COLORADO SPRINGS — After getting dominated in the third set, Cheyenne Mountain knew it just had to calm down a bit.
The entire league schedule was always going to be a gauntlet, but a win over Class 5A No. 2 Rampart could do wonders for confidence down the road. Cheyenne had already grabbed a win in the second set, so coach Ellen Senf knew her girls were capable of gettin it done. They battled and they rallied and eventually walked away with a 19-25, 25-22, 15-25 25-19, 15-13 win over the Rams.
“Just seeing the rankings and knowing they were No. 2, I think we came out fearful tonight,” Senf said. “But we showed that we can battle no matter what. In a month when we get to the state tournament we’ll look back at this game and know we can battle.”
For both teams, the match is a testament of just how tough the newly constructed Pikes Peak Athletic Conference is in certain sports, volleyball among them. From the 4A side, the last time neither Cheyenne Mountain or Lewis-Palmer claimed the state title was when Mountain View won it in 2007.
Air Academy and Palmer Ridge, also PPAC teams, have also made their way to the state finals, both losing to Lewis-Palmer.
When factoring in 5A schools such as Rampart and Pine Creek, not a night will go by in league competition where teams won’t be tested.
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
“It’s great in the fact that we have that competition,” Rampart coach Nikki Bloemen said. “And our regular season being a shortened season, we really only have our league matches and our tournament at the end of the year so if we can see teams like this now, it’s going to benefit us down the road.”
Each team learned valuable lessons at the conclusion of the match. Cheyenne Mountain (4-0 overall, 4-0 5A/4A PPAC) learned that down 2-1 against a hard hitting team doesn’t necessarily spell of the match.
“In that third set everyone got down on themselves,” Cheyenne Mountain hitter Emma Delich said. “Nobody was playing together. They were playing for themselves and not for the team. After that third set, we came together and decided to play together and play for each other. We wanted to show that we care about each point and that we’re in it to win it.”
The Rams (1-1, 1-1) saw how limited they could be in certain spots. Even with a pair of Division I-bound standouts in Riley Simpson and Anjelina Starck, nothing will be given to them.
That was especially the case on Wednesday as Starck was somewhat limited in the match and saw no time in the front row, which is where she thrives for the Rams.
“We can’t get comfortable,” Bloemen said. “I think we were more than capable with the tools we had tonight, we just got comfortable there at the end and we let them back in it. We have to keep the pedal down and that’s something that we’re learning.”
They’ll have plenty of opportunities to learn it. The beauty of the league makeup for now is that four of the top five teams in the 4A CHSAANow.com rankings all reside in the PPAC. And Rampart will see them all, as will Cheyenne Mountain.
Thursday was a great match between two talented squads, but it’s just the tip of the iceberg for the display of volleyball talent the league will showcase this year.
Make it 2-for-2 for the Valor Christian Eagles. During the first day of the state spirit competition, the Eagles came away with gold, claiming the Class 5A/4A Gameday state championship.
It’s the second Gameday title for Valor and the second overall year of the categories inclusion in the state competition.
They won the title in the say fashion that they did in December of 2019 by beating out Smoky Hill. The Eagles finished with a score of 96.95 while the Buffaloes scored 93.8.
Greeley West took third while Rangeview took fourth.
Swink won the 3A/2A Gameday title after following up a solid prelim performance with a championship performance in the finals. The Lions finished fourth last year marking this win as their first Gameday state championship in school history.
Bishop Machebeuf placed second with Resurrection Christian taking third.
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2A and 3A Cheer
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)The Highland Huskies cheer team received a phone call from coach Michaela Runnells.
“Come meet me up near the front door,” she said.
They had no idea that she was carrying the payoff from their hard work. When the girls finally got within eyesight of Runnells, they couldn’t help but notice she was carrying something that was glistening with gold. It was a state championship trophy. The girls went crazy as they claimed the 3A crown.
After finishing second in 2A last year, they’ll enjoy a ride home with a trophy and a banner, celebrating their top performance at the Broadmoor World Arena.
Prospect Ridge Academy, last year’s state champion, finished second while Woodland Park finished third and Gunnison finished fourth.
In 2A, Front Range Christian repeated as the 2A cheer after holding off Limon. The Falcons scored 74.7 points to the Badgers’ 63.4.
Cheyenne Wells finished third and Wiley took fourth.
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4A and 5A Cheer
For the third straight year, Erie is walking out of the state spirit meet as the 4A Cheer champion. The Tigers put together a performance that gave them a score of 91.5, just under seven points better than Lewis-Palmer.
