5A Boys State Golf: Cherokee Trail and Cherry Creek tie for second
District boys golf clubs from Cherokee Trail and Cherry Creek played neck-and-neck for most of the day last Tuesday in Round 2 of the 2023 5A State Championships at Collindale Golf Course in Fort Collins. The Cougars and Bruins were tied after 36 holes, each coming in with team totals of 445, just five strokes behind State Champion Rock Canyon.
The Cherokee Trail foursome of freshman Anthony Chen, sophomores Brayden Forte and Dalton Sisneros, and junior Christopher O’Donnell, and Bruins’ juniors Andre Dumonteil, Wyatt Isgrig, Henry Starr, and senior Pratham Parmar, kept their teams close during second round play.
Tourney rules provided for a one-hole playoff involving all eight golfers, and in the end, Cherry Creek took home the hardware, edging CT by one stroke.
“I thought it was rather fitting, considering how much we and Cherokee Trail have been battling all year, and I felt that it was appropriate that we go to a playoff to figure things out,” said Cherry Creek Head Coach Dustin Neel. “Fortunately, we were able to get it done on the first playoff hole.”
“At Creek, we usually do well in the playoffs,” said Parmar, a senior and the team captain. “We have a culture that really demands being in stressful situations and putting ourselves under pressure. But it was nice to play with the guys one last time, and have that last hole and have those memories forever. And great competition. CT is one of our Centennial League rivals, and we were able to win today, but we know that they’re going to come back stronger, and our boys are going to have to compete next year too.” he added.
In individual play, Cherokee Trail sophomore Brayden Forte tied for second overall, coming in with an even par 142, six strokes behind State Champion Charlie Tucker of Rock Canyon.
“I struggled after the start, but I really stayed within myself, got some birdies in the middle of the round, and I finished with some bogies, but it was a good round overall,” Forte said.
He believes the second-place tie in the team standings is a sign of better things to come.
“It was really nerve-wracking,” he said. “There are all these people watching on 18, and whatever happens, happens. But you don’t want to make any mistakes in front of all those people. We’ll take the second-place tie and we’re all young as a team and we’ll be back next year and put up a good fight again.”
Cherokee Trail Head Coach Jason Leclaire was happy with his team’s play in the tournament.
“They played great,” said Leclaire. “I could not be prouder of them. We did not have our best stuff yesterday, and the kids knew that. But they came out today and said, ‘We’re just going to stay in the moment a little better, let go of the expectations and let the result come,’ and sure enough, they did. I’m super-proud of them for how they fought.”
5A Boys Golf: All-State teams are named
The 2023 All-State Boys Golf teams were announced on Oct. 6. The selections were based on the results of the 5A Boys State Championships held in Fort Collins last week.
First Team:
Brayden Forte, sophomore – Cherokee Trail
Second Team:
Dalton Sisneros, sophomore – Cherokee Trail
Andre Dumonteil, junior – Cherry Creek
Wyatt Isgrig, junior – Cherry Creek
Henry Starr, junior – Cherry Creek
Micheal Rosman, junior – Grandview
See the complete list of honorees here.
Congratulations to all district golfers!
5A Football: CCSD clubs go 4-2 in week 7
Centennial League play continued last week as district football teams played tough conference games.
Undefeated and No. 1-ranked Cherry Creek had no problem with Smoky Hill last Friday night at the Stutler Bowl. It was the Bruins homecoming and they celebrated in style with a 47-0 shutout of the Buffs. Five different Creek players had rushing touchdowns as the home team scored 40 first half points in the victory.
Next, Cherry Creek has a big game with Eaglecrest at 7 p.m. on Oct. 13. The Buffaloes (1-6) will host Grandview at 7 p.m. next Thursday, Oct. 12, at the Stutler Bowl.
Eaglecrest bounced back from their first loss last week with a tough 13-9 win over Cherokee Trail on Oct. 6 at Legacy Stadium. The Cougars had an enthusiastic homecoming crowd, and the CT defense played inspired football all evening, forcing several Raptor turnovers. In the end, however, two Joe Steiner to Logan Ryan touchdown passes were all Eaglecrest needed to secure the win. CT got on the board when Garrison Hansen kicked a field goal in the second quarter to go to halftime trailing 6-3. Cherokee Trail quarterback Tyson Smith also hit Carson Pierce for a 23-yard score in the fourth, but EHS held on.
Next, the Raptors (6-1) will host undefeated Cherry Creek at 7 p.m. on Friday at Legacy Stadium. CTHS (3-4) is on the road to Littleton Public Schools Stadium to take on Arapahoe at 7 p.m. Oct. 12.
Grandview fell to 5-2 last Thursday with a 30-16 loss to Arapahoe. Quarterback Liam Szarka passed for two touchdowns and Kyle Chavez hit a 25-yard field goal in the defeat.
The Wolves will try and get back on the winning track when they take on Smoky Hill at 7 p.m. on Friday at the Stutler Bowl.
Overland got another conference win in the 5A Metro North with a 27-0 shutout of visiting Northglenn on Oct. 5. The Trailblazers (4-3) were led by running back Jarrius Ward’s three rushing touchdowns. Next, the Blazers are on the road to All-City Stadium to take on Denver East at 6 p.m. on Friday.
5A Softball: Four CCSD clubs make state playoffs
The Cherry Creek School District will be well represented at the 5A Softball State Championships this year. Cherokee Trail – winners of the Centennial League and seeded 10th, Cherry Creek –seeded 26th, Eaglecrest–seeded 16th, and Grandview–seeded 9th, will all be playing at sites across the metro area on Oct. 13-14.
The teams will be trying to qualify for the final rounds to be held on Oct. 20-21 at Aurora Sports Park.
Get more information and complete brackets here.
5A Boys State Tennis: Individual qualifiers come out of regionals to compete at state
Brackets for the 5A Boys individual state tennis championships were released on Oct. 9. Players from Cherokee Trail, Cherry Creek, and Grandview qualified.
The 2023 5A Boys Individual State Championships will be held on Oct. 12-14 at Denver City Park. Matches begin at 9 a.m. each day.
See the brackets and more information here.
5A Boys State Team Tennis: Cherry Creek moves on to semifinal play
The second-seeded Cherry Creek boys tennis team will host No. 3 Valor Christian in the semifinals of the 5A Boys State Tennis Tournament. Winners will advance to the State Championship matches in seven categories at the Denver Tennis Center on October 17.
SHHS at CCHS football photo courtesy Theodore A. Stark.
Posted 10//9/2023.
