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Tag: Lakewood

  • No. 7 Arvada West and No. 9 Valor end in scoreless tie in boys soccer action

    Arvada West junior Owen Welch (17) tries to breakaway from Valor junior Jaden Claycamp (10) during the scoreless tie Monday at the North Area Athletic Complex. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    ARVADA — There was no winner Monday night at the North Area Athletic Complex.

    Arvada West and Valor Christian ended the top-10 Class 5A boys soccer match-up in a scoreless tie after 100 minutes at the NAAC.

    “Neither team could find the back of the net,” Arvada West senior goalie Jacoby Landskov said. “At the end of the day soccer is about scoring and neither one of us did.”

    Valor Christian sophomore Duncan Voeglie (13) and Arvada West senior Gabe Schultz (19) battle for possession Monday during the Class 5A Jeffco League game. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    The tie between the No. 7 Wildcats and No. 9 Eagles actually helped out unranked Lakewood in the 5A Jeffco League standings. The Tigers (5-1-1, 5-1-1 in league) leaped over Valor (6-1-1, 5-1-1) and A-West (6-1-2, 4-1-2) in the conference standings.

    If Lakewood gets a victory over Bear Creek on Thursday, April 15, at Lakewood Memorial Field the Tigers will claim the league title. It would be the first boys soccer league champion for Lakewood since 1995.

    “It’s been a crazy season. We lost to Lakewood early so we’ve felt like since Game 2 in league we’ve been playing for our playoff lives,” Valor coach Brian Shultz said. “I would image Lakewood is pretty happy.”

    Valor is currently second in 5A Jeffco. The top two teams in the league earn an automatic bid to the 16-team state tournament that begins next week with the first round on Tuesday, April 20.

    “I think we are still as at No. 2 right now, but we have to take care of business against Dakota Ridge on Thursday,” Shultz said of the Eagles’ regular-season finale this week. “We won’t overlook him.”

    A-West is in tougher spot. The Wildcats looked to be in-line to win a third straight conference title a week ago. A-West was undefeated and 4-0 in league play, but a 1-1 tie against Lakewood (April 8) and 2-0 loss to Chatfield (April 10), along with another tie versus Valor puts the playoffs in doubt for the Wildcats.

    “Not a whole lot to say really,” Landskov said. “It is really disappointing. Both sides played great tonight. It just stinks to not come out on top and now not win in three games.”

    Valor Christian sophomore Andrew Halzett gets ready to clear the ball as Eagles’ freshman goalie Dennis Polzin (0) looks on Monday at the NAAC. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    The Wildcats must beat rival Ralston Valley on Thursday night at the NAAC for any chance to more than likely get one of the four at-large playoff bids if A-West finishes third in the league.

    “We just have to win against Ralston Valley and see what happens from there,” Landskov said. “We can’t worry about anyone else.”

    Landskov was solid recording his sixth shutout in net this season.

    Valor had several set pieces that gave the Eagles scoring chances. The best scoring opportunity for Valor came in the first half. Sophomore Zac Brooks deflected a corner kick that looked to beat Landskov, but A-West sophomore Josh White was in the right place on the far post to keep the ball out of the net.

    A-West senior Noah Kanagy and sophomore Luke Schultz both had hard shots saved by Valor freshman goalie Dennis Polzin a minute apart in the second half.

    “He (Polzin) has been fantastic all year and his strength is in the air. We are such a possession team that is what most teams try to do is put balls in the air against us,” Shultz said. “We have two other great goalies too. We are blessed that way.”

    The best scoring chance in the two 10-minute overtime periods came off the foot of Valor senior Tyler Eagan, but his direct free kick was just wide left midway through the first overtime.

    Arvada West sophomore Luke Schultz agonizes after his deflection off a centering pass sails high over the net in the first half Monday at the NAAC. A-West and Valor Christian finished in a 0-0 tie after 100 minutes of action. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

  • Photos: Lakewood boys soccer grabs big league win over Pomona

    Lakewood boys soccer found the net twice in each half as it got a 4-1 win over Class 5A Jeffco League rival Pomona on Saturday.

