Month: November 2016

No. 1 La Junta forges into 2A football semis with win over D’Evelyn

La Junta quarterback Jon Nuschy stretches for extra yards during the Tigers’ 41-7 2A state quarterfinal win over D’Evelyn. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

LAKEWOOD — It seemed like the entire town of La Junta came to Trailblazer Stadium for the Tigers’ Class 2A state football quarterfinal game against D’Evelyn.

No. 1-seeded La Junta didn’t disappoint its loyal fans that made the 3-hour drive to Lakewood. The Tigers (11-0) moved into the semifinals for the second straight season with a dominating 41-7 victory over the No. 9 Jaguars.

“They are good. They are No. 1 for a reason,” D’Evelyn coach Jeremy Bennett said of La Junta that has won 21 of 22 games dating back to last season. “We knew we had to play perfect and we didn’t, not even close. They are good and we didn’t play well.”

La Junta’s Izahiah Peteque (2) attempts to make a catch over the head of D’Evelyn’s Geoffrey Farmar. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

La Junta sophomore Jon Nuschy was more than just good Saturday afternoon. The Tigers’ quarterback had 17 carries for 116 yards on the ground and a touchdown. He was even more impressive through the air going 9-for-11 for 154 yards and four touchdowns.

“It’s just our offensive line,” Nuschy said. “They block good and we just on point today.”

Nuschy broke the game open late in the second quarter with a 73-yard touchdown pass on a screen play to senior Deron Bletson with 1:43 remaining before halftime to push the Tigers’ lead to 21-0.

After a quick 3-and-out for D’Evelyn (8-3), La Junta got the ball back in good field position. Nuschy connected with junior Kain DiRezza for a 3-yard touchdown five seconds before halftime.

“We had some big plays when we needed them,” La Junta coach Clint Buderus said. “That score right before halftime to make it 28-0 was really the nail in the coffin.”

D’Evelyn had just one first-down in the opening half, which came on a pass interference call. The Jaguars did have an offensive highlight early in the second half. Junior quarterback Chad Dines hooked up with junior Cody Bell for a 67-yard touchdown in the opening minute of the second half.

However, La Junta scored back-to-back touchdowns within 30 seconds early in the fourth quarter to stretch the lead to 41-7. Nuschy hit senior Izahiah Peteque for a 39-yard touchdown strike.

Following D’Evelyn’s second turnover, Nuschy connected senior Apela Furtado-Tom for a 10-yard touchdown.

“He (Nuschy) does a good job. Every game he gets a little bit better and makes better decisions,” Buderus said of his sophomore quarterback. “He has great kids around him. He doesn’t have to do it all.”

Beside the 73-yard touchdown catch and run by Bletson, he had 12 carries for 102 yards on the ground. Peteque also had an interception to go along with his touchdown catch.

D’Evelyn’s Christion Cedillo (1) tries to make a diving tackle on La Junta’s Deron Bletson (20). (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

“I don’t know we expected it,” Buderus said of the easy victory. “D’Evelyn is a good football team. They present a lot of challenges with how well they throw the football and mixing in the running game. They are tough.”

La Junta turns its attention now to No. 5 Bayfield. The Wolverines blanked No. 4 Sterling 41-0 in another quarterfinal game Saturday. La Junta will host Bayfield in the semifinals next Saturday in what will be a rematch of last year’s 2A state semifinal.

Bayfield defeated La Junta 47-7 on the way to the 2A championship.

“I know Bayfield is good again,” Buderus said of the defending state champs. “They have some great kids and are very well-coached. They stuck it to us last year, so we have to get to work tomorrow.”

D’Evelyn closed out its first season playing at the 2A level. Bennett will have to replace 17 seniors from this year’s squad. The Jaguars have made the postseason in back-to-back years.

“I lose some legacy kids. The Kehoes have been around forever. The Balbins have been around forever. Now those kids are gone. That’s hard,” Bennett said reflexing graduating some of the youngest brothers — Justin Kehoe and Nolan Balbin — of families that have come through D’Evelyn’s football program. “We’ll all heal from this and be better people for it. It does stink right now.”

D’Evelyn senior Justin Kehoe (8) isn’t able to haul in a pass after getting hit by La Junta’s Izahiah Peteque. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

November 13, 2016
Lewis-Palmer tops Holy Family to win third 4A volleyball title in four years

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

DENVER — There would be no calming the Rowdy Rangers. As Lewis-Palmer players hugged and wiped joyful tears from their eyes, the sound of their classmates’ cheers reverberated through the confines of the Denver Coliseum.

Chanting “uno mas” on the last serve wasn’t just representative of the number of points needed, but also that one more championship was coming home.

