(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

DENVER — Turns out the loss to start the state tournament was only a momentary blip for Mountain Vista baseball.

The Golden Eagles, considered a favorite for much of the season, beat Heritage 7-2 to win the Class 5A state championship on Sunday. The win was Mountain Vista’s fifth-straight following a loss to Arapahoe to open the tournament.

“It was surprising, honestly. We’d never dealt with it before,” Liffrig said of that loss. “We knew what we had. We’d won 21 in a row, so five seemed like nothing with the guys that we had.”

“We were hungry to come back and win it all,” said Mountain Vista junior Jon Zakhem. “We knew we had the team to do it.”

It gave the school’s baseball program it’s first-ever state championship. The Golden Eagles also went to championship games in 2006 and 2009.

“It means a lot for players now, past alumni, Vista baseball — anybody that put on the jersey — it means a lot,” said Mountain Vista coach Ron Quintana.

Sunday’s game was set up as an epic pitching matchup, with two of the state’s best arms — Mountain Vista’s Jack Liffrig and Heritage’s Riley Egloff — facing off from the mound.

But Mountain Vista’s offense erupted for six runs in the top of the fourth inning, including a two-run single from Drew Stahl.

Jack Liffrig. (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

Liffrig did the rest, turning in his second complete-game performance of the state tournament. Liffrig also picked up the win in a 2-1 win to eliminate Rocky Mountain in the second round.

“I just treated it like a regular start, trying to keep the team in the ballgame, and just pitch my heart out,” Liffrig said. “I had to get 21 outs.”

That Liffrig, who finishes the year 11-0 this season, was even able to pitch turned out to be a masterful move from Quintana.

In order to reach the title game, Mountain Vista had to beat Heritage on Saturday — they did, 5-0 — and then play Mountain Range in what amounted to a semifinal game on Sunday morning.

It meant Mountain Vista had to set an order for their three arms: Liffrig, co-ace Sam Ireland, and Ben Cole, a sophomore who hadn’t pitched in a varsity game all season until he threw a complete-game in a state tournament win over Pine Creek.

Quintana listened to his players: They wanted Ireland, then Cole, then Liffrig.

“We’d realized we had been to the Final 4 before, and it’s not cool anymore,” Liffrig said. “We decided that this was the best chance to get us a ring, and that’s what happened.”

Ireland threw a complete game in the win over Heritage on Saturday, allowing just five hits in the shutout.

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

Cole did the same in a 14-4 win over Mountain Range earlier Sunday. (He got great help from his lineup, including four RBIs from Grant Magill and three from Clay Burke. Both players homered.)

“I just knew I had to throw strike and let them hit the ball,” Cole said. “I’ve got the best defense in the state behind me, and I can’t do all the work.”

And then Liffrig turned in his own complete game to win the title.

Check, check and check.

“Sam and Liffrig, that’s what we expect,” Quintana said. “Ben Cole, can’t say enough about him. He came in and, honestly, saved us.”

It put a bow on a season in which Mountain Vista was ranked No. 1 in both the coaches poll and the RPI standings for much of the year.

“This group was a special group,” Quintana said. “We showed up to play, they loved to play the game, and they want to beat your butt.”

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(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

GREELEY — As with most playoff games, momentum is a key driving force that will allow any team to come up with a victory.

This continues to ring true as momentum carried University to two big wins in the Class 3A state baseball tournament.

The Bulldogs went 2-0 with victories over Delta and Eaton during the first day of the tournament. Likewise, Faith Christian also went unbeaten by beating Kent Denver and Lamar.

The two squads will matchup as the two remaining unbeaten teams at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Butch Butler in Greeley. The winner of that game will assure itself a shot at playing for the 3A championship.

In its first game, which went extra innings, University used a large eighth-inning to score five runs to come up with the late 7-2 victory over Delta.

“Every win is big at this level, but just the way that we came back and the way that we scratched and clawed to be able to climb out of it has continued to work for us,” Bulldogs coach Casey Miller said.

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

After their victory over Delta, the Bulldogs secured a 8-6 victory over Eaton. The victory was highlighted by a large comeback in the first inning, and Bulldogs pitcher Colton Widler having a phenomenal game.

Eaton jumped out to a 4-0 lead after the first inning, but University started their comeback bid in the third inning with a three-run frame. The Bulldogs then tied the game in the fourth, and took the lead for good with two more runs in the fifth. That put them up 6-4.

“It was tough, because you never like to give any team a four-run lead, especially a good team like Eaton,” Miller said. “At that point I just challenged the guys to put balls in play and make something happen.”