  • Lakewood boys soccer stays in 5A Jeffco title hunt with last-second goal

    Lakewood senior Daniel Juarez’s first goal of the season came in a timely manner for the Tigers on Monday at Lakewood Memorial Field. Juarez tapped in the game-winning goal with 6 seconds left in regulation-time to give the Tigers a 2-1 victory over Columbine. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    LAKEWOOD — Lakewood senior Daniel Juarez hit the equivalent of a half-court shot at the buzzer on the soccer pitch Monday.

    Starting with a long throw-in by Lakewood senior Mario Zendejas Caraveo, Juarez was able to tip in the game-winning goal with 6 seconds remaining in regulation-time to give the Tigers a 2-1 victory over Columbine at Lakewood Memorial Field.

    Columbine sophomore Carter O’Keefe (13) and Lakewood senior Jimmy Almaraz (3) battle for the ball Monday at Lakewood Memorial Field. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    “I saw Mario grabbing the ball. I just tucked in and jumped in,” Juarez said. “I just tipped it in and scored it. I kept looking at the clock. I was just trying to pressure it and take any shot we could get.”

    Lakewood coach Tom Noor admitted he was already pondering overtime before Juarez scored his first goal of the season to edge Columbine (0-3-1, 0-3-1 in Class 5A Jeffco League).

    “I was thinking about overtime, but I didn’t want to go to overtime,” Noor said. “Winning in overtime is OK, but losing in overtime is the worst feeling. It’s like getting gut punched.”

    The last-second victory was huge for Lakewood (4-1, 4-1) when it comes to the race for the conference title and earning one of the two automatic playoff berths to the 16-team 5A state tournament field. Arvada West — No. 2 in the latest CHSAANow.com 5A boys soccer rankings — hold the top spot with a 4-0 league record.

    The Tigers and Wildcats are scheduled for a big showdown at 5 pm Thursday at the North Area Athletic Complex. That game could very well determine the 5A Jeffco League champion.

    “I think we could do it,” Juarez said about Lakewood’s chances against A-West. “I believe in this team, along as we play like we did against Valor.”

    Columbine senior Carl Dixon (8) attempts to hold off Lakewood junior Tyler Archer on getting off a shot during the first half Monday. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    Lakewood took a 1-0 victory over Valor before spring break to give the Tigers a legitimate shot at winning the conference title.

    “We are going to put a lot into that game on Thursday,” Noor said of the match-up against A-West. “If we can get a result against Valor — who I think is the best team in the conference — we can get a result against anybody.”

    Columbine didn’t get the result it wanted while searching for its first victory of the year. The Rebels did tie things up in the second half against Lakewood with a goal from sophomore Ty Santangelo in the 52nd minute. Santangelo’s shot from long rang found the back of the net to knot things up a 1-1.

    Zendejas Caraveo had given the Tigers a 1-0 lead in the 17th minute when he beat Columbine goalie Chase Heck in the first half.

    “We won this game, but it’s not how we normally play,” Juarez said. “We need to get better and we all know that. We just have to work.”

    Lakewood will be playing four games in six days at the end of the regular season wraps up Saturday, April 17.

    “I’m happy and we are doing well,” Noor said of how his team is handling the shortened season. “We are doing OK with it. We aren’t injured too bad. Danny scoring that goal is big because maybe he’ll start scoring.”

    Lakewood freshman Dayton Evans (24) and senior Jimmy Almaraz (3) bookend Columbine sophomore Carter O’Keefe during the Class 5A Jeffco League game Monday at Lakewood Memorial Field. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

  • No. 11 Ralston Valley volleyball springs to 3-1 win over Lakewood

    ARVADA — There was no break Tuesday for Lakewood and Ralston Valley girls volleyball teams despite Jeffco Public Schools being on Spring Break this week.

    The Tigers hit the road to face the Mustangs — No. 11 in this week’s CHSAANow.com Class 5A volleyball rankings — in a key early 5A Jeffco League match-up. Ralston Valley remained undefeated on the season with a 3-1 victory over Lakewood (3-2, 1-1 in league).

