(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

COMMERCE CITY — The combination of a timely substitution and a little bit of sage advice added up to the biggest moment of the season for Grandview’s girls soccer team.

Locked in a scoreless tie in overtime with Broomfield on Wednesday night in the Class 5A state championship game, Wolves coach Tari Wood put sophomore Caylin Lyubenko back into the game just a few minutes into the extra session. Junior Shalom Prince unloaded her spinning throw-in from the sidelines – heeding the placement advice of her coach – and Lyubenko somehow looped a high shot that tucked under the crossbar to give Grandview the 1-0 victory at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park and its third 5A state title over the past four seasons.

Lyubenko had just re-entered the game in the previous minute. She said someone tipped the ball off the throw-in and she decided to go for it.

“It went backwards, so I was like I might as well just try and kick it,” Lyubenko said. “I kicked it over my head and it went in.”

Nobody was happier with that decision than Wood.

“I cannot tell you how many times I’ve screamed at her to run through with her body,” the coach said. “She did that with what I call a ‘chicken leg’ and it just happened.

“I don’t think anybody could see it. I don’t think the goalkeeper could see it … it just happened.”

GSOC: @Grandview_HS wins in overtime! 1-0 over the Broomfield Eagles #coprep #9Sports pic.twitter.com/lSEkmSY401

— 9NEWS Prep Sports (@9Preps) May 24, 2018

That set off a wild celebration as players stormed the field to mob Lyubenko. The shutout was the third of the postseason for Grandview (17-0-3), which had to rally from an early deficit in the semifinals just to make it to Commerce City.

“We went down 2-0 in that semifinal (against Mountain Vista) and it was kind of after that, it was like ‘OK, let’s just go play,’” Wood said. “This is definitely the icing on the cake.”

Like Grandview, Broomfield (18-1-1) had its fair share of chances on the evening as well. The Eagles finished with seven shots on goal, and senior goalkeeper Grace Fuller made three saves and came up big on several occasions. Broomfield’s back line was up to the task against a Grandview offense that had scored 21 goals in the first four playoff contests.

“Phenomenal job by both (teams),” Wood said. “The keepers didn’t have to do a whole lot.

“I thought Broomfield was a little more physical than we were. (Broomfield senior Hailey) Stodden is a stud. I thought my girls did a phenomenal job staying in front of her and keeping her minimized and the people who ran off the ball from her.”

Grandview’s keeper combo of senior Reagan McCombs and junior Maddie Livingston turned away the Eagles several times, and the Wolves’ defense was a stalwart in front of them.

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

The Eagles put four shots on McCombs in the first half – twice she jumped up and pushed the ball over the crossbar, the latter of which came on a laser from Mallory Mooney with 38 seconds remaining in the first half.

Livingston made three saves in the second half. The duo split time throughout the season, an arrangement that wasn’t always easy.

“Maddie and I are really good friends and we’re really close. It’s definitely been a challenge for me this season, just knowing it’s not only me anymore,” McCombs said. “But I trust her and I’m glad that we work together well. I think we do good things together.”

Grandview allowed only eight goals in 20 games. McCombs, one of five seniors on the roster, said the credit belongs to the players in front of her.

“A lot of people are like ‘oh the goalies are so good.’ It’s all our defense,” McCombs said. “It’s our defense 100 percent. We wouldn’t be anywhere without them. I’m definitely very lucky to have such a great defensive line.”

Broomfield will graduate nine seniors off of an 18-win team, including Stodden, who finished her senior season with 30 goals.

As for Grandview’s seniors, they will be at the Ritchie Center at the University of Denver at 6:30 a.m. on Thursday for graduation. Wood said she doubted anyone would get much sleep Wednesday night.

“I’m so happy and I can’t wait to celebrate with my team,” Lyubenko said. “It’s so surreal. I’m still in shock from it.”

COMMERCE CITY — Caylin Lyubenko’s golden goal in the first overtime gave Grandview a 1-0 win over Broomfield and the Class 5A girls soccer state title.

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DENVER — Colorado Academy won a fourth-straight girls lacrosse title with a 13-7 win over Cherry Creek on Wednesday night.

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(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

Clint Buderus, whose teams have gone 35-3 over the past three seasons, has taken the job as head football coach at Pueblo West.

Buderus completed his 10th season as football coach at La Junta last fall, a stint that saw La Junta win its first football championship in 58 years in 2016.

Buderus’ move was first made public by La Junta on Twitter. Buderus confirmed the move to CHSAANow.com on Thursday.

