The third time was the charm for Cheyenne Mountain boys’ lacrosse. 

A year after falling to Air Academy in the second round of state playoffs, and again during the regular season, the No. 9 Red-Tailed Hawks got revenge in a 17-6 win over the No. 1 Kadets in the quarterfinals Tuesday night. Cheyenne Mountain advances to the semifinals for the first time since 2022, when it fell to Air Academy in the title game, and will face No. 5 Lutheran on Saturday. 

Air Academy (15-2), the 2025 4A runner-up that also won the 4A Southern league title, had just one loss before Tuesday’s heartbreaker at home. 

‘This win means the world,” Cheyenne Mountain goalie Walt Cameron said. “People see lacrosse how it is and thought they were the No. 1 team. We have a huge rivalry with them. Lost the first game by two, but good teams recover. We came out and showed them we are the real No. 1 team, and rankings don’t mean anything. It’s all about the squad you have.”

The Red-Tailed Hawks (11-6) came out strong, and freshman Sage Bowan scored first just over a minute in. The rivals exchanged goals with Cheyenne Mountain taking a 4-2 lead into the second quarter. Bowan scored two of the Red-Tailed Hawks’ five goals in the second to create a comfortable 9-4 lead into the break. 

“The energy was off the charts,” Cameron said. “We came in thinking we needed to give them the first punch, and we gave them the first punch, and they couldn’t really get up after that.” 

The rivalry was apparent Tuesday with rowdy student sections from both schools exchanging chants and jeers throughout the night.

Air Academy struggled to find the net in the third, only scoring one goal from senior Chase Moody, while Cheyenne Mountain notched four more to lead 13-5 into the final quarter, where Air Academy was again held to one goal.

Senior Weber Rowell led the Red-Tailed Hawks with four goals, and Moody led the Kadets with three. 

“He is the best goalie in the state,” first-year Kadet head coach Nick Gold said of Cameron. “Tonight was all mental. We had a good game plan, just didn’t execute. They got on a run early and knocked us off balance, and we weren’t able to fight back.” 

Tuesday’s game was the culmination of a season of ups and downs for the Red-Tailed Hawks, who dropped winnable games early, including their last two of the regular season. Still, the challenges built resilience for a determined Cheyenne Mountain team. 

“We have a long history of success and just trying to raise our bar to meet the legacy that was before us,” head coach Sequoia Bowan said. “We worked inward as a team and bounced back from losses, and learned lessons we could. Our goal was to play our best in May, and that’s what we are doing.”

The Red-Tailed Hawks have won the state title four times, including a three-peat from 2021-2023. The seniors on this year’s squad remember the glory of being in the title game and look forward to showing the rest of the state that Cheyenne Mountain is back. 

“Tonight is a testament to what perseverance can get you,” senior Conor Kaveney said. “The bench energy is off the charts, but the composure on the field is what matters for us. Our slogan is grit, and we are just a gritty team. We are out here to fight and not take anything for granted.”