Evergreen soccer aims to halt 22-year drought

Not since the days of mullets and mustaches has (Evergreen, Colo.) soccer been so prominent.

A perusal of the Cougars 1989-90 yearbook, which features the only other Evergreen boys soccer team to win a state title (fall of '89), reveals many long-in-the-back, short-in-the-front haircuts and facial hair arrangements rarely seen on the modern-day high school student.

The 2011 Cougars don't have many players who feature the business-in-the-front, party-in-the-back look. But if they win in the Class 4A finals Wednesday night against Mullen (5 p.m., Dick's Sporting Good Park), they'll have plenty in common with that '89 squad.


They'll be etched in school lore. They'll be etched in state lore. And they'll bring a championship to the title-starved mountain community, located about a half-hour west of the Denver metro area.

"It's a proud moment for the city of Evergreen and for the school," said junior Ethan Jackson, whose 70th-minute goal in a 1-0 win against Niwot punched Evergreen's ticket to the finals. "It shows that a community can gather around a team."

While the team's prowess speaks for itself – a 17-2 mark with both losses against 5A foes – the Cougars' journey has a budding storybook theme. When they take on Mullen (Denver, Colo.) (12-5-2), they'll be facing a handful of neighbors and grade-school friends.

Yes, Mullen is a private school located in Denver, but many of the Mustangs players live in Evergreen and have played alongside Cougars players since their adolescence.

"Two of my really good friends who I've been playing with since kindergarten are on the Mullen team, Cameron Heyvaert and Alex Benson," Evergreen center back Brian Grieve said. "We've been butting heads a little bit. We're all really excited about it."

In addition to Hayvaert and Benson, Mullen brothers Mitch Sunderhuse and Zach Sunderhuse are Evergreen residents, as is Mustangs standout goalkeeper Liam O'Connor.

"It's definitely a good-fueled rivalry," said Grieve, whose team defeated Mullen 1-0 in the season-opener. "We all want to win but nobody is against each other. We're all hoping for a good, close game."

Evergreen's ascendance to the elite has been a few years in the making, namely when coach Peter Jeans took over. After a four-year string of first-round exits, Jeans took over in 2009. As the No. 19 seed, Evergreen recorded a mild first-round upset against Battle Mountain but soon eliminated by Cheyenne Mountain.

Then last season the transformation shifted into high gear. The Cougars earned the No. 5 seed and advanced to the semifinals, where they were ousted by perennial power Broomfield in a shootout. They finished a lofty 15-4.

This season, the Cougars earned the No. 2 seed after sweeping the nine-game Jefferson County League schedule. And now they're one game away from joining the 1989 squad in high school soccer immortality.

"The differences this season is that we've just got two really good classes," Jeans said. "There are actually four good classes in the program, but the senior class and junior class are just great. A lot of technical players and a lot of athletes."

Included are Jackson, whose winner against Niwot gave him a team-best 12 goals to go with 13 assists, and senior forward Scott Boland (11 goals, four assists). The balanced squad also has received solid scoring contributions from Kyler Hamari and Gavin Scharig (seven goals apiece), among others.

Evergreen's bread and butter is its ability to possess the ball for seemingly infinite stretches, and no one is more responsible than the Cougars' trifecta of elite midfielders, Jared Cochran, Sam Hamilton and Kevin Schulte. The trio has produced a combined 18 goals and 24 assists.

"Every game we've played we control the ball, and it starts with those three," Jeans said. "Now, just because you control the ball doesn't mean you're going to win. But every game that we've had good finishing, we've taken care of business."

Even Grieve has gotten into the scoring act from the backline. The defender nicknamed "The Grievance" two seasons ago by then-seniors (a moniker that has stuck) has contributed six goals and two assists.

"These guys don't seem to care who gets the goal as long as someone gets the goal and we win," Jeans said.

One more win and perhaps the 2033 Evergreen squad will be looking back at the championship photo 22 years from now and nitpicking the styles of 2011.

"After the way Saturday ended we've all been pumped," Grieve said. "During these practices all we can think about is Wednesday."

Notes: The 5A final, to be played following the 4A game, will feature improbable No. 24 seed Heritage (Littleton, Colo.) against No. 3 Denver East (Denver, Colo.). Heritage upended No. 1 Cherry Creek and No. 5 Adams City in its rampage through the bracket. . . . The 3A final, to be played tonight, pits 2010 runner-up and No. 2 seed The Classical Academy (Colorado Springs, Colo.) against No. 5 Faith Christian (Arvada, Colo.).