Last year, the scored 91.217 to capture the cheer title at the Denver Coliseum. This year, they’ll be able able to savor the win a little more as they drive north from Colorado Springs.
Niwot finished third while Standley Lake finished fourth.
After finishing seventh a year ago, Douglas County claimed the 5A cheer crown. They held off Chaparral by just a quarter of a point.
Rock Canyon took third with a score of 89.8 and Legend came in fourth.
Wheat Ridge sophomore Marco Neswadi (3) tries to cut off Alameda senior Jose Martinez’s path toward the goal as the snow falls Tuesday night at Lakewood Memorial Field. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
LAKEWOOD — Alameda International was actually the last high school boys soccer team to play at historic Lakewood Memorial Field … that was 507 days ago.
The Pirates suffered a 2-0 loss in the opening round of the Class 4A boys soccer state tournament back on Nov. 2, 2019. The loss marked the end of an outstanding 14-2 record for Alameda. Little did anyone know then that the COVID-19 pandemic would leave Lakewood Memorial nearly dormant until Tuesday night.
“We all cherished that first step,” Wheat Ridge senior Jace Sandler said about returning to Lakewood Memorial Field. “It feels good to be back out here. This is our home. We love it.”
Alameda sophomore Jair Perez, left, and Wheat Ridge junior Kevin Estacuy fight for the ball during the Class 4A Jeffco League game Tuesday night. The Farmers won 5-2. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
Wheat Ridge faced off against Alameda — No. 7 in this week’s Class 4A CHSAANow.com rankings — in a 4A Jeffco League match. The night belonged to Sandler, who scored four goals and an assist in the Farmers’ 5-2 victory over the Pirates (3-1, 2-1 in league)
“It’s been awhile,” Sandler said when asked if he had ever scored four goals in a single game. “It was a lots of fun. Anytime you get to go out there with your team and have success. I’m not putting in those goals without the center-mid giving me that perfect pass on my foot.”
Sandler scored goals on breakaways in the 13th and 39th minutes of the first half, giving the Farmers (2-0-1, 2-0-1) a 2-0 lead at the break.
Alameda senior Jose Martinez got the Pirates right back in the game with a hard shot that was deflected into the goal in the 43th minute. However, Sandler answered with a nifty turn in front of Alameda’s goal to create some space and complete his hat-trick in the 44th minute.
“He is just a stud,” Wheat Ridge coach Nate Flack said of Sandler. “The coolest thing about Jace is he is such a team player. He loves this family and loves his team. He is the first guy out and last one to leave. I’m glad he got reward tonight with some goals.”
Alameda responded with a direct free-kick goal by senior Jonathan Serrano in the 50th minute to make it a 3-2 game.
Wheat Ridge freshman Alden Reeves (17) looks to advance the ball up the field Tuesday night at Lakewood Memorial Field. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
It was Sandler again giving the Farmers back the 2-goal lead, but this time with an assist. The senior slid a pass over to senior Jack Francis in the 62nd minute. Sandler finished off the scoring with his fourth goal in the 65th minute on a tight angle shot.
Wheat Ridge remained undefeated with Evergreen and Golden in 4A Jeffco. The Farmers’ lone blemish was a 1-1 tie against Littleton over the weekend.
“We were just really antsy and the guys have been working really hard,” Flack said. “We just focus on what we can control. You can’t the regulations or the weather. We can just control coming out and working.”
The Farmers hadn’t won a conference game since the Fall 2017 season, but already have two league wins under their belt.
“You look at this league and there are a lot of great opponents. A lot of great coaches,” Flack said. “We know what we have here is special. They are a tight family and group of kids. We are excited to keep working and going after it.”
Wheat Ridge is scheduled to face Standley Lake in another league game Friday, March 26, at the North Area Athletic Complex before Spring Break.
“League is wide open. We are looking to take it,” Sandler said. “We’ll go forward from here. Each game is a worthy game. It’s one game at a time. We want league for sure.”
Alameda is still in the thick of the conference race despite the loss. The Pirates return to action against Golden on Friday night at the NAAC.
Alameda senior Jonathan Serrano (19) puts his foot into one during the first half Tuesday night at Lakewood Memorial Field. It was the first boys soccer game at LMF in 507 days. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
COLORADO SPRINGS — Mead felt like it had all the necessary tools to capture a boys basketball state championship. Then at the oddest time, life decided to throw a curveball. Nick Basson, the third leading scorer for the Mavericks, suffered a stroke.
