CHSAANow

Month: May 2016

  • Garcia’s triples help Pueblo West baseball secure spot in 4A title game

    LAKEWOOD – The situation couldn’t have been set up any better for Ian Garcia.

    The Pueblo West junior found himself at the plate Saturday at All-Star Park with the bases loaded and the score tied up in the seventh inning.

    At stake was a guaranteed spot in the Class 4A state championship game next weekend. Looking to simply get one run across the plate, Garcia instead ripped his third triple of the game, sparking a four-run inning that gave the Cyclones a 9-6 victory over Valor Christian.

    Pueblo West (20-4) will face Windsor on Friday at All-Star Park, and Valor Christian will face Erie. The Cyclones will play Saturday for the championship regardless of Friday’s outcome.

    “I was just having fun,” Garcia said. “Since we came up here we’ve had one goal. Our main goal is to take state, but we’re taking it one team at a time. Our goal today was to beat Valor and that’s what I was out to do.”

    It took much longer than either team expected for the outcome to be decided. A pair of elimination games were played earlier in the day, with Erie outlasting Longmont 20-16 on Saturday morning in a three-hour affair. The Tigers then went 12 innings before pulling out a 6-5 victory over Mountain View, moving the winner’s bracket game back two-and-a-half hours.

    “It was difficult. We were very anxious to get that next run in,” said Pueblo West’s Zach Maize, who earned the victory by pitching six solid innings. “We were trying to keep our composure and just stay focused.”

    After going up twice only to have the Eagles tie it up both times, the Cyclones took a 5-2 lead in the fourth inning, with Garcia’s second triple the big hit of the frame. Valor Christian (20-4) responded again in the bottom of the inning with a 2-run home run from Levi Walters and a solo shot from pinch-hitter Calvin Schonebaum.

    The game stayed knotted up at 5-5 until the seventh. Alan Garcia led off with a single off Josh Danyliw, and after a sacrifice bunt, DJ Cordova was safe on a fielder’s choice. Cody McAteer walked to load the bases, and Garcia followed with a deep drive to center field.

    “I was thinking I’ve already seen this guy and I know what he has,” said Garcia, who 4-for-5 with four RBIs and three runs scored. “I was just trying to put the ball in the air and maybe get a sac fly and bring in a run. It just happened to go a little further than I expected.”

    Lucas Quimby drove in Garcia with a groundout to make it 9-5. Valor Christian got a run off reliever Mitchell Wagoner in the bottom of the seventh, but the junior induced a game-ending double play to keep Pueblo West perfect in the tournament.

    Nyk Crumrine pitched five innings for Valor, allowing five runs. Jonathan Boulaphinh had three hits and Sean Rooney and Walters added two each.

    “They’re a good team. They’re hard to get a lead against,” Eagles coach Keith Wahl said. “They put the pressure on you when they get the first bat, and what are you going to do? They’re an excellent ballclub.”

    The two teams were in this exact same position in 2013. Pueblo West defeated the Eagles to lock up a spot in the state title game, but the Cyclones lost back-to-back games to Mountain View on the final weekend.

    “Right now we’re just trying to learn that we need to execute every single thing. All the little things matter,” Maize said. “We’re just trying to get all the little things down.”

    Valor Christian finds itself in a must-win situation from here on out, starting with Friday’s game against Erie.

    “We just have to come out and pitch, play defense and post quality at-bats like we have all year,” Wahl said. “That’s it. It’s simple, but the most difficult thing in the world. That’s the game of baseball.”

  • Girls track: Air Academy’s Katie Rainsberger caps incredible career

    State track Katie Rainsberger Air Academy
    Air Academy’s Katie Rainsberger. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

    LAKEWOOD — If Katie Rainsberger isn’t the greatest girls distance runner in state history, she’s at least in the conversation.

    The Air Academy senior proved her place in history again by breaking yet another record, this time the Class 4A 1,600 state meet-best of 4:47.54 by Niwot’s Elise Cranny in 2014. Rainsberger capped off an illustrious career for the Kadets with a winning time of 4 minutes, 45.27 seconds, close to her all-classification record of 4:44.31 from earlier in the season.

