North Park raced out to a 20-6 lead, weathered a second-quarter comeback from Granada, and then scored three third-quarter touchdowns in pulling off the upset.
According to Colorado Preps, it is just the second postseason victory in program history as No. 11 North Park advanced in the 6-man playoffs over the No. 6 Bobcats.
“It’s huge for us — we’ve just got to keep taking steps forward,” coach Chad Carlstrom told the Colorado Preps Scoreboard Show. “I think the program’s in the right spot. The kids are excited. The young kids are excited. That’s just building a little bit of a tradition. I hope I’ve done that.”
North Park had six rushing touchdowns in the game, including three from Destry Schmidt, two from Cordell Garriott and one from Brock Follett.
“We just overpowered them on our running game,” Carlstrom said. “We’ve got three dynamic running backs that they all provide something different, that change of pace, and our blocking up front has been solid. It makes it tough to figure out who’s going to get the ball and which way we’re going to go.”
Dominic Coleman, just a sophomore, led the way for Granada with four total touchdowns, two rushing and two passing.
In other 6-man playoff games on Friday:
No. 1 Kit Carson beat No. 16 Peetz 73-7.
No. 4 Fleming beat No. 13 Deer Trail 72-27.
[divider]
Playoff brackets
The 8-man, 1A, 2A, and 5A state playoff brackets will be seeded and released on Sunday. The 3A and 4A brackets are due out on Nov. 9.
Ponderosa (6-3) got the only score of the game midway through the fourth quarter, and set up a showdown for the 4A Metro League title with Heritage next week.
“It was just a total team effort,” Ponderosa coach Jaron Cohen told the Scoreboard Show. “When we needed it, our offense got a drive to score, and they got a couple of first downs to ice it.”
Mustangs quarterback Jack Hanenburg scored on a three-yard rush with eight minutes remaining to provide the game’s only points. It was set up by a great scramble and throw on third down from Hanenburg, Cohen said.
“Jack got behind our big boys and got it in,” Cohen said.
Montrose nearly responded but a Ponderosa defender tracked down a Montrose player at the five, and then the Mustangs’ defense held firm on 4th-and-goal from the 1.
Montrose is now 8-1 this season.
[divider]
1A: (2) Holyoke 14, (3) Limon 12
Holyoke (9-0) scored twice in the first half for a 14-0 lead, then held off a fourth-quarter rally from Limon (7-2) to secure the North Central League title.
“It was a very exciting game,” Holyoke coach Dustin Sprague told the Scoreboard Show. “It was a championship game, and our kids came up with some big plays.”
Blake Mosenteen opened the scoring with a 6-yard rush in the second quarter, and then Miles Sprague added a 61-yard dash for a two-score Holyoke lead.
Things stayed 14-0 until the fourth quarter, when the Badgers scored with nine minutes remaining. A two-point conversation attempt was no good, making the score 14-6.
Kory Tacha then added a rushing touchdown for Limon with three minutes left, but the Badgers couldn’t convert a two-point attempt to tie the game.
“This is what we set out to do,” Sprague said. “But we didn’t come this far just to come this far.”
[divider]
5A: (10) Cherokee Trail 36, (9) Eaglecrest 32
In a wild game, Cherokee Trail (7-3) rallied from a huge 29-0 hole in the third quarter to pick up a big win over the Raptors (7-3).
The Cougars scored 21 unanswered points in the later part of the third to cut the Eaglecrest lead to 29-21 going to the fourth. The Raptors added a field goal, and went up 32-21 with nine minutes left in the fourth.
Then Jayden Lavigne hit Samuel Hart for a 45-yard touchdown pass, and the Cougars converted a two-point attempt to make it 32-29.
Lavigne then found Donovan Swift with three minutes remaining on a 34-yard TD to give CT its first lead of the game — and it proved to be the winning score.
Lavigne finished with three touchdown passes.
[divider]
5A: (1) Cherry Creek 44, (7) Grandview 21
Cherry Creek built a quick 17-0 lead, and the Bruins were up 20-7 at halftime en route to the win.
Grandview did cut it to 20-14 early in the third quarter following a blocked punt, but Cherry Creek reeled off 24 unanswered points into the fourth to make it 44-14.
The Bruins finish the regular season 10-0. Grandview is 8-2.
