Month: November 2017

1A state volleyball: Kit Carson caps record-setting season with title win

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

DENVER — Kit Carson volleyball capped an undefeated season with a Class 1A state championship — and they did it without dropping a set the entire season.

78 sets, 78 wins. And man, were the last three the sweetest.

“Unexplainable,” Kit Carson’s Micayla Isenbart said after the title win. “It’s an experience I can’t explain. We have so much fun together, and our community is awesome. So blessed.”

Kit Carson swept Fleming to avenge a 3-0 loss to Fleming in the 2016 state title.

“This is just a special group,” Kit Carson coach Penny Isenbart said. “I was just trying to stay out of their way. They’ve played loose all year, and that’s worked for them. That has really worked for them.They love the sport of volleyball and they had fun.

“I think that’s the key because sometimes girls don’t always have fun when they’re doing it.”

The 78 straight set-wins are a state record. Colorado Springs Christian, the previous record holder, won 69 straight in 2005.

“I don’t have any words for it,” Penny Isenbart said. “It’s just surreal. It is just unreal. The set thing, that never crossed our minds.”

And the Wildcats did it by playing a team game. Kit Carson had five players with over 100 kills, and had over 500 assists combined between Micayla and Reyna Isenbart.

“They trusted eachother,” Penny Isenbart said. “They knew someone had their back, so they never felt the pressure. Our kids never felt any pressure because they knew there was always someone else to help them out.”

Kit Carson jumped out to a 20-2 lead in the first set, then cruised to a 25-9 set win, finished off by a Reyna Isenbart block.

“It’s always been a big rivalry,” Penny Isenbart said. “We were ready for them.”

76.

In the second set, Kit Carson got back to work. After holding a 9-7 lead, the Wildcats turned it on to take the set 25-18. McKenzie Smith punctuated the set win with a kill on the last point.

“We just played five points at a time, and sometimes we were behind in those five points,” Penny Isenbart said.

77.

And finally, Kit Carson completed a season as perfect as they come with a win in set three. 78 straight sets won, 28 wins, zero losses and one state title.

“I hope we give kids hope,” Micayla Isenbart said. “Give kids hope that they can do it, that anybody can do it. Hard work and you’ll get it done.”

Kit Carson’s last volleyball title win came in 2006 against — you guessed it — Fleming. After Saturday’s win, Kit Carson holds the series advantage at 2-1 in title games.

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

November 12, 2017
5A boys soccer championship: Broomfield beats Denver East for record seventh title

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

COMMERCE CITY – It was almost one year ago to the day that Jose Ogaz and his Broomfield teammates walked off the field at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park experiencing heartache.

The Eagles were engaged in a shootout with Boulder in the Class 5A state championship game last November. Ogaz appeared to have made the game-winning save, but an official ruled he left the line too soon. The Panthers were given another opportunity and went on to capture the state title.

So with one last chance to go out on top Saturday night, there was no way Ogaz was going to be denied. The senior made five saves behind a rock-solid backline, and Michael Mooney’s first-half goal stood up as Broomfield captured a state-record seventh championship in boys soccer with a 1-0 victory at DSGP.

“I was heart-broken last year, so I came back and trained a little harder this summer,” Ogaz said. “I wasn’t going to let this one get past us this year.”

Broomfield (17-2-1), the No. 7 seed, capped a postseason run in which it outscored its five opponents 15-2. The Eagles claimed their third championship in four years and moved past Cherry Creek in the state books with its seventh overall soccer title.

“I think that it’s really something special that we’ve created,” said Broomfield coach Jim Davidson, who emphasized that his assistant coaches deserved their share of the credit. “The tradition, the guys really understand that and they respect that. They all wanted to have their imprint on it and leave their legacy.”

Denver East (18-2) was the top seed for the second year in a row only to see its run ended by Broomfield. The Angels put the pressure on Broomfield’s defense in the second half thanks to some impressive speed up top, but couldn’t find a way to land the equalizer.

“Our backline, we didn’t give them too much pressure,” Ogaz said. “We gave them a little space so if we did get beat, we’d have cover and I’d be back there.”

Mooney gave Broomfield all the cushion it would need in the 35^th minute. East keeper Victor Yague-Izquierdo, who finished with seven saves, challenged Mooney but ended up on the ground. With an open net, Mooney recovered in enough time to fire a ball on target.

“Michael decided to take him on, on the dribble. I thought it was a good move because he seemed to have him kind of stood up a little bit,” Davidson said. “I just saw him get to the right and create a little bit of space.

“There were two defenders out there trying to clear the ball off the line and get to it, but Michael’s finish was top-drawer.”

Mooney was just breathing a sigh of relief after the game that he didn’t miss.

