(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

HIGHLANDS RANCH — The baseball postseason is still over a week away. But Mountain Vista and Heritage couldn’t wait to get that playoff feeling.

After giving up a four-run lead, the Class 5A No. 1 Golden Eagles needed a walk-off single from Zach Paschke to beat the Eagles 8-7. There was heart and resiliency on both sides, but Mountain Vista continued to show why it’s considered the top team in the state.

“Not one time in that dugout did they get down or worried,” Mountain Vista coach Ron Quintana said. “They’ve been through a lot of ups and downs. A lot of these guys have played together since they were freshmen. When they were freshmen, we lost that game.”

The regular season concludes on May 5. But the feel that the Golden Eagles (17-0 overall, 8-0 Continental League) had after Clay Burke crossed the plate to the end the game was one of confidence for what the future holds.

“We know if we can hang with one of these teams and beat them, we’re capable of winning the whole thing this year,” Paschke said. “Every single person on this team knows that we’re capable of that.”

Mountain Vista stormed out to a 6-2 in the third inning thanks to hits from Drew Stahl, Sam Ireland, Grant Magill and Elisandro Aragon. All four would eventually cross the plate.

The Eagles (13-4, 6-3) got one back in the fifth, but any hopes of a major rally ended with a spectacular diving play from Stahl at second base. He got Mountain Vista out of the inning, keeping the feeling that the team still had control.

“It’s a big play, but this is a team game,” Stahl said. “We’re all good friends and to make a play like that four our pitcher, who’s throwing great all year long, means a lot to me to be able to do that for him.”

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

Jack Liffrig took the bump for the Golden Eagles and went 6 and 1/3, striking out five. He came out in the seventh after reaching his pitch count limit and ultimately came away with a no-decision.

It was Mason Mitchell in the sixth inning who ended Liffrig’s day, ripping a double to right-center, scoring Eric McKnight and Arian Jimenez-Qyezada to tie the game.

Griffin Shearon took over for the rest of the game and through 1 and 2/3 innings, struck out four Eagles hitters and held them hitless.

Not bad considering Mountain Vista has seen about eight innings pitched by kids not named Ireland or Liffrig.

“We didn’t know what we were going to get,” Quintana said. “That was huge for Griff. It’s just the second time he’s come out of the pen this year.”

He retired the Heritage side in order in the eighth inning and watched as Burke got on base and Paschke drove him in to win it.

The result was frustrating for Heritage. The Eagles committed six errors through the course of the game. To fight their way back only to come away empty-handed was a tough lesson for them to learn on Friday.

“We choked,” Heritage coach Tyler Munro said. “That’s what we just talked about. We gifted a game. We just played the No. 1 team in the state and the No. 25 team in the country and we gifted them six errors. We gave them that game.”

Munro said he expects every game from here on out to feel like a playoff game for his team. The Eagles have Chaparral and Valor Christian remaining on their schedule. Then games like the one on Friday won’t just have a playoff feel, they’ll have legitimate playoff implications.

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LAKEWOOD — Columbine’s girls soccer team had already wrapped up its fifth straight Class 5A Jeffco League title.

“You want to win your Jeffco League games. You want to dominate your league,” Columbine coach Brian Todd said. “We have had a lot of success in Jeffco over the last couple of years. It means a lot.”

However, there was still a little business to take care of Friday night at Lakewood Memorial Field. The Rebels, ranked No. 5 in the latest CHSAANow.com 5A girls soccer poll, wanted to finish off a second straight year with a perfect 7-0 mark in conference play. They could do that with a win over rival Chatfield.

Columbine senior Skylar Alward (14) is shadowed by Chatfield junior Rylee Mullen (18) during the first half Friday night. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

Columbine (11-2, 7-0 in 5A Jeffco) accomplished its mission in dramatic fashion with a 1-0 double-overtime victory against the Chargers.

Sophomore Peyton Weber put in the game-winning goal in the 98th minute for the Rebels. Weber made a run down the left side of the field and fired a shot to the far post with her left foot. The shot got past the dive of Chatfield sophomore goalie Abby Wilkinson and the Rebels’ celebration began.

“I just went for it and knew I couldn’t miss it,” said Weber, who added she was aiming for the far post on the game-winning shot. “I saw my chance and took it.”

The goal came seconds after Chatfield at first appearance to score a game-winning goal of its own, but the goal was waved off because of an offside call.

“We played well enough to win that game,” said Chatfield coach Brock Blume, who was trying to get the victory to help the Chargers (6-4-2, 3-2-1) with their shot at taking second in the conference and earning an automatic playoff berth. “It didn’t fall right for us. They need to feel good about the performance we had tonight.”

