BROOMFIELD — Makena Bambei won the game twice for No. 6 Broomfield girls soccer in overtime against Boulder on Tuesday.
She had a game-winner taken away from her, only to score again seconds later.
With 3:41 to go in the first overtime, Boulder’s Ellie Huettel got called for a handball, but Bambei put the ball in the back of the net. The referees initially counted Bambei’s game-winner, but then took it away to give a free kick for the handball.
The do-over didn’t seem to bother Bambei, who proceeded to bury the free kick in the back of the net for the 2-1 win.
Anna Boylan scored the lone goal for Boulder in the 12th minute. Bambei netted her first goal in the 46th minute.
Ralston Valley and Boulder have joined the Class 5A girls soccer rankings from CHSAANow.com this week.
The Mustangs are No. 9, while Boulder is No. 10.
Each of the four No. 1 teams stayed the same this week, including Rock Canyon (5A), The Classical Academy (4A), Colorado Academy (3A) and Front Range Christian (2A).
With many programs heading out of state for spring break, or simply taking time off, the next rankings will release on April 6.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association.
Jared Small’s contribution was anything but small on Wednesday night.
The 6-foot-6 junior made three critical plays during Legend’s game against George Washington in the Class 5A boys basketball Sweet 16 on Wednesday. And, ultimately, the second-seeded Titans went on to beat No. 3 George Washington 63-59 in double overtime.
First, Small had a critical bucket with 21 seconds to play in regulation that tied the game at 52. Then, with 4.1 left on the clock in the first overtime, he hit a free throw to tie the game at 58.
It was only fitting that it was Small, again, who hit the pair of free throws to give Legend the lead for good, at 60-59, in the second overtime.
Andre Hogan, another junior, also had a key dunk which pushed the lead to three points at 62-59 with 46 seconds left. (Here’s another angle.)
Small finished with 20 points.
Legend is back in the Great 8 for the first time since 2013.
As the fourth quarter began, Montbello rallied. The Warriors eventually cut the lead to 58-57 with under one minute to play thanks to a 10-1 run, but Isaac Phillips hit a pair of free throws to seal the win.
A last-second 3-point shot from Montbello that would have sent the game to overtime didn’t fall.
Ray Beresford paced Mountain Vista with 27 points. Brady Subart had 11 points and five assists, while Phillips finished with four points, nine rebounds, seven assists and four steals.
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(1) Regis Jesuit 46, (5) Boulder 39
Regis Jesuit is back in the Great 8 after a year away. More photos. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
It was close, but Regis Jesuit was able to hold off Boulder.
Regis Jesuit only trailed at 2-0 — and even then, the the Raiders promptly went on a 7-0 run to set the tone of the game.
Though Boulder would get close — it was 16-14 in the second quarter — Regis mostly maintained a five- to 10-point lead throughout.
Regis led 21-15 at halftime, and 31-26 after three.
Kip Boryla paced Regis with 15 points, while Geoffrey Kelly added 12 and six rebounds. Taylor Kallsen had nine points, and Bryan Staerkel added seven points, five rebounds and three assists.
The win means the Raiders are back in the Great 8 for the first time since 2013. They went every year from 2008-11, which included three championship seasons.
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(1) Eaglecrest 56, (4) Fossil Ridge 49
More photos. (Tim Visser/TimVisserPhotography.com)
Eaglecrest pulled away late with free throws to return to the Great 8 for the third season in a row.
It was 22-20 Eaglecrest at halftime, and that was indicative of the way the game would go. Fossil Ridge actually led 43-42 with a little over three minutes to play, but Eaglecrest went on a 10-1 run to take control of the game.
Eaglecrest went to the Great 8 last season and also in 2013, when it won the 5A title.
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(6) Denver East 84, (2) Rangeview 75
The defending-champion Angels continued to tear through the 5A bracket after losing two of their final three games in the regular season.
Rangeview led 23-19 after the first quarter, but a quick 7-2 run gave East the lead at 26-25 early in the second quarter and the Angels would lead 48-38 at halftime and 64-57 after three quarters.
Rangeview cut the lead to two points late in the fourth quarter, but East was able to stave off the comeback.
Brian Carey led the way for Denver East with 35 points and eight assists. Jordan Willis had 16 points and 15 rebounds, while Jack Buckmelter scored 12 points and had five assists. Deron Harrell also scored in double figures with 13 points.
This is the third consecutive season Denver East has reached the Great 8. The Angels have reached the title game the previous two seasons, including last year’s championship win.
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(1) Overland 71, (4) Grand Junction 36
Trailblazers star De’Ron Davis opened the game with a dunk, and Overland never looked back as it had little trouble in returning to the Great 8.