[divider]
1A: (7) Florence 13, (5) Colorado Springs Christian 10
Florence (8-1) stormed back from a 10-0 halftime deficit to secure the win, and the Tri-Peaks League title.
“That’s a dang good football team, and we were just able to grind it out,” coach Jeremy Nix told the Scoreboard Show.
The Huskies tied the game in the third quarter with a passing score and a field goal, and then took the lead with a 27-yard field goal from Jenkins Phillips with less than a minute to play to win.
Here’s video of the winning kick, from KOAA:
HS FOOTBALL GAME WINNER: Florence sophomore Jenkins Phillips nails the biggest kick of his football life, a 27-yard GW FG. This gave the Huskies a 13-10 win over @CSCSLIONS to win the Tri-Peaks title. @KOAA#coprepspic.twitter.com/kR5v0Nj1GS
Peyton Brones had a rushing touchdown for CSCS (7-2).
[divider]
8-man: (1) Sedgwick County 60, (9) Merino 0
Sedgwick County (9-0) cruised to an unbeaten regular season.
The Cougars led 32-0 at halftime, and had six rushing scores and two passing in the win.
Merino ends the regular season 6-3.
[divider]
Notables:
In a top-10 1A matchup, No. 6 Meeker beat No. 8 Hotchkiss 42-26 to win the 1A Western Slope League. “We’re excited about having the opportunity to get out there and compete next week,” coach Shane Phelan told the Scoreboard Show. “We’ll see where it goes from there.”
Yuma upset 1A No. 10 Wray 27-7 in their rivalry game, the Harvest Cup.
In another rivalry contest, No. 9 Basalt got a last-second stop on fourth down to preserve a 17-14 win over Aspen.
David Moore III rushed for four first-half touchdowns as top-ranked Pine Creek flexed its muscles in a win over No. 3 Pueblo West.
The Eagles led 35-0 at the break, and went on to win 41-13. Pine Creek is now 3-1 this season, with the lone loss coming to 5A No. 3 Valor Christian.
“David had a great game,” Pine Creek coach Todd Miller told the Colorado Preps Scoreboard Show. “He just keeps ripping off long runs. And our front is doing a good job of blocking and our receivers are chasing downfield and setting up long runs.”
Officially, Moore rushed for 202 yards on 11 carries, with the four scores.
“David, he’s got great vision, and he’s been doing this for a long time,” Miller added. “He’s one of the best young men I’ve been around, and one of the best football players, too.”
In a tight battle, Dakota Ridge held a potent Ponderosa offense in check to secure a top-10 win.
The Eagles expanded a 7-0 halftime lead to 13-0 in the third quarter. Then when Ponderosa cut it to 13-6, Dakota Ridge put the game away with a 16-yard rushing touchdown from Ben Gulting with three minutes to play.
“It was a great win,” coach Ron Woitalewicz told the Scoreboard Show. “Our kids played very well, and beat a very good Ponderosa team.”
“We kinda kept the pressure on them, and we shut down the run game,” the coach added. “It’s always good to get a quality win against a good team. Sometimes it’s good to fly under the radar.”
Centauri built a 24-0 lead after the first quarter, and then went on to secure the 37-0 win over Buena Vista.
The Falcons, who have won at least six games each of the past three seasons, are now 4-1 so far this season.
[divider]
8-man: (5) Dayspring Christian 24, (4) Caliche 18
In a league matchup, Dayspring Christian rallied from down 6-0 at halftime to improve to 4-0.
“The boys really showed up tonight,” Dayspring coach Ben Fusco told the Scoreboard Show. “It was really fun to go up there and come out with a win.”
Trailing at halftime, Fusco said, “the coaches rallied the boys, and they really responded.” Dayspring scored on its first possession of the third quarter.
“Caliche is a physical football team, and you find that coming out here to play these Eastern teams,” Fusco said. “The boys really rallied and embraced that challenge this week. They went toe-to-toe with a couple of big boys on that Caliche squad.”
[divider]
8-man: (8) Vail Christian 12, (9) West Grand 6
In a defensive battle, Vail Christian nailed down a top-10 win. The Saints scored both touchdowns following long drives in the second quarter.