The performance of Bulldogs pitcher Colton Widler helped his team secure the win over Eaton, which earlier beat Peak to Peak 13-3 thanks in large part to 12 combined runs in the third and fourth innings.

“He laid it all out there, and he is one of those guys that every pitch is high intensity,” Miller said. “There is no middle ground with him.”

Faith Christian beat Kent Denver 7-5 thanks to a six-inning start from Tyler Mattingley, and the senior also had two RBIs as the plate.

In the second game, the Eagles got a complete game from Michael Thorne, who struck out 12 and allowed just two hits as his team beat Lamar 2-0.

Earlier, Lamar rallied to beat Lutheran 5-4 as Dalton Chandler struck out 18 batters.

The 3A state tournament resumes at 9 a.m. Saturday with games at University High School and Butch Butler.

Sam Ireland. (Marlee Smith/CHSAANow.com)

DENVER — Sam Ireland badly wanted redemption, and, boy, did he ever get it on Saturday.

Ireland, a Mountain Vista senior, threw a complete game as his Golden Eagles beat Heritage 5-0 in the Class 5A state baseball tournament. He allowed just five hits and one walk, striking out three, in notching the shutout.

“That’s who Sam is,” said Mountain Vista coach Ron Quintana. “He had one bad outing, and everyone wanted to throw him away, and say not throw him. That’s who he’s been. To me, he’s the best player in the state.”

Last week, Ireland allowed seven runs, seven hits and walked two over four innings during an 8-1 loss to Arapahoe to start the state tournament.

“Last week, didn’t come out and have my best stuff, so today I was determined to do that,” Ireland said. “I really needed it.”

(Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)

Mountain Vista met as a team earlier this week, and the players decided they wanted Ireland to start against Heritage.

“They came to me and said, ‘This is what we want. Let’s go,'” Quintana said. “These guys believe in each other. They believe in Sam; that’s what Sam does. He’s been that way for us at the plate and on the mound. He’s been our guy.”

Ireland didn’t do it alone, though. His offense, led by John Zakhem, gave him exactly what he needed. Zakhem homered to left field in the fourth inning to break a scoreless tie.

“That started it all,” Ireland said.

Mountain Vista also scored three runs in the top of the sixth, and Zakhem added an RBI single in the seventh.

The win means Mountain Vista (24-1) will advance to the final day of the 2018 season on Sunday. They will face Mountain Range, who themselves got a big 1-0 win over Arapahoe to advance on Saturday.

That game is now effectively a semifinal matchup, and will be at 10 a.m. Sunday. The winner will play Heritage at 12:30 p.m. for the championship because the Eagles entered the weekend as the lone remaining unbeaten team.

Mountain Vista ran through the regular season unbeaten at 19-0, and spent most of the year ranked No. 1 in both the coaches poll and the RPI. But the Golden Eagles felt written off following the loss to Arapahoe to start the state tournament.

“You get a piece of humble pie, and then everybody says you’re not the favorite,” Quintana said. “There’s a few things with these guys that I like. They love playing the game of baseball. They love playing for each other, it’s a good group.”

Said Ireland: “After going 19-0 and 21-0 through (regionals), and then we lose our first game, and people feel like, ‘Oh they’re not that good. It was a fluke.’ … We’re here to win it.”

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

Mountain Range, meanwhile, got a complete-game one-hit performance from Brayden Brooks, who struck out 10 batters in his team’s win over Arapahoe.

“You have a guy like Brayden Brooks on the mound, and you’re pretty confident in what you can do,” said Mountain Range coach D.J. Yeager. “That kid’s an animal.”

Said Brooks: “I wake up every morning, and I think I’m better than everyone. Some days I’m not, but today I just had it.”

Demarques Ortega drove in the game’s only run with a bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the top of the sixth.

“That’s a huge one,” Yeager said of Ortega’s RBI. “He just found a way.”

Ortega also made a game-ending catch with a diving stop in center field in the bottom of the seventh.

Heritage will play for a state title for the just the second time in program history. The Eagles went in 2004, falling to ThunderRidge.

Heritage saved star pitcher Riley Egloff on Saturday, meaning he will be available to start Sunday’s championship game. Egloff is 7-0 this season with a 1.92 ERA, and shut out Mountain Range last week in a complete game performance where he struck out nine and only allowed four hits.

Mountain Vista has never won a baseball championship, though the Golden Eagles advanced to the title game in 2006 and 2009. They still have plenty of arms left, including Jack Liffrig (10-0, 1.79 ERA), and sophomore Ben Cole, a JV callup who threw a complete game last week.

