LAKEWOOD — Denver North football beat Alameda 44-6 on Friday to improve to 5-0 this season. The Vikings are now 5-0, marking just the third time since 1996 that the team has won five games in a season.
Austin Bertron threw three touchdown passes and Blayden Fletcher ran for another three as 6-man’s No. 6-ranked North Park hung on to get a 41-36 win over No. 10 La Veta on Saturday.
Bertron totaled 240 yards through the air with Bryce Carlstrom on the receiving end of all of them.
The Wildcats (2-1 overall) jumped out to a 28-12 lead in the first half, but the Redskins (2-1) battled back in the second half. They trailed 41-20 entering the fourth quarter and put 16 points in the board in that span.
But it wasn’t enough. The Wildcats didn’t even need to score as their 41 points were good enough to hold up for the win.
[divider]
(1) Pine Creek 21, Fountain-Fort Carson 7
Fountain-Fort Carson grabbed an early 7-0 lead, but David Moore III found the end zone three times to give the defending Class 4A state champions a 21-7 win on Saturday.
Dreden Bryant scored the first touchdown of the game, giving the Trojans the lead, but that the only time they would put points on the board.
[divider]
1A: (8) Platte Canyon 22, Buena Vista 20
Platte Canyon entered the fourth quarter down by six points, but were able to eight on the board to grab a win over Buena Vista.
The Huskies move to 3-0 and travel to Center next week.
[divider]
Notables:
(Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
Trailing at halftime, 8-man No. 9 Merino’s defense held Rocky Mountain Lutheran scoreless in the second half to get a 26-20 win.
5A No. 10 Fairview jumped out to a 17-3 lead over Rocky Mountain halftime and went on to win 24-6.
GREELEY — It’s one accomplishment to be a four-sport athlete in high school.
It’s another to be a state qualifier in three of those — but to do it as a freshman?
Kate Griffin plays tennis, golf, basketball and runs cross country at Colorado Springs School. She’s a state qualifier in tennis, golf and cross country a freshman.
“The fact that I play so many sports is cool, and I think it’s cool that I can make it as a freshman,” Griffin said. “I don’t want to brag, but I think it’s a cool experience to be able to say that I went to state as a freshman playing 18-year-olds.
“I put a lot of time and effort into this, so it’s really gratifying and nice to have it pay off even if I don’t do as well as I want to. It’s an honor and a privilege to be here.”
The ability to balance school, four sports and simply everyday life speaks for itself in terms of Griffin’s personality and work ethic. She cherishes every opportunity and just loves to do it.
“I enjoy practicing. It’s something that I love to do,” Griffin said. “There’s really not a lot of time for other things that teenagers do. I enjoy doing it.”
And, it’s always nice to see the payoff from practicing day-in and day-out.
“I like winning. I’m going to be honest with you,” Griffin said. “I like the feeling of winning. I always play for that, I play because I like it, I play because I like competition.”
Griffin wouldn’t admit to a favorite sport — she just wants to be in the moment.
(Cannon Casey/CHSAANow.com)
“I can’t pick a favorite sport,” Griffin said. “The sport that I’m currently playing would probably be the best answer for that. I enjoy every one of them, that’s why I play so many.”
Now imagine there’s two Griffins.
Kate’s twin sister, Anna, qualified at No. 1 doubles for Coronado high school in Class 5A.
“My sister would be mad if I didn’t tell you this,” Griffin joked.
But, it’s yet another reason for Griffin to push herself even further.
“We’re so competitive with each other,” Griffin said. “We support each other so much in sports and in everything we do, but we always push each other for to go the extra mile, just for bragging rights.”
As for who has bragging rights currently, Griffin said she has the advantage over Anna.
“For tennis, I think it might be me, but we’ll see,” Griffin said.
Griffin lost her first-round match to Peak to Peak’s Trisha Somasundaram (6-1, 6-3). Somasundaram plays Colorado Academy’s Sammy Moore-Thomson in the semifinals.
“I gave it my best, she’s just super consistent,” Griffin said. “She places the ball extremely well and she hits it hard. I couldn’t do anything about it, but she’s a great player and she figured it out.”
Griffin has a shot with play-backs to get back in the tournament, but for now, it’s on to the next sport.
