GREENWOOD VILLAGE — Brian Brogan looked at the goal posts standing 28 yards in front of him, and gathered himself.
It was a short distance, but could’ve been a canyon for the freshman. After all, a spot in the Class 5A football championship game was on the line.
“I kind of had that heart-drop thing,” Brogan said, tapping his chest. But after he kicked it, “I looked up, and it was going through, and I’m running to the sideline.”
Brogan drilled the 28-yard-field goal as time expired, giving Valor Christian a 10-7 win over Cherry Creek in the 5A semifinals at the Stutler Bowl on Saturday afternoon.
“Wow,” said Valor Christian Rod Sherman of the kick. “It was emotional, highly emotional.”
Brogan was pulled up to the varsity team just prior to the season from the freshman program when the presumptive kicker came down with mono.
“I was thinking it was a ‘must-do’ kind of thing,” Brogan said of the winning kick. “So I just kept my head down and kicked the ball.”
Saturday’s matchup, a rematch of a 42-26 Valor win on Sept. 26, was dominated by both defenses. Valor held a 7-0 lead at halftime, and Cherry Creek got a touchdown on its first drive of the second half, but that was basically it.
In the fourth quarter, Valor Christian blocked a 25-yard field goal — that later proved to be the difference — and then the teams traded four punts.
Finally, after another punt, Valor Christian took over at its own 45 with exactly two minutes remaining. And Dylan McCaffrey, Valor’s senior quarterback who will start in his third state championship game next Saturday, trotted out.
(John Priest/CHSAANow.com)
“I got excited,” McCaffrey said of that final drive. “I started sitting by coach, hearing what we were going to call, and started to think about the things on the last drive that we needed to fix.”
Quickly, the Eagles found themselves on the 10-yard-line with 29.9 seconds to play, thanks in large part to McCaffrey.
A short running play went nowhere, but that made it third down from the 11, and the clock ran down to 2.3 seconds before Valor took a timeout.
That set the stage for Brogan, who had missed a 28-yard field goal earlier in the game. He delivered, and his teammates rushed to hoist him onto their shoulders.
The moment was a stark turnaround from where the team was four games into the season. The Eagles dropped games to an out-of-state team, Pomona, and Mullen, and were 1-3 on Sept. 23.
“We weren’t going to wake up after we lost to Mullen and be a good team the next day,” Sherman said. “We were going to have to stay the course and get better. And I feel like we have.”
Since that last loss, 23-16 to Pomona, Valor (10-3) has won nine games in a row.
“It’s been a great journey. I’ve learned so much,” McCaffrey said. “That’s a great part of our motto, which is to play hard teams at the start of the season, expose ourselves early, expose the flaws early, so we can get back to work, get back to the chalkboard and fix those mistakes so later on in the season we can peak. So far, we’ve done that.
“I think there are a lot of things to improve on after this game. It’s a never-ending journey, really.”
Much of the credit for that turnaround falls on the shoulders of McCaffrey, a Michigan recruit who has now thrown for more than 2,600 yards this season.
“I don’t know that this state will realize how good Dylan was until Dylan is gone,” Sherman said. “He’s an unbelievable quarterback. … I would tell you: I’ve gotten to know Dylan as a young man outside of football. He’s an unbelievable young man. What you see on the football field is actually a microcosm of who he is, with his character. I’m really sad that I only get one more week to coach Dylan, but at least I get one more week.”
Now Valor will return to a championship game for the eighth straight season. The Eagles have won six championships, including the 5A title last season over Pomona.
They’ll play Pomona again in this year’s 5A championship game. Pomona beat Regis Jesuit in the other semifinal matchup.
Next Saturday’s game, which will kick off at 2:30 p.m. at Mile High Stadium, will be the fourth time the teams have met in the last two seasons.
“I’m looking forward to a rematch,” McCaffrey said. “They got us earlier in the year and I think we’ll have a little bit of extra fire coming after that. They’re a great team, and it’s going to be a great fight.”
LA JUNTA — The town of La Junta is set to party like it’s 1958.