“Both teams played really well on defense,” coach Tim Pierson told the Scoreboard Show. “We’re grateful to get out of here with a win.”
“We got some big tackles for losses,” he added. “The kids just played hard.”
Vail Christian is now 4-0.
[divider]
Notables
5A No. 1 Columbine went on a road trip, and beat Olathe North (Kan.) 24-21.
In 4A, Mountain Vista knocked off No. 10 Silver Creek in triple OT, 24-21.
Lamar knocked off 2A No. 7 Alamosa, 48-25.
Prospect Ridge Academy running back Seth Hagan rushed for 348 yards and five touchdowns in a win over Jefferson. Photos are here.
Overland beat Fountain-Fort Carson on the road, 29-21, and is now 3-2 — a year after going 1-9.
Manitou Springs held on to beat rival St. Mary’s on a missed field goal with 10 seconds to play. The Mustangs won 16-15.
Voted upon by coaches and media members around the state. New voters can sign up by emailing rcasey@chsaa.org. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.
Class 5A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Cherokee Trail (5)
5-1
101
2
5-1
2
Chaparral (2)
3-2
97
1
3-2
3
Legend (2)
4-1
93
–
4-1
4
Valor Christian (1)
1-0
75
3
1-0
5
Cherry Creek
1-1
56
5
1-1
6
Eaglecrest
4-1
47
4
4-1
7
Fort Collins
3-1
30
6
3-1
8
Fairview (1)
4-0
25
–
4-0
9
Grandview
2-3
24
7
2-3
10
Chatfield
1-0
21
8
1-0
Others receiving votes:
Rampart 20, Rock Canyon 12, Boulder 11, ThunderRidge 11, Rangeview 10, Arapahoe 9, Denver South 9, Legacy 9, Mountain Vista 8, Pine Creek 7, Castle View 6, Columbine 6, Fossil Ridge 6, Loveland 6, Broomfield 5, Ralston Valley 4, Lakewood 3, Pomona 2.
Dropped out
Mountain Vista (9), Fossil Ridge (10).
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Lewis-Palmer (9)
0-0
106
1
0-0
2
Palmer Ridge (1)
1-0
75
5
1-0
3
Mead (1)
1-0
73
7
1-0
4
Discovery Canyon
1-0
50
6
1-0
5
Niwot
0-0
49
4
0-0
6
Silver Creek
1-0
47
9
1-0
7
Longmont
0-1
35
3
0-1
8
Cheyenne Mountain
0-0
32
8
0-0
9
Air Academy
2-1
29
–
2-1
10
Coronado
1-0
25
–
1-0
Others receiving votes:
Pueblo West 18, Mullen 17, Holy Family 15, Montrose 14, Thomas Jefferson 13, Skyline 10, Golden 7, Lincoln 7, Ponderosa 6, Eagle Valley 5, Evergreen 5, Skyview 5, Battle Mountain 4, Frederick 4, Erie 3, Wheat Ridge 3, Woodland Park 1.
Dropped out
Holy Family (2), Ponderosa (10).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Eaton (1)
2-0
95
2
2-0
2
Lutheran (7)
0-0
86
1
0-0
3
Colorado Springs Christian (1)
1-0
72
3
1-0
4
Faith Christian
0-0
58
5
0-0
5
Alamosa
1-0
53
4
1-0
6
University
1-0
49
7
1-0
7
Sterling
0-0
40
6
0-0
8
Valley
0-0
21
10
0-0
9
Resurrection Christian
0-0
16
9
0-0
10
Platte Valley
0-0
15
8
0-0
Others receiving votes:
La Junta 12, Eagle Ridge Academy 11, Englewood 10, Fort Lupton 9, Frontier Academy 9, SkyView Academy 9, Lamar 7, Brush 6, Centauri 5, James Irwin 5, Peak to Peak 5, Delta 4, Gunnison 3, Middle Park 2, The Pinnacle 2, Jefferson Academy 1.
Dropped out
None.
