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State soccer, volleyball champs crowned

Dale Strode
The Aspen Times
Aspen's Matt Sovich puts the pressure on Bayfield quarterback Kelton Walker during a game earlier this season. Sovich and the Skiers lost in the first round of the Class 2A state playoffs at Faith Christian.
Leigh Vogel/The Aspen Times |

Colorado Academy, again.

The Colorado Academy boys soccer team repeated as the Class 3A state champion last weekend. The Mustangs, who have not lost in 40th consecutive matches, beat The Classical Academy, 4-2, on Saturday. Colorado Academy also won the 3A state title in 2012.

Colorado Academy had defeated Kent Denver in a 1-0 semifinal.



The Classical Academy also reached the final with a 1-0 win in the semifinals — over previously unbeaten Salida, the only public school in the Class 3A final four. Salida had beaten The Classical Academy, 3-2, during the regular season.

Classical had eliminated Coal Ridge, of New Castle, in the state quarterfinals, 7-2.




In Class 4A boys soccer, Cheyenne Mountain defeated Air Academy, 2-1, in a state final featuring Colorado Springs-area schools.

Cheyenne Mountain beat Evergreen, 1-0, in the state semifinals.

Air Academy shut out Ponderosa, 4-0, in the 4A semifinals.

Pine Creek, another Colorado Springs-area school, won the Class 5A boys state soccer title. Pine Creek edged Rock Canyon (Highlands Ranch), 1-0.

Pine Creek had eliminated Boulder, 1-0, on one state semifinal. Rocky Canyon edged Denver East, 1-0, in the other 5A semifinal.

Volleyball

Powerhouse Eaton High School won the Class 3A state volleyball championship last weekend at the Denver Coliseum.

Eaton (27-1) defeated Manitou Springs (23-6), in the state final, 3-0. Eaton had to go to five games to edge Holy Family, 3-2, in one of the state semifinal matches. Eaton had defeated Lamar and Bayfield in pool-play matches at state.

Eaton’s only loss this season was a 2-0 tournament loss to Manitou Springs early in the season.

Manitou Springs had to defeat Valley in the semifinals, 3-2. Valley, like Eaton, plays in the rugged Patriot League.

Area teams won matches at state but didn’t reach the semifinals.

Gunnison went 1-1 in pool play with a win over Sterling and a loss to Manitou Springs.

Coal Ridge went 0-2 with pool-play losses to Holy Family and Platte Valley, another Patriot League school.

In Class 4A, Colorado saw a new state champion for the first time in six years. Cheyenne Mountain, the five-time defending state champion, lost in pool play to Air Academy and did not reach the state semifinals.

Air Academy shut out Ponderosa, 3-0, in one state semifinal match.

Lewis-Palmer shut out Elizabeth, 3-0, in the other 4A state semifinal.

Lewis-Palmer won the state title, 3-0, over Air Academy, to finish the season 27-2. The only losses for the Rangers this year came to Class 5A Doherty and Cheyenne Mountain (regular season).

Grandview won the 5A state title with a 3-0 win over Arapahoe in the final match.

Grandview beat Cherry Creek, 3-1, in the semifinals.

Arapahoe beat Eaglecrest, 3-1, in the semis.

In Class 2A, Resurrection Christian (Loveland) beat Lutheran, 3-0, in the state championship match.

Lutheran defeated Fowler, 3-1, in the 2A semifinals.

Resurrection Christian advanced with a 3-2 win over Yuma.

Football

State football playoffs continue this week in Colorado.

In Class 2A, Faith Christian will play in the state semifinals on Saturday at Brush.

Faith Christian beat Aspen, 49-14, in the first round of the playoffs. Last weekend, Faith Christian eliminated Gunnison, 48-0.

The No. 4 seed Eagles (9-2) will take on No. 1 Brush (10-0) on one state semifinal.

Brush eliminated 2011 state champion Florence by a 33-14 margin last weekend.

In the other half of the Class 2A state bracket, No. 2 overall seed Manitou Springs won a close contest against defending state champion Kent Denver — 9-7 with undefeated Manitou Springs (11-0) advancing to the state semifinals this week.

Manitou will host No. 3 seed Platte Valley (9-1) on Saturday.

In other area prep football playoff games last weekend, Glenwood Springs edged Elizabeth, 14-13, in a Class 3A first-round game. The Demons are 8-3.

Rifle, meanwhile, lost a 34-31 shootout at Coronado in Colorado Springs. Rifle finished 8-3.

Palisade improved to 10-1 in the 3A ranks with a 35-25 win over Lutheran.

Glenwood Springs will host Delta (8-3) at 1 p.m. Saturday in the Class 3A quarterfinals.

Palisade (10-1) will host The Classical Academy (9-2) at 7 p.m. Friday at Stocker Stadium in Grand Junction.

Other 3A quarters will feature Coronado (10-1) at Roosevelt (8-2) and Pueblo East (7-4) at Silver Creek (8-2).

In Class 4A games last weekend, Montrose eliminated Montbello, 31-25, and Durango fell at Denver South, 36-26.

Montrose will play Denver South on Saturday in the quarterfinals.

In Class 1A last weekend, Paonia (10-1) eliminated Monte Vista (8-3) by a 31-15 margin.

Also in 1A, unbeaten Buena Vista (11-0) defeated Resurrection Christian, 42-35.

Buena Vista and Paonia will play Saturday in the semifinals in 1A.

Centauri (10-1) will play Limon (11-0) in the other semifinal.

dstrode@aspentimes.com