Month: May 2019

Reece stands tall as Denver Christian win 2A girls soccer championship

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

COMMERCE CITY — Brad Homan struggled to find the words Tuesday night to sum up the performance the Denver Christian coach had just witnessed from his junior goalkeeper.

Through 110 minutes, Thunder junior Eden Reece was as close to brilliant as one can get at the position. Dawson School put immense pressure on the Thunder defense in the Class 2A state championship game at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. Reece turned away five shots in the second overtime alone, then snared two of the four balls that came here way in the shootout.

The final save of the night sent her Denver Christian teammates into a frenzy, celebrating the program’s fifth championship – and second in two years – after a 4-2 shootout victory over the Mustangs.

“That is one of the best games I’ve seen a goalie play in a state final in a long time,” Homan said of Reece. “She was phenomenal. She was lights out.”

Reece finished with 13 saves through regulation and two overtimes. Dawson (11-4) controlled the tempo for much of the night, and peppered the Thunder defense repeatedly in overtime. She made a diving snare in the first overtime, and among her stops in the second OT included a leap to tip the ball over the crossbar on a laser from Dawson’s Degen Miller.

“I had to stay really focused. It was hard,” Reece said. “There was no way I could stop to reset. I just had to keep going and going the whole time. It paid off because my defense was great and my midfield was great.”

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

Denver Christian (16-2) came into the game down two starters. The Thunder managed only five shots on goal in the game.

“I challenged the girls, that on a big stage, you need a big heart,” Homan said. “My defenders had hearts of lions tonight.”

In the shootout, Reece got the ball rolling for the Thunder with the first penalty-kick conversion. Each team knocked home the first two chances, but Denver Christian’s Kara Amidon and Kaya Schaap made it 4-for-4 for the Thunder around two stops from Reece.

“I had so much confidence going into it,” Reece said. “It’s not a stressful situation for me. I can be there, and be like ‘I’ve got this. I know what I have to do.’”

Homan gave credit to the play of his line in front of Reece as well, from the keeper’s twin sister, Holland, to that of Sophie Bull, Anna Kaemingk and Kaitlyn Fitzgerald.

Holland Reece had one of the biggest plays in the first half. With the net open, the defender stopped a shot from Miller that deflected out of bounds.

On the ensuing corner kick, Holland Reece again made a stop to keep the game scoreless.

“They played amazing,” Eden Reece said of the defense. “Especially to have Holland, as my twin, saving my butt.”

Dawson was playing in its fifth consecutive 2A championship game. The Mustangs fell to Denver Christian in 2017 before winning its first title a year ago.

Tuesday night’s match was the rubber match between the two teams. Miller and Kaitlyn Day made life stressful for the Denver Christian defense all night – Miller especially, even after missing part of the second half with an injury.

“I’m proud of the whole team for the way they battled through challenges,” Homan said. “It’s so fun to play against Dawson. We have the utmost respect for that team; I have so much respect for Dave (Criswell) as a coach.”

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

May 22, 2019
Valor Christian names Hall-of-Famer Jayne McHugh its new volleyball coach

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

Valor Christian has named Hall of Famer Jayne McHugh its next volleyball coach, the school announced on Tuesday night.

McHugh, a 1991 inductee into the CHSAA Hall of Fame for her performance as a student-athlete at Arvada West in the 1970s, was most recently the coach at St. Mary’s High School in Stockton, Calif., where her teams was 141-62 from 2013-18.

“We are very excited to bring Jayne back home to Colorado where she grew up and played high school athletics,” said new Valor Christian athletic director Brian Bonn, whose hire was announced on Monday.

After high school, McHugh played college volleyball at the University of Pacific — she was recently inducted into the West Coast Conference’s Hall of Fame in recognition of her career there — and was a member of the 1988 U.S. Olympic volleyball team. She later became the head coach at Pacific, amassing a record of 100-59 from 2001-05.

In 1992, she was inducted into Pacific’s Hall of Fame. Four years later, she was inducted into the NFHS National High School Hall of Fame.

