HIGHLANDS RANCH — History was made as Douglas County battled its way through Eaglecrest and Legend to claim the first boys volleyball state championship.

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Coverage

: Douglas County claims Colorado’s first ever boys volleyball state championship
: Boys volleyball bracket

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Douglas County 3, Legend 0

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(Paul DiSalvo/PaulDiSalvoPhotography.com)

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Semifinals: Douglas County 3, Eaglecrest 0

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(Paul DiSalvo/PaulDiSalvoPhotography.com)

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Semifinals: Legend 3, Valor Christian 0

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(Paul DiSalvo/PaulDiSalvoPhotography.com)

(Max Potter)

LAKEWOOD – Early offense set the scene at All-Star Park , but Evan Magill settled in for Mountain Vista and went six innings on the mound to lift the Golden Eagles over Valor Christian, 3-2, in the 5A baseball state championship on Friday afternoon.

“We all had to lock in after the first inning, we were nervous, everyone was nervous out here today,” Magill said. “There were times with runners on and we only had one out, but I knew we had to get the strikeout. I was thinking curveballs, they were swinging right over them, putting them on the ground. I even shook off some fastballs because I did not want them to make contact.”

Blake Wilson continued his hot hitting for Valor Christian, ripping a double to the gap to open the scoring, but savvy base running from Mountain Vista’s Travis Sprinkle and Trey Dunn gave the Golden Eagles all they needed. After the two early runs allowed, Magill, who won a state title his freshman year, settled in to retire 15 of the last 17 batters he faced, many of them with a wipeout curveball. He registered nine punch-outs in six innings.

Mountain Vista head coach Ron Quintana turned it over to his bullpen in the ninth, bringing on Griffin Huiatt, the other freshman on that 2018 championship team, and he slammed the door on the Eagles.

“Evan did a great job coming in before me and getting us to that point,” Huiatt said. “For me, my job was to throw strikes and let our defense work. There was a lot of adrenaline out there, but it all worked out in the end.”

Quintana and his group rolled through the playoffs as the last undefeated team, which allowed them to save a lot of pitching for Friday. The closeness of his team, he said, is what makes this year’s group stand out from others.

“When we say family, we mean it,” Quintana said. “This is such a close group and a lot of people counted these guys out and didn’t think we could be here right now. I always tell our guys, if we play Vista baseball instead of the other team, we are unstoppable. They bought in this year and here we are.”

Mountain Vista earned its second state championship in program history, with the last coming in 2018. It also marks the 27^th crown in school history and the second this week with the boys lacrosse team winning on Tuesday.

(Brian Livergood)

It’s an exciting time for boys volleyball in Colorado and it’s only going to get more interesting on Saturday.

At Rock Canyon on Friday, the inaugural boys volleyball state tournament began with quarterfinals. By the end of an exciting day of postseason boys volleyball play that was years in the making, eight teams had become four and the field of semifinals competitors was set.

In Saturday’s Final 4, No. 1 Douglas County will face No. 4 Eaglecrest and No. 2 Legend will face No. 4 Valor Christian. The winners will then square off for the first-ever boys volleyball state championship in CHSAA history.

(Brian Livergood)

“It’s an exciting time right now,” Eaglecrest head coach Chad Bond said. “The volleyball that’s happening in the state is fantastic. We had a high-quality volleyball match and to be a part of that was fantastic. For us to win in that style is pretty special. Having this as a sanctioned sport has brought kids out who never would have played before. Every time you have a bunch of firsts, there’s always going to be a ton of excitement and it’s going to be special.”

In order to reach the penultimate round, Bond’s Raptors emerged from the most exciting quarterfinal. The only match to go more than three sets, Eaglecrest (13-3) won 26-28, 25-16, 17-25, 25-23, 15-13 against a James Irwin (14-2) team that went undefeated in Pikes Peak League play during the regular season.

“It feels really good,” Eaglecrest junior Alfred Maiava said. “I’m really proud that we are now a part of CHSAA, it’s an awesome moment, one of the best we will have in our life. We are out here standing together as a team, we are all brothers at the end of the day no matter what happened.”

