CHSAANow

Month: May 2018

  • “Sisters” Emily Sloan and Anna Hall break one another’s records at state track

    State track 2018 Emily Sloan Rock Canyon
    Rock Canyon’s Emily Sloan. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

    LAKEWOOD — Emily Sloan knows Class 4A’s top hurdler well.

    Nearly a decade ago, Sloan and Anna Hall were already teammates in a club track program. They have been great friends ever since.

    Now donning the black and gold of Rock Canyon and the blue and white of Valor Christian, the tandem has flourished into Colorado’s premier hurdlers.

    During the state track preliminary rounds of the 300 hurdles at Jeffco Stadium, Sloan saw her friend break her Colorado record with a time of 40.76 seconds, bettering the Jaguar’s time of 40.77 last week at the Continental League Championships. Then, Sloan managed to flip the script on Hall and take her record back in her 5A prelim with a new all-classification best of 40.60.

    In a terrific display of sportsmanship and a sign of the friends’ bond, Hall cheered loudly on the infield during Sloan’s attempt at the feat.

    “I definitely had extra motivation going into that race, because Anna’s my best friend,” Sloan, a senior, said. “I’m happy she got it, but I definitely wanted to take it back from her. She’s a great competitor though. We’ll push each other throughout the years.

    “We’re sisters almost.”

    Sloan and Hall, still only a junior, tallied the second and third best times in the nation for the 2018 season. As impressive as Friday’s hurdle races happened to be, the prep stars have a laundry list of other accomplishments.

    Sloan chose to sign with the University of Oregon, having already claimed four state titles (three in a row in 100 hurdles) going into her final season for the Jaguars.

    “It’s been a dream school of mine since I was little,” she said. “I knew that would be the best place to give me a shot at my goals.”

    She has ambitions of winning an individual and team national championship at Oregon, but before she embarks on even greater goals she’ll be putting the final touches on an illustrious prep career on Saturday in the 100 hurdles (No. 1 seed), 300 hurdles, and 200 (No. 2 seed at 23.93 seconds).

    Valor Christian’s Anna Hall. (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

    As for Hall, the junior has been a national champion indoors in the high jump and pentathlon, along with being tabbed the defending state champion in both hurdles in 4A.

    On top of that, she claimed her first long jump state crown on Friday with a mark of 18 feet, 9.75 inches. Valor Christian’s latest elite female in track could have a flurry of accomplishments coming her way at the prep level and beyond.

    As usual, the 4A and 5A competitions delivered plenty of eye-opening performances. Denver East girls continued their domination in sprints with a time of 46.51 seconds in the 400-meter relay in prelims, tying the state record held by George Washington from 2007. Later on in the meet, despite not running Arria Minor in the final, the Angels won the 800 relay (1:40.25).

    Denver East and Grandview both shattered the all-classification state records (previously held by George Washington) in the 800 meter sprint medley relay with marks of 1:42.62 and 1:42.89. Freshman Kyairra Reigh ran the 400 anchor leg for East.

    The beauty of track and field is that times and marks never lie though. With competitors from all five classifications testing themselves against the state’s finest athletes at Jeffco Stadium, small school competitors sometimes prove themselves as the best in Colorado.

    Colorado State Track and Field Championships
    Soroco’s Ben Kelley.

    Soroco senior Ben Kelley shattered the 2A state record in the 800 three consecutive seasons at Jeffco Stadium (1:55.61 in 2016, 1:54.75 in 2017, 1:52.77 in 2018). He also broke the classification record in the 1,600 with a time of 4:17.23 at the St. Vrain Invite last week, a best time held by Paul Roberts of Lyons in 2016 (4:17.35).

    Kelley also claimed state crowns in cross country as a senior, the 1,600 as a junior, and the 3,200 as a junior. He has chosen to pursue collegiate running at Columbia University in the Ivy League.

    Oh, and the sensational Soroco harrier even ran the fastest 800 time in all classifications on Friday. Kelley feels inspired by the town he lives in.

