The 2015 boys soccer players of the year. From left, Max Gottesfeld of Kent Denver, Porter Milner of Broomfield, and Titus Grant of The Classical Academy. (Photos: Lance Wendt/LanceWendt.com; Josh Watt/CHSAANow.com)
The 2015 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 then a vote of coaches.
Scroll down to see the teams, or use the menu below to navigate to the class of your choosing.
Broomfield’s Porter Milner. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com) Player of the year: Porter Milner, Broomfield
Coach of the year: Jim Davidson, Broomfield
First Team
Name
School
Year
Pos.
Davis Auth
Mountain Vista
Junior
MF
Brian Castruita
Boulder
Senior
MF
Cray Cordero
Mountain Vista
Sophomore
D
Tyler Duggan
Broomfield
Senior
–
Kyler Fowkes
Arvada West
Senior
F/MF
Michael Genge
Broomfield
Senior
GK
Dylan Keeney
Heritage
Senior
MF
Andre Miller
Fairview
Senior
–
Porter Milner
Broomfield
Senior
–
Jake Rudel
Fort Collins
Senior
F/D
Alex Weseman
Fairview
Senior
–
Second Team
Name
School
Year
Pos.
Evan Bunch
Arapahoe
Junior
D
Mattia Cominelli
Heritage
Senior
F
James Conley
Arapahoe
Senior
GK
Wyatt Dessell
Fairview
Senior
–
Kyle Henry
Thunderridge
Senior
MF
Sam Kirk
Boulder
Senior
F
Ryan Lee
Douglas County
Junior
F/MF
Connor Lowdermilk
Fort Collins
Senior
MF
Erik Lundeen
Grandview
Junior
D
Angelo Salazar
Coronado
Senior
–
Jack Schulze
Heritage
Junior
GK
Andrew Turk
Pine Creek
Junior
F/MF
Peter Williams
Cherry Creek
Senior
D
Honorable mention: Alen Acosta, Doherty, senior; Andrew Beers, Liberty, senior, F; Dan Bricker, Monarch, senior, D; Zack Fleishhacker, Rampart, senior, F; Chris Hood, Thunderridge, sophomore, D; Michael Johnson, Rangeview, senior, F; Owen Merritt, Poudre, sophomore, MF; Eliot Peinado, Far Northeast Warriors, senior, MF/F; Josh Rendle, George Washington, senior; Jorge Rosales, Smoky Hill, senior, MF; Kyle Shetler, Pine Creek, senior, GK; Alex Silva, Fossil Ridge, senior, MF; David Tovar, Far Northeast Warriors, senior, D/F/MF; David Zink, Pine Creek, senior, D
[divider]
Class 4A
The Classical Academy’s Titus Grant. (Josh Watt/CHSAANow.com) Player of the year: Titus Grant, The Classical Academy
Coach of the year: Ross Fowler, Evergreen
First Team
Name
School
Year
Pos.
Justin Barkow
Niwot
Senior
F
Jaden Borja
The Classical Academy
Junior
F
Adriano Borsa
Evergreen
Senior
MF
Sean Derby
Cheyenne Mountain
Senior
MF
Frank Gonzalez
Denver North
Senior
MF
Titus Grant
The Classical Academy
Junior
F
Casey Grieve
Evergreen
Junior
HB/D
Patrick O’Neil
Evergreen
Junior
D/MF
Nick Rosser
Standley Lake
Senior
MF
Jack Skidmore
Battle Mountain
Senior
GK
Mason Stetler
Durango
Senior
MF
Second Team
Name
School
Year
Pos.
Mark Beatty
Air Academy
Senior
MF
Anders Carlson
The Classical Academy
Junior
MF
Joe Director
Littleton
Senior
MF
Jack Draeb
D’Evelyn
Senior
–
Luke Eigsti
Green Mountain
Senior
–
Keith Higginbotham
Cheyenne Mountain
Senior
GK
Noah Klaus
The Classical Academy
Senior
MF
Robert Lanz
Valor Christian
Junior
F/MF
Donnie Leavitt
Battle Mountain
Senior
F
Joshua Michels
Erie
Senior
F
Henry Yocum
Air Academy
Senior
F
Honorable mention: Alejandro Alainz, Kennedy, senior; Victor Avalos, Frederick, senior, GK/MF; Vance Bulen, Durango, senior; Jonathan Flores, Skyline, senior, D/MF/F; Thomas Green, Ponderosa, senior, F; Garrett Obermeyer, Palmer Ridge, senior; Mark Ramirez, Niwot, senior, F; Terin Tadewald, Niwot, senior, FB; Ian Thomas, Valor Christian, senior, MF/D; Spencer Wegner, Cheyenne Mountain, senior, D; Luke White, Cheyenne Mountain, junior, F; Robbie Wyton, Holy Family, senior, GK.
