COLORADO SPRINGS — The state basketball championship games for 1A boys and girls, 4A boys and girls, and 5A girls are on Saturday at World Arena.
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Regis Jesuit girls basketball beat Grandview 73-69 to advance to the 5A state championship game.
LOVELAND — Riley Laub thought he had the game winner with just under two minutes remaining in the game. It could have been, but a Chaparral goal with 20 seconds left on the clock just meant Fort Collins had to wait a little bit longer.
It took just 27 seconds into the third overtime as Nolan Williamson scored the game winner to give Class 5A No. 1 Fort Collins a 3-2 win over No. 4 Chaparral in the Frozen 4 at the Budweiser Events Center in Loveland.
In a similar fashion to last year’s state championship game, Fort Collins faced more shots than it would have like. But unlike last year’s result, Sam Simon did just enough to allow the Lambkins to emerge victorious and advance to the 5A state championship game on Thursday.
“Looking back to last year, he set a state record and almost a national one for most saves in a game,” Williamson said. “He had what, (48) saves again tonight. He stood on his head for us.”
Aidan Beck broke the scoreless tie at 9:41 in the first period, getting a shot by Wolverines goalie Ryan Burke. But Chap answered right back as Landen Shay tied the game less than a minute later.
For the next two periods, a save-off between Burke and Simon kept the game locked in a 1-1 tie. Chaparral controlled the puck more consistently firing off 38 shots to the Lambkins 19 in regulation.
Laub snuck his last shot just by Burke’s leg pad with just 1:19 on the clock, giving the Lambkins a one goal lead. With the way the goalies had played, it looked like a near certainty that Fort Collins would advance.
Blake Neil had other ideas as he slid right into the slot and fired a shot past Simon to tie the game again.
The first two overtimes yielded no goals and no winners, meaning a true intermission would take place before the teams would resume in a 4-on-4 situation.
“I knew this team could keep it together,” he Williamson said. “Through all those overtimes we had it. We were just battling.”
Williamson needed just 27 seconds of it as he buried the shot, putting the Lambkins in Thursday’s championship game with just one thing on their mind.
“Win win win,” Williamson said.
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Owen Walsh got Valor on the board early but Dylan Thompson’s equalizer late in the first set the tone as Regis Jesuit got the 2-1 win to advance to Friday’s championship game.
A power play goal from Robbie Dembeck put the Raiders ahead, even as Valor pressed offensively to lead the Raiders in shots 22-17 after two periods.
And with the way the Eagles were attacking, it was only a matter of time before they tied the game back up. Walsh scored his second goal of the game with just over five minutes remaining to push the game to overtime.
It was just 55 seconds in that Evan Pahos found the back of the net, setting up a rematch with Fort Collins. It was Pahos who finally got the puck by Simon in last year’s state title game.
This is the third state championship appearance for the Eagles and they are 1-1 in those two games.
The Eagles and Lambkins will face off Thursday at 8:30 p.m.
LOVELAND — No. 1 Fort Collins and No. 3 Valor Christian advanced to the Class 5A hockey championship game after getting wins in the semifinals.
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No. 7 George Washington boys basketball went on the road and beat No. 2 Regis Jesuit 54-52 in the Class 5A Great 8 on Tuesday.
The preseason boys soccer rankings are out, and they are led by Broomfield (5A), Air Academy (5A), Colorado Academy (3A) and Ridgway (2A).
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. Polls are released each Monday during the regular season.
Complete rankings for each class are below.
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Voted upon by coaches around the state. New voters can sign up by emailing rcasey@chsaa.org. These rankings are part of the postseason seeding process.
