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Articles by Brad Cochi
Niwot gymnastics reclaims Class 4A state title Original
THORNTON – The Niwot gymnastics team is still the reigning champion. On Friday at Thornton High School, the Cougars posted an overall team score of 184.050 to claim their second straight team title. “This one was very different,” Niwot head coach Marisa Purcell said. “It was hard because that bar and that expectation was already there.
Broomfield gymnastics is the Class 5A state champion after competition finished Thursday night in Thornton Original
THORNTON – This year’s senior group on the Broomfield gymnastics team decided early on that it would settle for nothing less than finishing out its collective career with a state championship. On Thursday at Thornton High School, the Eagles seniors and their teammates showed up to the Class 5A state championships with only that goal in mind. And when it was all said and done, they left the state finals with their program’s first team title since 2022.
Prep girls golf: Led by Wendy Cheruiyot, Niwot places ninth at 4A state tournament Original
BROOMFIELD – Niwot’s Wendy Cheruiyot impressively finished in a tie for 13th place at the state golf championships when she was a freshman last season. Her goal this year was to do better as a sophomore. On Tuesday at The Broadlands Golf Course, Cheruiyot accomplished her goal by carding a two-day score of 166 strokes at the end of the Class 4A tournament to finish sixth overall. “I just wanted to finish better than I did last year,” Cheruiyot said.
Prep track and field: Niwot gets jumpstart on competition at state championships Original
LAKEWOOD – As a two-time prep shot put champion, Jade West has cultivated a reputation as one of Colorado’s best in the event. She also thinks most people see her as just a shot put thrower and nothing else. So at Thursday’s track and field state championships, the Niwot senior set out to shatter that perception. In the Class 4A girls discus finals, West threw 133 feet, 7 inches to win the title and set the seventh-best mark in Colorado this season. Now, she’s a two-timer in both events.
Girls tennis: Peak to Peak edges Prospect Ridge for Class 3A state team tournament championship Original
DENVER – Peak to Peak had won a couple of girls tennis team titles in the past. But not like the latest one. On Tuesday at Denver Tennis Park, the Class 3A top-seeded Pumas won 4-3 over No. 3 Prospect Ridge in the finals of the statewide dual-style team tournament. It was the Pumas’ first team title under the new format and the first since they won back-to-back team championships in 2018 and 2019.
Boys basketball: Fairview comes up just short in bid for first playoff win since 2021 Original
DENVER – Whether in a win or a loss, the Fairview boys basketball team had to battle in every game it played this winter. That grit allowed the Knights to emerge from a tough Granite Peaks League and capture a spot in the Class 6A postseason. On Friday night, the 16th-seeded Knights (16-8) traveled to face No. 17 George Washington (15-9) in the first round of the state playoffs. In the end, the Knights’ season ended with a 60-51 loss on the road. But true to form, the Knights went down fighting.
Girls basketball: Niwot comes up just short against Aurora Central in Class 5A playoffs
The end: Boulder boys’ basketball’s best season in years is over; but what a ride
Girls basketball: Niwot comes up just short against Aurora Central in Class 5A playoffs
AURORA – This winter’s girls basketball season was a special one at Niwot High School. A year after winning just five games in 2023-24, the Cougars’ most recent campaign marked the first time the program won double-digit games in eight seasons. That accomplishment awarded the Cougars the No. 34 seed in the Class 5A state tournament and the opportunity to face No. 31 Aurora Central in Wednesday’s play-in round.
Prep gymnastics: Niwot conquers the field to win the Class 4A state championship
THORNTON – The Niwot gymnastics team showed up to the Class 4A state championships on Saturday wearing shirts that read “We Better” on them. That statement is a simplified version of a team-centric, forward-thinking motto that developed over the course of the 2024 fall season. That season ended on Saturday at Thornton High School, and the ending was exactly the one the Cougars had worked towards – their first team championship since 2018.
Prep gymnastics: Class 4A state championships
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Prep gymnastics: Broomfield secures third place as a team at Class 5A state championship meet Original
THORNTON – The Broomfield gymnastics program continues to hold tight to its standing among the top clubs in Class 5A. On Thursday night at Thornton High School, the Eagles finished the team portion of the 5A gymnastics state championships with a score of 181.625 to place third. For the Eagles, who won state in both 2021 and 2022, and finished in a tie for runner-up last fall, it was the fifth straight year they finished in the top three statewide.