“I couldn’t be happier to see it go in the back of the net,” Mooney said. “I just didn’t want to miss the open net, to be honest.”

Broomfield may have had the most chances in the first half, but Denver East turned the tables over the final 40 minutes. The Angels put four shots on goal, but the Eagles’ defense turned away a number of other opportunities before the ball got to Ogaz.

The Angels had a free kick just outside the box with 19 minutes, 14 seconds remaining, but the shot went just over the crossbar.

“I love those guys. They do such a good job and I have so much trust in them,” Ogaz said. “If they get beat I have their back, they have mine, and it’s an awesome system we have going on.”

Davidson said he may have been happiest for Ogaz, who he said developed into a “stellar” captain this fall. Davidson added that he leaves a legacy as one of the top keepers ever in the program.

But it wasn’t just Ogaz who finished out his career with a title and walked off the field at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park wearing a big smile. Broomfield had 13 seniors on the squad who got to a little taste of redemption.

“We definitely wanted some revenge for last year,” Mooney said. “We wanted to get that nasty taste out of our mouths. It’s a great feeling to come back out here and win.”

November 12, 2017
Photos: Broomfield upends Denver East to claim 5A boys soccer title

COMMERCE CITY — Michael Mooney scored the game’s lone goal as Broomfield beat Denver East 1-0 to claim its seventh boys soccer championship.

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November 12, 2017
3A state volleyball: Eaton fends off Lutheran for fifth-straight title

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

DENVER — For Gwen Forster and her girls, it’s a feeling that never gets old. Eaton comes to the Denver Coliseum every November and they have a habit of leaving the building with a piece of hardware that affirms their status for each says.

They leave with championships.

That’s what happened yet again on Saturday as the Reds swept Lutheran 25-16, 25-17, 25-17 to claim a fifth-straight Class 3A volleyball title.

And as much as anyone would think it’s not the case, each one is special. Nothing blends together.

“It’s different for every year and it’s a different team,” Forster said. “We have kids that played in the tournament this year and didn’t see any time last year.”

This year, the offensive was led Makenzie Harris, a junior who will come back in 2018 looking to do what two groups of teammates have now done. She wants to win at the state tournament four times.

“We started this year not as confident,” Harris said. “But as the season went on we grew together and we came together and I really hope that’s what’s going to happen next year.”

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

It’s the third time that Harris has been a student at the school and seen the Reds come away with the top prize.

In those three years, and even in 2013 when this championship run began, Eaton has never lost a match in pool play. Even when they’ve gotten too the semifinals, they’ve only dropped a total of two sets (to Holy Family in 2013).

The junior class will have another season to match the efforts of the two teams before, but for the seniors, Saturday marked the end of a journey.

Ana Scott was among those who took the extra time to embrace her teammates and friends on the floor, soaking in every last moment of her volleyball career.

“It’s indescribable,” she said. “Everybody doubted us and it’s just a remarkable feeling to come out here and prove ourselves to everyone every year.”

And by doing that, they’ve encouraged a strong following of student support that floods the Coliseum each year.

For five years, the Eaton faithful has been one of the most recognizable sections in the stands. Not for their location or the color of their shirts, but for the enthusiasm that they have for their team.

“It’s a lot,” Harris said. “It’s always when we’re at home and it’s amazing. It always keeps up the energy.”

And the interesting part of Saturday night, was that there was some truth coming out from the Eaton students.

As the fifth championship became closer to a reality, they felt the need to remind all in attendance that “this is our house!”

“I heard that cheer,” Forster said. “That’s the thing, we defend it like it’s ours.”

Over the past five years, no one has been more dominant on the floor of the Denver Coliseum. With five titles in as many years, it’s hard to argue that when it comes to volleyball, the building doesn’t belong to the Eaton Reds.

November 12, 2017
2A state volleyball: Lyons knocks off top-ranked Yuma

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

DENVER — Once their championship drive kicked into full gear Saturday night, there was nothing that was going to be able to stop the Lyons volleyball team.

Not even the near-perfect, top-ranked Yuma squad staring them down from the other side of the net. Unlike the Indians, who were playing in their fourth-consecutive state title match, the Lions weren’t as experienced with the electric atmosphere of bright lights and raucous crowds the Denver Coliseum presents for the last match of the season.

Perhaps that’s what helped them thrive in the moment, making the most of it with a 3-1 (25-17, 21-25, 25-23, 25-17) victory to claim their first state championship since 1986, the fourth in program history, in winning Class 2A.

“The mental dynamic was definitely there; we saw glimpses of it early,” coach Mason Johnson said. “We knew we wanted to take the driver’s seat as early as possible. This experience meant a lot to us, and I think we took advantage of that psychology aspect of the game.”

