Chatfield softball went from unranked to No. 1 in this week’s 5A softball rankings, and University (in 3A) also moved up to No. 1.
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.
Voted upon by coaches and select media members around the state. New voters can sign up by emailing rcasey@chsaa.org. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.
Class 5A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Chatfield (2)
10-0-0
80
–
10-0-0
2
Broomfield (2)
8-1-0
76
9
8-1-0
3
Rock Canyon (3)
5-1-0
70
3
5-1-0
4
Loveland (1)
8-1-0
57
4
8-1-0
5
Arapahoe (1)
8-0-0
52
–
8-0-0
6
Legacy
5-1-0
51
6
5-1-0
7
Prairie View (1)
8-0-0
42
–
8-0-0
8
Columbine
6-0-0
40
10
6-0-0
9
Cherokee Trail
3-2-0
26
1
3-2-0
10
Fossil Ridge
5-1-0
24
5
5-1-0
Others receiving votes:
Legend 16, Brighton 13, Eaglecrest 10, Lakewood 9, Hinkley 8, Rocky Mountain 8, Grand Junction Central 7, Regis Jesuit 6, Cherry Creek 5, Smoky Hill 2, Douglas County 1, Mountain Vista 1, ThunderRidge 1.
Dropped out
Legend (2), Eaglecrest (7), Cherry Creek (8).
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Holy Family (11)
4-0-0
124
1
4-0-0
2
Erie (1)
8-0-0
92
3
8-0-0
3
Golden
6-0-0
91
5
6-0-0
4
Wheat Ridge
7-1-0
65
7
7-1-0
5
Pueblo South
6-0-0
60
9
6-0-0
6
Silver Creek
4-3-0
53
2
4-3-0
7
Berthoud
3-1-0
35
6
3-1-0
8
Pueblo West
5-1-0
28
8
5-1-0
9
Pueblo Centennial
6-0-0
23
–
6-0-0
10
Green Mountain
6-0-0
22
–
6-0-0
Others receiving votes:
Pueblo Central 18, Pueblo County 18, Rifle 16, Mountain View 14, Ponderosa 11, Mullen 10, Mead 8, Niwot 8, Discovery Canyon 7, Air Academy 4, George Washington 3, Evergreen 2, Pueblo East 2, Elizabeth 1.
Dropped out
Mountain View (4), Pueblo County (10).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
University (7)
9-0-0
93
2
9-0-0
2
Strasburg (1)
3-1-0
82
1
3-1-0
3
Eaton
7-1-0
70
3
7-1-0
4
Brush (1)
5-1-0
58
7
5-1-0
5
Sterling
5-1-0
50
5
5-1-0
6
Basalt
4-0-0
28
–
4-0-0
7
Peak to Peak
4-3-0
26
–
4-3-0
8
Montezuma-Cortez (1)
3-0-0
22
–
3-0-0
9
Riverdale Ridge
2-1-0
21
–
2-1-0
10
Lyons
2-2-0
15
–
2-2-0
Others receiving votes:
Rocky Ford 14, Delta 13, Limon 12, Fort Lupton 9, Platte Valley 8, Valley 8, Lamar 6, La Junta 5, Gunnison 3, Meeker 2, The Academy 1.
Dropped out
Delta (4), Rocky Ford (6), Meeker (8), Lamar (9), Faith Christian (10).
Stratton/Liberty was clinging to a 14-12 lead over Kit Carson in the waning moments of the first half.
Then Kit Carson scored just as the second quarter ended to take a 18-14 lead at the break. And they kept scoring, going up 40-14 after three quarters, and eventually securing a 48-14 win.
The Wildcats scored 38 unanswered points, including a 30-0 margin in the second half.
“The first half, we had a lot of mental lapses,” Kit Carson coach Curt Connelley told the Colorado Preps Scoreboard Show. “We had, it seemed like, about 10 penalties. The second half we put things together and had a great run.”
Jayden McCombs-Farmer helped lead the way for Kit Carson with 155 yards rushing and two touchdowns, and a defensive effort that had him all over the field. Sullivan Farmer also threw three touchdown passes, and Peter Hornung had a receiving score.
