Girls lacrosse season kicking into overdrive as postseason draws near

With only nine days remaining in the regular season, the final week of the girls lacrosse season is going to be fast-paced and intense.

The first round of the postseason is set for May 9-10, with the championship game only 22 days away. With the playoff brackets released May 7, the final push for seedings/postseason spots is about to pick up.

In Class 4A alone, eight games are on the schedule over the next seven days between teams ranked in the CHSAANow.com Coaches Poll Top 10. Top-ranked Castle View visits No. 3 Evergreen and hosts No. 7 Denver South, and No. 2 Mead also draws Evergreen along with No. 6 Thompson Valley.

The Cougars host No. 4 Golden on May 5, capping a massive week for the program.

In 5A, Colorado Academy solidified its top spot with a 12-9 victory over No. 2 Valor Christian last Tuesday. Among the squads with big weeks ahead includes No. 3 Cherry Creek, which hosts No. 8 Kent Denver on Friday at No. 4 Regis Jesuit on Tuesday; and Kent Denver also visits Colorado Academy at No. 9 Rock Canyon.

With April closing out and May sure to move fast, here is a quick look at the two classifications headed into the final days of the regular season:

Class 5A

Colorado Academy kept its unbeaten season going with perhaps its biggest win to date last Tuesday. The Mustangs (11-0, 4-0 in 5A West) held off Valor Christian behind four goals and an assist from Zoe Martin, along with a goal and four assists from Skylar May. Addy Westerberg and Alex May had three goals each.

The Eagles (10-3, 3-1 in West) received four goals from Amanda Stevens. The team bounced back with a 22-1 victory over Ralston Valley on Thursday.

Since sustaining back-to-back losses to Valor Christian and Colorado Academy, third-ranked Cherry Creek has been on a roll. The Bruins (11-2, 5-0 in East) have won five in a row going into their final two games of the regular season.
That includes a 12-9 victory over No. 6 Fairview last Friday, with Ava Whitt scoring three goals and Izzy Assini and Sawyer Billings adding four points each.

Fairview (9-4, 5-1 in East) responded from the loss to Creek with its own big triumph, edging Regis Jesuit 13-10. Cami Johnson led the way with six goals and two assists, and Gabriella McCollester – who had four goals against the Bruins – added four more goals. Phoebe Rogala scored four goals for the Raiders (8-2, 3-1 in East) and Delaney Sitzmann had a goal and four assists.

No. 4 ThunderRidge continues to lead the South League going into the final days. The Grizzlies (10-3, 4-0) will try and lock up the league crown next Thursday when they travel to No. 10 Palmer Ridge (10-3, 5-0). The Bears knocked off No. 9 Rock Canyon 9-8 on Thursday behind, with Natalie Jansky scoring three goals.

Class 4A

After outscoring its previous two opponents by a combined 38-2 margin, top-ranked Castle View has three games remaining in its regular season. The Sabercats (11-3, 3-0 in South) can lock up the league title with a victory over Denver South on Tuesday.

Evergreen (6-4, 2-0 in West) will go up against 4A’s best this week. The Cougars’ game with Golden (9-3, 2-1) on May 5 will likely decide the league title.

No. 5 Heritage vists Golden on Monday. The Eagles (9-2, 2-0 in East) have won six in a row.

Mead (8-2, 4-0 in North) plays No. 6 Thompson Valley on Tuesday for the North crown. The Mavericks handed Northfield its first league loss Tuesday, rolling 21-4 with Mia Welty’s five goals and four assists pacing the squad. Allie Hartman and Grace Weber each added five goals.

The 4A Mountain East title could come down to Tuesday’s game between No. 8 Roaring Fork and No. 9 Battle Mountain. The Rams (8-2, 6-1) dropped their first league game last Friday, falling 13-12 at Eagle Valley. Battle Mountain (9-3, 7-1), which hosts No. 7 Denver South in a non-league game Saturday, lost to Roaring Fork on April 18.

Aspen (8-4, 5-3) has won three in a row, including a 23-5 rout of then-No. 10 Fruita Monument last Saturday. Haley Schmela scored six goals and Quintessa Frisch had four goals and five assists.

Fruita Monument (6-4, 4-0) has a two-game lead in the Mountain West with four games remaining.