The Season D 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.

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Class 5A

(Paul Shepardson)

Player of the year: Radek Birkholz, Valor Christian

Coach of the year: Ron Quintana, Mountain Vista

Honorable mention:

• Tucker Buniger, UTIL, Fruita Monument, Senior
• Gerardo Caldera, C/P, Adams City, Senior
• Caleb Cancino, C, Castle View, Junior
• Benji Carrington, Rampart, Junior
• Reese Chapman, OF/RHP, Grandview, Junior
• Ty Chapman, SS, Grandview, Senior
• Cade Collins, 2B/SS, Dakota Ridge, Freshman
• Cory Cooper, Denver South, Sophomore
• Carter Dorighi, INF, Cherry Creek, Senior
• Braden Doumer, C/OF/1B, Legend, Junior
• Garrett Dykstra, LHP/1B, Arapahoe, Senior
• Jacob Frazzini, P/1B, Cherokee Trail, Senior
• Matt Glover, Denver South, Senior
• Nathan Gutierrez, LHP/OF, Douglas County, Senior
• Jacob Hill, P/2B, Ralston Valley, Senior
• Liam Hohenstein, OF/RHP, Rock Canyon, Junior
• Chase Jaworsky, SS/2B, Rock Canyon, Sophomore
• Brant Kragel, 1B/P, Valor Christian, Junior
• Cale Lansville, RHP/1B, ThunderRidge, Senior
• Dallas Macias, Regis Jesuit, Junior
• Cort McDaniel, C, Fruita Monument, Senior
• Miguel Medina, CF/P/SS, Hinkley, Senior
• Adam Moser, Fairview, Senior
• Matthew Oberlander, OF/P, Fort Collins, Senior
• Brooks Rodarte, Castle View, Sophomore
• Camden Ross, Broomfield, Junior
• Jeremiah Sanchez, OF/LHP, Pueblo West, Junior
• Jace Schlegel, LHP/1B/OF, Pueblo West, Senior
• Landen Sehr, Legacy, Junior
• Luke Silverman, Fairview, Senior
• Danny Spence, INF/RHP, Pueblo West, Junior
• Tyler Stonebraker, OF/UTIL, Douglas County, Junior
• Tommy Valdez, Broomfield, Senior
• Will Vasseur, INF/RHP, Rocky Mountain, Junior
• Isaac Wachsmann, Regis Jesuit, Junior
• Chris Wallace, Poudre, Senior
• Jacob Weaver, P/SS, Fruita Monument, Senior
• Kody Woods, P/C/3B, Palmer, Senior

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Class 4A

(Paul Shepardson)

Player of the year: Dom Lopez, Ponderosa

Coach of the year: Bob Maloney, Ponderosa

Honorable mention:

• Tony Benko, D’Evelyn, Junior
• Bradley Blakemore, CF/LF/RHP, D’Evelyn, Junior
• Nate Bollinger, 3B, Palisade, Senior
• Nolan Boone, INF/P, Montrose, Senior
• Sammy Cabral, Thornton, Senior
• Jimmy Chastain, 1B, Windsor, Senior
• Connor Cooney, CF, Holy Family, Senior
• Derrick Domenico, 3B/SS, Pueblo County, Junior
• Nick Espinola, INF/RHP/OF, Thomas Jefferson, Senior
• Sage Ferguson, P/INF, Elizabeth, Senior
• Connor Frickey, 1B/RHP, Cheyenne Mountain, Junior
• Logan Gross, P/3B/SS, Rifle, Freshman
• Mason Hamlin, 2B/SS, Falcon, Junior
• Nolan Hertzke, RHP/3B, Severance, Sophomore
• George Hogan, SS/P, Evergreen, Senior
• Nolan Hydock, 1B/RHP, Greeley West, Senior
• Carson King, INF/P, Evergreen, Junior
• Cael Langford, Fort Morgan, Senior
• Derek Lukes, C/P/1B, Ponderosa, Junior
• Gage Mestas, Durango, Senior
• Westin Miller, SS, Wheat Ridge, Senior
• Nate Moorehead, INF/P/OF, Falcon, Senior
• Elijah Morales, OF/IF/P, Battle Mountain, Junior
• Isaiah Padilla, INF/P, Denver North, Sophomore
• Anders Page-Roth, SS, Golden, Sophomore
• Holden Pantier, SS/3B, Erie, Sophomore
• Melesio Perez, INF, Palisade, Junior
• Chase Prestwich, Frederick, Senior
• Dakota Pruitt, SS/P, Riverdale Ridge, Senior
• Caleb Ralph, RHP/INF, Lewis-Palmer, Senior
• Coletin Renn, INF/P, Canon City, Junior
• Rocco Salvatore, 1B, Roosevelt, Senior
• Clayton Sanger, 1B/LHP, Falcon, Senior
• Brock Saya, SS/RHP, Roosevelt, Junior
• Dylan Sayler, LF/SS/CF, Mesa Ridge, Senior
• Gavin Shary, INF/OF, Denver North, Junior
• Cole Simms, C/P, Canon City, Senior
• Nick Spidel, P/OF, Elizabeth, Senior
• Andrew Syverson, C/2B, Holy Family, Junior
• Nick Vilims, P/OF, Evergreen, Senior
• Cal Walsh, Durango, Senior
• Nick Weiderholt, OF/1B/LHP, George Washington, Junior
• Briggs Wheatley, Fort Morgan, Junior
• Noah Wicks, C/RHP, Golden, Sophomore
• Cruz Zamudio, C, Frederick, Sophomore