(Brian Livergood)

On Saturday, Eaglecrest will face unbeaten No. 1 Douglas County (16-0) at 9 a.m. The top-seeded Huskies beat No. 8 Regis Jesuit (9-7), 25-20, 25-15, 25-15 in the quarterfinals.

Over on the other side of the bracket, the Legend Titans (14-2) won 25-15, 25-18, 25-11 against Cherokee Trail (8-8) and the Valor Christian Eagles (14-2) won 25-21, 25-16, 25-20 against Cherry Creek (10-6). Legend and Valor Christian will place at 11 a.m. on Saturday.

The state championship game will begin at 2 p.m. on Saturday. Not too long after that, Colorado’s first boys volleyball champion will be crowned.

“With the boys’ association we ran the last 25 years, it was a good atmosphere, but this is a little bit different,” James Irwin coach Mike Prusinowski said. “It means a little bit more to the guys being in an official state championship, so that part of it I’m pretty proud of how it got going. I’m hoping we see some more schools next year, but I think for the first year, you see the quality of volleyball here today and tomorrow is pretty good for Colorado. ”

(Brian Livergood)

LAKEWOOD — Mountain Vista won a trilling 3-2 game over Valor Christian to win the Class 5A baseball championship on Friday.

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Coverage

: Pitching propels Mountain Vista to 5A baseball state championship

: The 5A baseball bracket

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Mountain Vista 3, Valor Christian 2

By Paul Shepardson and Paul DiSalvo

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(Paul DiSalvo/PaulDiSalvoPhotography.com)

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Valor Christian 6, Fairview 4

By Paul Shepardson and Paul DiSalvo

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(Paul Shepardson)

(Max Potter)

HIGHLANDS RANCH – Douglas County is Colorado’s first ever high school boys volleyball champion.

On Saturday at Rock Canyon High School, the Huskies won 25-15, 25-17, 25-18 over Legend to finish off a perfect season with 18 wins at the end of a momentous campaign for the emergent sport in its first season with CHSAA sanctioning.

There will be many more boys volleyball champions to come in Colorado. But this year’s Douglas County group will always be able to say it was the first.

“It was a tremendous feeling first to know we are going to get to play,” Douglas County coach Jason Fitzgerald said. “This team wanted this moment from Day 1. This lays the groundwork not only for our team but for teams in the rest of the state. We are looking forward to the growth of the boys game, everyone we saw this tournament has improved greatly this season and I can only imagine the level of play in this state will be going up from here.”

The Pascua brothers dominated in the match, just as they had all season with Jayden Pascua recording 14 kills and his brother Jensen Pascua notching 25 assists.

(Brian Livergood)

“I don’t even know what to say, it is just so cool that I get to be here and play with my brother,” Jayden Pascua said. “We have always had a strong relationship and it definitely helped on the court today, playing volleyball has brought us together in so many ways and I am happy to get to have this moment with him.”

Connor Shumate also played a big role for the Huskies with 10 kills and an ace that invigorated the Douglas County faithful.

“We couldn’t have done it without the fans all season long. They brought the energy we needed every time,” Shumate said. “It was so nice to play in front of that crowd, especially for boys volleyball in our first season. It is special to get to play the first season a sport is sanctioned and I am so glad I got to be a part of this team and we won the state title as a team.”

To reach the championship game, Douglas County won 25-20, 25-19, 25-16 over Eaglecrest in the semifinals of the eight-team Season D state tournament. In the opposite semifinal, Legend won 25-23, 25-21, 25-20 against Valor Christian.

With the COVID-19 pandemic canceling the first season of boys volleyball in the state, this championship means a lot to a lot of different people. But for the players, that special feeling is something that will never go away.

“We worked so hard to get to get here,” Fitzgerald said. “Each time we accomplished something, be it the league champion or regional champion, we were the first to do it and that meant a lot to this group. The energy in this building was terrific and the coaching of these players before coming to high school was incredible. I am blessed to have such a talented team.”

The championship marks the 12^th state title overall for Douglas County.