With a 25-10, 25-20 and 25-21 win over Holy Family Saturday night, the Rangers were once again Class 4A volleyball champions.

Been there and done that, sure. But make no mistake, this state championship is special.

“What’s really special about this one is that we went undefeated,” coach Susan Odenbaugh said. “We’ve only dropped four sets all year. These kids knew they could play well. They knew that to be successful there couldn’t be any drama and we had to be unified.”

The Rangers (29-0 overall) had decided early in the season that this year was going to be fun. It had to be after last year’s group fell in the state title match to league rival Cheyenne Mountain. There was less of a family feel than there had been. Odenbaugh knew it, but it was the players who decided on their own to change the mentality from what it was a year ago.

“Every single one of us loves each other,” senior Elizabeth Reich said. “This team especially came out as one big team and everyone contributed.”

For Reich and the other seniors on the team, their last journey into the Denver Coliseum turned out to be the most memorable one.

Not the 3-1 win over Ponderosa in 2014 when they were sophomores. And not the sweep over Air Academy, a league rival, as freshmen.

It was their redemption title, their last title, that they’ll carry with them the most.

“It’s sad walking in for the last time,” Lydia Bartalo said. “But it was also exciting knowing that we were going to work our hardest and leave it all out on the court.”

That’s all anyone could ask of any team at the Coliseum. Holy Family perhaps represented that approach more than anyone.

The Rangers came into the tournament, the season even, as heavy favorites to come away with the 4A title. En route to the state title match, the Tigers (24-5) won a pool that included No. 2 Eagle Valley and then took down Valor Christian in the semifinals.

They never once looked devastated at the result of the state title championship match. They took their best shot at the Rangers which is all anyone could’ve asked.

And for those in attendance at the Denver Coliseum on Saturday night, one look at the joy and elation from the Rangers showed that while a state title for the program is not an uncommon occurrence lately, the experience of winning this way with this team is something they are unlikely to experience again.

“I told them at the end, this is one of the best LP teams ever,” Odenbaugh said. “I really believe that. It’s just fun to see young adults work really hard, set a goal and achieve it.”

And achieve it they did. With Bartalo and Michaela Putnicki leading the way with 15 kills each and Reich being big up front with four blocks, the Rangers are once again champions.

Last year, they fell short. This year they redeemed themselves. They got uno mas.

November 13, 2016
Fossil Ridge wins program’s first 5A volleyball state title in five sets

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

DENVER — Fossil Ridge senior Lauren Rice remembers her first year in high school when the Sabercats’ varsity volleyball team went to state and got completely destroyed in three games on the first day.

Despite getting handled, Rice said that year’s setter started singing the song “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” as loudly as she could, and it cheered people up on the team up, thus becoming a program tradition.

“So no matter win or lose, we sing it to prove we are who we are, and it’s going to go on,” Rice said.

As the 2016 volleyball season comes to a close, Fossil Ridge’s five seniors will be able to sing “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” one last time on the bus in the parking lot — and this time, as state champions.

Class 5A’s No. 1-seeded Fossil Ridge volleyball team defeated No. 6-seeded Mountain Vista in five epic sets (25-21, 19-25, 22-25, 25-19, 15-10) in the state tournament final on Saturday night at the Denver Coliseum to claim the program’s first-ever volleyball state championship.

The Sabercats capped the memorable season 26-3 under coach Paul Shimek, and they did all all “for each other” — a team motto since the first day of practice.

“All season we’ve been coming out of practices and locker breaks saying, ‘for each other,’” sophomore outside hitter Riley Zuhn said. “We’re best friends and that’s why we won. Our team chemistry is like none other and this is the best team I’ve ever been on.”

From the beginning, it was going to be a tough state final match for both the Sabercats and Golden Eagles (23-7): two programs that had never been to a volleyball championship game before and were very evenly matched in the final.

But the Sabercats didn’t quit, despite being down multiple times during the five-set match, including a 2-1 set deficit to Vista. In tough positions, they played together to power through and persevere.

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

Fossil Ridge took the neck-and-neck first, fourth and fifth sets. Rice, the libero, started out making good digs and crucial defensive plays, which helped the Sabercats combat Vista’s tough-as-nails hitters, including senior outside Alyssa Oswald.

“Our defense kept digging balls, even though we had a little stretch of a problem with that earlier,” Shimek said. “But they finished it up with some nice digs.”

But the Sabercats’ hitters were also on fire as well, and started really making things tough for the Golden Eagles to get anything over the net in the latter sets.

Fossil Ridge would start the championships sets off with momentum and distancing itself in the lead, but Vista always crept back to make it close.

