Athletics

CONIFER — More than likely Chatfield and Pomona will be battling it out for the Class 5A girls wrestling team title at Ball Arena in a few weeks, but Thursday night at Conifer High School belonged to Columbine.

The Rebels put up 164 team points, which included Columbine claiming three individual titles with Halo MacMillan (115 pounds), Mady MacMillan (130 pounds) and Makena Heston (135 pounds) all victorious in their title bouts up the hill in Conifer.

WESTMINSTER — Standley Lake boys basketball team took a big step forward Wednesday night in its quest to claim its first league title in the program’s history.

The Gators stayed undefeated in the Class 5A/4A Jeffco League with a dominating 51-32 home victory against Evergreen. It was a big hurdle for Standley Lake (11-6, 4-0 in league) to clear with the Cougars (12-6, 3-2) in the mix near the top of the conference standings.

LITTLETON — Arvada West girls basketball got a much-needed victory in Class 6A Jeffco League play Tuesday night.

A-West avoided falling below .500 in conference play by grabbing a 59-49 win over Columbine to start the second go-around in 6A Jeffco. The Wildcats (14-3, 4-3 in league) were coming off a rough 15-point loss Saturday to rival Ralston Valley on A-West’s home court.

“I’m glad we moved on from that game,” A-West junior Macie Ferguson said of the loss to Ralston Valley that likely put a chance at a league title out of reach. “We were able to flush it and get back on track.”

ARVADA — The showdown of cross-town rivals in a battle of unbeaten boys basketball teams lived up to the billing Saturday night.

In a defensive scrum, Arvada West edged Ralston Valley 45-42 in front of a standing-room-only crowd at Arvada West High School.

“It means so much,” A-West junior Cooper Vais said following the Wildcats’ student section storming the court after Vais raced down the floor with the ball in the final seconds to secure the win. “As a program at Arvada West we haven’t beat those guys in I don’t even know how many years. It’s been awhile.”

ARVADA — The crowd kept on getting bigger and bigger as the girls basketball rivalry game between Ralston Valley and Arvada West went on Saturday night at Arvada West High School.

The first game of the varsity girls/boys doubleheader brought a near capacity crowd by the time Ralston Valley and A-West reached halftime.

LAKEWOOD — What is looming on the horizon is soon to be in focus for Green Mountain girls basketball team.

The Class 5A/4A/3A Jeffco League title will be determined over the next few weeks, likely in showdowns on Green Mountain’s home court against D’Evelyn (Feb. 6) and Standley Lake (Feb. 16).

ARVADA — There seems to be no kryptonite that can slow down Pomona’s boys wrestling team.

The Panthers claimed their 11th consecutive Class 5A Jeffco League title on Friday night by dominating the 5A Jeffco League Championships wrestled at Pomona Junior/Senior High School.

LITTLETON — One of the biggest Jeffco League boys basketball match-ups in decades is set to take place at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 31, at Arvada West High School.

Ralston Valley will face rival A-West with both teams not only tied atop the Class 6A Jeffco League standings, but both will be undefeated with identical 15-0 records. Ralston Valley is No. 2 in the CHSAA Selection & Seeding Index, while A-West is No. 3.

ARVADA — Junior Santana Sabus wasn’t too worried about reprimanded by Ralston Valley principal Mica Buenning when she gets to school Wednesday morning.

“No. I think she (Principal Buenning) loves it. She gets to see her daughter play and watch us play at the same time,” Sabus said after her 25-point output Tuesday night at Ralston Valley High School. “It’s the best of both worlds.”

LITTLETON — Those swishes you might have heard Monday night might have been coming from Columbine High School’s gymnasium.

Columbine’s girls basketball team put on a shooting clinic in a 82-29 victory over Golden. The Rebels had 77 points, including 15 made 3-pointers through the first three quarters.

GOLDEN — Evergreen boys basketball fans that made the drive down the hill to Golden High School on Friday night got their money’s worth.

The Cougars ended the Demons’ 10-game winning streak with a dominating 58-43 road victory. Evergreen (11-3, 2-0 in Class 5A/4A Jeffco League) has now won nine straight games dating back to early December.

LAKEWOOD — Senior Night is always special.

