CHSAANow

Month: May 2014

  • Spring snow shouldn’t postpone too many postseason events this week

    (Dennis Pleuss)
    Jeffco Stadium is buried in snow on Monday, but it should be ready to go by the time the state track meet kicks off on Thursday. (Dennis Pleuss)

    It wouldn’t be spring sports without a massive snowstorm.

    The Mother’s Day storm, which so far has dumped anywhere from two to 30 inches on different parts across the state, may affect postseason schedules during the early part of the week. However, temperatures will climb into the 60s and 70s by Wednesday, meaning the effect of the storm may actually be minimal.

    With the overwhelming majority of games at home sites this week, the final determination of whether or not to play those games is up to the schools.

    CHSAA will make final determination on neutral-site games, such as the Class 5A boys lacrosse semifinals at All-City Stadium. (But, in that specific example, those games are Wednesday and no change is expected.)

    Sundays are available to complete games postponed on Saturdays, if need be.

    As nothing is scheduled for Monday, the 5A girls soccer quarterfinals on Tuesday may be the only event affected by the storm. Any game postponed — if there are any — would likely be rescheduled to Wednesday. Again, that determination is up to schools involved.

    As of Monday morning, Pine Creek and Arapahoe were good to play as scheduled on Tuesday. Columbine and Doherty are working on a contingency should the weather continue. As an artificial surface, and thus more resilient to this type of storm, school officials believe Shea Stadium will be good to host both Ralston Valley/Rock Canyon and Fairview/Mountain Vista.

    The following is a plan which has been communicated to schools:

    WEATHER CONTINGENCIES

    This is a reminder that we will use the first available day to conclude your tournament games this weekend. For example, if your games are postponed on Saturday, then Sunday is the next available day and Monday becomes the next available day after that. If Monday is not available, then Tuesday becomes the next available day.

    There may be situations where the facility availability will force the next available day out of the rotation. Please make sure that you communicate this to your players, parents, administrators and fans.

    The basic philosophy of this tournament is to push game times back until we can get on the field. That may mean delays of several hours on game times. We will use the lights at those fields that have them, if necessary. Site directors and coaches, it is your responsibility to be in touch with each other on potential problems.

    If you must postpone, please try to maintain the same game time schedules once you have rescheduled the games.

    The state track and field meet runs Thursday through Saturday at Jeffco Stadium. That should run as scheduled.

    Boys swimming’s state meets are Friday and Saturday. Of course, those are indoors.

  • Evergreen baseball wins district with walk-off home run

    (Dan Mohrmann)
    (Dan Mohrmann)

    EVERGREEN — In the bottom of the seventh inning, Josh Bellatti sat on a fastball and drove it the opposite way, clearing the outfield fence, but in foul territory. When that same pitch came across the plate again, he didn’t miss.

    Josh Bellatti’s three-run blast in the bottom of the seventh gave the Evergreen Cougars a 7-4 win over Lewis-Palmer allowing them to claim the 4A District 2 title and move on in the 4A state playoffs.

    The win capped off a roller coaster of a game that had the Cougars up 4-0, only to lose the lead in the top half of the seventh and win the game in walk-off fashion. They did it all without their ace pitcher, Brock Burke, who threw seven strong innings in the day’s first game to advance the Cougars to the district title game.

    “The team we just beat is a very good team, up and down the lineup,” Cougars coach Dale Hutchings said. “But our guys stayed right with it and pitch-by-pitch, play-by-play they did a great job.”

    A 3-1 win over the Air Academy Kadets earlier in the day earned the Cougars the right to play for a chance to move on. The Cougars fell behind early as Air Academy third baseman Jeremy Hockmuth crushed a home run to center field in the first inning. Burke didn’t let that phase him and would go on to strikeout 13 Kadets en route to the win.

    “The fastball was working. I kept looking off the curveball, but the fastball was working really well,” Burke said. “I figured (the home run) was a fluke thing and the next time he (Hockmuth) came up I threw three straight fastballs and he didn’t touch one of them.”

    The Rangers were dominant themselves in their first game of the day. They found themselves in a pitchers duel with Fort Morgan and their ace Jared Bohm, but after a few adjustments, they were able to start making contact with the ball, grabbing a 3-0 lead on three-straight singles in the fourth inning. Paul Tillotson added a home run in the fifth to give the Rangers a clean 4-0 win, setting up their game with the Cougars.