“This was a team that knew how to compete,” Shimek said. “The girls stepped it up whenever they got down and we got into the same kind of thing with Cheyenne Mountain and it was a fantastic, and we came back and beat Chaparral. They never quit on anything.”

Zuhn had a stellar game on the net for the Sabercats and was a force to be reckoned with. Junior setter Tyler Lindgren also really stepped up for the Sabercats to run the offense.

Fossil Ridge came into the tournament ranked No. 1, and decided it was time to prove to people they were actually the No. 1 team — for each other.

“We came in ranked first and I think a lot of people expected us to win and when all these amazing teams were playing us and doing really well, it shocked everyone and I think especially today we felt a sense of urgency that we are No. 1 and it’s time for us to prove it,’ Rice said. “We had a lot of fun at state — it was all of our of first times, and a lot of our last times.”

She added: “I think because people want us to win more or less for the popularity or just to say we won 5A, but we decided were playing for the girls to the left of us.”

November 13, 2016
Boulder wins 5A boys soccer title in 14th penalty kick round

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

COMMERCE CITY — Faced with one of the most pressure-packed situations on the game’s biggest stage, Djibril Doumbia never let the nerves overwhelm him.

The Boulder sophomore goalkeeper found himself locked in with Broomfield counterpart Jose Ogaz in penalty kicks to decide the Class 5A state boys soccer championship Saturday night. After playing to a 1-1 tie through regulation and two overtimes, and with the PKs having reached the 14th round, Doumbia kept the faith that one chance was all he really needed.

That opportunity presented itself when he denied Broomfield’s 14th attempt. Panthers senior Mitchell Graesser then came through with the deciding score, giving Boulder the 13-12 advantage at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park to secure its first state title since 2012.

The Panthers finished the year a perfect 20-0.

“I’ve just been trained over the years to forget that last shot,” Doumbia said. “You really get taught that thinking about that last shot, that’s when mistakes happen.”

It was only fitting that the final boys soccer game of the season came down to the last possible outcome between two league rivals who had played for the championship just two years ago.

“It was an incredible match and it was worthy of the state championship game,” Eagles coach Jim Davidson said. “It was two heavyweights slugging it out.”

Davidson and his players were left feeling especially disappointed though after Broomfield thought it had won just three rounds earlier. Ogaz had taken his turn and scored on Doumbia in the 11th round, then made what should have been the deciding save.

But as Broomfield (16-3-1) celebrated, a referee ruled that Ogaz had left the line too soon and Boulder was allowed to kick again.

“That was something else. I don’t know where that came from,” Doumbia said. “I don’t even have words to describe how lucky that is.

“I think Jose had a great game. I don’t even think he deserved that. I thought he was on the line, and I just think we got lucky with that one.”

It looked as though it would be Boulder’s night after senior Simon Julien scored in the 10th minute of the first half to put the Panthers on top. Julien took a pass on the left side and took his time setting his shot up before curling a ball from outside the box and sending it into the upper right corner past a diving Ogaz.

Broomfield tied it up in the 43rd minute though, with Armando Ocampo beating Doumbia on a short attempt inside the box.

Both defenses took over from there, denying chance after chance. Ogaz stopped a pair of quality shots in the final 10 minutes of play after defenders had slipped, and Doumbia recorded five saves in the second half.

That held up through both 15-minute overtime periods as well.

“Both teams tried to execute,” Davidson said. “It was just a stalemate, and then there were chances; and it was a stalemate again, and then there were some chances.”

Once the game shifted to penalty kicks, the goals began to pour into the net. Each team made its first three attempts before Broomfield missed high and Ogaz made a great diving stop.

“There’s just so much pressure to deal with,” Davidson said. “Jose was fantastic and he had an incredible match. He’s part of the reason why we’re here. He got us here, and it’s just a shame to see it end like that.”

After Doumbia knocked away the 14th attempt, Graesser came through for the second time.

“True belief. Not hope – true belief in what we’ve been working on together,” Boulder coach Hardy Kalisher said. “Penalty kicks take big players in big moments, and Djibril made the save. Mitchell actually looked at me and said ‘Coach, I’m taking it.’ I said ‘Okay, if you’re going to take it, take it.’”

The Front Range League rivals had met in the regular-season finale, with Boulder taking a 2-1 victory Oct. 20.

Kalisher said the day was perfect before the game even started because his players believed in each other and were playing for all the right reasons.

“They truly wanted to represent Boulder and the community,” Kalisher said. “They put together a perfect season. I told them today ‘one more opportunity to see beautiful futbol with these guys, so I’m a proud coach.”

