(Cannon Casey/CHSAANow.com)

LYONS — The resiliency of No. 8 Lyons baseball was once again on display.

It was shown in a 3-2 win over Highland in which the Lions scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth to take the lead. It was shown in an 8-7 extra-inning win over Fort Lupton after Lyons gave up the tying run in the bottom of the seventh.

And now, it was shown in an 8-4 win over Dawson School to clinch the Class 2A Mile High League title. 

“That’s exactly what they’ve been doing all year,” Rosales said. “We have a bad inning and they come and get runs on us, we come back with a bigger inning.”

The Lions absorbed every blow that came at them on Tuesday and came back with a harder punch.

With the Lions leading 5-4 in the top of the sixth, Justin Lear walked the first two batters he faced. Then, he got down to business.

“He does that day in and day out. He comes in and cleans up for us at the end,” Lyons coach Ken Rosales said.  “I told him no more of those, my heart can’t take those.

Lear struck out five of the six batters he faced as Lyons went on to beat Dawson School 8-4.

“That’s kind of my thing: strikeouts. I get a lot of them,” Lear said. “So, when I have runners on base, I’m not worried too much because this season I’ve always pulled through. I’ve got that confidence.”

In the bottom of the sixth, Lear started a four-run inning with a double in the right-center gap after striking out three batters. Lear had a cushion and could cruise.

“I was just ready to shut it out. It was just me and my catcher,” Lear said. “That’s all that was in my mind, just throwing the baseball.”

Austen Clark started on the mound for Lyons and gave five strong, while going 2-4 with two runs batted in. Clark reached base in every at-bat.

“It felt good out there,” Clark said. “I was just trying to be me, stay relaxed out there and do my job.”

After a sloppy second inning that included two errors, a walk, a wild pitch and two runs all with two outs, Clark went out in the third and posted a 1-2-3 inning.

“We’re resilient. We don’t get too low,” Clark said. “We just fight every time. We’re a great team, we have great team chemistry, we believe in eachother and we have a lot of confidence.”

The Lions have a right to be confident. They are now 14-1 (9-0 league) and are set up for the top seed in district play.

“That’s a huge advantage for us,” Clark said. “Just a huge win that proves that we’re competitors.”

Lyons went out with a gameplan to go right after the Dawson hitters.

“The gameplan was to pitch to them. We knew they could hit,” Rosales said. “The whole thing was pitch to them and get out of the inning with little to no damage.”

But, the Lyons didn’t always execute on defense. All of Dawson’s runs resulted from errors.

“You know, we had those bad innings, but you have to have a short memory in baseball because the next play is coming at you right after that,” Rosales said.

The Lions executed Rosales’ words exactly to hold on and beat the Mustangs in a nail-biting Mile High League win.

Chatfield senior Jake Winkler (7) and the Chargers’ dugout watch a long foul ball Tuesday against Dakota Ridge. Winkler belted a 3-run home run in Chatfield 12-1 win over Dakota Ridge. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

LITTLETON — Chatfield junior pitcher Blake Dickman helped himself out before he even took the mound Tuesday afternoon at Dakota Ridge High School.

Dickman belted a 2-run home run in the top of the first inning in the Class 5A Jeffco League baseball game that decided the No. 1 seed for the upcoming conference tournament.

“My approach going out there with two outs was to hit something hard,” Dickman said after a dominating 12-1 victory over Dakota Ridge in five innings for Chatfield (8-7, 5-2 in league). “I got a pitch I could handle and I didn’t miss it. That set the tone for the game and felt really good.”

It looked like Dickman wouldn’t be able to hit in the first inning with two outs, but Chatfield senior Jack Winkler worked a walk off Dakota Ridge ace Carter Akerfelds. Dickman took full advantage of his opportunity to give the Chargers an early lead facing one of the top pitchers in Jeffco.

“That’s huge,” Chatfield coach Matt Johnson said of grabbing an early lead. “Where we have struggled is we’ve played a lot from behind the first part of the year. Right now, I think we have a good groove and a good system. This team is dangerous.”

Chatfield tacked on a third run after Dickman’s blast. A walk, single and error allowed senior Alec Roach to score. The Chargers took a 3-0 lead headed to the bottom of the first inning.

The Chargers continued to use the long ball to eventually induce the 10-run mercy rule after five innings. Junior Matthew Moon hammered a 2-run home run off Akerfelds in the third inning to push the lead to 5-0. Winkler crushed a 3-run home run during a 5-run fourth inning for Chatfield.