(Brian Livergood)

LAKEWOOD — Fairview and Valor Christian shrugged off elimination to advance to the final day of the Class 5A state baseball tournament.

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Coverage:

• :Fairview and Valor Christian will play for a shot at Mountain Vista in 5A baseball title game
• : 5A baseball bracket

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Fairview 4, Mountain Vista 2

By Paul Shepardson

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(Paul Shepardson)

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Valor Christian 10, Fort Collins 1

By Paul Shepardson and Paul DiSalvo

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(Paul DiSalvo/PaulDiSalvoPhotography.com)

(Ben Parris)

At four different sites, Colorado’s top high school girls soccer teams spent Wednesday afternoon and evening battling it out in order to decide which of them would square off for their respective classification championships on Saturday at Weidner Field in Colorado Springs. The championship matchups are now set in all four classes.

Class 2A – No. 2 Dawson vs. No. 1 Telluride – 9 a.m.

Class 4A – No. 12 Holy Family vs No. 2 Evergreen – Noon

Class 5A – No. 2 Broomfield vs. No. 4 Rock Canyon – 3 p.m.

Class 3A – No. 1 Kent Denver vs. No. 10 Colorado Academy – 6 p.m.

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Class 5A

(4) Rock Canyon 1, (1) Valor Christian 0

The Rock Canyon girls soccer team has never won a state championship but the Jaguars have will have a chance to change that now that they have pushed their way into the state Season D state title game.

Getting past the No. 1 overall seed, No. 4 Rock Canyon (12-1) won 1-0 over top-seeded Valor Christian (11-1-1) in the Class 5A state semifinals on Wednesday. The Jaguars are on a 12-game win streak and will be looking to take home a trophy with lucky win No. 13 at Weidner Field in Colorado Springs on Saturday.

(2) Broomfield 1, (3) Cherry Creek 0

Sophomore Raegan Kotschau’s goal just before halftime turned out to be a big one, as it ended up being the lone score in a defensive battle against Cherry Creek that sent Broomfield into the Class 5A state championship game.

With both teams entering the semifinals without a loss, the Eagles (12-0-1) and Bruins (11-1) had allowed a combined 15 goals in 24 games before meeting up at Englewood High School on Wednesday. For the most part the constest played out as expected, with both defenses and goalkeepers stifling their opponents’ offenses until one team or the other finally put a ball in the back of the net.

That team, Broomfield, will now have the opportunity to play for its first state title since 2006.

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Class 4A

(12) Holy Family 1, (1) Northridge 0

The lowest seed remaining in the Colorado high school girls soccer postseason made a big move on Wednesday night.

Twelfth-seeded Holy Family (10-2) knocked off No. 1 Northridge (12-1), 1-0, in the Class 4A state semifinals and will play for a state championship at Weidner Field in Colorado Springs on Saturday. Jaelen Giron put the stamp on the biggest upset of the Colorado semifinals with a goal in the 62nd minute to give the Tigers an opportunity to play for a state title in Season D.

On Saturday, the Holy Family girls soccer team will play for the program’s first state title.

(2) Evergreen 1, (3) The Classical Academy 0

Wednesday evening certainly wasn’t a bad one for Evergreen athletics.

While the Cougars’ girls lacrosse team was in Aurora stamping the school’s name on the first ever Class 4A girls lacrosse trophy, the Evergreen girls soccer team was at Frederick High School crafting a 1-0 semifinal victory over No. 3 The Classical Academy (12-1-2). The second-seeded Cougars (13-0) remain unbeaten in Season D and will play for the 4A title on Saturday.

Through 13 games, the Cougars have allowed just four goals this season. Wednesday’s defensive shutout dealt The Classical Academy its first loss of the campaign.

Evergreen girls soccer has won two state championships, but has not taken home a first-place trophy since 1997.

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Class 3A

(1) Kent Denver 2, (4) Jefferson Academy 1

Kent Denver remains unbeaten in Season D. More importantly, that undefeated record has now earned the team an opportunity to play for a the Class 3A state championships.