A year after state championship ambitions fell short, a capacity crowd gathered at Tigers Stadium to watch the football program end a 58-year drought.
The Tigers are once again football champions thanks to a 17-10 win over Kent Denver in the Class 2A state title game on Saturday.
“I think it’s huge. I think the whole town was here today,” Tigers coach Clint Buderus said. “It’s so good for them. These kids brought this town together.”
And they brought the town together the way they have all year, with defense. The Tigers (12-0 overall) jumped out to a 7-0 lead on the second Kent Denver drive of the game. Izahiah Peteque stepped in front of a pass from Sun Devils quarterback Joey Licht and was off to the races.
It was less than seven minutes into the game and Tigers Stadium had erupted in celebration.
“It was pretty awesome,” Peteque said. “It was the best thing that we could’ve done. It was a great spark for our team.”
Then they made every effort to ride that spark.
The Sun Devils (11-2), for the most part, didn’t let the early pick-six phase them. They were able to control possession for most of the first half, out-gaining the Tigers 193-59 in total yards. They were able to bend the La Junta defense, but they couldn’t break it.
“They did a real nice job of stunting and blitzing,” Kent Denver coach Scott Yates said. “I think they had a good plan. We missed some blocks and we didn’t hit the hole real hard early in the first half.”
It looked like the Sun Devils had some momentum building when Licht hit Max Waldbaum for a 36-yard gain.
But a sack from Sal Vega led to another Peteque interception, his second in as many drives.
“Our defense kept us in games (all year) when we didn’t play great offense,” Buderus said. “They played lights out today.”
The Tigers got a third interception of the half as Wyatt Buhr picked off Licht and returned the ball to the Kent Denver three-yard line. It took only one play for John Nuschy to get those three yards and put the Tigers up 14-0.
The Sun Devils got on the board before halftime with a 29-yard field goal from Matt Romo-Nichols.
La Junta countered on the first drive of the second half with a 22-yard field goal to regain a two touchdown lead, then let its defense do the rest.
But there was one lapse that kept Kent in the game. Josh McDonald broke for a 79-yard touchdown run to cut the La Junta lead to 17-10.
The Tigers offense began to stall at that point as Nuschy would throw two interceptions of his own, but the defense continued to step up halt each Kent Denver drive.
The Sun Devils had one last opportunity and drove to the La Junta 28-yard line, facing a fourth and 12.
Vega broke through the line once more to get the sack on Licht, effectively bringing home a state title.
“We knew we had to step up,” Vega said. “We knew we had to come and play because they were not going to give up right away.”
But it was La Junta who was able to fight just a little bit harder. And with that fight, a state football championship once again belongs to the Tigers. For tonight, and for the next year, La Junta is a city of champions.
One of the newest and biggest rivalries in recent seasons adds another page to its book Saturday at the Stutler Bowl when Valor Christian takes on Cherry Creek.
The winner of the game will advance to the Class 5A state championship game.
The Eagles knocked off Grandview 66-35 last weekend. The Eagles are 7-0 in semifinal games lifetime and have one playoff loss, which came at the hands of Cherry Creek in the 2014 state championship game.
On the other hand, the Bruins (9-3) and are coming off a 34-17 win over Mullen. This is the third straight year where Cherry Creek and Valor Christian are facing off on Thanksgiving weekend.
Both teams’ road to get to this point have been vastly different. Cherry Creek has had to deal with banged up players all year long but showed last week that it will not be defined by its injuries.
Valor Christian has rode the star power of the Dylan and Luke McCaffrey, Joshia Davis, Blake Stenstrom and Noah Ellis. Both teams were doubted for their play early in the season though after Valor Christian got off to a rough 1-3 start, and Cherry Creek with a 2-3 start. both teams bounced back in league play and proved that they cannot be counted out when the postseason begins.
“We have to lay it all out on the field,” quarterback Trey Windham said. “(We cannot) have any regrets.”
And that’s been a Cherry Creek mindset all playoffs. Although the Bruins are the underdog on paper, the players believe they are just as good as the Eagles.