    “We talked to the team — the game is all about corrections — and so after the first two innings we started making corrections and crowding the plate a little bit more,” Rangers coach Tom McCabe said. “They made good adjustments and we expected a good game out of (pitcher Colin) Cicere and we got more than we expected to tell you the truth.”

    The Rangers once again found themselves in an offensive funk early in their game against the Cougars. Through the first four innings they mustered only two hits and failed to score a run. The Cougars on the other hand, were able to get to Tillotson — the staff ace for the Rangers — early.

    A couple of a errors and a wild pitch in the second inning allowed the Cougars to get on the game first and the frustration got to the sophomore hurler as he gave up a two-run home run to catcher Dylan Schmoker. Daniel Gibbins added a solo-shot in the fourth, putting the Cougars up 4-0.

    “Defense is part of the game, you make an error here and an error there,” McCabe said. “It’s acceptable and our boys did a great job.”

    Hope was not lost for the Rangers, however, as a fifth inning, three-run home run by leftfielder Conner Weeth pulled Lewis-Palmer to within a run. The Rangers would find that run in the top of the seventh as Weeth walked and was moved to third on a Tillotson single. The Cougars intentionally walked Conner Haws setting up a P.J. Underwood game-tying single.

    Despite still having the bases loaded with one out, the Rangers wouldn’t be able to bring in another run and the two teams went into the bottom of the seventh tied 4-4.

    It was there that two runners would reach, and a swing of the bat from Josh Bellatti would bring everyone in and keep in the Cougars in the hunt for a state championship.

    “Their pitcher was having trouble with the off-speed pitch so I knew he was going fastballs all the way,” Josh Bellatti said. “I usually like to pull the ball but I knew with two strikes he wouldn’t give me anything good to hit and he was working that outside corner so I knew if I was going to put the ball in play I would have to hit it to right field.”

    The walk-off win for the Cougars capped an exciting day in the 4A field that saw three of the state’s top four seeds fall. Evergreen now moves on to the state bracket which will be played next weekend.

  • Cherry Creek turns it on in second half to move to 5A boys lacrosse semis

    Cherry Creek Rock Canyon boys lacrosse
    More photos. (Tim Visser/TimVisserPhotography.com)

    AURORA — The 5A boys lacrosse quarterfinal matchups at Regis Jesuit were decided on whether a team could shift into high gear or not.

    Cherry Creek, the No. 1 seed in the tournament, did just that in a 12-5 victory over No. 8 Rock Canyon Saturday afternoon to advance to the semifinals.

    The Bruins, a team with a bevy of weapons, got everything they could handle from Rock Canyon in the first half. Creek held a 3-2 halftime advantage in a physical, defensive battle. Rock Canyon was able to get the typically dynamic Bruin offense out of sync.

    “They were stretching us out a little farther than we were ready for,” Cherry Creek coach Bryan Perry said. “They took us out of what we were trying to do a little bit. We still had some good shots and their goalie stood up pretty good. It wasn’t like it was a disaster, but we made some adjustments and just kind of got our guys’ minds right. We were able to take advantage of some opportunities.”

    The Bruins were stalled in the first half, but shifted into fifth gear and unleashed a dazzling display of speed, crisp passing, and shot-making. Cherry Creek scored five consecutive goals during the first three and a half minutes of the third quarter, breaking the game open with a commanding 8-2 lead.

    Ryan Arthur and Mikey McCauley, a pair of seasoned seniors who are talented attackers, led all scorers with three goals apiece. They were tough to stop in transition and their second half intensity helped fuel the dominating run.

    “We made a conscious effort today to try and win a hustle battle and I think definitely in the second half, that’s what contributed to our win,” Arthur said. “I think at halftime, we got together and made a conscious effort to get the ground balls. If we do that, everything else will come and we shut them down on the scoreboard.”

    Cherry Creek Rock Canyon boys lacrosse
    More photos. (Tim Visser/TimVisserPhotography.com)

    Another senior, goalie Addison Christensen, padlocked the goal for Cherry Creek.

    “Addison has been a superstar,” Perry said. “His attitude has been phenomenal, a very hard working kid, made some huge saves for us today and we’re just real proud of him. He’s just a wonderful human being and I’m real proud to be able to coach him.”

    Overall, it was the Bruins’ ability to raise their game to another level that earned them a spot in Wednesday’s semis. Their versatile offense and rugged defense overwhelmed Rock Canyon when it counted most.

    “We’ve been a very good transition team all year, we’ve been very good in early offense, and now we’ve started to learn how to score in settle situations,” Perry said about his still improving team. “That makes you pretty tough to beat when you can be that multi-dimensional.”

