Wild Card points help determine the postseason fields in 3A, 4A and 5A, with 4A and 5A also using them for seeding. Find a more detailed breakdown here.
Baseball’s Wild Card point standings for April 2 are below.
Lakewood senior Jessica Brooks (2) shoots over Doherty’s Meagan Kramer and Ivory Masching on Friday night. Brooks had a game-high 18 points in the Tigers’ 62-31 victory. (Dennis Pleuss)
LAKEWOOD — A motivated Lakewood girls basketball team made a statement in the second round of the Class 5A state tournament Friday night.
The Tigers (23-1) doubled-up No. 7-seeded Doherty with a score of 62-31, advancing the No. 2 seed from the Rhonda Blanford-Green Region into the Sweet 16. The 5A Jeffco League champions were a little miffed with being put in the same side of the bracket as defending state champion Regis (22-2) and last year’s state runner-up Highlands Ranch (20-4).
“A lot of teams don’t give us the credit I think we deserve,” Lakewood senior Jessica Brooks said after scoring a game-high 18 points against Doherty. “It feels great to show people that they are wrong and we are a really good team.”
Lakewood sophomore Madeleine Coughlin (5) attempts to get around Doherty senior Mariah Willey on Friday night. (Dennis Pleuss)
Lakewood will host No. 3-seeded Highlands Ranch on Tuesday, March 4, at Lakewood High School in the Sweet 16. Highlands Ranch easy handled Cherokee Trail, 91-53, on Friday night in another second-round game.
Highlands Ranch eliminated Lakewood from the state tournament in the round of 16 last season. The Falcons ended the Tigers’ postseason run with a 60-40 defeat. Highlands Ranch eventually finished as the state runner-up to Regis.
“It was going to happen anyways. It just comes a little early,” Lakewood coach Chris Poisson said of facing the Falcons in the Sweet 16. “Highlands Ranch is a different team. We are a different team. We are both younger. We aren’t going to talk about the past.”
The Tigers are attempting to duplicate its deep run in the state tournament Lakewood had in 2008. Lakewood advanced to the state quarterfinals before losing to ThunderRidge.
Lakewood’s road won’t be easy. The region could be considered the deepest of the four regions. The top three seeds in the region — Regis, Lakewood and Highlands Ranch — were ranked first, third and seventh in the final CHSAANow.com 5A girls basketball poll.
Top-seed Regis handled Rocky Mountain 67-32 on Friday. Ralston Valley (20-5) is next up for the defending state champs. The No. 5-seeded Mustangs scored a 73-37 road victory at No. 4 seed Brighton on Friday. Regis will host Ralston Valley on Tuesday night.
Lakewood never trailed against Doherty on Friday night. The Tigers led 30-12 at halftime thanks to a huge first half from Brooks and sophomore McKenna Bishop. The duo combined for 20 points in the first half.
“Jess (Brooks) and Big Mac (Bishop) were great down low,” Poisson said. “They dominated and everyone else played the way they needed to play.”
Lakewood sophomore Marissa Morton, left, plays tight defense on Doherty freshman Aleita Amparan during the second round of the Class 5A girls basketball tournament Friday night. Lakewood advanced to the Sweet 16 with a 62-31 victory. (Dennis Pleuss)
Doherty was focused keeping Lakewood’s leading scorer Mackenzie Forrest in check. The Spartans (11-13) used a box-and-one defense, limiting her to four points. The sophomore guard was never able to get on track offensively because of foul trouble. She eventually fouled out with 6:36 left in the fourth quarter.
“We knew we wanted to shutdown 33 (Forrest). If we could take away 20 points per game we felt like we had a chance,” Doherty coach Pat McKiernan said. “We just couldn’t shoot the ball.”
Senior Mariah Willey led the Spartans in scoring with eight points. Doherty was limited to single-digit points in three of the four quarters.
Doherty had a little run early in the third quarter to cut Lakewood’s lead to 35-21, but the Tigers quickly responded with a 12-0 run to push the lead to 26 points before the start of the fourth quarter.
Lakewood turned Forrest’s foul trouble into a positive. Sophomores Marissa Morton, Marisela Perez, Madeline Miller and Madeleine Coughlin all had strong games. Senior Gabby Carbone contributed a trio of 3-pointers in the Tigers’ 12th straight victory.
“It gave an opportunity and everyone stepped up,” Poisson said of having Forrest playing limited minutes. “Everyone played better defense. Everyone made key shots.”
Lakewood sophomore Madeleine Coughlin (5) looks for an open teammate while being covered by Doherty freshman Aleita Amparan during the first half Friday night. (Dennis Pleuss)
Doherty’s Haleigh Washington, left, with coach Tara Hittle. (Courtesy @DHSAthletics on Twitter)
The 2013 all-state volleyball teams are presented by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps.
These team were created following a lengthy process which included nominations from leagues and coaches, and then a vote of coaches. Find more information here.
The players who received the most votes in their classification were selected as the player of the year in their class.
Scroll down to see the teams, or use the menu below to navigate to the class of your choosing.
The 2013 all-state boys soccer teams are presented by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps.
