LAFAYETTE — If there was any question as to whether or not Dawson School is still the top boys lacrosse team in the state, it was answered on Thursday.
In an all out important conference game, the Class 4A CHSAANow No.1-ranked Mustangs rolled over No. 9 Thompson Valley, with a score of 18-6.
The Mustangs (9-1 overall, 4-0 Foothills) found the net 18 times with sophomore Gavyn Pure leading the way. Pure had six goals in the game, along with 3 assists.
“I thought our team played really well, we came out flying,” Pure said. “This has become a rival game over the past couple of years and this is obviously a fun one for us.”
It was an all around team effort for the Mustangs, as eight players scored thanks to complete dominance on the face-offs.
Junior Kyle Sudol lead the way for Dawson, taking every face-off of the game.
“I think it starts with the faceoffs. We won a lot of faceoffs today, so we managed the time of possession,” Dawson coach Peter Devlin.
Not only was Dawson’s offense clicking throughout the game but their defense was stellar, holding Thompson Valley (7-5, 2-2) to only one goal in the first half.
The Eagles had a hard time with their execution on offensive possessions and found themselves making lazy passes when trying to clear the ball.
“I thought early on was when we had some opportunities, we actually killed a couple of penalties,” Thompson Valley coach Will Cantwell said. “We had a couple decent possessions, we just couldn’t put the ball in the back of the net.”
The Mustangs came into this game with the motto of handwork and that’s just what they did throughout the game, especially in the third quarter.
“I was pleased, I thought we played hard and kind of stuck to our game plan and went on a roll,” Dawson coach Peter Devlin said.
Both teams came out tough in the third, with a total of ten goals being scored. Dawson knocked in seven goals, while Thompson Valley could only connect on three.
The Eagles never found their offensive momentum and weren’t able to catch up to the Mustangs.
“They’re the No. 1 team in 4A right now and we knew they were going to be really tough, I thought we played hard, I just hope we can learn from our mistakes,” Cantwell said.
Hunter Watts gave the Eagles defense a hard time in the third quarter when he was able to knock in four goals of his own.
And the fourth quarter was no different for Dawson, it kept its momentum throughout the whole game and continued to press the Eagles.
Dawson will look to kept the winning steak going and prove why it is the top team in 4A against Conifer on Apr. 27.
Thompson Valley will look to rebound from the loss when it takes on Battle Mountain on Apr. 25.
COLORADO SPRINGS — Momentum can be a tricky thing.
The Dawson School proved to be on the right side of a huge momentum swing as the CHSAANow.com No. 1-ranked Mustangs surged in the second half to beat No. 3 Cheyenne Mountain 13-8 Saturday afternoon.
Trailing 5-3 at halftime, Dawson (4-1 overall) came out and outscored the Indians 10-3 in the second half, including the five goals of the game.
“There a couple of key plays that turned it around for us,” Dawson coach Peter Devlin said. “Once we started moving the ball more against their zone, we’ve always had trouble with their zone and we were able to find some openings this time.”
But it took some time for those openings to develop. The Indians (6-2) jumped out to a quick 5-1 lead with sophomore midfielder August Johnson picking up three of the five goals. But once he registered his hat trick, it seemed that the Dawson defense was able to bottle him up.
“(Devlin) knows he has to double (Johnson),” Cheyenne Mountain coach Mike Page said. “He’s coming off an injury as well so I can tell it was catching up with him a little bit.”
A 5-1 lead over the top team in the state was a great start for the Indians, but Dawson hasn’t been ranked the No. 1 team in the state based off their reputation. With the clock ticking away in the first half Hunter and Wyatt Watts connected on goals only 16 seconds apart. Those goals cut the Cheyenne Mountain lead to 5-3 at halftime.
And suddenly the momentum had shifted.
“That was the momentum changer,” Hunter Watts said. “It really got us hyped up and got us going to push for the end.”
Less than two minutes into the second half, Jesse Rosenblatt buried a shot from the right side to bring the Mustangs to within one goal.
Johnson was able to find the net one more time, but quick goals from Dawson’s brother duo of Hunter and Wyatt Watts pushed the game to a 6-6 tie.
The Indians desperately needed to recapture the offensive momentum they seized early in the game. They got a huge goal from Cullen Nordeman, but as they had since late in the second quarter, the Mustangs found an answer.
Rosenblatt scored with 0.2 seconds left in the third quarter, sending the game into the final 12 minutes locked in a 7-7 tie.
