Rock Canyon 50, Rocky Mountain 32, Ponderosa 32, Cherokee Trail 31, Fossil Ridge 26, Chaparral 23, Arvada West 23, Fort Collins 23, Denver East 23, Boulder 21, Pine Creek 18, Rampart 17, Liberty 15, Ralston Valley 10, Eaglecrest 7, Horizon 5, Monarch 5, Poudre 3, Denver South 2, Mountain Range 2, Skyline 1, Far Northeast Warriors 1, Heritage 1
Dropped out
Ralston Valley (9)
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
1
Evergreen (15)
1-0
244
1
2
Cheyenne Mountain (4)
1-0
193
2
3
D’Evelyn (2)
1-0
171
3
4
Wheat Ridge
2-0
147
5
5
Air Academy
1-0
130
4
6
Sand Creek
1-0
124
6
7
Windsor (2)
1-0
120
10
8
Mullen
0-2
74
7
9
Pueblo Centennial
0-0
68
11
10
Loveland
2-0
49
–
11
Niwot
0-0
47
–
12
Holy Family
1-0
44
–
Others receiving votes:
Green Mountain 43, Mead 37, Discovery Canyon 36, The Classical Academy 35, Steamboat Springs 32, Durango 32, Golden 29, Palmer Ridge 27, Northridge 27, Palisade 27, Erie 22, Battle Mountain 17, Thompson Valley 15, Centaurus 13, Woodland Park 8, Conifer 8, Pueblo West 7, Pueblo Central 7, Glenwood Springs 6, Lewis-Palmer 6, Montrose 5, Mesa Ridge 5, Northfield 4, Mountain View 4, Frederick 4, Falcon 3, Skyview 1, Pueblo County 1
Dropped out
The Classical Academy (8), Battle Mountain (9)
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
1
Colorado Academy (16)
2-0
228
1
2
Kent Denver (4)
1-0
211
2
3
Jefferson Academy
1-0
188
3
4
Aspen
1-0
126
5
5
Lutheran
2-0
92
10
6
Salida
0-0
82
8
7
Peak to Peak
0-2
79
4
8
Stargate School
2-0
69
–
9
Vail Mountain
2-0
64
11
10
Liberty Common
0-0
51
6
11
Prospect Ridge Academy
1-1
50
9
12
Middle Park
1-0
46
7
Others receiving votes:
Colorado Springs Christian 41, The Academy 37, Eagle Ridge Academy 35, St. Mary’s 31, Manitou Springs 19, SkyView Academy 15, Jefferson 11, KIPP Denver Collegiate 11, Roaring Fork 11, Estes Park 10, Faith Christian 10, Frontier Academy 10, Bishop Machebeuf 9, Alamosa 7, Bayfield 5, Basalt 5, Valley 3, Sterling 2, St. Mary’s Academy 2
Dropped out
St. Mary’s (8)
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
1
Dawson School (6)
0-0
127
1
2
Denver Christian (5)
0-0
126
2
3
Telluride
1-0
98
3
4
Crested Butte
2-0
94
4
5
Flatirons Academy
1-0
89
5
6
Front Range Christian
1-0
66
6
7
Loveland Classical
1-0
51
7
8
Ridgway
1-0
49
8
9
Belleview Christian
0-0
38
10
10
Colorado Rocky Mountain
1-1
29
11
11
Colorado Springs School
0-0
24
9
12
Clear Creek
2-0
17
–
Others receiving votes:
Del Norte 11, Vail Christian 10, Thomas MacLaren School 8, Grand Valley 5, Addenbrooke Classical Academy 4, Rocky Mountain Lutheran 3, Rye 3, Buena Vista 3, Nederland 1, Lamar 1, Campion Academy 1
Dakota Ridge sophomore Monroe McClimans (17) winds up to take a shot on goal during the first half Tuesday. The Eagles took an 11-8 victory over Green Mountain during the opening day for girls lacrosse action at Trailblazer Stadium in Lakewood. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
LAKEWOOD — Trailblazer Stadium in Lakewood has been the mecca for boys and girls lacrosse teams in Jeffco for several years.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic silenced the high school lacrosse action last spring.
Dakota Ridge junior Stella Nefs (15) runs past Green Mountain sophomore Louisa Steinbock (13) on Tuesday at Trailblazer Stadium. Nefs had a team-high four goals in the Eagles’ 11-8 victory. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
“It’s been rough, mainly because we couldn’t see the girls and see your team,” Green Mountain girls lacrosse coach Maddie Ossello said talking about last year’s lost season. “They girls were ready to get back. I know the coaches were excited to walk back into Trailblazer. It felt so good.”
