LAKEWOOD — Final results from the 2017 state track and field meet are below. Navigate to the event of your choosing with the menu at left.
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Month: May 2017
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Cherry Creek rides hot start to win 5A boys lacrosse championship
(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com) DENVER — Cherry Creek rode a hot start to win their sixth boys lacrosse championship, now the most of any program in state history.
“To end up on top, that’s what we’ve been running at 5:30 in the morning since January for, and it just feels awesome,” Senior Asher Nolting said. “The monkey is off our back finally for the season. We did our job and it feels great.”
The Bruins beat defending-champion Regis Jesuit 17-8 in the Class 5A championship, their fifth title appearance of the last six seasons.
Connor Till and Henry Gordon put Cherry Creek up 2-0 after the two teams were feeling each other out for the first minutes.
“That first goal in this game is so important. Connor Till is a great leader for us,” Perry said. “He did a great job getting that first goal and breaking the ice. The other thing that was really key was the play of our goaltender. Knox Dent kept them from getting anything going. That was a big piece of it.”
Patrick Roe got Regis Jesuit on the board, then Quentin Birch scored what looked to be the the tying goal.
The officials waved off the goal, and Cherry Creek took advantage of it for its 17th-straight win.
“Our team chemistry was so strong all year,” Perry said. “It made our jobs as coaches really easy; we just have a great group of kids. They deserve this. They absolutely deserve this.”
The Bruins scored three straight goals to take a 5-1 lead into the second quarter as Henry Savage, Alec Bildstein and Shota Kajiya all got in on the action.
(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com) Maybe it was experience, maybe it was rest as Regis Jesuit played three straight days because of a postponement due to weather, or maybe Cherry Creek seized momentum on its side.
Cherry Creek lost to Regis Jesuit in last year’s semifinals and this year at the beginning of the season.
“Our guys bought into the fact that you’re going to lose some games once in a while,” Perry said. “Embrace the gift of failure. This was the best thing that could’ve happened to us. All year long, we don’t want that to happen again, so do this.”
The Bruins were determined that this game wouldn’t have the same outcome.
“Last year’s semifinal loss and this year’s loss the second game of the season,” Nolting said. “That’s been fueling us all year and our huge run. That was our big motivation and it showed on the scoreboard.”
Cherry Creek appeared to be ready for the moment, although Regis Jesuit has now been to four straight boys lacrosse championships. The Bruins have zero freshmen and two sophomores on the roster with the rest filled by upperclassmen — mostly seniors.
“No question,” Perry said about the team’s experience playing a role. “All year long, we were able to draw back on experience. ‘Remember that time when…’ or ‘Remember this,’ now go do this. They remembered it and knew what to do. They’re a veteran group.”
“With 17 seniors on this roster, we’re pretty deep,” Nolting said. “That showed on the field. They’re a pretty young team, and that showed too. I think our senior leadership showed out tonight.”
Cherry Creek rode the momentum into the second quarter as Bildstein got a goal for the Bruins after great team passing.
Nolting then ripped a goal right off the faceoff after Bildstein’s goal to give Cherry Creek a 7-1 lead.
And Savage again netted one. Cherry Creek led 8-1 before Regis Jesuit could settle in.
“Bury them early,” Nolting said. “Don’t let them come back into the game like we did in the first matchup. We felt that we let the first one slip away and we showed tonight that we weren’t going to let this one slip away.”
Jake Taylor ended the Cherry Creek run with an absolute rip for his first of two goals, but Nolting responded with his second goal of the game.
Cherry Creek simply never allowed Regis Jesuit to build any momentum.
“When we have a faceoff guy like JT Simonton, he stops any momentum the other team has,” Nolting said. “He’ll win any faceoff that we need to and he won a lot of big ones tonight. That stopped pretty much all their momentum. And then we grind them down and score.”
Jimmy Erickson scored 26 seconds into the third quarter to make it 10-2 Bruins.
Reed Babcock closed the lead to seven with his goal, but Nate Miller and Nolting scored to push the Cherry Creek lead to 12-3.
Nolting went one-on-one with the goalie behind the net and beat him.
Gharrity skipped one from deep, then Bildstein added his third goal and it was 14-4 after three quarters.
Birch and Grant Breeden tried to lead Regis Jesuit back into the game as he scored at the start of the fourth quarter to make it 14-6.
Perry wisely took a timeout for Cherry Creek. Erickson, Ryan Stewart and Dalton Leyden scored out of the timeout to cement the game at 17-6.
