COLORADO SPRINGS — Twelve is a number that is going to be remembered for a long time for Holy Family’s girls soccer program.

The Tigers entered this season’s Class 4A state tournament as the No. 12 seed. Holy Family defeated the No. 5, 4 and 1 seeds to reach Saturday’s championship game at Weidner Field in Colorado Springs.

“I think they were better than the No. 12 seed for sure,” Holy Family coach Michelle Griego said. “We took it as a sign of disrespect.”

Holy Family earned plenty of respect when junior Gianna Sandoval’s shot from 30 yards out was perfectly placed in the far corner of the net with 12 seconds left in regulation-time to give the Tigers a dramatic 2-1 victory over No. 2 Evergreen.

Senior Jaelen Giron had made a strong run down the right side for the Tigers before losing control of the ball in the Cougars’ defensive end. However, an Evergreen clearing attempt went right to Sandoval who knew she didn’t have much time to get a shot off.

“I was definitely looking at the clock. I knew I had to do something,” Sandoval said. “I thought it was going overtime, but I didn’t want it to go overtime. We had to put whatever we had on net.”

Evergreen junior goalie Aubrey Huerta made a valiant leaping attempt, but the shot was just too good.

“Gianna makes those shots all the time,” Griego said.

The Tigers (11-2 record) went into celebration mode as the Cougars (13-1) were shocked that their undefeated season had come to a close with another loss in a 4A state championship game. Evergreen suffered 1-goal losses to D’Evelyn and Cheyenne Mountain in 4A title games in 2017 and 2019.

“This was the year, disappointment definitely,” Evergreen senior Myla Stewart said of the Cougars’ third runner-up finish in five years. “We came in with a good mindset, but we didn’t play with a good mindset and that’s the difference of winning and losing.”

Steward opened up the scoring in the 7th minute with a direct free kick that she hit hard on the ground that Holy Family junior goalie Olivia Dietrich couldn’t reach. It would be the lone goal of the game for Evergreen as Dietrich was solid making a handful of saves.

“Our team is scrappy and our keeper (Dietrich) is amazing. She kept us in it,” Griego said. “She made a ridiculous save in the first half that kept the game from being 2-0.”

Sandoval tied the game at 1-1 with a goal that she admitted went off her chin guard from right in front of Evergreen’s net in the 32nd minute. Tying things up before halftime kept the belief alive for Holy Family that it could pull off one final upset to grab the school’s first girls soccer championship in its first trip to a title game on the pitch.

“We made it this far. It would have been sad if we would have lost,” Sandoval said of upsetting a higher seed in each of the Tigers’ four playoff victories. “

The Tigers graduate just five seniors, so a repeat could be in the card with Dietrich and Sandoval leading the way.

“The girls rally around her (Dietrich),” Griego said about the Tigers’ junior goalie. “They all come to play in different ways. They all do their part. I’m super proud of them because it takes everyone on the field. I love them all.”

DENVER — Broomfield student Kayla Hruby got the state wrestling finals off to an electric start with her singing of the national anthem on Saturday night.

Hruby, a junior, also swims for the Eagles, and performed the national anthem prior to the Class 5A swim meet. She also sang prior to the boys soccer title games last fall.

Watch her performance here:

Another outstanding season in the books, folks! If the excitement we were treated to in our regular season finales are any sign of what’s to come we are in for an epic postseason.

Friday night, Rock Canyon upset No. 1 ThunderRidge, earning a share of the Continental title.

Not to be out done, George Washing and Denver East served up what folks are calling an “instant classic” overtime thriller, where the Patriots outlasted the Angels to bring home the DPL title.

The four Class 5A teams highlighted here can knock the other off any given night, but one would be foolish to not add Chatfield and Ball Fever preseason pick Eaglecrest to the list of 5A squads who can win it all.

Valor and Pueblo West have made solid arguments themselves for the opportunity of a 4A rematch in March! Keep in mind D’Evelyn, which has made a strong run, and don’t forget Sand Creek with the star power of CU-bound D’Shawn Shwartz. 

Those who follow Ball Fever also know we don’t think this is a rare time for Colorado hoops, but a result of numerous factors leading to good basketball being played on our high school courts. We saw numerous teams hold the No. 1 spot in 5A and 4A this season which speaks to the parity and high level ball being played.

The buzz about Colorado hoops is legit and we can thank a growing basketball community for that from our peewee rec leagues to competitive club ball, increasing individual personal training opportunities, and truly dedicated high school staffs.

The basketball product hitting the Colorado hardwood is improving and colleges of all levels are taking notice! We have even started a little tracking of the college players with our Ball Fever “College Watch” on twitter at @BallFever_CO_Tr.

Great time to be a part of Colorado hoops … let’s get to the madness!