He was loaded onto Flight for Life and taken to Children’s Hospital in Aurora. Just over a week later, he sat on the bench to watch his teammates battle to a 68-44 win over Montrose to capture the Class 4A boys basketball championship, the first for the team since 1957.
“It was just over a week ago that this happened with Nick and this team is just so connected,” coach Darin Reese said. “To get the news of Nick, it was shocking to everyone and it’s still hard to believe. It made us tighter after we found out that he was going to be ok.”
It also gave the team an emotional boost that they sustained all the way through the postseason. And they walked onto the floor of the Broadmoor World Arena, each player donned a warmup shirt with No. 1 and “Basson” on the back, keeping their teammate — a teammate they would’ve loved to have on the floor — on their mind.
But the game had to go one. Elijah Knudsen was electric in the first quarter, scoring 13 of the Mavericks (15-3 overall) 21 points in the quarter.
“He’s gotten so good at understanding what a good (shot) is and when to get his teammates involved,” Reese said. “When he hits one or two, you want to give him a little bit of space because he can get going.”
Montrose (18-1) found their footing in the second quarter and closed the Mead lead to just four points at halftime, but the Mavericks turned the jets back on in the third and never looked back.
Despite not having JP Shiers on the floor for much of the second and third quarters because of foul trouble, Mead was able to play at their pace and continue to knock down open shots.
“I enjoy doing that,” Knudsen said. “But definitely my teammates are a bunch of help. Marcus Santiago, our senior, we don’t win this game if he doesn’t show up the way he did tonight.”
Knudsen led all scorers with 30 points and Santiago had 18. Ashden Oberg led Montrose with 17.
Once the Mavericks had the lead and they knew the emotional implications that would come with a win, there was no choice but to finish the game strong. What made the quest all the more important was that Basson was able to be on the bench, actively rooting for his guys as if he was sitting out for a sprained ankle.
“I actually got to go and surprise the guys at practice (last week),” Basson said. “Seeing the Final 4 was great and being able to come down here and be a part of this, it was exciting. It was fun.”
COLORADO SPRINGS — As Kindyll Wetta walked off the floor, she grabbed Valor Christian coach Jessika Caldwell and wrapped her up in a big hug. The two have been through a lot together. Caldwell watched for two years as Wetta lost some or all of a basketball season because of separate torn ACLs.
But on a snowy, late-March night in the Broadmoor World Arena, the pain all felt worth it. The top-seeded Eagles had clinched a 67-42 win over No. 2 Regis Jesuit to claim the Class 5A girls basketball title.
“When she came off the court, I was really fighting back tears,” Caldwell said. “Just watching her walk through what she’s walked through and the road that she’s traveled and to see her play with such confidence and toughness, it looked like a kid out there having fun.”
She even got to have fun with her sister. Ali was the surprise of the game, scoring 14 points to double her season average. Overall, the Eagles (16-0 overall) had four players in double figures as Macey Huard (14) and Jenna Siebert (10) also had good nights.
When 2:16 remained in the first quarter, the Eagles led Regis 8-7. Then they closed that frame with a quick 7-3 burst that gave them a 19-10 advantage after the first quarter.
Ali Wetta scored five points in the quarter after coming off the bench and it was just the start of her own breakout party, a party where she finished with 14 points.
“I went in and my teammates were able to find me,” Ali said. “I had some great passes from my teammates and I just wanted to go in and give my all for the seniors.
The Eagles stretched their lead to 29-18 at halftime, thanks to another small spurt — 5-0 — to end that quarter.
Feeling a championship in their grasp, the Eagles kept up the pressure on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball. Kidyll scored 13 of her game-high 17 points in the second half. She also finished the game with 10 assists to get a double-double in her last high school game.
“There isn’t a better way (to end a career),” Kindyll said. “Now that my sister’s playing after missing a year (with a torn ACL), to win it this year with her is incredible.”
The Eagles also clamped down on Regis guard Avery Vansickle, holding her scoreless in the third quarter as they stretched out their lead. Vansickle eventually finished with 14 points and will go down as one of the great Regis Jesuit players of all-time.
Caldwell couldn’t help but get emotional for her players as their cheered her championship victory, but there was an element of the win that was special for her as well. She played basketball at Coronado before playing collegiately at Baylor.
She embraced her star guard on the same floor where she walked for high school graduation, showing when the time is right, it’s possible to go home again.
“This is where I picked up a basketball for the first time,” she said. “It’s where I fell in love with the game and where my dad taught me and coached me. It was kind of the beginning of my career so to be able to come back and coach these girls and stand on this sideline is pretty special.”