“That feeling that you accomplished something is a really nice feeling,” Griffin said. “I’m proud that I can say that I went to states as a freshman. Just the feeling that you did this — you can cherish it forever.”
Colorado Academy, D’Evelyn and Dawson are all tied for first with 16 points. Holy Family follows with 14.
Freshmen made a splash in the No. 1 singles spot as Steamboat Springs’ Mae Thorp upset Conifer’s Hailey Janson and Holy Family’s Julia Giltner. She’ll face Eaton’s Myiah Scott.
Sammy Moore-Thomson, of Colorado Academy, made her way to the semifinals with ease, losing just two games overall.
The two freshmen could meet in the No. 1 singles final, should they win Friday.
Angi Reed/Taylor Whatley were dominant for D’Evelyn into the No. 1 doubles semifinals. They’ll play Ellie Beeck/Alexa Rinard (Dawson).
Matched up on the other side of the bracket are Eaton’s Courtney Leafgren/Shelby Naill and Colorado Academy’s Amelia Lochhead/Hope Cherubini.
Colorado Academy stayed in the mix in No. 2 singles with Savannah Mease moving on. Mease plays University’s Camille Krammer.
Steamboat Springs’ Maddie Thompson is matched up against Dawson’s Bridget Bell.
(Cannon Casey/CHSAANow.com)
D’Evelyn again broke into the semifinals with No. 2 doubles. Cammy Lee and Elisa Dean will face Aspen’s Karina Keller and Grace Ferguson.
Maren Steiner/Caroline Smolky and Allie Blank/Isabelle Shehan, Dawson, will square off for Holy Family and Dawson.
In No. 3 singles, it’s Dawson’s Maggie Berry vs. Holy Family’s Lindsey Bovine and Colorado Springs Christian’s Nicole Pei vs. Rachel Molnar of D’Evelyn, who beat Colorado Academy’s Amanda Funk.
The No. 3 doubles semifinal field is set as Dawson’s Aria Barbour/Quin Ramos play D’Evelyn’s Maggie Hime/Olivia Sanders, while Colorado Academy’s Ann-Claire Lin/Lila Arnold face Leah Schwartz/Camilla Ruiz of Holy Family on the other side.
Charity Perks/Keri Jennings (D’Evelyn) cruised to the semifinals of No. 4 doubles. They’ll get Holy Family’s Lexi Licata/Kate Diamond.
On the other side, Sydney Booth/Mikaelee Salberg of Eaton play Alexandra Ford/Story Wolf-Tinsman of Colorado Academy.
The 2016-17 all-state wrestling teams are presented by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps.
These teams were created based upon results at the state meet. Coaches of the year were selected by team performance at the state meet, as well.
Wrestlers of the year were determined by a formula which took the following information into account: season record; season winning percentage; type of wins at state (pin, tech fall, major decision); strength of a weight classification’s bracket; and multiple championships.
Scroll down to see the teams, or use the menu below to navigate to the class of your choosing.
DENVER — Valley wrestling won its fourth-straight Class 3A state championship Saturday night. The Vikings previously won in 2014, 2015, 2016 and now 2017.
“Our goal at the beginning of the season was getting that four-peat,” senior Aaron Trujillo said. “It’s one of the biggest things in making history in our town, school, team, and all of Colorado. We’ve been working hard all year long and we got that four-peat.”
Heading into the championship matches, just 3.5 points separated first and third place, with Valley leading Alamosa and Jefferson. That margin was even slimmer with five matches left as Joshua Flanagan entered the ring for his match in the 170 bracket.
“I knew how close it was, it never escaped my mind,” said first-year Valley coach Ryan Linsacum. “We knew Alamosa was going to be a tough pill to swallow. From the beginning of the season, we knew they were top dog. Jefferson, I was not prepared for. Those guys put together a heck of a tournament.”
Trujillo said Linsacum told the team throughout the year to “keep working hard in the wrestling room, it’ll pay off here.”
It paid off. Flanagan won 5-4 over and unofficially celebrated the team championship with Linsacum, putting Valley up 102.5 to 98 ahead of Alamosa.
“Everybody had the same focus from day one of the season; and that was a four-peat,” Linsacum said. “I put all the credit in my kids hands. They knew what was at stake, they knew what needed to be done, and they came here and did it.