“We tried not to do too much,” Perry said. “All we talked about was continue to do what we do. The result was on the field all year long. We just really were a good team.”
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Scoring surge lifts Valor Christian to repeat title in 4A boys lacrosse
(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com) DENVER — Valor Christian boys lacrosse controlled the entirety of the second quarter — including a 9-0 run that spanned into the third — of the Class 4A championship game en route to their second-straight title.
“We were worried about this game. We needed to play 48 minutes to get these guys and for the most part I thought we really did,” Valor Christian coach John Grant Jr. said. “For 45 minutes, we worked as hard as we could, the cohesion was good, they communicated well, and they just worked. We really stressed for each one of them to win their matchup individually, and then the team would take care of itself.”
Valor Christian beat Dawson 20-12 on Friday to repeat as champion. The 20 goals are the most ever scored by a single team in a boys lacrosse title game, and the 32 combined tallies make it the highest-scoring championship matchup in the sport’s history.
“It means a lot,” Grant Jr. said of the title. “I know we have a very talented squad and we really put a gameplan together in September and it’s all these guys. They played incredibly well.”
Minutes into the second quarter, Dawson’s Mac Zee knotted the game up at 4-4.
But, Eric Pacheco didn’t let that last long as Pacheco took the ball off the ensuing faceoff for a goal to give Valor Christian a lead yet again in a back-and-forth battle.
The Eagles put an end to the blow-for-blow scoring as Ben Seidlin netted an absolutely stunning goal to push the Valor Christian lead to 6-4.
(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com) Then, Lance Tillman put his second and third goals of the game past Dawson goalie Dawson Santangelo and the Eagles had all the momentum. Tillman ended with four goals and four assists.
“That was a huge momentum shift,” Tillman said. “We really felt it there, and we just rallied behind that. This means everything. It’s the best feeling in the world, honestly.”
Valor Christian led 10-4 going into halftime after a 6-0 run including Sean Traynor’s and Grayson Goodyear’s back-to-back goals in the final minute of the first half.
And the Eagles just didn’t stop. They poured it on in the second half to extend the run to 8-0, scoring two goals in the first 35 seconds of the third quarter — Austin Saupe and Pacheco.
“We’ve had those runs all year and I was worried that we weren’t going to get one of those tonight,” Grant Jr. said. “But, even in the semifinal we went on a 9-0 run when we were tied. That’s an incredible squad, I’m honored to coach them. The boys kept saying, ‘Coach don’t worry, we got this. We’ll play 48 for each other.’ And they did.”
Goodyear pushed the run to 9-0 before Zee put an end to it to make the game 13-5. Zee ended with four goals.
Valor Christian put an end to the hopes of a comeback with goals from Gianni Orlando and Montana McLaughlin.
Valor Christian scored time and time again on opportunities off of Dawson turnovers.
“The defense that we put in really caused turnovers,” Tillman said. “The coaches prepared us super well.”
Traynor’s goal in the beginning of the fourth quarter gave the Eagles a running clock.
Dawson won the first matchup this season vs. Valor Christian. The Eagles lost 11-10 at home.
(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com) “I think the difference was the atmosphere. We were ready to go,” Tillman said. “We came out from the whistle and we just bonded as a team and we really came together to pull it out.”
The last two games between the teams were decided by a single goal. This game was decided by eight goals.
“High school kids, man, you never know. Guys step up and the moment gets to people,” Grant Jr. said. “We were really focused on a few of their players and trying to nullify what they do and I thought our defense played incredibly well. A freshman goalie stepping up on a stage like this is pretty impressive.
“I’m really proud of our guys for finishing. We talked about 48 minutes to finish the job and they did.”
Saupe scored just before the end of the first quarter to give Valor Christian its first lead of the day — a 3-2 advantage.
Dawson jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead with goals from Gavyn Pure and Asher Walker. Pure gave three goals in the loss.
McLaughlin stopped the early momentum with a goal for the Eagles, Tillman added one of his own to even the score.
“That’s coach (Grant Jr.)’s offense,” Tillman said. “He really knows what he’s doing. He got us there.”
Pure gave Dawson a short-lived lead before Saupe tied things up. Moments later, Saupe did it again.
Dawson’s Hunter Watts ended with three goals.
Valor Christian had never won a boys lacrosse title until last year.
Now, the Eagles have two CHSAA boys lacrosse championship trophies in their case.