[divider]
Class 3A
Kent Denver’s Max Gottesfeld. (Lance Wendt/LanceWendt.com) Player of the year: Max Gottesfeld, Kent Denver
Kent Denver won a second-straight championship in Class 3A boys soccer. More photos. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
COMMERCE CITY — Kent Denver captured its second consecutive boys soccer state title on Saturday, shutting out Fountain Valley 2-0 and ending with a nearly perfect, yet still undefeated season, at 19-0-1.
The one tie in their record came in mid-September when Fountain Valley came to play, resulting in a 1-1 finish. The matchup nearly two months later looked unsurprisingly similar, even though the Class 3A championship was on the line. Both teams played fast and physical, with equal possession throughout.
Free kicks ruled the game, yet none could connect. Both teams kept poking and prodding at each goal, with goalies Philip Huxel and Ross Rainaldi keeping the game scoreless.
But at nearly 63 minutes into the game, the Fountain Valley Danes made a costly error, fouling halfback Davis Oudet in the box and giving the Sun Devils a penalty kick.
Kent’s lead scorer, Max Gottesfield, took the shot, keeping it on the ground and sending it left past Huxel.
“I was skeptical about taking it but Davis told me to do it and I — well, I just made it,” said Gottesfield, the junior forward who continues to execute on the goal game and game again.
Fountain Valley fans were hopeful of their tenacious squad, but each close free kick, corner, or cross continued to come up short, Rainaldi punching out two potential game changers in those last 17 minutes.
Kent Denver then sealed its win in the last few minutes, finally finishing one of their crosses in the box. Senior halfback Tyler Nowak used his left finesse foot to put it over three defenders while fellow halfback, junior Rory Buck, met the ball in the air to head it perfectly past Huxel. Nowak put the finishing goal in the net at last year’s state championship, as well.
Fountain Valley wraps up its season 15-3-2. The Danes remain winless in their two state championship appearances, the last in 2007. This was Kent’s eighth appearance in the state championship, and second consecutive championship win.
Gottesfield will head into his senior year and 2016 season with two back-to-back championships. He adds to his resume with game winning goals in both the semifinals and championship of this year’s state tournament.
“It feels amazing. We just worked hard all year,” said Gottesfield. “We tied this team in the regular season and we just had to keeping working to get it done this time while they continued to put up a really tough fight. It feels so good to have made it again.”
Though the sound structure and experience of Kent Denver took the trophy in this matchup, the hustle and heart from the Fountain Valley Danes was nearly tangible.
Fountain Valley senior midfielder Sam Bermingham seemed to be everywhere on the field. He played with a bandage on head, just missing on crosses and shots on the offensive, and stopping the Sun Devils perfect strikes from reaching goal.
“It was such a great season. I mean, I am so proud to be playing with these kids, for this school,” Bermingham said. “We never thought we were going to make it this far, we never thought we’d be playing on this professional field, or getting second place. It’s an amazing feeling.
“It’s been seven years since our school has made it and it would have been great to win it but second place isn’t that bad. Being next to these players is everything.”
DENVER — Kent Denver has some wonderful offensive weapons on the soccer pitch.
The defending Class 3A state champions, led by forwards like Max Gottesfeld and David Felman and halfbacks Davis Oudet and Tyler Nowak, only scored two goals on Thursday at All-City Stadium in Denver, but their dynamic skills allowed the Sun Devils to dominate possession.
Vail Mountain (16-2-1 overall) simply couldn’t hold onto the ball long enough, nor get enough looks at goal, to seriously challenge Kent during a 2-0 semifinals victory for the Sun Devils.
Kent Denver (18-0-1), the No. 1 seed this season and 2014 title winners over Colorado Academy, will be making their seventh appearance in a boys soccer championship game. They were the state runner-up in 1993, 1997, 2001, 2002, and 2012 before finally breaking through for their initial crown. The Sun Devils will be going for back-to-back on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City.
First, they had to get past a Vail Mountain team that had rolled through 3A Region 3 in the regular season and past Crested Butte 3-0, The Vanguard School 3-2, and Pagosa Springs 1-0 on their way to the Final 4. The Gore Rangers were the No. 4 seed in the bracket and were looking for their first-ever state championship appearance.
Kent got started on the right foot, Gottesfeld’s right foot in fact, when the junior forward tapped in a beautiful cross by Nowak with 25:45 to go in the first half.
“It felt great. I got a little lucky because I tried to hit it lefty, but it ended up just sitting in front of my right foot and I was able to send it home,” Gottesfeld said.
Then, for most of the rest of the afternoon the Sun Devils applied constant pressure and created a number of looks at goal, but were unable to add an insurance score. The defense stood tall.