    The University of Oregon recruit did a clean sweep of every event there is in distance the last two seasons — cross country, 800, 1,600, 3,200 and 3,200 relays. Rainsberger also won the Nike national championship in cross country as a senior. Asked what she’ll remember most from her final state meet at Jefferson County Stadium, Rainsberger said it’ll be a combination of things.

    “Winning the 4×8 with my team, my best friend getting second in the 800 (Air Academy senior Kayla Wiitala) and just turning around and seeing her cross the line, and having everyone in the stadium cheering me on in the last lap,” she said. “I just really appreciate the time I’ve had here.”

    For all of her accolades, Rainsberger wasn’t peerless in star power Saturday.

    Denver East’s Arria Minor won the 100 (11.83), 200 (23.53) and 400-meter dashes (52.50) in 5A as a freshman. Her 400 time came as close as it could to the all-classification record of 52.49 by Ana Holland of Regis Jesuit in 2013. But, hey, she’s got three more years.

    “I’m just proud that I got to experience this as a freshman,” she said. “Before the season started, I didn’t really have huge goals. I just wanted to make it into finals and then it was top-3. Then it turned to striving to win. There’s definitely a difference in my goals now.”

    Moffat County senior Kayla Pinnt was the queen of the 3A sprints in also winning the 100 (12.22), the 200 (24.77) and the 400 in a state meet record time of 55.01. The Colorado State recruit won seven individual titles in her career.

    “I came in here thinking two state titles,” she said. “That’s all I wanted to go home with, so I’m very proud to go home with three.”

    Moffat County also won the 400 relay in a time of 50.03 seconds as Pinnt anchored after Emma Samuelson, freshman sister Quinn Pinnt, and Ary Shaffer.

    Amazingly enough, the 4A sprints were also swept as Discovery Canyon sophomore Lauren Gale was the champion in times of 12.21, 24.19 and 53.72.

    If that’s not enough to convince you of the in-state talent in girls track and field, consider Rock Canyon sophomore Emily Sloan’s 100 and 300 hurdles wins in times of 13.46 and 41.24. Already a two-time 5A champion in the 100 hurdles, Sloan didn’t shatter any records Saturday but sure came close to Carly Lester’s (Rocky Mountain) all-classification best of 41.18 in the 300 hurdles from the 2014 state meet.

    Kim sophomore Zariah Mason took down her own 1A 100-meter dash record of 12.72 from last season with a 12.52 this time. She also became the first 1A competitor to ever run under 26 seconds in the 200-meter dash in posting a 25.81.

    Peak to Peak has some spectacular freshman distance runners, again showing their strength Saturday in the 1,600 as first-years Anna Shults (5:08) and Quinn McConnell (5:12) placed first and second in 3A.

    The Arapahoe 1,600 relay of Anna Hall, Sarah Slack, Julia Hall and Allison Marizza ran an eye-opening 3:46.70, coming close to the Colorado record of 3:45.69 by Littleton in 2011.

    Records were set in the field events on the final day of competition as well as Sangre de Cristo senior Sarah Storey broke the 1A long jump record with a mark of 17 feet, 6.5 inches. Eaton junior Tarynn Sieg took care of the 3A state meet record in the shot put in posting a 45-5.

    Andrea Willis The Classical Academy pole vault
    The Classical Academy’s Andrea Willis. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

    Andrea Willis, a senior pole vaulter for The Classical Academy and the Colorado record holder at 13 feet, 9 inches, vaulted past the 4A state meet record of 13-3 by going 13-4. She also had three attempts at 13-10, but just missed on each. Sophomore sister Erika was the state runner-up at 11 feet, 11 inches.

    Raquel Valdez, a Mountain View senior, had a monstrous throw of 148 feet, 6 inches to claim the 4A crown in the discus. Cherokee Trail’s sophomore tandem of Sydnee Larkin (39-8.25) and Aumni Ashby (37-7) swept the top two places in the 5A triple jump.

    As for team champions, Fort Collins won their second 5A championship in three years by scoring 81 points. The Lambkins had victories by Audra Koopman (long jump) and Becca Schulte (800).