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Photos: Valor Christian beats Dawson to repeat as 4A boys lacrosse champ
DENVER — Valor Christian boys lacrosse won a second-straight championship in Class 4A with a 20-12 win over Dawson School on Friday.
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4A boys swimming: Thompson Valley’s Liam Gately looking to shine in freestyle races
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com) US AIR FORCE ACADEMY — Liam Gately is progressing into more of a sprinter than a distance swimmer. As such, he’s taking on a new challenge at this year’s Class 4A boys swim meet.
After winning the 500-freestyle a year ago, he won’t swim that race. Instead, he’s locked into the 200. And he’s not off to a bad start. He won the preliminary race on Friday, coming in at a time of one minute, 40.79 seconds.
He’ll swim in the coveted fourth lane during Saturday’s finals where he hopes he can do a spot better than his second-place finish in that race last year. He also took the top spot in the 100-freestyle at 45.85 seconds.
“It shows the progression I’ve made in the last year,” he said. “For the past three years I’ve been swimming the 500 and then maybe the 200. This will be the first year I drop the five.”
Coming to the Air Force Academy played a big role in that decision. His coaches aren’t concerned about the higher elevation than what Gately is used to. They think he can come close if not match his times from lower altitudes.
Improving the team finish is also a goal for Gately and the Eagles. They finished third overall in the team standings a year ago. If they can finish better than Valor Christian and inch closer to defending champion Cheyenne Mountain, it will be a successful way to finish the season.
“This year it was about getting as much of us back here as we could,” Gately said. “It’s state. Being able to spread us to each event gives us a little bit of depth.”
Taking down Cheyenne Mountain is always a tough task.
But this year, there is more hype around the Indians than normal, specifically in the 400-fresstyle relay.
The team of Daniel Carr, Jerry Brinbaum, Westin Stieglitz and Kyle Leach think they set records. As in national records.
They need to finish the race under 2:59.00 to do that and coach Kate Doane is excited to see if they can pull it off.
“It’s going to be awesome,” she said. “They’re going to go out and do the best that they can and try to put together their four best swims.”
She also thinks a Colorado record would be great. The state record in the race is 3:00.84.
That record would be a nice get, but the real aim for the Indians is to come away with their third straight 4A title. It would be a nice addition to the girls swim title that the school won in February.
“Our whole goal is to get as many kids back today so we can have an awesome day tomorrow,” Doane said. “The 400-free relay is the cherry on the cake.”
The finals of the 4A boys swim meet will start at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday. Doors open to the public at 1 p.m.
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5A boys swimming: Fossil Ridge has strong showing during prelims; Zarian, Eiber also shine
(Danielle Ennis/CHSAANow.com) THORNTON — Fossil Ridge showed a promising performance at the Class 5A boys swimming and diving state preliminaries, placing first in all three relays, qualifying for finals in every event, and capturing a top three seed in six races.
Though the SaberCats only returned one individual champion this year in Danny Kovac, strong swims by junior Richard Dauksher, senior Sam Ybarra and junior Matt Geraghty give potential for a third consecutive state title. Their head coach Mark Morehouse, named NHSCA coach of the year last season, doesn’t hurt their chances, either.
Senior Kovac looks to repeat top in the 100-yard backstroke, a race he has won two years in a row. The Fossil Ridge senior also earned the second seed in the 100-yard fly tonight and will look to land on the podium on Saturday in his second discipline.
Last year’s runner-up and 21-time state champion, Regis Jesuit, is right on Fossil’s tail, placing second in the 200-yard medley relay, second in the 400-yard freestyle relay, and fifth in the 200-yard free relay. Their most recent championship came in 2014.
Despite these two teams gaining most of the attention heading into finals, two seniors from other schools made headlines tonight and look to claim top spots tomorrow.
Senior Michael Zarian of Fairview won the 200-yard IM and 500-yard freestyle last year (he is two-time champion in the latter). This year, Zarian swapped the 500-free free for the 100-yard butterfly.
“Honestly, I just think it’s a more fun race. This is also my senior year so I wanted to switch it up,” he said.
On Friday, Zarian placed first in both races, and competed in the final two relays (200-yard free, 400-yard free) in which his team placed second and fourth, respectively.
“I am excited and fired up to swim in the finals tomorrow. Everybody is,” said Zarian, who will swim for Harvard next year. “The goal here is to swim the fastest, of course, and have fun. And that’s what’s happening. Tomorrow will be a good day.”