Chatfield senior and leading scorer Emma Peterson had a couple of great chances on long shots, but couldn’t get anything past Columbine senior goalie Madeline Samuelson. Samuelson racked up her ninth shutout victory in net this season.

Chatfield senior Zoe Roberts, far right, goes up for a header as teammate Sina George collides with Columbine junior Tessa Barton (2). (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

Columbine finished league play outscoring its opponents 24-1. In fact, the Rebels have only allowed five goals all season.

“I can’t express how big this win is for us,” Samuelson said. “Being a senior and being a captain I really see how important it is to come out and get your teammates pumped even when they are tired. We got through it and I can’t believe we came out with a win.”

Todd did give a lot of credit to Chatfield having given the Rebels their biggest test in league this season.

“Chatfield really did great on winning balls and taking away space. They worked really hard defensively,” Todd said. “I commend Brock. He is a great coach.”

Chatfield has been a bit of a thorn in Columbine’s side during the Rebels’ run of five straight conference titles. The Chargers put the lone league blemish on the Rebels in 2016 with a 0-0 tie. The last time Columbine lost a conference game was against the Chargers back on May 1, 2015.

The Rebels can know turn their attention to a pair of non-league games against Liberty and No. 1 Grandview next week before the journey into the postseason begins.

The Chargers have one final league game against Arvada West on Monday, April 30, before non-league games against Horizon and Pine Creek next week. Chatfield sat No. 27 in the RPI ranking coming into Friday’s game, so next week will be critical for the Chargers to get some victories to assure a spot in the 32-team 5A state tournament field.

Ralston Valley (7-6, 5-2) will grab the second automatic playoff bid from Jeffco thanks to a head-to-head victory over A-West (8-3, 4-2). Columbine being the conference champion takes the other automatic spot for the postseason.

Columbine senior Jordan Offerdahl (11) and Chatfield senior Katie Bierzychedek chase after a loose ball as the sun sets at Lakewood Memorial Field on Friday night. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

HIGHLANDS RANCH — Rock Canyon baseball rallied in the seventh inning, then got a walk-off hit in the eighth to beat Ponderosa 3-2 on Friday.

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Chance Gulliford. (Courtesy of Cotopaxi HS)

Cotopaxi sophomore Chance Gulliford was dealing on Friday.

The right-handed pitcher, who stands 6-foot-5, struck out 16 of the first 18 batters he faced against Antonito, and finished the game with a career-high 18 punchouts. In 6 2/3 innings, he walked just one batter, allowed three hits, and three runs — but each run was unearned.

Gulliford is now 5-2 this season with a 2.15 ERA for the ninth-ranked Pirates, who improved to 12-4 this season in Class 1A with a 9-3 win over Antonito.

It was Gulliford’s fourth game with at least 10 strikeouts this season. In his last three outings, including wins over Manzanola, Del Norte and this game against Antonito, he has struck out 12, 14 and 18 batters.

Against Del Norte, Gulliford allowed just one hit in seven innings.

He now has 80 strikeouts this season, which are the most of any sophomore in the state. They are also the most of any pitcher in 1A.

Gulliford also plays third base, and is hitting .350 with a home run and 15 RBIs this season.

(Matt McGee/Flickr)

Kalen Ballage, Daniel Carlson, JK Scott, Sam Jones and Jacob Martin — five former Colorado high school football players — were all selected in the NFL Draft on Saturday.

It is the first time since 2006 that five Colorado products have been selected in the same draft.

Ballage, a 2014 graduate of Falcon High School, was selected in the fourth round by the Miami Dolphins.

Carlson, a 2013 graduate of The Classical Academy, went in the fifth round to the Minnesota Vikings.

Scott, who graduated from Mullen in 2014, was also drafted in the fifth round, going to the Green Bay Packers.

Jones, a ThunderRidge alum from 2013, went in the sixth round to the Denver Broncos.

Martin graduated from Cherokee Trail in 2014. He was also drafted in the sixth round, selected by the Seattle Seahawks.

Ballage, Carlson, Jones and Martin are the first players from their respective high schools to ever be selected in the NFL Draft. Scott is the fifth former Mullen Mustang to be drafted.

Ballage, a senior running back out of Arizona State, went to the Dolphins with the No. 131 overall pick. 

Kalen Ballage as a senior at Falcon. (Tim Visser/MaxPreps)

At Falcon, Ballage rushed for 2,690 yards and 35 touchdowns during the course of his career, including nearly 1,943 and 25 scores as a senior. As a senior, he was the Class 4A player of the year, and a member of the first-team all-state team.

Ballage measured at 6-foot-2 and 228 pounds during the NFL Combine, where he also ran a 4.46 40-yard dash.

