ENGLEWOOD — No. 17-seeded Sheridan boys soccer beat No. 16 Basalt 3-2 on Friday in the first round of the Class 3A boys soccer playoffs.

[divider]

[WPS_photo_gallery id=”199″]

(Kevin Keyser/KeyserImages.com)

Saying it was the “right thing to do,” Highlands Ranch athletic director Bruce Wright confirmed on Saturday that the school’s football team will forfeit three wins this season after it discovered the team had used an illegal communication device during games.

Highlands Ranch self-reported the violation to CHSAA this week as soon as they figured the device was against the rules.

“We made a mistake,” Wright said on Saturday morning. “We think it’s the right thing to do to show that, ‘Yes, we made a mistake and we own up to our mistakes.’ But also, going forward, we’re trying to send a message to our community and our kids that you want to do things the right way, and we plan on doing that going forward, especially next year.”

Highlands Ranch won three games this season, and will forfeit all three — wins against Pueblo Centennial (Sept. 4), Rock Canyon (Oct. 16) and ThunderRidge (Oct. 23). The Falcons will be 0-9 in 2015, and the Wild Card points will be adjusted for them and their opponents.

“Highlands Ranch has always been a leader and has set examples for the Association in prioritizing what high school sports are about,” said CHSAA commissioner Paul Angelico. “While we’re not surprised that stepping up and owning this is in their nature, we want to thank them for having honesty and integrity.”

The use of the device was a violation of the playing rules. There is no bylaw that would have forced Highlands Ranch to forfeit the games, which they did prior to their game against Mountain Vista on Friday.

“It was determined that the use of the device made for an unlevel playing field,” Angelico said. “While it may not have been intentional, it certainly was an advantage. They understood that, and reported it right away. We’re working with our officials to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

Prior to forfeiting the games, the Falcons were on the bubble of making the Class 5A playoffs, but the decision to forfeit effectively removed any chance of making the field.

“That didn’t matter to them,” Angelico said. “Doing the right thing mattered.”

“We’re doing what we think is right for our community and our kids and learning from it and going forward,” Wright added. “And (head coach) Mark (Robinson) is in total agreement with this, as well.”

(Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)

COLORADO SPRINGS — In a tradition-rich state for distance running, becoming a legend takes plenty of state titles and, just as important to a legacy of that magnitude, plenty of dominance.

The all-time great girls, the Melody Fairchild’s, the Megan Kaltenbach’s, the Rebekah McDowell’s, the Elise Cranny’s, they’ve all had one thing in common. Not only have they won and won a lot, but they’ve had an aura of invincibility about them. When the greats toe the starting line, they command respect.

Well, Katie Rainsberger, a senior dynamo on any type of cross country course and in a number of disciplines on the track, has that aura to her.

Sure, winning back-to-back individual Class 4A state championships, which she did Saturday at the Norris Penrose Event Center in Colorado Springs, helps. Claiming the distance triple crown—state titles in the 800 meters, the 1,600, and the 3,200, not to mention anchoring the winning 3,200 relay for Air Academy last spring—also helps.

(Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)

Still, despite accomplishing just about everything there is to be accomplished state-wide, Rainsberger was missing one award for her trophy case. That is, until Saturday morning when the future Oregon Duck, with the help of four teammates in Paige Embaugh (freshman, 5th), Maria Mettler (junior, 10th), MacKenzie Moss (freshman, 14th), and Kayla Wiitala (senior, 30th), won their first girls cross country state championship in school history.

“I am so excited. It’s my senior year and that’s all I could have asked for,” Rainsberger said of the team title. “I don’t even have words right now.”

For all the senior has achieved in her high school career—she is one of the very best in Colorado history—she said winning with her teammates was something extra special.

“I think that is the highlight of my high school career. Individual titles are great, but when you are working with a team and for a team, it means all the more.”

Individually, she ran 17:38, the top time of the day by 35 seconds over 4A runner-up Kayla Young of Denver North (18:13) and, as one of the favorites to win the Nike national championship coming up, has plenty of individual pursuits ahead in high school and beyond. But for Rainsberger, nothing was sweeter than a team title.

[divider]

Class 5A:

(Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)

Another all-time great, Lauren Gregory of Fort Collins, entered Saturday with two state championships under her belt. And she’s only a junior. With that, she did feel an added amount of pressure to keep her run as the 5A queen alive.

