AURORA — Cherry Creek boys lacrosse beat Kent Denver 13-5 in the Class 5A semifinals on Wednesday.
Month: May 2015
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Weather contingencies for state baseball this weekend
The spring weather may cause more issues with baseball’s state tournaments this weekend.
Already, one site in the Class 3A tournament has been moved. The games that were to be played at Niwot High School will now be played at Frederick High School, as Niwot’s outfield was flooded from overnight rain on Thursday morning.
The 1A state title game was originally scheduled to be played Thursday, but was postponed because the bracket’s early rounds were pushed back by weather. At noon on Thursday, that game was rescheduled to 6 p.m. Saturday.
More changes could soon be coming. There is a high chance of rain and thunderstorms in Denver (site of 5A and 4A) and Greeley (3A) on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The 3A and 4A tournaments are scheduled to be played Friday and Saturday, with 5A set for Saturday and Sunday — due to wet fields in the early part of this week.
Pueblo, site of the 2A tournament on Friday and Saturday looks to be good to play this weekend.
As such, here are the weather contingencies for the weekend that has been communicated to schools:
The weather forecast is predicting a high chance of rain again, especially in Northern Colorado where Saturday and Sunday appear most threatened. Southern Colorado looks to be okay with only a small chance of thunderstorms each day.
As we look forward to the weekend, the following options will be explored should we be unable to play due to wet grounds:
Note: Game times may be adjusted to help school schedules when possible if games are postponed or have been postponed from a previous schedule.
Class 3A – Should either Friday or Saturday be postponed, Monday and Tuesday become the fall back date, using the same schedule. (Please note that at least two schools have graduation on Sunday.) If Monday and Tuesday end up postponed as well, then the first week of the tournament will move to May 22 and 23, with the semifinals and finals going to May 30 and June 1.
Class 4A – Move Friday’s games to Saturday and Saturday’s games to Monday, as neither Machebeuf nor All-Star Park are available on Sunday. Sites may be changed and times adjusted to accommodate the change in date(s).
If Monday is postponed as well, then move the tournament’s first 11 games to May 22 and 23; Games 12-14 (15) move to May 30 and June 1.
Class 5A – Should Saturday be postponed, the games will be moved to Sunday and Sunday’s games to Monday. Sites may be changed and times adjusted to accommodate the change in date(s).
If all days are postponed, then move the tournament’s first 11 games to May 22 and 23; Games 12-14 (15) move to May 30 and June 1.
All attempts in each classification will be made to play on schedule and on time, but Mother Nature has surprised us before.
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Photos: Grandview girls soccer tops Chaparral to reach 5A semifinals
GREENWOOD VILLAGE — No. 2-seeded Grandview beat No. 23 Chaparral 3-0 in the Class 5A girls soccer quarterfinals on Wednesday.
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1A baseball championship game scheduled for Saturday
DENVER — The Class 1A baseball championship game, which had been postponed from its original date on Thursday, will now be played on Saturday.
The game will be at 6 p.m. at All-City Field in Denver, according to CHSAA assistant commissioner Bert Borgmann, who oversees baseball.
Dove Creek and Granada will vie for the title. The two teams came to an agreement to reschedule the game to Saturday.
The 6 p.m. time was selected, in part, to allow Granada’s track athletes to complete their events at the state track and field championships. The start time is somewhat fluid, Borgmann said, to allow those Granada athletes time to finish at track and make the 20-minute drive from Jeffco Stadium to All-City.
Of course, weather may be an issue. In the event it does interfere, the game will be reevaluated at that point.
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Photos: Monarch baseball wins 5A District 3
LOUISVILLE — Monarch, the No. 4 seed, won Class 5A baseball’s District 3 with a 9-2 win over No. 13 Horizon in the championship game on Wednesday.
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State track, ever the spectacle, kicked off in a big way Thursday
More photos. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com) LAKEWOOD — Schools from all five classifications, everyone from Idalia to Cherry Creek, come together at Jefferson County Stadium each year for the state track and field championships.
The three-day event is a spectacle. From the multi-colored team tents dotting the stands, to the splendid new stadium scoreboard with videos and instant results, to the podium for state placers lined with flowers underneath, the state track meet is one of the premier prep events in Colorado.
Although Thursday was the first of three days, serving as a stage-setter on the track with only two events as championship finals, the 3,200-meter run and the 3,200-meter relay in a few of the divisions, and the rest preliminary rounds to earn spots in finals, the day was not bereft of memorable performances.
Maya Evans, a freshman at Vista PEAK, won prelims in the Class 4A 100-meter dash in 12.00. She also placed third in the 200-meter dash prelims in 25.25. Off the track, Evans won the state championship in the long jump with a 19-9.25, the third-best mark nationally by a freshman in 2015.
“My goal was a 20, but every time I jump I get closer and closer,” Evans said.
“It feels really good,” she added. “I’m new to state and it was a challenge for me, but I believed in myself and I knew I could do it.”
