CHSAANow

Month: November 2019

  • No. 2 Ralston Valley football grinds out victory over Arapahoe

    ARVADA — Ralston Valley quarterback Walker Brickle even got into the running game for the Mustangs late Friday night at the North Area Athletic Complex.

    Brickle’s 10-yard touchdown run late in the second quarter typified Ralston Valley’s 42-21 victory over No. 15-seeded Arapahoe in the Class 5A football second-round state playoff game. Brickle muscled his way in for the touchdown behind his offensive line as the No. 2 Mustangs went to their ground game to advance to host No. 10 Eaglecrest next week in the state quarterfinals.

    Ralston Valley senior JJ Galbreath (8) celebrates a fumble recovery by sophomore Zach Friedman in the second quarter Friday at the NAAC. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    “We are trying to take what teams will give us,” Ralston Valley coach Matt Loyd said of going to the ground game. “We were able to move the ball and we stayed with it.”

    Senior Chase Wilson and junior Tyler Roybal carried the load on the ground. Wilson was the workhorse and had a key 6-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter that pushed the Ralston Valley lead to 28-14.

    “We persevered really well,” Wilson said. “I got some great blocks up front. Our tight ends played great. (Arapahoe) did take away our passing game. We changed it really quick and went to the run.”

    Arapahoe (7-5 record) made a game of it in the fourth quarter. A 1-yard touchdown run by sophomore quarterback Cole Hansen after a trick play put the Warriors just 1-score down at 28-21 with 10:47 left in the fourth quarter.

    However, Ralston Valley had an impressive 80-yard drive that included a 13-yard run by Wilson on a fourth-and-1 play to wrap up the victory. Brickle hit senior Caleb Rillos with a 14-yard touchdown with 4:27 left to play to push the lead to 35-21.

    “It was definitely a relief,” Brickle said of the touchdown pass to Rillos that pretty much sealed the victory.

    A fumble recovery by Ralston Valley junior Will Lester allowed Ralston Valley (11-0) to put in another late score on the second touchdown run of the night by Roybal.

    Ralston Valley senior Chase Wilson, left, cuts back against the grain during a run in the first half Friday night against Arapahoe. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    “We are happy that we survived to the next round, but we know there is a lot we need to clean up after this week,” Wilson said. “Eaglecrest has a really great team with a lot of good athletes. We’ll get back at it tomorrow.”

    Ralston Valley got out to a 21-7 lead at halftime. Brickle connected with junior Devin McNearny for a quick scoring strike to start the game. The Mustangs grabbed a 7-0 lead 90 seconds into the game.

    However, Arapahoe answered with a long touchdown strike on midway through the first quarter. Hansen hit senior Adam Bakke with a 61-yard touchdown pass to tie things up at 7-7

    The Mustangs really got their ground game going in the second quarter. Roybal had a 33-yard touchdown run with 5:09 left before halftime. A fumble recovery by Ralston Valley sophomore Zach Friedman set up the Mustangs’ on Arapahoe’s 14-yard line.

    “Our defense gives us turnovers every single game,” Brickle said. “I know they were coming.”

    Two plays later, Brickle muscled into the end zone from 10 yards out to push the Mustangs’ lead to 21-7 at halftime. Arapahoe had a big 95-yard scoring drive in the third quarter that took up nearly half of the quarter to cut the Mustangs’ lead to 21-14.

    “We had a little rust coming off the bye,” Brickle said. “It was more of a wake-up call game. We’ll be good next week. We just need to be more focused through the week.”

    Loyd was pleased with how his team handled the win.

    “We are advancing and happy about that, but the kids weren’t celebrating,” Loyd said. “The kids were already like, ‘We are going to be better.’ That is great as a coach. They weren’t satisfied.”

    Ralston Valley junior Tyler Roybal is pushed out of bounds by a host of Arapahoe defenders during the Class 5A second-round playoff game Friday night. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

  • 3A football: Palmer Ridge stikes often in playoff win over Holy Family

    (Derek Lee/CHSAANow.com)

    MONUMENT — Coming off a big loss to Discovery Canyon last week, the No. 4 Palmer Ridge Bears were looking to start its Class 3A football playoff run on a better note in a first-round game against No. 13 Holy Family.