“There was a lot more hype this year and the self-imposed pressure of not losing the streak,” Gregory said. “Our coach says, ‘clear mind, clear mind,’ and I had to remember that.”

The Lambkin, another of the country’s finest runners, was going against a crazy talented 5A field that included Grandview’s Brie Oakley, Legend’s Catherine Liggett and Mountain Vista’s Allie Chipman. After winning by huge margins each of the previous two state meets, Gregory gapped the others by a few seconds and then held on for the win over Oakley, 18:15 to 18:17.

“That was the hardest I’ve had to work,” she said. “This was such a harder race, because everyone was on their A-game.”

Gregory will have a chance at becoming one of the only four-time cross country champions in state history next year.

As for the team race, the Broomfield Eagles claimed their first-ever girls state title with 112 points, a narrow eight point margin of victory over Cherry Creek. Fairview was third with 124.

Emily Mitchem (8th place), Ivy Gonzales (18th), Katelyn Mitchem (19th), McKenzie Gaines (23rd), and Alena Valdez (44th) was the scoring five for the Eagles, a program with plenty of distance running success over the years, but now a team title on top of it.

[divider]

Class 3A:

(Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)

This race ended with some fascinating finishes, both individually and team-wise.

Peak to Peak had two freshmen, Quinn McConnell and Anna Shults, place first and second. On a side note, McConnell, already a high school state champion, also won the middle school state meet last year. Her time Saturday was 18:41, nine seconds clear of Shults.

Obviously with the top-two finishers in the race, the Pumas seemed bound to fare well in the team standings. They ended up with 56 points and were second.

Salida, after a uniform incident a season ago, non-identical singlets, led to the Spartans only being allowed five competitors instead of the usual seven, Salida had a measure of redemption Saturday as they won the team crown with 50 points. It was their second state title in the past three years after finishing as runner-up to Alamosa by a mere four points in 2014.

Sydney Fesenmeyer (6th place), Taryn Ceglowski (7th), Phoebe Powell (8th), Cecilia Kastner (10th), and Bari Beasley (19th) led the way for the Spartans.

[divider]

Class 2A:

(Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)

Much like the 3A race, except this time it was twin sisters, the same team had the individual state champion and runner-up.

Heritage Christian seniors Rachel (19:55) and Rebekah Rairdon (20:05) fended off Telluride’s Soleil Gaylord (20:09) in a tight top-three battle.

In a bit of a surprise though, Telluride, with Maya Ordonez coming in sixth and Larkin Brodie coming in seventh, tallied 16 points, good enough for a three point margin of victory over Heritage Christian. Carrying on with the theme of the day, the Miners also won their first-ever state championship in girls cross country.

And, Telluride will return all three scorers from their winning effort as Gaylord is only a sophomore, Ordonez a freshman, and Brodie a junior.

(Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)

COLORADO SPRINGS — Paul Roberts, though it may seem that way when considering all he’s accomplished, isn’t superhuman.

But, when it comes to the Class 2A state cross country meet the past four seasons, Roberts is perfect. He’s a perfect 4-for-4 in winning state individually and, on top of that, he’s 4-for-4 in helping Lyons to team crowns.

In that measure, the senior might not be superhuman, but his results are spectacular. So spectacular that, throughout Colorado history, no male runner before him had ever won four individual state championships in cross country. Not Adam Goucher, who won the Foot Locker National High School Cross Country Championship in 1993 before a storied collegiate and pro career. Not Bret Schoolmeester. Not Kevin Williams. Not Evan Appel.

Also, although 2A is the smallest classification in cross country, consider the fact that Roberts did have either the first or second fastest time for any classification at the state meet during each of his four seasons.

On Saturday at the Norris Penrose Event Center, the senior ran a time of 15:33, a 17-second betterment of the 3A champion (Ben Butler of Skyview Academy) and the 4A champion (Tanner Norman of The Classical Academy), who both ran 15:50. The 5A champion, Isaac Green of Monarch, finished in 16:03. At least this season, the best 2A runner was the best runner, period.

For Roberts, four individual crowns seemed in the realm of possibility pretty much from the time he first donned the Lyons singlet, but four team championships just adds to his legacy.

“Honestly I’ve had that goal for awhile,” he said of being a four-time solo champ. “The team thing is even more important to me. It’s been tough every year. I’m a little more excited for the team. The individual is just a cherry on top.”