“La Junta is a great community with great pride,” Buderus said. “I love the community, and all the support they have given us throughout the years. The kids are blue-collar tough kids and it was the toughest decision I have ever had to make. I wish the town, the people and the players the best of luck in the future.”

He will replace Monte Pinkerton as the coach at Pueblo West, with Pinkerton transitioning into the role of athletic director.

In 10 seasons as coach, Buderus was 69-38. The Tigers also reached the Class 2A title game last season, falling to Bayfield.

Pueblo West has had its own success under Pinkerton, including a 4A championship in 2007. Last season, the Cyclones finished 11-2 as they advanced to the 4A semifinals.

Pinkerton was coach of the Cyclones for 13 seasons. His teams went 92-53.

Follow all of the coaching movement this offseason in our coaching changes tracker.

(Marlee Smith/CHSAANow.com)

DENVER — For just the second time in school history, Heritage baseball is assured of playing for a state baseball championship.

The Eagles beat Arapahoe 7-4 on Tuesday evening to cement itself as the lone unbeaten after the first weekend of play in the Class 5A state baseball tournament. It means that no matter what happens in Heritage’s next game, the Eagles will be playing for a state title on Sunday.

“It feels that we’re really hitting our stride,” Heritage coach Tyler Munro said of his team, which started just two seniors on Tuesday. “When you’ve got a young team, you want to see that growth. If it’s a veteran team, you can come out the gates and just know what to do. It’s been great watching them.”

Heritage advances to play Mountain Vista, which fought off elimination with two wins on Tuesday, on Saturday at 9 a.m.

Mountain Range and Arapahoe will face off in the other game on Saturday, at noon, with the winner advancing to play Sunday at 10 a.m. As both teams have already lost in the double-elimination tournament, the loser will be eliminated.

Should Mountain Vista beat Heritage on Saturday, the Golden Eagles would advance to play the winner of Mountain Range and Arapahoe. If Heritage wins, the winner of Mountain Range and Arapahoe would need to defeat Heritage twice to win the championship.

In other words, Heritage is in the driver’s seat. But Munro, who is in his first-year at Heritage following a successful run at Rock Canyon that included a title in 2015, isn’t putting too much weight in that fact.

“You know, I’ve won it coming from that (loser’s) bracket,” Munro said. “There’s a lot of baseball left, and four good teams are in the bracket.”

On Tuesday, Heritage matched up with Arapahoe, its rival school. And Arapahoe came out swinging, building a 4-0 lead after the first inning that included a three-run home run from Ryan Nourse.

Heritage was unfazed.

(Marlee Smith/CHSAANow.com)

“We’ve had multiple games earlier in the season where we’ve gone down big early … and we came back to win,” said Heritage’s Eric McKnight, a junior. “So we’ve been in this situation before.”

The Eagles plated five runs in the bottom of the second, including a two-run double from Conner Cummiskey, as well as an RBI single from McKnight that gave Heritage the lead for good at 5-4.

“The first few pitches were breaking balls, I wasn’t really expecting them, and then he came back with a fastball up and out — the same pitch I struck out on the first inning,” McKnight said. “I was ready for it this time.”

Of the early hole, Munro added: “I’m not worried in that situation. We’ve had 6-0 runs and we were behind Pine Creek yesterday 2-0.”

In that game, of course, Heritage exploded for a 12-run inning and went on to win.

Immediately after Heritage rallied, the game went into a 45-minute lightning delay. When they emerged, McKnight was given the ball on the mound. He took it from there, going five innings, and allowing just five hits and no runs.

The only other time Heritage has played for a baseball title was 2004, when the Eagles lost to ThunderRidge.

Despite the loss, Arapahoe had already earned its spot in the Final 4 via wins over previously unbeaten Mountain Vista as well as Cherokee Trail on Monday.

Mountain Range punched its ticket to the Final 4 with wins over Rock Canyon (4-0) and Cherokee Trail (6-4) earlier Tuesday.

(Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)

The Mustangs got a complete game performance from Mike Polson in the win over Rock Canyon. He struck out six, and allowed just four hits. Angelo Domenico had two RBIs for Mountain Range.

Against Cherokee Trail, Jacob Simmons led the way with three RBIs, including a two-out, two-RBI double that game Mountain Range the lead for good in the top of the sixth inning.

Cherokee Trail had led the game 2-0 through three innings.

“Everyone picked each other up, and just kept going,” Simmons said. “We knew this game wasn’t over.”