It was no different Thursday night at Alameda International Junior/Senior High School. Alameda’s boys wrestling coach Frank Trujillo talked about each of his seniors and every senior took their turn on the mic before the dual against Conifer.

“Very exciting. We’ve finally come to the end for these four years for our seniors,” Trujillo said after the solid 51-24 team victory over Conifer. “We had seven of them out here tonight. It was exciting to talk about what they have accomplished over the past four years and what they are accomplishing this year as well.”

LITTLETON — Green Mountain boys hoops did something Wednesday night that hadn’t been done since the 2021-22 basketball season.

The Rams handed Dakota Ridge a 69-35 loss on the Eagles’ home court in the Class 5A/4A Jeffco League opener for both teams. It was the first defeat in conference play for Dakota Ridge since a 5A Jeffco League loss to Ralston Valley back on Jan. 28, 2022.

WHEAT RIDGE — Before a trip to Kansas later this week, Standley Lake’s boys basketball team opened up Class 5A/4A Jeffco League play Tuesday night.

The Gators never trailed in an eventual 55-31 road victory over Wheat Ridge.

“It is good to be atop, I guess,” Standley Lake coach Tyson Schrecengost said of the Gators taking an early lead in conference play with everyone else starting league play tomorrow (Jan. 21). “I’m just proud of the guys getting that first league win. We needed to do that before heading to Kansas. Wheat Ridge is a good program and works hard.”

LITTLETON — Ralston Valley senior Caiden Braketa showed off his seemingly unlimited range from beyond the arc Wednesday night.

The Black Hills State University-commit had six 3-pointers in the first half at Chatfield High School. The majority of the shots from distance were from well beyond the 3-point line. A few came with Braketa nearly standing on the Charger logo on center court.

GOLDEN — Coach Lou Vullo was a little concerned that his Golden Demons boys basketball team would cool off over the Winter Break, but that hasn’t been the case.

Golden extended its winning streak to seven games Tuesday night with a 75-70 home victory over Pueblo South. It was the second victory after the 19-day break from games during the holidays.

LITTLETON — The action was non-stop in the Class 6A Jeffco League boys basketball opener Monday night at Columbine High School.

Arvada West and Columbine combined for 178 points, 18 made 3-pointers and 55 free throws taken. The visiting Wildcats remained undefeated on the season with a 96-82 win to start conference play.

“It means we both have great offensives,” A-West senior Keegen Balistreri said of the high-scoring affair. “If our defense can’t get it done we have a great offense to get it done. I just like to win the game, honestly.”

LAKEWOOD — The first week back from Winter Break was a bit of a strange one for Green Mountain’s boys basketball team.

The Rams suffered an overtime home loss to undefeated Chatfield on Jan. 2 before a road game at Erie on Jan. 7. The Tigers scored 31 points in the fourth quarter to mount an improbable come-from-behind 71-65 victory over Green Mountain.

LITTLETON — To an outsider of high school athletics in South Jeffco the boys basketball match-up Friday night for Chatfield might have looked like a trap game.

The Chargers (7-0 record) has all the momentum facing Dakota Ridge (1-9). However, the packed Chatfield Senior High School gym proved how important the rivalry game is between the two South Jeffco-area schools that are separated by just 2.4 miles.

DENVER — D’Evelyn’s girls basketball defense didn’t lose its ferociousness over Winter Break.

The Jaguars didn’t allow Heritage to score until freshman Maddy Walcott made a free throw with 3:13 left in the second quarter. D’Evelyn started the nearly first 13 minutes of the opening round of the Kipling Winter Classic with a 27-0 run Wednesday, on the way to a 57-17 home victory.

WESTMINSTER — Two of the top girls basketball teams in Class 6A and 5A took top billing in Tuesday night action coming out of Winter Break.

Northfield (No. 4 in the current 6A CHSAA Seeding Index) traveled to face Standley Lake (No. 1 in the current 5A CHSAA Seeding Index). While the Nighthawks grabbed a 78-61 road victory to hand the Gators their first loss of the season, the score didn’t indicate how much of a battle it was on the court.

ARVADA — Arvada West girls basketball coach Brady Meeks might have sounded like The Grinch on Tuesday night.

