5A Boys State Soccer: Cherokee Trail falls in Final Four
The No. 14 Cherokee Trail Cougars were the lowest seed going into last week’s Final Four at the University of Denver. It was also the first time in program history the Cougars had gotten to the semifinals. On a cold and crisp Tuesday night at DU’s CIBER Field, the dream came to an abrupt end in sudden death overtime, as 7th-seeded, and eventual State Champion Broomfield scored a golden goal in the second OT session – 98 minutes into the match – to defeat CT 2-1.
Cherokee Trail found itself trailing 1-0 early as the Eagles scored after a corner kick in the 10th minute of the contest. But less than two minutes later, Cougars senior captain Marcelo Ruiz got the equalizer after a free kick. That was the extent of the scoring, through the rest of regulation and the first overtime. The winner for Broomfield came off a header from the Eagles in the 3rd minute of the second extra session, ending CT’s magical season.
Head Coach Mark Hill’s charges opened the state tournament back on Oct. 25, defeating No. 19 Valor Christian 1-0 in overtime. Cherokee Trail then took down No. 3 Rampart 2-1 on the road in the second round game – also in overtime, and then went on to get a solid 2-0 quarterfinal shutout over Legend on Nov. 4. Congratulations to the Cougars, who finish the 2023 season at 12-4-3.
5A Girls State Volleyball: Cherry Creek and Grandview come up short
The Cherry Creek and Grandview girls’ volleyball teams had high hopes entering the 2023 State Championships at the Denver Coliseum last weekend. The Bruins and Wolves took home top honors in regional play on Nov. 3 and 4, qualifying for the state tourney.
Last Thursday morning, 9th-seeded Grandview was first to get underway, defeating No. 8 Pueblo West 3-2 in a tough, well-contested five-set match. Then Grandview faced the No. 1 ranked and eventual State Champion Valor Christian in the afternoon contest, where the Wolves fell to the Eagles 3 sets to 1, moving GHS to the Contenders bracket on Nov. 10. Grandview battled No. 8 Castle View and was eliminated by the Sabercats, 3-0, ending the Wolves season at 21-7.
No. 12 Cherry Creek started out on Nov. 9 with a first-round loss to No. 5 Mountain Vista. The final score of 3-1. In the Contenders contest on Friday, CCHS was eliminated by No. 3 Rock Canyon in 5 sets. The Bruins finish 2023 at 16-11.
5A State Football: Cherry Creek and Grandview advance to quarterfinal play
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he Cherry Creek and Grandview football teams got second-round wins on Oct. 10
The No. 1-seeded Bruins had no trouble with No. 17 Legacy, defeating the Lightning 31-7 at the Stutler Bowl. The Bruins took a 14-0 first quarter lead and never looked back, shutting out Legacy late into the 4th quarter. Creek was led by sophomore Jayden Fox who rushed for two touchdowns. Sophomore Brady Vodicka also passed for two TDs, to senior tight end Dawson Johnson and sophomore wideout Max Lovett. Next, the Bruins host No. 8 Mountain Vista at 7 p.m. on Nov. 17 at the Stutler Bowl.
The 11th-seeded Grandview Wolves took down No. 6 Regis Jesuit in dramatic fashion last Friday at Lou Kellogg Stadium. The final score was Wolves 25, Raiders 23. Grandview senior quarterback Liam Szarka took the game on his back, rushing for three touchdowns and throwing for another in the win. The Wolves had to overcome a 10-point deficit late in the fourth quarter, including the game-winning pass from Szarka to junior running back Donavon Vernon with just 15 seconds left to secure the victory. Next, Grandview hosts No. 14 Chatfield at 7 p.m. on Friday at Legacy Stadium.
State Unified Bowling: Cherry Creek and Eaglecrest make regionals
The Cherry Creek and Eaglecrest Unified Bowling clubs participated in a postseason competition in the Region 3 event on Nov. 8 at Bowlero Aurora. The Bruins qualified for state, finishing second to Regional Champion Rangeview. Eaglecrest finished sixth.
The top three teams in each of the nine regions qualified for the State Championships to be held on Friday, Nov. 17 at AMF Belleview Lanes in Englewood. Rolling begins at 10:45 a.m.