    Arapahoe (69) and Cherokee Trail (68) were in a close battle for second. Fort Collins added to a long-standing track and cross country tradition that is up there with any school in Colorado.

    The Classical Academy, fantastic on the track and in the field, tallied 84.5 points to win 4A. Bethany Johns, Teresa Ambuul, Maggie Zielinski and Kendra Frieden won the 1,600 relay for the Titans in a time of 3 minutes, 52.10 seconds.

    The Classical Academy has now won nine state championships in girls track and field, second-most in Colorado history behind only Mullen (11). Air Academy was the runner-up with 64.5 points.

    Eaton won the 3A team championship with 107.5 points to Moffat County’s 88. The Reds, in going back-to-back in track, clinched their 33rd championship overall in school history.

    In 2A, Paonia made history by becoming the fourth girls track and field program to win four state championships in a row. The Eagles became the first to do so since The Classical Academy won five in a row in 3A from 2006-2010. Limon won four in a row in 2A from 2004-07, while Mullen was a seven-time champion in 4A from 1997-2003.

    Brianna Van Vleet, Randi Rapke, Shira Woods and Ashley Van Vleet won the 1,600 relay for the Eagles in 4:05.20. Taylor Carsten was the runner-up to Burlington’s Ellie Berry in the discus on Saturday, while Ashley Van Vleet was second to Wray’s Alyssa Valko in the 300 hurdles. More than anything, the 2A field was simply outmatched again by Paonia’s ability to score across all events. They finished with 139 points to Wray’s 76.

    Heritage Christian defended their 1A team title from 2015 with 121 points, as Springfield was the runner-up with 69.5. Twin sisters Rebekah and Rachel Rairdon went out with numerous accolades. Rebekah won the 1,600 (5:36) and was second in the 300 hurdles (50.15) on Saturday.

  • Photos: 5A state baseball tournament’s second day

    DENVER — The second day of the Class 5A state baseball tournament was on Saturday, and it was Cherokee Trail which emerged as the lone unbeaten team.

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  • Photos: Faith Christian beats Manitou Springs to stay unbeaten in 3A baseball

    GREELEY — Faith Christian beat Manitou Springs 14-4 on Saturday to emerge as the lone unbeaten team in the Class 3A baseball tournament.

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  • Photos: Colorado Academy, Cherry Creek win in girls lacrosse semifinals

    DENVER — Colorado Academy and Cherry Creek both advanced to the girls lacrosse championship game by winning in Saturday’s semifinals.

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  • Photos: Colorado Academy girls soccer tops The Academy in shootout

    DENVER — Colorado Academy beat The Academy in a shootout during the Class 3A girls soccer semifinals on Saturday, winning 4-3 on penalty kicks.

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  • Photos: 5A boys swimming state championships

    AIR FORCE ACADEMY — The 2016 boys swimming and diving state championships were Friday and Saturday. Fossil Ridge won the team championship.

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  • Valor Christian boys lacrosse wins 4A championship with late goal

    (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
    (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

    DENVER — Lance Tillman held his stick up and swiped a championship.

    The Valor Christian freshman pulled off a key steal late in the Class 4A boys lacrosse title game, and turned it into what proved to be the winning goal moments later. It gave the Eagles a 10-9 win over Dawson, and secured the program’s first-ever state championship.

    With just under two-and-a-half minutes to play in a tied game, Dawson goalie Chad Dunnell made a save and looked to start the Mustangs’ offense with an outlet pass. But Tillman hung around for a moment and put his stick up with one hand to try and deflect the pass. Instead, he caught it, and found the net with a quick flick of the wrist.

    “You don’t usually do that, but I just decided to,” Tillman said afterward. “I got lucky, honestly.”

    The Eagles held off a man-down situation in the final minute, and secured the 10-9 win.

    “It’s been a crazy year,” said Valor Christian coach John Grant Jr.

    The season started with high expectations — and why not? The Eagles had been runner-up a season ago, returned a lot of experience, and so they opened as the No. 2 team in the CHSAANow.com preseason poll.