Said Mountain Range coach D.J. Yeager: “This group of guys, they just love competing. It doesn’t matter what the score is. They’re just going to compete the entire time.”

Mountain Range tied for the championship in the always tough Front Range League and hosted a regional for the second consecutive season. Now, the Mustangs have taken the next step.

“Everyone doubted us,” Simmons said, “and now we made it.”

Mountain Vista also rebounded from a loss on the first day of the tournament to earn its spot in the Final 4.

The Golden Eagles started Tuesday with a 2-1 win over defending champion Rocky Mountain in which Jack Liffrig tossed a complete game. Liffrig allowed just three hits, one run, and struck out six batters.

John Zakhem drove in what proved to be the winning run in the top of the seventh. Elisandro Aragon also homered in the win, his second of the tournament.

Mountain Vista followed that win with a 5-4 victory over Pine Creek in which Ben Cole had a complete-game effort. Cole, a sophomore, hadn’t thrown a varsity inning all seasons — he threw 15 innings for the school’s junior varsity team this spring.

Clay Burke added a two-run double as part of a four-run inning in the third in the win.

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

DENVER — To win big games in May, you need big plays. And Pueblo West got two very big ones as it marched on in the Class 4A state baseball tournament.

The Cyclones went 2-0 thanks to wins over Longmont and Valor Christian on Tuesday at Metro State. It means they’ll face Windsor, which also went 2-0 on Tuesday, in the unbeaten game at 3 p.m. on Wednesday at All-Star Park.

“We’re going to go try to pitch our butt off, and we’re gonna scrap,” said Pueblo West coach Dan Sanchez. “We’re gonna scrap.”

Pueblo West’s offense stole the show in the first game, a 12-7 win over Longmont on Tuesday afternoon. Included were five RBIs from Isaiah Avila.

The nightcap, a 3-2 win over Valor Christian, was defined by a two major moments:

In the fourth, Pueblo West shortstop Kyle Jameson made a diving catch with the bases loaded and two outs to stop a Valor Christian rally that looked like it had the makings of a big inning. The Eagles had erased a 2-0 Pueblo West lead to tie the game.

“That was a huge play,” Sanchez said. “I mean, that could’ve opened the floodgates. He’s a great athlete, and he made a couple of great plays today.”

Then, in the fifth, Cyclones catcher Zach Thomas doubled home what proved to be the winning run with a shot to center field.

“I pretty much just barreled it up and did my job,” Thomas said.

Added Sanchez: “He’s been a big slugger for us all year. We’re just happy they threw him the fastball and not the curveball. … That was a big hit for us.”

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

Of course, the win wouldn’t have been possible without the stellar performance from Kaleb Woltz on the mound for Pueblo West. Woltz, a sophomore, threw 5 2/3 innings, allowing just the two runs and four hits. He struck out eight.

“It was a great outing for him,” Sanchez said. “And they’ve got so many talented kids over there. It’s just always a great challenge when you can even just compete against them.”

Valor Christian, which beat Holy Family in the first round, is the two-time defending champion, while Pueblo West has made the state tournament each of the past two seasons. In fact, the two teams matched up in the 2016 championship game.

Valor also beat Pueblo West a year ago in the state tournament.

“This is the game we’ve been waiting for, we’ve been working for,” Thomas said. “We love the competition with them. … That was our goal during season, was to compete as if we were going to play them. Once we got tested, we performed, and we did pretty good. Can’t say enough about the team.”

Windsor moved on by virtue of wins over Roosevelt (2-0) and Cheyenne Mountain (11-2).

Logan Thornton threw five innings of shutout baseball for the Wizards in the opening-round win, allowing just three hits. Owen Lockner pitched the final two innings in that game, allowing just two hits.

In the second game, Windsor put up eight runs in the sixth inning, and pounded out 16 hits on the whole. That game was delayed due to lightning in the

The Wizards, seeded No. 1 in regionals, are now 22-1 this season.

Cheyenne Mountain beat Evergreen 7-3 earlier Tuesday to advance.

The tournament resumes on Wednesday with morning games at All-Star Park and Metro State.

(Kelsey Lowry/CHSAANow.com)

COLORADO SPRINGS — The second and final day of the Class 4A girls golf state championships was one for the books.

Cheyenne Mountain’s Maxine Choi made a knee-knocker on the final hole, and a late push from Windsor resulted in a team championship.

