush gives Fairview second straight title

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

THORNTON — All Fairview had to do was bide its time, wait out the early Cherry Creek rush and strike when the time was right.

And strike the Knights did.

After the Bruins built a four-point lead after the 200-yard freestyle relay, the Knights shifted gears and added team points in bunches. That approach gave them 382.5 points and a second straight Class 5A state swimming and diving title.

“Both (titles) are really special,” junior Jenna Reznicek said. “This year especially because we weren’t sure we were going to win. Last year we lost a lot of crucial swimmers.”

Co-head coach Stacey Tobey had faith that her girls could get it done, but the early results of the meet weren’t trending in their favor. After the 200 individual medley the Bruins held a 110-102 lead over the Knights.

But for a brief moment, fans were able to forget about the team race and appreciate what was happening right in front of them. Fossil Ridge sophomore Lucy Bell jumped out to a quick lead in that 200 individual medley and as the race got closer to ending, her lead only got bigger.

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

By the time she hit the freestyle leg — the final leg — her lead was nearly half the pool. She touched the wall in one minute, 58.16 seconds. With two years still to swim, there’s a chance that she could pull of a rare feat in taking Regis Jesuit legend Missy Franklin’s name off the wall. Franklin holds the record in the event at 1:56.85.

“I know if I put in the work and the training I could do that in the next two years and it’s really exciting,” Bell said. “A lot of it I couldn’t do without my teammates behind be. I want to compete for them too because they help me a tremendous amount.”

That same event saw Teagan Steinmetz and Jenna Smith from Cherry Creek both finish in the top six to give the Bruins the team lead for the first time of the night. It was short-lived however, as Morgan Lukianc took fifth in the 50 freestyle for Fairview, giving the defending champions the lead once again.

Bell later added a gold medal in the 100 freestyle.

But from that point on it was Creek and Fairview trading places at the top of the team standings. Tobey had to admit that after the 50 freestyle, confidence started to waiver a bit.

“After the 50 and heading into diving, we didn’t have a diver that qualified and Cherry Creek had one that finished (sixth),” she said. “So we were a little nervous.”

Those nerves were settled after Reznicek took second in the 100 backstroke and freshman Ella Ziegert came in sixth.

The Knights jumped up 312-271 and never looked back. (Find full results on this PDF. The Team Manager file is available here.)

“I knew it was going to be close,” Reznicek said. “During that race I was really swimming for the team and the points.”

The Knight didn’t take a gold medal in a single event, but the overall depth of the squad was the primary factor in getting the program its fourth overall title.

The 200 freestyle relay saw a record fall as Chatfield swam the race in 1:34.12, beating Fossil Ridge’s time of 1:34.15 in 2018.

Kathryn Shanley was a part of that relay team and also claimed gold medals in the 200 and 500 freestyle.

Both Shanley and Bell figure to make the 2021 meet one for the ages. Now it becomes a year-long waiting game to see if they can add their names to the record book.

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

February 15, 2020
State spirit: Ponderosa ties record with 12th title; tracking all champions

DENVER — Tracking the champions at the 2019 state spirit championships, in all divisions and all classifications.

Find complete results here.

Photos of each championship and runner-up team are available here.

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Poms

More photos. (Paul Soriano)

Ponderosa captured the state championship in 4A poms Saturday night, and in the process became of the winningest spirit programs in Colorado history.

The Mustangs, who won the competition at the Denver Coliseum with a score of 94.64, earned their 12th spirit state championship to tie Grandview High School in first place all-time.

Erie finished second with a score of 93.78, followed by Standley Lake (93.34), Roosevelt (93.20), Mullen (92.26) and Wheat Ridge (92.08).

In 5A, Cherry Creek repeated as state champions with a score of 94.64. It marked the eighth spirit state championship for the Bruins, who have won the competition in four of the last five years.

Rock Canyon (94.00) finished in second place, while Grandview finished third with a score of 93.52.

Aspen won its first-ever spirit state championship with a win in the 3A classification. The Skiers scored posted a score of 92.50 to finish ahead of second-place Skyview Academy (91.22).

In 2A, Limon (92.44) won championship over Hotchkiss (91. 78). It was the third overall spirit title for Limon and its first since 2008.

Cheer

More photos. (Paul Soriano)

Eaglecrest took the top spot in the 5A classification. The Raptors earned a top score of 91.80, followed by Rock Canyon in second place (89.25) and Grandview in the third place (88.88).

In 4A, Erie won the state championship for the second-straight year with a score 91.22. Ponderosa was second (89.58) and Roosevelt finished third (82.28).

Prospect Ridge won the 3A state title with a score of 77.57 to finish ahead of James Irwin (75.25) and Gunnison (70.98).

Front Range Christian won the 2A championship (82.60) by finishing ahead of Highland (79.75) and Cheyenne Wells (78.45).

Co-Ed Cheer

More photos. (Paul Soriano)

ThunderRidge captured the 5A championship for the second-straight season after posting a score of 93.57. Mountain Vista (85.62) finished in second place, followed closely by Legacy (85.47). Vista Ridge (84.00) finished fourth.

Thompson Valley won the 4A championship with a score of 88.90. Golden (85.03) finished second, followed by Pueblo West (72.80) and Woodland Park (72.08).

Coal Ridge captured the 2A/3A title, with a score of 90.43. Bayfield (65.53) was second, Alamosa (61.32) was third, and DSST: Byers was fourth (60.92).

Jazz

More photos. (Paul Soriano)

Cherokee Trail won the state championship with a score of 95.58. Mountain Vista (94.76) finished second, followed closely by Valor Christian (94.74).

Hip-Hop

More photos. (Paul Soriano)

Eaglecrest won its second championship of the evening, and 11th overall, with its win in hip-hop. The Raptors finished with a score of 94.42. Fruita Monument (93.48) finished second, followed by the 2018 champion, Broomfield (93.26).

Game Day

More photos. (Paul Soriano)

Valor Christian High School won the first 4A/5A state championship in the game day discipline with score of 97.37. The Eagles edged out Smoky Hill, which finished second with a score of 97.03.

Cherry Creek finished third after posting a score of 91.07, followed by fourth-place Castle View (90.25) and fifth-place Regis Jesuit (88.82).

Strasburg won the first 2A/3A state championship with a score of 86.07.

Bishop Machebeuf finished second (84.45), followed by Lutheran (79.22), Swink (78.10) and Ft. Lupton (75.13).

December 8, 2019