14ners

Ellie Wagner, Evangel Christian Academy, jr., girls volleyball – In a 3-0 sweep (25-13, 25-9, 25-15) against Fountain Valley last week, Wagner nearly poured in half of the Eagles’ kills.

Wagner finished with a game-high 14 kills in the Eagles’ second-to-last contest of the regular season and added four aces against the Danes.

The Eagles junior ranks third in Colorado with 392 kills and reached double-digits in all but two contests. Wagner achieved 20 or more kills in seven matches including 36 against Cheraw on Sept. 27.

Adam Ragain, Cheyenne Mountain, jr., boys soccer – The Red-Tailed Hawks struck once in their opening-round playoff match against Wheat Ridge last week and Ragain ensured that would suffice.

Ragain finished the 1-0 victory against the Farmers with six saves in 80 minutes in goal. This season, Ragain has not ceded more than one goal in 581 minutes and has never allowed more than two strikes in one match.

Ainsley Joseph, Fountain Valley, so., girls volleyball – Joseph had a team-high seven kills in a five-set win (25-18, 25-13, 24-26, 8-25, 15-7) with Miami-Yoder last week, but that wasn’t her greatest accomplishment.

The Danes’ libero finished with nine aces and matched her season-best 48 digs in the matchup. Joseph’s ace total marked the third time she’s reached nine or more in a contest. Wagner also leads 2A with 499 digs and is fifth in Colorado.

Jeilo Hamenyimana, Harrison, sr., football – Nearly every time Hamenyimana touched the rock Friday, he created a spark for the Panthers.

Hamenyimana rushed for a season-high 118 yards and scored two touchdowns in Harrison’s 36-8 victory against Pueblo Centennial. The Panthers QB finished 8-of-14 passing for 128 yards and a touchdown.

This marked the first time this season Hamenyimana rushed and threw for more than 100 yards and the second occurrence in his career.  

Olivia Milas, Mitchell, jr., girls volleyball – Milas didn’t kill it, per se, in the Marauders’ 25-12, 25-15, 25-23 win against Lotus School For Excellence, but she did ace it.

The Marauders’ junior tallied a career-best 11 aces against the Meteors and had a 95.5 serving percentage, her 10^th time in 19 matches at 95 percent or better.

Tyner Amerine, Air Academy, sr., boys soccer – The defending 4A champs had no issue dispatching Pueblo West in the playoff opener last week thanks to Amerine’s phenomenal outing.

Amerine notched his first career hat trick in a 4-0 victory against Pueblo West to help the Kadets advance to the second round. Air Academy’s senior also dished out an assist and finished with a career-high seven points.

Jordan Jones, Banning Lewis, sr., football – Of the Stallions’ three receiving touchdowns, Jones had two out of just three catches.

Jones helped Banning Lewis beat Manitou Springs 45-8 and finished with three receptions for a game-high 121 yards and two scores. This was Jones’ third 100-yard receiving game this season and fifth instance of his career.

His three catches to exceed 100 yards are the fewest of his career and eclipsed his previous mark of four Jones set as a junior.

Jacob Higdon, Widefield, sr., football – Higdon finished with a team-high seven tackles in the Gladiators’ 43-7 victory against Doherty. But the senior seldom let the Spartans out of the backfield.

Of his seven tackles, five were for loss and the Gladiators’ defensive lineman also earned a sack and caused a fumble. Higdon was a menace all season. He caused five fumbles and finished with 4.5 sacks.

Leah Aldridge, Manitou Springs, jr., girls volleyball – Aldridge delivered one of her best performances of the season when the Mustangs required it.

The Mustangs defeated Florence 3-2 (23-25, 21-25, 25-22, 25-18, 17-15) and finished with a season-high 16 kills to help fend off the Huskies. Aldridge added 22 digs and has 355 this year, which is 14^th in 3A.

Max Schlichter, Air Academy, so., football – The Kadets stifled Rampart’s offense in their 36-12 win against the Rams and Schlichter played a significant role in Air Academy’s lockdown defense.

Schlichter matched a season high with 18 total tackles and accounted for more than 25 percent of the Kadets’ 69 tackles.

On offense, Schlichter also had six carries for 58 yards including one rush that went for 46 yards against the Rams.

Anaya Wright, Rampart, jr., girls volleyball – One of 5A’s top kills leaders demonstrated why she’s a lethal hitter.

Wright finished Rampart’s 3-1 win (23-25, 25-18, 25-15, 25-14) against Doherty with a game-high 19 kills and a .400 hitting percentage, which was second best among Rams hitters.

The junior, who is eighth in 5A with 297 kills, added two blocks as well as four aces.

Amari McBroom, Mesa Ridge, so., football – The Grizzlies athlete understood the importance of efficiency.   