    “I come from a super small community,” he said. “We have less than 90 kids in our school, so we’re practically 1A. We’re like a family. We get a lot of support from the community. Even the teachers, people who aren’t necessarily associated with athletics, they always keep up with it.”

    The state track and field meet will resume at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday.

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    Class 5A notes:

    • Fairview junior Marlena Preigh (2:09.19) fended off Broomfield senior Madison Mooney (2:10.19) and Highlands Ranch sophomore Bryce Johansen (2:10.55) in the 800-meter run.
    • Grandview senior Kylee Harr (5-10) won high jump with an impressive mark.
    • Landon Rast, a senior for the Legend Titans, won the 800 in 1:53.03.
    • Fountain-Fort Carson boys (1:26.53) beat a game Cherry Creek (1:26.65) contingent in the 800 relay. Fountain also finished first in prelims of the 1,600 relay (3:17.85).

    Class 4A notes:

    • Valor Christian girls won the 800 relay (1:41.89). They might also claim the team title on Saturday.
    • Discovery Canyon junior Liberty Ricca (10:57) and Valor Christian sophomore Cole Sprout (9:22) topped all competitors in the 3,200 races.
    • Mead girls (1:45.17) continued their high-level relay performances with a sprint medley championship.
    • Niwot freshman Taylor James (2:13.55) strided away from everyone in the two-lap 800 final. Former Niwot great Elise Cranny holds the classification state meet record with a time of 2:08.
    • Vista Ridge senior Raymon Harper has been terrific in all three jumps, finishing first in long jump (23-3) and second in high jump (6-9). He was also the winner of the triple jump on Thursday.
    • Garrett Martin, a Standley Lake veteran, cleared 6 feet, 10 inches to conquer high jump.
    • Pine Creek boys were victorious in the 800 relay (1:28.07).
    • Silver Creek superstar James Lee (1:54.25) is a back-to-back 800 state champion.

    Class 3A notes:          

    • TCA senior Erika Willis, the sister of Colorado record holder Andrea, broke her own 3A state meet record in pole vault. Last season she cleared 12-5, but this year 12-9 won it over Platte Canyon’s Hayley Rayburn (12-6).
    • The Classical Academy also won the girls 800 relay (1:43.91).
    • Sierra senior Alexandria Burns brought a triple jump title back to Colorado Springs with a mark of 36-5.
    • Maggi Congdon of Steamboat Springs (2:14) and Rasce Englehardt (1:56.41) claimed the 800 crowns. Denver West sophomore Yasin Sado (1:56.45) was barely second in the two-lapper.
    • Pagosa Springs senior Keena Murphy (127-10) topped the field in girls discus.
    • Faith Christian senior Reece Davidson finished first in another throwing event (53-4.50 in shot put).
    • Lutheran boys broke a 16-year record held by Yuma in the 800 relay with a blistering 1:28.01. The previous 3A record was 1:28.31. Lutheran girls won the sprint medley relay as well (1:49.43).
    • Bayfield senior Carl Heide (38.36) shattered the 3A state meet record in the 300 hurdles. The record was from 1995 and held by Ben Myers of Colorado Springs Christian (38.39).

    Class 2A notes:

    • Telluride senior Soleil Gaylord (11:16) won her third consecutive title in the 3,200 with a 37-second winning margin.
    • Monika Williams anchored Denver Christian to a victorious sprint medley relay (1:51.67).
    • Peyton junior Kaylee Kearse (2:18) pulled away from the field in the 800. Peyton also won the 800 relay in 1:48.93.
    • Logan Kuskie of Lyons continued a family tradition of success in pole vault with a gold medal (11-2).
    • Holyoke sophomore Taeryn Trumper (18-1.75) was the long jump champion.
    • Burlington senior Alex Bauer won girls shot put (39-2.25).
    • Cedaredge (1:32.02) claimed the boys 800 relay.
    • Rocky Ford senior Cody Danley (9:42) put his foot on the gas in the final 1,600 as Lyons sophomore Isaac Roberts (9:55) and Custer County freshman Micah Zeller (10:04) showed plenty of distance promise for future years while rounding out the top three in the 3,200.
    • Brady Lenz of Sanford outperformed everyone in triple jump (43-2.5).
    • Crowley County junior Lane Walter (160-1) was terrific in boys discus.
    • Jake Chrisman of Yuma won pole vault (13-4).