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Class 3A

(Nick Jurney)

Player of the year: Ryan Ure, Eaton

Coach of the year: Todd Hernandez, Eaton

Honorable mention:

• Daniel Alvarado, 1B/P, Strasburg, Senior
• Ty Blackmer, 2B/SS/RHP, Montezuma-Cortez, Senior
• Tyler Bowdridge, CF/RHP, Pagosa Springs, Senior
• Elliot Bowen, RHP/C/CF, DSST: Montview, Junior
• Blake Buxton, OF/DH, Lamar, Senior
• Cade Carlson, 2B/INF, Bayfield, Senior
• Dylan Diorio, Sterling, Junior
• Jonah Ellis, Salida, Senior
• Carter Evans, Resurrection Christian, Sophomore
• Davis Evans, C/SS/P, Kent Denver, Senior
• Garrett Everitt, 1B/RHP, Faith Christian, Senior
• Greg Garza, INF, University, Junior
• Ben Greenberg, Colorado Academy, Junior
• Josh Greiving, Lutheran, Senior
• Ty Griffith, Brush, Sophomore
• Isaiah Elliot, CF/INF/RHP, The Academy, Sophomore
• Braden Hallman, C/DH/3B, Montezuma-Cortez, Sophomore
• Bryson Knapp, Resurrection Christian, Senior
• Alex Martinez, C, University, Senior
• Gabi Marmolejo, OF/P, Gunnison, Senior
• Alex Martinez, C, University, Senior
• Andrew Meick, Sterling, Junior
• Jonathan Monroe, LHP/OF/1B, The Academy, Junior
• Wish Moore, Basalt, Junior
• Aaron Morgan, Lutheran, Senior
• Ty Myers, 1B/P, University, Senior
• Ernie Padilla, CF/RHP/UTIL, Montezuma-Cortez, Senior
• Zaymien Peteque, INF/P, La Junta, Senior
• Aaron Rice, Colorado Academy, Senior
• Luke Ruby, Junior, Resurrection Christian
• Cole Schumacher, Eaton, Senior
• Sam Sherry, Basalt, Junior
• Hunter Smilanich, Moffat County, Senior
• Evan Sowards, OF/P, Alamosa, Junior
• Coy Spitz, INF/P/C, Lamar, Junior
• Ryder True, Eaton, Sophomore
• Skylor Wild, Gunnison, Junior

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Class 2A

(Paul Shepardson)

Player of the year: Kory Tacha, Limon

Coach of the year: Rocky Rockwell, Limon

Honorable mention:

• Anthony Aldretti, P/OF/C, John Mall, Senior
• Brenton Battista, OF/P/INF, Peyton, Senior
• Haden Camp, INF/P, Buena Vista, Sophomore
• JP Clune, C/RHP, St. Mary’s, Junior
• David Clutter, C/OF, Monte Vista, Junior
• Ben Compton, 1B/3B/RHP, Rye, Senior
• Liam Deming, Meeker, Junior
• Braydon Garcia, Meeker, Senior
• Michael Garza, CF/P, Dolores Huerta Prep, Senior
• Logan Glaser, 2B/3B, Calhan, Senior
• Matthew Gutierrez, Burlington, Sophomore
• Tyler Higgins, Limon, Senior
• Sam Hnizdil, INF/P, Highland, Junior
• Trevin Holland, INF/P, Swink, Junior
• Evan Larrick, County Line [Wiley/McClave], Freshman
• Val Leone, INF/P, Fowler, Senior
• Junior Lopez, 2B/INF, Monte Vista, Senior
• Garrett Oloman, SS/P, Custer County, Sophomore
• TJ Ortiz, 3B/P, Las Animas, Freshman
• Matt Pachl, INF/P, North Fork, Junior
• Nathan Paolucci, INF/P, Swink, Senior
• Dimitri Prisbrey, OF/P, Olathe, Senior
• Cole Reavis, OF, Buena Vista, Junior
• Rafael Ruiz Jr., SS/RHP, Lyons, Senior
• Colby Rupp, 1B/OF, Cedaredge, Senior
• Seattle Schuessler, CF/SS/P, Clear Creek, Senior
• Byron Shawcroft, P/SS, Centauri, Junior
• Cameron Stringfellow, SS/P/OF, Dolores Huerta, Freshman
• Yahir Trejo, SS/2B, Yuma, Junior
• Sam Uyemura, SS/P, Wray, Senior
• Michael Valdez, LF/3B/RHP, Rye, Senior
• Henry VanDenBerg, 1B/P, Denver Christian, Senior
• Bobby Wallace, INF/P/C, South Park, Senior
• Michael Wishowski, P/OF/1B, South Park, Senior

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Class 1A

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

Player of the year: Jose Magallanes, Holly

Coach of the year: Dayne Eaton, Holly

Honorable mention:

• Pavel Bernlohr, Evangelical Christian, Senior
• Jaxon Borchardt, Rocky Mountain Lutheran, Senior
• Noah Coddington, Evangelical Christian, Junior
• Dominic Coleman, P/SS, Granada, Junior
• Micah Dannelly, UTIL/RHP, Flatirons Academy, Sophomore
• Brayden Glover, Simla, Sophomore
• Bobby Larsen, Rocky Mountain Lutheran, Senior
• Maguire Lind, Pikes Peak Christian, Junior
• Hatch Nelson, Eads, Senior
• Kevin Purkat, SS/RHP, Dove Creek, Senior
• Tyler Reynolds, P/SS, Otis, Senior
• Gavin Rose, C, Elbert, Junior
• Colton Rowan, INF/RHP, Flatirons Academy, Freshman
• Logan Weimer, Nucla, Senior

The Season D 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 then a vote of head coaches.

Player and coach of the year was also selected by a vote of the coaches.

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Class 5A

(David Johnson/davidjohnsonphotoprahpy.com)

Player of the year: Maddie Brady, Broomfield

Coach of the year: Jim Davidson, Broomfield

Honorable mention:

• Shayla Addington, D, Chaparral, Junior
• Madison Allshouse, D, Legacy, Junior
• Eve Bleam, MF, Boulder, Junior
• Reagan Bridges, D, Arapahoe, Senior
• Taylor Brook, Rocky Mountain, Senior
• Sydney Ciechanowicz, MF, Denver East, Senior
• Brae Cole, MF, Monarch, Senior
• Ashlyn Craig, D, Arvada West, Junior
• Sabrina DeHart, D/MF, Rampart, Freshman
• Cyanne Doyle, STRK, ThunderRidge, Senior
• Sarah Dunn, Rampart, Sophomore
• Kate Dunne, D, Regis Jesuit, Junior
• Kaelin Enga, MF, Liberty, Senior
• Taylor Evans, Mountain Vista, Junior
• Makenna Flinn, FORW, Fruita Monument, Senior
• Addie Follett, FORW, Cherry Creek, Senior
• Lucy Hart, D/FORW, Pine Creek, Senior
• Kylie Hoffman, MF, Legacy, Sophomore
• Jace Holmes, MF, ThunderRidge, Senior
• Emily Hoy, MF, Northglenn, Senior
• Annika Kassenbrock, STRK/D, Silver Creek, Senior
• Cadence Kline, D/MF, Columbine, Junior
• Lolo Lacy, GK, Pine Creek, Senior
• Karly Lambert, , Brighton, Sophomore
• Anna Lantz, FORW, Regis Jesuit, Junior
• Cecelia Marlowe, D, Castle View, Junior
• Jenna McCormick, MF, ThunderRidge, Senior
• Delaney McGowan, Cherokee Trail, Senior
• Brooklyn McKinney, FORW, Prairie View, Senior
• Hannah Murphy, MF, Lakewood, Sophomore
• Kara Nelson, GK, Silver Creek, Junior
• Jordan Nytes, GK, Grandview, Junior
• Jordan Okada, D, Fairview, Senior
• Avery Ott, MF, Arapahoe, Junior
• Kaitlyn Pagel, , Cherokee Trail, Senior
• Hannah Peterson, D, Chatfield, Senior
• Jo Sees, Valor Christian, Sophomore

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Class 4A

(Kevin Keyser/keyserimages.com)

Player of the year: Olivia Dietrich, Holy Family

Coach of the year: Michelle Griego, Holy Family

Honorable mention:

• Kylie Bach, Riverdale Ridge, Senior
• Avery Bergschneider, D/FB/MF, Littleton, Senior
• Morgan Berry, MF/FORW, Woodland Park, Junior
• Brooke Bonner, Green Mountain, Senior
• Callie Borg, MF, Battle Mountain, Senior
• Madeline Borncamp, Niwot, Senior
• Taylor Bottoms, Thompson Valley, Junior
• Abby Bush, MF, Windsor, Junior
• Katy Clapp, MF, Summit, Sophomore
• Tatum Coe, Eagle Valley, Junior
• Josie Coulter, Montrose, Junior
• Michayla Dirito-Goff, STRK/MF, Pueblo South, Senior
• Maya Elias, FORW/MF/D, Glenwood Springs, Senior
• Kiera Flannagan, Niwot, Senior
• Lanie Freeland, STRK/GK, Greeley Central, Senior
• Grace Gardner, MF, Golden, Senior
• Ally Henrikson, Pueblo County, Senior
• Paige Hill, D/MF, Northridge, Sophomore
• Sammi Holt, MF, Canon City, Senior
• Gwyneth Jamison, Steamboat Springs, Freshman
• Allie Jones, MF, Pueblo Centennial, Senior
• Riley Jones, Palmer Ridge, Senior
• Marit Klagge, Thompson Valley, Junior
• Sarah Langley, STRK/MF/D, Coronado, Freshman
• Sydney Lasater, MF, Sand Creek, Senior
• Shaela Leahy, The Classical Academy, Senior
• Darby Martinez, Steamboat Springs, Junior
• Justice McKee, Palisade, Senior
• Kennedy Montoya, Northfield, Junior
• Sophia Nickel, FORW, Golden, Freshman
• Peyton Oleson, MF, Mountain View, Senior
• Lauren Petersen, Bear Creek, Senior
• Breanne Raley, FORW, Cheyenne Mountain, Senior
• Kylea Roitsch, The Classical Academy, Senior
• Kyle Rowland, Durango, Senior
• Mary Sanchez, FORW/MF/GK, Pueblo Central, Senior

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Class 3A

(Jack Carlough)

Player of the year: Izzy Newton, Kent Denver

Coach of the year: Lucas Richardson, Kent Denver

Honorable mention:

