Month: October 2017

Girls cross country state championships: Peak to Peak turns in huge effort to win 3A team race

(Cannon Casey/CHSAANow.com)

COLORADO SPRINGS — Peak to Peak set out with a lofty goal.

The Pumas finished 1-2-3 in the 3A girls cross country race to go on to win the team title, lead by junior Quinn McConnell.

“We wanted to go 1-2-3. We wanted to make a statement like that,” McConnell said. “We’ve been doing it the past few races. I’m so happy for Tiana (Bradfield) who got it done.”

McConnell entered into the stadium ahead of her teammates, turning in a time of 18:31.6. Teammates Anna Shults and Bradfield followed.

“We’ve worked hard and wanted this all season,” McConnell said. “It was something that we knew we could do. We came here and executed it today.”

Peak to Peak, with three juniors and one freshman running, took the team title with 82 points.

“We have a lot left that we haven’t shown,” McConnell said. “We have some really big goals. This is just a stepping stone, and I’m super excited for what we can do.”

Steamboat Springs (101) and Classical Academy (120) rounded out the top three teams.

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Nederland’s Helen Cross sets meet record in 2A

(Cannon Casey/CHSAANow.com)

Nederland sophomore Helen Cross didn’t expect to be on top of the podium.

Cross, a sophomore, set a cross country state meet record for Class 2A with a time of 18:52 — beating the record by 55 seconds.

“I really wanted to do that,” Cross said. “I didn’t know that was going to happen this season. I was not expecting that at all. It’s exciting.”

Cross set out to keep up with Telluride senior Soleil Gaylord on the course.

“I thought I would keep up with Soleil,” Cross said. “I was going to try to stay behind her. I didn’t really have a set plan necessarily.”

She kept up with Gaylord, and then turned it up to take the win.

Gaylord finished behind her with a time of 19:09. In third, Cross’ teammate Sarah Davidson finished at 19:29.9 to give Nederland a boost in the team race.

“Sarah, she’s been trying to break 20:00 her whole career,” Cross said. “And now, she’s a senior and she just did it.”

The Panthers won the girls team title with a score of 24. Nederland edged out Paonia (30) and Lyons (33).

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Battle Mountain grabs 4A team title behind Elizabeth Constien

(Cannon Casey/CHSAANow.com)

Battle Mountain’s Elizabeth Constien and Palmer Ridge’s Isabella Prosceno were tied, unoficially, at the second mile of the 4A girls race.

Constien found something in her to push the last stretch of the race and take the 4A girls title.

“All I had to do was want it and pull ahead,” Constien said. “I managed to go just fast enough to put a gap on me and Isabella. She really made me push. I thought she was going to catch me, and I wanted to make sure that I didn’t get in my head.

“I basically sprinted for 800 meters as fast as I could go.”

It was her sister that gave her the motivation to keep going forward and give it her all.

“My sister was here today,” Constien said. “She stood right before the corner into the woods. She just reminded me how much I wanted this.”

In her senior year, Constien captured the individual and team titles for Battle Mountain.

“I can’t even believe it,” Constien said. “I wanted this so much and I didn’t think I was going to get it. I’m so happy.”

Palmer Ridge (157) finished in second ahead of third-place Durango (165).

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Mountain Vista takes 5A team title with 1-2 finish

(Cannon Casey/CHSAANow.com)

Mountain Vista took the top two spots in the 5A girls race to take the team title.

Sophomore Jenna Fitzsimmons came in first at 18:10.3, followed by her teammate Caroline Eck.

“My legs were burning, but I kept telling myself, ‘Do it for the team. Do it for the team,’” Fitzsimmons said. “I was saying it over and over again in my head.”

Fitzsimmons and Eck embraced next to the finish line.

“It was so good to have them next to me,” Fitzsimmons said. “To all be next to eachother, I don’t think I could have finished without them there.”

Fitzsimmons made a final push after the second mile to get out ahead and cross the finish line in first place.

