CHSAANow

Month: March 2018

  • Ralston Valley’s bats sizzle in 18-5 baseball win over Mullen

    ARVADA — Ralston Valley’s first-year baseball coach Brad Madden liked what he saw from his new club Saturday afternoon at Nate Jurney Field.

    The Mustangs pounded out 18 runs on 17 hits to cruise to an 18-5 victory over Mullen for the first victory of the season for Ralston Valley (1-1 record).

    “We swung the bats well today,” said Madden, who is with his third different Jeffco team during his impressive coaching career.

    Brad Madden picked up his first victory as Ralston Valley’s baseball coach Saturday. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    Madden coached Golden to a Class 4A state baseball title in 2003 and Green Mountain to back-to-back 4A championships in 2014 and 2015. The three-time state championship coach, who also won a state title as a player for Arvada West in 1994, has also brought in impressive assistant coaches.

    Longtime coach Terry Hensley and former Evergreen coach Steve Jones is on Madden’s staff. Jones guided Evergreen all the way to the 4A state title game last season.

    “He (Madden) has been great,” Ralston Valley senior Ian Klava said. “We all love him and trust him. It was a really good thing for this program right now. He is going to go far with these players.”

    Klava was impressive in his first start on the mound. The senior righty gave up just three runs on three hits. His only mistake was a hanging curveball in the top of the fourth inning that Mullen junior Brennan Nolte hit over the fence for a 3-run home run to get Mullen (0-2) on the scoreboard.

    Ralston Valley’s offense gave Klava plenty of run support. The Mustangs batted around in the first, third and fourth innings. Junior Elliot Stern had the big blow in the 6-run first inning with a line-drive home run.

    “I just got into the batter’s box and was ready,” Stern said of his home run. “Coach Madden told me to settle down and take a deep breath.”

    Ralston Valley senior Ian Klava gave up 3 runs on 3 hits in four innings. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    Stern also singled from the No. 7 hole before giving way to a pinch-hitter in the bottom of the fourth inning.

    “That’s a big hit right there,” Madden said of Stern’s 3-run home run in the first inning with two outs. “The kid is getting his first varsity experience this year. It was a lined shot that really got the bench going too.”

    Junior AJ Jergensen hit a towering 3-run triple to highlight a 7-run bottom of the third inning for Ralston Valley. Senior Nik Levensteins delivered a 3-run home run in the 5-run bottom of the fourth inning for the Mustangs.

    “It gave me a lot of confidence throwing with a lead,” Klava said of Ralston Valley’s offensive production. “I do my job and they do their job at the dish.”

    Senior Sam Lennarson did his job from the lead-off position reaching base on all four plate appearances and scoring three times. Trey Adams, Jergensen, Parker Dorrance, Otto Jones, Stern and Matt Phillips all had a multi-hit game for Ralston Valley.

    Mullen junior Michael Stanford hit a pitch-hit 2-run home run off Ralston Valley relief pitcher Joey Steiskal in the top of the fifth inning, but it wasn’t enough. Steiskal got a groundout and strikeout following the home run to end the game due to the 10-run mercy rule.

    Ralston Valley has one last non-league game before spring break. The Mustangs are on the road against Regis Jesuit at 4:15 p.m. Tuesday, March 20, before heading to Arizona. Ralston Valley plays four teams from Oregon during its spring break trip.

    “It’s been great,” Madden said of his experience so far at Ralston Valley. “The kids have been receptive. They want to be coached. They have done everything we’ve asked of them. Now it’s just a feeling out phase. I learn about them and they learn me. We’ll get that all figured out before league starts.”

    Ralston Valley senior Sam Lennarson (2) successfully steals second base as Mullen’s Bryce Kamstra grabs the ball on a short hop Saturday at Nate Jurney Field. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

  • No. 10 Dakota Ridge outlasts Regis Jesuit in girls lacrosse marathon

    LAKEWOOD — It took two and 1/2 hours, but Dakota Ridge walked out of a rainy Trailblazer Stadium with a victory Thursday night.

    The Eagles, No. 10 in the CHSAANow.com girls lacrosse preseason rankings, escaped with a 17-12 victory over Regis Jesuit. There were plenty of twists, turns and sitting around during the non-league game.

    Dakota Ridge (2-1 overall) jumped out to a 9-0 lead in the first 10 minutes and actually induced a running clock with 12:45 remaining in the first half with a 10-goal differential. However, the Raiders (0-2) scored three unanswered goals before halftime to get back into the game.