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Tournament previews

Class 5A

• Full bracket

Larry Farmer Region

Have to start with the No. 1 overall seed Eaglecrest here, which is looking to send Coach John Olander out as a champion in his final season leading the Raptors. It gets tough immediately for them with a possible second-round match up with EMAC league champ Rangeview, who is young but have a senior lead point guard in Matt Johnson Jr. at the helm.

This is jumping way ahead but couldn’t help but peek at that possible Denver East/Smoky Hill Sweet 16 match in the bottom part of this region. Quite an athletic treat if that happens!

Favorites:

• Eaglecrest was our preseason 5A pick to win it all and we are sticking with that. Guard play of a proven leader in Colbey Ross who is surrounded by senior leadership on this squad could make it happen.
• Size of a Denver East or Smoky Hill could cause the Raptors problems though!

Watch out for:

• Star power, and a “go to” guy in the playoffs can go a long way. Who has that? Vista Ridge, led by senior Hunter Maldonado (Wyoming commit) has the ability to carry his squad.
• Not just star power, but scoring power as well comes in the form of Fossil Ridge’s Braxton Bertolette who averaged 38 amazing points in his last three games! These guys can pull an upset.

Mark Randall Region

With Grandview slipping a bit late in the season the hottest team here is Rock Canyon coming off there late heroics beating No. 1 ThunderRidge to end the season.

Some potential fun second round matches here if Legend and Mountain Vista rekindle their Continental league rivalry.

If Montbello (FNE) can advance past Dakota Ridge they can head to Overalnd for A-Town vs. DPL fun! 

Favorites:

• Rock Canyon is on a mission, folks. They can score with you, but can also win a slug fest if necessary with the back court tandem of juniors Sam Masten and Tyson Gilbert leading the way.
• We can see Overland or Montbello giving them a test but the Jags are coming out of this region.
• Grandview will have their hands full with Mountain Vista if that happens in Sweet 16 but will the inside out magic of LeChaun Duhart and Gage Prim be enough?

Watch out for:

• Mountain Vista was hindered by injuries and if Coach Wood gets a healthy crew pressing/running the floor they can ruin someone’s plans.
• Check out Aaris Bonds who is a college bound player for Montbello (FNE) but they may not have enough size or veterans around him to make a strong run.

Chauncey Billups Region

The ThunderRidge Grizzlies held a long run at 5A No. 1 before losing final regular season game. Fever Crew thinks that will just focus them and increase the hunger.

Next thing that stands out in this region is the team with our state’s longest winning streak, Chatfield, drawing a 7 seed. Chargers will have to prove that what they did in Jeffco league was no fluke and “charge” through the tourney competition! 

Favorites:

• Don’t have to look further than the two teams already mentioned here! ThunderRidge and Chatfield look destined for a collision course on paper.
• It may surprise some but we’ll go with Cherokee Trail as third in the region ranking.

Watch out for:

• We preach point guard play in late season and Jaziec Lottie can lead “Centennial Tough” Cherokee Trail to surprise wins with his late game heroics.
• Our Fever Crew got out to Cherry Creek at Smoky Hill Friday night and witnessed a flat performance from the Bruins. If they don’t find their fire look out for Denver South to make a surprise sweet 16 run with sharp shooting tandem Connor Nelson/Tucker Cargile along with slashing Cortney Dean.

Guy Gibbs Region

Looking for “swag” and confidence? The hot George Washington Patriots have it! Ultra quick back court of the Fuggett brothers, the “rim protector” Tray Pierce, and scoring machine Jervae Green give the Patriots a real shot at returning to basketball glory.

We like the potential match up Arapahoe visiting Doherty in Round 2. The Warriors don’t back down and travel well!

A team that joined our top-10 late in the season and is eager to prove themselves are the Lambkins from Fort Collins.

Favorites:

• GW is the clear favorite with the momentum of their overtime DPL title win over Denver East.
• Fort Collins has been a bit of an unknown to those of us in the city and if they can get their first win they’ll likely run into a balanced Doherty team who has a confident floor leader of their own in Brevin Brimble.
• Doherty is back to back league champ and proved they aren’t afraid of a tough environment in their late season win at Denver East.

Watch out for:

• Young and talented Wolverines over at Chaparral would like nothing more than to face a Regis team they are very familiar with and a possible rematch with GW in the Sweet 16 this time around!

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Class 4A

• Full bracket

Bob Ottewill Region

Valor had its fair share of time as our No. 1 4A squad and no surprise they are the top overall seed. Their senior heavy squad was the Fever Crew’s preseason pick to avenge their title loss last season and we see that coming true.

Next thing that jumped out for us here was a potential Sweet 16 match between Northridge and Mead. Both teams have the potential for more but may have to see each other early!

Favorites:

• As stated above, its Valor in our camp. Senior trio of Jalen Sanders, Kayle Knuckles, and Dylan McCaffrey looking go out on top! 