“One of the hardest parts was, after the two mile, knowing how close you were,” Fitzsimmons. “You had to keep going and really put in the work.”

As a result of Fitzsimmons and Eck’s strong effort, Mountain Vista swept the boys and girls team titles. The girls had a score of 64.

Broomfield (92) came in second, while Rock Canyon (164) finished in third place.

October 28, 2017
Boys cross country state championships: TCA’s Mason Norman escapes his brother’s shadow

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

COLORADO SPRINGS — Running in the shadow of an older sibling comes with a lot of pressure. There is pressure to live up to the expectations and even surpass them.

Going into Saturday’s state meet, Mason Norman was had to follow what his brother Tanner had done in the previous two years. It was only fitting that it was Tanner who called to give advice on how to attack the Class 3A boys cross country state race.

“He called me last night and told me what I should do and what I should need,” Mason said.

It worked.

Mason came in with a time of 15:56.7 to win the 3A boys race and help The Classical Academy to a 3A team championship along the way.

It’s the first team title for the Titans since 2011, but Norman wasn’t initially sure if the boys did what they needed to grab

“I know that they didn’t have the best races they were hoping for,” he said. “I know they were still working hard and they did what they could.

It turned out to be enough. Ryan Moen placed 11th and Canaan Lamberth took 14th to help TCA come away with gold.

Norman is the only runner on the boys side to win both an individual and team title.

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(Cannon Casey/CHSAANow.com)

5A: Perry breaks teammate’s record, Mountain Vista sweeps team titles

At the start of the boys cross country state race, everyone was living in Isaac Green’s shadow.

By the end of the race, Charlie Perry was the new standard for Monarch. Perry cruised through the finish line, setting a 5A meet record at 15 minutes, 36.8 seconds. Perry was a part of last year’s state championship team and used that one time of running the course at the Norris-Penrose Event Center to the best of his advantage.

“I had a little bit of an idea (of the course layout),” Perry said. “All I knew is once you get to the water, you go all out and there’s not that much left. Once I hit the water today I tried to push because you’ll always regret it if someone passes you in the last little bit.”

He didn’t have to live with that regret. In the event’s first overall race of the day, the only thing he could see ahead of him was the finish line and a first-place medal.

Mountian Vista came away with the 5A team title as Carter Dillon, Shayan Zarrin, Parker Mackay, Caden Foster and Ethan Rouse all finished in the top 135

Dillon had the best individual finish for the Golden Eagles, taking fifth overall. Rock Canyon is the 2017 team runner-up, led by Chris Theodore who finished second overall.

Perry and his Coyote teammates grabbed a top-four finish, but were unable to defend their title.

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(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

2A: Lyons takes team title as Soroco’s Ben Kelly fends for himself

Soroco’s Ben Kelly has always been a lone wolf at state cross country. One of the disadvantages of running at a small school is that it’s not always possible for a full team to make it, even with one standout runner leading the pack.

“I’ve never had a team at state before,” Kelly said. “We actually had our first team this year and it was fun at regionals, but unfortunately we didn’t have any guys make it to state. So I’m sure there is a (difference in mentality), I’m not acquainted enough running with a team to know what that feels like.”

He just has to run for himself. And on Saturday, he ran a himself a championship performance. He finished in 16:06.5 to claim the 2A boys championship.

It has been a tough year for him as he’s battled through a foot injury that forced him to miss half the season.

To prepare for state, he found other means of endurance training, which his new first-place medal show paid off in the long run.

“It’s been kind of a weird season,” he said. “I’ve been doing a lot of biking and aqua jogging and not spending as much time running like I usually do.”

Isaac Roberts led Lyons to its fifth title in six years. Roberts finished eight seconds behind Kelly to take second overall.

Heritage Christian claimed second place as junior Seth Bruxvoort finished at a team-high fourth place.