“I am truly blessed to be returning to Colorado and I am ecstatic about being closer to my extended family,” McHugh said. “I have thoroughly enjoyed the last 40 years in Stockton, California, but my heart is bringing me home!

“To become a part of the Valor Christian Family is an awesome opportunity and I look forward to sharing my passion for volleyball with the community.”

Valor Christian won the Class 5A championship last fall, the program’s first. Coach Kaitlyn Hastings stepped down after the season to spend more time with her family.

May 22, 2019
Colorado Academy girls soccer finishes season on top with 3A state title

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

COMMERCE CITY — Three years ago, Colorado Academy’s girls soccer team thought it was closing in on a three-peat, only to have those dreams dashed in the Class 3A state title game.

That’s why Tuesday night’s 3-0 victory over Jefferson Academy – giving the Mustangs their first championship since 2015 – meant a little bit more.

Winning one for the players who came before them, and doing it in convincing fashion at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, made the season that much more special.

“We’re really proud of this group, and I think it’s also important to know that there’s a lot of girls in our program over the last three years that wanted this,” Colorado Academy coach Sean Stedeford said. “They are every bit a part of this success of this team tonight.”

Mari Annest scored a pair of goals, the first one breaking a scoreless tie nearly nine minutes into the second half. That opened the door for Colorado Academy (19-1), with Annest scoring again in the 57th minute, and Catie Groves adding an insurance goal not even three minutes later.

It was a similar situation to the team’s semifinal victory over Prospect Ridge Academy, when Colorado Academy broke it open in the second half.

“I think this team has struggled a lot with kind of panicking if we can’t put it away quickly,” Annest said. “Once we can finally put a goal away, we get it in our heads that we can take this game.”

The victory avenged the team’s only loss this season. Jefferson Academy (17-2-1) took the first matchup, but as Stedeford noted, going up against league opponents in the postseason is common in the Metro League.

The Jaguars were the third league opponent for the Mustangs in the postseason. It marked the fourth time in five years that two Metro teams made the championship.

Annest, the Northwestern University-bound senior who led the team with 37 goals coming into the game, put Colorado Academy on her back in the second half. After Jefferson Academy was whistled for a foul and issued a yellow card, Annest lined up for a direct free kick some 10 yards outside the box.

Annest curved her shot into the right side of the goal, eluding Jaguars goalie Brooklyn Kirkpatrick.

“I’ve been pretty solid on set pieces right outside the box for most of the season,” Annest said. “I saw it, I knew where I wanted to put it, and got lucky, maybe? The keeper got a touch, but I was so incredibly excited it went in.”

Annest struck again with more than 23 minutes remaining, sending a laser shot past Kirkpatrick.

She said she knew one was coming Tuesday night.

“She’s a really talented player,” Stedeford said. “She added a whole different dynamic into our group this season. The seniors in general led from the front tonight.”

Groves capped the scoring midway through the half.

“We always try to get the first goal,” Stedeford said. “We knew the first goal was going to be important in a game of this magnitude. Similar to the semifinal, when the first goal went in, it sort of relaxed our group.”

For the seniors, going out on top helped erase the string of coming up one game short in their first season.

“This has been a long time coming,” Annest said. “I was in this game freshman year, we lost to Kent (Denver) that year. We always knew this was where we wanted to be again.”

(Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

May 22, 2019

All-state girls tennis teams for the 2019 season

The 2019 all-state girls tennis teams are presented by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps.

These teams were created based upon results at the state tournament.

The athletes who won championships at their classification were named players of the year. Coaches of the year were awarded to the coaches of championship teams.