“Chatfield was ready to swing it today,” Dakota Ridge coach Jeff Legault said.

Dakota Ridge’s Jake Starkey (8) forces out Chatfield’s Andrew Mangold. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

Akerfelds came into the game with a 1.83 ERA, but allowed 10 runs on eight hits, including the three home runs.

“I have a lot of respect for Carter (Akerfelds),” Dickman said. “He is a great pitcher. It was fun to go against him head-to-head. He didn’t have his best stuff, but there is no doubt in my mind he’ll bounce back from it.”

Dakota Ridge senior Greg McNulty relieved Akerfelds in the fourth inning. Chatfield senior Nate Semmler and Winkler singled and eventually scored on the Eagles’ fourth error of the game to push the lead to 12-0.

“There was a little pressure on to try to get back to winning,” Winkler said referring to the Chargers’ 2-game losing streak that included a 12-0 loss Saturday to Ralston Valley. “I don’t think there were any nerves. Everyone is always excited to play Dakota. They are a big rival.”

Dakota Ridge (8-8, 4-3) prevented the shutout with a RBI fly out by senior Jake Starkey in the bottom of the fifth inning that scored sophomore Alex Overlie. Dickman picked up the victory on the mound with a complete-game giving up just four hits over five innings.

“Bouncing back from those two losses was huge,” Dickman said. “We needed this win big-time. Hopefully we’ll have great support from all of our fans like we did today and we’ll get the job done in league (tournament).”

The eight 5A Jeffco teams weren’t only bunched in their conference standings, but the RPI standings that will determine 32 teams that will move onto the regional tournaments. Only the 5A Jeffco League champion earns an automatic bid to the postseason.

Chatfield junior Blake Dickman rounds the bases after a 2-run home run. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

“This is still wide open for anybody,” Legault said of the league championship. “Anything can happen next week.”

Heading into Tuesday’s league games, the eight 5A Jeffco teams landed between 20th and 41st in the RPI standings. The three games for all eight teams in the upcoming 5A Jeffco League Tournament (May 2, 4 and 6) will be critical on who will be headed to the postseason that begins with regional tournaments Saturday, May 13.

Legault believes the Eagles must win at least two of three league tournament games next week to guarantee a playoff spot.

“I like our team. I like our pitching,” Legault said. “Just get us in and I think we have a good chance. We’ve got to battle.”

Chatfield does have one last non-conference game 4 p.m. Friday, April 28, at Cherokee Trail before the 5A Jeffco League tournament begins Tuesday, May 2.

The math is simple for the Chargers to guarantee a postseason bid. If Chatfield wins the conference tournament it will win the league title and grab the automatic bid.

“Trying to win league is our first goal. We are in charge of our own destiny,” Winkler said. “When we are good, we are really good. We’ve just got to find a way to bring that every single game. We definitely can beat anyone in the state and Jeffco.”

Chatfield teammates greet Blake Dickman (5) after his 2-run home run Tuesday against Dakota Ridge. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

Those who fail to learn history are doomed to repeat it.

Denver North baseball coach Ernesto Marquez preaches this to his team on a regular basis.

“Every day,” he says.

Okay. A very regular basis.

But it’s a lesson worth preaching often. The Vikings had a banner year in 2016. They went 18-1 in the regular season and clinch their first Denver Prep League title in nearly two decades. The only thing their storybook season needed was a deep playoff run.

But Niwot and senior pitcher Ford Ladd had other ideas. The Cougars walked onto Denver North’s own field and beat the Class 4A District 7 host 10-3.

“It was disheartening because I hated seeing the seniors go out like that,” junior Harris Williams said. “Those guys worked really hard and the rest of the team worked really hard. Watching that big, tall dude from Niwot just mow us down with his curveball hurt because we couldn’t make the adjustment. It was hard. It was a tough loss.”

The Vikings came into 2017 refocused. And it’s playing out nearly the same way that last year did in the regular season. At 15-0, they’re a clear favorite to come away with another league title. They hadn’t won one in almost 20 years before last season. They’ll have two in as many years if they continue their hot play for the final four games of the season.

The key to success this year is feeding off last year’s ending. In hindsight, they can’t be upset about a 18-2 that included a league title. But they had a hard time coming to grips with that idea at the time.