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(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

4A: Valor Christian’s Cole Sprout aims high in championship win

Cole Sprout isn’t one to set low expectations. Coming into Saturday’s state cross country meet, he only had a few things in mind that he was hoping to accomplish.

“Coming into the race, my goal was to win and maybe break the course record of 15:33,” he said.

The 4A mark coming into the event was 15:50.4, set by TCA’s Tanner Norman in 2015. Sprout cleared it by eight seconds as he claimed the win for the 4A boys. Sprout went into the race with a simple plan that would keep him at the head of the pack and give him a chance to break away when he needed to.

“My goal was to go the first mile with the top guys and feel out that pace,” Sprout said. “I had to save myself for that second mile and that’s where I kicked it up.”

Sprout’s win gives Valor Christian its state cross country title for either a team or an individual. The team overall finished 10th and it was Palmer Ridge who was eventually awarded the big trophy.

Ryan Matson finished fifth overall, the highest finisher of the day for the Bears. Kieran Nay, Maxwell Herebic and Jonathan Wolf all finished within four spots of each and in the top 20.

It is the second consecutive team title for Palmer Ridge and its third overall as a program.

October 28, 2017
Palmer Ridge beats Kent Denver in shootout for first field hockey state championship

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

DENVER — The trophy, in recent years, had lived just beyond their grasp.

But this time, Palmer Ridge field hockey seized it just as it looked to be slipping away. No amount of adversity — nor snow, nor wind — was going to pry it from their grip. The Bears beat Kent Denver in a shootout to win field hockey’s championship, the program’s first title.

“That was one of our things: We said, ‘We do not want to go to a shootout. It’s not our thing, we are a field team, we want to win this on the field,’” said Palmer Ridge coach Paul Lewis. “But when the going got tough, man, they got up and did it. It was awesome.”

Thursday marked the fourth time in six seasons that Palmer Ridge appeared in field hockey’s title game. In the three prior trips, they’d finished runner-up.

But not tonight.

“It’s awesome,” Lewis said. “I couldn’t be more proud of these girls. They come and they work so hard. We have such a special group, it’s been a special bond. They really came together. It’s just exciting to be a part of it and coach it and see it all unfold.”

Liz Phillips, the Bears’ senior leader, put away the winning goal with a nifty move in the shootout round, giving Palmer Ridge a 3-2 (5-4) win over Kent.

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

“I was just thinking about how much work this team has put in, and how close of a team we are,” Phillips said. “And I was thinking that all this hard work that we’ve put in for the last four years has all paid off. For some of us, this is our third state championship (game). Third time’s a charm.”

A light, steady snow began to fall about two hours prior to the championship game. It continued throughout, causing workers to clear lines with shovels. Just before the shootout, they worked to clear the entire semicircle area so that players had a clean surface to play on.

The weather didn’t seem to faze Palmer Ridge, which jumped out quickly in the first half by grabbing a 2-0 lead.

Jordyn Isner, Palmer Ridge’s leading scorer, put her team up 1-0 following a scramble in front of the goal 10 minutes into the first half. Sydney Chytka picked up an assist, her third in two games.

Then Abby Hermann followed that with a deflected goal on a corner. Chytka set it up with a shot, notching yet another assist.

At that point, the Bears looked to be in firm control.

But Kent Denver, arguably field hockey’s most storied program in this state which won last season’s championship, fought back firmly. Maddy Johnson scored two goals less than three minutes apart to tie the game at 2.

“We’ve been in this situation before, and we know what it’s like to come back and lose, and that’s not a fun situation to be in,” Phillips said. “We just knew that if we kept pushing, and we kept playing, then we could pull it out.”

Things stayed tied until the end of regulation, and through two overtime periods. It set the stage for the shootout — the fourth in the 21-year history of field hockey’s championship games.

In that shootout, both teams traded goals until Palmer Ridge goalie Reece Wagers forced a shot wide with a sprawling dive to her left.

