Posts Tagged ‘Ponderosa’

All-state baseball teams for Season D

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

First Team
Name School Pos. Year
Radek Birkholz Valor Christian P/SS Senior
Greysen Carter Fairview Senior
Alex Champagne Heritage SS Senior
Sam Krysa Mountain Vista 3B Senior
Quinton Low Chatfield P/1B Senior
Trevor Moore Mullen SS/RHP Junior
Caden Potter Valor Christian 3B Senior
Alec Willis Regis Jesuit Senior
Blake Young Mountain Vista C/DH Junior
Second Team
Name School Pos. Year
Beau Baldensperger Cherokee Trail C/P Senior
Cale Claridge Legacy Senior
Joe Clinton Cherokee Trail 3B/P Senior
Christian Foutch Chatfield P Junior
Connor Hasse Denver South Junior
Aaron Kidd Legend INF/OF Junior
Cade Kunz Heritage LHP/1B/OF Sophomore
Evan Magill Mountain Vista RHP Senior
JC Rodriguez Far Northeast Warriors OF/C Senior
Cody Trebelhorn Cherry Creek RHP/1B/OF Junior

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

First Team
Name School Pos. Year
Dylan Carey Ponderosa SS/P/3B Junior
Denton Damgaard Cheyenne Mountain C Junior
Carson Fagan Severance SS/RHP Junior
Brad Helton Cheyenne Mountain 3B/OF/RHP Senior
Dom Lopez Ponderosa 1B/P/OF Senior
Cole Martino Pueblo County P/1B/3B Senior
Nolan McCracken Windsor RHP Senior
Thomas Schreffler Evergreen INF/P Senior
Izaak Siefken Holy Family P/2B/SS Senior
Second Team
Name School Pos. Year
Michael Casillas Pueblo East RHP/SS/2B Sophomore
Jared Delgado Holy Family SS/C/2B Junior
Luke Guarienti Pueblo South OF/C Senior
Blake Hammond Holy Family P/2B Senior
Chase Hartman Pueblo County CF/C Senior
Justin Hudson Lewis-Palmer RHP/INF Senior
Kolton Miller Ponderosa 2B Senior
Kyle Miller Pueblo East SS/RHP Senior
Devin Nowells Longmont 3B/RHP Senior

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

First Team
Name School Pos. Year
Josh Doerr Faith Christian LHP/OF Senior
Ryan Howard The Classical Academy C/INF/RHP Senior
Nolan Johnson University CF Senior
Walker Martin Eaton Sophomore
Logan Moser Eaton Senior
Krece Papierski Moffat County Senior
Dorian Pacheco Lutheran Senior
Saxton Sorenson Lutheran Senior
Ryan Ure Eaton Senior
Second Team
Name School Pos. Year
Noah Chamblee Bayfield 1B Sophomore
Zach Cook Resurrection Christian Senior
Tyler Duarte Alamosa SS/P Senior
Bradley Frank Kent Denver CF/INF Senior
River Jackson University SS Junior
Marcus Kane Bennett Senior
Alex Moore The Classical Academy CF/RHP/2B Senior
Kaden Moriarity Brush Junior
Carson Wolf Faith Christian RHP/1B/INF Senior

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

First Team
Name School Pos. Year
Junior Arambula Wray C/P/UTIL Senior
Brock Benz Rye SS/RHP/C Junior
Payton Brown Sargent P/SS Senior
Gaige Hilferty Limon Senior
AJ Lashley Peyton P/INF Junior
Brennen Meyers Peyton INF/P Senior
Chance Pebley Highland Senior
Brady Rockwell Limon Junior
Kory Tacha Limon Senior
Second Team
Name School Pos. Year
Ky Bandy Limon Junior
Elijah Crosson Trinidad SS/P Junior
Trey Geyer Cedaredge P/SS/OF Senior
Hunter Gotschall Calhan SS/P Sophomore
Michael Gutierrez Burlington Senior
Brandon Hussey Peyton OF/C/P Senior
JD McCown Estes Park P/SS/1B Senior
Parker Pene North Fork INF/P/C Junior
Connor Wolf Dawson School LHP/UTIL Junior