“It was easily our worst practice of the season so far yesterday. The girls knew I was upset,” Meeks said. “Honestly, our start tonight kind of showed it. Maybe from this whole thing, it will be a lesson learned that we need to be ready every practice.”

ARVADA — It was about a perfect of a quarter anyone could image.

Ralston Valley’s boys basketball jumped out to a 32-3 lead on Dakota Ridge in the opening quarter Monday night at Ralston Valley High School. The only shot from the field the Mustangs missed was a falling out-of-bounds 3-pointer from senior Cole Pfeifer at the buzzer.

“We were moving it well. Sharing the ball a lot,” Ralston Valley senior Caiden Braketa said of the first 8 minutes. “I think almost every basket was off an assist. We’ve been playing together forever. Our chemistry is really good.”

DENVER — D’Evelyn girls basketball team allowed the 6-7 trend to stay relevant for at least one more night on Friday.

The Jaguars remained undefeated on the season with a 67-39 home victory over Summit during the second night of the Kindness Classic co-hosted by D’Evelyn and Lakewood.

D’Evelyn’s bench exploded when junior Akita Dutta drained a jumper with under a minute to play to give the Jaguars 6-7 on the scoreboard. D’Evelyn is off to a 6-0 start, but has a way to go to reach its 17-0 start of a year ago.

LITTLETON — Midway through the second quarter Thursday night, an emphatic dunk by Columbine senior Cash Boykin put Rebels’ basketball star into an elite fraternity.

The slam put Boykin at 1,001 points for his career.

“It meant a lot. I’ve put in a lot of work in these past few years,” Boykin said. “It was a special moment for sure. Getting it with a dunk was extra special and with a nice crowd too.”

LITTLETON — The sum of Columbine’s parts were greater than Mullen junior Makenzie Jones in girls basketball action Tuesday night at Columbine High School.

Jones poured in a game-high 28 points for the Mustangs, but it wasn’t enough as Columbine had eight different players score in the Rebels’ 52-48 victory.

LAKEWOOD — A pair of 3-pointers in the span of the final 8 seconds by Bear Creek’s boys basketball team left everyone staring up at the scoreboard doing math in their heads after the final buzzer Monday night.

Despite a 3-pointer by Bear Creek senior Jovan Petrovic, an imminent steal by senior Michael Reyna and ensuing 3-pointer by junior Jacob Williams at the buzzer, D’Evelyn escaped with a 64-63 road victory in the wild ending.’

FORT COLLINS — Dakota Ridge joined its neighboring rival schools by winning its first state championship football title Saturday, Dec. 6.

The Eagles finished out their historic undefeated season with a dominating 38-14 victory over Palmer Ridge at Canvas Stadium on the campus of Colorado State University in Fort Collins.

“We’ve always been considered the little brother to them (Columbine and Chatfield),” said Dakota Ridge senior quarterback Kellen Behrendsen, who was named the Most Valuable Player going 21-for-24 passing for 289 yards and five touchdowns. “I think we really sent the message this season that we weren’t to be messed with. We can hold our own.”

FORT COLLINS — There was some early foreshadowing before kickoff of the Class 3A state championship football game Saturday morning at Canvas Stadium on the campus of Colorado State University in Fort Collins.

One of the first pregame songs to blare through the sound system was ‘Back in Black’ by AC/DC. Pomona hadn’t yet taken the field for its pregame warmups, but the Panthers’ eventual 17-14 walk-off victory against Windsor over three hours later proved that Big Black is back.

LAKEWOOD — The locker room at Green Mountain High School got loud late Thursday night at the conclusion of the first day of the Paul Davis Classic.

The night ended with the host Rams taking a 74-54 victory over Boulder to give Jordan Deignan his first win as the head coach of Green Mountain’s boys basketball varsity team.

“It’s not about me, but it feels good,” said Deignan, who is a Green Mountain graduate, current teacher at the school and longtime assistant coach. “I feel real lucky and humble to be apart of this group and what these guys do. When you can pour into these guys and be apart of what they do it fulfills me. I’m just happy to be around these guys.”

EDGEWATER — Boys wrestling teams from Alameda and Jefferson got the competitive juices going in the first action of the season.

Jefferson hosted the Alameda Pirates in a dual in both teams’ regular-season opener Wednesday night. The Saints — No. 9 in the Class 3A CHSAA’s preseason coaches’ poll — just edged the Pirates 40-36 to take the victory.