Watch out for:

• Thomas Jefferson went through a stretch where they missed some top players and we see them playing Valor tough if they advance past Erie. Ravel Moody and Galen Street are two seniors who played tough against DPL 5A competition.

Bill Weimar Region

Tough. Region. Here.

I believe there are six teams that were in our 4A top-10 poll at some point of the season here! Durango coming in at the No. 4 seed will be eager to prove they are worthy and a second-round matchup of Golden/Longmont, should it happen, just seems “waaaaay” too early.

Favorites:

• If Durango lives up to their seeding they will have their hands full with possible foe Evergreen, who has faced some of 4A’s best. We see Holy Family coming out of this region but Golden will have a lot to say about things.

Watch out for:

• Longmont, Holy Family, and Golden at the bottom of this bracket almost seems unfair. All would be able to advance elsewhere but only one will come out!

Jim Baggot Region

Whoa! if Chatfield in 5A thought they were better than a 7 seed, you better believe defending champ Pueblo West is feeling that same chip on their shoulder.

Pueblo South’s late season surge and knocking off Pueblo West who was 4A No. 1 at the time led to their No. 2 overall seed.

Favorites:

• A Great 8 rematch of Pueblo South and Pueblo West would be absolutely lovely here! A lot of work before that happens, but it is likely.

Watch out for:

• Two teams: Vista PEAK in the top of this bracket has the athletes to play with anyone in 4A and Silver Creek in the bottom side looks like they can definitely schedule a date with Pueblo West if they take care of business early.

Richard Tate Region

Ooooohhhh the tough regions continue! Sand Creek is the toughest 14 seed in history and we’re sure they have a chip on their shoulder due to the late season slide. D’Evelyn is a deserving 3 seed here and tough league battles will serve them well.

Favorites:

• Even with Sand Creek’s star power we believe D’Evelyn’s consistent play will pay off and get them over the hump!

Watch out for:

• Have we mentioned point guard play in the playoffs yet? Well, there’s a PG named “CJ” for Sierra who could lead the Stallions on a run that wouldn’t surprise us at all.

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Because we knew where teams would fall and ultimately be seeded, the RPI standings took a bit of fun out of waiting for brackets on Sunday like in the past where we were patient (and funny on social media) while that human element debated.

Our crew had about the same, if not more, frustration with the previous selections than RPI. A balance of the objective measure system and human touch will eventually prevail. If you have that answer now: PLEASE RAISER YOUR HAND and present it vs. aimless complaint.

Well, this year the human element will be 100 percent on the court in the hands of these awesome athletes. The cream will rise, folks. Always does … get out and enjoy!

DENVER — It’s hard to say which member of the Willits family was wearing the biggest smile Saturday night.

There was Hunter, raising his arms while taking in a standing ovation from the fans throughout the Pepsi Center after becoming the 20th individual to capture four state wrestling championships.

There was Hunter’s twin brother, Grant, who proudly embraced his brother just moments after capturing a third state championship of his own.

But it was Pueblo County assistant coach and thrilled father Rick Willits who may have been beaming the brightest – and breathing the biggest sigh of relief.

“Coaching your own kids or being a part of your own kids in this process is probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” he said. “When it comes to their senior year you just want the best thing to happen as far as the result at the end.

“There is never a guarantee in any sport. … I’m just thankful that they rose up and wrestled well and got those last titles.”

Hunter’s victory by a 13-0 major decision at 152 pounds over Longmont’s Nathan Morris capped an incredible career for the Hornets standout. He finishes with an overall mark of 167-7 and the four championships, going 16-0 at Pepsi Center.

Seven of those state victories came by technical fall and five more were major decisions, including the triumph Saturday night.

“It feels like a lot of hard work that in the end has finally paid off,” Hunter said. “Considering all the time and practices and things on my own that I had to do to get here, it feels awesome that I finally did it.”

It was just icing on the cake that Grant secured another state championship and that Pueblo County defended its 4A team championship with 225 points.

Hunter admitted to being humbled after the crowd rose to its feet and gave him a resounding ovation that continued to grow.

“The crowd up there was just amazing,” Hunter said. “To hear a crowd like that after a win is one of the best things I’ve ever had in my entire life.”

The moment marked the fourth year in a row that someone accomplished the feat. Willits is the first wrestler from Pueblo to join the club, and while it may seem like there has been a run recently, it certainly doesn’t diminish what it takes to join the elite group.

Mikael Smith returned to Pepsi Center this weekend as an official. Back in 2005, he became the 12th individual to win four state championships while at Nucla from 2002-05.

“You only get one chance, one time,” Smith said. “It’s a done deal – you don’t get to go back and try it over. You collect that loss here and it’s a lost title.

“I think it’s an exclusive group, but the invitation’s always open.”