    “We weren’t really worried about it too much,” Ralston Valley senior Taylor Scherff said of playing a conference game during Jeffco’s Spring Break. “It has been a weird year and we’ve adapted over our club seasons. We are just really grateful to come in here, play our game and play together.”

    Ralston Valley senior Taylor Scherff (4) hit the ball past Lakewood junior Naomi Fanchi (10) and senior Morgan Steck (9) during the Class 5A Jeffco League match Tuesday. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    It was a bit of a rough start for the Mustangs (6-0, 2-0). The Tigers came out strong take a 25-21 victory in the opening set. Lakewood seniors Morgan Steck and Jada Hall led the way for Lakewood.

    The Tigers do have a couple of quality non-league victories under their belts already this season. Lakewood grabbed victories over Highlands Ranch and Broomfield, teams both ranked in the top-15 of the CHSAANow.com Class 5A rankings this week.

    “This team plays really well when their backs are up against the wall,” Ralston Valley coach Ashley Ahlman said. “The first set going the way it did wasn’t necessarily a bad thing for us. It kind of gave us a wake-up call.”

    It was all Ralston Valley in the final three sets. The Mustangs took a trio of 25-17 victories to stay undefeated on the season.

    While Scherff did a lot of damage offensively with her spikes from the outside, seniors Jamie Dorczuk, Zoe Grolnic and Gabi Coombs, along with juniors Morgan McChesney, Jordan Wisner and Emerson Reinke all played big roles in the win.

    “We’ve got a pretty talented team with it comes to a spread-out offense,” Ahlman said. “We’ve got a phenomenal setter (Reinke) that can put the ball in anyone’s hands. We’ve been focusing on playing for each other. This is the first time that we have really seen that happen. I’m more proud of that then anything.”

    Ralston Valley senior Morgan McChesney (3) attempts to put down a kill on Lakewood junior Naomi Fanchi (10) and sophomore Sydney Kitzmiller (8) during Tuesday’s match at Ralston Valley High School. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    Ralston Valley is attempting to end Valor Christian’s dominance in 5A Jeffco since the Eagles joined the conference for the 2018 season. Valor has won back-to-back league titles in 2018 and 2019, along with winning the 5A state title in 2018 and being state runner-up in 2019.

    “Valor has been the reigning champs of this league, but we feel like we are ready,” Scherff said.

    Valor (1-1, 0-1) already has a league loss on the season with Chatfield (1-1, 1-0) defeating the Eagles in a conference opener last week. Ralston Valley has three games next week, including a huge showdown a home against the Chargers next Thursday.

    “It’s been awhile since we’ve competed for that league title,” Ahlman said. “We kind of think it’s someone else’s turn. We are pretty excited about the opportunity.”

    The Tigers are back on the court when they host Dakota Ridge in a conference game Tuesday, April 6, next week.

    The playoff format during this year’s Season C girls volleyball season that was moved from its normal Fall season slot will feature the league champion in each conference getting an automatic bid to the 24-team regional playoffs.

    The rest of the field will be determined by RPI seeding criteria. The eight regional champions will advance to the single-eliminate state tournament scheduled for May 10 and 11.

    Lakewood junior Haven Hill-Schmick (3) tries to put down a spike between Ralston Valley juniors Jordan Wisner (7) and Morgan McChesney (3). The Mustangs lost the opening set 25-21, but rallied with a trio of 25-17 set victories to take a 3-1 win over their Class 5A Jeffco League rival. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

  • Dunks and 3-pointers reign in Jeffco HS Senior Basketball game

    LAKEWOOD — Valor Christian senior Amondo Miller’s final dunk finished off a fun night Thursday at the Gold Crown Fieldhouse.

    The Blue squad took a 130-124 victory in the boys’ Jeffco High School Senior Basketball Game. The annual game featuring the top seniors in the Class 5A and 4A Jeffco Leagues didn’t take place last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    While dunks and optional defense was in full force, the 3-point shooting was particularly sharp by the co-MVPs. Columbine senior Garrett Rogers and Wheat Ridge senior Westin Miller poured in seven 3-pointers each to lead both of their teams in scoring.