November 13, 2016
Fleming wins 1A volleyball by sweeping Kit Carson

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

DENVER — More than 300 schools in Colorado have a volleyball program. 10 earned the right to play in the state finals on Saturday evening at the Denver Coliseum.

In Class 1A, Fleming (29-2) won its sixth state championship by defeating Kit Carson in three straight set victories of 25-19, 25-15 and 25-20. Fleming, who was appearing in its eighth state final in ten years, handed Kit Carson (27-1) its first loss of the season.

After outlasting Prairie 3-1 with a memorable 40-38 deciding set in the semifinals, the Wildcats had enough in reserves to win the final match. Second-year head coach Doug Kamery, who took over for Derek Herbert (12-year veteran, five state championships), claimed title No. 1. ‘

“It’s just amazing, it’s absolutely amazing,” Kamery said. “We’ve been here 11 years and this is the only court we have not won on. 11 years ago Kit Carson beat us on this court. It was a great honor to win tonight.”

Kit Carson claimed their only state championship in volleyball in 2006 over Fleming and was appearing in their third title match. Each set, Kit Carson would apply some pressure on Fleming, but not enough. The attacking core of junior Alli Keisel (13 kills), and seniors Shaylee Johnson (nine) and Jessica Williams (eight), proved insurmountable for Kit to overcome.

“This has been my dream,” Johnson, a second team all-state honoree in 2015, said. “My sisters have been here before me and so it really feels good to have completed this in my senior year.”

Fleming also captured 1A in 2007, 2008, 2010, 2013, and 2014. Six titles ties the program for the sixth-most in volleyball with Cheyenne Mountain and Colorado Springs Christian.

“The team really worked hard,” Johnson said. “We’re really close off and on the court. We all pulled together.”

Fleming enriched an already sterling tradition in volleyball. But, this was the first under Kamery as the head coach. He had been an assistant during three other runs to the Coliseum.

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

“We’ve had the honor of being in the final four or better for the last 11 years now, so to get that state championship on the 11th is amazing,” Kamery added.

“I’m just so elated to finally do it on this court.”

Kit Carson, under 21-year veteran coach Penny Isenbart, won 3-0 over Kiowa in the semifinals. The school has won two state championships in boys basketball, to go with the one in volleyball.

Tess Hornung, a 6-1 sophomore, was a strong presence on the attack throughout the season. Senior Shayla Bogenhagen and sophomore McKenzie Smith were among the other high-level players for a team that finished as the runner-up.

Kit Carson will return a wealth of talent in 2017, while Fleming will do much the same.

November 13, 2016
Eaton secures a four-peat in 3A volleyball with sweep of league rival Valley

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

DENVER – It’s been said that every state championship is a little bit different and each one carries its own special meaning.

For Eaton senior Tarynn Sieg, that has held true throughout here prep career. On Saturday night at the Denver Coliseum, Sieg finally got the opportunity to enjoy the title that sends her out on top.

Sieg recorded 16 kills in her final match and the Reds rode a strong start to their fourth consecutive Class 3A volleyball championship. Eaton took down Valley for the third year in a row in the final match, rolling to a 25-14, 25-18, 25-19 victory.

“It’s amazing,” Sieg said. “I can’t explain the feeling.”

Eaton (27-2) gave up only one set in the two days at the Coliseum. The Reds became the first state program to win four in a row since Cheyenne Mountain won five in 4A from 2008-12.

“Obviously it’s a direct reflection of how we’ve performed in the last six years,” Eaton coach Gwen Forster said. “As the kids get in, sometimes it’s an eye-opener for them and sometimes they have to understand and they embrace it and they go with it.”

Going up against Valley (23-6) wasn’t much of a change for Eaton, which has combined with its Patriot League rival to claim the past seven 3A crowns. The Reds defeated Valley twice during the regular season.

The Vikings had to endure a pair of five-set matches in the tournament, including rallying for a 25-20, 15-24, 21-25, 25-14, 15-8 victory over Colorado Springs Christian in the semifinals.

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

“We both have a feel for each other, seeing them the last two years and being around them a lot,” Sieg said. “We all know we’re going to have to come out with our ‘A’ game … we have to play our hardest every single point.”

Sophomore Makenzie Harris finished with 14 kills for Eaton, including the deciding one on match point. Senior Ashton Reese-Lawrence added nine. Junior Chelsey Lockey tallied 35 assists, and seniors Courtney Leafgren (22), Izzy Noonan (11) and Kylee Stewart (10) paced the team in digs.

Eaton got off to a strong start in the first set and never looked back, with Sieg recording seven kills in the set. Junior Kennedi Ingram put away the second set with a kill, and despite Valley hanging with the Reds late, strong performances from Sieg and Harris made the difference in the final set.