GOLDEN — The spotlight was shared by Golden’s basketball and baseball teams Tuesday night.

At the halftime of the Demons’ boys basketball opener on the hardwood against Lakewood at Golden High School the Class 4A baseball state champions from last spring were honored with the presentation of their state championship rings.

GOLDEN — Golden girls basketball team started its 2024-25 campaign with an 11-game winning streak a season ago.

The Demons got off on the right foot again Tuesday night with a 46-27 home victory against Lakewood.

“It started a little rough, but I thought we settled in,” Golden coach Tanner Hobbs said of the Demons’ 19-point victory against the Tigers. “It’s a young team with a lot of young kids coming together. I think we got a lot better tonight.”

ARVADA — Ralston Valley advanced to its first football state championship game in the school’s history with a Class 5A state semifinal win Saturday night at the North Area Athletic Complex.

“Amazing. Amazing,” Ralston Valley coach Jared Yannacito said after the last-second, game-winning field goal by junior Landon Plichta sailed through the uprights for the Mustangs. “There has been a lot of good players who have come through Ralston Valley. We’ve come so close. This feels amazing to knock down that door and get to that state championship.”

ARVADA — Pomona’s football train is heading to Canvas Stadium on the campus of Colorado State University in Fort Collins.

No. 2-seeded Pomona defeated No. 3 Palisade 42-29 in the Class 3A state semifinal Saturday at the North Area Athletic Complex.

“I’ve had a lot of dreams. Most of them have turned out good,” Pomona coach Nate Johnson said. “I’m hoping we can finish the job next week.”

ARVADA — Pomona looked like a veteran playoff football team Saturday afternoon at the North Area Athletic Complex.

The No. 2-seeded Panthers handled their business with a 45-13 victory over No. 15 Coronado in the second round of the Class 3A state tournament.

“You go through the fire for a couple of years. You get better and grow up,” Pomona coach Nate Johnson said of his senior-laden squad that had a 3-17 record for two years in 5A before having a 9-4 record last season and advancing to the 3A state semifinals. “We are built for these moments.”

ARVADA — Welcome back to the football field Zeke Andrews.

Ralston Valley’s senior quarterback — committed to Colorado State University this week — missed the final two regular-season games due to an injury suffered in the Mustangs’ win over Columbine on Oct. 16.

“It feels great. I missed it a lot. It feels really good to be back out here,” Andrews said his successful return netted a trip to the Class 5A state quarterfinals.

ARVADA — The first team to punch its ticket to the quarterfinals of the Class 5A football state tournament was the Arvada West Wildcats on Friday at the North Area Athletic Complex.

The No. 6-seeded Wildcats defeated No. 11 Grandview 31-15 in the first game of a playoff doubleheader at NAAC.

DENVER — Standley Lake hadn’t been to the state girls volleyball tournament in over 30 years, but Thursday morning the Gators announced their presence with authority.

The No. 12-seeded Standley Lake grabbed the upset of the morning matches with a 3-1 victory over No. 5 Lewis-Palmer in the double-elimination Class 4A state tournament at the Denver Coliseum.

DENVER — Ralston Valley senior goalie Ben Brown was as cool as the other side of the pillow late Tuesday night at CIBER Field on the University of Denver campus.

With Ralston Valley and Cherokee Trail tied 1-1 after 80 minutes of the regular, along with 30 minutes of overtime, a shootout would decide the Class 5A boys soccer semifinal. Brown would attempt to match Cherokee Trail’s 6-foot-6 junior goalie Forrest Cornett.

ENGLEWOOD — Ralston Valley stopped a disturbing trend Saturday during the Class 5A state quarterfinals at Randy Penn Stadium on the campus of Englewood High School.

No. 2 Cherry Creek, No. 3 Northfield and No. 4 Legacy all fell to lower seeds in the first three quarterfinal games of the day, but top-seeded Ralston Valley wanted nothing to do with continuing the series of upsets.

LAKEWOOD — Columbine football is heading back to the NAAC.

The No. 15-seeded Rebels had absolutely no issue ending the season of the visiting No. 18 Fruita Monument on Friday night at Jeffco Stadium. Columbine dominated to the tune of 44-14 in the opening round of the Class 5A state tournament.