    Junior quarterback Luke McAllister led the way for Palmer Ridge with six touchdowns (five passing, one rushing) as the Bears thrashed Holy Family 63-7. Seniors Deuce Roberson and Raef Ruel along with sophomore Anthony Costanzo combined for four touchdowns as well.

    McAllister was quick to heap praise on his teammates after the game. “All my receivers, including Raef as a running back, I wouldn’t be as good without them,” said McAllister. “They carry this offense. I’m only as good as they are.”

    All six of McAllister’s touchdowns came in the first half, with the score 49-7 at halftime. Palmer Ridge tacked on two more touchdowns in the second half as McAllister watched from the sidelines, getting a much-deserved rest while the second-string offense moved down the field.

    “Luke is something different,” said Costanzo, who also had an interception early in the second quarter that led to a Ruel touchdown. “He’s stepped up big time from last year to this year, obviously filling in a super big role from (former Palmer Ridge quarterback Ty Evans) leaving. But I think the biggest thing for him is he isn’t Ty Evans, he’s Luke McAllister. He’s done good (and) he’s stepped up big time to props to him.”

    (Derek Lee/CHSAANow.com)

    “I think we did a good job of running the ball early,” said Bears head coach Tom Pulford. “The offensive line had a lot of different looks that they dealt with from Holy Family and I thought they dealt with them very well. We were able to protect Luke and give him some time to make some good decisions down the field. Luke’s done a good job for us all season long it was fun to see him execute at that level tonight with good help up front.”

    It was a great way for the Bears to kick off their 3A state title defense after stumbling in the regular season finale. Pulford was happy to see the way his team started fast and played through the final whistle.

    “I think that our kids responded to adversity well coming off of last week’s game to Discovery Canyon,” continued Pulford. “I think we’re starting to see what this team is capable of and I think that the challenge is practicing at a high level all week long so we can come out at our best next week.”

    From here on out, the goal for the Bears has really simplified and will continue to do so as the playoffs drag on.

    “Just go 1-0 each week (and) practice little things,” McAllister said.

    That’s not just a McAllister philosophy, it’s something that has been ingrained into every member of the team. The road to a third-straight title is pretty easy in their minds.

    “Just be more focused, that’s it really,” Costanzo said. “Just be more focused.”

    (Derek Lee/CHSAANow.com)

  • Here’s what happened during state volleyball’s semis and championships

    DENVER — The 2019 state volleyball tournaments continue on Saturday at the Denver Coliseum, including the semifinal and championship matches.

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    Live scoreboard

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    Live coverage

     

  • Photos: Broomfield tops Regis Jesuit for 5A boys soccer title

    Gustavo Gutierrez’s goal was enough for Broomfield to get a 1-0 win over Regis Jesuit and claim the Class 5A boys soccer title.

  • Photos: Top-seeded Cherry Creek advances to 5A football quarterfinals

    Friday night was business as usual for Cherry Creek in a 31-14 win over ThunderRidge in the Class 5A football playoffs.

  • Photos: Moore scores four times as Pine Creek beats Longmont in 4A football playoffs

    David Moore III scored four touchdowns to lead Pine Creek to a 48-13 win over Longmont in the first round of the Class 4A football playoffs.

  • Photos: Regis Jesuit football beats Highlands Ranch to move on

    Regis Jesuit beat Highlands Ranch in the 5A football playoffs to move on to the quarterfinals.

  • Here’s what happened in the 2A, 3A and 4A boys soccer state championship games

    COMMERCE CITY — The Class 2A, 3A and 4A boys soccer championship games are on Saturday at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.

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  • No. 4 Montrose football tops No. 13 Brighton in first round of 4A football playoffs

    (Vanessa Vandehey/vanessa-photography.net)

    MONTROSE — Getting the first one out of the way is always the key. Montrose was happy to do just that in a 28-13 win over Brighton in the first round of the Class 4A football playoffs.

    Tayne Ila got Montrose (10-1 overall) on the board with a two-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second quarter.