“We’re feeling really good going into this game,” two-way man Trevor Brown said. “We are a completely different team (now).”
These teams recognize the significance of getting to play on Thanksgiving and Cherry Creek is not immune to that.
“It’s a huge honor (playing on Thanksgiving),” Brown said. “It’s very humbling to be one of the two teams who have practiced on Thanksgiving the past three years. We take this honor very seriously as a team and look forward to capitalizing on this opportunity.”
The winner will get the opportunity to fulfill a lifelong goal, but neither team can afford to look past this season. This 5A semifinal game will kick off at 1 p.m. at the Stutler Bowl and can be seen live on the NFHS Network.
Ponderosa’s Cohl Schultz. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Two years ago, Pomona, Pueblo County and Meeker saw its bid for a state wrestling championship come up a little bit short.
But when those teams returned to the Pepsi Center last February, each squad turned that disappointment into motivation and claimed the top spot in its respective classification.
Don’t think that went unnoticed by the rest of the state. So for those squads whose state dreams didn’t quit pan out in 2016 – especially for the programs which have been there before – the message was sent that with a little extra effort and the right circumstances, their time could be coming.
“At the state tournament, crazy things happen. It happens every single year,” said Ponderosa coach Corey McNellis, whose team finished third in Class 5A. “I think it boils down to obviously getting enough qualifiers through at regionals, but at the state tournament it’s about which team has the better tournament.
“I think if we continually improve all season long, maybe get a couple of guys into state that through the rankings or on paper weren’t supposed to, and then have everyone peaking at the right time – if we can do that again this year, I like our chances.”
Ponderosa won eight consecutive 5A titles from 2003-10, and while the program has continued to be a power, the state title has eluded the Mustangs in recent seasons. The same could be said for Pine Creek, which won the 5A crown in 2012. The Eagles have finished in the top six in each of the past four seasons, but couldn’t quite put it all together.
For both programs, the challenge is to change all that in 2017.
“That is always the goal. I know everybody on the team would be so excited if we’re able to win that,” said Pine Creek junior Garrett Niel, who captured the 182-pound title last season. “It would be great to bring that title back to Pine Creek High School.”
Both Ponderosa and Pine Creek will get that opportunity this winter, along with a host of other programs. The Mustangs return five state placers, including sophomore Cohl Schultz, who dominated the state scene as a freshman at 220 pounds.
Pine Creek, which dropped down to 4A for 2016-17, returns two state champions in Niel and Peter Isais – a third, Jordan Martinez, opted to train at the U.S. Olympic Training Center.
The mission is there, but it won’t be an easy one. Of the eight state placers for Pomona, only one graduated. Pueblo County had only one senior among 10 state placers and returns four defending state champions – including three-time titlist Hunter Willits.
That should make for an exciting time at the Pepsi Center this February. In fact, only four state champions in 5A and five champions in 4A were seniors.
“Colorado in general has become a dominant state in wrestling. You look at Pueblo County and Pomona, they’re both ranked in the top 25 in the country,” McNellis said. “Colorado has become one of the elite wrestling states.
“You have these younger kids that experience the state tournament, whether it’s us, or Pomona or Poudre or Pine Creek – bringing those kids back, I think gives a huge advantage to all the teams returning those kids.”
While Pomona is the team to beat in 5A, Ponderosa isn’t about to back down. McNellis said there is no experience or pressure that can match that of the state tournament, so for his returning qualifiers, having been there before will be big for their confidence.
That’s especially true of Schultz. As a freshman he finished 51-1 – the only loss came in the Ironman tournament in Ohio – and pinned each of his four state opponents in the first period. Schultz is currently ranked No. 2 in the nation at 220 pounds, and McNellis said he’s only gotten better.
“He’s really been working on his offensive shots. He has improved,” the coach said. “He’s a great leader too. He’s about the team in pretty much all aspects.”
The pieces are in place for the future as well. Of the five returning state placers, only Hunter Matney is a senior.