It means the second-ranked Wildcats will likely take over atop the polls for preseason No. 1 Stratton/Liberty. It also means Kit Carson got some measure of revenge for last year’s 6-man championship game, which Stratton/Liberty won by defeating the Wildcats.
“It was one of the main things we kept talking about: Last time were were at Stratton, we got our butts whipped a little bit,” Connelley said.
Jarret Lichty, Stratton/Liberty’s top offensive weapon and the returning player of the year in 6-man, missed the game with an MCL sprain.
In the loss, Trevor Frank had a rushing score and a receiving touchdown for Stratton/Liberty.
[divider]
4A: (8) Pueblo South 49, (9) Holy Family 25
Pueblo South has grown into a more experienced team this season, and it showed in their opener.
The Colts, who started the 2018 campaign 0-4 with a young roster, began 2019 with a huge top-10 win. Jackson Dickerson had two receiving scores, and returned a punt for a touchdown, and Logan Petit threw three touchdown passes for the Colts.
“Just really proud of the way our kids played, such good effort,” Pueblo South coach Ryan Goddard told the Scoreboard Show. “We turned them over a few times, which was key for us defensively. Our kids on the defensive side played really well.”
Of his offense, Goddard said, “We played pretty efficiently on offense. We had a little trouble getting going on the ground game, but having an experienced quarterback was helpful for us. … We spread the ball around and had some success through the air, then got the running game going.”
Pueblo West got a huge statement win to open the season, on the road, no less — and they started early.
The Cyclones scored on their first two plays from scrimmage, built a 35-0 lead, and then rolled to a top-10 win.
“We really challenged our kids to start fast, and they did that,” Pueblo West coach Clint Buderus told the Scoreboard Show. “It was a good way to start. The kids have put in a lot of work in the offseason, and they were ready to go.”
Chandler Mason had four total touchdowns for Pueblo West, including a 65-yard rushing touchdown on the team’s opening play from scrimmage, and a 93-yard passing touchdown on their second.
Dawson Menegatti had two scores, one receiving and another on a fumble recovery.
It was a great debut for new coach Shawn Marsh and his son, Max, Eaglecrest’s starting quarterback.
Max Marsh, who transferred over from Grand Junction Central when his dad was hired in the offseason, accounted for three touchdowns — two rushing and one passing — as Eaglecrest broke open a 13-13 tie in the second half and start off its season 1-0.
“He had a couple of big runs, and made some plays,” Shawn Marsh said on the Scoreboard Show. “It ended up being a good night.”
Eaglecrest built a 13-7 lead at halftime, and then Highlands Ranch tied it at 13-13 following their opening drive of the second half when Jake Rubley threw his second touchdown of the day. Both went to Konor Lathrop.
Madj Barakat gave Eaglecrest the lead, this time for good, later in the third quarter when he stripped Rubley of the ball at the 30-yard-line and returned the fumble for a score.
Eaglecrest sealed the game with a screen play on 4th-and-5 from the Highlands Ranch 28 that brought the ball inside the 10 with two minutes to play.
[divider]
Notables
A number of games in the Denver metro area endured multiple lightning delays, causing some games to not finish up until after 11 p.m.
Adams City snapped a 17-game losing streak on Friday with a 17-9 win over Skyview. The Eagles hadn’t won since Sept. 2017.
In 2A, Sterling knocked off No. 4 Resurrection Christian 13-7 in overtime. The game was scoreless through three quarters, before Sterling grabbed a 7-0 lead midway through the fourth quarter. Resurrection Christian tied the game with 1:55 to play, and then Sterling won in OT after recovering a fumble on their defensive possession. “It was a lot of fun tonight,” Sterling coach Rob Busmente told the Scoreboard Show. “Both teams were in it and had there moments. It was kinda going back and forth … and we battled to the end.”
Roosevelt knocked off No. 2 Pueblo East in 3A, 38-21.
In 6-man, No. 3 Fleming topped No. 7 Idalia 65-12.
Another top-10 matchup in 6-man, where No. 5 Flagler/Hi-Plains held off No. 9 Briggsdale 40-39.
Sedgwick County is seeking a fifth-straight 8-man championship, and the Cougars beat Simla 46-0 to being their 2019 campaign.