Jefferson sat at 95 with no shot to win the title, but a shot at second place in the 220 match with Oscar Lopez facing Grand Valley’s Evan Hoff. Lopez’s 10-5 sudden victory gave the Saints the points they needed to leap Alamosa in the team scores.
The final team scores were: Valley, 102.5; Jefferson, 99; Alamosa, 98.
A big swing match came in the 132 final, pitting Valley’s Brandon Damian and Jefferson’s Kyle Cisneros head to head. Sisneros took the win and gave Jefferson separation.
“We knew that was a very important match,” Linsacum said. “Sometimes things happen for a reason, you know, put a little extra stress on us. Aaron and Josh all year have welcomed that stress. They’ve never faltered from their gameplan, regardless of the situation.
The Vikings fought right back in the 145 bracket as Aaron Trujillo capped his career with back-to-back individual titles.
“Its so big,” Trujillo said. “At the beginning of the season, my ultimate goal was to get that second state title, and I’m more pumped than ever that I got that. I knew I was going to take it at this weight class and I did.”
All that was left was Flanagan to win his match at 170 and Valley was able to hold on to the team championship.
“It did come down to that 170 match,” Linsacum said. “We were 1-1 with that kid on the season. So, that was the make it or break it time. We had a gameplan going in and we accomplished what we needed to accomplish.”
Valley had two individual champions: Flanagan at 170 and Trujillo at 145. Trujillo won the 138-pound final last year and earned his fourth team championship ring Saturday night.
“(Trujillo) was part of a state championship team his entire high school career, not many people can say that,” Linsacum said. “He’s gonna be missed. He’s going to be hard to replace. He’s one of those kids that you dream about as a coach.”
“You can’t coach kids to the style that Aaron Trujillo has. You either have it or you don’t.”
Freshman Jaziah Whaley also took third place in a hard-fought 4-3 tiebreaker win in the 152 division.
“Right now we’re relishing in this and we’re super excited for what we’ve accomplished, but tomorrow it’s back to the drawing board,” Linsacum said. “Let’s get five, let’s get one for the thumb.”
Isaiah DelLaCerda. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Alamosa’s Isaiah DeLaCerda and Fort Lupton’s Jody Sandoval II became three-time champions. DeLaCerda pinned A.J. Serna in the 113 bracket, while Sandoval II beat Moises Juarez in the 126 bracket.
“I was nervous more for the first and the second more than I was for this one,” DeLaCerda said. “I’ve always said that I don’t know if I deserve to be with names like Sonny and Cody (Yohn) and all those guys.”
Of course, DeLaCerda is referring to former Alamosa three-time champions Sonny and Cody Yohn.
DeLaCerda watched his brother, Elijah DeLaCerda lose a tough match in the 106 bracket to Fort Lupton’s Jacob Duran just before his match. He gave off an aura of controlled anger and let it out on his opponent.
“We were hoping that we could both come away with a title today, so I went out there upset that he didn’t get it,” DeLaCerda said. “I went out there and had to do it for both of us. I was fighting extra hard for that.”
DeLaCerda put himself with exactly those wrestlers he named Saturday.
Sandoval II came away with a 2-0 win. As for what was going on in his head, Sandoval II kept pushing himself to persevere.
(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
“I had to keep working, the match wasn’t over yet,” Sandoval II said. “So, keep on working, keep on pushing.”
The thoughts about a possible three-peat came into his head right before the match, but Sandoval II let it carry him rather than weigh him down.
“After the 113-pounder won it, and they announced it, it got in my head that this is my third,” Sandoval II said.
In the 285 bracket, Delta’s Logan Church made his way through the one and four seeds, but was unable to claim the title over Sheridan’s Ricky Ayala. Ayala was the 220 champion last year, and now adds the 285 title to his accolades.
In 195, Alameda’s Fabian Estrada pinned Ridge View’s Deven Mosman.
Centauri’s Joe Chavez won his 120-pound match by major decision, 17-3. Holy Family’s Kolsen Welham added his own title win by major decision in the 160 bracket.
In the 138 bracket, Noah Hermosillo of Eagle Valley topped former 2A title holder Quinton Montague.