    Class 1A notes:

    • Springfield nipped the 1A state record in the girls sprint medley relay with a time of 1:53.88. JT Borunda also won boys discus (136-6) for Springfield. They were also champions in the girls 800 relay (1:50.89).
    • Heritage Christian once again dominated distance events as Leeann Wagner (2:25) and Levi Kilian (1:59.13) crushed the 800 races. Isaiah Bowsher finished runner-up in the 800 as well.
    • 43-1.5 won boys triple jump (Jade Cass of Pawnee).
    • Genoa-Hugo swept gold and silver in girls shot put as Heather Graham (39-5.5) and Ryely Smartt (36-8) were first and second.
    • Matalynn Dawson (Miami-Yoder) was impressive in triple jump with a mark of 34-6.
    • Jerraldawn Rector of Simla (5-1) beat Dawson in a jump-off in the girls high jump discipline as both cleared 5-1.
    • Plateau Valley (10:28.66) shattered the 1A girls state record in the 3,200 relay. Heritage Christian boys did the same (8:23.44).
    • Haxtun boys (1:32.93) broke the classification record in the 800 relay.

  • Fossil Ridge and Regis Jesuit ready to vie for 5A boys swimming title

    5A boys state swimming
    (Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com)

    THORNTON — On Friday night, 315 athletes competed for a spot in the Class 5A swimming and diving finals. All eyes were on last season’s team champion, Fossil Ridge, and the runner-up, Regis Jesuit.

    Fossil Ridge, which is a three-time defending champion, is looking to continue its dominance while Regis Jesuit, a team that has fallen short of the top spot three years in a row, hopes to take first. The Raiders’ last time atop of the podium was 2014.

    Fossil Ridge’s quest for another year of success is led by senior Danny Kovac. He finished first in both his individual disciplines (200-yard IM and 100-yard-butterfly) during Thursday’s prelims, recording all-American times in both.

    On Saturday, Kovac seeks to better last season’s second-place finish in the 100-yard-butterfly. But the senior is more focused on the 400-yard freestyle relay than his solo events.

    “The relay will be my last high school race ever,” Kovac said. “I just love stepping up the podium against all the boys.”

    They qualified first in the relay on Thursday, followed by their foe, Regis Jesuit.

    “It is going to be a tight battle for the podium tomorrow,” Kovac said. “I just want to score points for my team. I want to step up in any and all ways for us. It’s going to be close this year.”

    Regis had a strong showing from senior Elijah Warren and junior William Goodwin. Goodwin will try to shave time off his already stellar all-American time in the 200-yard-individual medley in an attempt to chase Kovac.

    Goodwin recorded an All-American time in his second discipline as well, finishing second in the 100-yard breastroke, behind his teammate Warren. The Arizona State-bound senior, Warren, looks to finish first in both the 100-yard breaststroke and 50-yard-freestyle.

    In the 200-yard medley-relay, Regis Jesuit qualified first in the prelims, beating the second-place team by over three seconds.

    Arapahoe freshman Fletcher Hayes placed in the top eight in both the 200 yard IM and the 500-yard-freestyle, the only freshman that will compete in an A heat during Saturday’s finals.

    The night concluded with a swim-off for eighth place in the 200-yard-IM between Hinkley senior Nathan Leigh and Regis Jesuit sophomore Will Kerscher. Kerscher caught up in the last lap to capture the final spot in the A heat on Saturday.

    The 1-meter diving preliminaries will begin at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday. This year’s field of 36 is led by two-time state champion, Octavio Lucero. The Bear Creek senior will look to defend his 2017 title.

    Swim finals begin at 3 p.m. Pool doors open at 12:45 p.m.

  • 5A boys lacrosse championship: Regis Jesuit tops Kent Denver for fourth title

    Regis Jesuit boys lacrosse team champions
    (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

    DENVER — Every other year, Regis Jesuit shows its dominance. And after losing to Cherry Creek in last year’s Class 5A state championship game, the Raiders were due.