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

Holly baseball

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

Player of the year: Jose Magallanes, Holly

Coach of the year: Dayne Eaton, Holly

First Team
Name School Pos. Year
Jacob Dube Flatirons Academy C/RHP Senior
Dakota Eaton Holly LHP/SS/2B Junior
Josh Flatt Dayspring Christian Senior
Jose Magallanes Holly C/1B/RHP Senior
Evan Moll Flatirons Academy 1B/OF/LHP Junior
Brigden Parker Holly LHP/CF/1B Senior
JT Pollart Caliche Senior
Trenton Rowan Flatirons Academy UTIL/RHP Junior
Tyler Wytulka Nucla Senior
Second Team
Name School Pos. Year
Kole Armstrong Merino INF/P/C Senior
Joey Coates Rocky Mountain Lutheran Senior
Ty Coleman Cotopaxi SS/P Sophomore
Hayden Gray Dove Creek 3B/RHP Senior
Kaden Piel Merino INF/P/C Freshman
Ty Scheler Cheyenne Wells Sophomore
Cooper Seamon Stratton Sophomore
Julian Terrazas Holly 1B/OF/UTIL Sophomore
Deacon Trenkle Merino INF/P/C Sophomore

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

All-state boys lacrosse teams for Season D

The Season D all-state boys lacrosse teams honor the best players in the sport as judged by the leagues and coaches.

They are created by the Colorado High School Boys Lacrosse Coaches Association.

[divider]

Class 5A

Player of the year: Trey Digby, Valor Christian; Dillon Pless, Mountain Vista

Coach of the year: Matt Kelley, Fairview

First Team
Name Year School Position
Jack Ringhofer Senior Regis Jesuit Attack
Jake Likes Senior Valor Christian Attack
Jake Ward Senior Mountain Vista Attack
Dakota Johnson Senior Cherry Creek Attack
John Alie Junior Grandview Attack
Jack Gerber Junior Colorado Academy Attack
Liam O’Brien Senior Fairview Midfield
Griffin Mallory Senior Valor Christian Midfield
Spencer Harvey Senior Colorado Academy Midfield
Braeden Wimer Senior Monarch Midfield
Carter Korzenski Senior Cherry Creek Midfield
Johnny Colombi Senior Castle View Midfield
Dillon Pless Junior Mountain Vista Midfield
Harrison Pfeiffer Senior Fairview Defense
Kayce Kline Senior Cherry Creek Defense
Hudson Bush Senior Fairview Defense
Ryan Cole Senior Valor Christian Defense
Zach Friedman Junior Ralston Valley Defense
Ryan Pless Junior Mountain Vista Defense
Sam Riecken Junior Monarch Defense
Mitch Gutgsell Senior Valor Christian Goalie
Brooks Catlin Senior Fairview Goalie
Aiden Bullock Senior Douglas County F/O Midfield
Alex Fredrich Sophomore Cherry Creek F/O Midfield
Trey Digby Senior Valor Christian LSM
Eli Hamilton Senior Valor Christian Def. Midfield
Second Team
Name Year School Position
Andrew Frey Senior Monarch Attack
Brandon Bergner Senior Kent Denver Attack
Andrew Tan Senior Denver East Attack
Justin Hanson Senior Rock Canyon Attack
Jack Cromwell Junior Fairview Attack
Lane Kellogg Junior Ralston Valley Attack
Sean Hicks Senior Rock Canyon Midfield
Jack Egen Senior Regis Jesuit Midfield
Jack Wirth Senior Fairview Midfield
Noah Wehrman Senior Grandview Midfield
Justin Virden Senior ThunderRidge Midfield
Luke Brunner Sophomore Lakewood Midfield
Brayden Legette Senior Eaglecrest Midfield
Jack Casey Sophomore Regis Jesuit Defense
Jack Kiefer Sophomore Cherry Creek Defense
Kyle Riner Senior Rock Canyon Defense
Nate Kopec Junior Mountain Vista Goalie
Will Stewart Sophomore Cherry Creek Goalie
Colton McPherson Junior Ralston Valley F/O Midfield
Kale Kissell Senior Colorado Academy LSM
Nick Horrocks Senior Fairview LSM
Jack Moxcey Sophomore Cherry Creek Def. Midfield

