Fred Fulkerson scored four goals to lead Class 5A No. 7 Arapahoe boys lacrosse to a 15-7 win over Heritage on Saturday.

(Brad Cochi/CHSAANow.com)

It seems like forever since the last girls tennis state tournament took place in Colorado, but a pair of perennial contenders have picked up right where they left off in Class 5A with a slew of new faces in this year’s field.

Cherry Creek, which has won 21 of the last 22 team titles, and Fairview – the only other 5A team to claim a trophy over that span – began to separate themselves once again on Day 1 of the state tournament at Gates Tennis Center on Friday. When play resumes with semifinals on Saturday, Cherry Creek will be in the lead with 21 team points and Fairview will open the final day just two points behind the Bruins.

“It’s so exciting because it’s been two years,” Fairview head coach Susan Stensrud said. “For us, that means that a large bulk of my team has been been here before. The vibe is that we’re just thrilled and excited to be here and to come back tomorrow.”

At No. 1 singles, defending 2019 champion Valerie Negin of Smoky Hill is still alive in her bid to defend the title she won two years ago when she debuted at the state tournament as a sophomore. In Saturday’s penultimate round, Negin will face defending No. 2 singles champion Alexis Bernthal. Either Boulder’s Lily Chitamber or Cherry Creek’s Jaque Pearsall, who will meet in the opposing semifinal, awaits the winner.

In total, the Cherry Creek Bruins advanced their players to the semifinals at all seven roster spots. Fairview players are still alive in six brackets. The Ralston Valley Mustangs, who finished Day 1 at third in the team scoring, advanced players to three semifinals.

“This season for us has been magical,” Ralston Valley head coach Kim Greason said. “With two years off, more than half of my squad has never had varsity-level competition. A lot of them are new, but we won league and our girls really gelled. Although they may not have the years of experience under their belt like some of these other teams, they’ve got that team spirit and that cohesiveness that a lot of the time pulls them through matches because they know they’re playing for each other.”

Semifinals for this year’s single-elimination tournament will begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday. Poudre, Fort Collins, Heritage, Fossil Ridge, Chatfield and Denver East will also have players competing championships when they do.

“We’re looking forward to tough matches at every spot,” Cherry Creek head coach Chris Jacob said. “We’re expecting a challenge right from the beginning of the day. I’m happy with how the girls played today and we’ve prepared as well as we could in a short amount of time, but we know there are lots of good teams out there so we know we’ll have tough matches at every position.”

(Brad Cochi/CHSAANow.com)

Photos from the Liberty Bell track and field meet.

(Brad Cochi/CHSAANow.com)

DENVER – The Cherry Creek girls tennis team isn’t used to waiting long between state championships.

The Bruins won three straight Class 5A team titles from 2017-19. But when an unexpected newcomer in COVID-19 blocked them from a title in 2020, the Bruins were forced to sit idle and wait for another shot at extending their streak. On Saturday at Gates Tennis Center, an unusually hungry Cherry Creek girls amassed 66 team points to run away from Fairview – the 2016 champion – to leave the 5A state tournament with the trophy once again.

Even for decorated Bruins like senior Halley Mackiernan, who has never lost a match at state and has now been part of three team titles amidst the Bruins’ seemingly endless run of winning 22 out of the last 23 championships, this most recent victory was exceptional.

“We’ve all been waiting for this for so long, especially not being able to play the season last year,” Mackiernan said. “It’s finally here and it’s a great feeling unlike any other state championship. I’m so sad to leave the team, but I’m so happy we were able to come back out here and win this one after wanting it for so long.”

(Brad Cochi/CHSAANow.com)

The individual gold went to Boulder’s Lily Chitambar, but not without a fight from Smoky Hill’s Valerie Negin. After defeating 2019 No. 2 singles champion Alexis Bernthal in the semifinals, Negin pushed Chitambar to the brink during a three-set match that included a first-set comeback from being down 5-0 to win a tiebreaker before the Boulder junior eventually prevailed, 6-7, 6-0, 6-4.

“I just tried to stay as mentally tough as I could,” said Chitambar, who placed fourth as a freshman in 2019. “It was super hot and after she came back from 0-5, I was a little shaken up. I just tried to go one point at a time and stay tough. It felt really good and it was definitely more exciting to win the championship because she’s such a good player and it was such a good match.”