The two teams traded goals to start the fourth quarter and then it was Gavyn Pure who gave the Mustangs the lead for good.
“With them, they have (Johnson) who is absolutely unbelievable,” Pure said. “You’re never safe and we wanted to get as many as we could to feel safe.”
The Mustangs then added four more goals in the last eight minutes of the game to give themselves that cushion.
But even up five, there was no point that Devlin and his team felt like they had the game in hand.
“Maybe when there was under a minute left,” Devlin said. “Those guys can score at will if they get the ball in the right spots.”
But as the clock ticked down to zero, the chances of getting the ball into those right spots vanished. In a top-10 showdown Dawson showed why they are voted as the top team in the state. And more importantly, after Saturday, they’re likely to remain there.
Hunter Paugh lines up a birdie attempt on the ninth hole, his final of the first round. It was one of five birdies he had on Monday, when he jumped out to the lead at the 5A boys golf tournament. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Fort Collins senior Hunter Paugh fired a first-round 67 to seize the lead at the Class 5A boys golf state tournament on Monday.
Paugh had five birdies in his round, and just one bogey. He was sitting a 1-under heading into the final three holes of his round, and birdied all three to finish at 4-under.
Paugh finished third at last year’s 5A state tournament.
His Fort Collins teammate, AJ Ott, is one of four players tied in second at even par after the first day. The others: Lakewood’s Griffin Barela, Regis Jesuit’s Andrew McCormick and Mountain Vista’s Austin Hardman.
Lakewood and Regis Jesuit are tied for the team lead after the first day. Both are 6-over. Fossil Ridge is third at 8-over. Coronado, the defending champion, is fourth at 10-over, and Mountain Vista sits at 13-over.
No school had a better first day of the state golf tournament than Valor Christian.
(Harry Waterman/CHSAANow.com)
The Eagles finished with four players in the top eight of the entire field. The team championship is only determined by three of the four scores for each team member.
Philip Lee (69), Tim Amundson (71), Coby Welch (73) and David Leede (75) have the Eagles sitting at 3-under par for the tournament, 18 strokes better than Evergreen, which sits in second place.
With all three teammates within six strokes of each other, they have a chance to wrap up a team title and each vie for the individual championship as well.
The Eagles shot 8-under as a team last year at Walking Stick in Pueblo to win the team championship.
3A: Peak to Peak teammates to battle for individual title
Friday is going to be quite a day for Peak to Peak teammates Nishant Datta and Sam Taylor.
The Pumas hold a 10-stroke lead over Kent Denver in the race for the 3A team golf title, so Datta and Taylor will spend the bulk of their time trying to figure out which one can add an individual championship to their trophy case.
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
They both shot an even round of 72, putting each of them at par going into Tuesday’s final round of the tournament. And they both got there the same way. They were sitting at 2-under par going into the 18th hole, only to make double-bogey to bring them back to even.
“It’s unfortunate that a lot of teammates had to finish with the same tragedy on the last hole,” Taylor said. “I’m really proud of my team that we were able to step up today and get some things going.”
As a team, the Pumas lead the field at at six-over, which is 10 strokes better than Kent Denver. Defending team champion Sterling is currently tied for 11th place at 44-over.
Defending individual champion, Yale Kim (Dawson School) is in 13th place in the individual standings. He sank a birdie putt on 18 to finish with a 7-over 79 on the day.
New Cheyenne Mountain golf coach John Carricato (right) gives his players instructions as they prepare for fall practice. (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
COLORADO SPRINGS — Longtime coach Bill Paulson meant the world to his golfers — both boys and girls — at Cheyenne Mountain High School.
It was clear when the girls clinched their third-straight state championship in May that the about-to-be-retired coach was going to be sorely missed for the Indians.
Paulson retired in May, but the world kept spinning. The Indians were without a golf coach and had to find someone to fill that void. Cheyenne Mountain athletic director Kris Roberts began searching for a coach who would embrace the Indians’ golf tradition, while putting his own stamp on the team.
He found someone to do just that in John Carricato.
Carricato spent years running youth sports for the Colorado Springs Parks and Recreation department. His impact on sports has had a ripple effect on generations of athletes in the Pikes Peak region.
But that’s not why he was chosen to pick up where Paulson left off.
“We were fortunate to have a great applicant pool,” Roberts said. “John was clearly the best one on all levels and for him to accept is really fortunate.”
