BRECKENRIDGE — Aspen’s Taiga Moore won both boys nordic races as the state skiing championships opened competition on Saturday at Gold Run Nordic Center.
The Skiers’ senior, who finished runner-up in both races last season, opened the day with a win of more than 30 seconds in the 5 km classic race in the morning, finishing in 14:11.0. Aspen’s Noah Wheeless (15:25.7, 8th) and Corbin Carpenter (15:38.7, 10th) also placed in the top-10 as the Skiers amassed 164 points in the event.
Eagle Valley’s Ferguson St John placed second in the event, finishing in 14:49.0. Others in the top five included Steamboat Springs’ Sumner Cotton (14:50.5), Battle Mountain’s Sullivan Middaugh (15:06.4) and Lake County’s Jace Peters (15:10.5).
In the afternoon’s 3 km skate race, Moore raced to a win in 7:21. St. John also placed second in that race, as he finished in 7:38. Wheeless was third (7:39), Evegreen’s Zach Footer (7:42) was fourth, and Carpenter (7:47) was fifth — giving Aspen three among the top five.
The Skiers also had Christian Kelly place eighth (8:00), and Eske Roennau finished tenth (8:04), though a team’s top three finishers are the ones who account for team points. As it was, Aspen scored 174 team points in the skate.
So after the nordic competition, Aspen leads the boys team race with 338 total points. Eagle Valley sits in second with 301, Middle Park and Vail Mountain are tied for third with 291, and Evergreen is fifth with 281.
Aspen is the three-time defending boys team champion, and is seeking to become the first team to win four in a row since Summit won five in 1986-90.
(David Cudd)
The Skiers also lead the girls team race with 333 points, thanks in large part to a 1-3-5 finish in the skate. In that race, Aspen’s Elsie Weiss defended her individual title from a year ago, winning in 8:29. Lake County’s Rose Horning placed second in 8:38, capping a wonderful day that saw her win the classic event.
Aspen’s Eva McDonough placed third in the skate (8:55), Steamboat Springs’ Zoe Bennett-Manke (8:57) was fourth, and Vail Mountain’s Elliot Pribramsky (9:02) was fifth. Aspen’s Kylie Kenny rounded out Aspen’s team score with her seventh place finish, just behind Summit’s Tai-lee Smith.
As mentioned, Lake County’s Horning won the classic race in the morning as she finished in 16:41.2. Lola Villafranco of Colorado Rocky Mountain School was runner-up in 17:05.5. Rounding out the top five were Izzy Glackin of Vail Mountain, Smith of Summit, and Weiss, the skate winner.
Aspens girls put up an event-best 164 points in the classic, thanks to an eighth place finish from McDonough and ninth-place from Kylie Kenny, giving them 333 total team points after the nordic competition. Aspen’s girls are the defending champion, and also won in 2018.
In the girls team race, Summit is second with 301 points, Lake County is third with 296, Middle Park is fourth with 286, and Vail Mountain is fifth with 261.
The state skiing championships conclude next weekend with the alpine events at Loveland Ski Area on March 11 & 12.
The 2020 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 head coaches across the state.
Players were placed onto the first-team, second-team and honorable mention based upon the number of votes they received. In 5A-1A, spots were reserved for linemen and one kicker/punter, while 8-man reserved spots for linemen.
CHSAA does not determine who makes or doesn’t make the team; they are created from the results of the coaches’ vote.
Because there will be two football seasons during the 2020-21 school year, this is the all-state football team for Season A. There will be a separate all-state football team released for Season C.
The 2020 all-state softball teams are presented by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps.
These team were created following a process where the coaches voted upon a list of nominees. Players who were named first-team all-league are eligible for the all-state ballot.
Coaches also voted specifically for player and coach of the year.
LAKEWOOD — Green Mountain senior quarterback Darius Padilla went through a rollercoaster of a game Saturday afternoon at Trailblazer Stadium.
Padilla threw three interceptions, including a pick-6 that Eagle Valley junior Erich Petersen returned 90 yards for a touchdown early in the third quarter. However, Padilla kept it together to guide the Rams — No. 8 in the CHSAANow.com Class 3A football rankings — to a 35-20 come-from-behind victory over Eagle Valley.
Eagle Valley junior Erich Petersen (5) isn’t able to make an over the shoulder catch, but Green Mountain sophomore Colton Brown was called for pass interference on the play. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
“It was a game of runs. We had to respond,” Padilla said of Petersen’s touchdown and another interception in the third quarter that helped the Devils cut the Rams’ lead to 21-20. “If I make a mistake I’m going to make a play to get us back.”
Padilla made those plays to keep Green Mountain (3-0, 2-0 in 3A Western Slope League) undefeated on the season.
The Rams scored 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to grab the momentum back. Padilla connected with senior Rex Bailey for a 7-yard touchdown with 9:49 remaining in the fourth quarter.
“We had some chances there where we could have totally took control of the game, but Eagle Valley got the momentum back. It got tight there,” Green Mountain coach Jesse German said. “These kids know how to play through adversity. They have so much grit. I’m super proud of them for finishing out this game.”
Padilla channeled his point guard skill on the basketball court to set up the Rams’ final score. It looked like the quarterback would take a sack inside the red-zone, but he escaped several tacklers and weaved down to the 1-yard line.
“That run … I was running for my life right there,” Padilla said laughing about the 12-yard scamper.
Green Mountain senior Jose Luis Cedillo capped off the scoring drive with his second touchdown of the day.
“He (Padilla) responded well,” Cedillo said. “He threw some picks, but flushed them and went on to the next play. He fought for his brothers on the field.”
Green Mountain senior Dawson Aaron (28) breaks into the open during the second quarter Saturday afternoon at Trailblazer Stadium. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
The Rams fought back from a 7-0 deficit through the first quarter. Eagle Valley senior Daniel Gallegos opened the scoring with a 4-yard touchdown run with less than a minute remaining in the first quarter.
Green Mountain couldn’t muster much offensively on its first four possessions, but exploded in the second quarter scoring touchdowns on three consecutive drives to grab a 21-7 lead at halftime.
“I think on offense we were trying to do too much in the first quarter,” Cedillo said of the slow start. “In the second quarter we went back to the basics and worked as a team. The holes opened up.”
Cedillo and senior Izaiah Carter each had touchdown runs. Padilla threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to senior Austin Peterson to close the 21-point second quarter.
“We came out flat. No energy to start,” Padilla said. “We had to wake up.”
It was the first game of the season for Eagle Valley (0-1, 0-1) who had its first two games cancelled because of COVID issues.
“Our kids are hearing stuff in the news and wondering if this will be our final game,” German said of the news of COVID cases going up in Colorado and questions about if the prep football season will be stopped. “There was probably more pressure and anxiety that these kids have to deal with now with what we are living with.”
Despite the looming unknowns, German said he will have his Rams ready to travel to the Western Slope next week. Green Mountain is scheduled to face No. 7 Palisade (2-1, 2-0) on Friday, Oct. 30.
“Our mentality has been to always play the game like it is your last,” Padilla said. “We have to play as hard as we can and leave everything out here on the field.”
Green Mountain senior Austin Peterson (81) makes a big catch during the Rams’ 21-point second quarter against Eagle Valley on Saturday at Trailblazer Stadium. The Rams won 35-20 to improve to 3-0 on the season. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