The rest of Saturday’s finals resembled a head-to-head dual match between the Bruins and the Fairview Knights, who trailed the eventual champions by just two points to start Day 2. Cherry Creek advanced to the finals at six of the seven total ladder spots and played Fairview head-to-head in five of those matches.

At No. 2 singles, Cherry Creek’s Lorena Cedeno beat Fairview’s Natalie Stone, 6-2, 4-6, 6-0. At No. 3 singles, Cherry Creek’s Anika Sharma edged Fairview freshman Alexis Bernthal, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4.

(Brad Cochi/CHSAANow.com)

Cherry Creek twins Eliza Hill and Nicole Hill, who played together for the first time this season, won 6-3, 6-1 over Fairview’s Virginia Gomulka and Elizabeth Roth at No. 1 doubles. In the No. 2 doubles finals, Mackiernan and Anna Fusaris won 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 against Fairview’s Jane Roth and Maya Brakhage. The No. 3 doubles title match went in favor of Cherry Creek’s Victoria Moldovan and Jisele Boker, who beat Fairview’s Mia Grayson, 6-2, 6-2. At No. 4 doubles, Cherry Creek’s Ella Barclay and Vivienne Bersin won 6-2, 6-0 over Fossil Ridge’s Katie Sollenberger and Avery MacKenzie.

The Bruins have now won 37 championships in total.

“The girls just persisted and they were intent on spending time together this season,” Cherry Creek head coach Chris Jacob said. “They bonded in a great way in a short amount of time and I think that made a huge difference. Our senior leadership was tremendous and when I see matches like two singles and three singles where the girls are cheering each other on and our girls are nervous but that helps them fight through it, I know a lot of that has to do with that connection they’ve made with one another.

“To do that in six weeks is pretty impressive.”

Fairview finished runner-up with 39 team points.

Heritage won the sportsmanship award.

(Brad Cochi/CHSAANow.com)

In the latest coaches poll voting, Ponderosa and Merino claimed the top spots in their respective classifications.

The rankings, voted upon by coaches, are the official polls of the Association.

Complete rankings for all classes are below.

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CHSAANow.com Baseball Polls

Coaches looking to vote should email bcochi@chsaa.org.

Luke Meyers was one of four players to drive in two runs as Class 5A No. 7 Heritage baseball beat No. 4 Mountain Vista 10-8.

Results from the 2021 Class 5A girls tennis regionals, which includes info on who has qualified for the state championships.

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In the latest coaches poll, Palmer Ridge entered the rankings at No. 12 in Class 5A.

The rankings, voted upon by coaches, are the official polls of the Association.

Complete rankings for all classes are below.

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CHSAANow.com Girls Lacrosse Poll

Voted upon by coaches around the state. Coaches looking to vote should email bcochi@chsaa.org.

In the latest coaches poll, Cheyenne Mountain and Eaton took over the top spots in their respective classes.

The rankings, voted upon by coaches, are the official polls of the Association.

Complete rankings for all classes are below.

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CHSAANow.com Baseball Polls

Coaches looking to vote should email bcochi@chsaa.org.

A list of girls tennis regional schedules for the 2021 season.

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Class 5A

Region 1

• Date: June 1-2
• Site: Cherry Creek HS
• Site contact: Chris Jacobs
• Schools: Cherry Creek, Boulder, Legend, Northglenn, Columbine, Overland.

Region 2

• Date: June 2
• Site: Fairview
• Site contact: Rod Beauchamp
• Schools: Fairview, Valor Christian, ThunderRidge, Horizon, Grandview, Highlands Ranch.

Region 3

• Date: June 2
• Site: Denver City Park
• Site contact: Michelle Topf
• Schools: Denver East, Castle View, Legacy, Hinkley, Far Northeast, Eaglecrest.

Region 4

• Date: June 2
• Site: Fossil Ridge
• Site contact: Brandon Carlucci
• Schools: Fossil Ridge, Cherokee Trail, Chaparral, Rocky Mountain, Adams City, Arvada West.

Region 5

• Date: June 2
• Site: Mountain Vista
• Site contact: Jim Flanigan
• Schools: Mountain Vista, Arapahoe, Fountain-Fort Carson, Monarch, Mountain Range.