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Class 5A

5A girls tennis state tournament Valerie Negin Smoky Hill — (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

Player of the year: Valerie Negin, Smoky Hill

Coach of the year: Chris Jacob, Cherry Creek

First Team
Name	Year	School	Pos.
Valerie Negin	Sophomore	Smoky Hill	1S
Sophie Pearson	Senior	Fairview	1S
Alexis Bernthal	Sophomore	Fairview	2S
Sayuri Garud	Senior	Cherry Creek	3S
Halley Mackiernan	Sophomore	Cherry Creek	1D
Anna Fusaris	Sophomore	Cherry Creek	1D
Kaki Cantor	Junior	Cherry Creek	2D
Miranda Kawula	Junior	Cherry Creek	2D
Wesley Sternberg	Freshman	Chatfield	3D
Kaitlyn Speer	Freshman	Chatfield	3D
Ella Barclay	Sophomore	Cherry Creek	4D
Dahlia Rappaport	Sophomore	Cherry Creek	4D

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Class 4A

Player of the year: Lucy Lu, Niwot

Coach of the year: Dave Adams, Cheyenne Mountain

First Team
Name	Year	School	Pos.
Lucy Lu	Sophomore	Niwot	1S
Josie Schaffer	Senior	Kent Denver	1S
Jensen Enterman	Junior	Cheyenne Mountain	2S
Tessa Rothwell	Sophomore	Palmer Ridge	3S
Emma Delich	Sophomore	Cheyenne Mountain	1D
Sydney Wagner	Sophomore	Cheyenne Mountain	1D
Maedee Trank-Green	Junior	Niwot	2D
Lily Sieben	Junior	Niwot	2D
Anna Sallee	Freshman	Niwot	3D
Georgia Lang	Freshman	Niwot	3D
Paige Shrader	Freshman	Windsor	4D
Emmy Butler	Freshman	Windsor	4D

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Class 3A

Player of the year: Trisha Somasundaram, Peak to Peak

Coach of the year: Eric Carlson, Peak to Peak

First Team
Name	Year	School	Pos.
Trisha Somasundaram	Senior	Peak To Peak	1S
Mae Thorp	Junior	Steamboat Springs	1S
Trini Somasundaram	Senior	Peak To Peak	2S
Elizabeth van der Torre	Senior	University	3S
Olivia Sanders	Senior	D’Evelyn	1D
Emily Reschl	Senior	D’Evelyn	1D
Sarah Devereux	Senior	Dawson	2D
Julia Garfinkel	Senior	Dawson	2D
Maria Christofferson	Freshman	D’Evelyn	3D
Maddie Dietzler	Freshman	D’Evelyn	3D
Cheranne Wang	Freshman	D’Evelyn	4D
Ella Whatley	Freshman	D’Evelyn	4D

May 22, 2019

Consistency and clarity focus of changes in hockey rules

(Dustin Price/dustinpricephotography.com)

INDIANAPOLIS — The nine rules changes approved for the 2019-20 high school ice hockey season focus on consistency and clarity.

The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Ice Hockey Rules Committee recommended the changes at its April 29-30 meeting in Indianapolis, and all changes were subsequently approved by the NFHS Board of Directors.

Three changes in Rule 3 related to equipment expand the maximum length of a player’s stick from 63 to 65 inches and the goalkeeper’s stick from 26 to 28 inches. Additionally, Rule 3-4-5 now emphasizes the requirement that all players, including goalkeepers, must wear helmets and facemasks that meet HECC/ASTM standards at the time of manufacture.

“From an awareness and educational standpoint, the committee continues to push the importance of wearing proper equipment for the health and safety of our participants,” said Dan Schuster, NFHS director of educational services and liaison to the Ice Hockey Rules Committee. “The committee has done a great job over the past several years and has put the rules in a good place.”

Rule 7-10-3 now clarifies that striking an opponent with the stick above the opponent’s shoulders is prohibited, regardless of whether the action was intentional or not. The change also eliminates repetitive language to allow the official to assess the appropriate penalty for an infraction.

“This creates consistency with other fouls of this nature,” Schuster said. “It gives officials flexibility to call what they see. Officials can call a minor penalty or if flagrant, a major penalty or game disqualification, depending on the severity of the infraction.”