Columbine (6-5 record) will face No. 2 Ralston Valley (10-0) in the second round next week at the North Area Athletic Complex in Arvada.

ARVADA — Pomona’s football team got a measure of revenge Thursday night at the North Area Athletic Complex.

A year after suffering a tough 16-7 road loss to Thompson Valley that cost Pomona a league title and a top-2 seed for the Class 3A state tournament in 2024, the Panthers weren’t going to be derailed by the defending 3A state champions.

ARVADA — Golden is going to get a crack at top-seeded Mullen in the Class 4A boys soccer state quarterfinals Saturday, Nov. 8.

In the battle of the Demons — the mascot for both Golden and Glenwood Springs is the Demons — Golden grabbed a 4-2 victory in the second round of the 4A state tournament Wednesday night at the North Area Athletic Complex.

ARVADA — Ralston Valley sophomore Sawyer Lee put his body on the line to punch the Mustangs’ ticket in the Class 5A boys soccer state quarterfinals.

Lee was fouled with about a dozen minutes to play in the second-round match against Erie. The ensuing direct free kick from distance by senior Adriano Lombardi just found a piece of Lee’s foot near the goal-line that he tapped past Erie junior goalie Brendan McNeal, giving Ralston Valley a 2-1 lead late.

ARVADA — Ralston Valley junior Levi Rillos knows how important the Arvada West/Ralston Valley cross-town rivalry is to the city of Arvada.

“You know you are going to get (A-West’s) best and we are going to give our best,” said Rillos, who is the second youngest of five Rillos siblings. “We knew we had to come out hot and come out swinging.”

EVERGREEN — One unlucky goal can be rough to handle in the playoffs and two deflected goals against can spell disaster.

However, Evergreen boys soccer team overcame giving up a pair of deflected goals Thursday in the Cougars’ Class 4A first-round playoff opener against Longmont.

ARVADA — Being the No. 1 seed always brings expectations and pressure.

Top-seeded Ralston Valley had those feelings Wednesday night at the North Area Athletic Complex in the opening round of the Class 5A boys soccer state tournament.

ARVADA — Ralston Valley’s girls volleyball team has checked off several boxes this season.

However, there is still one regular-season goal that the Mustangs weren’t able to accomplish. Ralston Valley wasn’t able to end Valor Christian’s domination of the 5A Jeffco League. The Eagles captured their fifth straight conference title going undefeated in league play for the fifth consecutive year.

ARVADA — It might very well be the most anticipated regular-season football game in the 26-year history of the North Area Athletic Complex.

Arvada West and Ralston Valley will square off at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31, at the NAAC with plenty on the line. Both area rivals will come in undefeated with 9-0 records with the winner taking home the Class 5A Metro League title on Halloween night.

LAKEWOOD — Green Mountain football hasn’t missed the playoffs during a normal season since 2017.

This year’s Rams don’t want the distinction of falling short of the postseason for the first time in nearly a decade.

“We wanted to keep this going,” Green Mountain senior Ethyan Polston said of the Rams’ string of playoff appearances minus the shortened COVID season in 2020. “We don’t want to be that team that doesn’t make it to the semifinals and doesn’t preform. We are going to keep going and hopefully it works out for us.”

ARVADA — Fittingly, Ralston Valley boys soccer team made history by defeating its rival Arvada West on Tuesday night at the North Area Athletic Complex.

The 1-0 victory over A-West officially cemented the Fall 2025 season as the best regular-season record for Ralston Valley (14-0-1 record) in the program’s history. The Mustangs had a 13-0-2 regular mark in 2023 when Ralston Valley advanced to the 5A state quarterfinals.

LAKEWOOD — A bit of an audible was called for boys soccer action Monday night.

The originally scheduled Class 4A Jeffco League doubleheader at the North Area Athletic Complex (HWY 93 and 64th Parkway) was moved to Trailblazer Stadium in Lakewood. High winds during the day and with the possibility of power outages, the decision was made around noon to move the games to Trailblazer Stadium.

LAKEWOOD — It’s over.

Lakewood football ended its 43-game losing streak Friday night at Trailblazer Stadium. The Tigers took a 20-7 victory over Overland to finally give Lakewood coach Josh Carvalho his first victory since he took over the program in March 2023.