Hunter admitted it was an emotional moment for him, but it was made more so by the fact that Grant missed out on joining him after barely missing weight at state as a sophomore.

It was perhaps even more emotional for Rick, both as a coach and a father.

“I think right after he won it hit him and it hit me,” Rick said of Grant. “He looked at me and I looked at him and we both broke a little bit because we knew it was there. But again in this sport, it can humble you the next day and it can make you proud the next day. It’s a sport that’s a teeter-totter.

“The missed weight was a super unfortunate event, but I think in the whole scope of things it made him a better man and it made him a better wrestler, in an unfortunate way.”

Hunter and Grant are headed to Corvallis in the fall to wrestle for Oregon State University. While the brothers had the opportunity to go their separate ways, the bond between them was tight enough that separation wasn’t an option.

“For me, just to have an opportunity for all the hard work, dedication, all the things they’ve done – it paid off to get them that scholarship to go to college and wrestle,” Rick said. “I’m really blessed they’re able to do that. There were so many good colleges out there. … I’m thankful we got picked up by a great school that we can go and represent on the next level.”

AURORA — Regis Jesuit, the defending state champion, is the No. 1 seed in hockey’s state tournament bracket.

The field, seeded mostly by the final RPI standings, was unveiled on Sunday morning. The Raiders, 17-1-0 this season, receive a first-round bye, and will host the winner of No. 16 Kent Denver and No. 17 Lewis-Palmer in the second round.

The top eight seeds in the bracket all receive byes. Those are: No. 2 Monarch, No. 3 Cherry Creek, No. 4 Resurrection Christian, No. 5 Valor Christian, No. 6 Fort Collins, No. 7 Mountain Vista and No. 8 Dakota Ridge.

Find the full hockey tournament bracket here.

First-round games are Feb. 21-22. The second round games are Feb. 24, and quarterfinals are Feb. 25. Each of those rounds will be hosted at home sites.

The semifinal (March 3) and championship (March 6) games will be at the University of Denver.

Eaglecrest will have a chance to send coach John Olander out in style. The Raptors are the No. 1 overall seed in the Class 5A boys basketball tournament.

Olander announced this weekend that this will be his last season as coach, and in that last effort, he will look to get his its first state title since 2013.

ThunderRidge comes in at No. 2, George Washington is No. 3 and Grandview takes No. 4.

The Centennial League overall is looking good with five teams receiving first round byes. Defending champion Overland, Smoky Hill, Cherry Creek and Grandview will await winners of first-round games.

The Continental League was almost as impressive as Rock Canyon, ThunderRidge, Chaparral and Mountain Vista also received byes.

Chatfield and Lakewood were among the Jeffco League teams who won’t play in the first round with Doherty and Rampart in the same spot for the Colorado Springs Metro League.

The 4A boys bracket was also released on Sunday. Valor Christian comes in as the top overall seed, looking to claim the state title that eluded them last year at the hands of Pueblo West.

The defending champion comes in as the No. 7 seed and not even the highest ranked team out of Pueblo. Pueblo South looks to make a championship run of its own, entering the tournament as the No. 2 seed.

D’Evelyn enters the tournament at No. 3 and at Durango rounds out the top overall seeds at No. 4.

The Jeffco League got the most teams into the second round as Valor Christian, D’Evelyn, Golden and Evergreen will all have Wednesday off.

The Tri-Valley, Northern, South Central, Colorado Springs Metro and Pikes Peak leagues have two teams with byes entering the tournament.

First round games in 4A and 5A will be played on Wednesday with second round games scheduled for Saturday.

The 5A girls bracket features Highlands Ranch and Grandview as the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds respectively.

Horizon comes in at No. 3 with Ralston Valley at No. 4.

Defending champion ThunderRidge is the No. 32 seed and plays Overland on Tuesday night.

The Front Range, Centennial, Jeffco and Continental leagues each had three teams receive first-round byes. Those teams will not be in action until Friday.

The CSML got two teams with first-round byes as Doherty and Pine Creek are already slated play next weekend.

Denver East is the only Denver Prep team already in the second round and Fruita Monument is in the same situation for the Southwestern League.

Southern Colorado is looking strong in the 4A girls tournament as Pueblo West is the No. 1 seed with Pueblo South sitting at No. 2.

Evergreen takes No. 3 and Air Academy is No. 4.

The Jeffco League, however, does have the most teams already into the second round with four of them slated for action on Friday. That includes defending champion Valor Christian who is the No. 6 seed.

Along with West and South, Pueblo East also has a bye, giving the South Central League three teams with first-round byes.

The Western Slope and Pikes Peak leagues have two teams in the second round.

George Washington is the only DPL team with a bye and Durango is the only Southwestern League team in the second round. Mesa Ridge is the only Colorado Springs Metro League team with a bye.

First round games for the girls will be played on Tuesday with second round games scheduled for Friday.