Valor Christian, sporting their white Nike speed suits, blistered a time of 1:26.37 in the boys 800-meter relay. They easily won 4A prelims over Littleton (1:28.81) and Windsor (1:28.85).
A few minutes later, Fountain-Fort Carson — resembling Superman in their red, white, and blue — ran 1:26.99 to win 5A prelims. Pine Creek girls, the defending state champions in the 400- and 800-meter relays, posted 1:38.44 in their preliminary round in 5A, easily outdistancing Cherokee Trail’s 1:41.05. They own the Colorado record of 1:37.05, set in 2014 at the state meet.
The 800-meter relay finals for the big schools could be as entertaining as any event on Friday.
As for those championship finals on Thursday, another team decked in red, white, and blue — Cherry Creek — swept the 5A boys and girls crowns in the 3,200 meter relay. The girls were in a battle with Monarch and ThunderRidge through three legs, but unleashed Jordyn Colter — the No. 1-ranked girl in America in the 800 meters and the mile — on the anchor to cruise a 9:07.54. Monarch (9:15) and ThunderRidge (9:21) finished second and third.
The Bruin boys hovered around fourth place through the first two legs, but picked off the leaders and won in 7:51. Chaparral (7:54), Fountain-Fort Carson (7:55), and Liberty (7:57) all dipped under eight minutes.
In a state with the track and field talent of Colorado, plenty of athletes performed well on the biggest stage. Perhaps none performed better, or at least in more dramatic fashion, than Air Academy’s Katie Rainsberger.
After running away from a stacked 4A field in the 3,200-meter run with a time of 10:49, ahead of Mountain View’s Riley Cooney (10:56), Denver North’s Kayla Young (10:56), and Canon City’s Aubrey Till (10:58), the junior saved enough for something special in the 3,200 relay.
Thompson Valley, a traditional power in the relay, led through three legs and by a sizeable margin. But Air Academy was lurking in the top five.
More photos. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com) The Kadets moved into second with Rainsberger’s anchor leg to go, but the Eagles had Emily Leidig, a state qualifier in the 800-meters, countering. Rainsberger measured Leidig on the first lap and started gaining, but the gap was still several meters.
She eventually caught her with around 200 to go, and brought the baton home in 9:25. Canon City snuck past Thompson Valley for second in 9:31 to TV’s 9:32.
“They stepped up really big today,” Rainsberger, who split 2:10, said of her relay mates. “We were in pretty good position when I got the baton. I knew I just needed to finish as hard as I could and try to get the win.”
Kayla Wiitala, Lilliana Hamilton, and Carly Wilborn were also members of the winning 3,200 relay for Air Academy.
Rainsberger nearly ran down Mountain View on the anchor leg a season ago, but came up just short as the Kadets were the runner-up in 9:17 to the Mountain Lions’ 9:15.
The 4A champion last fall in cross country got her first state of winning on the track after several runner-up finishes individually, as well. She’s the favorite to win the 800 and 1600-meter runs over the weekend.
Events begin again at 8:30 am on Friday morning with the 3A 3,200 meter-run.
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Notables
- Valor Christian’s Haley Showalter, a senior, defended her 4A crown in the discus throw with a mark of 158-5. The future Wisconsin Badger was the runner-up in the event her freshman and sophomore seasons.
- Cherokee Trail’s Amazing Ashby won the 5A triple jump with a 39-4, a nice boost to the Cougars’ title hopes as a team. CT, Fort Collins, and Pine Creek are expected to contend.
- Rampart placed 1st and 2nd in the 5A high jump as Ashlyn Hare (5-6) won the crown and Kiara Kearny (5-6, more attempts) was the runner-up.
- Mountain Range’s Patrick Byerly won the 5A discus throw with an impressive 54-6. He became the first track and field athlete to win a state title in the school’s history.
- Palmer Ridge’s Eric Hamer, the 4A cross country champion last fall, won 4A in the 3,200 meter run in 9:22. He came back soon after to anchor the winning 3,200 relay in 7:57. The Bears’ Caleb Ojennes crushed prelims of the 400-meter dash with a 47.31.
- Bayfield’s Conner Kennedy nearly broke the 3A state meet record in the long jump with a mark of 23-00. Josiah Baker of La Junta holds the all-time best with a 23-1.25, set in 2003.
- Cedaredge broke the 2A state meet record in the girls 800-meter relay with a time of 1:44.76 in prelims. Akron held the previous best of 1:45.29 from 2011.
- Shining Mountain Waldorf’s Ginger Hutton was a mere four seconds off her sister’s 1A 3,200-meter record of 11:49. Ginger ran 11:53 on Thursday, Birdie went 11:49 in 2012. Older sister runs for Princeton, while Ginger, a senior, is a Vanderbilt recruit.
- The Chaparral boys, who were 2nd Thursday, have placed either 1st or 2nd in the 5A 3,200 relay six times since 2007.
- Paul Roberts of Lyons, a junior, won the 2A 3,200 meter crown in 9:38. The title was Roberts’ fourth on the track and seventh overall as an individual, including cross country. He also anchored the winning 3,200 meter relay Thursday.