ARVADA — For the second week in a row, Columbine football came into the North Area Athletic Complex and gave one of the top teams in Class 5A a fright.

“You never ever count an Andy Lowry, Columbine team out ever,” Ralston Valley coach Jared Yannacito said facing the 6-time state champion Rebels. “They are one of the best programs to ever do it. We knew it was going to be a battle. We prepared our kids for a four-quarter battle. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy.”

ARVADA — Golden sophomore Jackson Ferguson kicked off the Jeffco League Cross Country Championships in impressive fashion Wednesday morning at the North Area Athletic Complex.

In the first race of the day, Ferguson dominated the Class 5A Jeffco boys race with an impressive time of 15:33.96. The sophomore finished more than 30 seconds ahead of second place, Valor Christian sophomore Lucas Santos.

EVERGREEN — A scoreless draw between Wheat Ridge and Evergreen on Tuesday night cleared the path to the Class 4A Jeffco League title for two teams.

Wheat Ridge (8-1-3, 5-0-2 in league) still controls its own destiny to win a third conference crown over the past four seasons. However, the Farmers have the toughest remaining games facing D’Evelyn (8-3-1, 5-1-1) on Thursday night at Lakewood Memorial Field and then rival Golden (7-2-3, 5-0-2) on Monday, Oct. 20, at the North Area Athletic Complex.

LAKEWOOD — With six boys soccer teams in the Class 4A Jeffco League at or above a .500 conference record to start the week, the race for the conference title is wide-open.

“It is really interesting this year,” D’Evelyn coach Jason Arbuthnot said of the parody of the conference after the Jaguars managed a solid 4-1 victory over Bear Creek on Monday night at Lakewood Memorial Field. “The teams who hadn’t been playing really well are now playing good enough that if you don’t come out and play well you can lose any (league) game.”

LAKEWOOD — A week after Golden football suffered its first loss of the season, the Demons returned the favor ending Bear Creek’s undefeated record.

Golden took a 34-21 victory over Bear Creek on Friday night at Jeffco Stadium in a Class 4A South Metro League game.

GOLDEN — The victory went to Golden, but the Class 4A Jeffco League softball title went to D’Evelyn when all the numbers were crunched Friday afternoon at Golden High School.

The Demons took a 4-3 victory in the regular-season and league finale, but the Jaguars were awarded the 4A Jeffco League plaque after the third tie-breaker decided the conference champion.

ARVADA — Trailing late and with their backs literally against their own end zone, Arvada West’s football responded in a big way Thursday night at the North Area Athletic Complex.

“We just believe in ourselves and believe in our team,” A-West quarterback Logan Duhachek said of the mindset before he hit senior Keegen Balistreri for an 83-yard pass to set up the game-winning touchdown in the final minutes. “We fight through adversity. We know the players we have. I don’t think anyone lost hope.”

ARVADA — Ralston Valley senior Ashlyn Callahan had the trifecta of touchdowns Wednesday night at the North Area Athletic Complex.

Callahan scored a rushing, interception return and punt return for scores in the Mustangs’ 18-6 victory over Columbine.

ARVADA — The current conference run by Ralston Valley’s boys soccer program can officially be classified as a dynasty.

The Mustangs claimed their third consecutive Class 5A Jeffco League title with a 2-0 victory over Valor Christian on Tuesday night at the North Area Athletic Complex.

LAKEWOOD — It was mission accomplished for Pomona’s flag football team Monday night at Trailblazer Stadium.

The Panthers finished up their regular season going a perfect 10-0 in Class 4A Jeffco League play with a dominating 40-6 victory over Evergreen.

DENVER — It wasn’t perfect by any means, but Arvada West football left All-City Stadium late Friday afternoon with its undefeated record in tack and a conference victory under its belt.

The Wildcats spoiled Denver South’s homecoming game with the Wildcats taking a 45-7 win in the Class 5A Metro League opener for both teams.

LAKEWOOD — It might have felt a little different getting into conference play Thursday night at Jeffco Stadium, but it didn’t look any different for Dakota Ridge.

The Eagles (6-0, 1-0 in Class 4A South Metro League) remained undefeated on the football season with a dominating 40-7 victory over Ponderosa.