Roberts has always led the way, but it’s not like he hasn’t had help. After all, cross country is, first and foremost, a team sport. Joel Such, another senior and a teammate of Roberts since sixth grade track, was the runner-up Saturday in 16:33. He was eighth at the state meet as a freshman, third as a sophomore, 21st as a junior, despite battling injuries, and now the runner-up.

“We’ve been together for a really long time,” Roberts said. “He’s a great guy to train with, a great guy to race with, and I wouldn’t want to race for anybody else.”

The final scorer for Lyons on Saturday was Landon Milbrath, a sophomore who came through with a 14th place showing.

Even though only three runners score in Class 2A, compared to five in the bigger divisions, Paul’s dad Mark, the Lyons coach, was equally proud of their fourth finisher, senior Cameron Cross (22nd).

“He was the glue for our next group after Paul and Joel,” the elder Roberts said. “He didn’t score for us, but he was the unsung hero of this group.”

For Lyons, the school had never won state in boys cross country before Roberts and Such showed up. Now, led by Paul, a recent Colorado State-Pueblo commit, they are a dynasty.

“We hope we can continue to build off the culture that has been established by this group,” Mark Roberts said.

[divider]

Class 5A:

(Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)

As Lyons has owned 2A for years, in 5A, the elite team has been Mountain Vista. The Golden Eagles spread their wings again Saturday in winning their fourth consecutive state championship. In doing so, they became the first-ever program to win four 5A boys cross country crowns in a row.

In 2014 they became the first to win three in a row, as well, so this season cemented their place in history to an even further extent.

“I have to give credit to the people before us,” senior Paxton Smith, a member of all four titles teams, said. “They really developed the dynasty. It’s something special.”

In Smith’s estimation, this was the best Vista team ever. With an absolutely dominant 50-point total, well ahead of Fort Collins (110), he seems to be right. Smith (fifth place), Alex Fu (eighth), and Ryan Currie (26th) proved to be a special senior class. Throw in junior Joshua Romine (sixth) and sophomores Parker Mackay (11th) and Shayan Zarrin (22nd) and the Golden Eagles proved far too much for anyone to handle in 5A, once again.

The individual race provided more drama as Monarch junior Isaac Green outkicked and outlasted Broomfield senior Jake Mitchem by the slimmest of margins, 16:03 to 16:04. Steven Goldy of Arapahoe was third in 16:07.

For Green, a cross country state title backed the idea that he has become 5A’s best after also winning the 1,600 meters in track last spring as a sophomore. His speed paid off again.

Class 4A:

(Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)

In the second largest classification, a number of individual contenders seemed to have a real chance at winning it all.

Golden’s Alec Hornecker, Montrose’s Ian Meek, Widefield’s Maximilliano Martinez, Thompson Valley’s Jarrett Thollot, and The Classical Academy’s Tanner Norman all toed the line with title hopes.

After a torrid early pace set by Meek, who had at least a couple of seconds on the field through the mile, the large chase pack eventually caught the junior. Then, Norman emerged as the champion with a 15:50, just two seconds in front of Hornecker. Martinez (3rd), Meek (4th), and Thollot (6th) all capped off strong seasons with high finishes.

The team competition, as expected, came down to Durango and Palmer Ridge as they established themselves as the powers this year from the get-go.

The Demons, third place in 2014 and with seven seniors comprising the varsity, beat the defending champion Bears 73-75. It was the team’s seventh state title in boys cross country, but first since 1999. They are now tied with Pueblo Centennial for the third most championships by any school and only trail Fort Collins (8) and Lake County (19).

Benjamin Lachelt (5th), David Moenning (10th), Nicholas Turco (14th), William Chandler (19th), and Jordan Helms (25th) led the way.
[divider]

Class 3A:

(Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)

Ben Butler, a senior at Skyview Academy and another highly rated runner nationally, won back-to-back state titles in commanding fashion with a time of 15:50. He also finished fourth as a sophomore and was the 3,200 meter state champion last spring.

Salida senior Taylor Stack (16:16) was the 3A runner-up for the third time in a row. He was seventh as a freshman. No surprises from those two.

As for team standings, Alamosa, for the second straight year, handled runner-up Frontier Academy and everyone else for a seemingly easy state crown. After returning five of their top seven runners from 2014, the Maroons tallied 55 points and ran away from Frontier (118).

Isaiah DeLaCerda (3rd), Caleb Palmer (6th), Miguel Mateo Baltazar (10th), Caleb Berlinger (14th), and Oscar Martinez (22nd) were the five scorers this year. Perhaps a budding dynasty, Alamosa will return their entire varsity in 2016.