Pine Creek is in a bit of a different situation. With Martinez choosing not to return, the Eagles only have three state qualifiers back. But with two of those three having won state championships, the experience factor can’t be overstated.
Niel has verbally committed to the Air Force Academy. Isais is still playing football but will join his teammates after the season.
“Those two are really the leaders, and they’re surrounded by four or five other seniors and juniors, all of whom are on the same page,” Pine Creek coach Billy Gabel said. “It’s hard for a coach to have that kind of room every single year.
“This year, so far from just what I’ve seen, these kids are having fun and enjoying each other and really buying into the family.”
Niel said the team was proud of having three state champions last season, but the Eagles weren’t satisfied because they still believed they could have performed better.
He’s ready to embrace the challenge of defending his title and helping lead the team in its bid for a championship.
“Being able to do it again would be great, and I know Pete’s thinking the same thing,” Niel said. “But at the same time we’re both thinking ‘let’s take it one dual at a time, one match at a time, so we don’t have all the pressure of thinking of a repeat again.”
Gabel said he enjoys seasons like the one before him because as a coach he doesn’t truly know what he has yet. One thing he does know is that moving down to 4A won’t be a drop-off in competition.
“Eddie (Soto) has done such a good job (at Pueblo County). I really respect him and what he’s built. (Pueblo) East looks tough and Cheyenne Mountain,” Gabel said. “But it doesn’t change what I do with my program. We still do ABC, XYZ and still train and compete the same way.”
In 3A, Valley has won three consecutive state championships. While two of the team’s three state champions graduated, Aaron Trujillo was only a junior.
In 2A, Meeker also graduated two of its three titlists, including four-time state champion T.J. Shelton. Casey Turner was a junior for the Cowboys last season.
[divider]
Wrestling preview
Important dates
Season begins: Nov. 30
Postseason begins: Feb. 10
State tournament: Feb. 16-18, Pepsi Center in Denver
Class 5A
Defending champion: Pomona
Returning all-state wrestlers: Gabriel Dinette, Jr., Lakewood; Jacob Greenwood, Jr., Poudre; Malik Heinselman, Jr., Castle View; Josiah Rider, Jr., Grand Junction; Theorius Robison, Soph., Pomona; Trenton Schultz, Sr., Mountain Vista; Cohl Schultz, Soph., Ponderosa.
Class 4A
Defending champion: Pueblo County
Returning all-state wrestlers: Andrew Alirez, Soph., Greeley Central; Deric Cruz, Sr., Mesa Ridge; Justin Davis, Sr., Pueblo County; Dante Garcia, Jr., Pueblo County; Peter Isais, Sr., Pine Creek; Garrett Niel, Jr., Pine Creek; Jace Trujillo, Soph., Pueblo East; Will Vombaur, Soph., Windsor; Grant Willits, Sr., Pueblo County; Hunter Willits, Sr., Pueblo County; Myles Wilson, Sr., Glenwood Springs.
The 2016 all-state boys soccer teams are presented by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps.
These team were created following a lengthy process which included nominations from leagues, and then a vote of coaches.
[divider]
Class 5A
(Derek Regensburger/MaxPreps)
Player of the year: Tajon Buchanan, Legacy
Coach of the year: Hardy Kalisher, Boulder
First Team
Name
School
Year
Pos.
Tajon Buchanan
Legacy
Senior
FORW
Evan Bunch
Arapahoe
Senior
D
Sam Carson
Denver East
Junior
FORW
Omar Castruita
Boulder
Sophomore
FORW
Djibril Doumbia
Boulder
Sophomore
GK
Max Gottesfeld
Denver East
Senior
FORW
Ryan Houseman
Fairview
Senior
MF
Grant Martinez
Fossil Ridge
Senior
–
Armando Ocampo
Broomfield
Senior
–
Riley Shea
Broomfield
Senior
–
Blaise Werner
Boulder
Senior
FORW
Second Team
Name
School
Year
Pos.
