14ners

Michaela Ewen, Cheyenne Mountain, fr., softball – One of the youngest players on the Red-Tailed Hawks’ team had an eventful game against Air Academy last Monday.

Ewen finished with a game-high four RBIs and three hits in a 10-9 victory against the then-undefeated Kadets. Ewen, after a Katelyn Scism sacrifice fly, scored the game-winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning to give her three for the game and broke a 9-9 tie after Air Academy came back from four runs down.

Judah Rogers, Colorado Springs Christian, jr., boys soccer – Rogers had two goals in four games for the Lions. Then, in a 5-0 victory against Banning Lewis last Tuesday, Rogers had a magical performance.

Rogers earned his first career hat trick and helped the Lions defeat the Stallions with his six-point performance. The striker’s five goals in five games matches his total from last season when Rogers finished with five in 16 contests.

Ada Wilson, The Classical Academy, jr., softball – Wilson had her second-best pitching performance of the season in a 6-1 win against Florence.

Wilson earned 13 strikeouts in the circle in seven innings and didn’t allow a hit for the second time this season in the matchup with the Huskies. After the game, Wilson had 83 total strikeouts, which was 53^rd in the nation for fall softball players.

Abby Phillips, St. Mary’s, sr., girls volleyball – Tactical and precise is an accurate way to describe Phillips’ performance against Atlas Prep last Tuesday.

In a 25-12, 25-6, 25-15 sweep against the Gryphons, Phillips finished with a career-high eight aces – four shy of her total as a junior – and 18 assists, another career best.

Phillips’ 18 assists in three sets against the Gryphons were more than she had in 64 sets as a junior when she finished with 16.

Alex Fields, Discovery Canyon, sr., boys soccer – The Thunder mustered just one goal in their previous games prior to a tilt with Sand Creek. Then, Fields outdid that pace on his own.

Fields’ first career hat trick came in a 6-0 win against the Scorpions, which stopped a four-game skid for the Thunder. It gave the Discovery Canyon striker his first multigoal match of the year and the third of his career.  

Cade Ballard, Air Academy, jr., football – Ballard proved to be durable at quarterback and as the Kadets’ primary runner in his team’s second victory.

Ballard finished 6-of-11 passing for 115 yards and a touchdown in a 32-19 win against Standley Lake. His 121.4 QB rating and 115 yards both created season highs and his six completions served as Ballard’s second-best night this year.

As a runner, Ballard scored two touchdowns on 14 carries for 108 yards – all of which marked season highs.

Salvador Hernandez Santaella, Mitchell, jr., boys soccer – Santaella has scored in just two games this year. But both of those performances were spectacles, including his match against Pueblo East.

The Marauders striker ended an 11-1 victory against Pueblo East with a career-high six goals and 18 points to lead Mitchell. Santaella had not scored since the Marauders’ 8-1 win against Mesa Ridge when he finished with a hat trick.

After scoring six goals against the Eagles, he has nine for the year to lead the Colorado Springs Metro League–North League in scoring.

Colie Wallace, Widefield, fr., girls volleyball – The Gladiators’ win streak grew to six in a row after a 3-1 (25-20, 20-25, 25-22, 25-23) win against Pueblo Centennial and Wallace’s career night played a large role in their success.

Wallace reached double-digit kills for the first time and finished with a career-high 19 against the Bulldogs. Her previous best was seven, which Wallace reached in back-to-back wins against Sand Creek and Mitchell, and her .314 hitting percentage was her second-best mark this season.

Johnny Sakun, Cheyenne Mountain, so., boys golf – Six birdies and a first-place finish is a great way to start the week.

Sakun won the Harrison Panther Invitational at Valley Hi Golf Course on Monday and carded a 2-under par 70 for the Red-Tailed Hawks to help Cheyenne Mountain fend off Pine Creek, which finished second.

The Red-Tailed Hawks’ sophomore was the lone golfer to shoot under par at the tournament and finished with six birdies, three each on the front and back nine.

Leopold Laird, Colorado Springs School, jr., boys tennis – It doesn’t matter what position Laird plays on the tennis court, the Kodiaks junior is sure to win.

Laird moved from No. 3 singles to No. 1 and defeated Pueblo Centennial’s Auston Tafoya 8-0 in a one-set match. It was Laird’s first match in the No. 1 slot this season and Laird improved to 7-0 through his first seven matches.

Brayden Werth, Rampart, sr., football – The Rams wreaked havoc on defense against Doherty in a 26-7 victory and the senior linebacker showed his prowess.

Werth had nine tackles – seven for loss – 1.5 sacks, a pass defended, and a caused and recovered fumble against the Spartans. On offense, Werth carried the ball 10 times for 57 yards and earned his first rushing TD of the season.

Brayden Destefano, Cheyenne Mountain, jr., boys golf – The defending 4A state champion needed a strong back nine to earn the individual win Monday and he got it.

Destefano finished with a 1-under par 71 at the Schottmaker Invitational to win by one stroke over Lutheran’s Crew Fitzgerald at the Country Club at Woodmoor.

Fitzgerald and Destefano were both even entering the 17^th hole, but the Red-Tailed Hawks’ junior’s back-to-back birdies on holes 16 and 17 put him in the lead where he remained on the final hole.