LAKEWOOD — The two-time defending Class 5A Jeffco League champions — Chatfield — aren’t going to make it easy for anyone to cruise the conference title this season.

Chatfield (8-11, 4-4 in league) are a long shot to retain the league title, but the Chargers made it clear they have no problem spoiling other team’s hopes of lifting the 5A Jeffco League plaque in a couple of weeks.

LAKEWOOD — The inaugural Horvath Mehlbach Classic was an instant classic and a huge success Tuesday night at Lakewood Memorial Field.

Longtime soccer coach in Jeffco and current Columbine coach Paul Moline wanted to put a new twist on the long standing boys soccer rivalry between Chatfield and Columbine. The Class 5A Jeffco League showdown between the South Jeffco rivals is now named the Horvath Mehlbach Classic.

LAKEWOOD — Ralston Valley boys soccer took the driver’s seat for the Class 5A Jeffco League title Tuesday at Lakewood Memorial Field.

The Mustangs dominated Lakewood 6-0 to take sole possession of the conference with two league games remaining for the two-time defending 5A Jeffco League champs.

LAKEWOOD — It was a long but fruitful day for Columbine, Dakota Ridge and Evergreen boys golf squads Monday at Fox Hollow Golf Course.

While it took nearly six hours of golf in the final Jeffco League tournament of the Fall 2025 season, the Rebels, Eagles and Cougars all came away with conference titles before the Colorado High School Activities Association state tournaments next Monday and Tuesday (Oct. 6 and 7).

LITTLETON — On Senior Day at Dave Sanders Memorial Field, Columbine’s softball turned to a sophomore to settle down to get a key Class 5A Jeffco League victory.

Arvada West jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the top of the third inning after back-to-back home runs by seniors Makinzi Gallegos and Morgan Farr. Columbine sophomore Addison Swenby came in relief in the circle for starting junior pitcher Shalee Trujillo after the home runs.

ARVADA — Ralston Valley won the battle of the unbeaten football teams Friday night at the North Area Athletic Complex.

The Mustangs — No. 5 in this week’s ColoradoPreps.com Class 5A football rankings — made a big statement taking down No. 2 Valor Christian in the marquee game of the week. Ralston Valley won going away 38-14.

LAKEWOOD — Columbine football knows it has to do the little things to grab victories this season, including blocking PATs.

Heritage senior Mo Thenell scored on a 13-yard touchdown run with 6:20 left in the fourth quarter to cut Columbine’s lead to 14-13. An extra point would tie the game, but the Rebels special teams came up with the deciding play of the game.

LAKEWOOD — Pomona senior Timberly Martinez possibly made the greatest flag football touchdown catch by a wrestler Wednesday night at Trailblazer Stadium.

“It was defintely grip strength from wrestling,” Martinez said on how she was able to keep control of the ball as she came to the ground on the spectacular touchdown grab in the first quarter against Golden. 

DENVER — The battle for the Class 4A Jeffco League softball title is quickly turning into a two-team race.

While defending conference champion Golden is trying to repeat, D’Evelyn is right on the Demons’ heels after a solid 11-3 victory against Green Mountain on Monday to stay undefeated in conference play.

LAKEWOOD — Dakota Ridge’s offense was flying high early and often as the undefeated Eagles celebrated homecoming Friday night at Jeffco Stadium.

“Homecoming week if full of fun and distractions,” Dakota Ridge coach Jeremiah Behrendsen said. “The cool thing is I could tell this week that our group approached it where they did have fun, but had a business approach to it. They came out on fire.”

LAKEWOOD — Bear Creek football coach Tom Thenell lost his hair before the Bears kicked off their homecoming game Thursday night at Jeffco Stadium.

“No more bets now,” said Thenell, who allowed his team to shave his head after the 3-0 start. “Now I start betting other guys like my assistants. Their hair is going to go now.”

ARVADA — Arvada West flag football held on for a huge Class 5A Jeffco League victory Wednesday night at the North Area Athletic Complex.

The Wildcats got out to a quick 13-0 lead in the first quarter against rival Ralston Valley at the NAAC. While A-West didn’t score after the opening quarter, the Wildcats’ defense made enough plays to edge the Mustangs 13-12.