Tuesday marked the return of girls lacrosse at Trailblazer Stadium with Green Mountain and Dakota Ridge opening up play with a non-league contest. It was the first of over 60 regular-season boys and girls lacrosse games that Trailblazer Stadium will host over the span of the next six weeks.
“It was amazing. It was incredible,” Dakota Ridge junior Stella Nefs said. “At the start when the (public address announcer) speaker when off for the first time since my freshman year it was just joy. We were all so hyped up to play. It was so fun.”
Nefs helped lead Dakota Ridge to an 11-8 victory. The junior had a team-high four goals. She scored back-to-back goals to start a 4-0 run by the Eagles in the first half that opened up a 6-2 lead for Dakota Ridge.
Green Mountain closed the gap to 7-5 at halftime with goals by Sophie Warren, Trisha Le and Bailey Stokes, but Dakota Ridge hung on with a solid performance in goal by sophomore Rosella Martinez.
“This give us some momentum and hypes us up,” Nefs said after she sealed the victory with her fourth goal in the final minute. “It’s a great start to a great season.”
Dakota Ridge coach Demi Riecke, who was actually a teammate of Ossello when both played at Green Mountain together, was excited to be back coaching her girls on the sidelines after missing out on last season.
Green Mountain junior Trish Le (2) races down the field at Trailblazer Stadium during the season opener Tuesday, May 4. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
“We definitely missed the girls and missed being apart of something,” Riecke said. “This is what they needed and it’s great to be back.”
While Riecke has a dozen seniors on the squad this season, she has plenty of young talent as Dakota Ridge’s numbers have grown to 39 players.
“The future of the program is huge,” Riecke said. “A lot of my stud athletes are young and they are going to build this program.”
Green Mountain came in ranked No. 8 in the preseason CHSAANow.com Class 4A girls lacrosse poll. The Rams do have a clear focus this season.
“Playoffs,” Ossello said without hesitation when asked about the goal of the Rams this season. “Green Mountain has never made it to the playoffs. The girls have made that goal of making the playoffs.”
It won’t be an easy path for Green Mountain. Jeffco rivals Evergreen, Conifer and Golden were all ranked in the top-4 in the preseason rankings.
“It’s going to be a tough season going into our league season,” Ossello admitted. “But these girls are hungry. We have a tough road ahead, but we are ready.”
It will be a quick season for girls lacrosse. The regular season goes for just six weeks and the playoff extend into mid-June for the Season D.
“It’s been tough with the season splits and kids in dual sports. And kids in quarantines over and over, ” Riecke said. “Being about to get out here is a huge success. We are doing what we can with what we have. We are excited.”
Dakota Ridge sophomore Kendall Holmberg (15) is met by a trio of Green Mountain defenders during the non-league game Tuesday at Trailblazer Stadium. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
Voted upon by coaches and select media members around the state. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.
Coaches and media members looking to vote should email bcochi@chsaa.org.
Class 5A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Grandview (8)
0-0
184
2
Broomfield (3)
0-0
172
3
Arapahoe (1)
0-0
139
4
Rock Canyon (2)
0-0
106
5
Cherry Creek
0-0
98
6
Columbine (1)
0-0
92
7
Mountain Vista (2)
0-0
91
8
Fairview
0-0
87
9
Regis Jesuit
0-0
82
10
Rocky Mountain
0-0
74
11
Valor Christian (1)
0-0
67
12
Ralston Valley
0-0
51
Others receiving votes:
Fossil Ridge 40, Legacy 35, Boulder 35, Rampart 31, ThunderRidge 24, Cherokee Trail 24, Chatfield 24, Castle View 18, Brighton 11, Pine Creek 10, Northglenn 9, Legend 7, Lakewood 7, Ponderosa 7, Fort Collins 6, Liberty 5, Mountain Range 5, Denver East 5, Chaparral 4, Prairie View 3, Pomona 2, Denver South 2, Horizon 1, Vista PEAK Prep 1, Rangeview 1
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Evergreen (10)
0-0
213
2
Cheyenne Mountain (5)
0-0
181
3
D’Evelyn (4)
0-0
159
4
Air Academy
0-0
108
5
Wheat Ridge
0-0
101
6
Sand Creek
0-0
92
7
Mullen
0-0
86
8
Green Mountain
0-0
76
9
The Classical Academy
0-0
75
10
Windsor (1)
0-0
63
11
Pueblo Centennial
0-0
49
12
Battle Mountain
0-0
47
Others receiving votes:
Niwot 40, Holy Family 39, Palmer Ridge 36, Mead 30, Erie 20, Golden 19, Northridge 15, Lewis-Palmer 14, Denver North 13, Thompson Valley 13, Vista Ridge 11, Northfield 11, Glenwood Springs 8, Standley Lake 8, Pueblo West 7, Montrose 5, Frederick 4, Durango 4, Mountain View 3, Steamboat Springs 3, Discovery Canyon 3, Roosevelt 2, Skyview 1, Pueblo County 1
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Colorado Academy (15)
0-0
191
2
Kent Denver (2)
0-0
178
3
Jefferson Academy
0-0
154
4
Peak to Peak
0-0
100
5
Aspen
0-0
89
6
Liberty Common
0-0
77
7
Middle Park
0-0
72
8
Salida
0-0
62
9
St. Mary’s
0-0
59
10
Lutheran
0-0
52
11
Vail Mountain
0-0
51
12
Prospect Ridge Academy
0-0
49
Others receiving votes:
Eagle Ridge Academy 31, Manitou Springs 29, Stargate School 27, SkyView Academy 26, Colorado Springs Christian 17, The Academy 15, Jefferson 11, Roaring Fork 6, Sterling 5, KIPP Denver Collegiate 5, Alamosa 4, Faith Christian 3, Resurrection Christian 3, Coal Ridge 3, Frontier Academy 2, James Irwin 2, STRIVE Prep – SMART 2, DSST: Green Valley Ranch 1
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Dawson School (5)
0-0
104
2
Denver Christian (4)
0-0
99
3
Telluride
0-0
75
4
Crested Butte
0-0
69
5
Flatirons Academy
0-0
63
6
Front Range Christian
0-0
51
7
Loveland Classical
0-0
43
8
Ridgway
0-0
35
9
Del Norte
0-0
32
10
Belleview Christian
0-0
30
11
Colorado Rocky Mountain
0-0
29
12
Colorado Springs School
0-0
16
Others receiving votes:
Thomas MacLaren School 12, Clear Creek 11, Evangelical Christian 9, Rocky Mountain Lutheran 7, Vail Christian 7, Rye 6, The Vanguard School 3, Campion Academy 1
Green Mountain sophomore Kuba Betlinski (9) carries the ball out of the Rams’ defensive zone during the Class 4A Jeffco League game Tuesday against Standley Lake. The Gators took a 1-0 victory to remain undefeated in conference play. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
LAKEWOOD — Standley Lake’s boys soccer team is lurking around the hunt for the Class 4A Jeffco League title.
The Gators (3-1, 2-0 in league) won their third straight game Tuesday at Lakewood Memorial Field. Standley Lake edge Green Mountain 1-0 in a hard-fought conference match in the rain.
Standley Lake senior Kellan Bundgaard (5) scored the lone goal in the Gators’ 1-0 victory Tuesday against Green Mountain. Standley Lake will play seven games in 10 days to close out the regular season. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
“Green Mountain came out really hard. That put a little heat on me for awhile,” Standley Lake coach John Cole said of the Rams’ early pressure in the opening minutes. “They pressed really hard the whole time and kept us on our toes.”
Green Mountain (1-4-1, 1-3-1) was attempting to stay relevant in the race for the top two spots in the conference that earn automatic bids for the 16-team 4A state tournament. However, Standley Lake got an early goal in the second half to take the lead.
Standley Lake senior Kellan Bundgaard scored his fourth goal of the season in the 42nd minute on a sliding shot that got past Green Mountain sophomore goalie Liam Windram, who made several great saves to keep the Rams in the game.
“I knew I was going to put one in the back of the net. I wasn’t too worried,” Bundgaard said. “Their center backs were stumbling over me, but in the end of the day we are going to win league. We are going to get in that final two (in league). I’m not too worried about it.”
The confident Bundgaard and fellow senior RJ Krapes both had breakaway chances on Windram to get an insurance goal, but the Gators couldn’t grab a 2-goal lead.
Standley Lake junior Walker Edwards looks up field during the rainy Class 4A Jeffco League game Tuesday at Lakewood Memorial Field. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
“I wanted them to stretch the field a little bit,” Cole said of the Gators’ changes in the second half. “We were playing a little compact. We needed to air them out a little. We needed to widen and stretch.”
Green Mountain had one final chance to get the equalizing goal on a direct-free kick in the final minute, but the shot sailed just wide of Standley Lake senior David Crosbey to give the Gators it second straight league shutout victory.
“Coming off spring break you never know how they are going to be coming back,” Cole said. “This was a good way to start it off. It wasn’t necessarily clean, but a win is a win is a win.”