Jeilo Hamenyimana, Harrison, sr., football – In the Panthers first win of the season – against their district rivals – Hamenyimana went ballistic on the gridiron.

The Panthers QB finished 6-for-9 passing for 55 yards and a touchdown and scorched the Stallions with a season-high 116 yards on nine carries for three touchdowns. Hamenyimana’s 100-yard rushing game was his first since Sept. 20, 2024, when he also eclipsed the century mark against Sierra.

Jaylani Jusino, Vista Ridge, sr., softball – The hot streak continues for the Wolves’ batter and Jusino made Peak to Peak her victim in a contest last week.

Jusino registered a season-high five hits in a 14-6 win against Peak to Peak and was a perfect 5-of-5 hitting. Her performance against the Pumas was the fourth time this season she went perfect in the batter’s box. The Wolves’ senior also had three triples in the tilt along with four RBI and three runs.

Exciting finishes

Girls volleyball

Banning Lewis 3, Colorado Springs Christian 2

The Stallions trailed 2-1 in the match before running away with the final two sets in a 25-21, 19-25, 23-25, 25-21, 16-14 victory against the Lions to earn their first win in school history (1-5 all-time) against CSCS.

Kira Lewis had a stellar game against the Lions and finished with a team-high four aces and matched teammate Persephone Phinney with eight kills in the victory. The Stallions also finished the match with 10 blocks as Katie Chandler and Faith Sullivan had three apiece and Lewis added two.

Boys soccer

Vanguard 1, Woodland Park 0

The Coursers improved to 7-1 last week after their win against the Panthers and remain clutch in tight contests this year.

Jacob Figueroa’s fourth goal of the year came in the first half for Vanguard and proved to be the only strike the Coursers required to earn the victory. Later in the week, the Coursers won 1-0 against Skyview Academy to improve to 8-1.

It was the third consecutive game that the Coursers won 1-0 and Vanguard has won four of its matches by just one goal (4-0) this season.  

Pine Creek 1, Cheyenne Mountain 0

Jacob Hull found teammate Hadley Pena for a strike in the second half and Pena’s third goal of the year to end the Red-Tailed Hawks unbeaten streak.

Cheyenne Mountain entered their tilt with the Eagles 2-0-1 in its previous three games, but Pena’s third goal of the year allowed the Eagles to win their second contest of the season and helped Pine Creek end a 0-1-2 stretch. Pine Creek’s win against Cheyenne Mountain was the Eagles’ third in a row against the Red-Tailed Hawks.

Flag football

Palmer 13, Vista Ridge 7

The Wolves built a 7-0 lead ahead of the second half against the Terrors. Terrors quarterback Noa Harrison took that personally.

Harrison had a pair of touchdowns, both in the third quarter against the Wolves, and completed 13-of-23 passes for 123 yards in the win. Harrison’s touchdowns both came on rushes and the freshman carried the ball 12 times for 69 yards.

If you haven’t heard…

Widefield scores 18 runs in third inning in win against rival Mesa Ridge

Mesa Ridge previously owned this rivalry and had beaten Widefield 12 consecutive times. But the Gladiators in their past two meetings have illustrated that tide has shifted.

The Gladiators earned a 19-1 victory against the Grizzlies and posted 18 of those runs in the third inning. Olivia McEwen led the team in RBI (4), doubles (2), hits (3) and added her third homer of the year with a bomb in the third.

In their past two meetings, the Gladiators outscored the Grizzlies 32-2. The Widefield School District 3 rivals meet again Thursday at 3:30 p.m. in a rematch of last week’s contest.

Fountain-Fort Carson football’s win streak grows to four, Trojans one win shy of 2024 mark

After a 51-0 beat down at home against Lakewood last Friday, the Trojans improved to 4-1 this season and, after dropping their first contest, own a four-game winning streak for the sixth consecutive year.

Da’kari Releford Jr. led the Trojans’ scoring efforts in their win against Lakewood last week and rushed eight times for 147 yards and three touchdowns. Releford Jr. now has 683 yards on 74 rushes, which is 9.3 yards per carry.

Football results

Thursday

Heritage 35, Mesa Ridge 18

Liberty 43, Palmer 6

Coronado 46, Pueblo Centennial 0

Air Academy 32, Standley Lake 19

Friday

Holyoke 49, Peyton 14

Palmer Ridge 48, Longmont 7

Harrison 37, Sierra 14

Rampart 26, Doherty 7

Hanover 57, Manzanola 6

Calhan 44, Swink 0

Cheyenne Mountain 42, Cañon City 37

Pine Creek 48, Arapahoe 27

Fountain-Fort Carson 51, Lakewood 0

St. Mary’s 42, Justice 0

Ponderosa 49, Falcon 14

Sand Creek 80, Widefield 35

Ellicott 36, Center 0

Valley 43, Manitou Springs 22

Holy Family 27, Lewis-Palmer 26

Florence 33, Colorado Springs Christian 27

The Classical Academy 45, La Junta 25

Manual 30, Mitchell 0

Saturday

Banning Lewis 21, North Fork 13

Discovery Canyon 40, Pueblo County 39