It was 16-4 after the first quarter, and 36-7 at halftime. The lead grew to 30 early in the third quarter, and Overland was able to coast from there.
Four players scored in double figures for the Trailblazers: Davis (14), Ryan Swan (13), Alijah Halliburton (12) and Austin Conway (12).
The Trailblazers are coming off a final four appearance in which they fell to Denver East in the semifinals.
Though Rampart tightened up in the second quarter, ThunderRidge used an 18-8 advantage in the third quarter to push the game all but out of reach at 48-20.
The Grizzlies then allowed just one point in the fourth quarter, meaning they held Rampart without a field goal in the final 10 minutes of the game.
Noah Szilagyi (14 points), Clay Verk (10), Troy Brady (10) and Zach Pirog (10) all hit double figures for ThunderRidge.
It is the Grizzlies’ first trip to the quarterfinals since going in 2012.
Chaparral is back in the Great 8 for the first time since 2012, when the Wolverines won the 5A title.
Wednesday, Chaparral led 22-18 at halftime and 39-32 after three quarters. Dakota Ridge cut it to 39-36 early in the fourth quarter, but Chaparral held off a rally.
Jake Holtzmann had 30 points for Chaparral. Chris Moody added 20.
KEYSTONE — Friday, the second day of the state skiing championships, was all about tight turns, low-light lenses, and big flakes.
Well, for most of the day. The girls started the sun-less, low temperature morning.
Sophie Defries, a junior at Boulder who races for Nederland, took first place for the slalom. A top-five finisher in Thursday’s giant slalom race, Defries was excited and surprised to take the top spot. She said she loved the course on Thursday, but Friday, it seemed, the course loved her.
Though there were spills towards the bottom, and a late gate that seemed to trip up a portion of the field, Defries stayed on her feet.
“This was a pretty tough course, so it threw some girls off,” she said. “It was quick, and I just had to stay focused. I was a little more prepared today, and slalom is always a stronger race for me.”
Defries’ Cassidy Donahue had the fastest time heading into the second race, but slipped out at the end, bumping Defries into her spot.
“I am bummed that my friend crashed,” she said. “I guess for me, I looked ahead and there was a little bit of luck.”
Eleanor “Ellie” Brown-Wolf finished her senior season with a second place run, her first podium finish, and a happy end to her high school career. Brown-Wolf will take a gap year before college and continue to compete in ski racing. Abby Davidson was third.
(Danielle Ennis/CHSAANow.com)
Snow had already begun falling at the close of the girls first run, and by the time the boys took the hill for their final run, the winds had picked up and visibility was limited.
It didn’t keep Sands Simonton from doing what he does best: skiing fast.
In his senior year, Simonton knows the podium well. As does his Battle Mountain teammate, Quintin Cook, who finished first in slalom.
The two finished first and second in both alpine events. And collectively, Battle Mountain won its first team alpine championship in 14 years.
“Besides those short 30 seconds to a minute, this is all about the team. I am overjoyed to be part of this,” Simonton said.
Simonton has committed to Colorado, where he will race as a Buff.
Head alpine coach Simon Mar says the dynamic between Cook and Simonton is “really cool to watch and coach.”
The boys of Battle Mountain swept all four events across the board, winning state championships and marking their most successful season in competition history.
(Bethany Brookens/CHSAANow.com)
In girls Nordic Classic, Summit teammates Ezra Smith and Ruthie Boyd finished back to back.
The two, elated to skate and push so close to each other, both landed on the podium in Thursday’s Nordic Skate, as well. Smith, a freshman, finishes her first high school season with two first-places finishes.
Her elder classmate and friend Boyd, crossed the finish line a minute and 30 second after Smith.
“I’m really excited to share the podium with Ruthie,” said the newtimer, Smith. “It’s been really fun to have each other for training and to go 1 and 2.”
Lyle Shipp of Vail Mountain followed shortly behind for third place. In the boys Nordic Classic, Henry Trowbridge, winner of the Nordic skate event on Thursday, was unable to race Friday due to illness. Nick Sweeney, Luk Platil, and Graham Houtsma took first, second, and third respectively.
The host team, Summit High school, won overall state champions for the girls.
The 2014 all-state football players of the year. From left, Josh Odom of Pine Creek (4A), Kyle Leoffler of Arickaree/Woodlin (6-man), Austin Yahn of Caliche (8-man), Taylor Walters of Paonia (1A), Daniel Martin of Pueblo East (3A), Kyle Rosenbrock of Brush (2A) and Milo Hall of Cherry Creek (5A). (Photos: Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com; Tim Visser/TimVisserPhotography.com; Mark Adams; Jeffrey Tucker/MaxPreps; courtesy of Paonia)
The 2014 all-state football teams 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.