Prep gymnastics: Broomfield secures third place as a team at Class 5A state championship meet
• None Broomfield’s Kaya Duncan vaults during the Class 5A gymnastics state championships on Thursday, Nov. 7, at Thornton High School. (Brad Cochi/For BoCoPreps.com) • None Broomfield’s Keira La Hue poses after a vault during the Class 5A gymnastics state championships on Thursday, Nov. 7, at Thornton High School.
Fruita falls in state softball quarterfinals
AURORA — The Fruita Monument softball team reached the state semifinals in 2023 but lost seven seniors from a talented roster that knocked off the No. 1 overall seed, which portended the Wildcats may not be as good in 2024. This year’s team balked at that supposed prophecy.
Fruita softball team beats Central for third time this season
AURORA — The Fruita Monument and Central softball teams drove a long way to reprise their crosstown rivalry in the first round of the Class 5A softball state championships on Friday. In what was also the teams’ third meeting of the 2024 season, the eighth-seeded Wildcats scored early and often to win 10-6 and complete the season sweep over the ninth-seeded Warriors to advance to the state semifinals.
Softball: Holy Family takes care of Frederick in 4A Top 10 matchup
After opening the 2024 campaign atop the Colorado High School Activities Association’s Class 4A preseason rankings, the Holy Family softball team has proven itself worthy of that distinguished prediction thus far in the early fall season. Originally Published: August 29, 2024 at 6:43 p.m.
Softball: Holy Family takes care of Frederick in 4A Top 10 matchup
BROOMFIELD – After opening the 2024 campaign atop the Colorado High School Activities Association’s Class 4A preseason rankings, the Holy Family softball team has proven itself worthy of that distinguished prediction thus far in the early fall season. The Tigers have opened the season with five consecutive wins. The Tigers’ latest victory came on Thursday at home in the form of a 3-1 win against a tough Frederick team that was fifth in the preseason rankings.
Fairview’s Jane Roth completes quest for state title Original
DENVER – In 2022 and 2023, Jane Roth and Maya Brakhage dominated the No. 2 doubles tennis scene, winning back-to-back state titles as a synchronous pair. The 2024 season has been very different for both Fairview seniors. After doubling up on doubles state titles, Roth and Brakhage split off to play their senior seasons as singles players. Though it was a bit strange for both, each player was successful.
Fairview’s Jane Roth completes quest for state title
DENVER – In 2022 and 2023, Jane Roth and Maya Brakhage dominated the No. 2 doubles tennis scene, winning back-to-back state titles as a synchronous pair. The 2024 season has been very different for both Fairview seniors. After doubling up on doubles state titles, Roth and Brakhage split off to play their senior seasons as singles players. Though it was a bit strange for both, each player was successful.
Governor Polis Champions Growth of Esports at Spring State Championship
LAKEWOOD – The second sanctioned Colorado High School Activities Association spring esports state championships hosted a special guest at Localhost on Thursday. Jared Polis, Governor of Colorado and lifelong gamer, made an appearance during the early rounds of the tournament, which featured Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Mario Kart.
Three-peat? Erie girls eyeing more golf hardware Original
ERIE – The Erie girls golf team got a taste of that championship feeling when the Tigers won their program’s first state title back in 2022, and apparently that wasn’t enough to quench their thirst for victory. So, the Erie girls went out and took home the 4A state tournament in 2023 to win their second title. Still, not enough.
Girls swimming: Frauenfelder earns silver to lead locals at 3A state meet Original
THORNTON – Lorelai Frauenfelder is just a fan of racing, plain and simple. That passion showed throughout the Class 3A girls swim and dive state championships at Veterans Memorial Aquatic Center on Saturday, during which the sophomore left with a pair of runner-up finishes. But coming close and still not winning didn’t get Frauenfelder down, especially since she switched to focusing on several new races this season after placing fourth in the 200 individual medley as a freshman last season.