Honorable mention:

  • Jack Colwell, Junior, Mountain Range, Attack
  • Brandon Hane, Senior, Mullen, Attack
  • Gunnar Fellows, Junior, Valor Christian, Attack
  • Andrew Merrell, Senior, Lewis-Palmer, Midfield
  • Duke Benson, Junior, Kent Denver, Midfield
  • Evan Gibbs, Junior, Cherokee Trail, Midfield
  • Fletcher Sullivan, Junior, Regis Jesuit, Midfield
  • Jackson Cutter, Junior, ThunderRidge, Midfield
  • Kevin Pickford, Junior, Denver East, Midfield
  • Tyler Olson, Sophomore, Mountain Vista, Midfield
  • Eliot Rutherford, Sophomore, Colorado Academy, Defense
  • Logan Murray, Senior, Lewis-Palmer, Defense
  • Reed Roughton, Junior, ThunderRidge, Defense
  • Ty Scheckenbach, Sophomore, Arapahoe, Defense
  • Dax Smestad, Senior, Smoky Hill, Goalie
  • Ian Thompson, Sophomore, Arapahoe, Goalie
  • Jackson Marshall, Senior, Mountain Vista, F/O Midfield
  • Nate Morris, Senior, ThunderRidge, LSM
  • Connor Wiederrich, Sophomore, Mountain Range, Def. Midfield

[divider]

Class 4A

Cheyenne Mountain Evergreen boys lacrosse

(Lance Wendt/wendt5280.com)

Player of the year: Griffin Meyer, Cheyenne Mountain

Coach of the year: Andrew Trietley, Ponderosa

First Team
Name Year School Position
Grant Rodny Junior Air Academy Attack
Ben Kirschner Senior Golden Attack
Liam Conners Freshman Erie Attack
Ben Crosbie Senior Evergreen Attack
Mitch Lewis Junior Cheyenne Mountain Attack
Jack Booth Senior Erie Midfield
Zak Paige Senior Cheyenne Mountain Midfield
Cole Skillington Junior Ponderosa Midfield
Greg Gould Senior Lutheran Midfield
Joe Cesario Senior Jefferson Academy Midfield
Karson Sparks Freshman Denver South Midfield
Wyatt Furda Sophomore Cheyenne Mountain Midfield
Cameron Paredes Senior Littleton Midfield
Max Warn Junior Erie Defense
Jared Stiller Senior Evergreen Defense
Carver Ward Senior Cheyenne Mountain Defense
Griffin Meyer Senior Cheyenne Mountain Defense
Jackson Metzler Senior Steamboat Springs Defense
Luke Schiffers Senior Conifer Defense
Max Schutt Senior Golden Defense
Kyle DesGarennes Senior Golden Goalie
Drew Morris Senior Evergreen Goalie
Gage Bachman Freshman Windsor F/O Midfield
Danny Schneider Senior Evergreen LSM
Derek Krumland Senior Ponderosa LSM
Jude Mieu Sophomore Thompson Valley Def. Midfield
Second Team
Name Year School Position
Camden Stanley Sophomore Ponderosa Attack
Becker Dienst Senior Vail Mountain Attack
Dalton Summers Junior Golden Attack
Gabe Adams Senior Denver North Attack
Nate Kaufman Junior Ponderosa Attack
Ryan Flaherty Junior Air Academy Midfield
Chance MacCagnon Senior Golden Midfield
Erich Peterson Junior Eagle Valley Midfield
Corby Tecu Junior Erie Midfield
Jack Seibert Senior Palmer Midfield
Kevin Pappa Sophomore Cheyenne Mountain Midfield
Brady Porter Junior Ponderosa Defense
Evan Westervelt Junior Denver South Defense
Conner Waite Senior Windsor Defense
Colin Selters Sophomore Erie Goalie
Joe Vandyk Junior Palmer Goalie
Gavin Radtke Junior Conifer F/O Midfield
Hayden Sock Senior Erie LSM
Ephram Caustrita Junior Lutheran Def. Midfield
Sebastion Witt Senior Eagle Valley Def. Midfield
Tyler McNielly Senior Green Mountain Def. Midfield