While Roberts did his duty in considering all applicants, Carricato had one more intangible on his side that none of the others did. He had the endorsement of Paulson himself.
“Bill has made the transition really smooth,” Carricato said. “He’s mentoring me into the program. Bill came to me in the spring and said he wanted to endorse me for this program and that was an honor.”
John Carricato gives instructions to his players on the driving range at the Country Club of Colorado. (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
For Carricato, this job wasn’t about just about coaching a premiere program. When he was able to gather his team, he was thrilled to hear that they share his long-term vision for the Indians.
He and his players want to establish a legacy and pass it down, much the same way Paulson did.
Paulson will indirectly play a big part in that legacy. He has created the reputation of a team that will always be a threat to contend for a state title and built a team-oriented mentality with his players that continues to rear its head, even today.
“When you start thinking about premiere state-wide programs for boys and girls, there’s not a better program,” Carricato said. “There’s that added commitment that (the players) have. They have their own motivation.”
It will be weird to go into this season without Paulson for some of the upperclassmen. But the energy and attitude that Carricato has brought to the team is well-received.
“It’s a different style of coaching, but I like it,” junior Aiden Detloaf said. “We more set practices, we work on drills more often. It helps with the freshmen and the sophomores compared to what I had coming in.”
There may not have been a more defining image of what Paulson truly meant to his players than at the girls’ state championship tournament in May. When senior Kylee Sullivan sank her putt on the 18th hole, she broke down knowing that both Paulson’s and her career were over.
As a result, players like senior Charley DeVries will have to go through their final year without the man who had mentored them early.
“Personally, it’s a little disappointing,” DeVries said. “He really coached me through my entire game.”
But the time to dwell is over. Just like any other team, the Indians are teeing-off their season and only looking to win. It’s now on Carricato to try and secure the first boys’ state golf championship since 2004.
“(Carricato) brings the team a lot closer together,” junior Everett Dwyer said. “I think we’re going play well. If one person doesn’t play well we can’t dwell on it. The other three have to go out there and make shots.”
Cheyenne Mountain junior Aiden Detloaf (blue) chips on to a practice green at the Country Club of Colorado. (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
5A: David Packer (Sr.) Arapahoe, Hunter Paugh (Sr.) Fort Collins, Daniel Pearson (Jr.) Fairview, Isaac Petersille (Sr.) Coronado, Trevor Olkowski (Jr.) Grand Junction, A.J. Ott (Sr.) Fort Collins
4A: Braden Bentley (Sr.) Mesa Ridge, Britt Walton (Sr.) Steamboat Springs, Coby Welch (Sr.) Valor Christian
3A: Will Hazen (Sr.) Aspen, Oliver Jack (So.) Kent Denver, Yale Kim (Jr.) Dawson School, Max Messner (Sr.) Colorado Academy, Sam Taylor (Jr.) Peak to Peak
Dawson School is hosting a two-day showcase camp for local boys lacrosse players this week.
The camp, held by Lacrosse Prep Showcase, is Tuesday and Wednesday at Dawson.
Players from at least 17 states will attend the camp, according to a release, including local players from Dawson, Arapahoe, Boulder, Colorado Academy, Denver East, Erie, Fairview, Fountain Valley, Kent Denver, Lyons, Prairie View, Regis Jesuit, Rock Canyon, ThunderRidge and Windsor.
They will play in front of coaches from Division I and Division III men’s lacrosse, including coaches from Brown, Penn, Princeton, Bowdoin, Hamilton, Ithaca, Middleburg, Trinity, Union and Williams.
Dawson School is located at 10455 Dawson Drive in Lafayette.
The 2015 baseball players of the year. From left: Jordan Ernst, Dove Creek (1A); Trent Hughes, Rye (2A); Ryan Madden, Fairview (5A); Cole Shetterly, Green Mountain (4A); Lane Greiman, Eaton (3A). (Photos: Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com; Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com; Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com; Pam Wagner/CHSAANow.com)
The 2015 all-state baseball teams honor the best players in the sport as judged by the leagues and coaches. They are presented by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps.
These teams were created following a lengthy process which included nominations from leagues and coaches, and then a vote of coaches. Players had to be first-team all-league in order to be on the all-state ballot.
Players and coaches of the year were also selected by a vote of the coaches.