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Photos: State track and field first day
LAKEWOOD — The 2015 state track and field meet got underway on Thursday.
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Hartnett named new athletic director at Boulder
Ed Hartnett. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com) Eddie Hartnett, the district athletic director at Adams 12 Schools, and the incoming president of CHSAA’s Board of Directors, has been named the new athletic director at Boulder High School.
The appointment is pending approval from the Boulder Valley board.
Hartnett has been the district athletic director at Adams 12 for the past six years. He has also been a member of CHSAA’s Board of Directors since 2012.
Hartnett announced the move in an email to CHSAA staff and the Board.
“I have had the honor to work for many of Colorado’s the strongest teachers, coaches, band directors, and administrators within Adams 12 Five Star Schools,” he wrote. “Many of you know that over the past 6 years I have faced many different challenges, both professional and personal.”
He added that he missed being in a school building, where he was able to witness his “direct impact on the students.”
“I realized that I, too, missed that, when my wife Shelley reminded me of when I was happiest as an AD/AP at the schools where I can make a difference,” Hartnett wrote. “I was happiest when I spoke to kids on academics, family, sports, role modeling, sportsmanship, and progress — not to just adults. If you know me you realize that I live everyday as if it is my last.”
“I am lucky to have been given a second chance, and a new perspective on life and my career,” he continued. “I want to spend my last decade in education working with kids and adults in a school and making a difference.”
Hartnett will become CHSAA’s 60th Board president in June of this year.
His career started as an athletic director at Nederland, and he also held the same role at Northglenn. He was also a teacher and a coach at Broomfield, and also graduated from that school.
In addition to everything else, Harnett is also active in the Colorado Athletic Directors Association, and is on CHSAA’s equity committee. He played a major role in developing the Association’s transgender policy.
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1A baseball roundup: Granada and Dove Creek to play for title
Granada 14, Fleming 7
Quarterfinal: Granada jumped out to a 8-0 lead thanks to a flurry of Fleming errors. The Wildcats were able to cut the lead to 10-7, but their offense sputtered the rest of the way out, sending the Bobcats into the semifinals.
Nucla 13, Stratton/Liberty 8
Quarterfinal: Nucla was able to come out on top of the offensive onslaught for a chance to meet Granada in the 1A semifinals.
Granada 13, Nucla 6
Semifinal: After two weather delays, Granada was able to take a 10-5 lead, putting them into the 1A state championship game.
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Dove Creek 2, Holly 1
Quarterfinal: In the pitchers’ duel of the day, Dove Creek came away with the one-run win to advance to the 1A semifinals.
Community Christian 17, Peetz 0
Quarterfinal: Community Christian allowed one hit as their offense came alive to give them the 17-0 win over Peetz.
Dove Creek 8, Community Christian 5
Semifinal: Dove Creek overcame a 4-1 deficit after a lightning delay to earn a shot at the 1A state championship.
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The title game between Dove Creek and Granada does not yet have a set date, location or time because it was originally postponed by poor weather. That will be announced in the coming days. -
Mountain Vista baseball captures district to move to 5A’s Final 8
(Kent Mincer/CHSAANow.com) HIGHLANDS RANCH — The Mountain Vista baseball team put itself in the position it wanted.
“Now we’ll see where the chips fall,” Golden Eagles coach Ron Quintana said after his team advanced to Saturday’s Class 5A Final 8 with a 4-2 victory over Fairview in the District 6 championship game.
Mountain Vista earned its district title game berth with a 6-0 victory over Brighton.
Each team managed only three hits, but the Golden Eagles rode the arm of pitcher Mark Mumper, who struck out seven while issuing just one walk in going the distance.
Fairview beat Montbello 10-0 on a walkoff grand slam home run by DH Ryan Madden. Johnny Feauto struck out eight in holding the Warriors to two hits to record the shutout victorty.
It was just Montbello’s third appearance in the district playoffs in 38 years.
Fairview jumped out to a 2-0 lead against Mountain Vista in the top of the second, but the Golden Eagles answered with three runs in the bottom of the inning on four consecutive singles.
The game was marred by an injury in the bottom of the fifth when Madden, the Knights’ starting pitcher in the second game who had given up three runs on five hits to that point, was struck in the face by a line-drive batted ball.
Madden was eventually helped to his feet to the relief of the stunned crowd. Mountain Vista added another run on an RBI single by Will Dixon. After the game, Fairview tweeted that Madden was “doing well.”
It was Dixon’s performance on the mound that was the difference. Other than the four-run second, he gave up just two other hits in earning the victory.
With windy conditions, “My curve wasn’t working so I moved to a cutter halfway through the game,” he said. “I hadn’t thrown it all year.”
It worked as he kept the Knights off balance through most of the game.
“He’s been our horse for two years,” Quintana said of Dixon.
The Golden Eagles get a break before the tournament resumes Saturday, giving both Mumper and Dixon four days rest.
The 5A bracket will release after all of the districts complete play on Wednesday.