BROOMFIELD — Dakota Ridge’s Jeremy Lujan had six total touchdowns and 375 total yards as his seventh-ranked Eagles cruised to a 66-33 win over Standley Lake on Friday night.
Dakota Ridge quarterback Adam Clary threw for 353 yards and three touchdowns.
In the loss, Standley Lake’s Jacob Naranjo threw for 310 yards and three touchdowns, while Connor Durant had 223 receiving yards and two scores.
WESTMINSTER – Opposing teams have been hard-pressed in recent weeks to find ways to cool off the blazing bats of Legacy’s softball team.
During its current eight-game winning streak – including Saturday’s impressive 10-0 victory over No. 6 Mountain Range – the seventh-ranked Lightning has been lighting up the scoreboard to the tune of more than 12 runs per game.
Legacy sent 10 hitters to the plate in the first inning Saturday and pushed five runs across, the big blow coming on a 3-run home run from senior Celyn Whitt.
Lightning coach Dawn Gaffin isn’t taking any credit for those numbers though – she gives it all to assistants John Waller and Lauren Green.
“They have worked with these girls on hitting and team at-bats, and individual at-bats, and an approach at the plate, and hitting the ball where it’s pitched,” Gaffin said. “I’m giving them kudos and credit because it is totally and all about them.
“These girls responded to that today.”
The victory kept Legacy (13-4, 8-1) just behind No. 3 Fossil Ridge in the Front Range League standings with two league games remaining. If the teams finished tied, the Sabercats would own the tiebreaker by virtue of a 13-12 victory over Legacy on Sept. 9.
Mountain Range (14-3, 6-3) has hit the ball as well as any team in the state this fall, but the Mustangs couldn’t muster much offense against Lightning ace Haley Smith. Mountain Range was limited to only one hit and three base runners overall through five innings on the team’s Senior Day.
“They circled this game at the beginning of the year and they wanted it more than anything,” Mustangs coach Dane Craig said. “Hats off to Legacy, they came out and swung the bat really well in the beginning of the game, and Haley Smith pitched an excellent game.
“We just didn’t have an answer for them right now, but we’re 14-3 and we have a good head of steam going into regionals.”
Legacy opened the game up with a bang. With two runners on, Whitt unloaded a pitch from Hunter Huser over the left-field wall to put her team up 3-0. Jordan Sheard and Trisha Cook added run-scoring singles in the frame.
“What we try to do every inning is we come out and we score first,” Whitt said. “We win every inning. It’s a big thing for us to get some runs to back up our pitcher.”
Whitt doubled in a run in the second and scored on another double from Emily Taggart, and Alyssa Geist added a 2-run home run in the fourth inning.
Smith pitched five scoreless innings, striking out seven and allowing only a fourth-inning single to Ally Richter.
“It’s definitely a team win,” Whitt said. “When we pull all of our parts together, nothing feels better.”
The defending Class 5A state champions host Fairview and Rocky Mountain to close out the regular season before regional tournaments get underway.
“That’s what we’re preparing for – we know we have two games, and we’re keeping the girls focused on those two games,” Gaffin said. “Then we start season No. 2 on Oct. 6.”
Mountain Range – which opened the season with nine consecutive victories, including a 13-6 triumph over current 5A No. 1 Dakota Ridge – closes at Horizon and Poudre. The team has enjoyed a remarkable run behind an offense that was hitting above .500 coming into Saturday, with junior Riley Craig and senior Kaylee Dethouars each in the top five in 5A in hits.
Dane Craig said he has no doubts his squad will put this loss behind them quickly.
“We’re not overlooking anybody. We know we have to go in strong to regionals,” he said. “I know they will. We’re going to rebound from this.”
ARVADA — It isn’t easy to run the table in the Class 5A Jeffco softball conference.
The Dakota Ridge Eagles, No. 1 in this week’s CHSAANow.com 5A rankings, were flying high with a seven-game winning streaking coming into Saturday’s league contest against Ralston Valley. The Mustangs (10-7, 3-2 in league) were saddled with a three-game losing streak, but were able to buck the skid.
Ralston Valley knocked off the top-ranked Eagles with a 7-6 victory at home in eight innings. Senior Kat Schaefer crossed the plate for the game-winning run, scoring all the way from first base on a sacrifice bunt by sophomore Sydney Harsh in the bottom of the eighth inning.