Arapahoe senior Griffin Eiber also placed first in his two races, the 100-yard freestyle and the 200-yard freestyle.
In his junior season, Eiber won the 100-yard but took silver in the 200-yard after a career best prelim time. This year, his qualifying time is nearly a second and a half faster.
“This year I stepped up my training and my confidence,” Eiber said. “But I am also swimming much smarter than last year. Keegan (Bundy) is and I are good friends and we go back and forth. If I swim well, I can win this. If he swims well, he will win.”
Bundy, a Denver South senior, is the third seed heading into tomorrow’s 100-yard free final. Eiber has committed to Indiana University.
The night concluded with two swim-offs. There were three ties in the 50-yard freestyle.
Hinkley junior David Griffith just edged Regis senior Alex Strepman for the eighth spot in tomorrow’s final. In the 100-yard, Lewis-Palmer junior Breck Donahue came from behind the claim the 16th and final spot.
The sole diving event will kick off at 9:30 am Saturday at Veterans Memorial Aquatic Center. The field of 47 will compete in the 1-meter preliminaries, cutting the field to 16 finalists who will compete during the swim events later that day.
Bear Creek’s Octavia Lucero is the competitor to beat, now that Regis grad Kyle Goodwin has graduated.
Swim finals begin Saturday at 2:30 p.m. Pool doors open at 12:30 p.m.
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5A girls soccer semifinals: Mountain Vista, Arapahoe set for title match
AURORA — The Class 5A girls soccer championship is set with Mountain Vista and Arapahoe facing off Wednesday at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.
The Golden Eagles beat Grandview in penalty kicks, while the Warriors jumped on Broomfield early for a 2-0 win.
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Mountain Vista moves into title game with penalty kick win
(Cannon Casey/CHSAANow.com) 80 minutes weren’t enough. 95 minutes weren’t enough. 110 minutes weren’t enough.
Mountain Vista’s Shelby Unruh stepped up to the penalty kick line tied at 3-3. Unruh eyed the net and drilled the ball into the lower-left corner and send the Golden Eagles into the Class 5A girls soccer championship.
“This going to sound crazy, but when I used to play (youth soccer), we had this super young coach that was just out of college,” Unruh said. “He told us, ‘I love PKs because that’s the one time everybody is just watching you.’ His whole thing was, when you play, you put on a show for everybody that’s out there, and I just think about putting on a show for everybody when I step out there.”
Mountain Vista won the 5A semifinal game between two perennial girls soccer powerhouses 0-0 (4-3 penalty kicks) to move into Wednesday’s title game at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.
“It’s such a relief,” Unruh said. “It’s so much fun to hear it hit the back of the net and know that your teammates and you put in the work to get there.”
Mountain Vista’s freshman goalie Baileigh Baker stoned the Grandview offense throughout the entire game.
(Cannon Casey/CHSAANow.com) Then, in penalty kicks, she let the first two shots go in.
“I knew they would probably go to the left side, so I moved to my left, but they kept going to my right,” Baker said. “I knew I had to make a change.”
And so she did. Baker made two huge saves, setting Unruh up for the game-winner.
“Our starter is hurt and I had to come in for playoffs. It was very nerve-racking,” Baker said. “I thought, just save the ball. Read the ball.”
A defensive, grind-it-out battle was expected, and the teams did not stray from expectation. All season, Mountain Vista allowed more than one goal just once. Grandview had two games where its opponent scored twice.
“You look at Grandview and Mountain Vista, they have that tradition and that belief,” Mountain Vista coach Theresa Echtermeyer said. “You know that both teams are going to dig deep and keep going no matter what. Definitely some missed opportunities on both sides. I think it was a matter of resilience to just keep going.”
This semifinal matchup was a rematch of a March 14 game in which Mountain Vista won 2-1 in comeback fashion. Katie Harris and Taeya Schueppert put two second-half goals into the back of the net that shocked Grandview.
Grandview started season with two straight losses and went on to win 14 of 16 games.
It was also a rematch of the 2016 championship game which Grandview won 2-1. Grandview also won the title in 2015. Mountain Vista last won the girls soccer championship in 2013.
The game was filled with missed opportunities that would have allowed either team to grab momentum.
“You look throughout the playoffs, there’s been a lot of close games,” Echtermeyer said. “Any team can win on any given day. I just think today our kids were really focused from the first minute to the last second of the game. They found a way to win.”
About midway through the second half, Baker made a diving, one-handed save with her outstretched hand after Morgan Szarka worked her way on net to keep the game at zeros.
