5A State Cross Country: Creek and Grandview lead district at state
While the Denver area was hit by winter weather on Oct. 28, conditions remained near-perfect at the Norris-Penrose Event Center in Colorado Springs for the 2023 State Cross Country Championships. It was cold but clear as runners from across the state competed for state titles. In 5A, Cherry Creek and Grandview led the district.
For the girls, CCHS sophomore Emily Cohen finished fourth overall, as Denver East junior Rosie Mucharsky won the day in a big upset. Air Academy junior Tessa Walter was second, followed by freshman teammate Mariah Hook who came in third. Bruins junior Kinley Wolfe finished 26th, senior Baylor Wolfe was 29th, freshman Kylee Hu was 40th, and junior Caroline Laughlin crossed the finish line in 50th place. The Creek runners combined for fourth place overall in the state team standings, while Grandview came in 20th. Air Academy was the State Team Champion, followed by Fossil Ridge and Chaparral.
On the boys' side, Cherry Creek senior Daniel Hruska led district runners, coming in seventh overall, as Chaparral senior Brennan Draper was the state winner, besting Mountain Vista junior Benjamin Anderson and Valor Christian senior Dane Eike, who finished second and third, respectively. Bruins junior Alexander Gilbert was 31st, while Grandview senior Owen Zitek finished 24th, and senior teammate Lucas Blevins placed 36th. The Wolves would take 5th overall in the team standings, with Cherry Creek earning 11th place and Cherokee Trail 18th. Rock Canyon took home the team state title, followed by Mountain Vista and Fairview.
Congratulations to all district runners on a great season!
5A Boys State Soccer: Cherokee Trail and Cherry Creek advance
The 5A Boys State Soccer Tournament got underway on Oct. 25, and three CCSD clubs were in action.
14th-seeded Cherokee Trail hosted No. 19 Valor Christian at Legacy Stadium, and the Cougars advanced after winning 1-0 in overtime. Next, second round play has the Cougars on the road to Colorado Springs to take on No. 3 Rampart at 5 p.m. on Oct. 31 at District 20 Stadium.
No. 8 Cherry Creek moved on last Wednesday evening at the Stutler Bowl, eliminating No. 25 Heritage, 3-2, also in overtime. The Bruins will host 9th-seeded Regis Jesuit at 6:15 p.m. on Tuesday night at the Stutler Bowl in a second-round match.
The 18th-seeded Grandview Wolves were on the road at Recht Field in Boulder to take on the Panthers. Grandview was shutout 4-0 and was eliminated. The Wolves finish the 2023 campaign at 7-6-3.
State Field Hockey: Cherry Creek and Smoky get to the state playoffs
The Cherry Creek Bruins and the Smoky Hill Buffaloes qualified for the state tournament last week.
The 10th-seeded Buffs hosted No. 11 Mountain Vista in a first-round “play-in” game on Oct. 23 at the Stutler Bowl. Smoky was eliminated by the Golden Eagles by a score of 2-1. The Buffs finish the season at 6-9-1.
No. 2 Cherry Creek got a second-round bye and went on to host No. 7 Arapahoe in a third-round match on Oct. 27 at the Stutler Bowl. The Bruins advanced to the final four with a 3-0 shutout of the Warriors. Next, Creek battles No. 6 Denver East at 5:45 p.m. on Monday evening at All-City Stadium. The winner moves on to the State Championship game on Nov. 1 at All-City.
5A Football: Regular season ends and playoffs begin soon
The 2023 5A football regular season ended this past weekend, and four district teams have advanced to the state playoffs, which begin on Nov. 3. The 5A playoff bracket was announced on Oct. 29.
The No. 1 Cherry Creek Bruins completed a perfect season, going 10-0 with a 45-22 road win over Grandview on Oct. 27 at Legacy Stadium. Creek sophomore quarterback Brady Vodicka passed for three touchdowns and sophomore running back Jayden Fox ran for another in the win. Fox also returned a kick-off for 92 yards for a score. For the Wolves, senior quarterback Liam Szarka passed for 181 yards and rushed for three touchdowns, including an 80-yard scamper in the 3rd quarter. Grandview finishes the regular season at 6-4.
Next, Cherry Creek gets a first round bye and will play on Nov. 10. The 11th-seeded Wolves will host No. 22 Douglas County at 7 p.m. on Nov. 3 at Legacy Stadium.
Eaglecrest finished the regular season at 7-3, falling 31-27 to Arapahoe on Oct. 26 at Littleton Public Schools Stadium. Raptors senior quarterback Joe Steiner passed to senior tight end Logan Ryan for three touchdowns, and senior Cam Chapa ran for a score in the loss.
Next, Eaglecrest carries a 16th seed into the first round of the playoffs and will host No. 17 Legacy at 7 p.m. on Nov. 3 at the Stutler Bowl.
Cherokee Trail ended their regular season with a 35-0 shutout of Smoky Hill on Oct. 26 at Legacy Stadium. Cougars junior running back Noah Collins had two rushing touchdowns, and senior back Ian Lee also ran for a score. CT finishes the regular season at 5-5, while the Buffaloes end up at 1-9.
The Cougars gain a 19th seed and will take on No. 14 Chatfield at 7 p.m. on Nov. 3 at Jefferson County Stadium.
Overland finished the regular season at 5-5 as they fell to Doherty last Friday evening at the Stutler Bowl. The final score was 44-20. Blazers senior quarterback Talil Seals Fisher threw for a touchdown and junior Jarrius Ward ran for another in the loss.
Here is the complete 5A football playoff bracket.
5A Girls Volleyball: Grandview wins Centennial League Title
The No. 1-seeded Grandview Wolves took the top spot in the Centennial League Challenge on Oct. 25 with a comeback three sets (25-22) (25-16) (15-9) to two sets (24-26) (25-27) victory over Cherry Creek. Coach Rob Graham’s charges got themselves down 0-2 to the No. 3-seeded Bruins, and roared back to take the next three sets in succession for the home victory and conference crown. It was the second five-set affair between the two clubs this season, with the Wolves prevailing back on Sept. 28. GHS senior Libaro Brenna Kelly recorded her 1,000 dig in the match, and a short ceremony was held to mark the occasion. Grandview finishes the regular season at 18-5, and the Bruins end at 14-9.
Cherokee Trail finished fourth in the tourney, falling to Mullen. The Cougars end their regular season at 11-12. Eaglecrest and Smoky Hill both ended the year with 8-15 records, and Overland finished at 7-17.
On Oct. 30, girls regional volleyball brackets were released. Cherokee Trail, Cherry Creek, Eaglecrest, and Grandview have all qualified for regional play which will take place on Nov. 3-4 at 12 sites across the area. Winners will advance to the State Championships on Nov. 9-11 at the Denver Coliseum.
See the regional brackets here.
5A Softball: All-State teams announced
The All-State Softball teams for the 2023 season were released on Oct. 27. Nominees were voted on by coaches across the state.
Second Team:
Kristen Gallego, senior – Grandview
Kiki Pryor, senior – Cherokee Trail
Jac Smith, senior – Eaglecrest
Honorable Mention:
Kennedy Brian, junior – Cherokee Trail
Neila Fee, senior – Cherry Creek
Addi Krei, senior – Cherokee Trail
Nikiah Light, freshman – Smoky Hill
Ashley Miller, senior – Grandview
Peytann Weiland, senior – Grandview
Football photos courtesy of Theodore A. Stark.
Posted 10/30/2023.