(Andre Lyseight/CHSAANow.com)

HIGHLANDS RANCH — Legacy showed that postseason seeding doesn’t always and any team has a shot to win on Thursday night.

The No. 25 Lightening upset No. 8 ThunderRidge in a 5-0 win at Shea Stadium. With the win, Legacy advances to the second round of the Class 5A state tournament.

“I think my team played outstanding,” said Legacy coach Tony Romano. “I am extremely proud of them. They played an unbelievable performance against a very good team. So, I’m proud of all of them, every single last one of them.”

Legacy got off to a surprising 3-0 lead in just the first 15 minutes of the game. The goal looked wide open to the Lightning players, as five different players were able to score a goal.

“I think two minutes in, Luca (Falagrady) makes a huge save and that changes the complexity of the game,” Romano said. “Those guys could be all pumped up if they get a early goal like that. Obviously getting three goals early, that’s hard for any team in world to comeback from.”

The first goal came from senior midfielder Trent Headrick that was set up from a corner kick that occurred just three minutes into the game.

The next goal came from junior forward Fernando Yuste with nice header on the net, leaving defenders behind him and putting his team up 2-0 with 30 minutes left in the first half.

Shortly after, another goal came from team captain and midfielder Riley Johnson with a long 25-yard kick giving his team a comfortable 3-0 lead.

To add more fuel to the fire, sophomore midfielder Stephen Goth was able to get the ball in the net putting his team up 4-0. The fifth and final goal of the game came late and as a result of senior forward Matteo Chavez-Vitale collecting a rebound and connecting on a chance for an easy goal giving his team a 5-0 lead.

ThunderRidge was not able to recover from Legacy’s strong start in the first half. The Grizzlies had chances to score but couldn’t connect on any goals thanks in large part to outstanding play from Falagrady.

The best chance for ThunderRidge came when Grizzlies senior forward Brian Mantey had a shot hit the crossbar and bounce high off the goal.

“I think we played outstanding, one of the best games we played all year,” Falagrady said. “Nerves is the one the one word I could describe it. It was just one game I knew we had to come out and knew we could and we did.”

In the second half, the Grizzlies had to apply pressure on the Lightning if they wanted to make a comeback. ThunderRidge was able to control the ball majority of second half but Falagrady prevented anything from getting into the goal for the remainder of the game.

ThunderRidge coach Chris Smith had a great season with his boys, but his team came short and couldn’t get anything go their way this game.

“I think we played well,” Smith said. “We stumbled out the gates a little bit and they got some early goals, but I didn’t think we played poorly. Legacy is a fantastic team coming from a fantastic league, as do we. But it felt like everything dropped for them and nothing dropped for us.”

Legacy will try carrying their momentum to next Wednesday when they face No. 9 Boulder in the second round of the playoffs.

COLORADO SPRINGS — Seventh-ranked Palmer Ridge football beat Liberty 49-14 in a Class 4A game on Thursday night.

[divider]

[WPS_photo_gallery id=”192″]

FORT COLLINS — No. 18-seeded Ralston Valley boys soccer upset No. 14 Fossil Ridge 4-0 on Thursday in the first round of the Class 5A boys soccer playoffs.

[divider]

[WPS_photo_gallery id=”193″]

FORT COLLINS — Fort Collins, seeded No. 14 in the Class 5A boys soccer playoffs, edged No. 19 Denver East 1-0 to move on in the tournament on Thursday.

Connor Lowdermilk scored the lone goal in the second half for the Lambkins.

[divider]

[WPS_photo_gallery id=”194″]

LITTLETON — No. 6-seeded Heritage took care of business in the first round of the Class 5A boys soccer playoffs, beating No. 27 Bear Creek 7-0.

Taylor Petkovitch led the Eagles with two goals, while Jakob tenBraak, Dylan Brook, Nicolas Gentile, Nick Tater and Mattia Cominelli also scored.

[divider]

[WPS_photo_gallery id=”195″]

Grandview plays at Valor Christian in a big 5A matchup on Friday. (Tim Visser/TimVisserPhotography.com)

Colorado Preps‘ Kevin Shaffer looks at Week 9’s big football matchups around the state.

This week, the show includes comments from Grandview vs. Valor Christian, Kent Denver vs. Alameda, Platte Valley vs. Sterling, and a breakdown of the postseason picture.

We’ll be following Week 9 action on Friday night, including our live coverage.