Josh Alpert
Cherry Creek
Senior
MF
Mitchell Graesser
Boulder
Senior
D
Simon Julian
Boulder
Senior
D
Daulton Logan
Broomfield
Senior
–
Abraham Lopez
Boulder
Senior
MF
Chase Pacheco
Mountain Vista
Senior
MF
Mathew Rhoads
Fort Collins
Junior
D
Alex Ruiz
Grandview
Senior
MF
Jack Schulze
Heritage
Senior
GK
Jamie Soto
Fossil Ridge
Senior
–
Eric Thompson
Fort Collins
Junior
MF
Andrew Turk
Pine Creek
Senior
FORW
Honorable mention: Matt Behnke, Rock Canyon, Senior, FORW; Braden Bloom, Castle View, Senior, D; Cameron Broadhurst, Broomfield, Junior; Luke Drumright, Arvada West, Senior, MF/FORW; Miguel Garcia, Far Northeast Warriors, Senior, GK; Andrew Hansen, Grand Junction, Senior, D/MF/FORW; Joey Hussey, Rangeview, Senior, D; Jackson Myers, ThunderRidge, Senior, D; Phillip Pedler, Lakewood, Junior, STRK/D; Erik Plascencia, Bear Creek, Junior, MF; Jacob Roldan, Smoky Hill, Senior, MF; Abram Sanchez, Grand Junction, Junior, STRK; Edgar Sepulveda, Westminster, Senior, MF; Stone Streeter, Fairview, Senior, MF; Raghav Thapa, Cherokee Trail, Senior; Brandon Valladares, Greeley West, Senior, GK; Roberto Vasquez, Denver East, Senior, MF; Miguel Veloz, Bear Creek, Junior, FORW; Joel Walker, Vista Ridge, Senior, MF/FORW; Kevin Yevak, Ralston Valley, Senior, D; Miguel Zambrano, Gateway, Senior, MF.
[divider]
Class 4A
(Michael Hankins/TGWstudios.com)
Player of the year: Titus Grant, The Classical Academy
Coach of the year: Blake Galvin, The Classical Academy
First Team
Name
School
Year
Pos.
Jeremy Baldes
The Classical Academy
Senior
–
Jaden Borja
The Classical Academy
Senior
–
Cody Brazelton
Mullen
Senior
FORW
Titus Grant
The Classical Academy
Senior
FORW
Andrew Hiester
Air Academy
Senior
D/MF/STRK
Juan Macias
Battle Mountain
Junior
FORW
Jackson Neal
Lewis-Palmer
Senior
MF
Michael Peters
Pueblo West
Senior
MF/FORW
Wesley Tedstrom
D’Evelyn
Senior
–
Karlo Terrazas
Greeley Central
Senior
GK
Luke White
Cheyenne Mountain
Senior
FORW
Second Team
Name
School
Year
Pos.
Sam Alvares
Cheyenne Mountain
Senior
D
Cristian Catalan
Denver West
Senior
MF/FORW
Chris Chasteen
The Classical Academy
Senior
D
Nico Denton
D’Evelyn
Senior
–
Eli Fenton
Durango
Junior
FORW/MF
Miles Joersz
Battle Mountain
Senior
D
Seth Legan
Pueblo Centennial
Senior
MF
Patrick O’Neil
Evergreen
Senior
D/MF
Ryan Pierce
Valor Christian
Sophomore
GK
Dylan Stanley
Pueblo West
Junior
MF
Brandon Staple
Longmont
Junior
STRK
Honorable mention: Brandon Archuleta, Pueblo West, Senior, MF; Alex Arnold, Niwot, Senior, FORW; Carlos Bahena, Denver West, Senior, MF/HB/FORW; Jorge Baranda, Wheat Ridge, Sophomore, MF/FORW; Richard Benson, Evergreen, Senior, FB/D; Will Beurskens, Steamboat Springs, Junior, MF; Nick Boldvich, Palmer Ridge, Junior; Chris Chasteen, The Classical Academy, Senior, D; Spencer Condon, Mountain View, Senior, STRK/MF; Ture Elamo, Skyview, Senior, GK; Danny Gallardo, Mitchell, Senior, MF; Camden Garland, Durango, Senior, D/MF; Josh Griffin, Standley Lake, Senior; Connor Henry, Durango, Senior, MF; Christopher Himel, Centaurus, Junior, D/FORW; Kristian Hooker, Air Academy, Junior, FORW/MF; Michael Jimenez, Mullen, Junior, FORW/MF; Creek Kamby, Battle Mountain, Senior; Parker Klein, Ponderosa, Senior, MF; Hayden MacPherson, Lewis-Palmer, Senior, GK; Dawson McCawley, Skyline, Senior, MF/FORW/D; Sergio Mendoza, Pueblo South, Senior, GK; Landen Nau, Pueblo West, Senior, D; Brandon Rodriguez, Battle Mountain, Senior, MF; Nikylas Roitsch, The Classical Academy, Senior, D/MF; Jonny Stephens, The Classical Academy, Junior, D/MF; Miguel Toledo, Silver Creek, Senior, STRK.