“I saw third base was open and coach (Wendy Davies) was telling me to go,” Schaefer said about what she saw rounding second base as Dakota Ridge’s defenders charged to field the bunt. “Right when I saw the catcher not cover home I knew we won. It felt good.”
The throw to third base in attempt to get Schaefer out sailed into the Mustangs’ dugout to score the final run. It was the third error in the final three innings for the Eagles (13-3, 4-1).
“We knew this was going to be a tough game. Wendy always prepares her teams well from year-to-year,” Dakota Ridge coach Marv Van Lingen said. “I knew with a three-game skid that we would be fighting a team that is trying to break that skid.”
It was déjà vu for the Eagles. Ralston Valley took a 2-1 victory against Dakota Ridge in extra innings last season on the Mustangs’ home field.
Ralston Valley led for the majority of Saturday’s game. Sophomore Alexa Samuels led the way with an RBI sacrifice fly in the first inning to give the Mustangs an early lead. Samuels finished 3-for-3 from the plate with a pair of triples.
The Mustangs led 4-1 through five innings before Dakota Ridge rallied with a trio of runs in the top of the sixth inning to tie the game at 4-4. Sophomore Kacey Valerio came off the bench with a pinch-hit two-run single and her older sister, Dani Valerio, followed that up with an RBI single to get the Eagles right back into the game.
Ralston Valley regained the lead at 5-4 in the bottom half of the sixth when freshman Gianna Browdy scored from second base on a fielding error.
The top-ranked team responded again with a two-run top of the seventh inning to take a 6-5 lead. Down to their final strike, Dakota Ridge sophomore Melissa Mages looped in an RBI double to tie the game at 6-6. Junior McKenzie Wilhelm gave the Eagles their first lead of the game with an RBI single.
The Mustangs rallied in the bottom of the seventh with a leadoff triple by Samuels.
“She (Samuels) is definitely a clutch player,” Schaefer said.
Junior Maddy Smith drove in Samuels with an RBI single to send the game into extra innings. Ralston Valley managed seven hits and was opportunistic capitalizing on eight walks the Eagles issued.
Dani Valerio was left stranded at second base in the top of the eighth inning for Dakota Ridge. Ralston Valley jumped on the chance to put the game away after Schaefer led off the bottom of the eighth with a single.
“I think we all focused on playing as a team and didn’t focus on who we were playing,” Samuels said. “It was a good team win. It was fun.”
Ralston Valley junior Rylie Strong picked up the victory on the mound. She gave up nine hits in the complete-game victory. Dakota Ridge junior Megan Sansburn pitched the first two innings, but struggled with her command giving up four walks. Sophomore Carlye Levy took over in the circle for the Eagles in the third inning. Van Lingen put Sansburn back in at pitcher in the bottom of the eighth inning to face Harsh, who put down the perfect bunt on the game-winning play.
“We got the bunts down and got the hits when we needed them,” Davies said. “It was a whole team effort.”
Dakota Ridge can still take the conference title. The Eagles close out league with road games against Columbine (Tuesday) and Lakewood (Thursday) next week.
“In hindsight, this is probably going to be a good thing hopefully to get the girls refocused,” Van Lingen said. “It might have happened at the right time.”
Ralston Valley closes it regular season against Bear Creek (Tuesday) and Columbine (Thursday) next week before heading to the postseason.
“It’s really good for our confidence coming off those big losses,” Schaefer said. “We know Dakota is a great opponent. We came out strong and finished strong today.”
BRIGHTON — Westminster Wolves football ran the ball 48 times for 285 yards en route to a 26-16 win against the Brighton Bulldogs on Friday night.
The Wolves had a two-pronged rushing attack, with Brandon Dickerson rushing the ball 27 times for 196 yards and 2 touchdowns and Nate Howe taking 15 carries for 94 yards and 2 scores.
Brighton’s quarterback Brady Jacovetta through for 138 yards and 1 touchdown, while running back Jackson Lambrecht had 10 carries for 70 yards and a score.
ARVADA — Ralston Valley senior Anthony Falbo received the largest applause from the Mustangs’ crowd Thursday night at the North Area Athletic Complex.
It didn’t matter if it was during pregame introductions. Falbo’s 4-yard touchdown run in the first quarter or Ralston Valley’s student section chatting “We want Falbo!” during the second half as the senior captain stood on the sideline. Thursday’s 43-9 win over Chatfield was all about supporting Ralston Valley’s senior captain. Cynthia Falbo, Anthony’s mother, passed away less than a week ago after a long battle with pancreatic cancer.