(Kelsey Lowry/CHSAANow.com)

Choi didn’t let nerves or pressure get to her and won the individual title in the Class 4A state girls golf championship over last year’s state champion, Lauren Lehigh.

“I’m pretty happy right now and actually just really content with myself,” said Choi. “I don’t really have any overly exciting emotions because I had so much support and they helped me feel like I could do it.

“I didn’t feel like I ever got in my groove today, the first nine were a little rough. The back nine weren’t that much better and I was really worried at hole 14 when I hit in the water and doubled, it was kind of rough.”

Going into hole 15, Lehigh had held the lead the entire day, sometimes by three strokes, but Choi was never far behind. On No. 16, Choi finished with a par, and Lehigh got a bogey and that was the story for the next hole. Heading into 18, Lehigh held a one-stroke lead.

“I was like ‘okay I guess I’ll go out and win this thing,” said Choi.

At hole 18, Choi looked anything but nervous and was very comfortable.

“I just told myself, ‘Hey you’re going to play like you know how to play,’” Choi said. “If I win, I win, if I get stuck then you’re still good.”

Luckily for Choi she didn’t get stuck and instead hit an eight-foot putt that gave her a birdie and a one stroke lead that resulted in the state title.

“It’s amazing to see how much I have accomplished throughout the 12 years I’ve been playing,” said Choi. “It just shows me that my hard has paid off and that I can go out and do even better.”

Glenwood Springs lead the team round for most of the day, but Windsor’s Kinsey Smith, Sarah Johnson, Brynn Ellis, and Jessica Zapf helped place their team in the top spot at the end of the day.

“This is such an awesome feeling,” said Johnson. “Even if I didn’t play my best, I feel great that we came out as a team and accomplished what we wanted to do.”

Windsor ended the day with an overall winning team score of 89-over and close behind was Glenwood Springs who ended the day at 95-over.

With the state title win, Johnson now has the opportunity to win two state titles in two days as she will be playing in the girls’ soccer state title game on Wednesday.

“I tried to keep soccer out of my mind,” said Johnson. “I just wanted to focus on golf and knew I wanted this State title first and that my team needed me, now all my focus is going towards soccer. It would mean so much to our school. I’m so thankful for all of these opportunities and for me to win golf today and possibly soccer tomorrow, there’s just no words to describe what I’m feeling.”

(Brian Miller/CHSAANow.com)

COMMERCE CITY — A late afternoon championship contest that started with a lightning delay and saw a quick goal from the opposing team wasn’t enough to darken the spirits of Dawson’s girls soccer team.

After three consecutive years of coming up empty in the Class 2A state title game, the Mustangs weren’t about to leave Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on Tuesday with anything less than their first state title. Dawson broke free with two second-half scores in the span of less than three minutes, and the Mustangs finally finished the season holding the trophy aloft with a 3-2 victory.

“We had a goal that we set at the beginning of the year, which was to break the cycle we’ve been on,” said Dawson coach David Criswell, the third coach to lead the team to the state title game. “They’ve worked so hard and been so dedicated all year long. I’m speechless as to how to describe it, but the first word that comes to mind is I’m proud.”

Kaitlyn Day scored two goals for Dawson (16-2) and Alex Dunbar added an insurance goal that proved to be huge after Denver Christian scored with less than five minutes remaining to make it a one-goal game.

“We’ve worked our hearts out for the past three years,” Day said. “To get this the fourth time just means a lot to our team and a lot to the whole school.”

In a rematch of the 2017 2A title game – a contest that Denver Christian took 4-3 – the underdog Thunder (12-6) put an early scare into Dawson. After the Mustangs put a few shots on goal in the opening minutes, Denver Christian’s first shot on goal in the ninth minute found the back of the net. Jessie Mueller took advantage of Mustangs goalkeeper Kate Gallop being aggressive, sending the ball past her.

That might have been a bad omen for Dawson in previous seasons, but not Tuesday. Day found herself in a one-on-one opportunity against Thunder keeper Abby Clark in the 12th minute and maneuvered around Clark, sending the ball into the back of the open net.

“To go down early – which we haven’t been in that position much this year – so to have a young team stick together, play composed and come back,” Criswell said, “it speaks volumes to the grit and resiliency this team has.”

Dawson took the lead for good fifteen minutes into the second half. After a yellow card was issued to Denver Christian, Day lined up to take a direct kick from just outside the right side of the box. The sophomore placed her shot perfectly.

“We knew we just needed to take the shot and follow,” Day said. “We wanted to aim into the goal – don’t go over, don’t go past. Whatever happens just follow and get it into the net.”

