CHSAANow

Month: April 2018

  • Rivarly between No. 10 St. Mary’s girls soccer and No. 6 Manitou Springs brings out best in both teams

    Manitou Springs St. Mary's girls soccer
    (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

    COLORADO SPRINGS — Lexie Friend’s first varsity soccer goal comes with a great story. It gave St. Mary’s a 1-0 win. That win came against rival Manitou Springs. The Pirates are ranked 10th in the Class 3A CHSAANow.com rankings. The Mustangs are No. 6.

    That’s what makes the game between the traditional Tri-Peaks rivals so much fun every year. They’re intense, competitive and at the end of the day, either team can come away with a win regardless of where they are in the rankings or the standings.

    “I think that’s why you play the game, I know that’s why I coach, for games like this,” Manitou Springs coach Ben Mack said. “I love these kinds of games. I’m not frustrated. Of course I want to win, but I’d rather play these games any day of the week.”

    The Mustangs (9-2 overall) have been on fire recently. Coming into Saturday’s game, they had scored an average of seven goals per game and had given up just two total on the year. One came at the hands of Jefferson Academy in a 1-0 loss earlier this season, the only other regular season loss.

    The Pirates (9-2) haven’t been too shabby themselves. Their only losses have been to Holy Family and Mullen. And like the Mustangs, the St. Mary’s defense doesn’t give up a lot goals. Holding the Mustangs scoreless might just be their biggest accomplishment to date in 2018.

    Manitou Springs St. Mary's girls soccer
    (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

    “It was really well-played game,” St. Mary’s coach Gregg Braha said. “Manitou is really good, they’re not 9-2 by accident. (Our back line) is very organized and it starts with the goal keeper (Becca Dunbaugh). She organizes them back there.”

    The importance of that organization became apparent after Friend’s goal in the 30th minute to put the Pirates up a goal.

    It was Friend’s first goal as a varsity player. Braha was so excited he bolted into the stands to congratulate her father, Air Force women’s head soccer coach Larry Friend. The importance of the goal isn’t lost on the junior, despite her not having anything to compare it to.

    “I’m sure eventually I’ll find another goal to be able to compare it to,” she said. “But right now, that’s probably my best goal (of my life).”

    Knowing the pressure was going to be on the Mustangs in the second half, St. Mary’s refused to go conservative and instead focused on attacking rather than defending.

    While the teams don’t play in the same league, Graha and his girls knew the importance of getting this win on this cold, cloudy day.

    “We were told to keep the pressure up as high as we can,” Friend said.

    It was just the third regular season loss in the last two years for Manitou. With four games left before the start of the postseason, the Mustangs need to get back to what’s made them dominant most of this year.

    “I think this game showed us what we have to work on,” junior Caileen Sienknecht said. “We have to sharpen up and this is going to be a teaching moment.”

    With just under five minutes remaining, Sienknecht came up from the mid-field and found herself on a breakaway. The Pirates closed in defensively and the scoring opportunity was lost, although the Manitou bench felt a penalty shot should have been awarded.

    But there is no crying over spilled milk as far as Sienknecht is concerned.

    “It’s just one of those days we have to put behind us and move on,” she said.

    And move on they shall. The Mustangs have three tough games remaining before their regular season finale against Colorado Springs Christian School, a game likely to decide a league championship.

    The Pirates also have three games left in the regular season, starting with a long road trip to Lamar on Monday.

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  • No. 3 Columbine boys lacrosse hands No. 9 Dakota Ridge its first loss

    LAKEWOOD — Columbine remains the top dog when it comes to boys lacrosse in Jeffco.

    The Rebels, ranked No. 3 in the latest CHSAANow.com Class 5A boys lacrosse poll, proved Friday that its still the team to beat in the 5A Jeffco League. Columbine scored a 7-2 victory over rival and previously undefeated No. 9 Dakota Ridge at Trailblazer Stadium.

    “This is pretty big for us,” said Columbine goalie Gavin Beilman, who kept the Eagles scoreless until midway through the fourth quarter. “Dakota Ridge had the undefeated record. We wanted to show that we are still here.”

    Columbine goalie Gavin Beilman (30) makes a save during the Rebels’ 7-2 victory over rival Dakota Ridge. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    Columbine (9-1, 4-0 in league) never trailed, scoring the first seven goals. Juniors Leo Grossman and Taylor Gustafson scored a goal each. Senior Nick Darrow poured in a pair while the Rebels’ leading scorer Gabe Mein poured in a trio into the back of the net.