    Senior Kailee Lammers (8 goals) and junior Tia Krats (6 goals) got the Eagles back on track with early in the second half to push Dakota Ridge’s lead back up to 15-6. Then Mother Nature showed up.

    Dakota Ridge sophomore Tia Krats, right, looks for room Thursday night at NAAC. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    Two lightning strikes within eight miles caused a 45-minute delay. After the break Regis scored six straight goals to cut Dakota Ridge’s lead to 15-12.

    “I wasn’t really surprised,” Dakota Ridge coach Jordan Hogan said of the Raiders’ second-half rally after the lightning delay. “Regis is a dangerous team. I knew they had the ability to score that many goals. I think we came out flat and they took it to us.”

    Regis junior Maddie Ferguson led the Raiders’ charge with three goals during the run.

    “That was very nerve-wracking,” Lammers said of the Eagles’ once 10-goal lead trimmed to 3-goals in the final five minutes of the second half. “Honestly, I knew we would pull it together.”

    Dakota Ridge goalie Kendall Garcia came up with a couple of big saves. Krats ended the string of goals by putting in her sixth goal of the game with 4:33 left in the game. Lammers put in her eighth goal with 1:30 left to allow the Eagles to breath easier.

    “We (Lammers and Krats) couldn’t put it into the back of the net without our teammates,” said Lammers, who led Dakota Ridge with 78 goals last season and now has 226 goals during her stellar career. “They are feeding us and getting those ground balls.”

    Regis senior Mariah Daley (20) feds off Dakota Ridge’s Avery Wilson. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    Sophomore Rachel Steinman had a pair of goals for Dakota Ridge. Junior Lauren Tobey also put in a first-half goal for the Eagles.

    “It’s nice to have them (Krats and Lammers), but Regis did a good job of taking them out of the game at times,” Hogan said. “They did come out strong in the very end.”

    Hogan said the tight game and dealing with a long delay early in the season will benefit the Eagles in the long run.

    “It’s a learning lesson for the girls and for me too,” Hogan admitted. “Maybe more should have been done during the break. Next time we’ll take it a little more seriously, myself included.”

    Dakota Ridge is back at Trailblazer Stadium on Saturday morning to face Valor Christian (2-1).

    “This team does have the potential to go further then we did last year,” said Lammers of the Eagles that advanced to the state quarterfinals last year before bowing out to now three-time defending state champion Colorado Academy.

    Dakota Ridge is back in action against Valor Christian on Saturday, March 17, at Trailblazer Stadium. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

  • Photos: No. 3 Mountain Vista girls soccer edges No. 9 Columbine

    HIGHLANDS RANCH — Shaye Jones scored the game’s only goal in the first half as Class 5A No. 3 Mountain Vista got a crucial 1-0 win over No. 9 Columbine on Thursday.

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  • Photos: No. 2 Colorado Academy girls lacrosse beats Chatfield

    LAKEWOOD — Second-ranked Colorado Academy girls lacrosse cruised to a 19-4 win over Chatfield on Thursday.

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  • Photos: No. 5 Peak to Peak girls soccer shuts out Longmont

    LONGMONT — Peak to Peak, ranked No. 5 in Class 3A, got a 3-0 win over 4A Longmont on Thursday.

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  • Colorado Springs Christian’s Mark Engesser resigns as boys hoops coach, will still coach the girls

    Moffat County Clorado Springs Christian girls basketball
    (Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com)

    Mark Engesser has resigned as the boys basketball coach at Colorado Springs Christian, the school announced on Friday, though he will remain as the school’s girls basketball coach.

    According to CSCS athletic director Jason Rollings, “The time commitment needed to coach both the boys and the girls programs became too much of a strain for him and his family.”

    Engesser led the boys program for seven seasons, amassing a 156-26 record, including 104-6 in conference games. He led the Lions to two state titles, six conference championships, and five district championships.

    CSCS went 15-8 in 2017-18, falling to Grand Valley in the first round of the Class 3A state tournament.

  • Mike Krueger, district AD at Aurora Public Schools, accepts job with USA Football

    (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

    Mike Krueger, the district athletic director at Aurora Public Schools who has had an incredible level of involvement in CHSAA over the years, has accepted a job with USA Football.

    Krueger has agreed to become the Director of Coaching for USA Football.