“We were lucky enough to get an early one on Max’s goal,” Kent Denver coach Arty Smith said. “After that, our goal very much was to stay organized defensively and not give away soft ones. Vail generated some opportunities late there, but for the most part we stayed organized and didn’t give them any clean looks at goal.”
Kent finally did create a little more breathing room when Gottesfeld was fouled in the box with 19 minutes to go in the second half. Oudet converted the penalty kick to make it 2-0 and the Sun Devils, unbeaten in 19 games this season, sealed their bid to the championship game.
“It’s a position I’ve never been in as a coach, to be the defending state champion,” Smith said. “Certainly there’s a target on your back every game, but my guys have been incredibly resilient.”
Kent Denver, who has outscored its opponents 11-0 in four playoff games, acted with class after their semifinals victory.
“I would like to complement Vail Mountain,” Smith said. “One of the great things about the state playoffs is you get to play a team like Vail that we don’t see in the regular season, and honestly I don’t know if we’ve ever played them before. I can see why they had such a great record. They were well disciplined and well organized and their coaches did a great job.”
[divider]
(6) Fountain Valley 2, (18) Coal Ridge 1
After 53 minutes of scoreless action, Coal Ridge midfielder Sergio Valentin ran away from the Fountain Valley defense and scored to give the Titans a 1-0 lead.
The Danes answered right back three minutes later when Sam Bermingham was fouled in the box and Ian Strine converted the penalty kick to even things up. Fountain Valley’s Will Graney tapped in a cross three minutes after that to give the Colorado Springs school a 2-1 lead, a goal that proved to be the game-winner in a 3A boys soccer semifinals showdown.
For two schools that, according to CHSAA records, have never won a team championship in any sport, the stakes were colossal Thursday.
Coal Ridge was a Cinderella darling as the No. 18 seed after finishing 9-5-1 in the regular season. The Titans thumped No. 15 Denver Christian 5-0, upset No. 2 Liberty Common 1-0, and held off No. 10 Salida 2-1 to reach the Final Four.
Fountain Valley (15-2-2), the No. 6 seed in the tournament, will be making its second appearance in a boys soccer state championship game and first since losing to Denver Christian in the 3A title match in 2007.
The 3A state title game between Fountain Valley and Kent Denver will be played at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City this Saturday at 1:00 p.m. The two teams tied 1-1 during the regular season.
The Classical Academy has taken over the top spot of the Class 4A CHSAANow.com soccer rankings. Broomfield and Kent Denver held on to their respective No. 1 positions in 5A and 3A.
The Titans came into the season with more returning talent than any team in 4A and have had their sights set on a state championship since day one. It appears that an early-season loss to Cheyenne Mountain hasn’t fazed them and they are now regarded as the top team in the state.
Also in 4A, Battle Mountain joined the rankings at No. 7 and Skyline made a jump from No. 5 to No. 2.
In 5A, Monarch (No. 6) and Cherry Creek (No. 10) join the rankings this week. Fairview made an impress jump from No. 6 to No. 2 and are barking at the heels of their area rival, Broomfield, for the top spot.
DSST-Stapleton and Fountain Valley are both back in the 3A top 10 after dropping out in recent weeks.
KIPP, Liberty Common and Vail Mountain each jumped three spots to land at No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4, respectively.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. Polls are released each Monday during the regular season.
Voted upon by coaches and select media members around the state. New voters can sign up by emailing rcasey@chsaa.org. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.
Boulder has ascended to the top spot in the 5A boys soccer poll. (Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com)
Three new teams stand atop this week’s CHSAANow.com boys soccer rankings, meaning there’s a new No. 1 team in each classification.
Boulder (Class 5A), Evergreen (4A) and KIPP Collegiate (3A) all now lead their respective classes.
In 5A, Boulder moved up due in part to former No. 1 Broomfield’s loss to Mountain Range in overtime last week. The Panthers got eight of the 10 first-place votes to take over.
Fort Collins also moved up, to No. 2, as did No. 3 ThunderRidge and No. 4 Arvada West. Fairview rounds out the top-5. ThunderRidge jumped from No. 6 to No. 3 after an impressive week in which they outscored their opponents 11-3 in three games.
Broomfield fell to sixth, Cherry Creek is seventh and Rocky Mountain is up to No. 8.
Aurora Central and Far Northeast are this week’s newcomers to the 5A poll, landing at No. 9 and No. 10 respectively.
The top seeds from last week’s CHSAANow.com boys soccer rankings all fell out of place this week. In Class 5A, Broomfield was topped by Mountain Range in overtime making Boulder the new No. 1.
Former 4A No. 1 Cheyenne Mountain was upset at the hands of Pueblo West, which helped Evergreen shoot to the top spot.
