Evergreen senior quarterback Griffin Lauritano rushed for three touchdown and threw for a fourth in the Cougars’ 34-20 victory over rival Conifer on Saturday at Trailblazer Stadium in Lakewood. (Lance Wendt/CHSAANow.com)
LAKEWOOD — It was all Evergreen football early and often Saturday afternoon at Trailblazer Stadium.
The Cougars jumped out to a 20-0 lead in the first quarter against rival Conifer in the annual Mountain Bowl held at a windy and cold Trailblazer Stadium in Lakewood. Evergreen never looked back to eventually grab a 34-20 upset victory against Conifer — No. 7 in the CHSAANow.com Class 3A football rankings.
Evergreen senior Noah Martens rushed for more than 200 yards against rival Conifer in the Mountain Bowl on Saturday afternoon. (Lance Wendt/CHSAANow.com)
Evergreen senior quarterback Griffin Lauritano did it with his legs and arm in the opening quarter. Lauritano connected with senior Jack Lewis on a key 4th-down conversion on the Cougars’ first scoring drive. Lauritano finished off the drive with a 10-yard touchdown run.
Lauritano pushed Evergreen (4-2, 3-1 in 3A Western Slope League) to a 13-0 lead with a 38-yard touchdown pass to Daniel Schneider. A 6-yard touchdown run by Lauritano late in the first quarter put Evergreen up 20-0.
Conifer (4-2, 3-2) ended Evergreen’s string of scores with a 20-yard touchdown pass by senior quarterback Gunner Truby to start the second quarter. However, the Cougars answered before halftime with an 85-yard scoring drive.
Evergreen senior running back Noah Martens carried the load on the final scoring drive of the half. Martens had carries of 68, 8, 3 and 6 yards to punch in another touchdown for Evergreen. It gave the Cougars a 27-6 lead at halftime.
Martens had a monster game with 26 carries for 218 yards on the ground.
Conifer senior Noah Wagner breaks into the open during the Lobos’ 34-20 loss to rival Evergreen on Saturday at Trailblazer Stadium. (Lance Wendt/CHSAANow.com)
Conifer racked up over 200 yards on the ground behind senior Noah Wagner and junior Gauge Womack. The junior scored on a 3-yard run after an Evergreen turnover late in the third quarter to cut the Cougars’ lead to 27-13.
However, Lauritano put the game on ice with a 21-yard touchdown run midway through the fourth quarter to make the score 34-13. Wagner, leading rusher in the state, finished with 33 carries for 182 yards. He scored the final touchdown of the game with a 26-yard run in the closing minutes.
The win by Evergreen allowed Palisade (4-2, 4-1) to finish with the best conference mark in the 3A Western Slope League. The victory also brought the coveted Mountain Bowl trophy back to Evergreen. Conifer took a 49-21 win over Evergreen last season.
The Lobos were trying to win back-to-back Mountain Bowl victories since Conifer won three in a row from 2007-2009. The Cougars have won the rivalry game nine times over the past 11 years.
Conifer and Evergreen must now wait until tomorrow to see what their postseason fate will be. CHSAA will announce the 8-team 3A playoff bracket on Sunday. The Lobos were No. 7 and Cougars No. 10 in the CHSAA Seeding Index before the start of Week 6 games.
The seeding index that will determine the state field for all classifications during this shortened COVID-19 season is made up of data from the CHSAA RPI, CHSAANow coaches poll, MaxPreps Rankings and Packard Rating.
Conifer senior Eric Hartness turns up field Saturday at Trailblazer Stadium. (Lance Wendt/CHSAANow.com)
The current COVID-19 pandemic didn’t allow for the normal signing celebrations across Jeffco during the first of four signing days coming up for the Class of 2021. However, a number of Jeffco Public Schools student-athletes signed on Nov. 11 to continue their college careers.
Ralston Valley had nine girls sign, highlighted by last year’s Class 5A girls diving state champion Isabel Gregersen. She will dive for Florida State University. Sydney Bevington is taking her basketball talent to Santa Clara University and Jordan West is staying close to home to play softball at Colorado State University.
Columbine’s Korbe Otis (photo provided)
Columbine’s Korbe Otis, who helped the Rebels to their first state softball title in 2019, officially signed with the University of Louisville.
The University of Colorado added Conifer’s Zack Gacnik to its roster. Gacnik placed third at the 4A boys cross country state championship last month in Colorado Springs.
