5A Boys State Swimming: Cherry Creek wins 2024 State Championship
The Cherry Creek High School boys swim and dive team is back on top. The Bruins took the state title for the 13th time in program history – and the first time since 2021 – on May 11 at the Veterans Memorial Aquatic Center (VMAC) in Thornton.
Head Coach Chris Loftis’ squad had a lofty overall team score of 458.5, which easily outdistanced second place - and two-time defending champion - Regis Jesuit who came in with 306.5 points. Highlands Ranch finished third. Smoky Hill came in sixth overall, Grandview ninth, and Cherokee Trail eleventh.
Cherry Creek had a great start to Championship Saturday, as junior diver – and defending champion - Luke Ogren took his second state diving title in a row.
“I feel amazing,” Ogren said. “It was my second time winning state, so I couldn’t be happier.”
Ponderosa and Highlands Ranch shared the podium, coming in second and third respectively. Ogren led a strong field throughout. Bruin teammates, seniors Ryder Garrigan and Sutton Kotler came in fourteenth and twentieth, respectively. Overland junior Chad Hamilton took eighteenth overall.
“It was some of the best competition I’ve ever had, which definitely helped, because then I had to perform better to win,” Ogren said. “The highlight was definitely the last dive, because right when I came up from underwater I knew I won the meet. I was looking at the scores throughout, and was comparing myself to some of the other divers from time to time, and I knew that last dive was a really good one.”
In Saturday afternoon’s swimming events, Creek started off in the right direction, winning the Men’s 200-Yard Medley Relay. Senior Brodie Johnson, and juniors Camille Trinquesse, Trevor Boodt, and Connor Kelly bested Grandview and Columbine for the title. In the 400-Yard Freestyle Relay, CCHS juniors Jamie Crawford, Trinquesse, Kelly, and senior Colin Mikulecky were state champions, besting Fairview and Columbine. In the Mens 200-Yard Freestyle Relay, Johnson, Crawford, sophomore Kian Lihlalakha and Mikulecky combined for the championship, over Monarch and Douglas County.
In individual events, Bruins senior Brodie Johnson defended his state title in the 100-Yard Butterfly, and senior Colin Mikulecky was the winner in the 100-Yard Freestyle.
Grandview junior Oliver Schimberg took his second straight 100-Yard Backstroke title edging out athletes from Monarch and Creek.
Congratulations to the Cherry Creek boys swim and dive team, and all the district participants!
5A Girls Tennis: Cherry Creek takes home two titles
The Cherry Creek High School girls tennis team qualified for five of the seven final events at the State Tennis Championships, held on May 11 at Denver City Park. The Creek girls took home two state championships, in No. 2 Doubles and No. 4 Doubles.
The tandem of senior Riley Loehr and junior Zoey Hao defeated teams from Poudre, Fossil Ridge, and Rock Canyon on the way to defeating Ralston Valley in the title match. In No. 4 Doubles, Creek seniors Julia Karlbery and Beth Munro bested teams from Highlands Ranch, Rock Canyon, and Rocky Mountain to get to the title contest, where they took down Valor Christian.
In other matches, No. 2 Singles saw senior Jisele Boker fall to Fairview in a 3-set final, gaining second place. Sophomore Zoe Hochstadt took home fourth place in No. 3 Singles. In No. 1 Doubles, Bruins seniors Sayeesha Garud and Sabrina Shama were runners-up in straight sets to Ralston Valley. Creek’s senior Joelle Yoon and sophomore Karissa Manley also took home second place in No. 3 Doubles falling to Ralston Valley, also in straight sets.
Congratulations to all the Bruins tennis players!
5A Girls State Team Tennis: Cherry Creek looks to repeat
The season isn’t over just yet for the CCHS girls tennis team. The second-seeded Bruins are set to take on No. 1 Ralston Valley for the 2024 State Championship at 9:30 a.m. on May 14 at the Denver Tennis Park.
State Boys Volleyball: District teams fall short
Hopes and expectations were high going into the 2024 State Boys Volleyball Championships at Overland High School on May 9-11. The district had three teams – Cherokee Trail, Eaglecrest and Grandview – qualify for state, after each won their respective regions. A total of eight teams qualified for the double-elimination tourney.