The title match was nothing short of exhilarating as the two evenly-matched teams took turns exchanging strikes that prevented the other from gaining too much of an advantage.

Lyons started off hot, kicking things off with an impressive first set which they took control of midway through. The Lions held a strong presence up front on the net and forced Yuma to take a pair of early timeouts which the Indians were unable to recover from.

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

Yuma, however, was quick to show why it was the top seed and had a 25-1 record on the season entering Saturday’s finale. The Indians responded with a set victory of their own in the second by claiming six of eight late points.

“When we take timeouts after times like that, our coach just has us close our eyes and has us focus on the things we need to keep doing,” said Lyons senior Sarah Stevelinck, who finished with a team-high 22 digs. “That really helps us because it keeps us calm and collected. Then we think about making smart moves instead of just trying to hit the ball hard.”

The pivotal point in the match came in the crucial third set that would give either team a strong chance to bring it home. Lyons and Yuma both showed desire as the set saw 14 different tie scores and seven lead changes before the Lions ultimately edged it out by a mark of 25-23.

From there, the Lions sat in the driver’s seat Johnson referred to and brought the title home with a convincing 25-17 win in the fourth frame.

“It’s unbelievable, unlike anything I’ve ever felt before,” Johnson said. “You wonder if you have what it takes when you talk about it, and when you talk about it, it’s taboo. You kind of want to quiet people when they talk about it, too.

“The words ‘state champion’ have been tossed around a little bit, but I was always worried when it did because expectations are the crux of disappointment, and I didn’t want anyone to feel disappointed about our season. It’s surreal.”

Sophomore Taylor Maguire led Lyons in kills with 22, while senior Ixchel Leeuwenburgh added 12 of her own. Junior Kylen Christiansen finished dishing out a team-high 50 assists.

The Lions finish their season with a 23-5 overall record, capped off with the 2017 Class 2A state title.

November 12, 2017
4A state volleyball: Lewis-Palmer, with new coach, repeats as champion

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

DENVER — Replacing a legend is tough.

When longtime Lewis-Palmer volleyball coach Susan Odenbaugh retired after winning her fourth state championship last season, her assistant for those championships, Wade Baxter, stepped in to keep the dynasty alive.

It was a tall order for Baxter — the Rangers lost three Division-I hitters last season, and was coming off an undefeated championship run.

“Really I was just trying to not screw it up,” Baxter said. “It’s not like I installed some grand new scheme of my own. It was really to just keep the legacy going.”

After Saturday night, it’s official — the Lewis-Palmer volleyball legacy was not screwed up.

Fielding a much different squad than the team that won it all in 2016, Lewis-Palmer claimed its fourth Class 4A state championship in five seasons with a dominant title-clinching performance, defeating Valor Christian, 25-22, 25-18, 35-33. It is Lewis-Palmer’s seventh state championship while Valor Christian finishes as the volleyball state runner-up for the first time in school history.

Even though 2017’s title marked the first time since 2001 that Odenbaugh was not sitting on the Rangers’ bench as a head coach in a state championship match, it was business as usual for a Lewis-Palmer program that had a smooth transition to a new regime — at least on the surface.

Behind the scenes, Baxter dealt with injuries, players in new roles, and sky-high expectations, only to still come through with an undefeated state title run.

“We did have some turnover even though we returned a largely veteran team,” Baxter said. “We only have one hitter (middle blocker Kessandra Krutsinger) who is in the same position as last year, and everybody else was kind of coming up from a reserve role.”

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

One of those was senior Jadie DeLange, who missed all of last season after back surgery only to come back and be inserted onto a team of unproven players.

“I think we wanted to prove people wrong,” DeLange said. “I think we kind of had a big target on our back, and we wanted to prove that we were still the same powerful team as last year.”

In the semifinals, Niwot almost proved Lewis-Palmer wrong.

Niwot shocked the Rangers by winning its first set 25-19, only the sixth time this season that Lewis-Palmer had lost a set.

Determined to embrace the target on their backs, the Rangers wouldn’t lose again.

In the championship against Valor Christian, junior Trinity Jackson set the tone early, notching three of her eight total kills in the Rangers’ first six points, and before long, the rest of the Rangers got in on the act.

Five ranger hitters would turn in five or more kills, and entire front row gave Valor Chrisitan fits, throwing down 12 blocks and neutralizing most of the Eagles’ big hitters.

Not even in a marathon third set, which the Rangers ran all the way to 35 points, did they let up, using its grit to grind out the win and clinch the title.

It’s a hallmark of this championships squad, Baxter said, to stick together.