“Bailey was fantastic,” Echtermeyer said. “This is the second time we’ve had to go to penalty kicks in the tournament. She made huge saves. It’s a special moment for her.”
Grandview goalie Reagan McCombs had her own diving save on a shot from deep by Savannah Mills.
Just before the first half came to a close, Mountain Vista had a real chance on goal. McCombs made the save and the teams went scoreless into halftime.
10 minutes into the second half, Unruh crossed a ball in that bounced off a player and hung in the air in front of goal. The Golden Eagles were unable to get a foot on it and the Wolves cleared the chance.
(Cannon Casey/CHSAANow.com) Mountain Vista’s Taeya Schueppert took a shot at the far post from inside the box, but it was wide right.
Schueppert drilled a free kick with seven minutes to play that bounced off of McCombs into the box. The shot off the rebound was saved.
Grandview’s Kacy Johnston saw her shot go off the post on a cross from Natalie Beckman.
Beckman later launched a corner kick into the box and found the head of Allie Zerr in front of the net, but the ball grazed off the crossbar.
Mills again took a shot in the 65th minute that sailed just over the crossbar.
Beckman went streaking down the sideline and earned a corner kick. Kacy Johnston took the corner and found a head, but the ball popped up and went out of bounds.
In overtime, both teams saw multiple shots sail past the goal.
The only shots getting past the keepers on Saturday were penalty kicks. And that’s where Unruh stepped up to put on a show.
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Arapahoe continues Cinderella run into 5A championship
(Cannon Casey/CHSAANow.com) Arapahoe’s Danielle Babb found herself with the ball and nobody in front of her as she went one-on-one with the goalie, juked right, and tapped it in to give the Warriors a lead less than three minutes into the Class 5A girls soccer semifinals.
“First goals in a tight match like this are always huge. Given who our opponents are and given the type of play that Broomfield is capable of, we knew that wasn’t enough,” Arapahoe coach Mark Hampshire said. “We had to play great defense. If our team plays great defense, the studs that we have up high are going to make something happen. That’s something that we’ve preached: great team defense. Then let our great athletes do their job.”
And then Babb iced the game with 26 minutes left in the game — this time with a header to the far side of the goal.
“That calmed us down and we didn’t have to stress out about anything,” Babb said. “We focused together and pulled through.”
Babb and Arapahoe aren’t supposed to be here. But they are.
“It was a huge team effort together. We all believed to get here,” Babb said. “We worked as hard as we could and stayed focused. That’s how we won together. We knew that as long as we worked hard together we would get to the top.”
Arapahoe is the lowest seeded team to make it to the final since Fairview did it as a 15-seed in 2012.
“I don’t really care what we’re ranked,” Arapahoe goalie Grace Caddorette said. “We just play to play. I know we’re a good team and I know we can win it all.”
(Cannon Casey/CHSAANow.com) Broomfield had its chances as Jessie Mooney was awarded a free kick from about 25 yards out. Mooney bent the free kick over the wall, but Caddorette was there with a diving save to preserve Arapahoe’s lead at 1-0.
Caddorette was huge all day, making clutch saves on big time opportunities.
“Grace is an amazing athlete. She’s a youngster, but she’s not green,” Hampshire said. “She’s a competitive kid. She stepped in and was huge. Absolutely huge. Keepers have to be that way this time of year.”
And again Caddorette made a fingertip save off of a Mooney corner kick that found a head.
“Just play like we’ve been playing and it’ll all come back,” Caddorette said. “Especially for our seniors. I just want to leave them with a good memory since I’m only a sophomore. I want to set up the rest of my years of high school.”
Broomfield got a shot on goal from Hailey Stodden that was deflected by Caddorette off the crossbar and out of play.
Caddorette also deflected a pass across the box intended for an Eagle striker that surely would have been a goal.
(Cannon Casey/CHSAANow.com) “It was a little scary because I almost feel like I’m not used to playing at this level,” Caddorette said. “I trust my backs enough and know I have to be ready. They save me so many times, so it’s only fair to save them too.”
The Warriors are now 15-4-0, and have won six straight games.
They’ve carried that momentum deep into the tournament.
“We’ve had a playoff gameplan and it’s worked,” Hampshire said. “It always feels great to go to the show. I have the utmost respect for (Broomfield coach) Jim Davidson, he’s probably the best coach in the state. He’s got a class group of girls who always come out ready to play. Our girls have been training and training and training, and the leadership on this team has been outstanding.”
