Lacrosse has become one of the more high-profile sports in Colorado, and a look at this season's boys teams and individual standouts is a big example of why.
Talent is widely distributed throughout the state, and teams have wasted no time in getting on the field and putting their talents on display. As the stretch of spring sports moves into the meat of the regular season, there are several teams and players in both Class 5A and 4A that will determine how the rest of the season plays out.
Class 5AArapahoe (Centennial): The Warriors put together a respectable season last year, and the scary part about it is that the team was young. They return five players who scored at least 11 goals each and only one of them is a senior. Junior
Finn Hauhuth led the team in goals (18) and assists (12). Goalie
Ian Thompson is also back as a junior, and, although the netminder faced a lot of shots, he also turned a lot of them away. He made 106 saves and racked up a .506 save percentage last year. Arapahoe entered the 2021 state playoffs as the No. 7 seed and lost to
Valor Christian (Highlands Ranch), but a more experienced squad should be a bigger threat in the playoffs this season.
Jack Gerber (right), Colorado Academy
File photo by Lance Wendt
The Bruins were undefeated heading into the 5A semifinals but fell to
Mountain Vista (Highlands Ranch) to bring their season to an earlier-than-desired end. The Bruins should be in line to contend for a championship once again as they return three players who scored at least 10 goals.
Ben Gruber led that returning trio with 14 goals last year.
Thomas Power added 12 goals and also racked up a team-high 11 assists. Junior goalie
Will Stewart looked like a seasoned veteran last season as he made 56 saves and helped keep the Bruins undefeated into the state semifinals.
Colorado Academy (Denver): Returning to the field with a talented senior class is a great way to contend for a state title. The Mustangs return their top four scorers from a year ago, three of which are seniors this season.
Jack Gerber was one of the top players in the state as he scored 25 goals and dished out a team-high 14 assists.
Charlie Beasley and Bennett Spruell combined to score 30 goals and help make the Mustangs one of the best offensive teams in the state. That was evident with a 4-0 start to this season.
Mountain Vista: The Golden Eagles rolled to the 2021 5A title as a No. 4 seed and are considered a favorite to finish the seasons as champions again.
Dillon Pless is back after finishing tied for the team lead in goals with 33, and he added 12 assists.
Jake Stopkoski was also constantly in on the action as he scored 24 goals. The Golden Eagles got off to a hot start of this season, winning their first six games by a combined score of 93-29.
Individual players to watchJohn Alie, Grandview (Aurora): As a junior, Alie led the 5A classification with 50 goals in just 10 games played. Grandview missed out on making the playoffs, but with a scorer like Alie, the Wolves should make their way to the postseason in 2022.
Tony Farber, Fruita Monument: One of the best all-around offensive players was tough to slow down last season. Farber scored 45 goals and had 19 assists, ending in the top 11 in the state for both categories. He scored 16 goals in the first four games of 2022, all of which were Wildcats wins.
Tony Ross, Lakewood: Ross emerged as one of the best defenders in the state last year, totaling 31 takeaways. Unfortunately the Tigers had a down season, but Ross should give them a steady backline this season, which should lead to significant improvement.
Class 4ACheyenne Mountain (Colorado Springs): The Red-Tailed Hawks claimed their second state title in program history last spring and have enough returning talent that they could easily go for a third this year. Three of their top four scorers return, including
Wyatt Furda and
Kevin Papa, who each scored 22 goals last season.
Mitchell Lewis scored 20 goals but also led the team in assists with 25, and he's back for his senior season. Cheyenne Mountain is stacked with talented players who have experience winning a state title, which is a dangerous combination for any team looking to raise a trophy at the end of the season.
Wyatt Furda (center), Cheyenne Mountain
File photo by Lance Wendt
Last year's state runner-up made a bit of a surprising run to the state title game. They likely won't be taking anyone by surprise this season as top players
Eric Hasley,
Erich Petersen and
Julius Petersen return. All three players scored at least 26 goals, and each Peterson dished out at least 29 assists. Senior goalie
Alexander Kostick has looked solid with a .674 save percentage this year. He has also turned away 56 shots in 180 minutes played. The Devils still have a few tough tests on their schedule as they will see
Vail Mountain before the regular season comes to an end.
Erie: A pair of extremely talented juniors are looking to lead the Tigers to a state title that has seemingly eluded them for the past four years.
Liam Connors was brilliant last season and he scored 46 goals.
Charlie O'Brien added 32, and he was also one of five players to have at least 10 assists for Erie (13). Goalie
Colin Selters notched a save percentage of .603 and recorded a total of 102 saves in 2021, giving Erie stability in front of the net. Early this season,
Corby Tecu has made a point of getting involved on offense as he has scored seven goals in the Tigers' first four games.
Ponderosa (Parker): The Mustangs were stunned by Eagle Valley in the state quarterfinals last year and there are significant names returning with that loss etched into their minds.
Cole Skillington,
Camden Stanley and
Nate Kaufman combined to account for 87 goals and 55 assists last year. The explosiveness that those three players bring to the field should give Ponderosa another shot at making a deep playoff run. The Mustangs stumbled a bit at the start of this season but have won two straight games and look to be gaining momentum.
Individual players to watchCole Bussey, Lutheran (Parker): As a sophomore, Bussey put up an impressive 2-to-1 goal-to-assist ratio as the Lions earned the No. 9 seed in the 4A state tournament. They lost to Vail Mountain, but with Bussey a more polished player coming into this season, the expectations for the team are much higher.
Sam Gottesfeld, Northfield (Denver): A .670 save percentage helped Gottesfeld lead the Nighthawks into the 4A playoffs last season. They lost in the first round, but with the netminder returning, they have a great shot of reaching the postseason again.
Grant Rodny, Air Academy (US Air Force Academy): A schedule filled with 4A playoff teams led to a rough year for the Kadets, but Rodny was a bright spot throughout the 2021 season. He scored 37 goals then and is off to a great start to 2022, as he scored 24 goals in the Kadets' first five games.
