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 track and field teams are presented by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps.

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

In order to be considered for athlete of the year, they must first have made the all-state team by winning an event.

Athletes of the year were selected based upon their performance at the state meet. Coaches of the year were selected based upon the team champions.

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Class 5A

(Tim Bourke/TimBourke.com)

Athlete of the year: Riley Stewart, Cherry Creek

Coach of the year: Brian Kula, Valor Christian

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Class 4A

(Kevin McNearny)

Athlete of the year: Lucca Fulkerson, Niwot

Coach of the year: Maurice Henriques, Niwot

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Class 3A

(Brad Cochi/CHSAANow)

Athlete of the year: Peyton Garrison, Coal Ridge

Coach of the year: Ben Kirk, Coal Ridge

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Class 2A

(Brad Cochi/CHSAANow)

Athlete of the year: Eboselulu Omofoma, Dayspring Christian

Coach of the year: Kirby Henderson, Cedaredge

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Class 1A

(Brad Cochi/CHSAANow)

Athlete of the year: Alivia Weathers, Lone Star

Coach of the year: Joe Packard, Heritage Christian

(Brad Cochi/CHSAANow)

LAKEWOOD – A steady rain forced Taylor James to rush in packing up her belongings on the infield at Jefferson County Stadium on Saturday afternoon, and it caused her to get soaked as she conducted post-race interviews.

The moisture did not, however, dampen her spirits as the Niwot senior closed one of the most remarkable track and field careers in Colorado history.

James won two more state titles on Saturday, leading Niwot to one of the most dominating team performances in state history.

“That hasn’t quite sunken in yet,” she said of knowing her high school career has come to a close. “Definitely I’m gonna miss the state meet, Jeffco Stadium, the crowd and what an amazing meet the organizers put on. It’s tough for sure, but I’ve still got things to look forward to.”

The Stanford-bound star has a bright future, but put together another memorable performance this weekend.

On Saturday, James won the 200-meter dash (24.61 seconds), the 400-meter dash (54.69) and anchored the Cougars to a win in the 400-meter relay (48.30). She helped them to a win and meet record in the 800-meter relay on Friday.

James closed her three-year career (she didn’t get a 2020 season because of the COVID-19 pandemic) with 10 state titles in the 12 events she competed. She placed first in the last nine state events she ran, including going 4-for-4 in 2019 and this year.

James ranks not only among the greatest in Niwot history – along with Griffin Matthew, Elise Cranny and others – but in state history.

“Yeah, it’s definitely very exciting,” she said. “I do try to take time to reflect a little bit. Sometimes I can be a little hard on myself, so I try to think back to a lot of my best races and I love the feeling of coming across the line first for sure. I’m a very competitive person in nature. But my goal orientation is always about what my team wants me to do.”

With James leading the way, the Cougars scored a stunning 183 team points to beat second-place Mullen (48) by 135.

In addition to James on Saturday, the Cougars got an individual title from sophomore Kimora Northrup in the 300 hurdles (43.78 seconds) and two more championships in relays. Niwot won the 400 relay and 1,600 relay on Saturday, completing a sweep of the five girls relays.

Niwot won its second consecutive team title after finishing as runner-up in James’ freshman year, 2018.

“It means everything,” James said of the team crown. “All these girls have been working so hard, battling their own battles, but yet coming to practice every single day for their teammates. I’m so excited to stand on the podium with all of them because I’m so proud of them. I know the coaches are proud of them. As a team leader, appointed team captain, it means a lot to see them all kind of grow and mature and everybody running so well.”

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Class 5A

(Brad Cochi/CHSAANow)

When this season began, Valor Christian senior Camille Peisner wasn’t sure she’d make it to the state meet. On Saturday, she was a three-time champion.

Peisner won the 100 meters with a time of 11.88 seconds and then narrowly won the 200 meters in 23.92 seconds. Denver East’s Kyairra Reigh was just .01 of a second behind Peisner.

“It’s so exciting,” said Peisner, who added a second-place finish in the 400 meters and helped the Eagles to a victory in the 1,600-meter relay (3:52.92 seconds). “This was a comeback season for me. I started in the hospital, so I was just surprised to get the (100 and 200) and I can’t complain about the 400.”

Peisner got appendicitis this spring and then had some complications that kept her in the hospital for about five days.

