Regis Jesuit senior Joey Soran (12) is the key to the Raiders appearing in their fourth consecutive Class 5A state title game. Regis has won the past two big-school championships.
File photo by Tim Visser
With the calendar about to flip to April, storylines are beginning to emerge in boys and girls lacrosse.
Familiar contenders are still thriving across the board, although a few newcomers are looking to crash the party. And while many of the mainstays are continuing to shine, new athletes are beginning to work their way up the leaderboards.
Here's a deeper look, starting with the boys:
Class 5A Regis Jesuit (Aurora) assumed its familiar place at the top of the CHSAANow.com rankings this season, which is fitting for a squad that has appeared in three straight championship games and won two. That includes a triumph against
Arapahoe (Centennial) last season.
The Raiders (3-2) and talented defender
Joey Soran started with three straight wins before heading to California, but they won't be penalized much for their losses there. On Thursday, they fell to a Torrey Pines squad that is ranked second in the nation.
Familiar contenders align the top of the rankings, with
Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village),
Mountain Vista (Highlands Ranch) and Arapahoe all in the top five. Final-four regular
Kent Denver (Englewood) also is hovering at No. 7. More conspicuous is
Columbine (Littleton) at No. 4. The hot-starting Rebels (5-0) are aiming to end a string of three consecutive first-round losses.
Also of note,
Rock Canyon (Highlands Ranch) (4-1) is under the guidance of longtime Colorado Mammoth player John Gallant and is sitting at No. 6. Speaking of Mammoth ties, Mountain Vista's
Jake Govett, son of Mammoth general manager Steve Govett, ranks fourth in the classification with 20 goals. Golden Eagles teammate
Colin Munro ranks second with 23, one behind
Oliver Hart of
Eaglecrest (Centennial).
Defending state champion: Regis Jesuit
State championship game: May 19, Sports Authority Field
Returning all-state selections:
Chase Douglas, Sr., Arapahoe (2nd team);
Hunter Graefe, Sr., Chaparral (2nd team); Colin Munro, Sr., Mountain Vista (1st team);
Asher Nolting, Sr., Cherry Creek (1st team); Joey Soran, Sr., Regis Jesuit (1st team);
Mac Tezak, Sr., Regis Jesuit (2nd team).
Class 4A After losing the championship game in heartbreaking fashion last season – a 10-9 loss to
Valor Christian (Highlands Ranch) –
Dawson School (Lafayette) is primed for another run. The Mustangs return 4A player of the year
Gavyn Pure, who registered 71 goals and 57 assists last season as a sophomore, and have started 3-0.
The top-ranked Mustangs even got a measure of revenge against Valor Christian with an 11-10 win on March 15. Valor, which returns
Lance Tillman (he scored the championship winner), has started 2-4 but the Eagles are still situated at No. 2. Their other losses were to 5A Lewis-Palmer (Monument) and two out-of-state teams.
Cheyenne Mountain (Colorado Springs) (4-0) and
Green Mountain (Lakewood) (5-0) are among a handful of teams that have started undefeated, and the two currently occupy the Nos. 3 and 4 spots in the rankings, ahead of
Golden and
Conifer. At No. 8,
Thomas Jefferson (Denver) also is off to an unbeaten start.
Of note,
Vail Mountain senior
Luke Verratti leads the classification in goals (31) and assists (22). The Gore Rangers have started 7-1 under new coach Bobby Ecker.
Defending state champion: Valor Christian
State championship game: May 19, Sports Authority Field
Returning all-state selections:
Ryan Burdi, So., Green Mountain (2nd team);
August Johnson, Jr., Cheyenne Mountain (1st team);
Mason Meyer, Sr., Conifer (2nd team);
Gianni Orlando, Sr., Valor Christian (1st team);
Eric Pacheco, So., Valor Christian (1st team); Gavyn Pure, Jr., Dawson School (1st team; player of the year);
Kyle Sudol, Sr., Dawson School (2nd team); Lance Tillman, So., Valor Christian (2nd team).
Girls The
Colorado Academy (Denver) winning streak ended at 30 games last week, but that did nothing to unhinge the Mustangs as the favorite for a third straight state crown. CA's streak didn't end dramatically – it was a 16-6 loss – but it came at the hands of the Novato Hornets, a Bay Area team ranked No. 11 in the nation.
Colorado Academy's Sydney Prokupek (right).
File photo by Matt Daniels
The Mustangs (2-1) still have standout goalie
Bridget Sutter in the fold along with fellow all-stater
Sydney Prokupek, who tallied 39 goals and 16 assists in last season's 18-0 campaign. Junior
Lauren Russell, who somehow was omitted from the all-state team despite 49 goals and 10 assists last year, also is back, as is
Claire Wright (38 and 11).
Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village), meanwhile, still has perhaps the most impressive streak intact. The Bruins have been to all 19 championship games since the sort was sanctioned by CHSAA and looking to make it an even 20. The Bruins have dropped the last two to CA, but first-team all-state selections
Hope Adams and
Eliza Radochonski have designs on overthrowing the Mustangs this season.
Pearl Schwartz has already notched 12 goals for the Bruins (3-1).
Columbine (Littleton),
Kent Denver (Englewood),
Denver East and
Dakota Ridge (Littleton) are also off to hot starts, with Columbine (4-2) sitting at No. 2 this week. The Rebels, led by junior
Angela Naughton, defeated Cherry Creek last week.
Defending state champion: Colorado Academy
State championship game: May 24, Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium, University of Denver
Returning all-state selections: Hope Adams, Sr., Cherry Creek (1st team);
Rachel Cowan, Sr., Kent Denver (2nd team);
Charlotte Godfrey, Sr., Cherry Creek (2nd team);
Thyra Hermann, Sr., Denver East (2nd team);
Gabrielle Kinney, Sr., Kent Denver (2nd team);
Hannah Krats, Sr., Dakota Ridge (2nd team);
Kailee Lammers, Jr., Dakota Ridge (2nd team);
Hannah Mill, Jr., Chaparral (2nd team); Sydney Prokupek, Sr., Colorado Academy (1st team); Eliza Rodochonski, Sr., Cherry Creek (1st team);
Fair Romero, Sr., Denver East (1st team); Pearl Schwartz, Jr., Cherry Creek (2nd team); Bridget Sutter, Sr., Colorado Academy (1st team; player of the year).