    “USA Football has been absolutely amazing and I am very honored to be joining an organization who truly shares our same values, mission, and vision,” Krueger wrote in an email. “I am also excited that I will still be working with Colorado, just from a different address.”

    His last day at APS will be in early June, and he will be relocating to Indianapolis, site of the USA Football headquarters.

    “I feel such a sense of pride as I take this step knowing that I am from a state that is leading the way, in so many ways, to promote what is best for educationally-based athletics and activities for every child,” Krueger wrote.

    Krueger has served as the chair of CHSAA’s football committee for the past few years, helping to guide the process of realignment, and the new practice and calendar schedule, among other revolutionary ideas.

    In December, he received an NFHS Citation Award at the NIAAA conference. NFHS Citations are presented annually to outstanding athletic directors in recognition of contributions to interscholastic athletics at the local, state and national levels.

    Krueger has also been heavily involved with the Colorado Athletic Directors Association, serving on their Executive Board, and also a two-year term as president.

    Prior to joining APS in 2014, Krueger was the athletic director at Palisade.

  • Arvada West girls soccer improves to 3-0 after win against Golden

    A-West junior Hailey Johns (14) goes up for a header during the Wildcats’ 2-1 victory Wednesday against rival Golden. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    ARVADA — Two minutes into each half belonged to Arvada West’s girls soccer team Wednesday at the North Area Athletic Complex.

    A-West sophomore Emma Drumright and junior Hailey Johns put in goals in the first two minutes of each half on the way to a 2-1 victory for the Wildcats (3-0 record) over Golden.

    “It was identical each half,” Golden coach Luke Vanderglas said. “We had a couple of mental lapses and (A-West) took advantage.”

    Drumright scored less than 2 minutes into the non-league game against the Demons (1-2) to give the Wildcats a 1-0 lead. It was the lone goal in the first half.

    It took two tries, on Drumright’s goal in the 2nd minute. Drumright’s first shot from inside the goal box hit the cross bar flush, but the rebound came right back to the sophomore who angled it into the right lower corner.

    Arvada West was able to edge Golden 2-1 in the non-league game Wednesday at the NAAC. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    “She (Drumright) stuck with it, great skill and she finished it,” A-West coach Troy Gette said.

    Johns scored her third goal in three games in the opening minutes of the second half to push the Wildcats’ advantage to 2-0. The junior forward was able to beat Golden freshman goalie Olivia Chevalier on a one-on-one breakaway.

    “Honestly, I just kind of went for it. I didn’t want to lose,” Johns said of her eventual game-winning goal. “I was just as nervous as she (goalie) was. I thought about placement, not power.”

    Golden got on the scoreboard minutes after Johns’ goal. Sophomore Emily Stec scored in the 44th minute on a nice shot the grazed the underneath of the crossbar before hitting the back of the net to cut A-West’s lead in half.

    A-West junior Makenna Fowler had a golden opportunity to extend the Wildcats’ lead back to a two-goal advantage in the 59th minute, but her shot toward to open net sailed wide right.

    “We are pretty fast up there,” Gette said of his attacking forwards. “Where we struggled today was just shape and winning 50-50 balls. We are good and Golden will be good too.”

    A-West junior Makenna Fowler settles a ball Wednesday at NAAC. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    A-West finished fourth in the Class 5A Jeffco League last year. The Wildcats were bounced out of the postseason in the opening round by ThunderRidge.

    The 3-0 start that includes a second-half rally Monday against Poudre at NAAC that netted a 3-2 victory for the A-West has the Wildcats in a good mindset.

    “I think we have a good chance of winning the Jeffco League title with the talent we have,” Johns said. “But we have to put the hard work in during practice.”

    A-West has some players heading with club teams to a tournament in Nevada before the Wildcats’ next non-league game. A-West hosts Boulder at the NAAC on Wednesday, March 21.

    Golden struggled in 2017 with a 5-10 record and didn’t qualify for the playoffs. However, the Demons started the season with an impressive 3-2 victory over Mullen last week. The Mustangs were ranked No. 9 in the CHSAANow.com Class 4A girls soccer preseason poll.

    “These girls all play with and against each other in club too,” Vanderglas said after the rivalry game. “That is why this is fun to have a 2-1 game like this. Unfortunately we came on the wrong end of it.”