Region 6

• Date: June 2-3
• Site: Ken Caryl
• Site contact: Craig Aukland
• Schools: Chatfield, Regis Jesuit, Fort Collins, Doherty, Lakewood.

Region 7

• Date: June 2-3
• Site: APEX
• Site contact: Kim Greason
• Schools: Ralston Valley, Poudre, Rock Canyon, Prairie View, Douglas County.

Region 8

• Date: June 4
• Site: CMU
• Site contact: Paul Cain
• Schools: Fruita, Heritage, Smoky Hill, Broomfield, Rangeview.

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Class 4A

Region 1

• Date: June 2-3
• Site: Pine Creek & John Venezia Park
• Site contact: Ron Sukle
• Schools: Discovery Canyon, Air Academy, Falcon, Palmer Ridge, Pine Creek, Ponderosa, Sand Creek.

Region 2

• Date: June 3-4
• Site: Kent Denver
• Site contact: Richard Judd
• Schools: Kent Denver, Aurora Central, Denver South, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Gateway, Vista PEAK, Littleton.

Region 3

• Date: June 1-2 (June 3-4 rain dates)
• Site: Mullen (doubles) & Harlow Park Courts (singles)
• Site contact: Hank Hooper
• Schools: Mullen, Bear Creek, Denver North, Golden, Evergreen, Wheat Ridge, Green Mountain, Dakota Ridge, Pomona.

Region 4

• Date: June 3
• Site: North Lake Park
• Site contact: Chris Stine
• Schools: Loveland, Frederick, Greeley Central, Greeley West, Mead, Mountain View, Severance, Windsor, Thompson Valley.

Region 5

• Date: June 1-2
• Site: Niwot
• Site contact: Joe Brown
• Schools: Niwot, Centaurus, Erie, Longmont, Thornton, Silver Creek, Skyline, Standley Lake.

Region 6

• Date: June 3-4
• Site: Cheyenne Mountain HS
• Site contact: Kris Roberts
• Schools: Cheyenne Mountain, Coronado, Lewis-Palmer, Liberty, Mitchell, Palmer, Rampart.

Region 7

• Date: June 4-5
• Site: Pueblo City Park
• Site contact: Ed Francis
• Schools: Pueblo East, Canon City, Pueblo Centennial, Pueblo West, Mesa Ridge, Widefield.

Region 8

• Date: June 4
• Site: CMU
• Site contact: Paul Cain
• Schools: Grand Junction, Durango, Grand Junction Central, Montrose.

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Class 3A

Region 1

• Date: June 1-2
• Site: Colorado Academy
• Site contact: Jon Hill
• Schools: Colorado Academy, Lincoln, Lutheran, Denver West, Kennedy, St. Mary’s Academy.

Region 2

• Date: June 2
• Site: Holy Family
• Site contact: Ben Peterson
• Schools: Holy Family, Prospect Ridge, Justice, Skyview, Northfield.

Region 3

• Date: June 3-4
• Site: Dakota Ridge HS
• Site contact: Jerry McWhorter
• Schools: D’Evelyn, Arvada, Conifer, Englewood, Jefferson, Alameda.

Region 4

• Date: June 3-4
• Site: Windsor
• Site contact: Steve Longwell
• Schools: Eaton, Fort Morgan, Northridge, Severance, Sterling, University.

Region 5

• Date: June 3
• Site: Dawson
• Site contact: Mike Jacobsma
• Schools: Dawson, Berthoud, Fort Lupton, Peak to Peak.

Region 6

• Date: June 2-3
• Site: Memorial Park
• Site contact: Marc Knutila
• Schools: St. Mary’s, Colorado Springs Christian, Colorado Springs School, Sierra, Vanguard, Fountain Valley.

Region 7

• Date: June 3-4
• Site: Pueblo City Park
• Site contact: Ed Francis
• Schools: Pueblo South, Pueblo Central, Pueblo County, La Junta, Harrison, Salida.

Region 8

• Date: June 1-2
• Site: Canyon View Park (GJ)
• Site contact: Christina Curtis
• Schools: Delta, Aspen, Basalt, Cedaredge, Glenwood Springs, Montezuma-Cortez, Paonia, Steamboat Springs, Vail Mountain.