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Denver Christian (8)
1-0
89
1
1-0
2
Yuma (1)
0-0
76
4
0-0
3
Wiggins
1-0
59
3
1-0
4
Limon
0-0
47
2
0-0
5
Meeker
0-0
46
6
0-0
6
Union Colony Prep
2-0
32
–
2-0
7
Lyons
1-1
30
5
1-1
8
Hoehne
3-0
24
–
3-0
9
Akron
0-0
20
9
0-0
10
Vail Mountain
0-0
14
8
0-0
Others receiving votes:
Ignacio 13, Rye 9, Dolores 8, Paonia 7, West Grand 6, Highland 4, Holyoke 4, John Mall 4, Swink 2, Simla 1.
Dropped out
Del Norte (7), Rye (10).
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Kit Carson (9)
1-0
90
1
1-0
2
La Veta
4-0
80
2
4-0
3
Fleming
0-0
71
3
0-0
4
Briggsdale
3-1
49
10
3-1
5
Otis
0-0
45
8
0-0
6
Weldon Valley
1-0
43
5
1-0
7
Merino
2-1
36
4
2-1
8
McClave
0-0
22
9
0-0
9
Sangre de Cristo
2-1
18
6
2-1
10
Prairie
0-0
17
–
0-0
Others receiving votes:
Haxtun 11, Genoa-Hugo/Karval 8, Dove Creek 4, Springfield 1.
Voted upon by coaches and media members around the state. New voters can sign up by emailing rcasey@chsaa.org. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.
Class 5A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Chaparral (6)
0-0
86
2
Cherokee Trail (2)
0-0
80
3
Valor Christian (1)
0-0
59
4
Eaglecrest
0-0
49
5
Cherry Creek
0-0
47
6
Fort Collins
0-0
41
7
Grandview
0-0
37
8
Chatfield
0-0
22
9
Mountain Vista
0-0
19
10
Fossil Ridge
0-0
15
Others receiving votes:
Rampart 11, Windsor 9, Adams City 5, Rocky Mountain 4, Columbine 3, Pine Creek 3, Rock Canyon 3, Legend 2.
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Lewis-Palmer (9)
0-0
95
2
Holy Family
0-0
64
3
Longmont
0-0
61
4
Niwot
0-0
57
5
Palmer Ridge
0-0
38
6
Discovery Canyon
0-0
37
7
Mead (1)
0-0
35
8
Cheyenne Mountain
0-0
32
9
Silver Creek
0-0
31
10
Ponderosa
0-0
21
Others receiving votes:
Evergreen 17, Berthoud 14, Pueblo West 10, Air Academy 9, Thomas Jefferson 9, Erie 5, Montrose 5, Coronado 4, Palisade 3, George Washington 2, Mullen 1.
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Lutheran (8)
0-0
88
2
Eaton
0-0
73
3
Colorado Springs Christian (1)
0-0
70
4
Alamosa
0-0
46
5
Faith Christian
0-0
42
6
Sterling
0-0
40
7
University
0-0
36
8
Platte Valley
0-0
33
9
Resurrection Christian
0-0
20
10
Valley
0-0
17
Others receiving votes:
Lamar 7, Bishop Machebeuf 5, Centauri 4, Pagosa Springs 4, Delta 3, La Junta 2, Middle Park 2, St. Mary’s 2, Peak to Peak 1.
The 2019 all-state baseball teams honor the best players in the sport as judged by the leagues and coaches. They 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.
Player and coach of the year was also selected by a vote of the coaches.
[divider]
Class 5A
Mountain Vista’s Sam Ireland. (Tim Bourke)
Player of the year: Sam Ireland, Mountain Vista
Coach of the year: Matt Darr, Regis Jesuit
First Team
Name
School
Pos.
Year
Riley Cornelio
Pine Creek
RHP/INF
Senior
Sam Ireland
Mountain Vista
RHP/3B/1B
Senior
AJ Jergensen
Ralston Valley
OF
Senior
Geno Macias
Regis Jesuit
Senior
Brice Martinez
Cherry Creek
Jack Moss
Cherry Creek
Drew Stahl
Mountain Vista
INF
Senior
Jacob Thompsen
Regis Jesuit
Junior
Caden Wagner
Regis Jesuit
Senior
Second Team
Name
School
Pos.