Defending 5A champion Valor Christian opened its season with a 56-6 win over Charlotte (N.C.) Christian. Gavin Sawchuk rushed for two touchdowns, and Cole Bott found Kaiden Keefe for two passing scores. And the Eagles got a visit from alum Christian McCaffrey:
The 2019 preseason football rankings were released on Monday. No. 1 ranked teams include: Valor Christian (5A), Pine Creek (4A), Palmer Ridge (3A), La Junta (2A), Limon (1A), Sedgwick County (8-man) and Stratton/Liberty (6-man).
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. Polls are released each Monday.
Dakota Ridge 46, Greeley West 29, Heritage 25, Longmont 23, Windsor 22, Monarch 17, Grand Junction Central 9, Denver South 7, Vista Ridge 7, Wheat Ridge 7, Fort Collins 6, Vista Peak Prep 6, Bear Creek 5, Grand Junction 2, Air Academy 1, Golden 1, Mountain View 1.
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Palmer Ridge (17)
0-0
198
2
Pueblo East
0-0
176
3
Palisade (3)
0-0
162
4
Erie (1)
0-0
141
5
Mead
0-0
109
6
Green Mountain
0-0
79
7
Discovery Canyon
0-0
67
8
Pueblo South
0-0
53
9
Holy Family
0-0
44
10
Durango
0-0
42
Others receiving votes:
Harrison 39, Frederick 22, Fort Morgan 19, Thomas Jefferson 17, Roosevelt 11, Northridge 10, Pueblo Central 7, Lewis-Palmer 6, Canon City 4, Evergreen 3, Glenwood Springs 1.
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
La Junta (3)
0-0
115
2
Platte Valley (4)
0-0
113
3
Faith Christian (4)
0-0
106
4
Resurrection Christian (1)
0-0
87
5
Rifle
0-0
82
6
Bayfield (1)
0-0
48
7
Delta (1)
0-0
47
8
Kent Denver
0-0
38
9
Aspen
0-0
31
10
Eaton
0-0
22
Others receiving votes:
Basalt 21, Salida 15, Sterling 10, D’Evelyn 7, Elizabeth 7, The Classical Academy 7, Englewood 5, Lamar 5, Bishop Machebeuf 2, Alamosa 1, Berthoud 1.
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Limon (11)
0-0
140
2
Strasburg (2)
0-0
114
3
Colorado Springs Christian (1)
0-0
103
4
Centauri
0-0
84
5
Holyoke (1)
0-0
63
T6
Meeker
0-0
62
T6
Peyton
0-0
62
8
Florence
0-0
51
9
Burlington
0-0
41
10
Wray
0-0
32
Others receiving votes:
Monte Vista 21, Paonia 16, Crowley County 12, Highland 8, Buena Vista 7, Platte Canyon 6, Manual 2, Jefferson 1.
8-man
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Sedgwick County (11)
0-0
119
2
Hoehne (1)
0-0
87
3
Merino
0-0
78
4
West Grand
0-0
61
5
Caliche
0-0
54
6
Mancos
0-0
51
7
Pikes Peak Christian
0-0
37
8
Fowler
0-0
32
9
Rangely
0-0
31
10
Sargent
0-0
28
Others receiving votes:
Dayspring Christian Academy 24, Holly 22, Akron 18, Sanford 8, Vail Christian 6, Simla 2, Dove Creek 1, Sangre de Cristo 1.
6-man
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Stratton/Liberty (5)
0-0
77
2
Kit Carson (3)
0-0
75
3
Fleming
0-0
59
4
Prairie
0-0
49
5
Flagler/Hi-Plains
0-0
38
6
Peetz
0-0
34
7
Idalia
0-0
25
8
Arickaree/Woodlin
0-0
20
9
Briggsdale
0-0
19
10
Cheyenne Wells
0-0
12
Others receiving votes:
Genoa-Hugo 10, Cotopaxi 9, North Park 8, Granada 2, Cheraw 1, Mountain Valley 1, Walsh 1.
The preseason softball rankings are out, and Cherokee Trail (5A), Holy Family (4A) and Strasburg (3A) lead their respective polls.
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.
Voted upon by coaches and select media members around the state. New voters can sign up by emailing rcasey@chsaa.org. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.