Eaton’s Isaiah Salazar won a close 3-1 match at 152 over Jimmy Laconte, and La Junta’s William Tyler beat Nathan Johns of The Classical Academy 3-2 in 182.
The 2016 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 entirely from the results of the coaches’ vote.
[divider]
Class 5A
(Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Player of the year: Dylan McCaffrey, Valor Christian
Alameda International sophomore Derik Gutierrez (4) scored four goals. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
LAKEWOOD — Alameda International’s quest for back-to-back Class 4A/3A Colorado 7 League boys soccer titles began Monday at Lakewood Memorial Field.
The Pirates (4-3-2 overall, 1-0-0 in league) started its conference schedule with an impressive 9-2 victory over Weld Central (1-8, 0-1). Alameda’s had a three-headed scoring monster with senior Brian Varela, junior Lodrigue Byamungo and sophomore Derik Gutierrez. The trio combined for eight goals and four assists against the Rebels from Keenesburg.
“We’ve got some guys who can put it in the back of the net,” Alameda coach Steve Houwen said. “That is something we’ve been working on because when we started the season it was hard to come by goals.”
The Pirates graduated six seniors from last year’s team. Houwen said all six were on the offensive side of the ball. Alameda had to find new personal to give the Pirates a scoring punch.
Gutierrez got Alameda off to a quick start Monday with a pair of goals in the first four minutes. Both were assisted by Byamungo. Varela put in the Pirates’ third goal in the 23rd minute on an assist by Byamungo. Varela returned the favor a minute later assisting on Byamungo’s first goal.
Alameda International senior Brian Varela (2) races after the ball with Weld Central sophomore Santana Hernandez (1). (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
“We have to play strong and not let anything through,” Varela said of the desired style of play this season. “We need to keep shooting and making goals.”
After taking a 4-0 halftime lead, the Pirates keeps things going with Gutierrez picking up his third and fourth goals in the first 10 minutes of the second half before taking a seat on the bench. Byamungo put in his second goal and Varela scored on a penalty kick to make it an 8-0 lead in the 63rd minute.
Alameda starting goalie Casey Pruitt got into the scoring mix with the Pirates’ final goal in the 73rd minute. Weld Central did prevent the shutout with goals from senior Sergio Gonzales and sophomore David Melendez late in the second half.
“It’s nice to get into league and it’s nice to get healthy again,” said Houwen, who didn’t have the services of Byamungo for a few of games due to injury. “We played some quality opponents and that is what we need to do to get better for league.”
This is Alameda’s third year playing in the Colorado 7. Houwen has made it a point to schedule some non-league games against former 4A Jeffco foes. Alameda suffered a 2-0 loss to D’Evelyn and 1-0 defeat to Golden during a three-game losing streak the Pirates were able to snap Monday night.
“Our goal is to go back-to-back,” Houwen said about the Pirates going 6-1 in the Colorado 7 League last year in winning the conference champions. “It’s not going to be easy. It’s a good league.”
Fort Morgan and Skyview should be in the league mix. There are also some old 4A Jeffco foes who will challenge Alameda. Arvada and Conifer both moved out of the 4A Jeffco League for the next two-year cycle to play in the Colorado 7.
“This is a league we can compete in,” Houwen said of the Colorado 7. “None of our kids play club soccer. That is a real determinate when you have other schools who have club players who have been playing for a real long time.”
Alameda was the No. 18 seed for the 4A state tournament last year after winning league. The Pirates suffered a 2-0 loss to Denver North in the opening round.
“Last year was heartbreaking,” Varela said of Alameda’s state tournament loss.
The Pirates continue their journey to a conference repeat when they face Fort Lupton at 7 p.m. Thursday at the North Area Athletic Complex in Arvada. Alameda then goes on a three-game string of road games at Englewood, Conifer and Fort Morgan.
The 2015 football players of the year. From left: Dylan Dixon of Eads; Keegan Wentz of Buena Vista; JoJo Domann of Pine Creek; Dylan McCaffrey of Valor Christian; Daniel Martin of Pueblo East; Kelton McCoy of Bayfield; Trey Walter of Sedgwick County. (Photos: Jack Eberhard/JacksActoinShots.com; Bill Cronin; Matt Daniels/MattDanPhoto.com; Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com; Jeff Tucker; and Sedgwick County HS)
The 2015 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.