    Mein wore the 99 jersey instead of his normal 37 in memory of the victims of the April 20, 1999 tragedy at Columbine High School.

    “I was honored to wear it,” Mein said of wearing the 99 jersey. “It’s pretty special and humbling.

    The Rebels are tied with Lewis-Palmer (5-4, 4-0) atop the 5A Jeffco after handing Dakota Ridge (11-1, 3-1) its first loss.

    The Eagles scored late goals by juniors Jacobi Villamaria and Drew Eickelman to prevent getting shut out.

    “There was too much talk about the record,” Dakota Ridge coach James Foote said of the Eagles coming in as the lone undefeated team left in 5A. “I want the guys to focus on the moment.”

    Columbine still has three conference games left.

    The Rebels face Bear Creek and Pine Creek next week before its league finale against Lewis-Palmer on Monday, April 30, that will probably decide the league title. The Rangers do have a challenging schedule next week facing Dakota Ridge and No. 8 Lakewood (10-2, 2-2).

    Dakota Ridge senior Samuel Arfsten (7) tries to avoid Columbine senior Patrick Stadelmaier during the 5A Jeffco League game. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    “It was definitely a reality check in conference play. Usually we just breeze through the league,” Mein said of facing the upstart Lakewood and Dakota Ridge programs this week.

    The Rebels have a pair of non-league tune-ups before the start of the postseason. Columbine is at No. 1 Regis Jesuit on May 2 before wrapping up the regular season against old rival Wheat Ridge on May 4.

    “They are the team to beat right now,” Columbine coach Henry Sulzbacher said of Regis.

    The only loss Columbine has suffered this season was to No. 4 Cherry Creek. The Rebels nearly pulled off a remarkable second-half comeback after falling behind 7-0 at halftime. Eventually the Bruins held on for an 11-9 victory on April 4.

    “We learned a lot about ourselves,” Sulzbacher said of the loss to the Bruins. “We got exposed when it comes to dealing with pressure. Better to learn that in April then May.”

    Regis (9-1, 2-0 in South Suburban League) lost to Torrey Pines in California during its spring break trip.

    “Every day we ask if we are playing well enough to beat Regis,” Mein said. “They are the ones with the target on their back. It’s a work in progress toward that game on May 2.”

    The Eagles close out their regular season with league games against Bear Creek, Lewis-Palmer and rival Chatfield before likely heading to the postseason.

    Columbine senior Gabe Mein, right, spins away from Dakota Ridge senior Gavin Gines. Mein wore #99 in memory of the victims of the Columbine tragedy 19 years ago on April 20, 1999. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

  • No. 5 Columbine girls lacrosse continues to roll in Jeffco League

    LAKEWOOD — Columbine’s girls lacrosse team went dashing through the snow Saturday afternoon for its sixth straight victory and fifth consecutive win in Jeffco League play.

    The Rebels, ranked No. 5 in the latest CHSAANow.com girls lacrosse poll, took a 19-4 victory over Green Mountain on a snowy Trailblazer Stadium. The artificial turf field was clear after being plowed off before the first game of a Saturday girls lacrosse doubleheader.

    Columbine sophomore Aliyah Weant, left, has the ball knocked loose by Green Mountain junior Rachel Bales. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    “It’s always nice to play on a nice snowy day,” Columbine coach Sonorah Hunter could said with a smile.

    Columbine (10-2, 5-0 in league) jumped out to an 11-2 lead at halftime. Four different Rebels — juniors Whitney Block, Emma Maxwell and Madison Hadden, along with senior Maeve Hungerford — scored for Columbine in the opening 10 minutes to get the Rebels going.

    The Rebels finished with six players finishing with multiple-goal games. Hungerford and junior Alea Tolley had four goals each. Block and sophomore Aliyah Weant had three goals each. Maxwell and senior Angela Naughton had a pair of goals each.

    “It was a little cold, but we toughed it out. It definitely got warmer as the game went on,” Block said. “I think we played well.”

    Columbine senior Annie Van Norstrand picked up the victory in goal for the Rebels.

    The victory finished off a nice week for the Rebels. Columbine defeated rival Dakota Ridge 18-7 on Thursday night. The Eagles (5-5, 2-1) are just outside the top-10 in the CHSAANow.com rankings.

