Despite being relatively new to Boulder County and its surrounding areas, boys and girls lacrosse is seeing a sharp rise in success as of late. Fans need look no further than this year’s state tournament seedings to prove that fact.
On the ladies’ side, all three local teams added their names to the postseason docket, and four boys teams won bids of their own. The Mead girls and Erie boys both claimed the top seed in their respective brackets, with play in all four slated to begin on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Girls
Class 5A
No. 3 Fairview girls vs. No. 14 Rock Canyon, Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.
The 11-3 Knights will enter the postseason with an iron-clad roster and heightened sense of confidence, having just defeated 4A’s top-ranked Mead on Saturday afternoon. They boast a well-rounded attack and defense, with four players already scoring 22-plus goals each. Gabriella McCollester takes the cake in that category with a team-high 46 scores. The Jaguars, on the other hand, will come in with a 7-8 record and just two players with 20-plus goals.
Class 4A
No. 1 Mead
The 14-1 Mavericks, who are also the defending state champions in just their second year of existence, earned a bye in the first round of the 4A bracket. On Saturday against Fairview, they brushed off a huge deficit midway through the fourth quarter to nearly steal back the victory. Junior Lucy Connors leads the attack with 67 goals, followed by seniors Rory Carr (41) and Sierra Ryan (31). Mead will play the winner of No. 16 Grand Junction and No. 17 Denver South in the second round on Thursday.
No. 14 Holy Family vs. No. 19 Pueblo West, Tuesday at 4 p.m.
The 9-4 Tigers rode a five-game winning streak midway through the season into a host spot during the tournament, and owe a good chunk of that success to senior Sarah Vail (43 goals) and freshman Emma Brusate (33 goals). The Cyclones, on the other hand, only have five wins through 14 tries, but aggregate most of their scoring through Morgan Avila (43 goals) and Talya Wilson (39 goals).
Boys
Class 5A
No. 16 Monarch vs. No. 17 Lewis-Palmer, Wednesday at 5 p.m.
The 9-6 Coyotes faced their fair share of tough competition, especially toward the end of the regular season, but bounced back with two straight wins. Junior Flynn Leonard has been a scoring machine, netting 53 in all with 18 assists to his name. The Rangers house an identical record and likewise lost two before winning two to end their schedule. Blane Vrana leads a quartet of 20-goal scorers, with 32 goals.
No. 20 Fairview at No. 13 Kent Denver, Wednesday at 5:15 p.m.
The Knights and Sun Devils both hold 7-8 records, and both ended the regular season with a win on the heels of a losing streak. Most of Fairview’s firepower comes from sophomores Kai Modica (36 goals) and Kalen Carlyle (30), whereas Kent Denver possesses three boys who have hit the back of the net over 30 times apiece.
Class 4A
No. 1 Erie
Much like the Mavericks, the Tigers climbed all the way to the top of the leaderboard in 4A. They capped off their year with a massive, 16-5 win at Cheyenne Mountain, which itself topped out at the No. 2 spot. Senior Liam Connors leads the way with 45 goals and 24 assists, but junior goalie Sam Beach has been an ace in the crease with 101 saves and just 55 allowed goals. They’ll play the winner of No. 16 Middle Park and No. 17 Green Mountain in the second round.
No. 13 Holy Family vs. No. 20 Pueblo West
The 10-5 Tigers will get their own date with the Cyclones, thanks in large part to a six-game winning streak at the start of the year. Their biggest boon has come at the hands of senior Landon Peters (45 goals) and sophomore Browen Wills (41). The Cyclones sit at 9-5, with most of their offensive initiative coming from Brayden Wilson (45).