Year
Justin Boyd
Legend
SS/CF
Senior
Jose Cintron
Overland
3B/2B/INF
Senior
Peter Goldy
Grandview
RHP/1B
Senior
Calvin Hunt
Ralston Valley
RHP
Senior
Cale Lansville
ThunderRidge
Grant Magill
Mountain Vista
C
Senior
Nathan Mitchell
Cherry Creek
Ryan Stohr
Dakota Ridge
RHP/1B
Senior
Patrick Strawbridge
Regis Jesuit
Senior
Case Williams
Douglas County
RHP/3B/1B
Junior
Honorable mention:
Trey Adams, Ralston Valley, INF/RHP, Senior
Simon Baumgardt, Lakewood, P/SS, Senior
Radek Birkholz, Valor Christian, P/INF, Sophomore
Zach Boone, Castle View, CF/LF, Senior
Clay Burke, Mountain Vista, RHP/1B, Senior
Jake Campbell, Rocky Mountain, P/1B, Senior
Tony Castonguay, Grandview, C/3B, Junior
Pete Chronowski, Heritage, LHP, Senior
Kellen Cox, Cherokee Trail
Garrett Crawford, Overland, OF/RHP, Junior
Clay Cutter, Cherry Creek
John Emerson, Denver East, CF/LHP/SS, Senior
Chase Esplin, Legacy, Junior
Matt Glover, Denver South, RHP/OF/SS, Sophomore
Jake Greiving, Legend, C/OF/3B, Senior
Josh Hojnowski, Grandview, RHP/3B, Senior
Ben Horwith, Douglas County, Senior
Owen Lockner, Windsor, Senior
Jayden Martinez, Grandview, OF, Senior
Braden Martinez, Windsor, Senior
Bryce Matthews, Chaparral, OF, Senior
Ryan McKown, Chaparral, OF, Senior
Mason Mitchell, Heritage, OF/RHP, Senior
Justin Moehlenpah, Horizon, LHP/OF, Senior
Ben Perla, Cherry Creek
Jaren Piepho, Rocky Mountain, C, Senior
Kevin Pipich, Rock Canyon, RHP/1B, Senior
J.C. Rodriguez, Far Northeast Warriors, Sophomore
Jacob Roybal, Chatfield, P/OF, Junior
Teddy Schoenfeld, Boulder, Senior
Macully Sehr, Legacy, Sophomore
Colby Shade, Fort Collins, OF, Junior
Derek Shaver, Grand Junction, Senior
Blake Templeton, Fort Collins, SS/RHP, Junior
Diego Velasquez, Smoky Hill, P/1B/OF, Junior
Ben Whipple, Valor Christian, RHP/1B, Sophomore
Tristan Wolf, Mountain Range
Matt Zaccaro, Bear Creek, OF/P, Senior
[divider]
Class 4A
Pueblo West’s Tyler Barth. (Bobby Stevens/MaxPreps)
Player of the year: Tyler Barth, Pueblo West
Coach of the year: Dan Sanchez, Pueblo West
First Team
Name
School
Pos.
Year
Lincoln Andrews
Canon City
INF/P
Senior
Aaron Arcilise
Wheat Ridge
RHP/INF
Senior
Tyler Barth
Pueblo West
Senior
Aaron Berkhoff
Cheyenne Mountain
INF
Senior
Charlie Deeds
Palmer Ridge
SS/RHP/2B
Senior
Nate Denniston
Pueblo West
Senior
Kyle Jameson
Pueblo West
Senior
Collin Kringlen
Holy Family
1B/RHP
Senior
Spencer Rich
Silver Creek
Senior
Second Team
Name
School
Pos.