    Columbine junior Alea Tooley (29) and Green Mountain freshman KC Ossello battle on a face-off. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    “We got a really good win on Thursday against Dakota. I think that was our biggest threat in league,” Block said of the Rebels’ win over Dakota Ridge. “So far we just got to keep pushing, getting the wins and win that league title.”

    Columbine is attempting to win back-to-back conference title and claim the league title in Jeffco for the third time in four years. The Rebels close out conference play next week against Bear Creek (2-7, 0-5) and Chatfield (7-4, 4-0).

    “The girls have been working incredibly hard. I think we’ve been taking it game-by-game,” Hunter said. “We are really focused on us as a team and how we can get better.”

    The lone setbacks for the Rebels this season was an overtime loss to No. 3 Denver East and 20-8 loss to No. 1 Cherry Creek. Both of those games were more than a month ago before spring break.

    “Our defense is the biggest thing we have to work on going into playoffs,” Block said. “I think our defense is really picking it up.”

    Green Mountain (6-5, 1-4) was coming off a nice non-league victory over Steamboat Springs, but just couldn’t generation enough offense to knock off Columbine.

    Senior Samantha Day and freshman KC Ossello scored for the Rams in the first half against the Rebels. Senior Sara Haefele, who is over the 30-goal mark this season, put in a pair of goals for Green Mountain in the second half.

    The Rams will attempt to bounce back in a non-league road game at Denver North on Monday, April 23.

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  • Late offensive push gives No. 9 Canon City baseball a win over Widefield

    Canon City Widefield baseball
    (Kelsey Lowry/CHSAANow.com)

    COLORADO SPRINGS — Better late than never. Canon City’s offense surged late to keep the Tigers undefeated in league play, getting a 5-2 win over Widefield.

    The Gladiators (7-8 overall, 2-2 Class 4A Colorado Springs Metro League) started the game with a leadoff double from Isaiah Grima that would eventually lead to Widefield being the first team with a run on the board.

    Both teams then went on to get three-up three-down innings. Widefield was able to tack on one more run in the third inning from a triple from starting pitcher, Brennan Heitz and a single from Elijah Clark.

    While Heitz seemed to have the Canyon City (12-2, 4-0) lineup figured out, the Class 4A No. 9 Tigers started to catch on in the fourth inning. Kadin Porter started the fourth inning with taking one for the team after being hit by a pitch. Canyon City was able to capitalize and got a run in from a few singles.

    With a two-out rally in the fifth, Lincoln Andrews came up cultch and drilled the ball to left center, resulting in a double and two RBIs that put Canyon City ahead of Widefield

    “I like how we responded and stayed with it,” Canyon City coach Tim Ritter said. “We stayed patient and we were able to figure their pitcher out in the latter part of the game, but I have mixed feelings because of the mental mistakes.”

    Heitz was the starting pitcher for Widefield and pitched six innings and allowed four runs. He was relieved in the seventh by Grima who allowed one run.

    Canon City Widefield baseball
    (Kelsey Lowry/CHSAANow.com)

    Tristan Beicker started on the mound for Canyon City and pitched three innings and allowed five hits and two runs. Zac Hanenberg came in for relief in the fourth inning and got the win with allowing no hits and no runs. Beicker struck out two and Hanenberg struck out four for a combined six batters.

    “Our pitchers did a great job today,” coach Ritter said. “Tristan didn’t make a mistake on the mound and Zac came out and shut them out, sometimes you win ugly when you have mistakes in the field.”

    With this win, Canyon City extends their win streak to seven games and remains undefeated in league games. With the season wrapping up in a few weeks games like this are important to win, especially with the games not getting any easier.

    “The rest of the season is not going to get any easier,” said coach Ritter. “We can clean up the mental side of things and just go back to basics and worry about what we can control.”

    Canyon City will be back in the Springs and will face The Classical Academy on Tuesday. Widefield will host Sierra late next week.

  • Photos: Rimkus leads No. 7 Rock Canyon boys lacrosse in upset over No. 2 Mountain Vista

    HIGHLANDS RANCH — Sophomore Jacob Rimkus led Rock Canyon with three goals as the Class 5A No. 7 Jags upset No. 2 Mountain Vista 9-8 on Thursday.

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  • Boys swimming rankings: Regis Jesuit, Discovery Canyon are now No. 1

    This week’s boys swimming rankings are below.

    These team rankings are created from the top marks of the season so far which have been entered in MaxPreps. They are compiled by PrepSwimCo.com.