Not even three minutes later it was Dunbar’s turn. After Clark made a nice stop on a shot, the Thunder attempted to clear the ball. Instead the ball found its way to Dunbar, who sent a high shot from outside of the box over a leaping Clark.

Hally Herder made it 3-2 in the 86th, beating Gallop in a scrum in front of the net. But Denver Christian couldn’t get another shot on goal in the closing minutes, allowing Dawson to run the clock out.

The Thunder was without leading scorer Kara Amidon, sidelined with an injury.

“Props to Denver Christian. They’re a very well-coached team,” Criswell said. “We knew they would come out hard and we knew they would play until the very end. It was some tense moments at the end for sure.”

Both teams should be primed to make a similar run next year. Denver Christian loses only four seniors, and Dawson graduates three. Liv Cramer, one of those three, said the future for the team is really unstoppable given that some of the team’s best players are its youngest.

For Cramer, who led the team in goals as a freshman, getting to go out on top helped ease the sting of previous losses.

“I think coming in, having had that experience before, it honestly eased my nerves,” Cramer said. “I know how badly I wanted it. I knew it was really within reach, and I was really confident about my teammates’ goals.”

(Brian Miller/CHSAANow.com)

COMMERCE CITY — The foundation for what took place Tuesday night was laid down last May.

Jefferson Academy’s girls soccer team entered the 2017 state tournament as the No. 1 seed, only to see their bid for a trip to the state championship game denied in the semifinals.

So given another opportunity this spring – and as the top seed again, no less – the Jaguars made the most of their second chance. Jefferson Academy had to outlast Metro League rival Kent Denver in a shootout at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, but the team knocked home all four of its chance and came away with the program’s first state title by virtue of a 4-1 advantage in penalty kicks.

“It’s literally the best thing ever,” said Jefferson Academy junior Mira Houck, who converted the deciding shot that set off a massive celebration. “This was everyone’s goal from the beginning of the school year. Even before we started practicing, we were like ‘we are going to win state this year.’

“Coming off a No. 1 seed we knew that was going to be hard. Everyone was going to try and knock us off, and we were still able to do it.”

Jefferson Academy (16-2-1) was playing for the second state title in school history after losing to Colorado Academy in 2015. The Jaguars lost to Kent Denver and Colorado Academy during the regular season, but stormed through the first two rounds of state before holding off Aspen 1-0 in the semifinals to reach Tuesday’s game.

“I think getting through the Final Four was actually a bigger burden off of our shoulders,” Jags coach Denise Sutton said. “We knew that we were playing a fantastic team coming in. We knew it could go either way. It’s just amazing to experience this with this group of girls.”

Kent Denver (16-2-1) was trying to win its second title in three years. The Sun Devils tied the game up with a little more than 20 minutes in regulation Tuesday but couldn’t solve Jaguars goalkeeper Brooklynn Kirkpatrick in either overtime.

Two of the team’s attempts in the shootout were off-target, allowing Jefferson Academy to close it out.

“We have an extreme amount of respect for Kent Denver. They’re an amazing program,” Sutton said. “(Coach) Krista (Pearman) is just a great person, a great human being.

“They’re a great team. We fought for it, but we lucked out.”

With the score locked at 1-1 after 80 minutes, the two teams engaged in a pair of 15-minute overtimes. Sun Devils sophomore Mika Fisher stopped four shots in the two extra sessions, and Kirkpatrick made a great save after a breakaway from Sun Devils sophomore Annabelle Johnson.

Kara Dobbs, Bridget Lynch and Denae Lamb each converted penalty kicks for Jefferson Academy, setting up Houck to put the game away.

“I’m not going to lie, I was so nervous!” Houck said. “We were all saying on the sidelines ‘we’ve each just got to make this one, this one, this one.’ I wanted to do my part for the team.”

Fisher finished with five saves and Kirkpatrick recorded four for the Jaguars.

“Brooklynn is an amazing goalie. She does a really good job, she keeps her patience,” Sutton said. “She just is a great leader back there. For her age she’s a very confident goalie.”

After a scoreless first half, Jefferson Academy took the lead in the 44th minute on a goal from Rachel Schlagel. Johnson tied it up 15 minutes later, taking a perfect cross from Riley DiGiulio and punching it past Kirkpatrick.

DENVER — The second day of the Class 5A state baseball tournament was on Tuesday. Heritage, Arapahoe, Mountain Range and Mountain Vista advanced to the Final 4.

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