    Valor senior Amondo Miller goes up for a dunk Thursday night. Miller had 25 points for in the Blue’s 130-124 victory. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    “I was just shooting and having a good time,” said Rogers, who had a game-high 29 points. “I appreciate Gold Crown for putting this on. It was amazing.”

    The Blue squad actually trailed 97-91 heading into the final 10-minute quarter. However, the Blue team scored 39 points in the final quarter to win going away. Green Mountain senior Austin Peterson got hot from 3-point range hitting a trio from long range in the final quarter.

    Valor’s Miller and AJ Kula combined for 14 points in the final quarter and Rogers canned a pair of 3-pointers for good measure to pull out the come-from-behind victory.

    “It was just really fun playing with all the guys. You play them during league and you know them because of club,” Rogers said. “It is always a great time getting out there and playing together.”

    Wheat Ridge senior Westin Miller watches the ball after releasing a 3-pointer Thursday night. Miller had seven 3-pointers on his way to MVP honors for the White squad. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    Wheat Ridge’s Miller started the game off with a 3-pointer in the opening seconds. The Farmer has being getting ready for the upcoming high school baseball season, but getting one last chance on the hardwood with fellow Wheat Ridge teammate Dominic Cross was special.

    “It was awesome. I got to play one more basketball game,” said Miller, who has signed to play baseball next school year at Regis University. “I’ve been practicing baseball, so it was nice to get back out on the court. Most of us are competitors, but when it comes to this they are your teammates now.”

    There were more than 40 3-pointers made in the game. Almost every time down the court it was either a bomb from long range or a driving dunk.

    “It was a good shooting night for both of us,” Miller said of him and Rogers combining for 14 3-pointers. “I had no idea who he was at first, but he was ripping every shot he took.”

    Green Mountain senior Austin Peterson tries to beat Evergreen senior Griffin Lauritano (13) off the dribble Thursday night. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    Lakewood’s Michael Bennett, Dakota Ridge’s Gino Corridori, Bear Creek’s Liam Franks, Evergreen’s Griffin Lauritano and Jared Stiller, Cross along with Westin Miller were all in double-digits for the White squad coached by Evergreen’s boys basketball coach Jeff Dolan.

    Rogers and Amondo Miller combined for over 50 points. Ralston Valley’s Blake Butvidas, D’Evelyn’s Luke Kjellsen, Kula and Peterson all reach double-digit points for the victorious Blue team.

    It marked the end of the prep basketball season in Jeffco that had its challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    “It shows how much we have progressed through this tough time,” Rogers said of having the game return to close out the basketball season.

    Columbine senior Garrett Rogers was the leading scorer pouring in 29 points, including seven 3-pointers, during the boys’ Jeffco High School Senior Basketball Game on Thursday night at the Gold Crown Fieldhouse. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

  • No. 5 Ralston Valley girls hoops wins 9th straight on Senior Night

    ARVADA — Ralston Valley senior Bailey Wall ended Senior Night appropriately for the Mustangs on Tuesday.

    Wall came off the bench in the final minutes and sunk a 3-pointer just before the buzzer for the No. 5-ranked Mustangs to give Ralston Valley a 57-36 victory over Lakewood.

    “She (Wall) has been with us for four years,” Bevington said of her fellow senior. “For her to hit that was big for her. We will all share that moment. I’m glad it happened. It was awesome.”

    Ralston Valley freshman Sophia Sabus (22) goes up with her left hand while being guarded by Lakewood junior Briana Robles on Tuesday night. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    What Ralston Valley (11-2 record) has done over the past month might not be defined as “awesome”, but the Mustangs have been pretty darn good riding a 9-game winning streak since losing to No. 2 Valor Christian back on Feb. 3.

    The Mustangs cruised through the rest of Class 5A Jeffco League play with double-digit victories to finish runner-up to Valor in the conference. However, Ralston Valley had to hang on late against Mountain Vista a week ago before getting wins over Lewis-Palmer and Lakewood.

