One year removed from heartbreaking quarterfinal loss, Golden Eagles’ boys lacrosse program aims to prove it belongs with state’s elite.
Mountain Vista sophomore Colin Munro (4) is again one of the state's leading scorers, and the Golden Eagles are poised to improve upon a Class 5A state quarterfinal season from a year ago.
File photo by Paul DiSalvo
Six seconds.
That's all the time last May 10 that stood between the
Mountain Vista (Highlands Ranch) boys lacrosse team and the first state semifinal berth in the program's history. But for the Golden Eagles, those 6 seconds must have seemed like an eternity after
Brian Wilson of
Arapahoe (Centennial) knocked in the equalizer to force overtime.
Not long after, the Warriors found the net again to stun Mountain Vista 12-11, sending Arapahoe – not the Golden Eagles – into the Class 5A semis.
Even now, some 10 months after the fact, the lasting memory of that moment has remained with the coaches and players. It serves as a reminder of what could have been, while at the same time driving the program in its attempt to reach greater heights than ever before.
"That's something we all think back to and something that stings really hard. Kudos to Arapahoe. They are the epitome of what we're trying to be and something we want to emulate – playing in a tight game and finishing," Mountain Vista coach Jake Herman said. "(This year) the back of our shirts says ‘Finish.' We're trying to finish those last 6 seconds – put in a full season and not let up."
Five games into the 2015 season, the Golden Eagles are doing their best to shift the focus to the present and the future. Mountain Vista opened the spring campaign with four victories in five attempts, the only loss coming by a single goal to the 2014 5A state champion in
Regis Jesuit (Aurora).
That game came down to the final minute, as opposed to last year's meeting when the Raiders triumphed by five goals.
"We're already farther ahead this year," Herman said. "We have to literally play in big games and win big games. That's what it will take for this team to believe they can win."
Herman said those words as the team was preparing to fly to Florida for spring break to focus on training. It gave the players some time away from school while helping to further establish the team's identity before returning to the field April 1 at
Mullen (Denver).
"I think this Florida trip will be huge for us," said Golden Eagles sophomore
Colin Munro, who noted that the squad played ‘10 times better' a year ago after making the same trip. "I think this will just pay dividends down the line for our success this season."
Munro hasn't skipped a beat after scoring 24 goals as a freshman. Through five games his 18 goals rank fifth in the state, and he has 13 assists to go along with those scores.
He's hardly the only standout though for Mountain Vista.
Kiel Brennan is headed to Mercer and
Bryan Hancock to Hobart, and second-team all-state long-stick midfielder
Kyle Pless is still looking at a few NCAA Division I schools.
The team's second-leading scorer,
Christian Barker, is headed to Division III Wesleyan, and junior goalie
Paxton Boyer has committed to play for the Air Force Academy next year.
"The talent level is great. Our practices are a lot of fun because everyone can play," Barker said. "All the talent makes it fun. Playing with players like Colin is crazy – he's being super-creative with the ball."
Barker already has compiled 15 goals and 15 assists, one year after finishing second on the team with 37 goals and 36 assists. The senior had three goals in the loss to Regis Jesuit.
"Obviously we would've loved to win that game, but we all realize we played really well and it was a great team effort," Barker said. "The whole break we'll think about that game and really perfect those things."
The motivation to prove themselves, to prove they belong with the state's elite, is another driving factor for the Golden Eagles. The program has never been past the quarterfinals, and after coming so close a year ago, that desire has never been greater – especially for the team's 16 seniors.
"I think one of the great things about the team this year is we're all so close. It doesn't even feel like I'm a sophomore at times," Munro said. "We're all kind of in the same boat. We have strong leadership but a lack of big-game experience, so we're all just kind of going through it together."