    In addition, the top individual marks of the season to date are compiled here.

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    PrepSwimCo.com Boys Swimming & Diving Rankings

    Class 5A
    RK TEAM PVS
    1 Regis Jesuit 2
    2 Fossil Ridge 1
    3 Cherry Creek 3
    4 Ponderosa 6
    5 Smoky Hill 9
    6 Arapahoe 4
    7 Highlands Ranch 7
    8 Greeley West 5
    9 Rocky Mountain 8
    10 Hinkley –
    Dropped out
    Broomfield (10).
    Class 4A
    RK TEAM PVS
    1 Discovery Canyon 4
    2 Mullen 6
    3 Cheyenne Mountain 7
    4 Pine Creek 8
    5 Windsor 1
    6 Golden 3
    7 Silver Creek 2
    8 Pueblo County 10
    9 Valor Christian 9
    10 Loveland 5
    Dropped out
    None.

  • Photos: Grand Junction girls soccer beats Montrose in OT

    MONTROSE — Grand Junction girls soccer came away with a 3-2 overtime win over Montrose on Thursday.

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  • Photos: No. 2 Dawson boys lacrosse strikes as time expires to beat No. 1 Thompson Valley

    LAFAYETTE — Gavyn Pure found Jackson Keener just in the nick of time. Keener buried a shot just before the buzzer sounded, giving Class 4A No. 2 Dawson a 10-9 win over No. 1 Thompson Valley.

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  • No. 1 Peyton baseball thrives on the mental side of the game

    Peyton baseball
    (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

    PEYTON — If Yogi Berra watched baseball in Peyton, he would agree that the Panthers are strong when it comes to the 90 percent of the game that’s mental.

    The other half of it that’s physical?

    They’re not too bad on that end of it either. At 12-1 on the year, Peyton climbed into the top spot of the Class 2A baseball rankings earlier this week. The Panthers are also the top team in the 2A RPI. Overall, they’ve shown to be a balanced baseball team that is poised to make a postseason run.

    “As a team, we haven’t talked about what it means to be ranked No. 1 coach,” coach Kelly Nickell said. “As for RPI, we’ve played some tough teams the last couple of weeks and that’s what is always going to help.”

    They don’t win with power. They don’t win with flashy defense. They win simply by putting the ball in play in the right spots and just making the plays with their wolves when they need to.

    Oh, and it helps that they understand that baseball is a thinking man’s game. And the Panthers are always thinking. A 4-3 win over Highland on Wednesday doesn’t happen without outthinking the Huskies.

    Pitcher Rodney Gregg got into their heads with a quick pickoff throw to first. The second that first baseman Nick Bachmeier fired the ball back to Gregg, he stepped on the rubber and delivered a quick pitch to an unprepared Husky. But the hitter never left the batter’s box and Gregg knew that with baseball, play is always live unless time is called.

    “I learned that with my summer ball team,” Gregg said. “It keeps the batter off balance and let’s him know that I’m still thinking about him, but still trying to throw off his timing.”

    Peyton baseball
    (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

    In the top of the third inning, the Panthers led 1-0, but Highland was threatening. Jacob Smith walked to start the inning and advanced to third on a stolen base followed by a throwing error from catcher A.J. Strobel.

    But Strobel would have the last laugh. After Gregg struck out the next two hitters, Strobel caught Smith napping on third base and trapped him in a rundown.

    The Panthers got the out and scored two runs in the bottom of the third to increase the lead to 3-0.

    “That’s all we do,” Gregg said. “We work on the mental side of the game. We always work on those situations, if they’re sleeping or on those bunting (for base hit) plays, those guys work really hard at it.”

    And it’s paying off. Regardless of the ranking that comes before their name, the Panthers know that they can make a deep playoff run. And they know that when they reach those games in mid- to late-May, every team is going to be talented.

    The mental game is what could separate them from the rest of the field.

    “That’s what we talk about constantly are the little things,” senior Josh Gonzales said. “The little things can win you or lose you a baseball game.”

    For now, they’re doing the little things that are winning them games. When Gregg is on the mound, he very much takes the lead when it comes to thinking out situations and helping his team come away with a win.

    “When it comes to Rod, I don’t know if you’ll find a smarter baseball guy,” Nickell said. “It’s actually fun to talk baseball with him.”

    Nickell adds that Gregg is a throwback. He’s not a kid who just plays the game, he knows the game. And that has made the entire Peyton baseball better.