Changes to Rules 4-7-5 and 9-2-1 make it clear that only goalkeepers can defend a penalty shot and establish that only players in goalkeeper equipment are given goalkeeper privileges, regardless of when they are substituted.

“The intent of the rules is to have goalkeepers defend the goal cage,” Schuster said. “Goalkeepers have specific equipment for a reason. This change cleans up language that other players should not be defending the goal cage.”

Two revisions to Rule 9 involve game flow. Prior to a faceoff, officials will now present the puck to the players before dropping the puck, allowing players to better see the puck before it is dropped and increasing the chance of a clean faceoff. The second change moves 9-1-11k to 9-1-9e since there is no offending team in 9-1-11, which covers when a puck deflects off an official and is illegally scored. The faceoff will now take place where the puck was last fairly played.

“It doesn’t happen often, but the committee did not like seeing the faceoff come outside of the zone in that situation,” Schuster said.

In Rule 5-3i, referees will now suspend the game – as opposed to terminating the game – if playing conditions become unsatisfactory. Suspending a contest allows it to be resumed, restarted or ended, with the decision resting with the schools, leagues and administration rather than solely with the referee.

A complete listing of all rules changes will be available on the NFHS website at www.nfhs.org.

Click on “Activities & Sports” at the top of the home page and select “Ice Hockey.”

More than 35,000 boys participate in ice hockey across the country in 1,610 high schools, and more than 9,500 girls participate in the sport in 622 schools, according to the 2017-18 NFHS Athletics Participation Survey.

May 22, 2019
4A girls golf: Holy Family’s Hailey Schalk, Windsor lead after Day 1

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

WINDSOR — Neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet or cold temperatures can keep Hailey Schalk from her appointed rounds.

The Holy Family junior, who won back-to-back titles at Class 3A in 2017 and 2018, bumped up a classification with the Tigers and hasn’t skipped a beat.

On Monday at Pelican Lakes Golf Club, in the bitterly cold temperatures and constant precipitation, Schalk was as comfortable as could be en route to her even par round of 72. It will be good enough for a five shot lead over Mullen freshman Sofia Choi and six ahead of Vista PEAK’s Kylie Severin when they play together on Tuesday morning starting at 9 a.m.

“I’ve played in it a lot, honestly, and some pretty bad conditions, so that really kind of helps me when I come out here with this,” said Schalk, whose father Matt Schalk — the head professional at Colorado National — is the Tigers coach and was with her almost every brutally cold step of the day. “When we started, it was 30 degrees and sleeting; and I though if it was going to be like that the whole time, it was going to be crazy.

“But it died down. And it really doesn’t mess with me that much.”

Clearly.

The scary thing is that Schalk left a lot out on the course. Even in the horrible conditions, she managed to hit 16 of 18 greens and just had one birdie — on the short par-4 No. 8 — to show for her efforts.

On a day when par was a fantastic score, Schalk was quick to point out the missed opportunities.

“I can think back to at least two or three easy putts that I should have made,” said Schalk, who had four straight birdie putts on Nos. 15-18 within 12 feet — including six feet on the difficult finishing hole — that burned the edge. “They were putts that weren’t asking that much either.”

Having been in the drivers seat in the past, Schalk understands how to get it done on Day Two, and that being said, her approach on Tuesday is somewhere between conservative and aggressive.

“There just weren’t too many mistakes today,” she said. “And I think if I play that way tomorrow and get a few more putts to go in, I think it’ll be a good round.”

The host Windsor Wizard’s got off to a great start in the team race, firing a cumulative 253 that is good enough for a 21 shot lead over Niwot. Four teams are bunched up rounding out the top five, Durango (289), Littleton (290) and both Evergreen and Coronado (292) will all try to stay within shouting distance of the top two teams.

Windsor coach Kenny Anderson’s foursome of Jessica Zapf (79), Kinsey Smith (85), Brynn Ellis (89) and Sarah Johnson (89) will have the home course advantage on their side, but they all know and understand that the weather is the great equalizer and that anything can happen on Tuesday.