The next National Letter of Intent Signing Day is Dec. 16 and includes the early football signing period.
Green Mountain High School
Connor Brauch, diving, University of Cincinnati
Isaias Estrada, wrestling, University of North Carolina
KC Ossello, lacrosse, Missouri Western State University
Ralston Valley High School
Makena Geist, softball, University of Colorado-Colorado Springs
Jaiden Geist, softball, Metro State University
Madison Hauffman, lacrosse, Notre Dame College (Ohio)
Jordan West, softball, Colorado State University
Brooklyn Seymour, basketball, Western Colorado University
Isabel Gregersen, diving, Florida State University
Megan Jackson, lacrosse, Palm Beach Atlantic University
Sydney Bevington, basketball, Santa Clara University
Sydney Metzler, swimming, University of Wyoming
Golden High School
Ben Kirschner, lacrosse, University of Massachusetts-Lowell
Marla Goodspeed, softball, Oregon Tech
Sydney Benson, volleyball, Mercer
Maci Jones, soccer, Bentley University
Hank Ohlen, lacrosse, Belmont Abbey
Jadyn Goodrich, soccer, University of Denver
Conifer High School
Zack Gacnik, cross country, University of Colorado
Addie Hollander, lacrosse, Franklin & Marshall
Columbine High School
Korbe Otis, softball, University of Louisville
Evergreen High School
Margo Miller, lacrosse, Cornell University
Lauren Spence, lacrosse, Loyola University-Maryland
Madeline Mancini, lacrosse, Notre Dame College
Jared Stiller, lacrosse, Williams College
Thomas Schreffler, baseball, Mesa Community College (AZ)
George Hogan, baseball, Dordt University
Lakewood High School
Lila Maddux, swimming, Niagara University (NY)
Chatfield High School
Izzy DiNapoli, softball, University of Northern Colorado
Wheat Ridge High School
Wes Miller, baseball, Regis University
Arvada West High School
Alexis Kilgroe, water polo, Salem International University
Up 17-7 at halftime, Holy Family really used a big second half to expand the lead en route to a top-10 win over Lutheran on Friday.
The Tigers, ranked No. 4 in Class 3A, beat No. 2 Lutheran 38-14.
“It was a great win for our kids,” Holy Family coach Michael Gabriel told the Colorado Preps Scoreboard Show. “Our kids have really looked forward to this opportunity, to play a big game, this year. And they did a great job tonight.
Holy Family’s Trevin Johnson scored twofirst-quarter touchdowns to put his team up 14-0 after the first quarter.
“A key for us was just trying to get them off the field. Our kids did that. … We got a quick couple of scores.
Defensively, he said, “We have great team speed on that side of the ball, and those kids really like to hit. I think we set the tone early, and kept it on for the whole game.
In the third quarter, Michael White threw two touchdowns for Holy Family, one to Oscar Sena, and another to Liam Gray, to make it 31-7.
Lutheran cut into the lead, making it 31-14 after three quarters, but White added a rushing score for Holy Family in the fourth quarter for the final margin.
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2A: (10) Moffat County 26, (2) Delta 20
Caleb Frink and Evan Atkin each had two rushing touchdowns as Moffat County pulled off the big upset at home.
“We feel like we’ve been getting better every week, and this win tonight definitely makes us feel like we’ve taken a step in the right direction,” Moffat County coach Lance Scranton told the Scoreboard Show.
Frink got his team started with a first-quarter rushing score that put the Bulldogs up 6-0.
Delta responded on its next drive, capped by a touchdown pass to Hunter Goff, as they went ahead 7-6.
Moffat County retook the lead at 13-7 just before the end of the first quarter when Frink scored his second, this from from 25 yards out.
After Delta tied the game at 13 in the second quarter, Moffat County’s Evan Atkin put his team ahead 19-13 just two seconds before halftime.
In the second half, Moffat County recovered a fumble in Delta territory, and then Atkin punched it in for his second score for a 26-13 lead.
“Then, we just had to play defense, and our defense really came through,” Scranton said.
Delta’s Colbi Braslin hauled in a touchdown pass with 5:53 left, and the Panthers then got the ball back with less than a minute to go, but Moffat County’s Logan Hafey got a sack with two seconds left to secure the upset.
“That sealed the game, and that was it,” Scranton said.