“Two goals that were being repeated to us were (winning) city and (getting to) state,” senior Jose Robles said. “Those are the two biggest goals that we try to accomplish every year. So accomplishing the first one felt good, but even though we were winning that, we hadn’t accomplished anything. We still wanted to get to that next level and compete with the schools like the Jeffco schools that are pretty competitive.”

As the ace of the Vikings pitching staff, each time Robles takes the mound he puts together a performance that doesn’t command respect as much as demand it.

He has given up only five earned runs all year over 46 and 2/3 innings. For those counting at home, that’s an ERA of 0.75.

“That kid, believe it or not, is going to play at the next level as a catcher,” Marquez said. “He only has five innings where he hasn’t played this year. Mentally, he’s right. He’s good to go. Him being a catcher allows him to essentially call his own game. I let him go and he’s very comfortable, very mature up there on the bump.”

(Jeff Tucker/jefferywtucker.zenfolio.com)

He’s performing at the plate as well. He’s batting .519 with two home runs and is getting on base better than 64 percent of the time.

The entire Vikings lineup has been steady throughout the season. Williams leads the team with a .581 average, six doubles and 19 runs scored.

Judah Wilbur has also ripped six doubles and scored 19 runs. It’s all a byproduct of each player having a defined job at their spot in the lineup.

“We talk about everyone’s role in the lineup. As the game goes on those roles change,” Marquez said. “Some guys are there to get on base and some guys are there to drive in runs.”

A bonafide ace on the mound, a threatening lineup from top to bottom and the experience of going into the playoffs a little cocky might just help this year’s Denver North team find the success that eluded them last season.

As the final days in April tick away, the players can’t help but get a little hungry for a playoff run to start.

“As much as I dislike it, and as much as we want to look at it one game at a time, I can tell that playoffs are on everybody’s mind,” Williams said. “We’re excited for it. We’re really trying to dominate DPS and dominate 4A to the best of our ability.”

But in order to do that, they can’t get complacent. They admittedly were so happy about winning a city title last year, that they entered the playoffs flat.

Never again.

A city title is nice, but it is no longer the goal. They have ambitions of a much more prestigious trophy. And they’re best tool to help them win it is a loss from a year ago that still stings to this day.

They can’t forget that feeling.

“When it comes to what happened in the playoffs, of course we’re going to remember,” Robles said. “It’s almost like a chip on our shoulder. We want to come out and prove that we can play with anyone that’s out there in 4A.”

(Jeff Tucker/jefferywtucker.zenfolio.com)

AURORA — Cherry Creek dared Tuesday’s weather to try and shorten its game. It turns out that Mother Nature is not intimdated by the newly anointed CHSAANow.com No. 1 team in Class 5A.

The Bruins finished off a 6-0 victory over Grandview in a game that was called due to hail with 2 outs in the bottom of the sixth.

The Bruins rode a hot start to the victory, scoring four runs in the first inning. Brice Martinez, Cody Schultz, and Tyler Schultz all hit one hoppers to the wall to fire up the Bruins offense early.

Pitching dominated the game for the Bruins, Sam Colehower turned in a quality start for the Bruins, throwing 5 and 2/3 innings of shutout ball, striking out 10 and allowing 2 hits.

“(This was a) big win for the guys, I just tried to come out and throw strikes and get ahead,” Colehower said. “Offense was solid, I’m just glad we could get another league win and stay hot.”

The weather was a factor all day. Temperatures starting in the low 40s and dropping with wind, rain, and finishing with hail, but Colehower powered on.

“I tried not to think about it too much,” he said. “My defense made some huge plays for me.”

Cherry Creek will face Smoky Hill in their senior game Thursday. Grandview will take to the road and play Mullen Thursday afternoon. A possible rematch is in store as the two teams will participate in the new Centennial League Challenge end of season tournament.

-Max Potter

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ARVADA — Macklin Brockmeyer went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and scored twice as Faith Christian beat Colorado Academy 10-0 on Tuesday.

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AURORA — No. 1 Cherry Creek girls soccer improved to 12-0-1 with a 4-0 win over Smoky Hill on Tuesday.

Libby Geraghty scored two goals in  the win.

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This week’s boys swimming rankings are below.

These team rankings are created from the top marks of the season so far which have been entered in MaxPreps. They are compiled by PrepSwimCo.com.

In addition, the top individual marks of the season to date are compiled here.

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PrepSwimCo.com Boys Swimming & Diving Rankings

(Jeff Tucker/jefferywtucker.zenfolio.com)

Dawson School’s Hannah Isenhart was thrown into the spotlight and is basking in it. She is an anchor of a leader in an otherwise young Mustangs team which starts six freshmen.

