5A Boys State Tennis: Cherry Creek takes team championship
The Cherry Creek High School boys tennis team took the 5A State Team Tennis Championship over Regis Jesuit on Oct. 17 at Denver Tennis Park. The final score was Bruins 4, Regis 1. The Bruins took all four doubles matches and tourney rules amended for this year held that the first team to four wins out of the seven events would suspend play and emerge the winner. This was the second year the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) has separated individual and team events. Creek won the inaugural team event last year, winning over Valor Christian.
“I’m very excited,” said Cherry Creek Head Coach Art Quinn. “A fantastic effort by all participants. You could feel the effort by Regis Jesuit and Cherry Creek to bring out the best in one another. I’m proud of all our boys and coaches.”
Creek has dominated boys and girls tennis for years, but Quinn said this title continues to be special.
“Feels just as good, maybe better, because we’re indoors. It’s a new venue and the start of a new era for all of us,” Quinn said.
The Cherry Creek tandem of seniors Matthew Hu and Kris Kostadinov won a tough No. 1 Doubles match over Regis, (4-6, 6-4, 6-3), which clinched the state title for the Bruins. Losing the first set refocused Hu and Kostadinov.
“I was getting a little mad in the first set,” Kostadinov said. “I just told myself getting mad is not going to solve the issue; just stay calm and win the match.”
Hu said it was great for him and his partner to win four state championships in four years.
“We really wanted this win,” Hu said. “We’ve been practicing all season, and we knew that it would all pay off. Our doubles guys have been doing great, and it was so great that they all were able to win.”
In No. 2 Doubles, Bruins senior Trey Zurcher and junior Luke Norford won (6-4, 6-2). No. 3 Doubles was won by the Bruins duo of senior Colin Brown and sophomore Tyson Hardy, (6-3, 6-2). In No. 4 Doubles, Cherry Creek junior Wills Possehl and sophomore Adam Eikenberner won their match (6-1, 6-3).
See the complete bracket here.
5A Boys Tennis: All-State tennis teams announced:
The 2023 All-State Boys Tennis teams were announced Oct. 18. The teams are compiled by CHSAANow.com and MaxPreps, based on individual and dual team state tourneys.
Coach of the Year:
Arthur Quinn, Cherry Creek
First Team:
Colin Brown, senior, Cherry Creek
Adam Eikelberner, sophomore, Cherry Creek
Tyson Hardy, sophomore, Cherry Creek
Matthew Hu, senior, Cherry Creek
Kris Kostadinov, senior, Cherry Creek
Wills Possehl, junior, Cherry Creek
Justin Son, sophomore, Grandview
See the complete list of honorees here.
5A State Softball: District teams come up short
Hopes were high for CCSD clubs entering the final weekend of the 5A State Softball Championships on Oct. 20 at Aurora Sports Park. When it was all said and done, Eaglecrest, Cherokee Trail, and Grandview were all eliminated on the first day of play. No. 2 Chatfield was the eventual State Champion, defeating No. 4 Erie in the title contest.
The Raptors came in as the 8th seed were shut out and eliminated by No. 9 Fruita Monument, 14-0. EHS finishes the season at 19-7. The other early game on Friday had 12th-seeded Grandview defeating No.7 ThunderRidge 8-7 in a thriller. Later, No. 11 Cherokee Trail won its first-round contest over No. 6 Broomfield 15-8.
In the second round, the Wolves and Cougars were both eliminated in 1-run contests. Grandview fell to 4th-seeded Erie, 6-5, to finish the season at 20-8. CT lost another close ballgame 4-3 to No. 14 Fossil Ridge. Cherokee Trail also finishes the season at 20-8.
See the entire bracket and results here.
5A Cross Country: Cherokee Trail, Creek, and Grandview all send teams to state
Regional cross country events were held on Oct. 19 across the metro area, and district schools qualified teams and individual runners for the State Championships on Oct. 28 at Norris Penrose Events Center in Colorado Springs.