    Valor also beat a 5A team in a scrimmage, so just prior to the season, “We were thinking, ‘Sky’s the limit,’” Grant said. “We thought we were headed somewhere.”

    But Valor began the season 0-3, and soon dropped out of the rankings.

    “We weren’t really clicking as a team,” Tillman said.

    The team went on a retreat to try and improve chemistry.

    “We were searching for a new identity,” Grand said. “I was questioning my coaching ability. There was so much going on.

    “We went on a retreat and we went and try to figure some stuff out, and try to meld everyone together and the personalities and egos,” the coach added. “Guys were worried about getting committed. I ripped last year’s silver medal poster down, I took last year’s jersey down. I said, ‘No more looking in the past, no more looking forward. We’re going to focus on this year.’ Slowly, we started getting momentum.”

    Valor went 11-1 to close the regular season, losing only to Dawson in April. But more adversity struck: Two weeks ago, goalie Logan Lee had his appendix burst.

    “We never thought he was going to get back in,” Grant said. “He got cleared on Tuesday, played a little bit on Wednesday night (in the semifinals) — got three saves to even get us to this game — and then literally holds off the highest-scoring offense in 4A by a long shot.”

    Lee made a number of crucial saves in Friday’s win, including in the final minutes with his team clinging to a one-goal lead.

    The game was close throughout, with 19 ties or lead changes between the two teams. Neither team was able to build a two-goal margin.

    Dawson’s Gavyn Pure had an outstanding night with five goals, while Tillman led Valor Christian with three — including two in the fourth quarter.

  • Tanner O’Tremba powers Cherry Creek baseball on Day 1 of the state tournament

    Cherry Creek baseball Tanner O'Tremba
    (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

    DENVER — Tanner O’Tremba is good at crushing baseballs. And as a result, Cherry Creek escaped the first day of the Class 5A state baseball tournament unscathed.

    The sophomore outfielder belted a three-run home run to help the Bruins beat Grandview 6-1 in the late game at Bishop Machebeuf. O’Tremba also smacked an RBI double in Cherry Creek’s 5-3 with over ThunderRidge earlier in the day.

    “We’re definitely a complete team,” O’Tremba said. “Everyone was to together and it’s really easy to do a job when you have a team out there supporting you in all aspects.”

    O’Tremba could easily have been seen as a member of the Bruins’ supporting cast Friday. He went 3-7 on the day with six RBIs and the solo shot in the second game.

    But it was the starting pitching that truly set the tone for Creek (17-6). Carter Van Gytenbeek was consistent in the first game, working himself out of jam in the fourth where ThunderRidge had runners on second and third with one out.

    He did give up three straight hits to start the fifth, which helped the Grizzlies (15-7) pull even. They tied the game on a throwing error from third baseball Clayton Gill. Gill responded by hitting a solo home run in the top of the sixth to give the Bruins the lead back.

    Cherry Creek baseball
    (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

    Against Grandview (17-6), Javis Steward was nothing short of dominant on the hill. At one point, he had struck out four consecutive hitters. He fanned 10 Wolves on the day.

    “I was just trying to mix it up, keep them off guard and find my spots,” Steward said. “I was doing that pretty well today. My velocity was up, but hitting my spots helped me out the most.”

    Cherry Creek will face Centennial League rival Cherokee Trail Saturday at 3 p.m. with the winner of the game in driver’s seat to win the Class 5A baseball title. That game will be played at All-City Field.

    Bruins coach Marc Johnson knew all he needed from his team was for it to reach the playoffs. If that could happen, he knew the possibility existed for the Bruins to play their best baseball at the right time.

    “Our season has been a roller coaster,” Johnson said. “Our whole goal from day one was to qualify and then try to play our best baseball in May. So far, knock on wood, we’ve played well enough.”

    At All-City on Friday, the Cougars came away with two wins after beating Dakota Ridge 7-2 and Rocky Mountain 7-0. The Lobos had beat Mullen 5-1 in the first game of the day. Dakota Ridge and Mullen will play Saturday in an elimination game.