| Class 5A | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| RK | TEAM | W-L | PTS |
| 1 | Broomfield (12) | 0-0 | 219 |
| 2 | Boulder (2) | 0-0 | 202 |
| 3 | Regis Jesuit (1) | 0-0 | 182 |
| 4 | Cherry Creek | 0-0 | 151 |
| 5 | Grandview | 0-0 | 129 |
| 6 | Fairview | 0-0 | 119 |
| 7 | Legacy | 0-0 | 103 |
| 8 | Arapahoe | 0-0 | 99 |
| 9 | Denver East | 0-0 | 83 |
| 10 | Pine Creek | 0-0 | 82 |
| 11 | Arvada West | 0-0 | 78 |
| 12 | Rampart | 0-0 | 57 |
| 13 | Castle View | 0-0 | 53 |
| 14 | Fort Collins | 0-0 | 49 |
| 15 | Mountain Vista | 0-0 | 40 |
| Others receiving votes: | |||
| Ralston Valley 36, Far Northeast Warriors 31, Rock Canyon 31, Rocky Mountain 30, Valor Christian 17, Rangeview 16, Overland 16, Eaglecrest 14, Chatfield 11, Smoky Hill 10, Adams City 10, Cherokee Trail 9, Fossil Ridge 8, Legend 7, Gateway 6, Vista PEAK Prep 5, Highlands Ranch 4, Aurora Central 3, Columbine 3, Douglas County 2, Bear Creek 2, Liberty 2, Hinkley 1 | |||
| Class 4A | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| RK | TEAM | W-L | PTS |
| 1 | Air Academy (5) | 0-0 | 197 |
| 2 | Skyview (5) | 0-0 | 190 |
| 3 | Golden (1) | 0-0 | 170 |
| 4 | Lewis-Palmer (2) | 0-0 | 150 |
| 5 | Battle Mountain | 0-0 | 149 |
| 6 | Denver North | 0-0 | 141 |
| 7 | Discovery Canyon | 0-0 | 100 |
| 8 | Centaurus | 0-0 | 80 |
| 9 | Holy Family | 0-0 | 79 |
| 10 | Pueblo Centennial | 0-0 | 73 |
| 11 | Alameda | 0-0 | 66 |
| 12 | The Classical Academy | 0-0 | 56 |
| 13 | Niwot | 0-0 | 52 |
| 14 | Northfield (1) | 0-0 | 46 |
| 15 | Mullen | 0-0 | 37 |
| Others receiving votes: | |||
| Regis Groff 26, Thomas Jefferson 24, Durango 23, Glenwood Springs 22, Cheyenne Mountain 20, Montrose 19, Standley Lake 14, Erie 12, Pueblo West 11, George Washington 7, Denver West 7, Steamboat Springs 7, Loveland 7, Lincoln 4, Littleton 3, Palmer Ridge 3, Kennedy 2, Woodland Park 2, Grand Junction 1 | |||
| Class 3A | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| RK | TEAM | W-L | PTS |
| 1 | Colorado Academy (2) | 0-0 | 136 |
| 2 | Kent Denver (4) | 0-0 | 128 |
| 3 | Salida (1) | 0-0 | 96 |
| 4 | Atlas Preparatory School (1) | 0-0 | 88 |
| 5 | Roaring Fork | 0-0 | 81 |
| 6 | Faith Christian | 0-0 | 77 |
| 7 | Liberty Common | 0-0 | 66 |
| 8 | Arrupe Jesuit | 0-0 | 56 |
| 9 | Aurora West College Prep Academy | 0-0 | 52 |
| 10 | Coal Ridge | 0-0 | 44 |
| 11 | Aspen (1) | 0-0 | 39 |
| 12 | Lutheran | 0-0 | 35 |
| 13 | Manitou Springs (1) | 0-0 | 34 |
| 14 | Jefferson Academy | 0-0 | 28 |
| 15 | Vail Mountain | 0-0 | 25 |
| Others receiving votes: | |||
| KIPP Denver Collegiate 19, Alamosa 18, Delta 17, Fort Lupton 16, Peak to Peak 15, DSST: Green Valley Ranch 14, Colorado Springs Christian 13, DSST: Montview 13, DSST: Byers 11, The Academy 10, Eagle Ridge Academy 10, DSST: Conservatory Green 9, Pagosa Springs 8, SkyView Academy 7, Middle Park 6, Frontier Academy 6, Lamar 4, St. Mary’s 4, Arvada 4, Basalt 3, Strive Prep – Smart Academy 3, Prospect Ridge Academy 2, Estes Park 2, Bishop Machebeuf 1 | |||
| Class 2A | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| RK | TEAM | W-L | PTS |
| 1 | Ridgway (3) | 0-0 | 75 |
| 2 | Denver Christian | 0-0 | 74 |
| 3 | Fountain Valley (2) | 0-0 | 71 |
| 4 | Dawson School (1) | 0-0 | 69 |
| 5 | Telluride | 0-0 | 58 |
| 6 | Crested Butte | 0-0 | 55 |
| 7 | Colorado Rocky Mountain | 0-0 | 54 |
| 8 | Mile High Academy | 0-0 | 43 |
| 9 | Lotus School For Excellence | 0-0 | 37 |
| 10 | Loveland Classical | 0-0 | 32 |
| 11 | Heritage Christian | 0-0 | 28 |
| 12 | Thomas MacLaren School | 0-0 | 27 |
| 13 | Colorado Springs School | 0-0 | 25 |
| 14 | Campion Academy | 0-0 | 15 |
| 15 | Rocky Mountain Lutheran | 0-0 | 11 |
| Others receiving votes: | |||
| Addenbrooke Classical Academy 8, Dolores Huerta Prep 8, The Vanguard School 6, Caprock Academy 6, Ellicott 5, Beth Eden Baptist 5, Lake County 4, Front Range Christian 3, Union Colony Prep 1 | |||
PUEBLO — Down 12 points heading into the placing matches on Saturday night, Pomona roared back to win yet another state wrestling championship.