The occupants of last week’s 4A poll remain the same, but with Cheyenne Mountain falling out of the top spot, there was some shakeup in the order. Valor Christian jumped from No. 4 to No. 2 and Littleton landed at No. 6 this week, up two spots from their ranking last week.
After recording a 3-0 win over Kent Denver Thursday, the Kent Denver Sun Devils played Fountain Valley to a 1-1 draw, allowing KIPP to take over the top spot in 3A.
Other big moves were made in 3A as Faith Christian made the jump from No. 6 to No. 3. There were also three newcomers to the 3A ranks as DSST Stapleton (No. 5), Jefferson Academy (No. 8) and Fountain Valley — fresh off its tie with Kent Denver — (No. 10) all joined the poll this week
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. Polls are released each Monday during the regular season.
Voted upon by coaches and select media members around the state. New voters can sign up by emailing rcasey@chsaa.org. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.
Arapahoe 9, George Washington 9, Fossil Ridge 8, Rangeview 8, Westminster 8, Legacy 6, Rampart 6, Regis Jesuit 4, Denver East 2, Rock Canyon 2.
Dropped out
Legacy (8), Pine Creek (9).
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Evergreen (7)
4-0-0
110
2
1-0-0
2
Valor Christian (4)
6-0-0
92
4
1-0-0
3
Cheyenne Mountain (1)
5-1-0
81
1
2-1-0
4
The Classical Academy
4-1-0
74
3
0-0-0
5
Niwot
5-0-0
67
5
2-0-0
6
Littleton
5-1-0
51
8
1-0-0
7
Denver West
3-0-1
43
6
0-0-1
8
Ponderosa
5-2-0
30
9
2-0-0
9
Air Academy
3-1-1
26
7
0-0-1
10
Greeley West
6-0-1
21
10
3-0-1
Others receiving votes:
Skyview 16, Denver North 11, John F. Kennedy 10, Battle Mountain 9, Silver Creek 6, Skyline 6, Eagle Valley 3, D’Evelyn 1, Mullen 1, Standley Lake 1, Vista Ridge 1.
Dropped out
None.
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
KIPP (4)
6-0-0
66
2
2-0-0
2
Kent Denver (2)
5-0-1
64
1
2-0-1
3
Faith Christian
5-1-0
53
6
2-0-0
4
Pagosa Springs (1)
7-0-0
45
3
3-0-0
5
DSST-Stapleton
5-1-0
39
–
2-0-0
6
Salida
5-1-0
35
5
1-0-0
7
Aurora West
6-1-0
28
8
2-0-0
8
Jefferson Academy
4-1-0
20
–
1-0-0
9
Colorado Academy
2-2-1
12
4
1-1-0
10
Fountain Valley
4-0-2
11
–
1-0-1
Others receiving votes:
The Academy 10, Colorado Springs Christian 2, Vail Mountain 2, Jefferson 1, Peak to Peak 1.
Dropped out
Peak to Peak (7), Colorado Springs Christian (9), Frontier Academy (10).
Dawson School is hosting a two-day showcase camp for local boys lacrosse players this week.
The camp, held by Lacrosse Prep Showcase, is Tuesday and Wednesday at Dawson.
Players from at least 17 states will attend the camp, according to a release, including local players from Dawson, Arapahoe, Boulder, Colorado Academy, Denver East, Erie, Fairview, Fountain Valley, Kent Denver, Lyons, Prairie View, Regis Jesuit, Rock Canyon, ThunderRidge and Windsor.
They will play in front of coaches from Division I and Division III men’s lacrosse, including coaches from Brown, Penn, Princeton, Bowdoin, Hamilton, Ithaca, Middleburg, Trinity, Union and Williams.
Dawson School is located at 10455 Dawson Drive in Lafayette.
The girls soccer players of the year. From left: Colorado Academy’s Marin McCoy (3A); Cheyenne Mountain’s Hannah Gerdin (4A); Mountain Vista’s Mallory Pugh (5A); Vail Mountain’s Tess Johnson (2A). (Photos: Ray Chen of ArrayPhoto.com & MaxPreps)
The 2015 all-state girls soccer 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 coaches, and then a vote of coaches.
Players and coaches of the year were also selected by a vote of the coaches.
The 2015 all-state boys track and field teams are presented by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps.
These teams were created based upon results at the state meet.
Athletes of the year were selected based upon the number of team points they produced at the state meet. This means that they received the full amount of team points from individual events they participated in, as well as one-fourth of the total points earned by the team in relays they participated in.
Finally, in order to be considered for athlete of the year, they must first have made the all-state team by winning in a championship.
Scroll down to see the teams, or use the menu below to navigate to the class of your choosing.
