A postseason that was already going to be a sprint to the finish line just got a little more chaotic.
Wednesday’s rash of inclement weather around the Denver Metro area made a mess of the first round of the Class 5A girls lacrosse playoffs. Only five of the eight scheduled contests were played, forcing the remaining three to Thursday.
Ordinarily that wouldn’t be a huge deal, but while both the 5A and 4A boys lacrosse fields, along with the 4A girls, boast a 24-team postseason bracket, the 5A girls only send 16 teams to the playoffs.
That means that the quarterfinals are just one day away, with the semis – at Englewood High School – set for Tuesday. So, weather permitting, some teams will be playing for their postseason lives with three games in six days.
Then again, the same holds true for the 4A field, which wrapped up the first round Tuesday. Teams returns to the field Thursday for the second round, then again Saturday for the quarterfinals. The semis are May 17 at Englewood High School, and both 5A and 4A will conclude the season May 19 at the University of Denver.
With the postseason lasting only 11 days, that doesn’t leave much wiggle room. Here is a quick look back at the first round, along with what lies ahead for both classifications:
Class 5A
Valor Christian opened the playoffs just like it did the 2023 season – with a shutout. The second-seeded Eagles dominated No. 15 Air Academy 20-0 on Wednesday night to advance to the quarterfinal round.
Waiting for them there will be No. 7 Kent Denver, which rolled past Denver East 17-8. Valor and Kent Denver met back on April 20, with the Eagles taking a 16-11 victory.
The only other team to earn a victory Wednesday night was No. 8 Poudre School District, which pushed its winning streak to five games with a 16-6 victory over No. 9 Palmer Ridge.
The Stars will have to wait until Thursday to find out their quarterfinal opponent, either No. 1 Colorado Academy or No. 16 Chaparral.
Regis Jesuit blitzed Rock Canyon 20-4. The No. 6 Raiders await the winner of No. 3 Thunder Ridge and No. 14 Dakota Ridge.
Other first-round games that will be made up include No. 4 Cherry Creek vs. No. 13 Columbine and No. 5 Fairview vs. No. 12 Chatfield.
Class 4A
Goals came in bunches in the first round, with teams combining to find the back of the net 191 times. The lowest-scoring contest came at the bottom of the bracket, with No. 15 Fruita Monument needing overtime to top No. 18 Steamboat Springs 7-6. Five players scored for the Sailors, but the Wildcats scored a late goal to force OT. They now draw No. 2 Mead in the second round.
The highest-scoring game came between the Nos. 16 and 17 seeds, with Reilly Cormier and Northfield going off for a 23-13 victory over Pueblo West. Cormier scored 13 goals to help Northfield snap a three-game skid for the Nighthawks, who face No. 1 Castle View on Thursday.
Only one league rematch will take place in the second round, as the Mountain East’s No. 7 Aspen hosts No. 10 Roaring Fork. The Rams, who split the regular-season series with the Skiers, defeated Grand Junction 16-7. Grace Garcia, Sophie Hodgson, Adeline Nolan and Hailey Wolfe each scored three goals for Roaring Fork.
Another 4A Mountain East team into the second round is No. 9 Battle Mountain, which downed Holy Family 19-7 behind five goals from Alexandra Dienst and five points from Piper Sassi. Sarah Vail paced the Tigers with four goals. Battle Mountain visits No. 8 Thompson Valley on Thursday.
Three teams from the 4A West – No. 3 Evergreen, No. 5 Green Mountain and No. 11 Golden – are in the second round. Golden was the only team to play in the first round, downing Horizon 13-2. Brooke Miller, Taylor Tobin, Sydney Shanley and Ady Brickle each scored three goals for the Demons, who face No. 6 Heritage next.
The winner of that game plays either Evergreen or No. 14 Cherokee Trail. The Cougars took down Denver North 15-12, with Kyla Bieker scoring six goals and adding three assists, and Abigail Vanzant assisting on five goals and scoring one of her own.
Green Mountain draws No. 12 Rampart, a 14-12 victory over Eagle Valley. Fourth-seeded Denver South faces No. 13 Durango, which routed Liberty 19-6. Jordan Meininger led the way with five points and EmmyLou Willis scored four goals.