• Ava Candelaria, DSST: Byers, Senior
• Julia Creech, MF, St. Mary’s, Senior
• Mari Domingos, D, Colorado Springs Christian, Senior
• Arlette Duran, Atlas Preparatory School, Senior
• Jennifer Ellis, MF/FORW, Aspen, Junior
• Makena Feist, FORW/MF, Liberty Common, Sophomore
• Saige Ferguson, Salida, Senior
• Emily Gish, Vail Mountain, Junior
• Kassidy Grey, MF, Colorado Springs Christian, Sophomore
• Nina Haas, Salida, Freshman
• Samantha Johnston, Basalt, Senior
• Maggie Lappe, MF, St. Mary’s, Sophomore
• Toby Lawson, Salida, Junior
• Sarah Levy, STRK, Basalt, Sophomore
• Kipley Lewis, D, Liberty Common, Sophomore
• Katie MacKendrick, FORW, Middle Park, Senior
• Diana Maldonado, GK, DSST: Green Valley Ranch, Junior
• Sophie McKeown, FORW/MF, Manitou Springs, Senior
• Abby Parker, D/MF, Manitou Springs, Junior
• Macey Peery, Roaring Fork, Junior
• Jessica Polkowske, MF, Alamosa, Senior
• Alexis Ramey, Frontier Academy, Senior
• Tania Razo, MF/FORW, DSST: Green Valley Ranch, Junior
• Allie Schumacher, MF/FORW/D, Sterling, Senior
• Erica Sherwin, FORW, Manitou Springs, Sophomore
• Kimberly Sierra, GK, James Irwin, Sophomore
• Amber Smith, MF/D, DSST: Green Valley Ranch, Sophomore
• Keiry Sosa, MF/D, DSST: Green Valley Ranch, Senior
• Stella Stone, Vail Mountain, Sophomore
• McKenzie Stricker, D/FB, The Academy, Senior
• Libby Tharp, Coal Ridge, Senior
• Ashley Tyrell, D/MF, Liberty Common, Senior
• Avery Verheyen, D, Colorado Springs Christian, Freshman
• Ashley Wallau, D, St. Mary’s, Junior

[divider]

(Brent Murphy/BrentMurphyPhoto.com)

Class 2A

Player of the year: Degen Miller, Dawson School

Coach of the year: David Criswell, Dawson School

Honorable mention:

• Charlotte Apodaca, SWEP, Buena Vista, Sophomore
• Annie Brown, STRK, Thomas McLaren, Senior
• Hope Bruhn, Grand Valley, Senior
• Tabitha Call, Grand Valley, Senior
• Tylene Diehl, Grand Valley, Senior
• Kaisa Dohlvik, Colorado Springs School, Freshman
• Maizy Gordon, Ridgway, Sophomore
• Terra Hurt, D, Thomas MacLaren, Senior
• Shively Kierek, Colorado Springs School, Junior
• Mia Lybecker, Colorado Springs School, Freshman
• Ellie O’Neal, Crested Butte, Sophomore
• Robin Pavelich, D, Vail Christian, Junior
• Hope VonLintel, FORW, Twin Peaks Charter, Freshman
• Lindsey Whitton, FORW, Vail Christian, Freshman

The Season D all-state boys swimming teams are presented by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps.

These teams were created based upon results at the state meet.

[divider]

(Brent Murphy/BrentMurphyPhoto.com)

Class 5A

Swimmer of the year: Alex McMahon & Sebastian Wolff, Heritage

Diver of the year: Quinn Henninger, Regis Jesuit

Swim coach of the year: Chris Loftis, Cherry Creek

[divider]

(Brent Murphy/BrentMurphyPhoto.com)

Class 4A

Swimmer of the year: Xavier Hill, George Washington

Diver of the year: Jack Ryan, Denver North

Swim coach of the year: Debbie Stewart, Silver Creek

The Season D all-state girls tennis teams are presented by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps.

These teams were created based upon results at the state tournament.

The athletes who won championships at their classification were named players of the year. Coaches of the year were awarded to the coaches of championship teams.

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(Brad Cochi/CHSAANow.com)

Class 5A

Player of the year: Lily Chitamber, Boulder

Coach of the year: Chris Jacob, Cherry Creek

[divider]

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

Class 4A

Player of the year: Lauren Manwiller, Mullen

Coach of the year: Jera Sturgell, Mullen

[divider]

(Luke Zahlmann/Pueblo Chieftain)

Class 3A

Player of the year: Anna Jordaan, Colorado Academy

Coach of the year: Woody Oliver, D’Evelyn

[divider]

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

PUEBLO — The only thing better than having a chance to win a baseball state championship is having two.

