Note: For more photos from David Harvey, click here.
The boys soccer team at Legacy High School raised a trophy with an American football figurine on it following its 5A/4A Front Range League title game victory over Fossil Ridge Thursday.
Apparently league officials had a conflict in getting the official hardware on time, coach Tony Romano said — so a football-themed prize had to make do for the celebration at Adams 12 Five-Star North Stadium.
Of course the Lightning hope this is just the beginning of all the trophy talk.
State postseason brackets were released by CHSAA Monday morning for all classifications. Legacy edged Valor Christian for the top seed in 5A. Durango (4A), Colorado Academy (3A) and Vail Mountain (2A) are the other No. 1s.
Round 1 games for Class 5A and 3A are Wednesday. 4A starts Thursday and 2A begins Friday.
Here’s a look at some of the most intriguing first-round games.
Class 5A
No. 32 Overland at No. 1 Legacy, Wednesday
If history stays true, the Lightning (14-1) are likely to run away with this matchup. But star forward Cooper Stephens is something to monitor from 5A’s top team, anyway. He comes into the postseason with nine goals in his past seven games and 15 overall. Last year, he had three consecutive postseason winners.
No. 24 Liberty at No. 9 Monarch, Wednesday
The Coyotes (10-5) are hosting a playoff game after qualifying for the tournament for the first time since 2017. They’ll face an oft-strong Colorado Springs Metro League team in Liberty (8-6-1), which touts lethal scorer Caden Hickox. Hickox has 21 goals and 15 assists this season.
No. 25 Northglenn at No. 8 Ralston Valley, Wednesday
The Norsemen (9-6) were the surprise team in the Front Range League this season. Among some good results, they lost to No. 1 Legacy by just one on Sept. 27, then beat No. 18 Horizon and No. 5 Boulder over a three-day span earlier this month. Ralston Valley (10-5) finished second behind No. 2 Valor Christian in a strong Jefferson County League.
**
Class 4A
No. 19 Mead at No. 14 Summit, Friday
The Mavericks (10-4-1) somewhat struggled down the stretch in the regular season, going 1-2-1 over their last four games. But this team showed they can play with anybody in the class. They lost at Durango by just one in early September, then fell in overtime to No. 4 Centaurus at the start of this month. Summit (10-3-2) settled for a share of the Western Slope League title after it lost to No. 23 Steamboat Springs Thursday.
No. 18 Skyview at No. 15 Skyline, Thursday
Brian Heredia has all the pieces to take over a game on the offensive end for Skyline (12-3). He has 13 goals this fall as the Falcons take on Skyview (9-2-4), which has allowed just 10 goals this season.
No. 22 Northridge at No. 11 Golden, Thursday
Golden (11-4) had been one of the hottest teams in the state, winning seven straight before a 4-2 loss to No. 17 Wheat Ridge Thursday. Northridge (10-3-2) and standout Justus Alcala (15 goals, 13 assists) will look for the upset after finishing fifth in the 4A/3A Longs Peak League.
**
Class 3A
No. 28 Bayfield at No. 5 Roaring Fork, Wednesday
Defending champ Roaring Fork had a strange opening to the season, one that featured a very late start and a pair of early blowout losses. But the Rams (13-2) come into the postseason even better than last season when they were seeded 11th. They’ve won 11 straight, outscoring teams 66-22 this fall.
No. 26 Lamar at No. 7 Peak to Peak, Wednesday
The Pumas (11-3-1) have already won their most games in a season since 2015. They face a difficult 26 seed in Lamar (9-5-1). Among impressive results for the Thunder: They fell to 2A No. 3 Thomas MacLaren School by one in September and drew with 3A No. 17 Atlas Preparatory School last week.
No. 21 Basalt at No. 12 James Irwin, Wednesday
Irwing Romo has 21 goals for James Irwin (11-3-1), which hasn’t lost at home this season. Basalt (6-7-1), the team that knocked off defending 2A champ Crested Butte at the start of the season, is looking to make noise in its first postseason appearance since 2018.
**
Class 2A
No. 12 SkyView Academy at No. 5 Crested Butte, Friday
Reigning 2A player of the year Jacob Bernholtz has 24 goals and eight helpers for Crested Butte (12-3), which is looking to win its fourth state title in five seasons. Anton Reznikov has 28 goals for SkyView Academy (10-4).
No. 11 Telluride at No. 6 Lotus School for Excellence, Friday
Taylor Holmes and Kai Kusuno each have 10 goals for Telluride (8-6), which finished behind defending champ Crested Butte in the 2A Intermountain League standings. Lotus School for Excellence (11-4) has won five of its last six, including a win over No. 3 Thomas MacLaren Oct. 8.
No. 9 Lake County at No. 8 Heritage Christian, Friday
Fernando Chavez Nava is averaging a hat trick per game with 45 goals this season for Lake County (13-2). The Panthers are a perfect 7-0 on the road, while Heritage Christian (11-4) is just 4-3 at home. The Eagles, though, come into the postseason on a four-game winning streak, outscoring teams 25-2.