Ballage was the first Colorado product to be selected in this year’s NFL Draft. Last season, Valor Christian graduate Christian McCaffrey was the lone product selected, going in the first round.

This is the first time since 2012 and 2013 that products of Colorado high schools have been selected in consecutive drafts.

Carlson, a senior kicker at Auburn, was selected a round after Ballage, going No. 167 overall to the Vikings. He was the first kicker selected in the 2018 NFL Draft.

At Auburn, Carlson didn’t miss a point-after attempt in his career, going 198-of-198. He also made 92 of 114 field goal attempts, including 23 of 31 as a senior.

Carlson stood out at TCA, too, in both football and soccer. He made 14 of 20 field goal attempts for the Titans.

Carlson is just the third kicker from Colorado to ever be drafted, and the first since 1987, when Cherry Creek product Steve DeLine went to the San Francisco 49ers.

Scott, a senior punter at Alabama, went five picks after Carlson, at No. 172 to the Packers. He is the third punter from Colorado to ever be taken, and first since 1988 (Simla’s Barry Helton).

Scott set the Alabama record for career punting yards, as well as career punting average, and was part of two national championship teams.

At Mullen, Scott averaged 43.8 yards per punt as a senior. He also made 8 of 15 field goals as a senior, and 23 of 24 extra points. He also made a a 59- and 58-yard field goal with the Mustangs, and was named first-team all-state as a senior.

Sam Jones during his time at ThunderRidge. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)

Jones was drafted by his hometown Denver Broncos with the No. 183rd overall selection, in the sixth round. 

He finished his redshirt junior season at Arizona State last fall. He was a team captain for the Sun Devils last season, and was a three-year starter on the offensive line.

At ThunderRidge, he was a first-team all-state pick as a senior.

Martin, a senior defensive end from Temple, went to the Seahawks at No. 186 overall.

He had a stellar career at Temple, notching 11.5 career sacks, as well as 17.5 tackles for a loss. 

During his career at Cherokee Trail, Martin helped the Cougars reach the Class 5A championship game.

He was a first-team all-state pick as a senior.

Find a complete list of former Colorado high school football players selected in the draft in our NFL Draft database.

Valor senior Ryan Barber, right, is congratulated by Rafe Kinder after Barber’s solo home run against Golden on Saturday. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

GOLDEN — Valor Christian baseball fell behind 1-0 early to Golden on Saturday afternoon, but the two-time defending Class 4A state champions weren’t concerned.

“It’s great knowing that we have a team that can comeback from anything,” Valor senior Noah Kuzma said. “One run doesn’t mean anything to us. We are always able to bounce back.”

The Eagles (13-2 record), ranked No. 2 in the currently CHSAANow.com 4A baseball poll, answered in a big way pounding out 16 hits on the way to a 13-3 victory in six innings on the Demons’ home field. Kuzma, along with fellow seniors Ryan Barber, Declan Wiesner and Brady Buechler hit home runs to lift Valor to its 10th straight victory.

Golden (11-6) had its first three batters reach base in the bottom of the first inning, but could only push one run across on a sacrifice fly by senior Noah Mitchell.

Golden sophomore Ben McLaughlin cranks out an RBI single in the fifth inning for the Demons. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

“We came out of the gate really well, which is great and encouraging,” Golden coach Jackie McBroom said. “We talked about someone getting that hit with the bases loaded. Whether it be a single or putting one in the gap, that goes a long way. We can’t be content with the bases loaded and a fly ball.”

After a bit of a shaky start, Valor starting pitcher Zechariah Reid settled in retiring 12 straight Demon batters. Reid pitched four innings, giving up just a pair of singles.

“I think Golden was one of the first teams we’ve seen really want to hit right away and they did a great job in that first inning,” Valor coach Brian Bonn said. “Reid really settled in. The curveball really worked for him to keep the batters off balance. Golden is a great one through nine hitting line-up.”

Golden got a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to avoid the 10-run mercy rule through five innings. Sophomore Ben McLaughlin singled in a run and Mitchell picked up his second RBI with a double to make the score 12-3 through five innings.

However, Valor pushed its lead back to 10 runs with an RBI double by Wiesner in the top of the seven inning. Golden failed to score in the bottom of the sixth inning despite having the bases loaded against Valor relief pitcher, freshman Radek Birkholz.

Valor has already won a third straight 4A Jeffco conference title. A third consecutive 4A state title is clearly a reachable goal for the Eagles who returned the majority of last year’s state title team.

Valor coach Brian Bonn, left, gives senior Noah Kuzma a fist bump after Kuzma’s home run Saturday. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

“This year we have an unbelievable amount of talent and our brotherhood is crazy good,” Kuzma said. “We have a bunch of seniors and a lot of guys who love to be around each other.”