“One thing I told them was to expect the worst, and if it is better than the worst, then you are okay. It was bad at times … but it cleared up and it really wasn’t that bad,” said Anderson, a former baseball skipper at nearby University High in Greeley. “The golf course played super long. It is about 5,800 on the scorecard, but really with the temperature and the elements, closer to 6,300, so that makes Haiely’s score even more incredible.

“Based on what we do, let’s win Day One and if something happens, don’t be behind. We won Day One, now we go win tomorrow, and if we do that, we will be in pretty good shape. The girls hung in there and yeah, it is a home course and we had some advantages with some certain things, but we battled the elements and are in good shape. We did what we needed to do today and hopefully tomorrow we do the same.”

May 21, 2019
Golden storms back to beat Cheyenne Mountain in OT and claim the 4A boys lacrosse title

DENVER — Joe Brock scored the winner two minutes into overtime, and Golden boys lacrosse captured the program’s first-ever championship by beating Cheyenne Mountain.

“We went to overtime I told the guys on the bench that we were due because we had two overtime losses this year. We were due on our side and sure enough,” Golden coach Mike Thumim said. “I didn’t even see Joe’s ball go in. I just saw the guys reaction and I lost my mind.”

(Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

The goal capped off an amazing rally from the Demons, who trailed 7-2 late in the second quarter of the Class 4A title game.

“This was unbelievable,” Brock said. “Coming in as a No. 7 seed, we beat one, two and three (seeds). I can’t describe this feeling. It’s incredible. We worked our butts off for this.”

Cheyenne Mountain looked in control at halftime, but Golden slowly chipped away, and chipped away, and eventually, with 1:05 to play in regulation, they tied the game at 9-9 with the defending champions. It was a goal from Brock that tied the game. He finished with three goals and an assist.

“All four years this has been the moment we’ve been looking for,” Brock said. “We came together knowing we had a young team and we were the underdog. It feels amazing.”

The two teams traded early goals as the game opened, and it was 2-2 after four minutes. But then Cheyenne Mountain took control by going up 3-2 with 1:59 to play in the first quarter, and then scoring the first four goals of the second quarter.

(Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

It was a commanding 7-2 lead for the defending champions before Golden finally halted the run with a goal with 16 seconds to play in the half. That goal, from sophomore Ben Kirschner, proved to be hugely important.

“I just came into this game with the mindset that I was going to get a few goals,” Kirschner said. “I capitalized on my moments and put the ball into the back of the net.”

Golden came out firing in the third quarter, with Kirschner scoring 2:27 into the frame, only to see Cheyenne Mountain answer six seconds later.

But Golden kept coming. They scored the final two goals of the third quarter, making it 8-6, and then Brady desGarennes scored with 6:59 to go in regulation. It was 8-7.

Cheyenne Mountain’s James LaCerte put his team up 9-7 two minutes later. Again, Golden wouldn’t go away.

(Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

Broderick Calley got his team within one with 2:50 to play, off an assist from Brock, and then Brock’s heroic shot with 1:05 to go tied the game up. It was the first overtime game in a boys lacrosse championship since 2000.

Then, two minutes into overtime, following sustained possession by Golden, Brock lifted his team to a title, their first.

“There are no words right now. I’m so proud of the team. I’m so proud of the guys,” Thumim said. “We knew going in that we had this ability all year. It was frustrating amid that five-game losing streak. Something just clicked and they have been playing just lights out the last three weeks. That is when you want to do it.”

Golden suffered five straight losses before starting play in the 4A Foothills League and didn’t win the conference title due to a triple-overtime loss to rival Green Mountain. However, the Demons got hot at the right time to win the 4A state title.

“We said we were going to do it for the guys who played before us, who will play after us and who are playing right now,” Kirschner said.

(Theodore Stark/tstark.com)

(Theodore Stark/tstark.com)

May 21, 2019
In a snowstorm, Cherry Creek claims 5A boys lacrosse championship

DENVER — The skies opened up — only this time it wasn’t rain. It was snow. A relentless snow. In late May.

