5A State Football: Cherry Creek reaches State Championship
The Cherry Creek High School Bruins are headed to the State Championship game for the seventh year in a row. The defending state runner-up and No. 1 Bruins advanced to the final with an emphatic 42-17 win over No. 5 Valor Christian last Saturday at the Stutler Bowl.
“I was really proud of the fact that we really played hard for 48 minutes,” Bruins Head Coach Dave Logan said. “We beat a really good team today. To beat them (Valor Christian) you’ve got to play well on both sides of the ball, and I thought the kids executed the plan, and I was really proud of the overall effort.”
Creek was led by junior running back Jayden Fox, who rushed for 160 yards and two touchdowns on the day. Junior quarterback Brady Vodicka passed for 171 yards and a touchdown. The Bruins totaled 470 yards of offense in the win. The Bruin attack was paced by the running game, keyed by great offensive line play.
“The key is to run the ball and stop the run,” senior starting center Ned Zilinskas said. “If you do that, you’re going to win the game. I feel like we’ve built on our progress each week. Week 1 was a bit of a struggle (a season-opening loss to Skyridge in Lehi, Utah), but that helped us in the long run,” he said.
Junior runner Fox said how important the offensive line play is to his game.
“They’re just solid all around,” Fox said. “They block well for me and just keep doing it over and over. We start the momentum from the first play, and we just continue for the whole game.”
Cherry Creek will take on No. 6 Legend, who defeated No. 7 Fairview 35-21 this past Saturday at EchoPark Stadium in Parker.
Coach Logan is not looking past the 12–1 Titans.
“Legend is a very good team,” he said. “They could easily be unbeaten. They lost to Columbine on the last play of the game. They’re very well coached, and we know that we’re in for a big challenge. It will be up to us to prepare, to get ourselves back down to ground zero as we do every week.”
The 2024 5A State Championship will be played on Saturday, Dec. 7 at Canvas Stadium on the campus of Colorado State University. Kick-off is slated for 6 p.m. Cherry Creek is seeking its 14th state football title.
“Good teams are playing their best football right now,” Coach Logan said. “I think today was an indicator of that, but we’re still one very important game away.”
5A Boys Soccer: All-State Teams Announced
The 2024 All-State Teams for boys soccer were announced on Nov. 26 by the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA). The teams were compiled by the Colorado High School Soccer Coaches Association.
Cherry Creek Head Coach Wilmer Barerra was named Coach of the Year, and Bruins senior forward Cole Wearner was dubbed Player of the Year. Creek won the 2024 State title 2-1 in overtime over Broomfield on Nov. 16 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.
Here are other Cherry Creek Schools honorees:
First Team:
Cole Wearner – senior, Cherry Creek
Austin Hall – senior, Cherry Creek
Second Team:
Nathan Palmer – junior, Cherry Creek
Noah Eisenberg – senior, Cherry Creek
Honorable Mention:
Zade Rogers – senior, Cherry Creek
Alex Kedzierski – junior, Grandview
Andrew Harwell – senior, Grandview
Leo Garcia – senior, Grandview
Elliott Kaganer – senior, Smoky Hill
You can see the entire list of honorees here.
Congratulations to all the district boys soccer players!
5A Girls Volleyball: All-State Teams Announced
The Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) released the 2024 5A Girls Volleyball All-State teams on Nov. 24. Names were submitted through a nomination process from leagues across the state, and then finalized in a vote by coaches.
Valor Christian won its third consecutive 5A championship back on Nov. 16, defeating Legend 3 sets to none.
District Honorees:
Second Team:
Ava Ross – senior, Cherry Creek
Honorable Mention:
Savannah Adams – senior, Grandview
Jada Bobb – senior, Eaglecrest
Kassie Cooley – senior, Cherokee Trail
Trinity Fore – junior, Cherry Creek
Sajal Glunz – senior, Grandview
Ella Notheisen – junior, Cherokee Trail
Candela Ruano – senior, Cherry Creek
You can see the complete list here.
Congrats to all the CCSD girls volleyball players!
CCHS football photos courtesy Theodore A. Stark. CTHS volleyball photo courtesy Peyton Michlig.
Posted 12/2/2024.