Honorable mention:

  • Colby Erdossy, Senior, Cheyenne Mountain, Attack
  • Grayden Easton, Senior, Evergreen, Attack
  • Nolan Williamson, Senior, Windsor, Attack
  • Grant Webster, Senior, Littleton, Attack
  • Joe Yoder, Junior, Northfield, Attack
  • Mackay Pattison, Senior, Vail Mountain, Attack
  • Nick Schreiber, Senior, Littleton, Attack
  • Rhasan Brown, Junior, Northfield, Midfield
  • Connor Dries, Senior, Evergreen, Midfield
  • Danny Joy, Junior, Bear Creek, Midfield
  • Carter Cassin, Senior, Evergreen, Midfield
  • Kellen Adams, Junior, Steamboat Springs, Midfield
  • Jeff Lowe, Senior, Glenwood Springs, Defense
  • Joe Elliott, Junior, Ponderosa, Defense
  • Ben Gladstone, Freshman, Northfield, Defense
  • Blake Skramstad, Senior, Lutheran, Defense
  • Trenton Koser, Senior, Thomas Jefferson, Defense
  • Tyler Morrison, Senior, Eagle Valley, Defense
  • Sam Gottesfeld, Junior, Northfield, Goalie
  • Peter Zimmer, Senior, Glenwood Springs, Goalie
  • Evan Shanks, Junior Jefferson Academy, F/O Midfield
  • Zachary Zabel, Sophomore, Thomas Jefferson, F/O Midfield
  • Nicholas Kazenske, Senior, Denver North, Def. Midfield

4A baseball: Ponderosa caps thrilling tournament run with first state title

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

PUEBLO — So many times were the Ponderosa Mustangs down. But they were never out. A week after they won three thrilling games in the Class 4A state baseball tournament, they entered the final two days playing like every bit the team that could not be beat.

And they had so much incentive to not get beat. That reason was Luke Karel. A teammate and a friend is going through a battle that no one can help him with. Karel is in the batter’s box and leukemia is throwing him some nasty stuff.

So when Ponderosa beat Holy Family 11-2 to claim the 4A baseball title, and first baseball championship in school history, the players couldn’t help but think of their friend who couldn’t be there physically, but was certainly there in spirit.

“It’s all Luke, he’s our main guy,” shortstop Dylan Carey said. “That’s what we’ve played for this year, was him. Last week we sent him some video messages. He’s going through his round of chemo. He’s losing his hair and seeing that was really hard. Getting this win for him meant a lot.”

And they had to earn it, which made it all the more special.

The Mustangs (21-3 overall) won their first four games of the state tournament which meant they would have to lose twice in order for someone to take the state title away from them.

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

Their first game against Holy Family proved to be their one hiccup of the tournament. They dropped the game 10-4 setting a one-game, winner take all showdown with the Tigers.

And coach Bob Maloney sent the same pitcher that Holy Family beat up a bit last weekend out to do it. The result this go around was much different. Derek Lukes had complete command of his stuff was untouchable in the first two innings, the same innings the Tigers (20-3) jumped on him a week ago.

“I came in with a winning mentality,” Lukes said. “I came in with a chip on my shoulder and I knew we were winning from the start. I came in ready to win and I knew my team was behind me.”

They got behind him in a big way. Trailing 1-0 going into the bottom of the 3rd, Kolton Miller walked then back-to-back extra base hits from Cael Porter and Carey made it a 2-1 game. Miller added a 2-RBI double in the 4th to help push the lead to 5-1.