“There couldn’t be a better kid than Anthony Falbo in leading us in a positive way through a tough situation,” Ralston Valley coach Matt Loyd said after the Mustangs’ 43-9 victory over Chatfield. “That kid is rock solid. It’s great to see the community support him. We’ll be at the funeral services tomorrow (Friday) and we’ll go support him that way.”
Hundreds of Ralston Valley fans wore t-shirts with Falbo’s No. 44 on it in memory of his mother.
“It’s incredible how much support has been shown for Anthony’s family,” Ralston Valley senior Andrew Wingard said. “His mom was huge in our community.”
The emotional Mustangs (5-0 overall, 3-0 in Class 5A Jeffco), ranked No. 4 in this week’s CHSAANow.com 5A football rankings, were unstoppable in the first half. Ralston Valley scored touchdowns on each of its first six offensive possessions.
Junior Kyle Rush had seven carries for 168 yards and two touchdowns, while Wingard had eight carries for 160 yards and three touchdowns at halftime. Falbo had the sixth touchdown as the Mustangs led 43-3 at halftime over Chatfield (2-3, 1-2).
“You have to give it all to the offensive line,” Wingard said. “Those are the guys that come in ready for practice every day. Without them you can’t win games. Rush and I aren’t the biggest guys, but we’ve got the speed.”
Chatfield’s offense averaged 40 points per game in its last three games coming into Thursday night’s tilt that was televised live on Altitude TV. However, the Chargers went just 1-2 with losses to Horizon and Bear Creek sandwiched between an overtime-victory against Lakewood.
Chargers’ senior quarterback Kyle Winkler drove Chatfield into Ralston Valley’s red zone three times in the first half, but the Chargers could only come away with a 24-yard field goal by senior Becca Meares to show for it.
A rash of injuries has plagued Chatfield this season. However, Winkler running the Chargers’ high-tempo offense can still present some problems for defenses.
“At first it was really difficult to go that hard, but we ended up getting really used to it. We could play at that tempo,” Ralston Valley senior defensive lineman Kyle Emery said. “(Winkler) is a good quarterback. He is probably the best quarterback we’ve faced so far.”
A 12-play drive in the fourth quarter capped off with a six-yard touchdown run by Chatfield senior Thomas Elsenbast made the final score 43-9.
Chatfield will look to end its two-game losing streak as it stays on the road next week. The Chargers head to Mullen High School for a 7:30 p.m. game Friday, Oct. 3.
Ralston Valley plays its third straight Thursday night game at NAAC next week. The Mustangs square off against Lakewood. The game is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff.
While the win kept the Mustangs undefeated on the season, thoughts after the victory were clearly on supporting the Falbo family.
“It was extremely sad to see her go,” Emery said. “One of the last things his dad said is she wanted to see one more football game, but I know she is up there looking down on us.”
The live event will begin at 6:30 p.m. on Friday.
[divider]
| Live games | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | Game | Time | Notes |
| 5A | Chaparral vs. Legend | 5:30 p.m. | Video |
| 3A | Glenwood Springs vs. (10) Palisade | 6 p.m. | Audio |
| 2A | (9) St. Mary’s vs. (8) Lamar | Alternate | 7 p.m. | Video |
| 1A | Center vs. (6) Monte Vista | Alternate | 7 p.m. | Video |
| 5A | (8) Cherry Creek vs. (9) Cherokee Trail | 7 p.m. | Video |
| 5A | (10) Rocky Mountain vs. Horizon | 7 p.m. | Video |
| 5A | Legacy vs. Mountain Range | 7 p.m. | Video |
| 5A | (1) Valor Christian vs. (7) Overland | 7 p.m. | Video |
| 2A | (4) Platte Valley vs. (5) Eaton | 7 p.m. | Video |
| 3A/4A | (7) Pueblo East vs. Pueblo West | 7 p.m. | Video |
| 3A | (3) Delta vs. (5) Rifle | Alternate | 7 p.m. | Audio |
| 2A | Manitou Springs vs. La Junta | 7 p.m. | Audio |
| 1A | Hotchkiss vs. (7) Cedaredge | 7 p.m. | Audio |
| 8-man | (7) Granada vs. McClave | 7 p.m. | Audio |
| 1A | (4) Burlington vs. Yuma | 7 p.m. | Audio |
| 8-man | Las Animas vs. Wiley | 7 p.m. | Audio |
| 4A | Durango vs. (3) Montrose | 7 p.m. | Audio |
| 8-man | (4) Akron vs. (5) Merino | 7:30 p.m. | Audio |
BROOMFIELD — Faith Christian boys soccer beat The Academy 3-0 on Thursday afternoon.