    Golden heads west for a non-league game against Steamboat Springs on Friday, March 16. The Demons are young this season. Vanderglas started seven freshmen or sophomores against A-West on Wednesday.

    “It’s a resilient group not matter the age,” Vanderglas said. “They have been playing high level soccer for a long time. They didn’t quit. They kept fighting the whole time. There is a lot of grit in this team.”

    Golden freshman Lily Fell (10) gets her head on the ball in front of A-West junior Makenna Fowler. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

  • Scoreless tie between Air Academy and The Classical Academy girls soccer shows strength of 4A class

    (Kelsey Lowry/CHSAANow.com)

    U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY — There’s no doubt that Class 4A girls soccer is competitive across the board. Wednesday night’s matchup between The Classical Academy and Air Academy girls’ soccer teams proved just that.

    These two soccer powers ranked in the top 10 battled it out and it resulted in a 0-0 tie.

    Throughout the first half, the ball seemed to be in No. 6 Air Academy’s possession, but missed passes and connections left the game scoreless. Every time an Air Academy player would get a break, a Classical Academy girl was there to stop it.

    “We started off really slow,” said Blake Galvin, head coach of sixth-ranked Classical Academy. “But after those first 20-30 minutes, we just started to figure things out and got into the groove.”

    The second half was more face paced and saw more shots taken, but great blocking and stops from Air Academy’s Kaitlyn Blacksten and TCA’s Lauren Fletcher kept the game at a stalemate.

    “This was a tight, competitive game,” said Air Academy’s head coach Espen Hosoien. “But you have to score goals to win games.”

    With only a few minutes left in the game, Air Academy’s Hanna Chaia made a last-ditch effort to score. She got a break but was cut short from a block from TCA and the sound of the buzzer.

    After the 80 minutes of regulation passed, the game entered two overtimes. TCA’s Trinity Harvey had a breakaway but was was scooped up by Blacksten. Along with a few other shots from both teams, the defense was too much for either to overcome.

    “I have a very talented group,” said Hosoien. “Our first four games have been a bit of a struggle finding the net, but I’m not worried about it and I believe that our girls are going to be very tough to play against.”

    Air Academy has started the season 1-2-1.

    “On the whole, I’m happy with the way we performed,” Hosoien said. “TCA was solid, and it was a fun intense game.”

    The Classical Academy, meanwhile, has started 1-0-2.

    “I’m pleased with the effort in the overall game,” said Galvin. “We have several injuries and some girls that are nursing injuries, so we weren’t 100 percent, but these girls worked hard, and it was great to see that from them.

    “We defended incredibly well, made tackles when we needed them, and made saves when they needed to,” Galvin added. “Right now, we just need to focus on getting healthy and keeping our composure and I think the key thing for us is to become more familiar with ourselves and just continue to play.”

    Overall, the 4A field is going to be extremely competitive this season and more tough games like this are sure to happen again.

    Both teams will play next Tuesday. The Classical Academy will play at Lewis-Palmer, and Air Academy will face Littleton.

  • No. 6 Cherry Creek girls soccer tops Boulder in bounce-back win

    (Max Potter/CHSAANow.com)

    GREENWOOD VILLAGE — No. 6 Cherry Creek girls soccer took down Boulder in a non-conference showdown 1-0 Wednesday afternoon.

    It was a goal from Anna Weinstein in the 70th minute that made the difference, but Cherry Creek (2-0-1) had control the entire game. It was a bounce-back win for the Bruins after falling to another Front Range League team in Fairview.

    “We did a good job of possessing the ball today,” Cherry Creek coach Jim Schneider said. “We did not get impatient.”

    “We really worked hard to get the ball in,” added Bruins junior Elle Gill. “It took us a while to get one in, the (Boulder) keeper was incredible.”

    Incredible she was as Elise Thomason-Larssen time and time again made outstanding saves to keep the Bruins off the scoreboard. But as time wound down, Cherry Creek’s pressure was too much for the Panthers to hold off.

    Cherry Creek has a lot of new players stepping into a bigger role with the team.

    “We had such amazing senior leadership last year, a couple of our girls are as good as the state has ever seen,” coach Schneider continued. “Replacing players of that talent is difficult and requires everyone to play just a little better than she did last year.”

    Looking forward, Boulder (1-1-0) will take on Horizon on Thursday. Cherry Creek will travel to the Western Slope where the Bruins will face Fruita Monument and Durango on Friday and Saturday.