“It’s really nerve-wracking,” Wagers said of the shootout round. “I’ve been working on that all season. I was so nervous at the beginning, but I knew I couldn’t look that way because they would get me then. You just have to try your best.”

The win is a fitting end to a career for Lewis, who said after the game that he plans to retire. Mallory Cuccio, an assistant who played for Lewis, will take over the program.

“This is my year to retire,” Lewis said. “It’s a good way to go.”

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

October 27, 2017
Legacy boys soccer uses second-half goal to top Aurora Central in 5A’s first round

(Cannon Casey/CHSAANow.com)

WESTMINSTER — Joey Joiner gave Legacy the goal it needed to beat Aurora Central 1-0 in the first round of the Class 5A boys soccer playoffs.

“What makes good players great players is finding the right moments to find a stroke of brilliance, and Joey did exactly that tonight,” Legacy coach Anthony Romano said. “He did an unbelievable job in a critical to put one on the frame.”

Joiner popped the ball up with his head just enough off of a corner from Dustin Rittenhouse to get it over the outstretched hands of Aurora Central’s Esteban Tavira-Ramirez and into the back of the net.

“Set piece, it’s me jumping over you,” Romano said. “It’s that simple.”

Added Joiner: “I trusted our coach with the call when he called our play. I was just glad it went right to me and I was able to get a head on it. I got lucky and hit the crossbar and in.”

Legacy will face Far Northeast in the second round of the Class 5A boys soccer playoffs.

“I told the boys before, in the locker room, that this game was going to be less about tactical and technical soccer, and more about preparation and willingness to compete,” Romano said. “In the end that’s what made the difference: continuing to show some grit.”

Joiner lead’s Legacy in both goals and assists this season, and stepped up once again to provide the offense.

The Lightning controlled the majority of chances in the first half, slowly ratcheting up the offensive output as the game went on.

“We really got fired up in our locker room,” Joiner said. “I think our team was really pumped up. We kept that going into the second half. We kept dominating after that half.”

(Cannon Casey/CHSAANow.com)

In the seventh minute, Dustin Rittenhouse put a shot on goal that was saved easily by Tavira-Ramirez.

Moments later, Aurora Central cleared a Legacy corner.

Then, Legacy turned it up.

“We had a lot of opportunities at the end of the first half, and couldn’t quite find it,” Romano said.

Jordan Swinhart shot wide right from just in front of the net in the 31st minute.

Joey Joiner shot a rocket that hit off the cross bar in the 33rd minute. Legacy controlled the ball off the rebound and sent a low cross in front of the net.

Joiner was there again, but saw his saw his shot go deflect off a defender and out of bounds.

Off of a set play in the 37th minute, Noah Stover sent a ball from the corner, and Stephen Goth corralled the ball around the 18. Goth blasted a shot just over the crossbar.

“It built confidence. That’s our gameplan,” Romano said. “When we stuck to the gameplan, we started creating chance after chance after chance.”

The Lightning didn’t see any results on the scoreboard from the offensive assault, but used the momentum to slot the winning goal in the second half.

“Keep playing hard,” Joiner said on coming out motivated. “Try to outplay the other team. Want it more.”

The back line was great for Legacy as they rarely allowed Aurora Central inside the 18.

October 27, 2017
Ball bounces Dawson’s way in win over Manitou Springs in 3A boys soccer tournament

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

MANITOU SPRINGS — One bounce can change the entire course of a team’s season. Or as was the case on Thursday night in Manitou Springs, two teams’ seasons.

Rio Sueyoshi was looking to skip the ball against the grass at Richardson Field, but he misfired. The ball deflected off Manitou keeper Zach Talbot and trickled into the net.

That little deflection kept Dawson in the Class 3A boys state soccer tournament with a 1-0 win over Manitou.

“It wasn’t the hit I planned on,” Sueyoshi said. “I intended to skid it against the ground since it was a little wet, but it went off him and ended up going in.”