The girls soccer players of the year. From left: Colorado Academy’s Marin McCoy (3A); Cheyenne Mountain’s Hannah Gerdin (4A); Mountain Vista’s Mallory Pugh (5A); Vail Mountain’s Tess Johnson (2A). (Photos: Ray Chen of ArrayPhoto.com & MaxPreps)
The 2015 all-state girls soccer teams honor the best players in the sport as judged by the leagues and coaches. They are presented by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps.
These teams were created following a lengthy process which included nominations from leagues and coaches, and then a vote of coaches.
Players and coaches of the year were also selected by a vote of the coaches.
Aspen’s Tyler Tick, left, is the 4A player of the year. Castle View’s Max Tuttle, right, is the 5A player of the year. (Photos by Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)
The 2015 all-state boys lacrosse teams honor the best players in the sport as judged by the leagues and coaches. They are presented by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps.
These teams were created following a lengthy process which included nominations from leagues, and then a vote of coaches.
Players and coaches of the year were also selected by a vote of the coaches.
COMMERCE CITY — Vail Mountain completed a season of firsts at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on Tuesday.
In the Gore Rangers’ first girls soccer state championship appearance in the inaugural season for Class 2A, a freshman, Tess Johnson, scored a pair of goals, including the game-winner with three minutes, 25 seconds remaining, to defeat Dawson School 2-1.
The victory gave Vail Mountain, a school with an enrollment of 110 students that opened in 1962, state title No. 1 in girls sports. It was also their second championship overall. They won boys skiing in 1991.
The Gore Rangers, a team that starts five freshman, Johnson, Emma Hall, Katie Alonzo, Hannah Fallon, and Olivia Manula, beat Dawson 4-0 in the regular season finale on May 1 on the road. The Mustangs were missing two of their best players, Morgan Powers and leading scorer Liv Cramer, a talented first-year of their own, in the regular season. They proved to be a stiffer test in the finals.
In a closely contested game early on, knotted at one at halftime, the Gore Rangers were in attack mode in the final 40 minutes with plenty of scoring opportunities.
First, they hit the cross bar. Then, they just missed a header off a corner kick. Finally, a Vail Mountain shot snuck just to the left side of the net and out-of-bounds. The Gore Rangers applied plenty of pressure, but had a scoreless drought from Johnson’s goal in the fifth minute until her game-winner.
(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Vail Mountain mostly controlled possession late, but Dawson had an impenetrable defense for a good portion of the state finals.
“They were tough in the final third of the field,” Vail Mountain coach Bob Bandoni said. “They were double and triple teaming some of our players and that made it tough for us to score.”
But, they made a crucial change that allowed them to earn the decisive goal.
“We actually made a little adjustment and moved her a little higher on the field with twenty minutes left because we saw their backs we’re playing a little higher,” Bandoni said of Johnson, a forward. “They kept encroaching and there was more space back there. We were like, ‘Let’s see if we can punch one through.’”
Johnson’s shot was nearly corralled by Dawson goalkeeper Nicole Towner, but had just enough force to get past the senior.
“When I scored the winning goal, it was a bit of a surprise,” Johnson, a member of the United States Junior ski team in the freestyle division, said. “I thought the keeper had it. She played an incredible second half. Once it crossed the line, I knew we were going to take it.”
The first-year player hadn’t been on a stage like Dick’s Sporting Goods Park before, the home of the Colorado Rapids, but she did have poise with a clutch goal last Wednesday. Johnson beat the halftime buzzer to give Vail Mountain a 1-0 lead on Denver Christian, a score that held up as the lone goal in a semifinals victory.
“It means a lot to do this for my team and for my coaches and the seniors,” she said. “This has been a season of a lifetime.”
Vail Mountain, who had a large fan section make the 100 mile drive to Commerce City, finished off a 16-1 campaign that included wins over 3A playoff teams Aspen and Coal Ridge. They also went undefeated, 10-0, in 3A Region 3, comprised of both 2A and 3A programs. The Gore Rangers were the No. 1 seed in the postseason. They achieved a high standard of success by every measure in 2015.
“What runs through my mind is less the game and more the season,” Bandoni said. “We were really looking to punctuate a season where we felt we were growing every time we walked onto the pitch.”
Dawson, which answered Johnson’s early goal with a Sophie Brussell score in the thirteenth minute, is equally youthful. The Mustangs will return eight of their nine leading goal-getters. The No. 3 seed in 2A finished with an 11-7 record.
Both teams will likely be title contenders again in 2016.