That’s exactly what Ponderosa will have on Saturday as the Mustangs beat D’Evelyn 7-3 to advance to Saturday unbeaten. With Holy Family winning earlier in the day, it means that the Tigers will have to take down Ponderosa twice while the Mustangs need just one win to claim the Class 4A state baseball title.

“We’ve talked about this for years and we approached it as another game we had to win” Ponderosa coach Bob Maloney said. “It’s huge for us to go into tomorrow undefeated especially against a quality Holy Family team.”

The Mustangs (20-2 overall) have no desire to fix a game plan that isn’t broken. They advanced to the second weekend of the state tournament without a loss by being steady on the mound and powerfully opportunistic at the plate.

After falling behind 1-0 to the Jaguars (14-5) in the top of the second inning, Ponderosa strung together four quick runs to take control.

In the third, the Mustangs showed off some of the power they had last week in Pueblo as Dom Lopez blasted a solo home run, his third of the state tournament.

“When you’re playing with a lead, it’s so much easier,” Lopez said. “And when you know your sticks are hot, you know you can get away with things you can’t get away with in you’re not hitting as well.”

With plenty of offense in the bag, pitcher Cael Porter maintained a steady hand after entering the game with one out in the second inning. Knowing he would get the necessary run support, Porter was determined to do his job and put the Mustangs in firm control of the state tournament heading into the final day of play.

“I wasn’t sure how our offense was going to do today,” Porter said. “I knew we’d do alright but that run support definitely helped a lot. I was nervous coming in and that made me feel a lot better.”

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

Holy Family’s championship hopes remain alive after battling back to beat Cheyenne Mountain 5-4 in the day’s first game. The Tigers (19-2) were up 3-0 after the first inning and Izaak Siefken kept the Cheyenne Mountain hitters at bay for most of the game. A three-run pad felt good enough to win as the game reached the later innings.

“I thought it was,” Siefken said. “Cheyenne Mountain fought hard and came back. They beat me in that last inning.”

Trailing 3-1 heading to the 7th, Cheyenne Mountain (17-4) got the tying run across the plate to force the game into extra innings, where it took a 4-3 lead in the top of the 8th.

A base hit and a hit batter put runners on first and second for the Tigers and Ryan Chacon brought them home with a hard hit double, keeping the Tigers in the mix.

It was the kind of win that the Tigers saw Ponderosa get last week and now there is hope a walk-off win could ignite a championship run.

“It could be,” Holy Family coach John Ray said. “Brad Helton threw a heck of a game against us, for all intents and purposes it just came out Holy Family.”

The Tigers and the Mustangs will play at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday at Hobbs Field following the conclusion of the 2A state championship game. Should Holy Family win, the second game will begin at 3 p.m.

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

PUEBLO — If there is a way to battle back in the seventh inning, Ponderosa is going to find it. The Mustangs trailed 5-0 after the first couple of innings before rallying back to beat Evergreen with a walk-off home run on the first day of the Class 4A baseball tournament.

They followed that win up with another walk-off blast, this one against Cheyenne Mountain to enter the second day of the tournament unbeaten.

In Saturday’s marquee game, the winner of Holy Family and Ponderosa would automatically advance to the state championship series. And Holy Family looked like it wanted that advancement early as it jumped out to a 5-0 lead over the Mustangs in the first inning.

But even on a different day, the Mustangs had same grit and heart that they’ve shown in the postseason. They scored 11 of their 14 runs in the sixth and seventh innings to get a 14-11 win over the Tigers.

“It’s incredible,” coach Bob Maloney said. “We have so much senior leadership. In 30 years, I’ve never seen anything like this. It’s unmatched.”

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

It’s been quite the remarkable three-game stretch for the Mustangs (18-2 overall). Tied with Evergreen in the seventh inning on Friday, Dom Lopez blasted a walk-off home run to beat the Cougars. He hit another home run later in the day against Cheyenne Mountain which proved crucial in that win as well.

When Lopez got into the batter’s box in the top of the seventh against the Tigers (18-2), the Mustangs were down two with the bases loaded and one out. He couldn’t help but think of how things transpired on Friday.

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t,” Lopez said. “But really, I just had the same mentality, just put the ball in play.”

