From a 2022 state championship rematch, to a program trying to finally break through and reach the title game, Tuesday night’s Class 4A boys lacrosse quarterfinal were not lacking for intriguing storylines.
There was top-seeded and two-time defending champion Cheyenne Mountain, upending Southern League rival Air Academy, just as it did in the 2022 championship game. The Red-Tailed Hawks will attempt to reach their fifth consecutive title game (the 2020 season was canceled) on Saturday when they take on No. 5 Evergreen at the University of Denver. That in itself is a rematch of the 2021 title game.
In the other semifinal, No. 2 Erie – which lost to Cheyenne Mountain in the state semifinals each of the past two seasons – advanced to Saturday’s semis where the Tigers will face No. 3 Dakota Ridge.
The Class 5A quarterfinals are Wednesday night, with the semifinals also Saturday at DU. The 4A championship game is at 5 p.m. on Monday at DU, followed by the 5A title game at 7:30 p.m.
Here is a quick look at what’s ahead in both classifications:
Class 5A
Seven of the top eight seeds in 5A advanced to Wednesday’s quarterfinals. The only lower seeded team to advance was No. 10 Arapahoe, the defending state champion, which upended No. 7 Colorado Academy 7-6 last Saturday. Fred Fulkerson scored a pair of goals and five others added scores to send the Warriors into the semifinals against No. 2 Valor Christian, which won the regular-season matchup back on March 24. Arapahoe has won seven of its past nine, and the only two losses came by one goal each to No. 1 Cherry Creek and No. 5 Mountain Vista.
The Eagles, whose only loss came to Cherry Creek on March 29, have won 10 in a row. That includes last Saturday’s 20-5 rout of Denver East, with Liam Goodwin scoring five goals and Baden Brown adding four goals and three assists.
Cherry Creek draws No. 8 Denver South on the other side of the bracket. The Bruins, who dropped their only game of the season back on May 5 to Regis Jesuit by one goal, rolled past South 17-4 on April 11. Cherry Creek advanced to the quarterfinals with a 15-6 rout of Columbine, and are seeking to make their first title game since winning it all in 2019.
Denver South opened the playoffs with a 12-10 victory over Monarch. Wyatt Hurd and Owen Metz each scored four goals and Karson Sparks had two goals and five assists. Flynn Leonard paced Monarch with five goals and Grayson Jolly added four assists.
No. 4 Legend takes on Mountain Vista in the other quarterfinal. The Titans scored three goals in the fourth quarter to hold off Lakewood 10-8 in the second round. Matthew Dore’s four points paced Legend, while Luke Brunner scored four goals for Lakewood.
Mountain Vista, the 2021 champion and 2022 runner-up, downed Castle View 14-5. Brady Brown had two goals and three assists for the Golden Eagles, which fell to Legend 11-5 on April 6.
Class 4A
Make it 11 victories in a row for Cheyenne Mountain after the team held off Air Academy 10-6 on Tuesday night. The Red-Tailed Hawks now face Evergreen, a team they defeated 13-5 back on April 13.
The Cougars have won eight in a row, including Tuesday’s 10-5 triumph over No. 4 Steamboat Springs. Junior Leo Kailus leads the team in goals (39) and assists (35).
Erie rolled past an upstart Telluride squad 19-4. The Miners were the lowest remaining seed in the field after upsetting No. 7 Lutheran in the second round.
The Tigers have won seven of their past eight – the only loss coming to Cheyenne Mountain – headed into the semifinal matchup with Dakota Ridge. The Eagles are riding a 14-game winning streak after coming from behind to defeat No. 6 Northfield 12-11 on Tuesday night.