Bonn credits playing in the deep 4A Jeffco League for getting Valor to the elite level in 4A. Valor will join the 5A Jeffco League next year.

“A ton of experience back and guys who know how to win in big situations,” Bonn said of his squad moving into the playoffs that begin with regionals Saturday, May 12. “I think playing in this league really prepares us well for the playoffs. We are thankful to be in the Jeffco League and having a chance to make a run in the playoff again.”

Golden hopes to tap into its postseason success it has last season. The Demons just qualified for the postseason and advanced to the eight-team double-elimination state tournament.

“We made a nice little run in the playoffs last year, but there in never a guarantee that is going to happen,” McBroom said. “We’ve got to be hungry and go get it. We can’t expect teams to just give it to us.”

Valor and Golden finish out the 4A Jeffco League Tournament with both facing Evergreen and Wheat Ridge next week.

Golden senior Jack McLaughlin, right, nearly tags out Valor senior Noah Kuzma at second base during the first-round 4A Jeffco League Tournament game Saturday at Golden High School. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

DENVER — Lauren Russell scored four goals as No. 2 Colorado Academy girls lacrosse beat No. 5 Denver East to remain undefeated on the year.

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LAKEWOOD — Dakota Ridge girls lacrosse team’s appearance in the quarterfinals of the state tournament a year ago set a precedent for the future.

Dakota Ridge lost to three-time defending state champion Colorado Academy in the quarterfinals last season to put a close on the most successful season for Dakota Ridge’s girls lacrosse program with a 15-2 record.

“This year more of my goal has been to take this team to the playoffs and show that even losing seven or eight seniors Dakota Ridge still has a name and something to show,” Dakota Ridge coach Jordan Hogan said of 2018 campaign for the Eagles.

Dakota Ridge senior Kailee Lammers, right, spins away from Evergreen freshman Carly Poole. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

Dakota Ridge (7-5, 4-1 in Jeffco League) took another step Thursday toward securing a postseason berth. Dakota Ridge defeated an up-and-coming Evergreen team 13-9 at Trailblazer Stadium.

It wasn’t as easy Jeffco League victory for the Eagles. The Cougars (9-3, 3-3) had an impressive first half offensively pouring in eight goals. Evergreen freshman Margo Miller led the way with five first-half goals.

Evergreen got goals from junior Lily Mott and senior Jordan Russell in the final minute of the first half to cut Dakota Ridge’s lead to 9-8 at halftime.

“I really was surprised,” Dakota Ridge sophomore Tia Krats admitted of Evergreen’s solid play in the first half. “In the past years we’ve played them they haven’t been as good, but they have a really good freshmen class this year. They really surprised us.”

Hogan made sure her team knew it had to play as a team defensively in the second half to avoid the upset.

“It was scary,” Hogan said of the first half. “I literally told them we were playing one-on-one defense out there and we had to play defense as a team if we were even going to come close to beating this team.”

Dakota Ridge sophomore Tia Krats, right, races past Evergreen senior Evelyn Alby on Thursday at Trailblazer Stadium. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

Dakota Ridge buckled down defensively in the second half. Mott scored the lone goal for the Cougars in the second half with a goal with 3:30 left to play.

Krats had a pair of goals as the Eagles began to pull away in the second half. Junior Lauren Tobey and senior Kailee Lammers each had goals as the Eagles outscored the Cougars 4-1 in the second half to take the win. Lammers and Krats had four goals each for Dakota Ridge.

“We have really been focusing on our defense because we have a really young defense this year,” Krats said. “It has gotten a lot better through the season.”

The Eagles were 10th in the RPI standings to start the day. The seven conference champions and next 13 top teams in the RPI will make up the 20-team field for the state tournament that will begin the second week of May.

Despite a solid over record, Evergreen is currently on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoffs. The Cougars were 25th in the RPI standings before the loss to Dakota Ridge

Dakota Ridge closes out its regular season with games against Golden (Saturday, April 28) and Ralston Valley (Tuesday, May 1). Both games will be at Trailblazer Stadium.

Evergreen faces rival Conifer in a non-league game on the Lobos’ home field at 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 2. The Cougars wrap up their regular season against Ralston Valley on Saturday, May 5.

Evergreen freshman Margo Miller fires in one of her five first-half goals Thursday at Trailblazer Stadium. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

LITTLETON — Maddie Duren and Anna Hart scored for sixth-ranked ThunderRidge girls soccer in a 2-1 overtime win over Heritage on Thursday.

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DENVER — No. 5 Valor Christian boys lacrosse rolled to a 12-1 win over Thomas Jefferson on Thursday.

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