Class 5A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Cherokee Trail (4)
0-0-0
83
2
Legend (2)
0-0-0
71
3
Rock Canyon (2)
0-0-0
62
4
Loveland
0-0-0
59
5
Fossil Ridge
0-0-0
55
6
Legacy
0-0-0
54
7
Eaglecrest (2)
0-0-0
49
8
Cherry Creek
0-0-0
22
9
Broomfield
0-0-0
20
10
Columbine
0-0-0
19
Others receiving votes:
Ralston Valley 17, Regis Jesuit 15, Chatfield 13, Arapahoe 11, Smoky Hill 9, Arvada West 8, Grand Junction Central 7, Mountain Vista 6, Brighton 5, Valor Christian 5, Douglas County 4, Grandview 4, Castle View 3, Hinkley 3, ThunderRidge 1.
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Holy Family (7)
0-0-0
106
2
Silver Creek (2)
0-0-0
75
3
Erie
0-0-0
65
4
Mountain View
0-0-0
61
5
Golden
0-0-0
39
6
Berthoud
0-0-0
32
7
Wheat Ridge (1)
0-0-0
31
8
Pueblo West
0-0-0
28
9
Pueblo South
0-0-0
24
10
Pueblo County
0-0-0
23
Others receiving votes:
Longmont 16, Mullen 13, Pueblo Central 13, Cheyenne Mountain 11, Windsor 11, Evergreen 10, Mead 10, Discovery Canyon 7, Niwot 7, Ponderosa 6, Pueblo East 5, Roosevelt 5, Weld Central 3, Conifer 2, Thomas Jefferson 2.
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Strasburg (6)
0-0-0
85
2
University (2)
0-0-0
70
3
Eaton (1)
0-0-0
65
4
Delta
0-0-0
42
5
Sterling
0-0-0
40
6
Rocky Ford
0-0-0
36
7
Brush
0-0-0
33
8
Meeker
0-0-0
29
9
Lamar
0-0-0
27
10
Faith Christian
0-0-0
23
Others receiving votes:
The Academy 16, La Junta 7, Limon 7, Lyons 6, Basalt 3, Cedaredge 2.
The 2019 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 then a vote of head coaches.
Player and coach of the year was also selected by a vote of the coaches.
[divider]
Class 5A
Mountain Vista’s Sam Ireland. (Tim Bourke)
Player of the year: Sam Ireland, Mountain Vista
Coach of the year: Matt Darr, Regis Jesuit
First Team
Name
School
Pos.
Year
Riley Cornelio
Pine Creek
RHP/INF
Senior
Sam Ireland
Mountain Vista
RHP/3B/1B
Senior
AJ Jergensen
Ralston Valley
OF
Senior
Geno Macias
Regis Jesuit
Senior
Brice Martinez
Cherry Creek
Jack Moss
Cherry Creek
Drew Stahl
Mountain Vista
INF
Senior
Jacob Thompsen
Regis Jesuit
Junior
Caden Wagner
Regis Jesuit
Senior
Second Team
Name
School
Pos.