    Not just in the half of the game that is physical, but the other 90 percent of it that’s mental.

  • Wheat Ridge baseball stuns 4A’s No. 8 Golden with 5-run 6th inning

    WHEAT RIDGE — Less than two weeks ago it would be hard to image Wheat Ridge baseball would be in the position it is now.

    An improbable 6-5 come-from-behind victory Wednesday afternoon against rival Golden, ranked No. 8 in the CHSAANow.com Class 4A baseball poll, put the Farmers with a legitimate shot of winning the 4A Jeffco League title.

    “If you looked at this team two or three weeks ago you would say we were done for,” Wheat Ridge senior Payton Dietrich said. “We don’t give up. We have a lot of young guys who want to win.”

    Wheat Ridge junior Aaron Arcilise picked up the victory on the mound nearly pitching a complete-game for the Farmers against rival Golden. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    A 4-game winning streak over eight days for Wheat Ridge (5-7-1 record, 4-1 in 4A Jeffco) has given the Farmers hope for a postseason berth and possibility a conference title. Wheat Ridge started the season with a 1-7-1 record, but league victories over Standley Lake, Evergreen, Green Mountain and Golden has put the Farmers alone in second place in 4A Jeffco.

    No. 2 Valor Christian (10-2, 5-0) is leading the pack in the conference. Wheat Ridge is scheduled to face the two-time defending 4A state champions at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 21, in Highlands Ranch.

    “I love this group of kids. They are so resilient,” said Wheat Ridge coach Adam Miller, who admitted he didn’t believe a few weeks ago that the Farmers had a chance at a conference title. “We just want a push to have a chance to get in (to the postseason). The stakes are now a little bit bigger.”

    Golden (10-4, 3-2) looked to be primed to stay in the league title hunt holding a 5-1 lead on the Farmers’ home field Wednesday. Senior Jack McLaughlin was cruising on the mound for the Demons and Golden’s 4-run three inning was holding up.

    However, Wheat Ridge batted around in the bottom of the sixth inning scoring five times to suddenly grab a 6-5 lead heading the seventh inning.

    “We got a bad hop and a bad throw,” Miller said of the 5-run sixth inning. “We made it work. The key was we put the ball in play. We’ll take it for sure.”

    The two key plays that went the Farmers’ way was a ground ball that looked like a possible inning-ending double play, but the grounder by freshman Westin Miller took a bad hop and hit Jack McLaughlin, who had just moved from pitcher to shortstop, in the neck.

    Golden senior Ethan Whitson loses the ball in the sun in right field. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    “We just have to make a play,” Golden coach Jackie McBroom said. “They (Wheat Ridge) put the ball into play and we didn’t make the plays. We had a good lead going into the sixth inning. We need to put teams away and we didn’t do that.”

    The other error came with two outs. A slow ground ball by sophomore Ethan Sitzman was thrown wide of first base, allowing the Farmers to score the game-tying and eventual game-winning run on the play.

    “Putting it in play is what helped us. They did kick it around a little bit,” said Dietrich, who started off the Farmers’ big inning with the only base hit in the sixth for Wheat Ridge. “Once one of us did something we all jumped in. The outcome was a 6-5 win.”

    Wheat Ridge junior Aaron Arcilise picked up the win on the hill. Arcilise had to be taken off the mound with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning due to his pitch count. Junior Anthony Tate closed out the game with a strike out to get the save.

    Wheat Ridge hosts D’Evelyn on Monday, April 23, after the showdown with Valor.

    “We have matured a lot,” Dietrich said. “We are going to give it a shot. Come on Valor.”

    There is a 3-game league tournament to close out the regular season, however those games will not count in the conference standings. Golden is scheduled to finish off its conference schedule at Standley Lake (Saturday, April 21) and at home against Evergreen (Monday, April 23).

    The Demons just made the postseason last year, but took full advantage of their opportunity getting upset regional victories over Canon City and Longmont to make the 8-team state tournament. McBroom would like to see the Demons get back to the basics heading down the home stretch of the regular season.

    “This program since I’ve been here has been built on fundamentally sound baseball,” McBroom said. “All of the sudden we have a lot of seniors and they are more talented now. We’ve got to get back to fundamentally sound baseball.”

    Wheat Ridge sophomore Ethan Sitzman, left, forces out Golden senior Noah Mitchell out at second base during the Farmers’ 6-5 victory Wednesday. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)