In first round action on May 9, the Cougars, Raptors and Wolves all lost their first-round matches. In first-round consolation matches later Thursday, Grandview shut out Douglas County three sets to none, and Eaglecrest eliminated Centennial rival CT in five sets. The Cougars finish the 2024 season at 18-9.
On to second round consolation play on Friday where Grandview shut out Thornton in three sets, but Eaglecrest was eliminated by Littleton Public Schools in a tough five-set contest. The Raptors finish the campaign at 21-7.
Then came Championship Saturday where Grandview was shut out in a consolation match by Thornton, three sets to none, ending the Wolves season. Grandview finished at 22-7.
Mountain Vista defeated Fountain-Fort Carson three sets to one to gain its first state title.
5A Girls State Soccer: Grandview advances to quarterfinal play
The Cherry Creek School District had three teams qualify for the 2024 State Soccer Tournament, which began first round play on May 7.
No. 28 Cherokee Trail fell to No. 5 Ralston Valley, eliminating the Cougars, who finished the season at 5-8-3. No. 13 Grandview advanced with a 6-0 shutout of No. 20 Adams City, and No. 4 Cherry Creek fell to No. 29 Arvada West, battling to a 1-1 tie in regulation and overtime, but losing the shootout 4-3, ending the Bruins’ season. Creek finishes a great season at 12-1-2.
Second round play saw Grandview move on with a 2-0 shutout of those same Wildcats. The Wolves will play in quarterfinal action on May 13 against No. 5 Ralston Valley at the North Area Athletic Complex (NAAC) in Arvada.
5A Boys State Lacrosse: Cherry Creek advances to quarters
The 2024 5A Boys State Lacrosse Tournament got underway on May 8, with Cherry Creek and Grandview earning first-round byes. 19th-seeded Cherokee Trail was on the road to play No. 14 Ralston Valley, and the Cougars lost a tough, closely fought match 11-10 to the Mustangs, ending CT’s season at 4-12.
Second round play took place on May 11, as No.2 Cherry Creek and No. 8 Grandview were in action at the Stutler Bowl. The first match saw the Bruins taking on No. 15 Denver East. CCHS advanced with a 13-7 win over the Angels. The nightcap had the Wolves hosting No. 9 Denver South. Grandview ran into a buzz saw in the Rebels, falling 21-12, ending the Wolves’ season. GHS finishes the 2024 campaign at 9-7.
Cherry Creek will host No. 7 Regis Jesuit in a quarterfinal match on May 15 at the Stutler Bowl.
See the whole 5A Boys LAX bracket here.
5A Girls State Lacrosse: Cherry Creek ends their season too early
The 2024 season came to an abrupt halt last Friday as the Cherry Creek Girls Lacrosse team ended their season at Colorado Academy. After advancing with a 15-8 win over No. 9 Air Academy on May 8, the No. 8 Bruins faced the overall No. 1-seeded Mustangs. Undefeated CA took an 11-4 lead to the halftime break on the way to a decisive 19-6 win over Creek. CCHS finishes the season at 7-10.
See the bracket and results here.
4A Girls State Lacrosse: Cherokee Trail also exits early
The Cherokee Trail High School girls lacrosse team finished the regular season with an 11-4 record, good enough to earn CT a first round bye in the 4A tournament.
Second round action saw the No. 8 Cougars advance, getting a home win over No. 9 Horizon on May 9. The final score was 18-8. Then on May 11, CT travelled to Longmont to take on the No. 1 Mead Mavericks. The Cougars played well, but fell to the home club 11-8, eliminating CT from playoff contention. Cherokee Trail ends the season at 12-5.
See the 4A bracket and results here.
5A Track and Field: Centennial Championships
District teams converged on Legacy Stadium last weekend for the 2024 Centennial League Championships. Student athletes are gearing up for the State Championships May 16-18 at Jefferson County Stadium in Lakewood.
In the final team standings for the girls, Cherry Creek was first, followed by Grandview and Eaglecrest in second and third place, respectively. Smoky Hill took fourth, Cherokee Trail fifth, and Overland eighth.
On the boys’ side, Eaglecrest took the top of the podium, Cherokee Trail, was second, and Cherry Creek was third. Grandview, Overland, and Smoky Hill came in fifth, sixth, and eighth respectively.
Posted 5/13/2024.