Year
Justin Boyd
Legend
SS/CF
Senior
Jose Cintron
Overland
3B/2B/INF
Senior
Peter Goldy
Grandview
RHP/1B
Senior
Calvin Hunt
Ralston Valley
RHP
Senior
Cale Lansville
ThunderRidge
Grant Magill
Mountain Vista
C
Senior
Nathan Mitchell
Cherry Creek
Ryan Stohr
Dakota Ridge
RHP/1B
Senior
Patrick Strawbridge
Regis Jesuit
Senior
Case Williams
Douglas County
RHP/3B/1B
Junior
Honorable mention:
Trey Adams, Ralston Valley, INF/RHP, Senior
Simon Baumgardt, Lakewood, P/SS, Senior
Radek Birkholz, Valor Christian, P/INF, Sophomore
Zach Boone, Castle View, CF/LF, Senior
Clay Burke, Mountain Vista, RHP/1B, Senior
Jake Campbell, Rocky Mountain, P/1B, Senior
Tony Castonguay, Grandview, C/3B, Junior
Pete Chronowski, Heritage, LHP, Senior
Kellen Cox, Cherokee Trail
Garrett Crawford, Overland, OF/RHP, Junior
Clay Cutter, Cherry Creek
John Emerson, Denver East, CF/LHP/SS, Senior
Chase Esplin, Legacy, Junior
Matt Glover, Denver South, RHP/OF/SS, Sophomore
Jake Greiving, Legend, C/OF/3B, Senior
Josh Hojnowski, Grandview, RHP/3B, Senior
Ben Horwith, Douglas County, Senior
Owen Lockner, Windsor, Senior
Jayden Martinez, Grandview, OF, Senior
Braden Martinez, Windsor, Senior
Bryce Matthews, Chaparral, OF, Senior
Ryan McKown, Chaparral, OF, Senior
Mason Mitchell, Heritage, OF/RHP, Senior
Justin Moehlenpah, Horizon, LHP/OF, Senior
Ben Perla, Cherry Creek
Jaren Piepho, Rocky Mountain, C, Senior
Kevin Pipich, Rock Canyon, RHP/1B, Senior
J.C. Rodriguez, Far Northeast Warriors, Sophomore
Jacob Roybal, Chatfield, P/OF, Junior
Teddy Schoenfeld, Boulder, Senior
Macully Sehr, Legacy, Sophomore
Colby Shade, Fort Collins, OF, Junior
Derek Shaver, Grand Junction, Senior
Blake Templeton, Fort Collins, SS/RHP, Junior
Diego Velasquez, Smoky Hill, P/1B/OF, Junior
Ben Whipple, Valor Christian, RHP/1B, Sophomore
Tristan Wolf, Mountain Range
Matt Zaccaro, Bear Creek, OF/P, Senior
[divider]
Class 4A
Pueblo West’s Tyler Barth. (Bobby Stevens/MaxPreps)
Player of the year: Tyler Barth, Pueblo West
Coach of the year: Dan Sanchez, Pueblo West
First Team
Name
School
Pos.
Year
Lincoln Andrews
Canon City
INF/P
Senior
Aaron Arcilise
Wheat Ridge
RHP/INF
Senior
Tyler Barth
Pueblo West
Senior
Aaron Berkhoff
Cheyenne Mountain
INF
Senior
Charlie Deeds
Palmer Ridge
SS/RHP/2B
Senior
Nate Denniston
Pueblo West
Senior
Kyle Jameson
Pueblo West
Senior
Collin Kringlen
Holy Family
1B/RHP
Senior
Spencer Rich
Silver Creek
Senior
Second Team
Name
School
Pos.
Year
Tayler Aguilar
Northridge
CF
Senior
Brodie Blackford
Pueblo West
Junior
Jayden Cordova
Pueblo West
Senior
JP Hamer
Fort Morgan
Senior
Ben McLaughlin
Golden
SS/RHP
Junior
Brady Renck
Longmont
2B/SS/P
Senior
Jason Shuger
Lewis-Palmer
P/INF
Senior
John Thoren
Erie
Michael Wegleitner
Silver Creek
Junior
Honorable mention:
Zach Becker, Holy Family, SS/2B/RHP, Senior
Johnny Behm, Lewis-Palmer, /OF, Senior
Dominic Bronk, Wheat Ridge, 3B/RHP, Junior
Angel Carlos, Lincoln, Senior
Tyler Declusin, Pueblo West, Senior
Devin Dodson, Cheyenne Mountain, C/RHP, Junior
Tyler Dollahan, Glenwood Springs, Senior
Garrett Flaagan, Eagle Valley
Avery Fulford, Conifer, Senior
Michael Guber, George Washington, UTIL/RHP, Senior
Chris Gumeson, Longmont, RF/C/INF, Senior
Tyler Hrin, Thomas Jefferson, OF/1B/LHP, Freshman
Charlie Jackson, Silver Creek, Junior
William Kapner, Evergreen, 2B/1B, Junior
Emmert Kastendieck, Montrose, OF, Junior
Noah Lasecki, The Classical Academy, 1B/P, Senior
Isaac Linker, Fort Morgan, Senior
Cesar Loma, Greeley Central, 3B/RHP/C, Senior
Seth Lucero, Denver North, SS/RHP/OF, Senior
Nico Martin, Pueblo Central, CF, Senior
Parker Martin, Coronado, C/INF/OF, Senior
Cole Martino, Pueblo County, P/1B/3B, Sophomore
Bryce McKee, Coronado, SS/UTIL/RHP, Senior
Kolton Miller, Ponderosa, Sophomore
Adam Muniz, Pueblo Central, 3B/SS/2B, Senior
Corey Musch, Skyview, CF/LF, Senior
Cameron Nellor, Thompson Valley, SS/P/UTIL, Junior
The 2019 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 then a vote of head coaches.