LITTLETON — Going 2-for-2 from the plate with four RBIs is a pretty nice game for any softball player.

That was the first-inning hitting line for Columbine senior Mason Abraham who helped the Rebels to a 16-2 victory over rival Chatfield on Monday at Dave Sanders Memorial Field. 

LAKEWOOD — Throwing five touchdown passes in a single quarter has to be some kind of a record for Pomona football.

Junior quarterback Tucker Ingersoll was a touchdown throwing machine with a handful of scoring tosses in the second quarter in an eventual 49-6 victory for Pomona against Green Mountain on Friday night at Jeffco Stadium.

ARVADA — There was no loser, or winner Thursday night at the North Area Athletic Complex.

Arvada West and Wheat Ridge boys soccer teams ended in a 1-1 draw after 80 minutes in the non-league battle of Class 5A and 4A Jeffco League teams.

LAKEWOOD — Golden softball started its quest for a Class 4A Jeffco League repeat Tuesday with a resounding road victory.

The Demons lead from start to finish in taking a 9-3 victory over Green Mountain in both teams’ conference opener. Golden is attempting to win back-to-back league softball titles for the first time since the 2018 and 2019 seasons.

ARVADA — Ralston Valley successfully flipped the script this season on two perennial boys soccer powerhouses from Boulder. 

After taking a 4-0 shutout victory against Boulder — Class 5A semifinalist in 2024 — last week, the Mustangs (5-0-1 record) dominated Fairview 5-1 on Monday night at the North Area Athletic Complex.

LAKEWOOD — Only thing that is going to slow down Conifer football right now is a bye week.

“That Week 3 bye is kind of wonky, but it is what it is,” Conifer coach Matt Steinfeldt said of the week off after the Lobos outscored their first two opponents 100-6. “It might be good to have two weeks of film to look at things that we are doing well and things we need to work on. That is what we’ll do with next week.”

ARVADA — Ralston Valley’s offense was highflying Thursday night in an early top-10 Class 5A football match-up against Grandview, and so was the Mustangs’ quarterback. 

Senior Zeke Andrews set the tone early at the North Area Athletic Complex with a 15-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. He took a hard hit at the goal-line before doing a front-flip into the end zone.

ARVADA — Timing is everything on the softball field. 

Ralston Valley had four straight batters reach base in the bottom of the fifth inning Tuesday to mount a successful 2-run inning, eventually resulting in a 3-2 home victory against Green Mountain.

LAKEWOOD — Dakota Ridge ended its 3-game losing streak to rival Chatfield on the football field Friday night at Jeffco Stadium. 

The Eagles scored 23 unanswered points in the season opener for both South Jeffco-area programs. Dakota Ridge took a 23-12 win over the Chargers.

LAKEWOOD — The final play of the first half Thursday night brought flashbacks to the classic Bear Creek football from the late-1990s and early-2000.

“That’s OG Tom Thenell,” Bear Creek senior JD Lazzaro said of the wheel route touchdown catch to close the first half Thursday night at Jeffco Stadium. “We originally had another play set up, but we called (wheel route) and had success.”

LAKEWOOD — Columbine’s boys soccer program has started the 2025 season just as impressive as last year.

The Rebels began the Fall 2024 season with a 12-game winning streak. Columbine is off to a 2-0 start this year after a dominating 10-0 shutout victory against Littleton on Monday night at Lakewood Memorial Field.

ARVADA — Drew Phillips will be a good trivia answer for years to come.

Who scored the first points for Golden’s football team in the 2025 season? Answer: Golden senior defensive end Drew Phillips. 

GOLDEN — Winning back-to-back Class 4A Jeffco League softball titles is clearly a priority for the Golden Demons this season.

“Absolutely it’s our goal,” Golden coach Steph Martinez said of the Demons attempting to win back-to-back conference titles and three league championships in four years. “I didn’t even need to set the goal. Our seniors and veteran juniors did. They know what that was about and all were starters last year. They were a big part of what happened last year. They set the tone.”

LAKEWOOD — Trailblazer Stadium will be the mecca for girls flag football again this season.

A year ago, Mountain Vista edged Arvada West in the Class 5A state title game at Trailblazer Stadium to cap off the inaugural CHSAA-sanctioned season for the quickest growing sport across Colorado.