These team were created following a lengthy process which included nominations from leagues and coaches, and then a vote of coaches. Find more information here.
The players who received the most votes in their classification were selected as the player of the year in their class.
Scroll down to see the teams, or use the menu below to navigate to the class of your choosing.
Haley Smith is the 5A softball player of the year. (Pam Wagner)
The 2013 all-state softball teams are presented by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps.
These team were created following a lengthy process which included nominations from leagues and coaches, and then a vote of coaches. Find more information here.
The players who received the most votes in their classification were selected as the player of the year in their class.
Scroll down to see the teams, or use the menu below to navigate to the class of your choosing.
Valor Christian running back Christian McCaffrey is the player of the year in Class 5A. (Mark Adams)
The 2013 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 coaches, and then a vote of coaches. Find more information here.
The players who received the most votes in their classification were selected as the player of the year in their class.
Bishop Machebeuf 3, Dakota Ridge 2. Anders Saarela scored on the power play 2:39 into overtime as the Buffaloes beat Dakota Ridge.
Machebeuf had led 2-1 on Noah Hernandez’s goal in the second period, but Dakota Ridge tied the game with 53 seconds left in regulation when Zach Czarnecki scored.
Then in overtime, with Dakota Ridge’s Zach Czarnecki off for hooking, Saarela put Machebeuf on through to the second round.
Buffs’ goalie Alan Rikli made 32 saves in the win.
Regis Jesuit 8, Doherty 2. Doherty’s Jordan Barrett scored eight seconds into the game, and that lone tally held up for a 1-0 lead into the second period.
Then Regis Jesuit’s Connor Harshman scored the first of his two second-period goals, and Connor Brennan also got on the board as the Raiders turned the tide.
Doherty’s Ty Snyder cut the new lead to 3-2 2:50 into the third period, but Regis totally put the game away from there. Jack O’Neil scored back-to-back power play markers, the Jacob Frishman, Grant Johnson and Carter Alcock iced things. Regis’ final four goals came in a span of just over five minutes.
Regis Jesuit only allowed 16 shots in the game, meaning goalie Sam Harden made 14 saves.
Cherry Creek beat Pine Creek 6-2 on Friday night. More photos. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
Cherry Creek 6, Pine Creek 2. A three-goal spurt in the middle of the second period propelled the Bruins over the Eagles on Friday night.
With the score tied at 1 in the second period, Cherry Creek’s Ryan Worley and Owen Berman scored exactly two minutes apart to make it 3-1. Jackson Ross then added a short-handed goal, his second of the game, to extend the lead.
Pine Creek would score just before the second ended, but Matt Jung made it 5-2 in the third and Chris Nitchen added an empty-netter for Cherry Creek.
Aaron Jatana made 32 saves for the Bruins.
Ralston Valley 10, Pueblo County 0. The Mustangs scored 1:29 into the game and the deluge continued from there.
Kyle Valdez had two goals and two assists, including that opener, while Connor Schaff had two goals and an assist as Ralston Valley rolled.
The Mustangs scored four goals in both the first and second periods. They also only surrendered four shots all game long as James Madok notched a shutout.
Cody Noel and Ian Snedden each had a goal and two assists for Ralston Valley.
Monarch 13, Cheyenne Mountain 1. It was 1-1 after the first period. But once the second period started? That’s when Monarch started to roll.
The Coyotes scored six times in the second frame, including two from Walker Harris, then added six more in the third.
Dima Kyle had six points on two goals and four assists to lead Monarch. Harris finished with four points, including the goals and two assists. Andrew Pickner had two goals and an assist, while Cameron Taggart had a goal and two assists. Blake Bride had three assists.
Monarch allowed just seven shots.
Mountain Vista 8, Resurrection Christian 0. Bryan Hancock had a hat-trick and added an assist, while Cordt Fenstermaker assisted on five goals as the Golden Eagles moved to the second round.
Goalie Joe Morgan stopped at 17 shots he faces in shutting out Resurrection Christian.
Michel Karas and Kaden Steward each had a goal and an assist for Mountain Vista, and Brent Berthold added two helpers.
Lewis-Palmer 6, Steamboat 2. Following a scoreless first period, Lewis-Palmer quickly jumped ahead in the second when Casey McMullin scored 1:26 into the frame. The Rangers’ Nick Pavlik added goal four minutes later, and Lewis-Palmer never looked back.
Dmitri Smith had two goals for Lewis-Palmer, while Adam Schaefer and McMullin each had a goal and two assists.
Columbine 3, Heritage 0. Logan Seibold and Matt Meyer each had a goal and an assist as the Rebels moved on to the second round.
Jacob Seibold scored Columbine’s other goal, while Ashton Opperman was huge with 40 saves in the shutout.
Doherty’s Haleigh Washington, left, with coach Tara Hittle. (Courtesy @DHSAthletics on Twitter)
Doherty star Haleigh Washington was named the state’s volleyball player of the year by Gatorade on Thursday. It is the second year in a row she has been honored with the award.
Washington, a Penn State recruit, led Doherty to the state tournament this season. Her 589 kills this season were far and away the most across Colorado. In all, she averaged 6.5 kills, 1.9 digs and 1.1 blocks per set this season, and had a .523 kill percentage.