He let loose on a monster hack on a 1-2 count and for a brief moment, it looked like the ball would carry out of Hobbs Field. It landed on the warning track and Lopez ended up at second. The rest of the runners scored and for the first time in the game, Ponderosa took the lead.

Parker Dennis got hit by a pitch then Skyler Ahern ripped a ball to left-center – the same area where Lopez had hit his double two batters earlier – but with more pop.

His ball carried over the wall to make it a 14-10 game. It was Ahern’s first home run of the season and it came at the best possible time.

“With this team we fight and battle,” Ahern said. “It doesn’t matter how much we’re down. We’ll always scratch a couple of runs across and keep fighting until the game is over. We have seven innings so we need to make all seven count.”

That’s been the mindset all weekend and the Mustangs have every intention of carrying that over.

Even with the loss, Holy Family is still in the title picture as they only have one loss in the tournament. The Tigers play Cheyenne Mountain on Friday morning with Ponderosa set to play D’Evelyn. If the Mustangs beat the Jags, they’ll have to be beaten twice on Saturday.

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

PUEBLO — In two pitches, Ponderosa first baseman Dom Lopez had the best start to the Class 4A state baseball tournament of anyone that made the trip to Pueblo.

After trailing Evergreen 5-0 after just the second inning, the Mustangs had to battle back in their opening contest. They did just that and kept the Cougars off the board for the remainder of the game.

On the first pitch that Lopez saw in the bottom of the seventh inning, he decided it was time to end it. He ripped the first pitch he saw to centerfield and trotted around the bases ready to jump into the celebration of his awaiting teammates at home plate.

The next pitch he saw was his first at-bat in the Mustangs’ second game of the day. He hit it to nearly the same spot beyond the centerfield wall to make it a 2-0 lead for Pondo and the Mustangs went on to beat Cheyenne Mountain 10-8 as teammate Derek Lukes followed suit with a walk-off bomb of his own.

“I really like going after the first pitch,” Lopez said. “I think it’s the best pitch you’ll get the whole at-bat so I always go for that first one, no matter what.”

Bottom 7. Dom Lopez called game. Mustangs win 6-5. #copreps @PonderosaAthle1 @JaronCohen1 pic.twitter.com/Ejp6K0RtX0

— Daniel Mohrmann (@DanMohrmann) June 18, 2021

The Mustangs (17-2 overall) will get a bit of a breather before they head to Rawlings Field on the campus of CSU-Pueblo. They’ll take on Holy Family who flexed its muscles offensively with a 12-2 win over Lewis-Palmer to start the day then followed it up with a 12-3 win over D’Evelyn.

The winner of Holy Family and Ponderosa will be the lone unbeaten team in the 4A tournament heading into next weekend, which is ideal in this modified double-elimination bracket.

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

In the first day of a state baseball tournament in over two years, the actions between Hobbs Field and Andenucio Field at the Runyon complex couldn’t have been any different. The Tigers (17-1) showed dominance on the way to their two wins at Hobbs. In the second game of the day, Holy Family scored nine runs across three innings to take a big lead over the Jaguars. Brennan Bennett, Connor Cooney, Jared Delgado, Isaac Siefken and Jaden Delgado all scored twice through the course of the game.

D’Evelyn had taken down No. 1 Severance 11-4 earlier in the day.

The thrillers came from Andenucio. Down 5-0 to Evergreen after the first two innings, the Mustangs battled back to tie the game before Lopez ended it with a solo shot in the seventh.

Cheyenne Mountain shook off any homefield advantage that Pueblo County was getting to get a 7-3 win.

Ponderosa started its game with Cheyenne Mountain off with Lopez’s second home run of the day. Cheyenne Mountain tied the game at two then pulled even 8-8 heading into the bottom of the seventh. Lopez was walked to start the inning and then Lukes just saw his pitch and blasted it to left field.

“That’s always going through my mind,” Lukes said. “After what Dom did in the first game and the momentum we had, I kind of knew what was going to happen. There was no doubt in my mind that we were going to win it.”

Severance will play Lewis-Palmer in an elimination game at Rawlings Field at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday. Evergreen and Pueblo County will follow suit at noon. The game between Ponderosa and Holy Family will go off at 7: 30 p.m. with the winner taking control of the state tournament going into championship weekend.