“This season, we have a really young team, so all of us are working super hard,” Isenhart said. “I never really stop working with soccer.”

The senior is seventh in the state with 50 points (third in Class 2A), and 14th in goals with 19 (second in 2A). Isenhart’s 6.3 points and 2.4 goals per game (both lead 2A) is an incredibly hot start, but a sickness forced her to play limited minutes in the loss to No. 2 Denver Christian last Thursday.

“I don’t give up easily,” Isenhart said. “That’s another reason why sitting out was so hard. I did not want to stop playing. I don’t give up. I really try to lead the team into the same headspace that we’re not going to give up.”

Isenhart has played, on average, two less games than the stat leaders.

“Hannah is just getting better. She’s developed this year i think into a better, more well-rounded player,” Dawson School coach John Siegrist said. “She’s incredibly fast, she’s faster than she was last year, her ball control is better, but I think more than anything, what we’ve noticed is her field vision is really good, especially this year.”

In the first seven games before Denver Christian, Dawson outscored opponents 55-6. Against Denver Christian, Dawson was outscored 5-0. 

“The refreshing thing about Hannah is that she’s very adaptable and she listens. You can put her anywhere on the field and she’ll adapt to it and play well,” Siegrist said. “She’s a great captain, a great leader, good kid, good student.”

The impact that Isenhart has for Dawson School is most evident in the aforementioned stat line.

“She’s just solid,” Siegrist said. “She doesn’t get riled up about stuff, she’s got a calm demeanor, she’s not selfish. That’s huge for us to have that player that is in the midfield that isn’t selfish and can distribute the ball well.”

But, Isenhart’s impact spans further than stats; it’s the intangibles where she truly makes a difference.

“Her ability to work with the younger players that we have,” Siegrist said. “Having them jump right in, Hannah is a huge impact player for us. She’s distributing the ball super well.

“She has an incredible work ethic. That makes coaching easier because you have a kid that comes out and gets right on it. I get out to practice and they’re already started. That tone is set by Hannah. When we need help, she’s the go to.”

Isenhart’s leadership is working as the Mustangs are 8-1 so far.

“You can tell by the way she approaches the game,” Siegrist said. “It seems like sometimes I don’t need to speak to the kids, Hannah brings them in and gets them going and rolling.”

And what may have set this in motion is Isenhart’s commitment to Tufts University. The recruiting process can be a looming cloud over an athlete’s head that affects play and creates distraction.

“I think that since she’s made that commitment to Tufts, that’s behind her,” Siegrist said. “She has that taken care of. It’s a weight lifted off her shoulders. She comes to practice with a smile on her face. She’s enjoying this, she’s not uptight at all.”

She is enjoying the success and relishing in her last season at Dawson. She is the reigning 2A player of the year.

“I just try to play my game and not let anything else get in my head,” Isenhart said.

Isenhart and Dawson School lost to Vail Mountain in the 2015 and 2016 state championships, but Vail Mountain moved up a classification to 3A and is ranked ninth.

Those losses stay in Isenhart’s memory as motivation.

“It’s been a lot of motivation,” Isenhart said. “I think the people that have been there for the last two times that we made it to state, or even just last year, we’re pretty frustrated with the results. We want this to be our year.”

The roadblock of two years was cleared, which leaves the Mustangs in an opportune spot.

“We’re working hard every single practice to mesh together,” Isenhart said. “It keeps progressing. Everyone is really excited, and when we start picking up speed, we all are rallying behind the idea of a state championship win and all want to work hard towards that. 

“I hope that if we get there this year that it won’t be the same result. Third time is the charm.”

Siegrist agrees.

“She’s an easy kid to get along with. This group of kids that I have get’s along well,” Siegrist said. “The chemistry is very good, and that’s why I think there’s a potential for this group to go far. It’s a balanced team, they get along well, they’re willing to work hard.”

Just as Isenhart continues to get better, she sets the tone throughout the program.

“She’s the first one out on the field and last one off the field,” Siegrist said. “She doesn’t take anything for granted. She feels fortunate to play for Dawson and she takes pride in that.”

DENVER — An 11-1 edge in the first half helped fourth-ranked Denver East girls lacrosse cruise to a 15-4 win over Rocky Mountain on Monday.

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DENVER — Denver South girls lacrosse beat Denver North 18-5 on Monday.

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