Mountain Range has never reached a championship game in baseball. The Mustangs are likely to start Mike Polson in the 10 a.m. game. He is 2-0 with a 2.70 ERA this season, and threw a complete-game four-hitter in a win over Rock Canyon in the state tournament last week.

(Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)

(Tracy Renck/CHSAANow.com)

PUEBLO — The king is still on the throne.

For the second year in a row, Paonia High School won the Class 2A state baseball championship.

The Eagles latest conquest came Saturday afternoon when they held on to defeat top-seeded Peyton 8-6 at Hobbs Field at the Runyon Sports Complex.

“This is a special group,” Paonia coach Nate Miller said. “The boys played well.”

The Eagles finished the season with a 23-2 record and capped the season on an 11-game winning streak. This was Paonia’s eighth state baseball title in school history. In addition to the past two years, the Eagles captured state baseball crowns in 1962, 1989, 1996-98 and 2003. Peyton, which was trying to win its first state baseball championship, ended its season at 22-2 and saw its 18-game winning streak snapped.

“This is amazing,” said senior Anders Schopp. “It is hard to describe the feeling of winning back-to-back state championships. I’m in awe.”

Schopp was a key cog in the Eagles’ final win. He came in relief of starting pitcher Soul Connolly with no outs in the third and fired 4.2 innings, striking out six, allowing five hits and walking four. Paonia entered Saturday without the services of its top pitcher KJ Seriani, who was hurt his right pitching arm after just two outs in the regional final a week ago against Limon.

“We knew we had pretty deep pitching and the boys rallied around KJ,” Miller said. “We had a good attitude about it and we went with what we had, and Anders came in and was huge for us.”

Schopp finally ran into trouble in the bottom of the seventh. Peyton mounted a frantic rally and cut the deficit to 8-6 on a two-run single by Rodney Gregg. That left the Panthers with runners on second and third and two outs.

Looking to slam the door and claim state glory, Miller turned to his son, Jaden Miller, a senior, to pitch. The younger Miller, who had a two-run homer in the top of the first inning, was the catcher.

“That’s all I had left,” said the elder Miller about summoning his son to the mound. “I don’t have any shoes left because I wore them out pacing the dugout. He throws a lot of off-speed stuff and I knew they had their No. 7 batter coming up (Josh Gonzales) and I thought Jaden would be the best option. This is special. It has been hard on me all year because I knew it was coming to an end coaching my son and it was just great to get this win.”

Hurler Jaden Miller also threw a complete-game four hitter, struck out two and walked one in the Eagles’ 7-2 semifinal win over Dayspring Christian Saturday morning.

Leading 2-0, the Eagles stretched their lead to 3-0 in the top of the third with an unearned run on a single by Schopp.

Peyton cut the deficit to 3-1 with an RBI single by Jaeden Meyers. Paonia starting pitcher Soul Connolly couldn’t get out of the bottom or third and the Eagles brought in relief pitcher Schopp with the bases loaded.

Schopp struck out his first batter but walked AJ Strobel to get Peyton within 3-2. Schopp was able to get Brennen Meyers to ground into an inning-ending double play.

In the top of the fourth, Paonia erupted for three runs on three hits and took advantage of one error to extend its lead to 6-2. After Grey Neal’s RBI sacrifice fly in the sixth, the Eagles had a comfortable 8-2 edge – and survived for the victory.

“In the comeback, we told them we are down 8-2, and you can’t hit a six-run home run so just go up there and get on base,” said Peyton coach Kelly Nickell. “We seemed relaxed and made contact and got the ball rolling. We had three guys we knew who pitch in this game, I do think we were coming down the high from the high of the first game and Paonia is a very a good team.”

Paonia advanced to the finals by muscling past Day Spring Christian. The offensive hero for the Eagles was Seriani who was 2-for-3 with three RBIs, including a solo home run to left center. Dayspring Christian ended its season 14-6.

 Pitcher Jimmy Fargo took the loss for Dayspring, allowing five runs in four innings.

In the other semifinal game, Peyton won in dramatic fashion when Rupert Shaw had a one-out RBI single in the bottom of the seventh inning to give the Panthers the 4-3 victory over Hotchkiss. Shaw’s hit scored Meyers who reached on a walk.

Hotchkiss pitcher Eli Kirk took the loss in relief. Jonathan Gonzales and Chase Hiatt had two hits apiece for Hotchkiss.