Field Hockey: All-State teams named
The All-State field hockey teams for the 2023 season were released on Nov. 6. Honorees were voted on by coaches across the state. The Cherry Creek Bruins took home the second-place trophy, falling to Colorado Academy 1-0 at All-City Stadium on Nov. 1.
First Team:
Taylor Shoflick, senior – Cherry Creek
Janelle Soukup, senior – Cherry Creek
Second Team:
Talia Keshavarz, senior – Cherry Creek
Darian Smith, junior – Smoky Hill
Honorable Mention:
Elyse Bailey, junior - Smoky Hill
Meghan Bird, senior - Smoky Hill
Finley Katz, freshman - Cherry Creek
Grace Manning, junior - Cherry Creek
Maggie Skinner, senior – Cherry Creek
Regan Talaga, freshman - Cherry Creek
Neilly Watts, junior – Cherry Creek
Congratulations to all district field hockey student athletes on a great season!
5A Gymnastics: All-State teams honored
The All-State teams for 2023 were announced on Nov. 9. The honorees were compiled by CHSAANow.com and MaxPreps. The Overland Trailblazers tied for second overall in the team standings at the 2023 State Championships on Nov. 2.
First Team:
Kyla Burke, senior – Overland
Ainsley Renner, sophomore – Overland (Grandview)
Second Team:
Audrey Cox, junior – Overland
Honorable Mention:
Lauren Becker, freshman – Cherry Creek
Maya Richman, senior – Overland
See all the team members here.
Congratulations to all CCSD Gymnasts!
National Letter of Intent: CCSD schools have signing ceremonies
Cherry Creek, Eaglecrest, and Smoky Hill high schools held signing ceremonies for student athletes last Wednesday. Athletes were supported by family, friends, coaches, and staff as they committed to play their sport in college.
Cherry Creek:
Owen Burke, lacrosse – University of Denver
Hayden Cook, softball – Wilmington University (DE)
Eddison Esquivel, baseball – University of San Francisco
Neila Fee, Metro State University, Denver
Daniel Hruska, cross country/track & field – Boston University
Paul Hughes, baseball – Miami of Ohio
Brodie Johnson, lacrosse – Georgia Institute of Technology
Adeline Kanouff, volleyball – Texas Tech University
Landis Kelly, lacrosse – Flagler College (FL)
Cameron Larson, baseball – Wofford College (SC)
Julia Leach, basketball – United States Air Force Academy Preparatory School, Colorado Springs
Zoe MacLean, lacrosse – Wofford College (SC)
Mae Manthe, beach volleyball – Grand Canyon University (AZ)
William McDavid, track & field – University of Nebraska
Colin Mikulecky, swimming – Duke University (NC)
Charlotte Morton, lacrosse, University of Southern California
Brooks Power, lacrosse, Colorado College
Taylor Shoflick, field hockey – Babson College (MA)
Dylan Silva, lacrosse – University of Indianapolis (IA)
Molly Urbonas, lacrosse – Bates College (ME)
Charlotte Wilson, swimming – University of Virginia
Brayden Yasuzawa, baseball – Villanova University (PA)
Eaglecrest:
Brooklyn Bickerstaff, basketball – Park University (AZ)
Everett Breniser, lacrosse - William Penn University (IA)
Cole Camp, cross country/track & field – Metro State University, Denver
Megan Drugan, softball – Washington College (MD)
Alysse Marcoso, volleyball – University of Colorado, Colorado Springs
Addison Mower, softball – Friends University (KS)
John Rossi, baseball – University of Texas, Permian Basin
Ellie Shaw, cross country/track & field, Metro State University, Denver
Jacklyn Smith, softball, Colorado State University
Smoky Hill:
Patrick Adams, swimming – The College of New Jersey
Jake Baker, swimming – University of Utah
Sam Baker, swimming – University of California, San Diego
Kyle Brushaber, swimming - The College of New Jersey
Daniel Yi, swimming – University of Utah
CCHS-Legend football photo courtesy of Theodore A. Stark.
GHS-Regis football photo courtesy of Steven Abeyta.
Posted 11/13/2023.