That goal happened in the seventh minute of the game, meaning that Manitou Springs had 74 left to get an equalizer.

They had plenty of chances, especially toward the end, but it wasn’t be.

Coach Ben Mack felt comfortable with what his team would be able to do in that time and didn’t think that the quick lead for Dawson (11-3-2 overall) threw his boys off in any way. He thought it would be a battle down to the wire, but he just felt that the result would differ.

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

“I didn’t think that they were going to score another goal on us after that first one went in,” Mack said. “I thought we were going to get one. I thought, fully, in my heart of hearts we were going to get one, maybe two.”

Mack was hoping his sophomore core of Cullen Cote, Riley Jungbauer and Jezreal Sommers would be able to put in an equalizer. Dawson keeper Tony Aieta did enough to deflect any Manitou shots that made it on net.

To help throw Manitou off, Dawson coach John Siegrist decided to make a formation change for Thursday night. Rather than going with his standard 4-3-3, he switched to a 4-2-2 in order to have a forward attacking midfielder.

“I had thought a lot about how we were going to play them and how we were going to move players around,” Siegrist said. “It worked.”

At first glance, the early goal seemed to cause a bit of panic for Manitou (12-3-1), but the home team eventually settled into its grove. The idea that they were shell-shocked by the ball bouncing Dawson’s way wasn’t going to serve as an excuse for the final result.

“I’m sure that got to some of us,” senior defenseman Alliah Holcomb said. “But this year, we’ve been coming from behind 1-0 a lot.”

And both teams battled to the very end. Dawson tried to possess the ball in the closing minutes to run the clock and secure the win while Manitou fought tooth and nail to find an equalizer. One late shot went off the post while another just sailed over the crossbar.

“They played really hard,” Sueyoshi said. “It’s hard to deal with an own goal. We almost had one and that would’ve dropped us a lot mentally.”

Dawson will head right back to the Colorado Springs area on Tuesday to face Colorado Springs Christian School in the second round of the tournament.

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

October 27, 2017
No. 3 Pomona football shuts out No. 10 Chaparral

ARVADA — Pomona senior Kenny Maes put the icing on top of a snowy victory Thursday night at the North Area Athletic Complex.

Maes returned an interception 91 yards for a touchdown in the final minutes to cap off a 34-0 victory for the Panthers against Chaparral in a Class 5A Mt. Evans League and top-10 football showdown.

“I saw a lot of (Chaparral) players so I made the cutback,” Maes said of his pick-6 to preserve the shutout victory. “All that was on my mind was to get to the end zone.”

Pomona’s Javier Crespin (44) comes up with a fumble recovery against Chaparral. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

Pomona’s defense looked like the dominating force Panthers’ coach Jay Madden knew the unit would materialize into as the season went on.

“The defense is really starting to play with some confidence,” Madden said. “They are doing the little things right that makes all the different.”

The different Thursday night was Pomona’s defense forcing six Chaparral turnovers. Three fumbles in the first half and three interceptions in the second half. Pomona, No. 3 in the current CHSAANow.com 5A football poll, improved to 9-0 in conference play over the past two years with the victory over No. 10 Chaparral.

“It was our turn to step up to deliver a shutout,” said Pomona junior linebacker Javier Crespin, who had a pair of fumble recoveries.

The Panthers are one step closer to officially repeating as Class 5A Mt. Evans League champions. The victory put Pomona (7-2, 4-0 in league) one win away from sweeping through the conference that the Panthers have dominated. Pomona has outscored league opponents 409-78 in nine league games dating back to last season.

“You can’t lose if you shut them out,” said Madden, who added Pomona’s offense was a bit sluggish at times in the snowy conditions.

Pomona’s Jack Thiele (19) puts a hit on Chaparral QB Peyton Ross (3) on Thursday night. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

Pomona junior quarterback Colten Muller had touchdown passes to juniors Billy Pospisil (44 yards) and David Ross (23 yards) in the first half. Senior running back Max Borghi scored his 13th rushing touchdown of the season on a 13-yard run to aid the Panthers to a 20-0 lead at halftime.