In a game that was scheduled mid-week due to quarantines of opponents, Valor Christian built at 24-0 lead at halftime, and kept things rolling in the second half en route to the win.
Star Eagles running back Gavin Sawchuk rushed for two touchdowns, including scores of 69 and 27 yards, as he amassed 230 yards on 33 carries.
Valor Christian quarterback Sean McNair threw two touchdown passes, both of which went to Landon Turnall. Zach Wiley also had a rushing score.
Zach Friedman had Ralston Valley’s lone touchdown, a 7-yard rush in the third quarter.
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2A: (5) Eaton 51, (8) Severance 6
Eaton turned a fast start into a big top-10 win.
The squad led 23-0 after the first quarter, and 44-0 at the half.
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8-man: (1) Sedgwick County 32, (3) Merino 0
Sedgwick County pushed an 8-0 lead to 24-0 in the span of a few minutes late in the second quarter to beat their rivals on Friday night.
“That was big for us, especially that last score, going down and getting in the end zone right before halftime,” Sedgwick County coach Chris Michel told the Scoreboard Show. “I think anytime you can do that, it takes the wind out of them a little bit, and gives us a little more cushion.”
Of the top-3 matchup, Michel said, “We had to put four quarters together. That’s exactly what we need this time of season, to get ready to go in the playoffs.”
It was the second shutout Sedgwick County’s defense threw this season.
“We did a good job of staying home, doing our job, and really tackling,” Michel said.
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8-man: (9) Dove Creek 18, (5) Mancos 14
Dove Creek’s Kade Hankins scored a 6-yard rushing touchdown early in the fourth quarter to help Dove Creek rally and pull off the upset.
The Bulldogs also got a 1-yard touchdown from Chorbin Cressler and a 68-yard score from Gage Bailey as they went ahead 12-6 at halftime.
Dove Creek’s Chase Moore had two rushing touchdowns, including a score that made it 14-12 midway through the third quarter.
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6-man: (3) Cheyenne Wells 42, (6) Eads 18
Rogelio Rangel had a rushing score as well as a receiving score to help Cheyenne Wells build a 21-2 first-half lead that help up in the win.
Ty Wilson had a 77-yard kick return for a score for Eads.
It has been a wild week of cancellations and reschedules due to COVID-19. At least 37 games have been changed or cancelled just this week alone. There was also a forfeit, which was unrelated to COVID.
One of those rescheduled games saw coach Todd Casbier return to play his former school at Fruita Monument, with Casebier’s Castle View squad winning 28-15.
Cheraw quarterback Cade Phillips continued his tear in 6-man, throwing for seven touchdowns in the second consecutive game as the seventh-ranked Wolverines beat Manzanola 82-38. The 14 touchdowns over two games rank fourth-all time (and are a 6-man record). He has also thrown 18 touchdowns in the past three games, which is the seventh most (and another 6-man record).
No. 2 Fowler built a 20-8 lead in the second half, then held off a rally from No. 7 Crowley County in 8-man to win 32-22.
Cherokee Trail knocked off 5A No. 9 Grandview 28-23 to pick up its third-straight win. The Cougars’ Kyle Williams had a late INT to seal the win. Find photos from the game here.
In overtime, Cheyenne Mountain beat Widefield 13-12.
1A No. 6 Hotchkiss ended Gunnison’s two-game winning streak with a 49-7 win. Five different Bulldogs had a rushing touchdown, including quarterback Drayden Taylor, who also threw for two scores.
Quarterback Chase Silva threw two touchdown and ran for two more as 4A No. 8 Skyline improved to 5-0 with a 35-21 win over Monarch.
5A No. 6 Fairview is now 5-0 after its 42-10 win over Horizon. Liam O’Brien threw for 310 yards and three scores, and also had two rushing touchdowns to go along with 45 yards on the ground.
Quite the stat line from Bennett quarterback Mikey Babi: He was 6-of-8 with 154 yards and four scores in his team’s 44-0 win over Platte Canyon in 1A.
In 8-man, Simla got three rushing touchdowns from Coletin Mazerall as the Cubs beat Lyons 38-8.