In Wednesday’s semifinal round, the top-seeded Sun Devils (11-0-2) won 2-1 over No. 4 Jefferson Academy (10-2-1) and will head down to Colorado Springs for one more game on Saturday. After getting past a similarly defensively-talented Jaguars team on Wednesday, the Sun Devils will arrive at Weidner Field having outscored their Season D opponents 68-5.

(10) Colorado Academy 4, (3) Vail Mountain 0

With a pair of first-half goals and two more in the second half, No. 10 Colorado Academy (10-2-1) flew past No. 3 Vail Mountain (12-1) in the Class 3A state semifinals on Wednesday night at Stutler Bowl in Aurora.

The victory continued an impressive postseason run for the Mustangs, who have now outscored their three playoff opponents 11-1 and have not allowed a goal since the opening round. Colorado Academy girls soccer won its fifth state title in 2019 and will be looking to add a sixth when the Mustangs take the field in Colorado Springs on Saturday.

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Class 2A

(1) Telluride 4, (2) Crested Butte 1

Ayla Kanow wasn’t ready to officially start her summer break just yet, so she made sure the Telluride girls soccer team stuck around for the Class 2A championship game.

The junior scored three goals in a 4-1 victory over No. 4 Crested Butte (9-3) in the state semifinals on Wednesday afternoon to help the top-seeded Miners (12-0) punch their ticket to the final match of Season D. Wednesday’s game was tied 1-1 at halftime before Telluride exploded for three goals in the second half.

In Saturday’s state championship game, the unbeaten Miners will be playing for their program’s first state title.

(2) Dawson 9, (3) Denver Christian 3

Dawson has played in every single Class 2A girls soccer championship game since the classification was introduced in 2015. That’s five in a row and the Mustangs will make it six when they take the field at Weidner Field in Colorado Springs on Saturday.

In the semifinals on Wednesday evening, No. 2 Dawson (10-1) won 9-3 over No. 3 Denver Christian (10-1), the same program they have face in each of the past three state title tilts. While that championship rivalry won’t continue in Season D, the Mustangs will have a chance to keep their own streak of championship appearances alive when they face Telluride for the trophy.

The Mustangs led 4-2 at halftime and continued to pour it on in the second half to pull away to a safe distance. The Mustangs’ only loss of the season to date came on June 10 against Northridge, the top overall seed in the 4A state tournament.

Dawson senior Degen Miller leads all of Class 2A in goals scored.

(Brad Cochi/CHSAANow)

AURORA – The Colorado Academy girls lacrosse team has done it again.

On Wednesday at Legacy Stadium, the top-seeded Mustangs won 14-3 over No. 2 Valor Christian to claim the Class 5A state championship. Colorado Academy has now won the last six 5A state championships and boasts seven in total.

For as long as the Mustangs have dominated Class 5A, this current group of seniors hardly remembers what it feels like to lose. When playing for their high school team, in fact, they never have.

“It’s been crazy, but this is so nice,” Mustangs seniors defender Mya Rutherford said. “We lost our season last year but we brought everybody back together, got back on the road and it just feels so good to be back on the field together and playing. And winning the state championship, it’s unbeatable.”

(Brad Cochi/CHSAANow)

Unbeatable is a good way to describe Colorado Academy girls lacrosse in recent years. The last time the Mustangs lost a game was April 20, 2017.

On Wednesday against Valor Christian, a team they beat 15-12 during the regular season, the Mustangs rode a flurry of late first-half goals to an 8-2 halftime advantage. They followed up that early-game performance by holding Valor Christian to one goal in the second half.

After entering the state tournament with a first-round bye, the Mustangs outscored their three postseason opponents 51-10 and did not allow more than four goals in any playoff game. The Mustangs defense, anchored by Rutherford, was as stout as ever in Season D’s final game. Against it, Valor Christian’s talented scoring leaders Tess Osburn (45 goals) and Regan Digby (39), Eliza Osburn (30), Kaley Kakac (29) and Lauren Rismani (23 goals, 46 assists) combined for combined for just two goals.