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Girls lacrosse semifinals: Cherry Creek, Colorado Academy advance to state championship for rematch
Colorado Academy girls lacrosse (Morgan Dzak/CHSAANow.com) DENVER — Each player on the Colorado Academy girls lacrosse team this season has carried around a small, flat, silver chip with the engraved message, “Always with you.” It’s the Mustangs’ reminder to always come together as a team.
After a complete team effort from the two-time defending state champion, Colorado Academy advanced to the 2017 title game with a 15-3 victory over Arapahoe in the girls lacrosse semifinals at the University of Denver’s Barton Lacrosse Stadium on Saturday.
“What was important for this game was our teamwork and coming together with everything we’ve learned this season,” senior midfielder Sydney Prokupek said.
The No. 1-seeded Mustangs scored 15 goals from eight different players.
Junior attack Lauren Russell put the Mustangs on the board early with a quick goal 50 seconds into the game. She was vicious on the attack from the get-go, and scored three of her four goals in the first ten minutes of the game.
Continuing to penetrate and aggressively cut towards the goal drawing fouls, Claire Wright scored for the Mustangs on a free shot, and notched another first-half, free-shot minutes later.
Heading into halftime, the Mustangs were working a 9-0 shutout of the Warriors.
Colorado Academy was strong on the attack and dominant on winning draws. The Mustangs were also shutting down Arapahoe’s offense with quick speed and agile stick work. The Warriors had been slow to attack in the first half, holding on to the ball too long and getting jammed up in the perimeter.
But the No. 12-seeded Warriors (11-7) pushed back, like they have done so well in this postseason, and got their first goal of the game 35 seconds into the second half, and another six minutes later to cut the Mustangs’ lead to 9-2
Then Mustangs team leader Prokupek went off on an offensive tear in the second half, scoring two goals in two minutes to push an 11-2 lead.
Spreading the field well, CA pushed even further ahead of the Warriors 14-2. While Arapahoe scored another goal with 3:34 left in regulation, the damage of the 14-3 deficit was too much to overcome.
Freshman Merrill Rollhaus’ unassisted goal was the last of the game, marking a dominant 15-3 victory and third straight trip to the state championship for the Steph Sanders-coached Mustangs.
“Something that set the momentum for us, this year especially, is because we’ve done so well in past years,” Prokupek said. “Keeping up that energy we’ve had, and passion the coaches have for teaching us translates to the field, and I think that makes energy across the whole state showing that a team for three years can do this well.”
The Mustangs, with three total state titles, have never lost in the championship.
“We have a saying for the playoffs, which is ‘one heart, one goal,’” Prokupek said.
But now there is only one team, one game standing between the Mustangs and a third straight state championship. And that’s, once again, lacrosse behemoth Cherry Creek, which has never missed a finals appearance since the sport has been played in Colorado.
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Cherry Creek 8, Denver East
Cherry Creek girls lacrosse (Morgan Dzak/CHSAANow.com) Eliza Radochonski didn’t bat an eye when she said it: “We’re really looking for some revenge this year.”
After Cherry Creek took down Denver East 8-5 in the girls lacrosse state semifinals on Saturday at DU, the No. 6-seeded Bruins advanced to the program’s 20th straight championship appearance.
The title game will be a rematch between the Bruins and Colorado Academy. CA topped Cherry Creek last year 9-8 in the championship, and won in 2015 over the Bruins 8-3.
Cherry Creek, the state’s winningest girls lacrosse team, is gunning for the Mustangs, a team that hasn’t ever lost in a title game before. But Cherry Creek (15-3) has appeared in every girls lacrosse state final since 1998, when the sport first started in Colorado, and boasts 10 state titles.
“Creek’s legacy is super-special, and we we want to back up the history it has,” Radochonski said. “It’s been especially tough this year with stiff competition in Colorado.”
In an extremely physical semifinal game that was neck-and-neck for the first 20 minutes and raining yellow cards in the last 20 minutes, the Bruins muscled their way past No. 2-seeded Denver East (14-4).
“It was a really tough-fought game against East, and we fought through a lot of adversity with those yellow cards, but we came out with so much will power and ended up getting that win,” Radochonski said.
Radochonski scored the first goal ten minutes into the game, but was quickly equalized one minute later by an East goal from junior Malia Ross. When Katherine Collins put Creek up 2-1, Lucy McHugh responded four minutes later, drawing the game at 2.