As more runs came across the plate, the more amped the team got as they realized they were inching closer to a state title.

“These kids didn’t care who got the credit,” Maloney said. “They just wanted to win and they went out and did it.”

It was an impressive stretch throughout the entire state tournament. They started with walk-off wins against Evergreen and Cheyenne Mountain on Day 1 then a thrilling comeback win against Holy Family the next day.

They rolled against D’Evelyn on Friday before dropping one game to Holy Family only to rebound and win state. Through that stretch they production from all areas of the lineup, but it was first baseman Dom Lopez who was most impressive in the six games. He batted .640 and hit four home runs and drove in 12. He was the fuel behind the engine that carried the team to the state title.

And he too, did it with Karel in his heart. He couldn’t make it through the first weekend of the tournament without thinking about his friend.

“When we’re down, we always think about Luke,” he said last week. “We start every practice saying ‘Luke Strong’ and we end every game saying “Luke Strong.’ He’s in our hear every day and we just play for him.”

Until now. There is no more need to keep playing for him. Karel provided the inspiration for this group of Ponderosa athletes to do something that had never been done in school history. And there was no way they were going to let him down.

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

Photos: Ponderosa holds off Holy Family to claim 4A baseball title

PUEBLO — After dropping the first game of the day, Ponderosa exploded offensively to beat Holy Family for the Class 4A baseball title.

[divider]

Coverage

: Ponderosa caps thrilling tournament run with first state baseball title
: 4A baseball bracket

[divider]

Ponderosa 11, Holy Family 2

(Paul Shepardson)

[divider]

Holy Family 10, Ponderosa 4

(Paul Shepardson)

4A baseball: Ponderosa heads to final day of state tournament without a loss

(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.

4A baseball: Holy Family the victim of the latest Ponderosa rally

(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)

4A baseball: Ponderosa gets two walk-off bombs on Day 1 of state tournament

(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.”

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.

4A baseball state tournament bracket

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.

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2021 CHSAA State Baseball Championships Class 4A

Boys lacrosse rankings: The final coaches poll of Season D

In the final coaches poll of Season D, Cherry Creek and Cheyenne Mountain finished the season at No. 1.

The rankings, voted upon by coaches, are the official polls of the Association. This formula will be used as one of the criteria for postseason qualification and seeding.

Complete rankings for all classes are below.

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CHSAANow.com Boys Lacrosse Polls

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

Class 5A
RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS
1 Cherry Creek (15) 10-0 229 3
2 Valor Christian (2) 9-1 207 2
3 Mountain Vista (3) 7-2 178 1
4 Colorado Academy 9-1 176 5
5 Fairview 9-1 169 6
6 Regis Jesuit 8-2 163 4
7 Arapahoe 5-5 97 7
8 Denver East 6-4 89 6
9 Kent Denver 5-5 60 8
9 Monarch 8-2 60 11
11 Rock Canyon 6-4 53 10
12 Lewis-Palmer 10-0 29
Others receiving votes:
Grandview 24, Mullen 15, Ralston Valley 8, Fruita Monument 3
Dropped out
Grandview (12)
Class 4A
RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS
1 Cheyenne Mountain (18) 9-1 259 1
2 Evergreen 9-1 235 2
3 Ponderosa (4) 10-0 200 4
4 Erie 8-2 176 3
5 Golden 7-3 147 5
6 Windsor 7-3 124 6
7 Telluride 9-1 111 8
8 Denver South 6-4 101 12
9 Vail Mountain 8-2 97 7
10 Eagle Valley 8-2 82 9
11 Lutheran 7-3 66 11
12 Green Mountain 6-4 49 10
Others receiving votes:
Air Academy 25, Steamboat Springs 19, Littleton 8, Conifer 7, Northfield 5, Thompson Valley 3, Glenwood Springs 2
Dropped out
None

Photos: Liberty Bell track & field

Photos from the Liberty Bell track and field meet.