Wrestling: Legacy’s Clifton, Erie’s Waneka among champs at Front Range League meet Original
HENDERSON – Matthew Clifton just can’t seem to avoid Poudre’s Tyler Reeves. A sophomore wrestler at Legacy, Clifton lost to Reeves as a freshman last year and has now wrestled the Poudre junior four times throughout the 2023-24 campaign, including last week at the prestigious Top of the Rockies tournament. The pair’s latest tussle came on Saturday in the 126-pound finals of the Front Range League Tournament.
Girls basketball: Eschmeyer surpasses 1,000-points, but Peak to Peak comes up short against Colorado Academy Original
DENVER — Thursday night’s girls basketball game between Peak to Peak and Colorado Academy featured a pair of top 10 Class 4A teams in the latest Coaches and Media Rankings. The result of said contest also promised to have a major impact on who might eventually win the 4A/3A Metropolitan League, and could wind up as a preview of a future postseason matchup.
Gymnastics: Niwot goes out with top season score at 4A state
THORNTON – For a program like Niwot gymnastics, each team’s goal is to be hoisting a trophy at the end of the season. That didn’t turn out to be the case for this year’s Cougars, who placed fourth in the team competition during the Class 4A state championships on Friday at Thornton High School. But what the Cougars did accomplish was to post their highest combined team score of the season, a 178.775.
Gymnastics: Niwot goes out with top season score at 4A state
THORNTON – For a program like Niwot gymnastics, each team’s goal is to be hoisting a trophy at the end of the season. That didn’t turn out to be the case for this year’s Cougars, who placed fourth in the team competition during the Class 4A state championships on Friday at Thornton High School. But what the Cougars did accomplish was to post their highest combined team score of the season, a 178.775.
State cross country: Lyons’ Sage Wynja places second at state meet Original
COLORADO SPRINGS – A quick glance at the statewide best times in Class 2A prior to the CHSAA cross country state championships would show Lyons’ Sage Wynja at No. 13. The Lions senior didn’t put much stock in that ranking then. He certainly doesn’t now after finishing runner-up in the classification amid a late run at eventual champion Andrew Bel on Saturday at Norris Penrose Event Center.
Boys tennis: Fairview drops match to Valor, ends team state tournament run
HIGHLANDS RANCH – For the second straight year and at the end of both years under a new team championship format, the Fairview boys tennis team’s season has ended in the Class 5A quarterfinals. On Friday evening, the No. 6-seeded Knights fell, 7-0, on the road at No. 3 Valor Christian in a rematch of last year’s quarterfinals in which Valor Christian also eliminated the Knights.
Girls golf: Peak to Peak’s Noelle Thompson wins Chilly Chili invite Original
BROOMFIELD — On what began as a competition between her and the field, Noelle Thompson’s Saturday quickly morphed into a contest between her and the Chilly Chili Invitational tournament record. On a morning that was, well, appropriately chilly for the annual event’s moniker, the Peak to Peak senior won the 13th edition of the Chilly Chili with a 1-under-par 71 at Eagle Trace Golf Club.
Grandview beats Monarch and claims 6A girls hoops title
DENVER – The Grandview girls basketball team is back on top of Colorado’s largest classification. On Saturday at the Denver Coliseum, Wolves completed their bid to go back-to-back with a 38-28 victory over Monarch in the Class 6A state championship game. Not only did the Wolves defend their long-awaited Class 5A title from 2022, they are now the first 6A state champions in Colorado since Boulder won in the classification in 1994.
Holy Family powers by D'Evelyn to win 4A girls basketball title
DENVER – Only for a program that has achieved the level of success the Holy Family girls basketball team has would eight years seem like a long time to go without a state championship. Holy Family won six Class 3A titles in a seven-year span from 2008-14 and has had championship-caliber teams many times since, but hasn’t been able to recapture the first-place trophy. On Saturday morning at the Denver Coliseum, however, the Tigers won 49-44 over D’Evelyn in the 4A state championship game.
Salida and Faith Christian hoping to end boys hoops title droughts
DENVER – The top-seeded Faith Christian boys basketball team continues to flex its muscles this postseason, but the Eagles had to pass their toughest test yet on Friday. Scoring over 70 points in each of the first four postseason games they have played, the Eagles (24-1) constructed yet another high-scoring victory on Friday evening with a 72-67 win over No. 4 Highland (22-4) in the Class 3A Final 4 at the University of Denver’s Hamilton Gymnasium.