“At that point I was like, ‘Hopefully I can even make it to the state track meet,’” she said. “I’m just thankful to be here let alone get the win.”

Peisner, who won three relay titles with the Eagles earlier in her career, was runner-up in the 400 in 2019 and third in the 200. Her performance this weekend, however, helped Valor Christian to the team title, with 130.50 points (Grandview was second, with 83.5).

(Brad Cochi/CHSAANow)

“I don’t know about other teams, but last year with the COVID season, we were still working out on our own every day, whether if it was in our garage or driveways or something like that,” she said. “Coming back and seeing all that work come to fruition is really rewarding.”

Cherry Creek junior Riley Stewart capped a remarkable weekend with a victory in the 1,600 meters. Stewart, who set the Colorado prep record with a time of 4:44.13 earlier this year, came up just short of that mark, but did establish a new 5A state meet record, crossing the line in 4:45.96.

Stewart swept her three individual races this weekend, also taking titles in the 800 meters and 3,200 meters. In addition, she helped the Bruins to a win in the 3,200-meter relay.

“It’s amazing,” Stewart said. “The whole weekend has been so fun and to finish it on this high note, I’m so excited.

While Reigh lost the 200 meter final to Peisner, the Denver East star did win the 400 meters, in a time of 53.27 seconds. She also helped the Angels win the 400-meter relay, in 47.72 seconds.

In other events Saturday, Overland senior Zeaniah Wedgeworth won the 100-meter hurdles (14.36); Valor Christian junior Kylie Bahr won the 300 hurdles (42.93); Loveland junior Kajsa Borrman won the discus (145-10); and freshman Lilly Nichols of Broomfield won the pole vault (12-0).

(Brad Cochi/CHSAANow)

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Class 4A

(Brad Cochi/CHSAANow)

While James and Niwot dominated the team race, Mullen had a great meet, as well. The Mustangs finished second in the team race, led by junior Agur Dwol and senior Kaleah Ruff.

Dwol, who won the long jump on Thursday, easily won the triple jump on Saturday with a leap of 40 feet, 9 inches. Ruff was beaten out by James in the 200, but won the 100 meters, in 12.03 seconds. She lost the 100 meters by .03 of a second in 2019.

“It was well deserved,” Ruff said of the first state title of her career. “I’ve been working for two years to run a good time and to win state, so it felt really nice.”

Ruff said the strong team showing meant a lot because the Mustangs didn’t bring a large contingent to Jeffco Stadium.

“It’s been really amazing because we only have seven girls right now at state compared to most schools,” she said. “I love all my girls and we’re doing the very best we can, putting 100 percent into our races and we’re seeing good results from it.”

Also on Saturday, Bethany Michalak of Air Academy won the 1,600 (4:55.01) by just .07 of a second over Niwot’s Lucca Fulkerson; and Sand Creek senior Jahzara Davis won the 100 hurdles (14.62).

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Class 3A

(Brad Cochi/CHSAANow)

Coal Ridge won the first team title in its history, outlasting Liberty Common, 111-80. And, it was junior Peyton Garrison who was the star for the Titans.

Garrison swept the sprints, winning in the 100 meters (12.38 seconds), 200 (25.02) and 400 (56.23). She also capped her day by helping the Titans win the 1,600-meter relay in 4:01.78.

“It’s exciting. It really is,” she said after winning her three sprints. “My freshman year I didn’t win and I thought I was going to, but I came in this year a little more confident. I’m proud of where I came.”

In 2019, Garrison was third in the 200 and fourth in the 100.

“My times have been increasing ever since freshman year and I’ve been working really hard to get where I am,” she said.

Elsewhere on Saturday, Logan Haugestuen of Liberty Common won the 100 hurdles in 15.9 seconds and helped her team win the 400-meter relay (48.98); Alexandria Tice of Lamar won the discus (125-0); Basalt’s Katelyn Maley won the 1,600 meters (5:01.10); Holy Family’s Skylar Hawk won the 300 hurdles (46.05); and Sterling’s Valarie Allen won the triple jump (36-6).

(Brad Cochi/CHSAANow)

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Class 2A

(Brad Cochi/CHSAANow)

Despite some sore legs on Friday, South Park senior Jordan Burnett made sure the final meet of her prep career was a memorable one.