    They took an early lead in this year’s game and never looked back, getting a 10-4 win over Kent Denver Friday night at Mile High Stadium.

    “Following that, it was a brand new team, minus a few players,” junior Jake Taylor said. “It was great motivation having new guys here and new guys leading.”

    It’s the fourth state title for Regis Jesuit and its third since 2014.

    The Raiders (18-1 overall) were hungry for this one. They struck 12 seconds into the game with Charlie Maly burying the shot to go up 1-0.

    “Our philosophy has been to play fast all year,” coach Jim Soran said. “We have a tremendous bunch of athletes on both sides of the ball so that’s been our game plan is just to play fast.”

    The Sun Devils (15-4) tied the game up two and a half minutes later with a goal from Max Hewitt. And then Regis went on its run. Reed Babcock scored off a rebound and Anders Erickson connected on two consecutive goals to put the Raiders up 4-1 at halftime.

    Kent Denver started the second half showing a little more life offensively, scoring back-to-back goals to cut the Regis lead to 5-3.

    Regis Jesuit boys lacrosse
    (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

    But after admittedly going into last year’s state title game less prepared than they should’ve been, the Raiders weren’t going to leave anything to chance. They scored four straight goals, capped off with a strike from Taylor to go up 9-3. Taylor led all Regis scorers with three goals. Erickson was right behind him with two.

    It also helped that Matthew McCarthy wasn’t letting much through and giving the Regis offense every opportunity to get the ball back and score. He finished the game with eight saves.

    “It’s all in my defense,” McCarthy said. “They were walls today. They gave me great looks and great opportunities to save shots.

    For Kent Denver, the season was significant in that it returned to the state championship game for the first time in seven years.

    The Sun Devils haven’t won a title since 2008, meaning they’ll have to wait until at least next year to end that drought.

    Regis now sits alone in third place all-time with four boys lacrosse championships. The Sun Devils have five while Cherry Creek has six.

    Since 2014, Regis has had a habit of taking state every other year. Never in the team’s history has it been able to rattle off consecutive state championships.

    “I couldn’t tell you why,” McCarthy said. “I think it all comes down to seniors. I think if we have a great senior class it’s going to happen and this year we did.”

    The lone loss on the season for the Raiders came to Torrey Pines on a trip out in California. That loss played just as much a factor in motivating the team as the loss a year ago to Cherry Creek did.

    “Our one loss in California fueled us,” McCarthy said. “And we did it, I’m just so happy right now.”

    Regis Jesuit boys lacrosse team champions
    (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

  • Photos: Cheyenne Mountain rallies to beat Dawson for 4A boys lacrosse title

    DENVER — August Johnson made a dramatic return to help Cheyenne Mountain beat Dawson 8-6 to capture the Class 4A state boys lacrosse championship.

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  • Photos: Regis Jesuit tops Kent Denver to win 5A boys lacrosse championship

    DENVER — A 4-0 run in the second half lifted Regis Jesuit to a 10-4 win over Kent Denver to win the Class 5A state boys lacrosse championship.

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  • State track: Saturday’s field events postponed by one hour

    State track generic
    (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

    LAKEWOOD — The field events for Saturday’s state track and field finals have been delayed by one hour.

    Originally scheduled to start at 8:30 a.m., they will now begin at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday. All succeeding events have been delayed by one hour, as well. That means if an event was originally scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m., it is now scheduled for at 2:30 p.m.

    The running events remain as originally scheduled, and will begin at 9:30 a.m.

    The schedule for state track has been updated to reflect these changes.

  • Photos: Day 1 of the 5A boys swimming championships

    THORNTON — The preliminary rounds of the Class 5A boys swimming and diving state championships were Friday.

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  • State track and field weather updates for Saturday’s events

    State track rain
    (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

    LAKEWOOD — The state track and field meet is pushing through some rain at Jeffco Stadium on Saturday.

    However, it has caused some changes to the schedule. Namely: all field events were delayed by an hour at the start of the day. The field events were also moved a rolling schedule, meaning the events will start immediately upon the completion of the preceding event.

