Note: For more photos from Lance Wendt, click here.
Legend’s boys lacrosse team is serving up a youth movement that has put opponents on notice.
Now, with their biggest week of the season coming up, the Titans are hoping to cement their status as a contender in the Class 5A ranks.
Legend, which moved up to No. 2 in the most recent 5A CHSAANow.com Coaches Poll after a victory over then-No. 2 Mountain Vista last Thursday, is riding a strong surge into a challenging stretch. The Titans (8-0, 3-0 in League 3) host No. 5 Regis Jesuit on Friday, with perennial power and third-ranked Valor Christian coming up Tuesday.
Sophomore Magnus Langtry, the team’s leader in goals and assists, put together another strong effort over the past week. Langtry poured in three goals – as did junior Matthew Dore and sophomore Brodin Dodge – in an 11-5 victory over the Golden Eagles.
Langtry (three goals and four assists) and junior Ryan Menard (five goals and two assists) tallied seven points each in a 16-6 victory over Columbine last Friday. Sophomore Logan Giesler finished with 10 saves against Mountain Vista and seven more against the Rebels.
The Titans then rolled past Rock Canyon 17-6 on Tuesday night.
Cherry Creek continues to pace the 5A classification. The Bruins handed No. 4 Denver South its first loss of the season Tuesday night as the Bruins (9-0, 2-0) powered their way to a 17-4 victory.
Valor Christian (8-1) has won three in a row since its own loss to Cherry Creek. South (6-1) is fourth, followed by the Raiders (7-1, 2-0), which took down Mountain Vista 10-7 on Tuesday.
In 4A, Cheyenne Mountain (5-3) is still first overall headed into a big non-league tilt with No. 7 Evergreen on Thursday. Erie, Northfield, Dawson School and Dakota Ridge round out the top five.
Here is a quick look at the state’s two classifications headed into the midway point of April:
Class 5A
Like Legend, the upcoming week features a pair of big challenges for Valor Christian. The Eagles, fresh off a rout of Chaparral on Tuesday night, have the afore-mentioned clash with Legend next Tuesday. But the Eagles first have to match up with 10th-ranked Castle View on Friday. The Sabercats’ only loss through the first seven games was a one-goal loss to Columbine, though the team fell 19-13 on Tuesday night to 4A’s fifth-ranked Dakota Ridge.
Denver South will look to bounce back from its first loss when the Ravens visit No. 9 Colorado Academy on Thursday. South (6-1, 1-1 in League 4) also hosts Kent Denver next Tuesday.
South took down Cherokee Trail 16-11 last Thursday behind six goals from Owen Metz and six points each from Karson Sparks and Wyatt Hurd. Sparks had three goals and seven assists two days later in a 22-10 blitzing of Ralston Valley. Metz and Hayden Caulkins scored five goals each.
Colorado Academy (6-3, 1-1) dropped its league opener to Arapahoe last Friday, as Ian Thompson recorded 10 saves for the seventh-ranked Warriors. Arapahoe (3-5, 1-1) managed only three goals Tuesday in a 5-3 loss to Kent Denver.
Class 4A
Lutheran only played two games in March, but the Lions have gotten off to a strong start in a busy April.
No. 8 Lutheran (5-0) topped Eagle Valley, Resurrection Christian and Conifer over the previous six days, with Golden up next Thursday, followed by the team’s biggest game to date Saturday against No. 3 Northfield. The Lions are allowing less than five goals a game thus far.
No. 9 Air Academy (3-3) dropped three of its first four games to ranked opponents, but the Kadets have picked up their game. Air Academy rolled past Conifer 18-6 last Saturday, with Luke O’Connell scoring six goals, Lucas Obringer adding a goal and five assists, and Luke Mclellan recording 17 saves.
The Kadets upset No. 4 Dawson School 12-11 in overtime Monday.
Steamboat Springs had been riding strong through an impressive week, defeating Aspen, Battle Mountain and Glenwood Springs over six days. But the sixth-ranked Sailors (7-2, 5-1 in Western) saw a five-game winning streak come to an end Tuesday night with a 10-9 loss to 10th-ranked Vail Mountain.
Evergreen (3-3) got back to .500 after three losses to 5A teams to open the season. The Cougars opened their April with a 19-3 victory over Resurrection Christian on Tuesday, with Cheyenne Mountain up next.