Year
Tayler Aguilar
Northridge
CF
Senior
Brodie Blackford
Pueblo West
Junior
Jayden Cordova
Pueblo West
Senior
JP Hamer
Fort Morgan
Senior
Ben McLaughlin
Golden
SS/RHP
Junior
Brady Renck
Longmont
2B/SS/P
Senior
Jason Shuger
Lewis-Palmer
P/INF
Senior
John Thoren
Erie
Michael Wegleitner
Silver Creek
Junior
Honorable mention:
Zach Becker, Holy Family, SS/2B/RHP, Senior
Johnny Behm, Lewis-Palmer, /OF, Senior
Dominic Bronk, Wheat Ridge, 3B/RHP, Junior
Angel Carlos, Lincoln, Senior
Tyler Declusin, Pueblo West, Senior
Devin Dodson, Cheyenne Mountain, C/RHP, Junior
Tyler Dollahan, Glenwood Springs, Senior
Garrett Flaagan, Eagle Valley
Avery Fulford, Conifer, Senior
Michael Guber, George Washington, UTIL/RHP, Senior
Chris Gumeson, Longmont, RF/C/INF, Senior
Tyler Hrin, Thomas Jefferson, OF/1B/LHP, Freshman
Charlie Jackson, Silver Creek, Junior
William Kapner, Evergreen, 2B/1B, Junior
Emmert Kastendieck, Montrose, OF, Junior
Noah Lasecki, The Classical Academy, 1B/P, Senior
Isaac Linker, Fort Morgan, Senior
Cesar Loma, Greeley Central, 3B/RHP/C, Senior
Seth Lucero, Denver North, SS/RHP/OF, Senior
Nico Martin, Pueblo Central, CF, Senior
Parker Martin, Coronado, C/INF/OF, Senior
Cole Martino, Pueblo County, P/1B/3B, Sophomore
Bryce McKee, Coronado, SS/UTIL/RHP, Senior
Kolton Miller, Ponderosa, Sophomore
Adam Muniz, Pueblo Central, 3B/SS/2B, Senior
Corey Musch, Skyview, CF/LF, Senior
Cameron Nellor, Thompson Valley, SS/P/UTIL, Junior
LAKEWOOD — Luc Andrada saw a glimpse of the future.
“Before the 4×100, I swear I’ve never been more confident before a race,” Andrada said on the final day of the state track and field championships. “I had a weird gut feeling that we would PR by half a second and win it. That’s what we did.”
Andrada and his teammates capped off a terrific weekend for Pueblo East, claiming the 4A 400-meter relay title in a time of 42.40 seconds.
But, the victory did not come so easily. In the preliminary round, held on Friday, Pueblo East finished 4th with a time of 42.98. Only 0.17 of a second separated Windsor in 1st and Skyline in 5th though.
The senior sprinter knew how close Saturday’s final would be, but Pueblo East had a lightning rod in Andrada as the anchor leg. As long as he could get the baton relatively close to the leaders, he would have a chance of winning.
After all, he was the 4A king of the sprints this season, tallying gold medals in the 100 and 200-meter dashes. Andrada simply has next-level speed.
“We were thankful to be in lane three, so we could see our competition in front of us,” he said.
And, Kain Medrano, Joe Padula, and Marvin London gave Andrada a shot. They were in the thick of the race with one leg to go, but Skyline (42.54, 2nd place) and Canon City (42.63, 3rd) were ahead.
Andrada made it all up in the final 100 meters, causing the Jeffco Stadium crowd to buzz.
He had plenty of spectators chatting about him throughout the final day of competition. His winning times of 10.51 in the 100 and 21.21 in the 200 were slightly wind-aided but very swift.
The 4A 100 state record of 10.53, which Andrada would’ve beaten if his time was wind-legal, has been held since 2000 (Gregg Trigg of Fountain Fort-Carson).
Nevertheless, Andrada put the finishing touches on a memorable prep career, and with style, while also anchoring Pueblo East to a 4×200 relay state crown on Friday.
“They just gave me a chance,” he said of the 4×200. “With a team like that, how can you lose it?”
Medrano, Padula, and Oscar Flores were the other members of that relay as they gave Andrada the baton in a close battle with Pueblo West (runner-up).
For all of Andrada’s accomplishments in football, East was the state runner-up his senior year and the champion in 2016, Medrano has been a decorated athlete as well. He broke the 4A state meet record in discus on Thursday (188-6) and finished runner-up in shot put.
Medrano will soon be a football player for UCLA, while Andrada will compete at Brigham Young University in both football and track.
“He motivates me to be a better person day in and day out,” Andrada said of their friendship. “He’s always pushing me to be better. He deserves every accomplishment.”
[divider]
Class 5A
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
The Valor Christian boys won their first state championship as a track and field team with 90 points. They also won the girls title as Fort Collins (57 boys points) was the runner-up for both genders.
Cian Quiroga will bring a title back to Valor in the discus (182-4) and Cole Sprout won his second 1,600 crown (4A in 2018) in 4:13. They also earned gold in the 4×100 relay (42.46).