McBroom scored three touchdowns on nine carries for 62 yards in the Grizzlies’ 32-6 win against Falcon last week. This comes on the heels of a seven-rush, 106-yard performance against Doherty on Oct. 24. In the win against the Falcons, McBroom finished 6-of-7 passing for 46 yards.

Cole Harris, Palmer Ridge, sr., football – The Bears scored 43 points in the opening frame against Liberty and Harris found the end zone several times in the contest.

Palmer Ridge defeated Liberty 58-7 and Harris scored five touchdowns in his seven touches. Harris finished 4-of-4 passing for 83 yards and three touchdowns. The Bears’ quarterback rushed three times for 33 yards and two scores.

The Bears ran just 25 plays against the Lancers, meaning Harris scored on nearly 30 percent of his touches.  

Allen Kuhns, Ellicott, sr., football – Kuhns has 21 carries this year and 16 came in a 40-8 win against Peyton when he dazzled with those touches.

The senior running back rushed for 131 yards and two touchdowns in his first game since Sept. 6. His 8.2 average was his best of the season and more than double his total from Ellicott’s tilt with Grand Valley on Sept. 6.

Exciting finishes

Girls volleyball

Lewis-Palmer 3, Cheyenne Mountain 2

In five of their last 10 meetings, the Rangers and Red-Tailed Hawks have required a fifth set. The Rangers improved to 2-3 in those matchups after their 23-25, 25-16, 23-25, 25-16, 15-6 victory at the Cheyenne Mountain Invitational on Saturday.

Kacey Johnson led the Rangers with a game-high 16 kills and a .400 hitting percentage while five other Lewis-Palmer players finished with seven kills. Cady Knight earned a game-high 31 digs in the contest for the Rangers.

Landry Roberts and Brynn Ressler shouldered the kills load for the Red-Tailed Hawks and combined for 26 of Cheyenne Mountain’s 41. Kasia Dowd totaled 20 assists for the Red-Tailed Hawks.

Thomas MacLaren 3, The Colorado Springs School 0

Yes, this was a sweep, but the Highlanders clawed for their straight-sets victory. Thomas MacLaren won this contest 25-23, 25-23, 25-18 against the Kodiaks.

Sara Christensen had the Highlanders’ only three blocks and poured in a game-high 10 kills to lead Thomas MacLaren. The Highlanders’ sweep gave them eight for the season.

The Colorado Springs School’s Phoebe Stubblefield tallied five blocks and added an ace.  

If you haven’t heard…

Sand Creek, Cheyenne Mountain football to miss 4A playoffs due to league stipulation

The Scorpions and Red-Tailed Hawks’ football teams combined to finish the regular season 17-3 and held top-16 spots in Colorado High School Activities Association’s RPI poll. But neither qualified for postseason play.

That’s because Sand Creek and Cheyenne Mountain both play in the 4A I-25 League, a league established to help those programs, along with four other schools, rebuild as they previously struggled to field teams. In 5A, the Metro North League also sends just the league champion to the playoffs.  

Earlier this season, Cheyenne Mountain lost to Sand Creek and, in the final game, the Scorpions lost to eventual league champions Grand Junction. In the upcoming cycle, which goes from 2026-28, it’s possible CHSAA could eliminate the stipulation, paving the way for more teams from the I-25 League to qualify for the playoffs.

Palmer Ridge football ends year with unblemished record

After a 58-7 win against Liberty on Friday, the Bears will enter the postseason undefeated. It’s the fourth time since 2020 Palmer Ridge didn’t drop a regular-season contest and second instance in three years accomplishing the feat.

In 2023, when the Bears finished 10-0 in the regular season, they advanced to the 4A title game. Palmer Ridge remains in the hunt for its first 4A trophy in school history and first championship since the Bears earned three consecutive 3A titles from 2017-19.

Football results

Palmer Ridge 58, Liberty 7

Discovery Canyon 48, Palmer 8

Cheyenne Mountain 41, Gateway 6

Ellicott 40, Peyton 8

Widefield 43, Doherty 7

Coronado 24, Pueblo East 21

Grand Junction 56, Sand Creek 13

Durango 24, Vista Ridge 14

Pueblo Central 39, Sierra 6

Banning Lewis 45, Manitou Springs 8

Pueblo County 22, Cañon City 15

Pine Creek 14, Fountain-Fort Carson 7

Pueblo South 48, Lewis-Palmer 10

Byers 56, St. Mary’s 14

Air Academy 36, Rampart 12

Buena Vista 28, Colorado Springs Christian 7

La Junta 58, Woodland Park 6

Mesa Ridge 32, Falcon 6

Harrison 36, Pueblo Centennial 8

The Classical Academy 2, Mitchell 0 (forfeit)

Hanover 38, Genoa-Hugo 19