    Perry and his crew hope it will be enough for the Cherry Creek boys, a program that has claimed 11 state championships, to win their first title since 2010. They fell to Arapahoe in the championship game last season, 10-7, and admit the game is still on their minds.

    “Yeah, there’s no question,” Perry said. “That’s always going to live a little bit and it should. You use those kinds of things as an asset, right? A little bit harder, one half better, one quarter better, got to be a little stronger this year. The guys have been able to do that.”

    Cherry Creek wasn’t the only team who used an extra gear to secure a spot in the 5A semifinals.

    Regis Jesuit, the No. 2 seed, had a nerve-racking game against long-time parochial rival Mullen in the first quarterfinal matchup Saturday. No. 7 Mullen only trailed 5-4 early in the second half, but the Raiders fought back the pesky Mustangs with a 6-2 run to win 11-6. Regis’ top-level was too much for Mullen.

    No. 6 Arapahoe, the two-time defending state champs — but a team that lost 20 seniors — seemed incapable of matching upstart No. 3 Mountain Vista’s high-level play. The Golden Eagles were dominating, but gutsy Arapahoe roared back from a 10-3 deficit to force overtime. The Warriors had a storybook 12-11 victory on Austin Shindoll’s spectacular over-the-shoulder game winning goal with 1:40 remaining in overtime. Arapahoe will face Regis for the second straight year in the semifinals.

    No. 4 Kent Denver was getting smothered by No. 5 Colorado Academy in a grind of a game. Colorado Academy held a 5-2 advantage in the third quarter, a lead that felt wide given the nature of the game. Kent slowly chipped away and finally took their first lead of the game, 6-5, with 3:12 remaining. The Sun Devils’ late push was enough to claim a 6-5 victory and a spot against Cherry Creek in the semis.

    All four semifinalists, each of which are traditional powers in boys lacrosse, discovered a top-flight tier that pushed them over the top. Cherry Creek was the gold standard Saturday in shifting into a powerful gear. Their gear allowed them to nullify any hopes Rock Canyon had at an upset. The others followed the Bruins’ lead.

  • Caliche, Dove Creek to meet in 1A baseball’s championship game

    (Bert Borgmann/CHSAANow.com)
    (Bert Borgmann/CHSAANow.com)

    DENVER — The bus showed up late Saturday morning to pick up the Caliche Buffaloes (11-10) for their trip to the Class 1A Regional/Semifinal Tournament at Denver’s All-City Stadium. And then it had to stop for fuel before starting the 151-mile trek.

    Not really an auspicious beginning to a trip that would prove hugely successful. In fact, for coach J.P. Lambrecht it was cause for worry — but for his team, not so much.

    “For showing up late, the kids really responded well,” he said. “We have an experienced crew and they came out and did what they needed to do.”

    The team showed up at 9:25, just enough time to get a little loose and take a quick infield before lining up against Cornerstone Christian (10-6) for the 10:00 a.m. first pitch.

    That “experienced” crew pounded out nine hits and took advantage of five CCA errors to take an 11-1 win.

    In the second regional game, last year’s state runner-up Holly (8-7) slipped in two runs in the top of the seventh to get past Stratton. Holly’s battery featured two freshmen, Yadiel Vidal at catcher and Ricardo Juarez on the mound.

    In the semifinal game, though, Caliche’s athleticism really showed. Many of the players had already played on the Buffalo’s second place 8-man football team and state championship basketball team. In fact, the group of players on this year’s team have multiple state titles in basketball.

    “This is an athletic crew and they’ve been together since kindergarten. They know each other well — maybe too well,” he noted with a laugh. “We don’t have a lot of ‘baseball’ players per se, but we have a lot of good athletes. Only a couple of them play any summer ball.”

    Pitcher Mitch Davison scattered four hits and the offense belted out 11 hits, as the Buffaloes will move on to face Dove Creek (7-14) on Thursday at 11:00 a.m. at Coca-Cola All-Star Park in Lakewood for the 1A title.

    Dove Creek got past Peetz 9-7 and then, in a typical 1A baseball game, downed Eads 23-18 in a two-hour, 45-minute affair. Eads (9-9) had beaten Elbert (9-5) 3-1 in the regional game.

    “These kids are fun to coach,” Lambrecht noted. “They have been playing with each other on the high school teams since they were freshmen. We have several four-year starters.”