“Tonight, we played really well,” Mustangs senior Jessie Bakes said. “All of our hard work throughout the season has helped us clean up all of our little mistakes. In practice, we’re playing the best defense and they’re playing the best offense because we’re playing each other. We just gave it our all and left it all out on the field.”

Bakes, who finished the season with a team-high 54 goals, scored twice on Wednesday. Teammates Zoe Martin and Katharine Merrifield each recorded a hat trick in the title game.

Wednesday’s title game was the first 5A championship game that didn’t include Cherry Creek since the sport was sanctioned in 1998.

(Brad Cochi/CHSAANow)

AURORA — A thrilling night was capped with the crowning of Evergreen and Colorado Academy as the 2021 girls lacrosse state champions.

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Colorado Academy 14, Valor Christian 3

Story | Bracket

By Paul DiSalvo and Lance Wendt

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(Lance Wendt/wendt5280.com)

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Evergreen 19, Castle View 5

Story | Bracket

By Paul DiSalvo and Lance Wendt

• Link to gallery

(Paul DiSalvo/PaulDiSalvoPhotography.com)

(Max Potter)

LAKEWOOD – Fairview knocked off Mountain Vista, 4-2, behind a stellar outing from Finley Daecher in the first game of the day at All-Star Park in Lakewood. An offensive outburst from Valor Christian gave the Eagles all they needed to take care of Fort Collins, 10-1, in Game 2.

Fairview and Valor Christian will square off at 10 a.m. on Friday for the right to play Mountain Vista in the 5A championship game, which is slated for 1 p.m.

Finley Daecher was the story for the Knights, as the left-handed pitcher kept the Golden Eagles off balance all morning from the sidearm slot. The senior went 6 2/3 innings and only allowed two runs while striking out three.

“Our defense is amazing and they just backed me up all game. I was able to work both sides of the zone and that was our game plan, to keep them on their toes,” Daecher said. “It was great to go through a lot of innings so we can keep some arms fresh for tomorrow and I’m glad I could come through for my guys.”

Vista had some terrific chances to strike, loading the bases in the fifth and putting the tying run on base again in the seventh, but could not scratch anything across. Coach Castillo turned to his bullpen with two outs in the seventh and gave the ball to freshman Anton Keith, who came in and got a ground out to shortstop to nail down his first career save.

“The goal was to play in the last game of the season and win it,” Fairview head coach David Castillo said. “Obviously, to do that we are going to need everybody. Looking at matchups to find the best way to win, we saw that (Finley) was our guy and in order to get to tomorrow we needed something, and he did it today.”

Fairview was clutch when it got into a jam, stranding 11 Golden Eagles on base.

“They hit some balls hard, but we made key plays when we needed to,” Castillo continued. “The defense has been there for us all year and we have been practicing all week on our football field to get used to playing on turf. The guys stayed calm and minimized damage when they needed to, especially in that first inning and that was huge for our success today.”

The second game of the day started with a bang, as starting pitcher Brant Kragel tripled to the gap in left center. Blake Wilson was key to the Valor Christian offense, roping a double off the wall in left center in the first then scoring the next batter. An inning later, he hit a fly ball just left of the 390 sign in center field that plated three runs and put him on third base.

“Blake (Wilson) is one of the most underrated players in the state,” Valor coach Keith Wahl said. “He is a middle infielder whose got pop, has a great work ethic and throws 90 mph across the diamond. We are so blessed to have him.”

Every hitter for the Valor Christian side reached base and that is exactly what coach Wahl preaches.

“We talk about quality at bats all the time,” Wahl said. “Hit the ball with maximum velocity, have a plan at the plate and execute that plan. These guys never chase outside the zone and do a great job at the dish. These guys are dialed in right now.”

Kragel was tremendous both on the bump and at the plate, throwing a complete game and only allowing six hits. He reached base safely in four of five at-bats and started the game with a triple on the first pitch

“I tried to come out and be aggressive and put myself in a spot to help the team get the win,” Kragel said. “Starting the day with a triple, I felt like it was going to be a pretty good day. We are going to have a great chance tomorrow and I am excited for the chance to compete.”