Player and coach of the year was also selected by a vote of the coaches.
DENVER, PUEBLO and GREELEY — The 2019 state baseball championship games in 3A, 4A and 5A are on Saturday. The 3A and 5A tournaments have semifinals prior to the title games, with three teams remaining in those brackets.
COLORADO SPRINGS — As the Pueblo West bus pulled up to the west side of UC Health Park, coach Dan Sanchez was sizing up what his team was up against.
The Cyclones had to beat Silver Creek twice on Saturday if a state championship title was heading south on I-25 rather than north.
He knew it could be done since his team had been on the receiving end of two losses on the final day. Knowing this, he challenged his boys as the bus rolled to a stop.
If they didn’t believe they were winning two games on Saturday, they weren’t allowed off. No one flinched and no one hesitated. They all believed.
Rightfully so.
After rallying in the first game 6-5 thanks to a walk-off base hit from Tyler Barth, the Cyclones jumped on Silver Creek ace Michael Wegleitner early and came away with an 8-6 win in game two to claim the Class 4A baseball title.
“I’m super excited for them,” Sanchez said. “We’ve run through the gauntlet of emotions the last four years and most of them have been a part of it. It’s awesome.”
And it started with nothing but belief. And briefly, it felt like that well was going to run dry as a four-run third inning put the Cyclones (28-3 overall) in a hole early.
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
They fell behind 5-1 heading into the bottom of the fifth inning, but put together a rally to tie the game. A trip into the eighth inning resulted in Barth driving in Jayden Cordova to end the game and force a second and deciding championship game in the afternoon.
“After I got that hit, I knew we had a great shot of getting through (the second game),” Barth said.
Silver Creek (27-4) still had Wegleitner – one of its top two pitchers – in its back pocket, but the West bats got rolling early. A Brodie Blackford single in the first scored Kyle Jameson and Tyler Declusin.
The Raptors battled back as Cam Hassert scored on a Chris Brown single and Justin Swenson scored on a Hassert ground ball to second.
But a 2-RBI single from Barth scored Cordova and Blackford. Between the two games, Barth went 4-for-8 and drove in four runs.
Overall it was timely hits that forced Wegleitner off the mound.
Then it was on the lefty pitching combination of Dylan Gist and Devin Neff to keep the Raptors in check. With limited options when it came to arms, Sanchez couldn’t say enough about the job those boys did in a tough spot.
“We were short on arms and they hadn’t thrown a bunch all year,” Sanchez said. “Dylan Gist is a gamer. He shows up all the time in the state tournament.”
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
And that tradition remained intact on Saturday. He entered the first game in relief of Dalton Davis and threw 1.1 innings and struck out two Silver Creek hitters. He kept the Raptors scoreless which allowed the Cyclones to win the game in the eighth inning.
Then he turned around and started the championship game.
“I was throwing strikes and I had my defense to back me up,” Gist said. “I trust those guys with my life. There’s no better defense out there.”
Silver Creek had gone the entire year without losing to a Colorado team but that streak ended with the losses to the Cyclones.
It caps a remarkable turnaround year after going 9-10 in 2018. First-year coach Brad Steward had his team three innings away from a state championship. If anyone knows the pain of losing two games on the final day of the tournament, it’s the Cyclones.
“Last year was so heartbreaking,” Blackford said.
With one loss under their belt coming into the weekend, the Cyclones were in an unfamiliar position where they couldn’t surrender a game this time. It was win or go home and the Cyclones’ faith in themselves was rewarded with the program’s first baseball championship.
“They did it internally which is what we’ve been preaching all year,” Sanchez said. “When the team starts controlling things within themselves, that’s when things are good”