Tuesday night was the start of seven games in 10 days for the Gators. All the games will be conference games and determine if Standley Lake will make the postseason field.
“We are a small program,” Cole said. “I might only have one or two subs each game. I hope we can do it for 10 days. They guys are really stoked to play. Anytime I get a lot of energy out of players it’s good.”
Green Mountain goalie Liam Windram, right, make a save at point-blank range on a shot by Standley Lake junior Sebastian Ortega during the first half Tuesday at Lakewood Memorial Field. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
Jeffco Preps With Pleuss is a monthly roundup of Jeffco prep highlights hosted by Dennis Pleuss, Jeffco Public Schools’ sports information director. The Season B sports wrapped up in March. The highlight of the winter season in Jeffco was without question girls and boys wrestling. Chatfield and Pomona were dominate in the first CHSAA sanctioned girls wrestling state tournament. The Chargers won the team title and the Panthers grabbed a pair of individual titles. On the boys side, Pomona captured yet another Class 5A state team championship. Pomona, Chatfield and Columbine all grabbed individual state titles to finish off the wrestling season. Evergreen’s girls swim team won its third straight Class 3A state team championship. Green Mountain’s girls basketball team made another Class 4A state semifinal appearance.
LAKEWOOD — It was one final time to play basketball with your friends and even some old foes on the hardwood Thursday night at the Gold Crown Fieldhouse.
“Getting to play with my teammates (McKenna Nichols and Brooklyn Seymour) one more time and play with people who have been competitors for four years was nice,” Ralston Valley senior Sydney Bevington said after the conclusion of the girls’ Jeffco High School Senior Basketball game. “We needed redemption from that last game. It felt good to get out there one last time.”
Columbine senior Adrienne Harnum tries to get a shot up over Littleton senior Avery Bergscheider during the Jeffco HS Senior Basketball Games on Thursday night at Gold Crown Fieldhouse. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
Bevington didn’t what her final memory of her stellar prep basketball career be Ralston Valley’s Class 5A state quarterfinal loss to Highland Ranch on March 16. The versatile Mustang led the White squad to a 70-58 victory.
Bevington scored a game-high 24 points. Green Mountain’s Courtney Hank, Columbine’s Adrienne Harnum and Nichols each had 10 points in the victory that was coached by Green Mountain’s girls basketball coach Darren Pitzner.
Golden senior Erika Dowell had a huge final quarter for the White team. The Demon scored all of her seven points in the final quarter.
It wasn’t an easy victory for the White squad that had a solid height advantage on the Blue squad. The White led 28-13 early in the second quarter, but the Blue team coached by Arvada West’s girls basketball coach Brady Meeks chipped away at the lead to keep within striking distance.
“The White team was good. They definitely had the height,” Arvada West senior Alexis Folks said. “I think we did a good job battling with them.”
Folks led the Blue squad with 12 points, all on 3-pointers. She was the only player in double-digits for the Blue team, but the squad had 10 different players score as they tried to rally from the double-digit first-half deficit.
“It was great having the team come together even a lot didn’t know each other,” Folks said. “We came together and worked hard.”
Littleton senior Avery Bergscheider goes up against Columbine senior Adrienne Harnum (10) and Ralston Valley senior Brooklyn Seymour (15) on Thursday night at the Gold Crown Fieldhouse. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
The White team buckled down defensively in the final minutes holding the Blue scoreless for the final two minutes after the White’s lead was trimmed to 63-58 with 2 minutes to play.
“They knocked down a lot of 3-pointers and then we kind of stopped playing defense,” Bevington said. “We figured it out and got the win.”
Bevington and Folks were named the MVPs of the game.
“It was a great experience. Especially being able to play with my teammate (A-West senior Madison Manson) one last time and to have (Meeks) coach us one last time,” Folks said. “It was really fun and a great experience.”
The annual senior basketball games that have been put on by the Gold Crown Foundation since 2018 was canceled last season right as the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown all sports around the world.
The crowd was limited this year and everyone inside the Gold Crown Fieldhouse wore masks, but being back on the court was the most important thing for these seniors to close out their high school careers.
“It was the best four years of my life playing with my teammates,” said Bevington, who will continue her basketball career at Santa Clara University. “My coaches and teammates were always there for me. I’m headed off, but I’ll be back. I’m maintain those friendships for the rest of my life.”
Green Mountain senior Courtney Hank is able to split Chatfield seniors Madison Shepard and Keyana Sande (14) during the Jeffco HS Senior Basketball Games hosted by the Gold Crown Foundation on Thursday night. The White squad took a 70-58 victory. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