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

COMMERCE CITY — In a matter of about 24 hours, things for Sarah Johnson changed more drastically than she ever could have imagined.

The Windsor junior went from being a normal multisport athlete Tuesday morning to a two-time state champion by Wednesday, hoisting trophies to the sky with different teams.

She pulled off competing for a state title, which is impressive on its own, not just for the Wizards’ girls golf team, but soccer as well — helping bring home both for her school.

“It’s a one-in-a-million opportunity for her to experience something like that,” Windsor soccer coach Mario Garcia said after the Class 4A soccer final. “I don’t think it will hit her until later on in life what she just accomplished.”

Juggling two postseason runs has been a handful from the beginning, but the stars truly began to align at the end of last week when Windsor’s girls soccer team finally broke the semifinal barrier that had held them back for multiple seasons to advance to its first title game.

(Jeff Tucker/jefferywtucker.zenfolio.com)

Meanwhile, the Wizards were also looking to contend for a shot at the golf team title in Colorado Springs, which began on Monday. Johnson admitted that the quick turnaround helped her in the sense that there wasn’t much time to dwell too hard on either sport, and instead continued to push through.

“Talk about busy, I’m still trying to grasp everything,” Johnson said. “It all has been happening so fast. You just focus on what you’re doing that day and give it your all, try to block the rest (out).”

Johnson said that despite the high-stakes soccer game just a day away, she was able to keep it off her mind for most of her second round Tuesday at the Country Club of Colorado.

It proved to be beneficial, as her performance as the team’s third finisher impacted their overall score, which helped Windsor erase a four-stroke deficit after the first day to win by five on the second. Johnson finished tied for 16th individually with an overall score of 39-over par.

“For golf, I’m mentally concentrating for six-plus hours. For soccer, it’s more like two hours but way more intense. It’s crazy and different,” she said. “I started thinking about soccer again as soon as my last putt went in.”

She joined in the celebration with her team, just as any first-time state champion would, but it was short-lived.

A uniform change and one night of sleep was all that she really needed to bounce back with yet another title as the Windsor defender joined the soccer team in beating Valor Christian 4-1 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park the following day.

“It speaks volumes about not just the athlete, but the type of person she is,” Garcia said. “Not just special; but truly, truly special — and unheard of.”

Johnson intends to compete in both soccer and golf again next year as a senior.

The 2018 all-state boys lacrosse teams honor the best players in the sport as judged by the leagues and coaches.

They are created by the Colorado High School Boys Lacrosse Coaches Association.

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Class 5A

(Keith Righthouse/scorpio67photo.com)

Player of the year: Brett Boos, Chaparral

Coach of the year: Ben Brenneman, Kent Denver

Honorable mention:

• Evan Woods, Junior, Lakewood, Attack
• Nolan Drop, Senior, Rocky Mountain, Attack
• Josh Carlson, Sophomore, Arapahoe, Attack
• Chase Street, Senior, Cherokee Trail, Attack
• James Steinke, Junior, Castle View, Attack
• Cade Ziegler, Sophomore, Lewis-Palmer, Attack
• Will Dennen, Senior, Regis Jesuit, Midfield
• Jacob Brunner , Junior, Lakewood, Midfield
• Joe Kassal, Junior, Regis Jesuit, Midfield
• Jack Berger, Junior, Mullen, Midfield
• Vinny Mata, Sophomore, Regis Jesuit, Defense
• Vinny Curci, Senior, Rock Canyon, Defense
• Kevin Eells, Senior, Lewis-Palmer, Defense
• Jack Thompson, Junior, Rock Canyon, Goalie
• Zach Groff, Junior, Rocky Mountain, Goalie
• Robbie Brazanskas, Sophomore, Monarch, LSM
• Colin O’Brien, Senior, Mullen, LSM
• Enzo Pellegrini, Senior, Colorado Academy, LSM
• Mitchell Tiedman, Junior, Columbine, Def. Midfield

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Class 4A

(Kevin Prickett/prickettpix.com)

Player of the year: Gavyn Pure, Dawson School

Coach of the year: Will Cantwell, Thompson Valley

Honorable mention:

• Ian Acheson, Sophomore, Valor Christian, Attack
• George Fenton, Senior, George Washington, Attack
• Nic Crosbie, Senior, Evergreen, Attack
• Jack Paul, Senior, Cheyenne Mountain, Attack
• Tommy Rodgers , Senior, Durango, Attack
• Kieran Hahn, Junior, Steamboat Springs, Midfield
• Riley Welsch, Junior, Jefferson Academy, Midfield
• Nate Huntsman, Senior, Windsor, Midfield
• Jackson Keener, Junior, Dawson School, Midfield
• Broderick Calley, Junior, Golden, Midfield
• Trey Towndrow, Sophomore, Green Mountain, Midfield
• Cullen Robinette, Junior, Durango, Midfield
• Foster Turner, Junior, Ponderosa, Defense
• Jake Buckovich, Senior, Battle Mountain, Defense
• Sam Frakowiak, Senior, Steamboat Springs, Defense
• Bryce Runkel, Senior, Battle Mountain, Defense
• Bryce Kellum, Senior, Windsor, Defense
• Theron McAdoo, Senior, Golden, Defense
• Bridger Boyd, Senior, Steamboat Springs, LSM
• Trey Fabrocinii, Sophomore, Aspen, LSM
• Blake Higgins, Junior, Air Academy, LSM
• Mike Madayag, Senior, Golden, F/O Midfield

(Lance Wendt/LanceWendt.com)

DENVER — For the fourth consecutive year, Colorado Academy and Cherry Creek met for girls lacrosse’s state championship. And for the fourth consecutive year, Colorado Academy is the girls lacrosse state champion.

Colorado Academy led 5-4 at halftime, and then went on a four-goal run to expand their lead and put the game out of reach en route to a 13-7 victory on Wednesday at the University of Denver’s Barton Lacrosse Stadium.

“The message to the team in halftime was that they are not going away,” Colorado Academy head coach Stephanie Sanders said about what she told her team during halftime. “Mo matter what we do they are not going away until the end of the game.

“We came in knowing that no part of this game was going to be easy, and it wasn’t.”

The game matched two unbeaten teams at 18-0, with Cherry Creek seeded No. 1 overall, and Colorado Academy at No. 2. The two programs also sit Nos. 1 and 2 in terms of championships won, with Cherry Creek having won 10.

They hadn’t played since their matchup in the title game last spring.

After the teams traded goals to start the night, Mustangs midfielder Jessie Bakes scored twice to push Colorado Academy’s lead to 4-1. Cherry Creek battled back in the dying minutes of the first half to cut down the Mustangs lead to 5-4 following the first half.

But Colorado Academy then went on its run to extend its lead.

It led to another title, the fifth in the history of the program.

“I just cannot be able to comprehend it, I am so proud of the team,” Colorado Academy forward Lauren Russell said. “This has been a dream of mine since I was in eighth grade, so it is absolutely awesome for it to be happening.”

(Lance Wendt/LanceWendt.com)

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

LAKEWOOD — In one of the biggest moments of its season, Pueblo West turned to a junior who hadn’t pitched all year.

Largely because of that decision, the Cyclones are assured of a chance to play for the Class 4A state baseball championship next week.

Julian Lucero entered the game with runners on first and second and no outs in the bottom of the fifth. Pueblo West led Windsor, the No. 1 overall seed, 6-3.

Lucero promptly struck out Braden Martinez, who homered earlier. Then he forced a ground out — which did lead to a run — but he followed it with another strikeout. Crisis averted.

“It’s just all about being a competitor when you’re out there on this stage,” said Lucero, who also plays for the school’s boys basketball team.

The Cyclones went on to escape with a 7-6 victory over Windsor, and are the lone remaining team in the 4A state tournament.

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

“He’s a competitor — he’s a hooper — so when you’re an athlete and a competitor, we trust that,” said Pueblo West coach Dan Sanchez. “We love that they’re athletes and they’re gonna compete. … If we didn’t think he would do that, we wouldn’t have put him out there.”

This is the third time in the past six seasons that Pueblo West has been the only unbeaten team heading into the final set of games. The Cyclones have never won a baseball championship.

“We’ve just got to keep on playing like we’re playing,” Sanchez said.

Tuesday’s win wasn’t without its share of drama.

Lucero went on to throw a scoreless sixth, including another strikeout, before Windsor started a rally in the seventh. The Wizards’ Martinez homered again, Bailey Brachtenbach drew a walk, and Craig Singiser singled. It was 7-5 at that point with just one out, and Pueblo West brought Nate Denniston in to close for the second day in a row.

Josh Barker then singled, but Pueblo West’s Dylan Gist threw a runner out at home. In the top half of the inning, Gist had driven in what would later be the winning run.

“You’ve just got to make a play, and when your team needs you, you’ve got to do what you can,” Gist said. “If you don’t trust yourself, you can’t make those plays.”