Jeffco Preps With Pleuss is a monthly roundup of Jeffco prep highlights hosted by Dennis Pleuss, Jeffco Public Schools’ sports information director. Prep football action started up in early October. We’ve got highlights from four games — Columbine vs Arvada West, Pomona vs Lakewood, Central of Grand Junction vs Dakota Ridge and Wheat Ridge vs Chatfield — from the first few weeks of the 6-game regular season. Boys tennis season wrapped up with Lakewood and Ralston Valley having good showings at the Class 5A state tournament at Gates Tennis Center in Denver. Cross country season also concluded with the Jeffco League Championships that led into the state meet held in Colorado Springs.
The 2020 all-state softball teams are presented by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps.
These team were created following a process where the coaches voted upon a list of nominees. Players who were named first-team all-league are eligible for the all-state ballot.
Coaches also voted specifically for player and coach of the year.
Evergreen senior Sarah Allen sprints toward the finish to win the Class 4A Jeffco League individual girls title Thursday in Arvada. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
ARVADA — Green Mountain senior Grahm Tuohy-Gaydos and Evergreen senior Sarah Allen have made the most of their opportunities so far this cross country season.
Tuohy-Gaydos and Allen claimed the individual titles at the Class 4A Jeffco League Cross Country Championships held Thursday at Standley Lake Basketball Barn in Arvada.
Golden sophomore Lily Mourer finished second to help the Demons to the girls conference team title. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
“The course is deceitful,” Allen said after her time of 19 minutes, 35 seconds which was 15 seconds faster than Golden sophomore Lily Mourer who finished second. “You’ll think you’ll be going pretty fast because it is pretty flat, but with all the grass and uneven texture it’s pretty slow and hard.”
It has been a tough prep career for Allen. She didn’t make varsity her freshman year and then came down with bronchitis her sophomore year. Last year, she suffered stress fractures that prevented her from running for a second straight season.
“This is the first time of making it to this point,” Allen said, who has won all seven cross country races she has entered this season. “I’m really proud of it. Running is my favorite thing. Getting to this point feels so rewarding.”
Allen was able to pull away from Mourer and Standley Lake senior Sophia Abernethey — both returning first-time all-conference runners — to keep momentum heading into regionals next week.
“I really want to keep up with the faster girls,” Allen said of moving into regionals for the Cougars on Oct. 8 in Gypsum. “The girls at regionals are really good.”
Golden’s girls just edged D’Evelyn by two points to win the team title. Mourer and junior Meredith Overton finished in the Top-5 to pace the Demons.
On the boys side, Tuohy-Gaydos continued his extremely successful prep running career at Green Mountain. He will go down as one of the most decorated boys runners in 4A Jeffco history. He finished Top-10 at the league championships as a freshman before winning three straight individual conference titles.
Green Mountain senior Grahm Tuohy-Gaydos won his third straight Class 4A Jeffco League individual title with a sub-16 minute time Thursday. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
“It’s really rare and I’m really lucky to be able to do that,” Tuohy-Gaydos said of his three-peat.
Tuohy-Gaydos has won every race he has entered this Fall and continued his streak on Thursday. However, the senior is more focused on the team goals for the Rams.
“Really when it comes to these races it’s not really about getting a time. It’s about helping the team,” Tuohy-Gaydos said after his time of 15:59.7 claimed the 4A Jeffco boys individual championship. “My time was sub-16 which on a course like this with a lot of surface changes and hills, I’m pretty happy with it.”
Green Mountain was just edged out by Conifer for the team title. The Lobos were paced by seniors Zack Gacnik, Topi Alahuhta and junior Isaac Vanwestrienen. The Conifer trio all placed in the Top-5 to give the Lobos 38 team points. Green Mountain finished with 42.
“Our team goal this year is to qualify for state,” Grahm Tuohy-Gaydos said. “For me, my individual goals are all intertwined with that. Whatever I can do to help my team qualify for state and win races is my goal.”
The Jeffco League Cross Country Championships did look different with 4A teams competing Thursday and 5A teams running the same course coming up Friday afternoon. Normally both 5A and 4A run on the same day, but due to COVID guidelines the championships had to be split into two days.
Tuohy-Gaydos is extremely grateful of the cross country season during the current pandemic.
“I’m really appreciate CHSAA for one, allowing us to race. That is first and foremost,” Tuohy-Gaydos said. “I didn’t know if I was going to be able to run this year as a senior. It makes me feel happy that people are following mask rules. I’m somebody who has family members that are high risk. I appreciate for what everyone is doing.”