Fort Collins’ Joseph Maguire, the anchor of their 4×400 relay group, just barely edged out Arapahoe at the line as the teams ran 3:18.77 and 3:18.78.
A terrific 110 hurdles showdown between seniors Zion Gordon of Regis Jesuit and Cameron Harris of Brighton produced swift times of 13.85 and 14.03. Gordon, a University of Southern California recruit, won the 5A crown.
Gordon (10.67) got the better of Harris (10.72) again in the 100-meter dash, the next event on Saturday. Both will be competing at the collegiate level as Brighton’s super sprinter signed with Air Force.
Harris was also the runner-up in the 300 hurdles to Garrett Nelson of Poudre (37.16). Nelson’s time was sixth-fastest in Colorado prep history.
Eaglecrest’s Langston Williams will bring a gold medal back to Aurora with his 400 win (48.59).
Monarch’s Max Manson capped his storied career with three pole vault state titles. He cleared 16 feet, 8 inches in his prep finale.
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Class 4A
Niwot needed to finish at least fifth in the final event of the weekend, the 4×400 relay, to capture the team crown over Pueblo East but instead the Cougars won the event in a time of 3:22.86. Niwot bettered Pueblo East 66-60 in the final team standings. The Cougars also won the girls crown.
Zhaire Jackson (Northfield) topped the 110 hurdles field in 14.60 seconds.
Niwot junior Cruz Culpepper smoothly crossed the line in 4:16.69 to earn a 1,600 championship, adding to his 800 crown on Friday and helping Niwot earn a team trophy.
Brendan Young, the pride of Canon City, won a pair of jump titles this weekend (long and triple). He leapt 47 feet, 11 inches in triple jump Saturday.
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Class 3A
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
Manitou Springs produced the 100 and 200 champion in Jayden Omi. His times were 10.97 and 22.14 seconds.
Nate Hanson of Lutheran (14.31) was the 110-hurdles champion as the Lions swept the boys (91.5 points) and girls team titles. Mike Ciccio was second in the 400 and Lutheran piled up points with great depth.
Lutheran has won six state titles in boys track and field.
Denver West, with brothers Yasin and Ahmed Sado finishing 1-2 in the 1,600, was the runner-up with 65 points.
Elizabeth’s Mason Anthony, the 3A state record holder in the 300 hurdles, didn’t quite top his best time but still finished 1st in 38.67.
Alamosa won the boys (3:23) and girls (3:58) 4×400 relays, while Ian Jackson and Lilly Lavier were individual 400 champions for Alamosa.
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Class 2A
Lyons boys (68 points) claimed their fifth team title in track and field, but first since 2015. Mancos was the runner-up with 57. Lyons excelled in distance events once again.
Both competitors, Grant Redmond of Soroco and and Jake Chrisman of Yuma, cleared 6 feet, 7 inches in the high jump but Redmond won with fewer attempts. Chrisman was the pole vault gold medal winner on Thursday.
David Trujillo of Rocky Ford was the champion in the 100 with a time of 11.19.
Clear Creek boys won the 4×100 relay (44.10).
Alex Ramos (Holly, 50.14) cruised in the 400.
Jaden Evans of Telluride (4:30.27) held off Isaac Roberts of Lyons (4:30.77) in the 1,600.
Victor Mendoza (20 feet, 10.5 inches) of Yuma was the long jump champion.
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Class 1A
The Heritage Christian boys scored points in bunches, securing the team title again with 148 points. They won in 2018 in much the same way with firepower in distance as Levi Kilian (4:28) and Seth Bruxvoort (4:32) both shattered the 1A State meet record in the 1,600 and were 1st and 2nd.
HCA tallied points in many other events, as well, including the 300 hurdles (Ryan Zrubek, champion) and the 200 (Jaden Johnson, 1st).
Arlo Garner of Cotopaxi (15.48) was the state champion in 110 hurdles.
Elton Yarger of Stratton/Liberty broke the triple jump state record yesterday and clinched the 400 title in 50.61 seconds today.
Pikes Peak Christian’s Tommy Harmon (12-10) climbed higher than anyone in pole vault.
Simla (3:37.82) won the 4×400 relay and finished runner-up in the team standings. Simla also claimed the 4×100 title and Darias Harms was the 100 champion in a new 1A State Meet record of 11.18.