“Their hard work and their seamless blend of egos,” Baxter said, “made them special. They really were a team all the time.”

The win extended Lewis-Palmer’s nearly unfathomable win streak to 58 matches and counting, and ran the Rangers’ record over the past four seasons to 112-4.

The Rangers’ dominance doesn’t show any sign of ending soon, with many of its key contributors only being juniors, ready to make a run for another title next year.

DeLange said, that behind Baxter, the team can continue to dominate.

“We could not have asked for a better coach,” DeLange said. “He does well at keeping us focused and taking it one point at a time. We wouldn’t be here without him.”

November 12, 2017
5A state volleyball: Castle View survives marathon day to capture first title

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

DENVER – Sitting in the hotel lobby Friday night, Castle View coach Scott Dowis had his moments of doubt.

The Sabercats had been upset by Rock Canyon in Class 5A state tournament pool play, and Dowis wasn’t sure his team would even get to play Saturday. The team returned to the Denver Coliseum on Saturday morning to watch events play out, and that’s when fortune turned in the team’s favor.

“When Coronado beat Rock Canyon and gave us that opportunity, I think the girls felt resurrected,” Dowis said. “No one was really optimistic we were going to play today, and once we got that opportunity, they just took advantage of it.”

Castle View defeated Rock Canyon in a tiebreaker, then held off defending state champion Fossil Ridge in a five-set thriller in the semifinals. That set up a showdown with Cherry Creek in the 5A title game, where the Sabercats survived a furious comeback for a 25-21, 25-18, 17-25, 17-25, 15-13 victory and the program’s first state championship.

“It was the most stressful day I’ve ever had but it was super-exciting. I’m super-proud of my entire team,” said senior Holly Schmidt, who finished with 18 kills. “We didn’t think we were going to play this morning. We came and we were watching the Rock Canyon-Coronado game. We got a second chance and we had to take advantage of it.”

Cherry Creek (26-3) entered the tournament as the No. 12 seed but upset No. 1 Mountain Vista and No. 8 Rocky Mountain in pool play. The Bruins then swept past Continental League champion Chaparral in straight sets in the semifinals to reach their first state championship game since 2008.

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

“Creek has been playing the best volleyball at the end of the year,” Dowis said. “Better than anyone else. I wasn’t really surprised that they got to the final.”

Castle View (24-5) took the first two sets with little trouble, not allowing Cherry Creek to ever take the lead. Senior Laney Hershiser closed out both sets with kills, and Castle View seemed primed to walk away with it.

But Dowis said he never expected it to be that simple. The Bruins bounced back, utilizing their block and some timely hitting from seniors Erin Markham, Santana Monroe and Peyton Fehringer, along with junior Katie Sherman and sophomore Katherine Von Kraut. Sherman put away the third set with a kill, and Creek dominated the fourth set to knot things up.

“They’re a great team. Sally (Moos) is a hall-of-fame coach,” Dowis said. “It’s an honor just to coach against her. I knew she would have them ready to come back.”

Castle View senior Katie Menz helped turn the momentum in the fifth set with three kills and an ace as the Sabercats jumped out 5-2. The team had match point at 14-9, but the Bruins rallied with four consecutive points.

Dowis called timeout at 14-11 just to let his team know how proud he was of them.

“He told us how much he loved us and how far we’d come,” Schmidt said. “He knew we were going to win.”

Schmidt had four kills and a block down the stretch and the Sabercats finally were able to exhale after a return from Cherry Creek went into the net.

The Sabercats were aggressive on the outside all night, led by Menz and Schmidt, who played junior varsity a year ago.

“This tournament, especially today, she elevated her game so much,” Dowis said. “I’m so proud of that girl. She really has turned into a fantastic volleyball player. A kid who was playing JV last year, now maybe our MVP in this final match – it’s pretty awesome.”

Markham had 11 kills for the Bruins, who will graduate nine seniors.

November 12, 2017
Photos: No. 10 Rifle football wins big over No. 7 Evergreen

EVERGREEN — Rifle jumped out to a 17-point lead at halftime and rode it to a 37-10 win over Evergreen in the first round of the Class 3A football playoffs.

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November 12, 2017
Photos: No. 8 Eaton football keeps title hopes alive with close win over No. 1 Platte Valley

KERSEY — Eaton stood tall defensively to upset No. 1 Platte Valley 9-6 and advance to the Class 2A football semifinals.

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November 12, 2017
Photos: Mead cruises to Round 1 win over Harrison in 3A football playoffs

MEAD — Top-seeded Mead football jumped out to a 42-13 lead at halftime and never looked back en route to a 56-19 win over Harrison in the 3A playoffs.

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November 12, 2017