The complete schedule for the Class 4A state baseball tournaments in Season D.

All games are June 18-26 at Runyon Complex and Rawlings Complex in Pueblo.

[divider]

2021 CHSAA State Baseball Championships Class 4A

DENVER — D’Evelyn’s baseball team didn’t wilt in the near 100-degree heat Monday afternoon.

The Jaguars remained hot on the diamond grabbing their fourth win over the last five games. More importantly, the 9-2 victory over Falcon on D’Evelyn’s home field punched the Jaguars’ ticket to the Class 4A double-elimination state tournament that begins Friday, June 18, in Pueblo.

D’Evelyn senior Matt Hatch slides into third base after driving in the Jaguars’ first run Monday against Falcon. D’Evelyn’s lone senior had a pair of doubles and drove in three runs in the Jaguars’ 9-2 victory. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

“It’s huge. We have never been really good since I’ve been here,” said Matt Hatch, D’Evelyn’s lone senior on the squad this spring. “It’s amazing to do this good, especially with how young we are.”

No. 8-seeded D’Evelyn (12-4 record) faced a strong No. 9 Falcon (13-2) squad that was trying to carry over momentum from a 3-hour marathon 12-9 victory over Erie just to reach the Region 8 title game.

“Obviously we had an advantage today. Falcon had to play a 3-hour game before in this heat and had to throw its No. 1 and No. 2 pitchers,” D’Evelyn coach Dan Porreco said. “We were sitting good, but we came out and attacked right away. That kind of melted them away a little bit.”

D’Evelyn scored the first run thanks to a 2-out rally in the bottom of the first inning. Junior Troy Benko ripped a double into the gap and senior Matt Hatch followed it up with a double to drive in the first run.

Benko and Hatch led the way offensively combining to go 5-for-6 from the plate with a pair of walking while driving in four runs. The Jaguars scored four runs in the bottom of the second inning to take a 6-0 lead.

“We haven’t been able to do that most of the season,” Hatch said about D’Evelyn adding on to its lead by scoring in every inning except the bottom of the sixth. “Starting to get those bats going in the playoffs is huge.”

Benko was just as impressive on the mound. The junior gave up just a pair of unearned runs while allowing four hits through six innings. Junior Blake Reini took over on the hill in the final inning to get the last three outs.

D’Evelyn junior Troy Benko allowed just a pair of unearned runs off four hits in his six innings of work on the mound Monday against Falcon. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

“It was probably the most nervous I’ve ever been before a game,” Benko admitted. “Once you get that first out it just seems like a normal game.”

It’s the first trip back to the state tournament for D’Evelyn since 2015.

“We haven’t been back (to state) in five or six years,” Porreco said. “It’s a good feeling, especially with such a young group.”

The Jaguars started four juniors and four sophomores against Falcon. D’Evelyn will be short-handed pitching wise heading to Pueblo. Sophomores Tate Aurich and Gabe Jackson were involved in a car accident a few weeks ago and both are out for the remainder of the year.

“We are going to go down to Pueblo and try to enjoy it,” Porreco said. “We are missing our No. 1 pitcher (Tate Aurich), but we’ll play the game — catch, throw and hit.”

D’Evelyn doesn’t what to change its approach that has been successful this year. The Jaguars begin the state tournament with a 9:30 a.m. game Friday, June 18, at Hobbs Field at the Runyon Complex against Severance (14-4). The Sliver Knights upset No. 1 Durango in the Region 1 title game Monday.

“It’s just another day at the office,” Hatch said of the Jaguars approach heading to Pueblo. “We don’t want to overthink it.”

D’Evelyn shortstop Colin Kim, left, catches the ball as Falcon senior Clayton Sanger steals second base during the Class 4A Region 8 title game Monday. The Jaguars won 9-2 to advance to the state tournament for the first time since 2015. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

In the final coaches poll of Season D, Douglas County finished in the No. 1 spot.

The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association.

Complete rankings for all classes are below.

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CHSAANow.com Boys Volleyball Poll

Voted upon by coaches around the state. Coaches looking to vote should email bcochi@chsaa.org.