  • Chaparral baseball slams its way into 5A state tournament

    Chaparral sophomore Addison Kaasch, second from the right, is greeted by teammates Paul Green, Andrew Thomas, Keenan Eaton and Gage Gerken after Kaasch's grand slam home run Saturday afternoon at Paul DeAngelis Field at Columbine High School. The Wolverines took a 12-3 victory to advance to the state tournament next week. (Dennis Pleuss)
    Chaparral sophomore Addison Kaasch, second from the right, is greeted by teammates Paul Green, Andrew Thomas, Keenan Eaton and Gage Gerken after Kaasch’s grand slam home run Saturday afternoon at Paul DeAngelis Field at Columbine High School. The Wolverines took a 12-3 victory to advance to the state tournament next week. (Dennis Pleuss)

    LITTLETON — Chaparral rode a wave of momentum Saturday to win the Class 5A District 3 baseball title and a berth into the eight-team double-elimination state tournament next week.

    Behind a remarkable outing on the mound by senior Brad Brown, the fifth-place team out of the tough Continental League shocked Columbine with a 12-3 victory on the Rebels’ home field.

    “This season has been up-and-down and all around,” Chaparral coach Tony Persichina said. “We just battled back. It’s a testament to those guys. They are phenomenal kids.”

    Chaparral sophomore Addison Kaasch forces out Columbine junior Michael Tait (23) and throws on to first to get out Columbine senior Donny Ortiz on a double play in the first inning Saturday. (Dennis Pleuss)
    Chaparral sophomore Addison Kaasch forces out Columbine junior Michael Tait (23) and throws on to first to get out Columbine senior Donny Ortiz on a double play in the first inning Saturday. (Dennis Pleuss)

    The Wolverines dug themselves a 6-0 hole in the district semifinal at Frank DeAngelis Field at Columbine High School against Prairie View. Chaparral (13-8) battled back for an 11-8 victory to advance to the district title game against Columbine (19-2).

    “I knew my guys would pull it out,” Brown said about his team’s comeback against Prairie View. “We’ve done what we’ve needed to do all year long to get to where we are at now.”

    Chaparral started off against the Rebels right where it left off. The Wolverines put up four runs in the top of the second inning and added another pair in the fourth inning to take a 6-0 lead.

    Sophomore Addison Kaasch started the damage with an RBI double in the second inning off Columbine pitcher Isaish Montoya. A pair of Rebel errors, along with RBI singles by Spencer Olwell and Paul Green gave the Wolverines a quick 4-0 advantage.

    Columbine senior Austin Anderson reacts after striking out in the fourth inning Saturday. Anderson did have an RBI double and RBI single in the final two innings, but it wasn't enough as the Rebels lost the Class 5A District 3 championship game 12-3 to Chaparral. (Dennis Pleuss)
    Columbine senior Austin Anderson reacts after striking out in the fourth inning Saturday. Anderson did have an RBI double and RBI single in the final two innings, but it wasn’t enough as the Rebels lost the Class 5A District 3 championship game 12-3 to Chaparral. (Dennis Pleuss)

    “I wasn’t surprised how our team hit today,” Kaasch said of Chaparral’s 12 runs against the Rebels, a team that hadn’t given up double-digit runs in a game all season. “We had a good game today.”

    Kaasch put the exclamation point on for Chaparral with a grand slam home run in a six-run top of the seventh inning for the Wolverines.

    “Chaparral got the upper-hand with some early runs,” Columbine coach Chuck Gillan said. “We just couldn’t figure it out. We are a momentum-type team. Usually if we start hitting everyone gets it going. He (Brown) mowed down the top of our lineup that first go-around and it was kind of a slow start for us.”

    Brown actually had a no-hitter going through five innings. Columbine senior Donny Ortiz broke up the no-no with a single in the bottom of the sixth inning. Senior Austin Anderson followed up with an RBI single and sophomore Tommy Gillman drove in a run on a groundout to close the deficit to 6-2.

    However, Kaasch’s slam in the top of the seventh and Columbine’s fourth fielding error of the game pushed the deficit to 12-2 going to the bottom of the seventh.

    “(Chaparral) played well. The credit goes to those guys over there. Our kids didn’t quit. They just couldn’t get any momentum today,” coach Gillman said. “The fourth, fifth and sixth it looked like we were starting to wake up. Then (Chaparral) put it away by scoring a bunch of runs.”

    Columbine had its bats going against Legacy senior pitcher Lucas Gilbreath. The lefty had a 6-1 record and 1.20 ERA going into the district semifinal against the Rebels. Columbine cruised to a 10-0 victory in six innings to open the district tournament.