Added Sanchez: “Today, he was huge.”

Two outs.

Windsor’s Braden Peninger then singled, but the ball hit an umpire up the middle, and changed direction, so the runners already aboard stayed put at second and third, and Peninger at first.

Jake Barker followed that with a bases-loaded walk to make it a one-run game at 7-6.

But Denniston got Windsor’s Owen Lockner to ground out to third base to end the game.

“He’s a tough kid,” Sanchez said of Denniston. “We love that he’s out there in that moment. We know that he’s not going to fear it.”

Now, the Cyclones will face Cheyenne Mountain at noon Tuesday at All-City Field in Denver. On the other side of the bracket, Windsor and Valor Christian will play at 9 a.m.

If Pueblo West wins its game, two teams will remain for Wednesday, and the winner of Windsor and Valor Christian would need to beat the Cyclones twice to win the championship.

If Cheyenne Mountain wins, the Indians would face the winner of Windsor and Valor Christian in a de facto semifinal game Wednesday morning, with the winner of that contest advancing to play Pueblo West in a winner-take-all championship Wednesday afternoon.

Cheyenne Mountain punched its ticket with a marathon 2-hour, 41-minute win over Holy Family that saw the squad pound out 10 hits and draw 10 walks in a 12-5 win.

Chase McCleary had three RBIs in the win, while Michael Ellis and AJ Carpenter each had two.

Devin Dodson was solid in relief for Cheyenne Mountain, allowing just one hit and two walks in three innings. He struck out two.

Holy Family beat Longmont 7-6 earlier Tuesday to eliminate the Trojans.

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

Two-time defending champion Valor Christian returned to the Final 4 with a 10-0 win over Roosevelt in six innings. Noah Kuzma hit a two-run home run in the first inning, and Ryan Barber and Rafe Kinder each had two RBIs.

Radek Birkholz threw a complete-game for the Eagles, allowing just four hits and two walks. He struck out three.

Earlier, Roosevelt had eliminated Evergreen with a 2-1 win on Wednesday morning.

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

COMMERCE CITY — Frustration, heartbreak, restlessness – so many ingredients went into Windsor’s recipe for the 2018 girls soccer season.

But this time it was crucial that the Wizards finally nail down the right formula. It was all or nothing for a senior-heavy team that had always come this close to fulfilling its dream, but instead gone home with semifinal losses the past three years.

Not this time.

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

Windsor finally flipped the script and finished the storybook ending it had been trying to write since 2015 – in form of an emphatic 4-1 victory over Valor Christian in the Class 4A state championship game at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on Wednesday.

“The heartache had been enough. This year we decided that there was no next year. We had to do whatever it takes,” coach Mario Garcia said. “Life is about opportunities, and I think they knew this was their last opportunity to finish it out. As a coach, that’s truly special to see.”

The Wizards (19-0-1) made it clear early in Wednesday’s game they weren’t going to let another chance slip past.

Windsor was dominant from start to finish, and the Eagles couldn’t do much other than hope the game wouldn’t get too far out of reach. The Wizards controlled possession for the majority of the first half and had a few early chances, but more than 20 minutes went by scoreless.

It was fitting that senior Chaynee Kingsbury took the reigns to break the silence on a breakaway goal in the 25th minute.

The other half of Windsor’s star scoring duo, junior Abby Gearhart, then added a goal of her own off a loose rebound that lifted the Wizards to a 2-0 halftime lead.

“We wanted to come out flying … and that’s exactly what we did,” said Kingsbury, who will next play at the University of Colorado. “It’s a lot of hard work and it finally paid off. It’s an amazing feeling.”

In search of its first program title, there was no letting off the gas for Windsor – which took a commanding three-goal lead just minutes after halftime.

Kingsbury then put the finishing touch on her show-stopping championship performance, scoring a third goal for a hat trick in her high school finale.

Alex Dawes scored the lone goal for Valor in the 57th minute.

The Wizards finished with an astonishing 118-11 goal differential in their favor over the season and capped off an undefeated campaign.

“It’s honestly the best feeling in the world,” senior goalkeeper Michaela Moran said. “As close as we’ve been, we could have won it any of those other times. But I wouldn’t want it any other way than to win it like this with these girls. It’s so surreal to finally get it done.”

Valor Christian, which has one previous girls soccer title (2011), finishes its as the 4A runner-up with a 12-4-3 overall mark.

COMMERCE CITY — Chaynee Kingsbury scored three times to lift Windsor to a 4-1 win over Valor Christian to take the Class 4A girls soccer championship.

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