    Grandview beat Ralston Valley earlier in the day at Machebeuf, meaning Ralston Valley will face off with ThunderRidge where the loser of that game will also be ousted from the state tournament.

    Games begin at Machebeuf and All-City Field at 10 a.m. Saturday.

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    Class 4A

    Valro Christian 10, Mountain View 7

    Blake Donels hit a two-run double that proved to be the difference for Valor Christian in a 10-7 win over Mountain View.

    The Eagles had beaten Windsor 10-4 earlier in the day and will play at All-Star Park Saturday. They’ll face Pueblo West with the winner grabbing control of the 4A baseball tournament.

    Pueblo West 7, Delta 1

    After beating Longmont in a 7-6 thriller, Pueblo West took the lead against Delta off a Josh Drury RBI single and never looked back.

    The Cyclones will face Valor at 3 p.m. at All-Star Park.

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    Class 3A

    Manitou Springs 10, University 9

    Dominic Archuleta went 4-4 with two doubles and scored three runs as the Mustangs solidified their spot as one of the four 3A teams that will be alive next week.

    Travis Struble hit a home run and got the win on the mound earlier in the day as Manitou beat league rival St. Mary’s. The Mustangs will face Faith Christian Saturday at 3 p.m. The game will be played at Butch Butler Field.

    Faith Christian 15, Kent Denver 5 (5 innings)

    The Sun Devils could not ride the momentum of their upset over Eaton earlier in the day. The Eagles found themselves down 3-1 earlier, but their offense exploded to send them to Saturday’s 3 p.m. game against Manitou.

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    Class 2A

    Paonia 7, Akron 2

    Paonia broke a 2-2 tie late, then exploded for four more late runs to get the 7-3 win over Akron. With the win, Paonia advances to the 2A semifinals.

    Limon 5, Hotchkiss 3

    This one couldn’t be decided in seven inning. Limon scored two in extras to get the win, putting them in the 2A semifinals where’s play Paonia next weekend.

  • Becca Schulte has Fort Collins in the race for 5A girls track champion

    State track Becca Schulte Fort Collins
    Fort Collins’ Becca Schulte. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

    LAKEWOOD — Becca Schulte had never toed the line for the 800-meter run at the state track and field championships, but that doesn’t mean she didn’t keep the idea handy in her back pocket.

    “I wanted to give it a better shot this year, especially when I saw that no one had run super fast yet,” the Fort Collins senior said. “I was like, ‘This could be mine.’ It’s kind of crazy looking up and seeing the time.”

    Schulte, the defending 400-meter state champion in Class 5A, was the No. 3 seed for the two-lapper on Friday at Jefferson County Stadium. Her season best of 2 minutes 15.12 seconds was within reach of Dakota Ridge’s Cayli Hume at 2:14.33.

    “The first lap I just tried to stay at the front of the pack,” Schulte said. “It was a little faster than what I was expecting and what I had run in the past, but it’s the state meet. I was just trying to stay there.”

    The seasoned veteran, arguably Colorado’s most versatile big-school standout, started to separate from the leaders on the back stretch of the final lap.

    “Then Hannah from Fairview started to come up on the outside, so I had to start picking it up,” she explained. “Then once I hit the 200 I knew it was time to go, get around that turn as fast as I could and finish that straight.”

    With four competitors separated by a mere 1.20 seconds, the one with the best closing speed turned the last curve and finished the home straight just ahead of the group. Schulte’s winning time of 2:11.62 was enough to hold off Hume (2:12.07), Madison Mooney (2:12.43) and Hannah Freeman (2:12.83).

    Schulte’s 10 points in the event were critical for the team race between likely Fort Collins, the favorites and 2014 champions, and Cherokee Trail, the defending champions.

    Schulte is also a top-four seed in the finals of both the 200 and 400-meter dashes. Denver East freshman Arria Minor, who came close to state records in both on Thursday at 23.42 and 52.80, is the No. 1 seed.

    The second day of the state meet heated up in a number of events, but especially so for the 800. The race has a way of captivating the crowd — plenty of speed, tactics, and toughness all play a role in the physical and psychological challenges that come with the event.