On Saturday, she won the 200 meters (25.29 seconds) and the 400 meters (56.91) for the first state titles of her career. She also finished second in the 100 meters, behind Mikayla Hutchison of Banning Lewis. Hutchison had a time of 12.53, while Burnett was 0.09 behind.

“It was so much fun,” Burnett said. “It was great. I didn’t know what to expect. My legs were a little sore yesterday even, so today I was just like it’s for fun; we’re just going to go out and give it everything we’ve got and it was so much fun.”

Cedaredge won the team title, 87-53 over second-place Banning Lewis Academy.

The Bruins dominated all weekend in relays and won two more on Saturday, taking the 400 relay (52.17) and the 1,600 relay (4:13.43). Megan Jenkins also won a title in the 300 hurdles (46.20)

Dayspring Christian freshman Eboselulu Omofoma was a two-time champion. After winning the high jump on Thursday, she came and won the 100 hurdles on Saturday (15.41 seconds).

In other Saturday finals, Peyton’s Eowyn Dalbec won the 1,600 meters (5:24.65); Holyoke’s Correy Koellner won the shot put (38-8.25); and Hannah Turpin of St. Mary’s won the long jump (16-11.75).

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Class 1A

(Brad Cochi/CHSAANow)

Heritage Christian cruised to the team title – the third in program history and first since 2016 – and freshman Ainsley Stanton played a starring role.

On Saturday, Stanton easily won the 1,600 meters, her time of 5:4377 beating the field by nearly six seconds. It was the third title in three events this weekend for the freshman, who also won the 3,200 meters and helped the Eagles win the 3200 relay.

(Brad Cochi/CHSAANow)

“I’m really excited,” Stanton said. “I wasn’t really expecting it. The mile was the one I was most nervous for. I’m pumped.”

Adding a team title made the weekend even sweeter.

“It’s amazing,” Stanton said. “My team is great and I think we’ve worked really hard for it.”

Individually, nobody had a better meet in Class 1A than Alivia Weathers of Lone Star. The junior went 4-for-4 on the weekend, including a pair of titles on Saturday in the 100 hurdles (16.5 seconds) and the 300 hurdles (48.15). She also won the pole vault and triple jump.

Sangre de Cristo senior Avery Palmgren had a big day, winning three individual state titles. She started her day with a leap of 17 feet, 1.75 inches to win the long jump. Then, she cruised to the win in the 100 meters (13.14 seconds) and added a title in the 200 meters (27.24)

Other champions on Saturday included Eads senior Colby Stoker in the shot put (38 feet, 2 inches); Merino junior Taysa Conger in the 400 meters (1:01.91); Haxtun won the 400-meter relay (54.04); and Merino won the 1,600 relay (4:23.96).

(Brad Cochi/CHSAANow)

Limon battled back and scored eight runs in its last two innings to get an 11-7 win over Peyton to win the Class 2A baseball title.

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

PUEBLO — Winning championships in Limon has become a regular occurrence. But for the last baseball game of the year, the last true team event for the Badgers, it was more a family affair at Rawlings Field on the campus of CSU-Pueblo.

Early miscues were made, but in true baseball spirit Limon simply looked to the next play. Then the next. By the time it was over, the Badgers got an 11-7 win over Peyton and are baseball state champions for the first time since 2010.

Perhaps the most fulfilling part of the day for coach Rocky Rockwell was watching two of his sons play a crucial role in helping the Badgers bring the Class 2A title home. Although he didn’t start the game, Brady Rockwell came took the mound in relief and worked efficiently after Peyton had briefly taken a 6-3 lead in the fifth inning.

He worked 2.2 innings of relief and gave up just two earned runs. Behind the plate was little brother Jordan. The two worked well together defensive and it was Jordan who gave the Badgers (20-0 overall) a spark when they needed it the most. He started the second inning off with a triple and scored on a ground ball to third by Camden Smithburg. He added a single and a double later in the game and scored three runs on top of driving in two.

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

“He was just trying to take base hit swings,” Rocky said. “It seemed like the ball was jumping off Peyton’s bats too. You play on these bigger fields and no one’s trying to lift the ball in the air. As a coach you love it, because then they just hit line drives and the ball carries. And Jordy got a couple in the gap and they carried. He’s just a gamer.”

Limon looked to have a bit of nerves heading into the game as the they started the top of the first with three big defensive miscues.

But they settled down to take a 3-0 lead after two innings.