Pomona junior running back Therious Robison capitalized on an interception by sophomore Kyle Moretti in the fourth quarter. Robison scored on an 18-yard touchdown run with 10:09 left in the final quarter to push the lead to 27-0.

“We finally got that shutout we needed,” Maes said. “Everyone has to do their job to get the job done like that.”

Despite the loss, Chaparral (6-3, 3-1) has a good shot at making the 16-team state tournament. The Wolverines sat at No. 11 in the RPI standings before Thursday’s lost to Pomona. The Panthers were No. 9 in the RPI. The league champion from each of the seven conferences earn automatic playoff bids.

The Wolverines close out their regular season next Friday night against Hinkley. All three of Chaparral’s losses have to teams ranked in the top-10 — No. 3 Pomona, No. 7 Grandview and No. 9 Highlands Ranch.

Pomona wraps up its regular season on the road against Cherokee Trail next Friday night.

“We can’t be satisfied on either side of the ball,” Maes said. “We just need to keep going. We’re on to next week now.”

The Panthers’ two losses have to against two-time defending 5A state champion and No. 1 Valor Christian and Rockhurst (Mo.). Rockhurst (7-3) is currently battling in the round of 16 of the Class 6 state tournament in Missouri.

Chaparral QB Peyton Ross (3) fumbles the ball after getting hit by Pomona junior Javier Crespin. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

October 27, 2017
Photos: Baker’s hat trick leads Colorado Academy boys soccer over Frontier Academy

DENVER — Larson Baker had a hat-trick as third-seeded Colorado Academy boys soccer beat Frontier Academy 3-0 in the first round of the Class 3A state tournament.

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October 27, 2017
Photos: Westerman has hat trick as Arapahoe boys soccer beats Monarch in 5A

LITTLETON — Zach Westerman, a junior, had three goals to help No. 9 Arapahoe boys soccer beat No. 24 Monarch 3-0 in the first round of the Class 5A state tournament.

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October 27, 2017

Replay: Week 9 football games around the state

Live coverage

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Live games
Class	Game	Time	Notes
5A	Mountain Vista vs. Cherokee Trail \| Alternate	4 p.m.	Altitude
8-man	(10) Sargent vs. (8) Mancos	6 p.m.	Audio
4A	Littleton vs. Montrose \| Alternate	6 p.m.	Audio
2A	(9) Salida vs. Lamar	6:30 p.m.	Audio
1A	Wray vs. Yuma	6:30 p.m.	Audio
3A	(7) Canon City vs. Woodland Park	6:35 p.m.	Audio
2A	(4) La Junta vs. Florence	6:35 p.m.	Audio
8-man	Wiley vs. Granada	6:45 p.m.	Audio
5A	(7) Grandview vs. Arapahoe \| Alternate	7 p.m.	Altitude/Radio
1A	(6) Crowley County vs. Trinidad	7 p.m.	Audio
1A	(5) Limon vs. (8) Burlington	7 p.m.	Audio
2A	(4) La Junta vs. Florence	7 p.m.	Audio
1A	Hotchkiss vs. Cedaredge	7 p.m.	Audio
5A	Rangeview vs. Rocky Mountain \| Alternate	7 p.m.	Video
3A	Durango vs. Pueblo County	7 p.m.	Video
5A	Poudre vs. (1) Valor Christian	7 p.m.	Video
2A	Weld Central vs. (3) Platte Valley \| Alternate	7 p.m.	Video
3A/4A	Pueblo Central vs. (7) Pueblo West	7 p.m.	Video
5A	Arvada West vs. Castle View \| Alternate	7 p.m.	Video
2A	(2) Bayfield vs. Alamosa	7 p.m.	Video
4A	(2) Pine Creek vs. Widefield	7 p.m.	Video
2A	Fort Lupton vs. Brush	7 p.m.	Video
8-man	Dayspring Christian vs. (1) Sedgwick County	7 p.m.	Video
5A	Prairie View vs. (6) Cherry Creek	7 p.m.	Video
5A	Legend vs. (9) Highlands Ranch	7 p.m.	Video
4A	Heritage vs. Golden	7 p.m.	Video
4A	(5) Windsor vs. (10) Skyline	7 p.m.	Video
4A	George Washington vs. (4) Fruita Monument \| Alternate	7 p.m.	Video/Audio
4A	(3) Chatfield vs. Dakota Ridge	7:30 p.m.	CET Sports
	Colorado Preps Scoreboard Show vs.	9:30 p.m.	Audio