“It’s tempo. We’ve got to be able to put pressure on them on the end-line,” Forster said. “Valley is good and we had to create that in order to keep them off-balance. I think we did a good job of that.”

Sieg, who can claim a state championship in each of her four years, laughed when asked if she was feeling it in the third set.

“I was talking to myself on the court,” she said. “I was like ‘okay, this is it. My senior year, my last plays, so make the most of it. That’s what I did.”

Valley, which received strong efforts up front from senior Brooke Schilling and Ashlyn Martinez, graduates three seniors. The Vikings can continue to build off the experience of reaching the state title game three years running.

Eaton will send off five seniors. Sieg said the four-peat shows the tradition that the program has been able to build and maintain over the years.

“It shows a new standard,” Sieg said. “It’s showing it’s not just one person that can make a team and it’s not just one full year that’s going to show who we are. It just shows the type of culture we bring up … everyone on there plays their hardest and that’s why we have repeats.”

November 13, 2016
Dayspring Christian wins first girls championship by winning 2A volleyball

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

DENVER — Kristin Kurz struggled to put the right words together.

Her eyes watered up, she paused to take a deep breath before trying again.

“It’s just so special,” she said as the tears returned.

Saturday was a night Dayspring Christian Academy won’t forget after the volleyball coach and her team left the Denver Coliseum with the school’s first-ever girls state championship title since opening in 1975 with a 3-1 (25-22, 21-25, 25-22, 25-15) victory over defending champion Yuma.

To add to the occasion, Kurz got to share the experience with her daughters Katie, her junior outside hitter, and Emily, who serves as an assistant coach.

“That was something that we’ll all remember for a really, really long time,” said Kurz. “All the girls have been working so hard all year and to see it end like this is something more than we could ask for.”

It was a fitting end to the race for the Class 2A title. Dayspring Christian had been dominant, capping an undefeated 2016 season (29-0) against the team that had the best shot to spoil the Eagles’ storybook ending. The Indians were holding a 22-5 record that included a perfect 8-0 run through District 2 League play and survived one of the tougher pools (Pool IV) among the 2A state field.

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

“We had been here before just last year, but we knew that we would be getting our toughest match of the year against Dayspring,” Yuma coach Jenny Noble said. “We played with everything we had and you have to credit them for having one amazing season.”

Neither team showed any signs of letting up, especially early on as they exchanged point runs that took each of the first three sets down to the wire.

Dayspring Christian grabbed an early edge and a 25-22 opening-set victory that was led by a strong attack from Katie Kurz, who finished with a match-high 28 kills and junior Megan Roberts, who was close behind with 24.

Defensively, the Eagles were powered by senior Kelsi Donoho’s 56 assists and 19 digs, while Roberts and senior MaKayla Bell recorded 11 and 10 blocks, respectively.

Yuma was swift to respond in the following set with a 25-21 victory of its own to equalize the match heading into the break. The Indians showed offensive power in sophomore Chasey Blach, who finished with a team-high 17 kills and 22 digs, and sophomore Cody Robinson’s 15 kills. Junior Kenedy Roth led Yuma in assists with 32.

In the pivotal third set, Dayspring Christian found itself trailing by as many as six points as it wore late. Kurz took a timeout to regroup her team, which returned to claim seven of the final nine points to swing the momentum back in their favor.

“I just convinced them to calm down and play the way we knew we could play,” Kurz said. “Sometimes being in this environment can get the best of you.

With its first state title within reach, the Eagles fired on all cylinders in the fourth set, going on a seven-point run to bring home the championship with their fans getting louder with every point.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better way to end our careers here,” said Bella Bryant, one of five seniors on Dayspring Christian’s roster. “This is what we’ve always dreamed about and it’s unbelievable that it’s finally come true.”

November 13, 2016
Photos: Silver Creek football beats Durango in first round of 3A tournament

LONGMONT — Silver Creek started its playoff run with an impressive 27-19 over Durango on Saturday. The Raptors will play Lewis-Palmer in the second round of the Class 3A football tournament.

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November 13, 2016
Photos: The 2016 CHSAA state volleyball tournament

DENVER — The 2016 state volleyball tournament was held last weekend at the Denver Coliseum. Fleming, Dayspring Christian, Eaton, Lewis-Palmer and Fossil Ridge all came away with titles.

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November 13, 2016
Photos: Fruita Monument scores upset over Monarch in first round of 4A football tournament

LOUISVILLE — Fruita Monument made the trek east on I-70 and didn’t come away empty-handed as the Wildcats beat Monarch 36-28.

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November 13, 2016