[divider]
Class 3A
(Michael Hankins/TGWstudios.com)
Player of the year: Max Mehlman, Kent Denver
Coach of the year: Matt Cassell, Jefferson Academy
First Team
Name
School
Year
Pos.
Mohamud Ahmed
Bruce Randolph
Senior
STRK/MF
Lucas Almeida
Jefferson Academy
Senior
–
AJ Arroyo
Jefferson Academy
Junior
–
Larson Baker
Colorado Academy
Junior
–
Evan Coit
Salida
Senior
–
David Felman
Kent Denver
Senior
FORW
Roger Hernandez
KIPP Denver
Senior
–
Brendan Lefkowicz
Peak to Peak
Junior
FORW/D
Max Mehlman
Kent Denver
Senior
HB
Ross Rainaldi
Kent Denver
Senior
GK
Gabe Sherwood
Colorado Springs Christian
Senior
MF/FORW
Ian Strine
Fountain Valley
Senior
–
Second Team
Name
School
Year
Pos.
Rory Buck
Kent Denver
Senior
HB
Jonathan Espinoza
Coal Ridge
Senior
–
Jorge Gurrola
KIPP Denver
Junior
–
Kile Kelley
Jefferson Academy
Senior
–
Galen Kelly
Fountain Valley
Junior
–
Brandon Leeper
Jefferson Academy
Senior
–
Ross Norwood
Colorado Springs Christian
Senior
GK
Victor Ponce de Leon
Arrupe Jesuit
Junior
FB
Lookens Smith
Colorado Springs Christian
Sophomore
FORW/MF
Miguel Vargas
Jefferson
Senior
–
Kolin Whisler
Bennett
Senior
–
Honorable mention: Paul Boehner, Liberty Common, Senior, MF/D; Javier De La Cruz, Basalt, Senior; Conor Findley, DSST-Stapleton, Junior, GK; Josh Fulk, Coal Ridge, Junior; Kevin Garcia, Vail Mountain, Senior; Jacob Gonzalez, St. Mary’s, Senior, MF; Sebastian Grigore, Dawson School, Senior; Irvin Guaderrama, Lake County, Senior, FORW; Brandon Harper, Delta, Junior; Hajrudin Karasalihovic, William Smith, Junior, MF; Braedan Krier, Sterling, Senior; Zion Lander, DSST-Green Valley Ranch, Senior, STRK; Michael Longtine, The Academy, Senior, MF/D; Tanner MacKay, Colorado Springs Christian, Junior, MF/STRK; Nestor Perez, Valley, Senior, FORW; Mike Rutledge, Frontier Academy, Senior, MF; Kyle Shaffer, Rye, Senior, STRK/MF; Elliot Shaw, Middle Park, Senior, MF/D/FORW; Eric Strauss, Jefferson Academy, Junior; Edgar Torres, Aurora West College Prep, Senior, MF/D; Juan Torres, The Pinnacle, Senior; Alec Vega, DSST-Green Valley Ranch, Senior, MF; Ted Weiss, Manitou Springs, Senior, MF; Amos Westley, Estes Park, Junior, GK/D.