The Panthers (17-2) finally got their bats in a groove in the top of the 5th inning. They got five consecutive runners on base highlighted by Brennen Meyers’ huge RBI triple. Rockwell got starting pitcher Trey Hines out and brought in Brady to try and get the Badgers back on track.

“It’s definitely a little nerve-racking,” Brady said. “But we’ve been doing this all year. We’ve been down a few times and I knew that we were going to put the ball in play and good things would happen.”

He was right.

The Badgers came out hot in their side of the fifth and the first four hitters of the inning reached base and scored. That included an RBI single from Jordan Rockwell that tied the game.

“I came in confident and came through for my team,” Jordan said.

He was one of two Badgers to drive in a pair of runs as he and Smithburg did it from the seven and eight spots in the lineup, respectively.

This is the third baseball title for Limon and the first since 2010. But overall, this is a group of kids that have been great across the board – playing in the both the football and boys basketball championship games this year – and expect to be at that championship level.

“We’re a big football town,” Rocky said. “We have 20 football titles and this is our third baseball title. This is the first time I’ve been a head coach and been a part of a team like this. They do expect to be the best.”

And if this year has shown anything for this group of Badgers, it’s that they can make the reality live up to the expectation.”

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

PUEBLO — Peyton is a well-balanced baseball team and if there was any doubt about that, the Panthers erased them all on Saturday at the Runyon baseball complex in Pueblo.

In the two games they played, Peyton showed strength in both pitching and on offense as it grabbed a 15-0 win over Denver Christian and an 8-1 win over Buena Vista to advance to the Class 2A championship game next Saturday.

In the first game, as strong as the Panthers (17-1) overall were offensively, it was the arm of CJ Lashley that was perhaps the most impressive part of their game. Lashley threw a four-inning no-hitter which gave his team a huge mental boost not just for their second game of the day but for the remainder of the 2A state baseball tournament.

“We’re an all-around team,” Lashley said. “Throwing that no-hitter definitely gave us a lot of confidence and helped us save some arms for the next game. It shows that it’s not one player on the team, we have balance throughout the whole roster.”

Lashley helped his own cause early in the first game as he ripped a 3-RBI triple in the second that pushed the Peyton lead to 6-0 over Denver Christian. They added nine more runs to finish off the game in the bottom of the 4th, just before Runyon went into a lightning delay for close to an hour.

When they took the field against Buena Vista, the Panthers showed no sign of slowing down. They again jumped on the board early and Brennen Meyers pitched five solid innings.

The Panthers will have a chance at avenging their only loss of the season as they’ll head back to Pueblo next Saturday to face No. 1 Limon. The Badgers beat St. Mary’s 8-1 then rallied in a big way to beat Rye 16-6 to advance to the state championship game.

A four-run first inning for Rye put Limon (19-0) in an early hole, but they responded in a big way in the bottom of the 2nd. Kory Tacha tied the game with a 2-RBI single and then the Badgers added five more in the inning to take firm control.

“We’ve been down like that before,” Tacha said. “We had to battle back in games earlier in the season and we’re good at that. We’re a team that can battle through adversity and come out on top.”

Limon and Peyton met earlier in the year, back on May 21, when the Badgers got a 4-2 win. That game featured a pitching matchup of Lashley and Tacha and it wouldn’t be shocking to see the same matchup in a week’s time.

The 2A baseball state championship game will begin at 9:30 a.m. on June 26 at Hobbs Field.

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

Baseball’s Season D regional and state tournament bracket for Class 2A.

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2021 CHSAA State Baseball Championships Class 2A Regional/State Bracket

In the latest coaches poll voting, Ponderosa and Merino claimed the top spots in their respective classifications.

The rankings, voted upon by coaches, are the official polls of the Association.

Complete rankings for all classes are below.

[divider]

CHSAANow.com Baseball Polls

Coaches looking to vote should email bcochi@chsaa.org.

Class 2A No. 2 Peyton baseball extended its winning streak to seven games after sweeping a doubleheader against No. 6 Calhan.

In the latest coaches poll, Cheyenne Mountain and Eaton took over the top spots in their respective classes.

The rankings, voted upon by coaches, are the official polls of the Association.

Complete rankings for all classes are below.

[divider]

CHSAANow.com Baseball Polls

Coaches looking to vote should email bcochi@chsaa.org.