    Eli Evans added a 25-yard touchdown run to push the lead to 13-0 and give Montrose some breathing room.

    Brighton (6-5) cut into the lead before halftime as Vershon Brooks pounded the ball into the end zone from a yard out.

    The Bulldogs got more aggressive in the second half, trying to convert on fourth down, but a Jorge Cadena interception set up another Montrose touchdown.

    “It was a great team effort,” Riley Barnhill said. “We all rallied and got it together.”

    Each team added another score before the final horn sounded.

    “I thought our kids played great tonight,” Montrose coach Bert Mertens said. “I thought we had a lot of kids step up and play multiple positions when we needed them to. It was a fun night and we are very happy to be able to play another week.”

    Montrose awaits Saturday’s winner of Pueblo West and Golden.

    (Vanessa Vandehey/vanessa-photography.net)

  • 3A boys soccer: Second half barrage lifts Kent Denver over Roaring Fork for state crown

    More photos. (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

    COMMERCE CITY — There is something about Dick’s Sporting Goods Park that just brings out the best in Pace Billings and his teammates.

    For the fifth time in six seasons, Kent Denver’s boys soccer team left Commerce City with the Class 3A state trophy in their hands. For the second year in a row, it was Billings who provided the spark. One year after scoring a pair of goals in the title game, the senior gave his team a big lift Saturday afternoon with three consecutive goals in the second half.

    The surge sent Kent Denver to a 5-0 victory over Roaring Fork, capping off a perfect 20-0 season.

    “We’ve got a tremendous senior class, and they have led us through thick and thin,” Sun Devils coach Arty Smith said. “It was one of those seasons where I, as the head coach, was able to defer a lot of the leadership to this senior class.

    “This season, the 20-0 record, it is the senior class that owns that. I couldn’t be more proud of them.”

    Kent Denver won championships in 2014-16 and again in 2018, but the team had never finished unbeaten in that stretch. The team is 112-3-4 since 2014, and the senior class goes out with three titles in four years.

    “We’ve had a core bunch of seniors on the team since freshman year when we won the state title,” Billings said. “We’ve been working and working and got to be the best we’ve ever been.”

    Fifth-seeded Roaring Fork (15-3-1) played Kent Denver as tough as anyone had this season through the first 50 minutes of play. It wasn’t until 10 minutes had gone by in the second half that Kent Denver finally broke through, as Rawson Welch sent a perfect cross to the left side of the field. Billings was there to finish it off, putting the team on top to stay.

    “We practice crossing all the time. We put it in the mix, as our coach likes to say,” Billings said. “It was a great ball. He made it easy for me.”

    Midway through the second half Billings again took a cross, this time from Max Hewitt, and punched it home to make it 2-0. That ignited a three-goal outburst in less than three minutes, with Billings and Hewitt adding goals.

    More photos. (Derek Lee/CHSAANow.com)

    “Before the game we talked about being patient. We figured Roaring Fork would try to stay very organized defensively, and they did,” Smith said. “I thought in the first half we had the better possession and probably wore them out a little bit. We got that first one, and I think Roaring Fork probably had to come out of their shell a little bit. It gave us a little bit more space, and then kind of the floodgates opened.”

    Layton Purchase added a goal with a little more than seven minutes remaining to cap the scoring.

    For Pace, scoring five goals at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in two years is a good feeling, but the senior was quick to point out that he doesn’t get those without his teammates.

    “It’s lucky that comes at this time, but it’s not just me. I credit all of my teammates and everybody for helping me get there,” Billings said. “They’re team goals, but it’s good that it comes here.”

    Roaring Fork keeper Noah Wheeless faced a steady attack throughout the game, finishing with 10 saves. The Sun Devils backline didn’t allow much pressure though on the other end for senior keeper Joey Waldbaum, who had to make only one first-half save.

    Smith said next fall will be much different, given how many players will graduate. He said the junior class will pick up the mantle, and much of that legacy will be because of this year’s seniors.

    “It will be the turning of the page next year,” Smith said. “I think we have 14 seniors, and we’re going to miss every single one of them. But certainly their legacy will live on.”

    More photos. (Derek Lee/CHSAANow.com)