Radochonski notched her second of four goals to put the Bruins up 3-2 going into halftime.
Six minutes into the second half, Creek ripped another two goals for a 5-2 lead. But the last 20 minutes of the game is where the physicality began to reach new heights.
Two Creek players were lost to yellow cards, and the slew of penalties put East in some great scoring positions. East senior Kate Burney attacked the goal, powered her way to the right side and buried the ball in the net, cutting the Bruins lead to 5-3.
It was a tough spot for the Bruins, but phenomenal goaltending from sophomore Megan Patrick ensured no free shots went in.
Bruins sophomore attack/midfielder Katherine Collins rose to the challenge with her quick speed, jetting down the length of the field and slicing around defenders. Her second goal of the game put the Bruins up 6-3.
There were three goals scored in the last three minutes of the game. Amazing efforts by East’s Josi Robinson and Thyra Hermann kept them in the game, but there just wasn’t enough time for the Angels to tie it.
After the blood battle that ended with six yellow cards for Creek and four for East, the Bruins earned their shot to take on the two-time defending state champ again.
“It’s really special opportunity for our seniors,” Radochonski said. “We’ve had a few chances, haven’t gotten there. But we really hope this is our year.”
Colorado Academy and Cherry Creek will play a state championship rematch game on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.
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1A baseball: Armintrout shines on the mound as Nucla tops Holly for state title
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com) DENVER — In a way, the second Trenton Armintrout took the mound for the Class 1A baseball state title game, Nucla had it won.
“His name is pretty well-known there,” Nucla second baseman Devyn Rummel said. “Their coach has been talking to our coach about what they think of Armintrout, so I think he had them mentally more than anything.”
But just in case, Armintrout followed through with his actions. He threw five and 2/3 innings striking out seven hitters while only allowing two hits. He was masterful and as a result Nucla beat Holly 8-4 to claim the school’s first baseball title.
“It’s so sweet,” coach Randy Gabriel said. “I told them we played our best baseball the last two weeks. We played great defense and we played a brutal schedule early in the year.”
But it paid off for the Mustangs (13-9 overall).
The game started slow overall, with neither team able to generate a lot of offense. The Mustangs stranded five runners in the first four innings and had three other runners get caught in no man’s land while trying to be aggressive on the bases.
“We made some bone-headed moves,” Gabriel said. “I had one of their fans heckle me. He yelled ‘keep sending them, coach’ and I didn’t send of them, he went on his own.”
They finally hit pay dirt in the fifth inning. With one out, Rummel ripped a ball down the right field line for a triple. Will Gabriel then hit a ground ball to first base, but Willard Kennedy couldn’t get the throw home in time and the scoreless tie was broken.
“I was just waiting to break the ice,” Rummel said. “We did it last week too. We went pretty far into the game shut out and once we finally broke the ice, we kept rolling.”
The Mustangs scored six in the fifth inning. Suddenly the Wildcats (13-3) had their backs against the wall. A lead in hand also Armintrout one very important thing, especially as the lead only grew.
“Confidence,” he said. “Confidence throughout each inning. The team kept me up whenever I started throwing balls. They kept me going.”
He didn’t give up a hit until the third inning and was his defense helped him out of a big jam in the fourth. With one out and the bases loaded, Will Gabriel fielded a ground ball and touched first before firing home to Cord Colson.
Colson applied the take to Brandon Wilson and the Mustangs escaped the inning unharmed. The Wildcats had trouble figuring out Armintrout from then on out.
“We came up to the plate and we were tight today,” Holly coach Dayne Eaton said. “We finally started loosening up toward the end of the game, but we were out of time.”
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com) After reaching his pitch count limit, Armintrout was pulled for Graden Stefan, who finished the game seeing only six more hitters. A 6-4-3 double play in the seventh put the Mustangs an out away from a title.
Then a ground ball to shortstop – where Armintrout moved – was fielded cleanly for the final out. Nucla has a brand new trophy and banner to display at the school.
“This is a one of a kind (feeling),” Armintrout said.
And until another baseball title can be won, it’s a one of kind achievement for the Mustang.
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3A girls soccer semifinals: The Academy, Peak to Peak to play for title
(Brian Miller/CHSAANow.com) DENVER — Saturday afternoon was a whirlwind for The Academy’s Alex Loera.
The senior’s game-winning goal in the second half of the Class 3A girls soccer state semifinals launched the Wildcats into the school’s first championship game appearance, in any sport. Loera didn’t have much time to celebrate that accomplishment though, because she had to rush off the field to head to her graduation.
