5A State Softball: Cherokee Trail is state runner-up
The Cherokee Trail and Grandview softball teams put up a good fight, but fell short in their quest for a state title during the 5A State Softball Championships, held at Aurora Sports Park on Oct. 25-26.
Top-seeded Cherokee Trail and No. 10 Grandview came through in good order last Friday, as the Wolves defeated Chatfield 7-1, and the Cougars took down Vista Ridge 16-3 in first round play.
Quarterfinal games later on Friday in the single-elimination tourney saw Grandview eliminated by No. 2 Broomfield 5-4. The Wolves finish their season at 20-8. The Cougars dispatched No. 8 Fruita Monument 12-2 in five innings to advance to the Final 4 on Saturday.
Cherokee Trail got to the title contest by winning a thrilling, come-from-behind, 10-9 victory over No. 5 Legend. Sophomores Emma Rice and Sydney Cobb both homered for CT, but Legend had built a 9-6 lead going to the bottom of the 7th. With two on, senior Icela Ciocarlan smashed a 3-run, walk-off home run to cap off a wild finish to get the Cougars to the championship game.
Jubilation then turned to dismay, as No. 6 Riverdale Ridge defeated the Cougars 8-4 in the state title game. Cherokee Trail Head Coach Caley Mitchell said her club just couldn’t get the big hit.
“Tough loss,” she said. “We just got outhit. We didn’t get the big hits in the moments that we needed. Nobody gave up, and we fought to the end. I’m proud of them, and it was just how the chips fell. I’ll go to battle with them next year.”
CT finishes a great season at 24-5.
Congratulations to both the Cougars and the Wolves!
State Flag Football: Inaugural season ends for district teams
The first CHSAA-sanctioned flag football state tourney began on Oct. 23, with No. 15 Grandview winning the first round, play-in game over Columbine by a score of 7-2 at Legacy Stadium. On Saturday, the Wolves ran into a buzz saw in No. 2 Arvada West. GHS fell to the Wildcats 31-0, ending their season. Grandview finished with a 9-8 record.
No. 4 Cherry Creek got a close 32-28 win over No. 13 Chatfield at Trailblazer Stadium to reach the quarterfinals on Saturday. The Bruins were then eliminated by No. 5 Legend in another close contest, 40-35. The Bruins finished the inaugural season at 15-2.
Kudos to the Wolves and the Bruins!
5A Cross Country: Qualifiers for State decided
Regional qualifying events for cross country were held across the state last week. On Oct. 24, the Class 5A Region 1 races were held at DeKoevend Park in Centennial.
Cherokee Trail and Cherry Creek qualified both girls and boys teams for state, as well as several individuals. Individuals placing in the top-15 from each region advance to the state championship.
In the girl’s race, Cherry Creek junior Emily Cohen took first in the individual competition, and senior Kinley Wolfe was second. Bruins junior Mattie Sheehan was ninth, Cherokee Trail sophomore Jade McDaniel was 10th, Creek senior Caroline Laughlin placed 11th, Eaglecrest sophomore Jenna Winn was 12th, and CT sophomore Clara Kapfer came in 13th.
For the boys, Grandview senior Colton White earned third place, and was the district’s top finisher. Cherokee Trail junior Dylan Smith took fourth and Cherry Creek seniors Isaac Scott and Harrison Landry were sixth and seventh respectively. Cougar juniors Josh Chadeayne and Carter Getty came in eighth and 14th respectively.
The State Championships will be held on Saturday, Nov. 2, at the Norris-Penrose Event Center in Colorado Springs. The 5A girls will run at 12:20 p.m. and the 5A boys will race at 1:40 p.m.
5A Football: District clubs go 3-3 last week
Cherry Creek School District football teams have only one more regular season game after last week’s play.
Overland got a big 50-14 win over visiting Boulder on Oct. 25 at the Stutler Bowl. The Blazers (5-4, 4-0 in the 5A Metro North) have a chance to win the conference outright with a win at Northglenn on Nov. 1 at 5-Star Stadium in Thornton.
Cherry Creek kept rolling as the Bruins got a 55-3 win over Smoky Hill. Creek (8-1 overall, 4-0 in the Centennial League) wraps up the regular season against Grandview at the Stutler Bowl on Nov. 1. Smoky (0-9, 0-4) will finish up hosting Cherokee Trail on Oct. 31 at the Stutler Bowl.
Last Friday, Grandview got a 38-15 win over Eaglecrest at Legacy Stadium. Next, the Wolves (5-4, 3-1) finish the 2024 regular season schedule at Cherry Creek on Nov. 1. The Raptors (5-4, 1-3) host Arapahoe (6-3, 3-1) at Legacy Stadium on Friday.
Cherokee Trail fell to Arapahoe last Friday at Littleton Public Schools Stadium. The final score was Warriors 24, CT 7. Next, the Cougars (3-6, 1-3) wind up the regular season against Smoky Hill on Oct. 31 at the Stutler Bowl.
Posted 10/28/2024.