    “We haven’t played great the last couple of games. We’ve played some really good quarters,” Ralston Valley coach Jeff Gomer said. “We just haven’t put four together. Sometimes we just lose focus. We get a lead and then we take it out of gear.”

    Ralston Valley got out of the gates quick with a 16-3 lead after the first quarter Tuesday. The Mustangs held a 31-12 lead at halftime, but Lakewood (6-7) battled back outscoring Ralston Valley 18-13 in the third quarter.

    Lakewood juniors Logan Watson (12 points) and Briana Robles (9 points), along with senior Mariah Ramos (9 points) led the charge for the Tigers.

    “We just watched them go to the basket the whole third quarter,” Gomer said of the Tigers’ 18-point quarter that allowed Lakewood to cut into Ralston Valley’s lead.

    Ralston Valley was a bit frustrated not being able to put Lakewood away in the third quarter.

    Ralston Valley senior Sydney Bevington (33) drives past Lakewood senior Mariah Ramos (22) on Tuesday night. Bevington scored a game-high 20 points during the Mustangs’ Senior Night. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    “We slipped up really bad in the third quarter. We wanted to come out after halftime and stomp on them, but we didn’t do that,” Bevington said. “We definitely need to work on that. We need to treat these games like we are playing a top team in the state.”

    The Mustangs did get things going in the fourth quarter. Seymour, who finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds, poured in the first six points of the final quarter to extend Ralston Valley’s lead.

    “We just got a little lazy with our defense and rebounding in the third,” Seymour said. “The fourth quarter we needed to get going. We sped it up a little bit and made our shots. We did what we needed to do.”

    Bevington had a game-high 20 points and junior Saya Sabus had 10 points. Wall, along with freshmen Sophia Sabus and Hannah Somorin each contributed a 3-pointer for the Mustangs. Senior McKenna Nichols went 3-for-4 from the free-throw line on Senior Night.

    It was the final regular-season game for the Tigers. Lakewood was 25th in RPI to start the night, so Lakewood should make the 32-team 5A state tournament field. The state bracket is scheduled to be released Monday, March 8.

    Ralston Valley has one final non-league game against Denver East at home Thursday night.

    “We need to put all our little things together,” Seymour said heading into the playoffs. “We’ve had sporadicly good little spurts. We need to put it all together.”

    Lakewood senior Mariah Ramos (22) takes it up between a trio of Ralston Valley players — Brooklyn Seymour (12), Hannah Somorin (23) and McKenna Nichols (12) — during the Tigers’ 18-point third quarter. It wasn’t enough as Ralston Valley pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 57-36 victory. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

  • Photos: Bevington powers No. 5 Ralston Valley girls basketball to win over Lakewood

    Sydney Bevington’s 20 points powered Class 5A No. 5 Ralston Valley girls basketball to a 57-36 win over Lakewood on Tuesday.

  • Photos: Lakewood girls basketball gets league win over Bear Creek

    Lakewood girls basketball battles to a 52-27 win over Bear Creek to get a crucial Jeffco League victory on Monday.

  • Photos: No. 9 Valor Christian boys basketball rides early lead to beat Lakewood

    An early lead gave Class 5A No. 9 Valor Christian control as the Eagles rolled to an 89-58 win over Lakewood.

  • No. 1 Pomona boys wrestling, yet again, has a deep squad this season

    LAKEWOOD — The announcement this week that the state wrestling tournament won’t be held at its usual site was another change during this ever changing 2020-21 prep sports season in Colorado.

    However, the news that Ball Arena (formerly Pepsi Center) won’t be the site of the state tournament next month hasn’t dampened Pomona’s focus on going after its fifth Class 5A team title over the past six years and eighth team title since 2000.

    “I don’t mind. I really don’t,” Pomona coach Sam Federico said of the news coming down Wednesday that all classifications for the state tournament will be held at the Southwest Motors Events Center on the Colorado State Fairgrounds in Pueblo. “I’m glad we have one. I’d do it in South Dakota if we had to. Anywhere is good for me.”