“Haleigh’s elite athleticism sets her apart from everyone else,” Doherty head coach Tara Hittle said in a release. “She touches 10-foot-9 on her approach jump and can dunk a basketball. She plays the game from a very high point, which gives her an advantage of hitting over any block, and she’s also able to hit the ball straight down at unreal angles.
“She had to do literally everything for us this season. We set her almost every ball. She is every coach’s dream player. Haleigh is an unbelievable volleyball player.”
Hittle, a Doherty graduate, also won the award when she played for the Spartans in 2004. Washington is the state’s fourth two-time winner, following Fowler’s Cari Jensen (1999-2000), Colorado Springs Christian’s Morgan Broekhuis (2009-10), and Chaparral’s Nicole Dalton (2011-12).
Washington is now a finalist for the national player of the year award, which will be announced later this month.
Doherty’s coach Tara Hittle surprises Haleigh Washington with the news that she won the Gatorade player of the year award on Thursday. (Courtesy @DHSAthletics on Twitter)
The seventh-seeded Rebels got three rushing touchdowns from Jeremy Aparicio and easily handled No. 10 Grand Junction, 41-7, in the second round of the Class 5A playoffs.
Aparicio had scoring runs of 58, 4 and 1 yards, while Michael Tait passed for a score and rushed for another. Austin Norton had a 30-yard touchdown run and caught Tait’s 28-yard scoring toss.
The Rebels will play at No. 2 Valor Christian in the quarterfinals. The Eagles exploded for 28 second-quarter points in pulling away from No. 15 Ralston Valley. Up just 14-6 after the first quarter, Valor scored on the first play of the second frame and never looked back.
It was 42-6 at halftime and a 49-20 final.
Valor quarterback A.J. Cecil was 19-of-23 for 278 yards and four touchdowns. Christian McCaffrey rushed 13 times for 121 yards and two scores and also caught six passes for 110 and two more touchdowns. The carries were the most McCaffrey has had since he rushed 11 times against Fountain-Fort Carson on Sept. 27.
Ralston Valley scored two late touchdowns after recovering three-consecutive onside kicks in the fourth quarter.
We’ll have at least two rematches in the 5A quarterfinals: No. 1 Fairview hosting No. 8 Pomona and No. 3 Cherry Creek hosting No. 6 Cherokee Trail.
Fairview topped No. 16 Douglas County 45-17 on Friday. Knights quarterback Anders Hill had five total touchdowns, four passing. He tossed scores to Steve D’Epagnier (twice), Cam Frazier and Sam Martin. Fairview also got a 50-yard interception return for a touchdown from Carlo Kemp.
Douglas County was in the game in the first half, trailing 14-10 after the first quarter, and 21-17 later in the second, but Fairview’s Jonathan Swartzwelter nailed a 47-yard field goal just before the half to give Fairview a spark heading to the locker room.
When the night ended, Fairview had scored the game’s final 24 points.
Cherry Creek, meanwhile, beat No. 19 Overland for the second time this season with a 49-14 victory Friday. The Bruins got 21 second-quarter points to make it a 35-7 halftime margin.
Cherry Creek plays Cherokee Trail in the quarterfinals. The two teams played a tight one on Oct. 4 — a 28-27 Creek win.
Cherokee Trail easily handled No. 11 Mountain Range, 41-7, on Friday. Quarterback Aric Johnson was 14-of-19 for 171 yards and two scores through the air. He also rushed for 84 yards and two more touchdowns.
Junior running back Cameron Smith had 163 yards and two touchdowns.
No. 5 ThunderRidge beat No. 12 Doherty, 56-35, on Friday. The Grizzlies could get a rematch, as well: No. 5 Regis Jesuit and No. 20 Grandview play Saturday. Should Regis win, it would give ThunderRidge a chance to avenge its only loss of the season, which came Sept. 27 to the Raiders.
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Class 4A
Fifth-seeded Pueblo South was in trouble heading into the fourth quarter against No. 12 Longmont.
The Colts trailed 27-17 following a 15-point outburst from Longmont in the third quarter, but rallied with 21 fourth-quarter points for a 38-27 win.
Trailing 27-24 with 5:34 to play, South converted a fourth-and-6 and went on to score the go-ahead touchdown. The Colts stopped Longmont on fourth-and-13 on their ensuring drive, and sealed the game with a score a few plays later.
In other 4A games, No. 3 Pine Creek beat No. 14 Pueblo West, 35-18, and No. 2 Monarch handled No. 15 Vista Ridge, 62-28.
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Class 3A
No. 7 The Classical Academy looked to be in control. But, late in the third quarter, a Conifer touchdown cut the Titans’ lead to 14-6. Then, with six minutes to play in the fourth, Conifer made it 14-12.
A stop of a two-point conversion attempt on the try gave TCA its first postseason victory in school history, 14-12, over the tenth-seeded Lobos.
In Friday’s other 3A game, No. 3 Roosevelt cruised past No. 14 Frederick, 47-13, to move to the quarterfinals.
Higher seeds were 13-0 in Friday night’s football playoffs.