    Additionally, the pole vault and high jump were delayed from their original start times.

    High jump was pushed back from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., with the 3A boys going first. The 2A boys will follow immediately upon the completion of that event, with the 1A boys following immediately after that.

    The pole vault was delayed from 9:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. The 1A boys will start, with the 4A boys and then 4A girls immediately following.

    Find an updated state meet schedule here.

    For the latest information, follow @CHSAA on Twitter.

  • 3A girls soccer semifinals: Jefferson Academy, Kent Denver advance to final

    (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

    DENVER — The Class 3A girls soccer semifinals has not been friendly to Jefferson Academy the last two years.

    After reaching the state championship game in 2015, the only one in program history, the Jags lost to Kent Denver in the 2016 semis and Peak to Peak last year.

    They finally came away with a win on Saturday to return to Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.

    Jefferson Academy got a second-half goal from Kristen Capan to get a 1-0 win over Aspen at All-City Stadium in Denver.

    “Our girls had a lot of burden on their shoulders,” coach Denise Sutton said. “This is the third time here. We really wanted to win this.”

    The first half once again gave the Jags (16-2-1 overallreason for worry though. Aspen came out strong with a constant attack that was good enough to get them wins over The Academy and Lutheran. Freshman Kelley Francis showed off her speed, constantly blitzing past the Jefferson Academy defenders.

    But through the first 40 minutes of the game, the Skiers (14-5) had nothing to show for it on the scoreboard. When the teams went into halftime, it was the Jags who knew they had to get things corrected in order to avoid a third-straight loss in the semis.

    “They did a lot of talking,” Sutton said. “I don’t like 10-minute halftimes. I like three-minute halftimes. (They knew) it’s just another game. It’s going to be okay.”

    In the first minute of the second half, they nearly broke the scoreless tie. Aspen keeper Ella Trane deselected a shot, but couldn’t hang on to it, and the Jags swarmed and had a look at the open net. Aspen defender Maddy Bergdahl was in the right place at the right time and deflected the shot away.

    In the 64th minute, a similar situation presented itself for the Jags, but this one had different results. A free kick from Bridget Lynch got in front of the net and Capan found it on her foot with the net open in front of her.

    “I was scared I was going to kick it over,” she said. “I knew I just had to keep it as low as possible.”

    The one goal held up and the Jags will make the second-ever appearance in the 3A title game. They lost 1-0 to Colorado Academy in 2015.

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    Kent Denver Colorado Academy girls soccer
    (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

    (3) Kent Denver 1, (2) Colorado Academy 0

    Sofia Palumbo’s corner kick couldn’t have been placed any better. And Emma Billings couldn’t have been standing in a better spot.

    Billings headed Palumbo’s kick into the net in the 34th minute of Saturday’s semifinal game, giving Kent Denver a 1-0 win over Colorado Academy and a date with Jefferson Academy on Tuesday night at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.

    The Sun Devils (16-1-1 overall) beat the Jags 1-0 earlier in the year.

    But before they look ahead to that, they had to get through league rival Colorado Academy. The game shifted back and forth with possession in the first half, although Annabelle Johnson did her best to get Kent in a position to score early.

    But it was Billings who got the Sun Devils on the board from DeGiulio’s corner.

    Riley DeGiulio almost made it a 2-0 game a few minutes later, but her shot skidded wide of the Colorado Academy net.

    The Mustangs (14-3-1) had their best look to tie the game in the second half. Britt Lochhead had the ball in an open slot on the right side of the net and tried to hit the back-low corner of the goal, but her shot was wide.

    Colorado Academy had another good look later in the second half, but Mika Fisher made the biggest save of the game, effectively sealing the win for the Sun Devils.

    Kent Denver missed out on a trip to the state title game last year, but was last there two years ago where they beat Colorado Academy 3-1 to win their fifth state soccer title.

  • 4A girls soccer semifinals: Windsor and Valor Christian to meet for title

    (Brian Miller/CHSAANow.com)

    AURORA – In each of the previous three seasons, Windsor’s girls soccer team saw its hopes of reaching the state championship game come up just short.