    Pomona junior Jacob Judd, behind, works on getting back points during his 170-pound match against Lakewood senior Nolan Hoefner. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    The Panthers — ranked No. 1 in 5A by Tim Yount of On the Mat — has an extremely deep squad this season. Pomona has 11 wrestlers that are ranked in the top-5 of their weight class in the new rankings released this week.

    “This is probably one of the best teams we’ve had in years,” Pomona sophomore Jakob Romero said after the Panthers’ tri meet Thursday at Lakewood High School. “We are strong everywhere. We can bump guys up and bump guys down. I’ve wrestled with everyone on this team for the past five-plus years. I’ll do anything for these guys.”

    Pomona actually brought just a handful of its varsity wrestlers to the duals against Standley Lake and Lakewood. Still, the Panthers dominated with a 72-6 win over the Gators and 58-14 victory against the Tigers.

    Two of the top Pomona wrestlers that saw some action with Romero and junior Jacob Judd. Romero took a 21-5 tech fall victory and managed a pin in the first period in his second match. Judd grabbed a pair of pins in his matches at 170 pounds.

    “We are deep, but there are some good teams out there,” Federico said. “We’ll see this weekend when we wrestling Ponderosa and Brighton, two teams that are always good. We’ve got to stay healthy and keep working hard. If we do that good things will happen.”

    The Panthers head to Ponderosa High School on Saturday for a pair of dual matches against No. 2 Ponderosa and No. 3 Brighton. It might be one of the best tests for Pomona before heading to regionals scheduled for March 5 and 6.

    Federico doesn’t believe the last of tournaments will effect the Panthers. He had a lot of his wrestlers compete at a national tournament in Utah before the season started. Most of his year-round wrestlers have been able to compete at tournament during the COVID pandemic.

    “There was so much stop and go,” Federico said of changing on the fly this season. “I’m just glad we got it pinned down and we are wrestling now. It’s good to see the guys out wrestling now.”

    Romero is one of those wrestlers who is glad to be back on the mats. The sophomore that placed second at state last year at 126 pounds talked Thursday night about his own battle with COVID-19.

    Romero actually came down with COVID in November. He went through return-to-play protocol to return to the mats after his bout with the virus.

    Pomona sophomore Jakob Romero, top, controls his match with Standley Lake sophomore Aidan Carlin on Thursday night at Lakewood High School. The Panthers currently have 11 wrestlers ranked in the top-5 in their individual weight classes. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    “My family got it. We are all athletes in the family,” Romero said. “We didn’t get it too bad, but I did see some in pact on my training and endurance. I took two weeks off, but still wasn’t myself. It’s just different for everyone.”

    The sophomore has a realist perspective on what high school wrestling will look like for at least the near future.

    “With COVID, it doesn’t seem to be dying down,” Romero said. “This may be the new norm for us. At least for a little bit.”

    Romero admitted he was upset that the state tournament was moved from Ball Arena to Pueblo, but having a state tournament March 13 is what is important.

    “In the end, I’m just glad we have a season,” Romero said.

    Judd mirrors how everything can change. As a freshman his first tournament he wrestled at 106 pounds. He eventually placed 6th at the state tournament at 113. He wrestled at 132 and 145 pounds last year, qualifying for the state tournament at 145.

    Now, Judd is all the way up to the 170-pound weight class and is ranked No. 3.

    “I’ve been able to learn a whole bunch wrestling with a lot of different partners,” Judd said. “Most of the kids on the club don’t grow as fast as me. I’ve been able to practice with everyone in there.”

    While Pomona has plenty of youth with a dozen varsity wrestlers either freshmen, sophomores or juniors this season they don’t want to take the 2021 season as a throwaway season.

    “I’m trying to get the best out of the year,” Judd said. “One more year after this and I want to get two (individual) state championships.”

    Pomona’s 113-pounder Gino Cardenas, top, took a 16-0 tech fall against Standley Lake junior Chance Clarke on Thursday night. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)