HIGHLANDS RANCH — Rock Canyon got goals from five different players as the top-ranked Jaguars beat ThunderRidge 5-1 in boys soccer on Thursday.
Oliver Larsson, Aaron Makikalli, Austin Pratte, Gabe Krzywdzinski, and Brian Olcott all scored for Rock Canyon. Jake Wild scored for ThunderRidge.
| Team scores | ||
|---|---|---|
| Rank | School | Score |
| 1 | John F. Kennedy | 99.95 |
| 2 | Denver South | 137.00 |
| Vault | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Name | School | Score |
| 1 | Savannah Hughes | Denver South | 8.35 |
| 2 | Hannah Grisinger | Denver South | 8.10 |
| 3 | Anniek Slosse | Denver South | 8.05 |
| 4 | Stephanie Humphrey | Denver South | 7.80 |
| 5 | Jazmin Molina | John F. Kennedy | 7.10 |
| 6 | Molly Morein | Denver South | 6.55 |
| Bars | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Name | School | Score |
| 1 | Hannah Grisinger | Denver South | 7.15 |
| 2 | Savannah Hughes | Denver South | 6.80 |
| 3 | Molly Morein | Denver South | 4.75 |
| 4 | Stephanie. Humphrey | Denver South | 4.65 |
| 5 | Emile Lopez | John F. Kennedy | 4.50 |
| 6 | Brissa Chavez | John F. Kennedy | 4.45 |
| Beam | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Name | School | Score |
| 1 | Hannah Grisinger | Denver South | 8.00 |
| 2 | Savannah Hughes | Denver South | 6.75 |
| 3 | Adom Netsanet | Denver South | 6.60 |
| 4 | Savannah Hughes | Denver South | 6.05 |
| 5 | Molly Morein | Denver South | 6.00 |
| 6 | Jazmin Molina | Denver South | 5.70 |
| Floor | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Name | School | Score |
| 1 | Savannah Hughes | Denver South | 8.40 |
| 2 | Hannah Grisinger | Denver South | 7.95 |
| 3 | Stephanie Humphrey | Denver South | 7.20 |
| 4 | Anniek Slosse | Denver South | 7.05 |
| 5 | Oumou Soumah | Denver South | 6.60 |
| 6 | Molly Morein | Denver South | 6.60 |
| All-Around | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Name | School | Score |
| 1 | Hannah Grisinger | Denver South | 31.20 |
| 2 | Savannah Hughes | Denver South | 29.85 |
| 3 | Stephanie Humphrey | Denver South | 25.80 |
| 4 | Anniek Slosse | Denver South | 25.70 |
| 5 | Molly Morein | Denver South | 23.90 |
| 6 | Oumou Soumah | Denver South | 23.50 |
| 7 | Jazmin Molina | John F. Kennedy | 20.25 |
| 8 | Nayeli Marquez | John F. Kennedy | 19.05 |
| Team scores | ||
|---|---|---|
| Rank | School | Score |
| 1 | Broomfield | 181.45 |
| 2 | Mountain Range | 179.50 |
| Vault | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Name | School | Score |
| 1 | Nicki Verheyen | Broomfield | 9.30 |
| 2 | Caitlyn Paplow | Broomfield | 9.30 |
| 3 | Kailey Licata | Mountain Range | 9.20 |
| Bars | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Name | School | Score |
| 1 | Kailey Licata | Broomfield | 9.55 |
| 2 | Rachel Dillmann | Mountain Range | 9.40 |
| 3 | Nicole Remund | Broomfield | 9.05 |
| Beam | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Name | School | Score |
| 1 | Carrie Bosveld | Mountain Range | 9.40 |
| 2 | Kailey Licata | Broomfield | 9.20 |
| 3 | Kate Hernandez | Mountain Range | 9.15 |
| Floor | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Name | School | Score |
| 1 | Rachel Dillmann | Mountain Range | 9.70 |
| 2 | Heidi Liles | Broomfield | 9.60 |
| 3 | Caitlyn Paplow | Mountain Range | 9.50 |
| All-Around | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Name | School | Score |
| 1 | Kailey Licata | Broomfield | 37.35 |
| 2 | Nicole Remund | Broomfield | 36.50 |
| 3 | Carrie Bosveld | Mountain Range | 36.10 |