    So given the opportunity Saturday afternoon to finally break through in the Class 4A state semifinals, the Wizards were not about to be denied. Alexa Kopren snapped a tie with the go-ahead score on a perfect cross with a little more than 24 minutes remaining, sending top-seeded Windsor to a 2-1 victory over Silver Creek at Legacy Stadium.

    Windsor (18-0-1) will play No. 2 Valor Christian for the school’s first state championship at 5 p.m. on Wednesday at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City.

    “This is so incredible,” Kopren said. “We’re so blessed to get this opportunity.”

    The semifinals had been a roadblock for Windsor in previous years. The Wizards lost to Lewis-Palmer and Valor Christian in 2015 and 2016, and fell 2-1 to Evergreen a year ago.

    “I think the fact that they’ve been together so long, and to have gotten here the last three years, they really thought ‘this is really it. This is our last chance,’” Wizards coach Mario Garcia said. “There’s no five years in high school, so they knew this was it.

    “They were going to push through. They were going to do whatever it takes to make it happen this year. Now we’re going to go try to win a state championship.”

    Windsor controlled the first half, taking the 1-0 lead in the sixth minute on a penalty kick. After Meg Zimmerman was tripped in the box, Adalyn Vergara ripped her shot to the right of Raptors goalkeeper Kaeyla Noble.

    Silver Creek (16-1-2), which was held without a shot on goal in the first, regained the momentum early in the second half. Alexa Karsel pushed a shot through the Windsor defense in the opening minutes to tie the game at 1-1.

    “In previous years, that momentum, you have to have experience. You have to have been there before,” Garcia said. “I think our seniors realized ‘we’re OK.’”

    Windsor went back up midway through the second half. Chaynee Kingsbury took the ball up the right sideline and sent a cross to the left. A trailing Noble was caught out of position and couldn’t recover in time, and Kopren sent a shot just inside the left post for the go-ahead goal.

    “It was a perfect ball. I can’t believe it,” Kopren said. “It was perfect for me to play.”

    The two teams had played to a 2-2 tie back on March 20, and Silver Creek nearly matched that score in the final minute. With 30 seconds remaining, Kate Eggen fired a long ball on goal, but keeper Michaela Moran made a leaping tip that pushed the ball off the crossbar. The ball fell back into play and was cleared before Silver Creek could get a second chance.

    Now Windsor gets its first opportunity to play at DSG, though the Wizards aren’t about to be content with just making it to the final game of the season.

    “We’re not getting there for nothing. We’re going to go there and we’re going to give (Valor Christian) everything we’ve got,” Garcia said. “We want to win.”

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    (2) Valor Christian 2, (6) Glenwood Springs 1

    Kaleigh Kreimeyer has been a postseason wonder for Valor Christian.

    The Eagles sophomore only scored two regular-season goals, but found the back of the net four times in the team’s first three 4A state playoff games. On Saturday, Kreimeyer struck again, breaking a scoreless tie with in the 27th minute.

    That score held up as second-seeded Valor Christian defeated Glenwood Springs 2-1 in the 4A state semifinals at Legacy Stadium.

    Valor (12-3-3) advanced to Wednesday’s championship game and will face top-seeded Windsor for the 4A state championship. It marks the second title-game appearance in three seasons for the Eagles, who haven’t won a state championship since 2011.

    Coming off a 1-0 victory over Jeffco League rival Evergreen last Wednesday – a game in which Kreimeyer scored the only goal – the Eagles controlled the tempo in the first half against the Demons (16-3). With less than 14 minutes remaining in the first half, Kreimeyer stole the ball in the right corner and somehow slipped a shot between Glenwood Springs goalkeeper Hannah Juul and the right post.

    Ryan Winningham added an insurance goal in the 50th minute, launching a long ball that just eluded a diving Juul inside the left post.

    Glenwood Springs put its first shot on goal in the 69th minute and made it count. Natalya Taylor sent in a bouncing ball that eluded Valor keeper Alexandra Daws. The Demons were a player down after leading scorer Eryn Peterson received a red card with a little more than 23 minutes remaining.