    With all five classifications going back-to-back during the afternoon session, Jeffco Stadium was alive after Shining Mountain Waldorf senior Jordan Cherin ran way under the 1A state meet record of 1:57.86.

    “Before the race I had planned to start off fast,” he said. “I went out a couple seconds too fast. When Eric (Enriquez-Acosta) passed me I was already more tired than I was expecting to be. All I was thinking was that I had to stay with him. If I gave him a gap he would just blow me away.”

    Enriquez-Acosta, the Idalia junior who ran away from Cherin for the 2015 title and record time, passed Cherin with about 250 meters to go. But he never let him get away and eventually passed him back while rolling to a time of 1:54.83.

    The senior, who hopes to walk-on to the track team at Baylor University, had designs on his first state championship but the time caught him by surprise.

    “I wasn’t expecting to run that fast,” Cherin said. “I still don’t know what to think about it, but it’s kind of unbelievable to me.”

    Also the No. 1 seed in the 400 with the only 1A time under 50 seconds this season at 49.53, Cherin will have a busy Saturday with the 100 and 200 finals as well.

    State track Katie Rainsberger Air Academy
    Air Academy’s Katie Rainsberger. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

    As for other 800 champions, Bree-ann Carwin of Baca County (2:23.58) won 1A girls, Katy Parsons of Hotchkiss (2:18.91) won 2A, Quinn McConnell of Peak to Peak won 3A (2:16.02), and Katie Rainsberger of Air Academy won 4A (2:09.97).

    McConnell is part of a stellar freshman group for the Pumas. Rainsberger, if she wins the 1,600 on Saturday, will complete a distance state championship sweep in cross country, the 3,200 relay, 800, 1,600 and 3,200 junior and senior years in 4A. Her time of 10:23.24 in the 3,200 on Friday was 32 seconds ahead of runner-up Lexi Reed of D’Evelyn.

    Ben Kelley, a sophomore at Soroco, shattered a record of his own in 2A with a winning 1:55.61 800 to oust Paul Roberts of Lyons (1:58.08). Jared Keul of Manitou Springs (1:55.70) was the 3A winner, while Durango’s David Moenning (1:52.26) and Poudre’s Henry Raymond (1:51.97) were the big-school champions in 4A and 5A.

    On a day where a number of state records fell, Roberts added to his legacy in the 2A 3,200 with a state meet record time of 9:26.17. The Cedaredge girls 400 relay broke their own 2A state record of 49.71 from 2015 with a 49.51 in prelims. Faith Christian’s Sarah Yocum set a new 3A standard in the 300 hurdles with a prelims time of 42.45, while Discovery Canyon’s sprint medley relay (Ayannah Lang, Jenny Hall, Lianna Ubungen, Lauren Gale) shattered the 4A record with a winning 1:44.54.

    The Springfield girls (Audrey Rau, Jordan Reed, Jayci Westphal, Tatelyn Lasley) broke the 1A record in placing first in the 800 relay in 1:48.27. Both Valor Christian and The Classical Academy shattered the 4A record in the same relay in both prelims and finals as Valor’s Tess Boade, Megan Maccagnan, Bianca Lopez and Gianna Tesone won in 1:39.80. TCA went 1:40.28 for second.

    In the 2A boys pole vault, both Cooper Daniels of Vail Christian (15-2) and Brandon Hinkle of Yuma (14-11) launched past the 1984 record of 14 feet, 9 inches held by Bill Culbreath of West Grand. Taylor Alexander, also of Vail Christian, cleared 14 feet, 9 inches to shatter the girls all-time best.

    Classification records were also broken by Brianna Van Vleet of Paonia (2A long jump), Trent Loeffler of Arickaree (1A triple jump), and Jenna McKinley of Sangre de Cristo (1A shot put).

    Ian Meek of Montrose won a memorable 4A 3,200 by two seconds over Tanner Norman of TCA 9:32-9:34, while Fountain-Fort Carson boys blitzed the 5A 800 relay field in 1:25.96.

    The state track and field championships resume at Jeffco Stadium at 9:30 am on Saturday with the finals of the 100 hurdles in every classification.