No, they won’t soon forget this one.

Cherry Creek boys lacrosse, a perennial power, captured the Class 5A championship in beating Kent Denver 12-7 on a snow-covered field.

“It was tough,” Cherry Creek senior Connor Terrell said. “We got the snow going. We were confident the whole game; that’s how we came out. So it didn’t affect us.”

(Theodore Stark/tstark.com)

Connor Terrell led the way for Cherry Creek with four goals, while Dante Orlando and Aidan Burke each scored three times.

The two teams battled the elements all night, starting with rain when the game began at 7:30 p.m. As the temperature dropped, the rain turned to snow — a driving, endless snow.

In fact, the snow was such a factor that the lines on the field required shoveling, and officials changed the usual white ball to a yellow one for better visibility.

“Every time we’ve had weather like this, typically that game gets cancelled,” Cherry Creek coach Matthew Bocklet said. “But it seemed like we were going to play in this no matter what, and it just adds to this story, and this season.”

When the teams emerged from halftime to see the snow had really picked up, Bocklet turned to his players: “We said, ‘Shoot. Shoot, shoot, shoot.’ There’s no way anyone can see the ball. I know we couldn’t, but somehow (goalie) Chandler (Nayman) was still making saves there in the end.”

Said Terrell: “It was getting tough to catch and throw, but we made it work.”

The snow, Bocklet said, made for “an incredible setting for a championship game.”

“I will definitely not forget this,” Terrell said.

“I know I won’t,” Bocklet said.

(Theodore Stark/tstark.com)

Not much separated the two teams in the first half.

Kent Denver raced out to a 2-0 lead less than two minutes in, but Cherry Creek had tied the game at 2-2 by the time the first quarter ended.

The Bruins built a 5-3 lead with 1:29 to go in the second quarter, but Kent Denver scored two goals in the final minute of the half — including a rip from Maxwell Hewitt with seven seconds remaining.

Cherry Creek raced out in the third quarter, opening an 8-6 lead midway through the frame on a goal from Terrell. Kent cut it to 8-7 on a goal from Josh Melvin, but Creek’s Terrell scored with 36 to play in the third quarter.

In the fourth, the Bruins only added to their lead with goals from Orlando, Burke and Henry Olson.

The two teams were awfully familiar with one another: Earlier this month, Kent Denver edged Cherry Creek 9-8 in overtime.

This is Cherry Creek’s seventh state championship, the most of any boys lacrosse program in the state.

“We worked the whole season for this,” Terrell said. “We’ve been working since before winter break. It feels good.”

(Theodore Stark/tstark.com)

(Theodore Stark/tstark.com)

May 21, 2019
3A, 4A, and 5A girls golf championships will not continue Tuesday; first-round results are final

(Bethany Brookens/CHSAANow.com)

The second rounds of the girls golf championship tournaments in all classes have been cancelled due to unplayable courses on Tuesday, meaning the first-round results are final.

The 4A and 5A tournaments had hoped to be able to continue with shotgun starts Tuesday, but an overnight snowstorm left the courses at Pelican Lakes (4A) and Harmony (5A) unplayable. The course at Eagle Ranch (3A) is also unplayable, and the move to cancel was also made with safety concerns about travel.

The following message was sent to coaches:

After further consideration, we feel it prudent not to continue with the golf tournament for a number of reasons, including an unplayable course at this time and through the morning hours.

With the cancellation of Round 2, the first-round results will hold us as the final results, where players battled through tough conditions. Award ceremonies will be held at 9 a.m. at each golf course.

CHSAANow will have complete coverage following the award ceremonies.

(Adam Hothersall/CHSAANow.com)

May 21, 2019
Photos: Cherry Creek beats Kent Denver to win 5A boys lacrosse title

DENVER — In a snowstorm, Cherry Creek boys lacrosse beat Kent Denver to win the Class 5A state title.

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May 21, 2019