Region 1 at the Arapahoe County Fairgrounds saw the Bruins take overall team honors for the girls. Grandview finished 4th. The top 4 teams advance to the championships. Individually, Cherry Creek sophomore Emily Cohen took first overall, besting teammate and junior Kinley Wolfe by 52 seconds. Bruins freshman Kylee Hu finished 8th, junior Paisley Peipgras was 10th, junior Caroline Laughlin placed 12th, CT freshman Jade McDaniel was 14th and Creek junior Haim Lim was 15th in the individual standings.
For the boys, Grandview, Cherry Creek, and Cherokee Trail placed 1st, 3rd, and 4th respectively, qualifying teams for state. Individual results had Cherry Creek senior Daniel Hruska taking 2nd overall, with Grandview seniors Owen Zitek and Lucas Blevins finishing 5th and 6th respectively. CT sophomore Dylan Smith finished 8th, Wolves junior Evan Valencia was 12th, Cougars senior McKay Larsen placed 13th, sophomore Tanner Larsen was 14th, and senior Brady Smith was 15th in the overall individual standings.
5A Football: Cherry Creek stays undefeated, and CT gets a big win
Week 9 of the high school football season saw district teams go 4-2.
Cherry Creek stayed undefeated at 9-0 by defeating a very tough Arapahoe club at the Stutler Bowl on Oct. 20. Bruins turnovers contributed to the home team trailing Arapahoe 14-7 at the half. A Brady Vodicka to Ty Goettsche 18-yard touchdown pass accounted for the Cherry Creek scoring at the break. The third quarter saw Jolan Quintana hit a 25-yard field goal to draw Creek closer. Vodicka then scored from 1 yard out to take a fourth quarter lead, 17-14. Jordan Herron closed out the scoring with a 2-yard touchdown run with two minutes remaining, sealing the Cherry Creek victory. The Bruins close out the regular season against Grandview at 7 p.m. on Oct. 27 at Legacy Stadium.
The Wolves fell to 6-3 on the season after being upset by Cherokee Trail at Legacy Stadium on Friday evening. The Cougars (4-5) trailed 7-6 at the halftime break, but went on to score 17 second half points in the win. Next, CT hosts Smoky Hill at 7 p.m. on Oct. 26 at Legacy Stadium.
Eaglecrest improved to 7-2 with a big 55-14 win over Smoky Hill on Oct. 19. The Raptors offense amassed 541 total yards on the night. Next, EHS takes on Arapahoe at 7 p.m. on Oct. 26 at Littleton Public Schools Stadium. Smoky Hill is at Legacy Stadium to take on Cherokee Trail at 7 p.m., also on Oct. 26.
Overland improved to 5-4 in the 5A Metro North by defeating Mountain Range 41-10 on Oct. 19 at North Stadium. The Trailblazers close out the 2023 regular season against Doherty on Oct. 27. Kick-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Stutler Bowl.
5A Boys Soccer: Cougars, Bruins, and Wolves make state tourney
The 5A Boys State Soccer Tournament qualifiers were announced by CHSAA on Oct. 23, and three CCSD clubs will be competing. Cherry Creek earned an 8th seed, Cherokee Trail is seeded 14th, and Grandview is seeded 18th. First round games will be played on Oct. 25. The Bruins and Cougars will host at Stutler and Legacy Stadium on Wednesday, while the Wolves are in Boulder.
See the complete 5A bracket here.
Field Hockey: State tournament clubs announced
Cherry Creek and Smoky Hill will represent the district in the state tournament which starts with first round play-in games on Oct. 23. Smoky Hill is seeded 10th and will host No. 11 Mountain Vista at 6 p.m. at the Stutler Bowl. Creek has a second round bye and will host a still-to-be-determined opponent at 10 a.m. on Oct. 28 at the Stutler Bowl.
See the bracket and schedule here.
Cross country photos courtesy Steve Abeyta Photography. Football photo courtesy Theodore A. Stark.
Posted 10/23/2023.