Rivals CSCS and Vanguard to play for 3A girls basketball title
DENVER – Juliana Garcia was a freshman in 2020 when The Vanguard’s girls basketball team reached the Class 3A Great 8 only to be eliminated by No. 1 St. Mary’s. In both of the following seasons, the Coursers made it all the way to the Final 4 in Garcia’s sophomore year but couldn’t break through into the title game. They made it back to the semifinals in 2022 and Garcia tore her ACL in the Final 4, where the Coursers’ season ended once again.
Holy Family boys upset 4A top seed Kent Denver Original
ENGLEWOOD — The Holy Family boys basketball team may have had a rough final month of the regular season, taking some tough losses in league play to close it out, but things certainly are looking up over the past week. After kicking off the Class 4A state tournament with a first-round comeback win over DSST: Green Valley Ranch on Wednesday, the 17th-seeded Tigers turned around and pulled off a stunning 80-53 win over top-seeded Kent Denver on the road in the Sweet 16 on Saturday.
No. 1 Stratton runs away with championship game win over No. 2 Fleming
BY: Brad Cochi/CHSAANow.com PUEBLO – Whether as a part of a co-op or not, the Stratton Eagles have played in the last six 6-man football state championships. But in the past three title games, the Eagles have traveled all the way to Pueblo only to finish runner-up each time. For seniors like Alex Cruz, those silver trophies have continued to represent dissatisfying endings – each more frustrating than the last – to otherwise dominant seasons.
Haxtun title defense ends Saturday
BY: Brad Cochi/CHSAANow.com The reigning 8-man football state champions were prepared for a challenge on Saturday in the semifinals of the state playoffs. Facing a likewise unbeaten team in Simla, it was clear the No. 1 Haxtun Bulldogs were facing one of their toughest opponents to date despite playing a gauntlet of ranked opponents that included a Class 1A team. The fourth-seeded Simla Cubs delivered that challenge, and then some.
Fort Morgan holds Lutheran to season-low point total to advance to state championship
The No. 2 Lutheran Lions entered the Class 3A semifinals having scored 49 points in each of their first two postseason victories, but the Fort Morgan Mustangs were ready to counter with a stout defense that had allowed a total of 14 points in two playoff games. It was defense that prevailed on Saturday. Fort Morgan won 23-21, punching its ticket to the state championship game next weekend. It was also the first time all season the Lutheran offense was held below 35 points.
Cherry Creek's Riley Stewart named Gatorade Colorado girls track & field player of the year
Cherry Creek's Riley Stewart will look back at her junior year in high school as a memorable one for a number of reasons, some typical for an athlete of her ability and others unusual. Now, she has one more reason – similar to another lofty accolade she recently garnered – to look back fondly on the 2020-21 school year. On Friday, Gatorade announced that Stewart had been selected as the latest Gatorade Colorado track and field girls player of the year.
Dave Logan inducted into National Federation of State High School Associations Hall of Fame
(Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com) ORLANDO – Dave Logan’s father coached him in both little league football and basketball, and that relationship ended up being the primary reason Logan grew up to become a coach himself. Even at an early age, both of Logan’s parents ingrained in him that should he one day have an opportunity to work with kids that he must take advantage of the chance to guide younger generations and help them grow through sport.
Dawson' Degen Miller named Gatorade Colorado player of the year
(Brent Murphy/BrentMurphyPhoto.com) The highest scoring girls soccer state championship game in Colorado's history fittingly featured one of the most prolific scorers to play in the Centennial State. On Saturday at Weidner Field, the Dawson Mustangs won the Class 2A girls soccer championship, 15-4, over Telluride. Senior Degen Miller, who is a member of the U.S. Soccer Under-19 Team player pool, led the onslaught with four goals by herself.
FIFA referee Karen Abt to officiate girls soccer 5A championship game
Karen Abt has ascended a great deal since she last officiated a high school soccer game in 2009, as she has spent the past seven years as a professional official on the FIFA panel, the world's highest level of officiating. A Colorado native, Abt will soon return high school action when she takes the field to referee the Class 5A girls soccer state championship game between Rock Canyon and Broomfield on Saturday at Weidner Field in Colorado Springs.