That doesn’t mean she couldn’t appreciate what had just taken place at All-City Stadium.
“I can’t even describe it what it feels like right now. We’ve gotten here the last two years,” Loera said after the Wildcats emerged with a 1-0 victory over Kent Denver. “To be able to now say that we’re going to the finals is amazing.”
The Academy (17-1) will play Peak to Peak for the 3A championship at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City. It’s a moment a long time in the making for the Wildcats, who have come up just shy in recent years.
In 2014, The Academy fell 2-1 to Kent Denver in double overtime in the quarterfinals. One year later, Jefferson Academy ended the team’s run in the state semifinals.
The Wildcats made it back to the semis last May, only to lose to Colorado Academy on penalty kicks. But with only two seniors on the roster this season, the team finally broke through.
“It’s crazy,” junior Jasmine Daily said. “I just take so much pride and I’m so happy that this is the year we can make the seniors proud.”
Loera’s goal came less than five minutes into the second half. The senior launched a high ball from 30 yards out that just tucker under the crossbar and over a leaping Kent Denver freshman goalkeeper Mika Fisher.
“I was a little off-balance when I actually shot it, so I had no idea,” said Loera, who has 41 goals on the season. “But then I saw she was off her line, so I was like ‘that’s in.’”
The Academy had to withstand a late push from the Sun Devils (12-5-1), including a huge save-and-clear in the final 90 seconds after a free kick. Junior Kristine Honmichl somehow got a hand on the ball in the middle of a scrum in front of the net, and the team’s defense cleared it from there.
“It helps having one of the best players in the state. One of her strengths is winning balls in the air,” Wildcats coach Kevin Davis said of Loera. “We always know to put her on the goal line and have a strong wall. We defended it correctly and got a little bit lucky with the touch.
“We have a goalie who it’s her first year, and we told her she was going to have to make a save or two today to keep us (in it). It kind of all came together there, and our defense stepped up and was able to clear the ball.”
Honmichl made three saves for The Academy, and caught a break in the first half when a ball that was misjudged deflected off the left post. Fisher recorded four saves.
“Overall I think it was a pretty even match. Kent Denver, they’re young,” Davis said. “I think they’re going to be pretty good over the next couple years.”
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Peak to Peak 2, Jefferson Academy 1
(Brian Miller/CHSAANow.com) A pair of perfectly-executed set pieces in the first half was all that Peak to Peak needed to punch its ticket to the 3A title game.
Rebecca Thompson and Emma Shepherd scored goals 14 minutes apart for the Pumas (15-2-1) and Peak to Peak withstood a second-half surge from the Jaguars to eliminate the top seed.
Peak to Peak advanced to the championship game for the first time since winning it all in 2013. Thompson said the foundation was laid last year, but the Pumas found a way to put it all together this spring.
“I know that was going to be my only chance. Obviously it’s my last year,” she said. “But this is definitely the best team I was going to have. That was my best chance to go, and I am so proud and so excited. It’s hard for me to form a thought right now.”
Thompson put the Pumas on top in the 11th minute, scoring off of a corner kick from teammate Alayna Mann. The corner kick was set up by that same combination after Thompson fed Mann with a cross, but Jefferson Academy freshman keeper Brooklynn Kirkpatrick deflected the junior’s shot out of bounds.
Shepherd added what turned out to be a crucial insurance goal in the 25th minute, ripping a free kick past Kirkpatrick from 34 yards out.
“We’ve been working on those a lot in practice,” Thompson said of the set pieces. “Obviously they’ve been working out really well for us.”
The Jaguars (15-2-1) got on the board a little more than a minute into the second half. Sophomore keeper Kinzie Short, who had just entered the game, came out to try and cover up a shot. The ball squirted away, and Samantha Spitz cleaned things up.
Jefferson Academy kept the pressure on down the stretch, but the Jaguars couldn’t come up with any clean opportunities.
The victory helped the Pumas erase the sting of a 5-3 regular-season loss to Jefferson Academy back in April. The challenge of emerging out of the 3A Metro League is no easy task, but Peak to Peak finished 7-1-1 in league play.
“There’s nothing like playing in the Metro League, right?” Pumas coach Joe Swanson said. “We played three non-conference and then we jumped right into it. I think Faith Christian was the first one, then we had the gauntlet of JA, CA (Colorado Academy) and Kent Denver.”