    The Rebels’ ace, senior Blake Weiman had 11 strikeouts in the complete-game shutout to grab his seventh victory on the mound this season.

    It was Brown’s turn to shine on the mound in the district championship game. The senior lefty had an ERA of 4.15 and suffered four losses this season, including a 13-0 loss to Regis where he gave up eight runs in the first inning.

    “I put in the work all week,” said Brown who gave up three runs on just three hits for the complete-game victory. “I knew I’d come out with some good stuff.”

    The Wolverines will face conference rival Mountain Vista in the opening round of the double-elimination state tournament at 12:30 p.m. Friday, May 16, at All-City Field. Mountain Vista edge Chaparral 2-1 in their league meeting back on April 21.

    “I think we are one of the more talented teams out here,” Brown said. “As long as we play our best ball I think we’ve got a pretty good shot.”

    Chaparral senior Brad Brown fires to the plate during Saturday's District 3 championship game Saturday against Columbine. Brown had a no-hitter through five innings and eventually got the complete-game victory against the Rebels. (Dennis Pleuss)
    Chaparral senior Brad Brown fires to the plate during Saturday’s District 3 championship game Saturday against Columbine. Brown had a no-hitter through five innings and eventually got the complete-game victory against the Rebels. (Dennis Pleuss)

  • 5A baseball’s state tournament bracket

    The 2014 state tournament bracket for Class 5A baseball.

    Sites: All-City Field (Denver) and Bishop Machebeuf HS (Denver)

    Go to: District brackets

    [divider]

    Class 5A

    Click on a game number to see details, including time and site. ^- Indicates extra innings.

    Bracket notes:

    • The site director will flip a coin for home team in all games.
    • The loser of Game 11 (L11) and winner of Game 11 (W11) may change places so that previous opponents are not matched. CHSAA will make determination.
    • If three teams remain after Game 13, the winner of Game 11 (W11) draws a bye to Game 15. If W11 loses Game 12, there will be three teams left and W11 earns the bye. W12 then plays W13 to reach finals. This spot is marked by a percentage sign (%) on the bracket.

  • 4A baseball’s state tournament bracket

    The 2014 state tournament bracket for Class 4A baseball.

    Sites: All-Star Park (Lakewood) and Cherokee Trail HS (Aurora)

    Go to: District brackets

    [divider]

    Class 4A

    Click on a game number to see details, including time and site. ^- Indicates extra innings.

    The winners/losers of game 11 were switched to ensure that each team is not playing a team it had played earlier in the tournament.

    Bracket notes:

    • The site director will flip a coin for home team in all games.
    • The loser of Game 11 (L11) and winner of Game 11 (W11) may change places so that previous opponents are not matched. CHSAA will make determination.
    • If three teams remain after Game 13, the winner of Game 11 (W11) draws a bye to Game 15. If W11 loses Game 12, there will be three teams left and W11 earns the bye. W12 then plays W13 to reach finals. This spot is marked by a percentage sign (%) on the bracket.

  • 3A baseball’s state tournament bracket

    The 2014 state tournament bracket for Class 3A baseball.

    Sites: Butch Butler Field (Greeley) and Niwot HS

    Go to: District brackets

    [divider]

    Class 3A

    Click on a game number to see details, including time and site. ^- Indicates extra innings.

    Note: Game 11 was switched to ensure that no team was playing a team it had played earlier in the tournament. The game 11 winners/losers were switched to accommodate this.

    Bracket notes:

    • The site director will flip a coin for home team in all games.
    • The loser of Game 11 (L11) and winner of Game 11 (W11) may change places so that previous opponents are not matched. CHSAA will make determination.
    • If three teams remain after Game 13, the winner of Game 11 (W11) draws a bye to Game 15. If W11 loses Game 12, there will be three teams left and W11 earns the bye. W12 then plays W13 to reach finals. This spot is marked by a percentage sign (%) on the bracket.

  • 2A baseball’s regional and state tournament bracket

    The 2014 regional and state tournament bracket for Class 2A baseball.

    2014 CHSAA State Baseball Championships Class 2A

    Bracket notes:

    • The higher seeded team will determine the “home team” and last at bat in all first round games.
    • From quarters through the finals a coin flip by the site director/designee will determine “home team” and last at bat.

     

  • Photos: 5A girls tennis state tournament in Denver

    DENVER — The 5A state tennis meet wrapped up at Gates Tennis Center on Saturday.