State track: Recapping some of the best performances from the first day
LAKEWOOD – Perfect weather led to a record-breaking day for the top pole vaulters in Class 4A on Thursday at the state meet at Jefferson County Stadium. Thompson Valley’s Becker Ell and Silver Creek’s Megan Kelleghan both broke Class 4A state meet records en route to winning their first state titles. Ell cleared 16 feet to cruise to the title and top the previous mark of 15-8.5, set by Sam Pierson of Pueblo South in 2006.
5A girls golf: Lehigh claims individual title in leading Loveland to team championship
Katelyn Lehigh accomplished several goals in spectacular fashion in winning the Class 5A girls golf individual state championship on Tuesday. The junior golfer opened the final day at City Park Golf Course in a tie for the lead with teammate Taylor Bandemer and turned in a 4-under 66 that tied the 18-hole course record during her closing round to clinch her first state title after having to wait for over two years since her last opportunity.
Photos: Evergreen and Castle View storm into 4A girls lacrosse title game
HIGHLANDS RANCH — The first Class 4A girls lacrosse state championship game is set as Evergreen and Castle View will meet on Wednesday. Coverage: Story | Bracket Evergreen 17, Thompson Valley 5 By Lance Wendt and David Harvey Link to gallery (Lance Wendt/wendt5280.com) Castle View 17, Grand Junction 4 By Brad Cochi Link to gallery
5A girls golf: Lehigh, Bandemer pace Loveland to lead after Day 1
Between Classes 5A and 4A, Lauren Lehigh won a pair of girls golf state championships during her time at Loveland and was the last high school player to win a 5A state title in Colorado. Her younger sister, Katelyn Lehigh, had designs on extending the Lehigh family's reign over Class 5A but the global pandemic cancelled the 2020 season, leaving the Loveland junior with a long while to heap expectations upon herself for when her opportunity would finally come.
4A boys lacrosse semifinals: Cheyenne Mountain, Evergreen to meet in title game
ENGLEWOOD – Four teams took the field at Englewood High School on Saturday to decide which two would battle for the Class 4A state championship in Season D. At the end of a long and sweltering and occasionally rainy day, Cheyenne Mountain and Evergreen emerged victorious. Next Tuesday, those two teams will face one another in the championship game at 5 p.m. back in the same stadium where they shined in the semifinals.
5A boys lacrosse semifinals: Mountain Vista, Valor Christian to meet in title game
ENGLEWOOD – Four teams took the field at Englewood High School on Saturday to decide which two would battle for the Class 5A state championship in Season D. The potential for several firsts was established when Mountain Vista and Valor Christian emerged victorious. Next Tuesday, those two teams will return to Englewood to one another in the championship game at 7:30 p.m. It will be both teams' first appearance in the Class 5A title game.
5A girls tennis: Cherry Creek continues dominance of Class 5A with 37th title
(Brad Cochi/CHSAANow.com) DENVER – The Cherry Creek girls tennis team isn’t used to waiting long between state championships. The Bruins won three straight Class 5A team titles from 2017-19. But when an unexpected newcomer in COVID-19 blocked them from a title in 2020, the Bruins were forced to sit idle and wait for another shot at extending their streak.
5A girls tennis: Cherry Creek holds narrow lead after Day 1
(Brad Cochi/CHSAANow.com) It seems like forever since the last girls tennis state tournament took place in Colorado, but a pair of perennial contenders have picked up right where they left off in Class 5A with a slew of new faces in this year's field. Cherry Creek, which has won 21 of the last 22 team titles, and Fairview – the only other 5A team to claim a trophy over that span – began to separate themselves once again on Day 1 of the state tournament at Gates Tennis Center on Friday.
Liberty's Jeff Koch named Gatorade Colorado boys soccer player of the year
(Tim Bourke/TimBourke.com) A monumental portion of what the Liberty boys soccer team has done in recent years has started, and often ended, with senior Jeff Koch at the back of its formation. Liberty's 6-foot-1, 175-pound field general led the Lancers on an undefeated run through the regular season and to the Class 5A state semifinals in Season C.
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