October 27, 2017

No. 21 Steamboat Springs soccer secures playoff upset win over No. 12 Golden

ARVADA — The Anemoi — Greek wind gods — were with Steamboat Springs boys soccer team Wednesday night at the North Area Athletic Complex.

With a strong constant north/northwest wind at the No. 21-seeded Sailors’ back during the first half, Steamboat Springs senior Will Beruskens used the wind to score the lone goal in a 1-0 victory over No. 12 Golden in the opening round of the Class 4A boys soccer state tournament.

“I just kind of hit it as hard as I could and hoped for the best,” Beruskens said of the free kick that scored the eventual game-winning goal. “The point wasn’t necessarily to score, but to get it on goal.”

Steamboat’s Sam Brown (27) works on Golden’s Joaquin Garfias on Wednesday night at NAAC. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

Beruskens took a free kick in the 15th minute of the first half near midfield. The shot road the wind and sailed just over the reach of Golden freshman goalie Brandon Shull. Shull yelled “keeper” just before the ball appeared to ride a gust that push the ball just beyond Shull’s reach.

“That was all him (Beruskens),” Steamboat Springs’ coach Rob Bohlmann said of the direct free kick. “He just made that decision on his own.”

The Sailors could have very well had a 3-0 lead at halftime if not for Shull. In the 12th minute, Shull made a save on a penalty kick by Steamboat Springs’ leading goal scorer Murphy Bohlmann. The junior and son of the Sailors’ head coach was a main focus for Golden.

Shull also made a diving save late in the first half to keep Steamboat’s lead at 1-0.

Bohlmann came in with 24 goals on the season. In every the junior forward scored the Sailors either won or tied the game. In Steamboat’s three losses — Battle Mountain, Glenwood Springs and Centaurus — Bohlmann didn’t find the back of the net. Tuesday’s victory was the first game all season the Sailors won without Bohlmann scoring a goal.

The 1-0 win for Steamboat Springs heads the Sailors into a second-round match against No. 5 TCA next Tuesday. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

Golden (11-5 record) control possession and have several scoring chances in the final 40 minutes with the win at the Demons’ back.

“All those long throws. All those set pieces. We couldn’t find the net today,” Golden coach Luke Vanderglas said after the Demons failed to score in a game for only the second time all season. “It’s disappointing.”

Steamboat Springs were able to its fifth shutout win of the season and advance to play No. 5 The Classical Academy in Colorado Springs in the second round of the tournament on Tuesday, Oct. 31.

“It was definitely hard,” Beruskens said of defending against the Demons and the wind in the second half. “We played calm and when in doubt we cleared it out.”

It was Golden’s first winning season since 2014 when the Demons went 10-6, but suffered a first-round loss at Montrose. The last playoff win for Golden was in 2013.

“I feel really bad for the seniors,” Vanderglas said as the season came to an end for the Demons. “They really put their heart and soul into this team and program. They left it on the field today. It just didn’t got our way unfortunately.”

Steamboat Springs defenders swarm on Golden junior Douglass Beeman (8) during the 1st-round game of the Class 4A boys soccer state tournament. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

October 26, 2017