The Panthers had 12 wrestlers place, including four individual champions, as they won a third-straight Class 5A championship, and eighth overall.
Winning titles for Pomona were:
Also placing were:
Heading into the final round of the event, Pomona trailed Ponderosa’s 155 points to their 143. But the Panthers’ depth quickly helped them close the gap.
Wrestling two weight classes at a time in the final session, Pomona shrunk the lead to 155-150 after two weight classes. After four, they jumped into the lead at 157-155.
They never trailed again.
A key match came in the 120-pound bracket when Pomona’s Romero beat Ponderosa’s Jett Strickenberger 7-5 thanks to a late takedown. His win, coupled with the fifth-place finish by Cullen at 195, expanded the lead to 163-155.
They two teams also had a head-to-head championship matchup in 126, where Pomona’s Elijah Olguin beat Ponderosa’s Jacob Bostelman with a 3-0 decision.
Pomona, which ended with 180 team points, has now finished either first or second at the tournament in each of the past seven years.
Ponderosa ended up having 10 wrestlers place, and finished the event with 159 team points, which earned them the runner-up trophy.
The night was headlined by Monarch’s Vince Cornella becoming the 29th four-time champion, as he won the 138-pound division.
Pomona’s Daniel Cardenas positioned himself to potentially join that club next season with his third state championship. Cardenas, a junior, won the 145-pound division with a 13-3 major decision against Ponderosa’s Jaron Mahler.
It was a night for multiple-time champions.
Three others also won a third championship: Regis Jesuit senior Antonio Segura, who captured 152 pounds; Pomona senior Franklin Cruz, who won at 220 pounds; and Brighton senior Kenny Sailas, who won at 113.
Additionally, Columbine teammates Jack Forbes and Zach Schraeder are now two-time champions. Forbes won his second title at 195, while Schraeder won at heavyweight.
In terms of the team race, Monarch (65 points), Chaparral (53) and Brighton (52.5) also finished among the top-5.
The CHSAA ice hockey Frozen Four is next week. All games are at Budweiser Events Center in Loveland. Below is relevant and important information.
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Class 5A
Tuesday, March 16 | Bracket
Class 4A
Wednesday, March 17 | Bracket
Championship games
Thursday, March 18
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Each team will be allowed 100 spectators into the facility for their games.
School admin will be responsible for gathering spectators outside the main entrance on the SW side of Budweiser Event Center. Everyone MUST enter at one time. Spectators of the lower seeded team MUST sit on the east side of the arena (sections D-F) and spectators of the higher seeded team MUST sit on the west side of the arena (sections Q-S).
We will clear the arena of all spectators after the 5:30pm game before allowing 8:30pm spectators to enter.
There will be no on-site ticket sales for the Frozen Four. Spectators should reach out to their athletic director for information on attending,
Games will be live streamed on the NFHS Network, as well.
Parking at Budweiser Event Center is free.
All coaches, spectators and athletes not actively involved in competition MUST be masked at all times while inside Budweiser Event Center (if you are inside the arena and not a competitor actively involved in competition, you are WEARING A MASK).
There will be limited concessions available during all games.
We are thankful for the support of the Colorado Avalanche/KSE and Budweiser Event Center in hosting the CHSAA Frozen Four.
No. 2 Regis Jesuit stormed into the 5A boys basketball Great 8 after a 79-36 win over No. 18 Doherty on Thursday.
No. 2 Regis Jesuit is onto the 5A boys basketball Sweet 16 after beating No. 31 Loveland 86-60 on Tuesday.