Standout athletes

Corrie Anderson, sr., Palmer Ridge volleyball — Anderson helped Palmer Ridge win the 4A state title on Saturday.

In four matches at the state tourney, Anderson combined for 72 kills.

It was a big week for Anderson. She signed to play college volleyball at Dayton, a Division I program that regularly makes the NCAA Tournament, on Wednesday.

Isaiah Jones, sr., Mesa Ridge football — Mesa Ridge eased past defending 4A state runner-up Loveland 57-7 on Friday, thanks largely to Jones.

The senior running back ran for 155 yards and five touchdowns on 15 carries. He is only two touchdowns away from breaking the Grizzlies’ school record for career rushing touchdowns.

Mesa Ridge will battle Broomfield on Saturday in the 4A quarterfinals.

Derek Hester, sr., Palmer Ridge football — Hester threw the ball only four times in Palmer Ridge’s 42-6 win over Denver South in the 4A Round of 16, but he made the most of his attempts.

Hester completed three passes, all of which went for touchdowns to Jimmer Weir. The senior signal-caller’s three completions went for 131 yards. Hester also scored a rushing touchdown.

Palmer Ridge, the No. 1 seed in 4A, hosts Heritage on Friday.

Ramon Pacheco, sr., Pine Creek football — Pacheco’s contributions on both offense and defense helped Pine Creek advance past Denver East 41-24 in the 5A Round of 16.

Pacheco caught three passes for 60 yards and two touchdowns. He also intercepted two passes and returned those for a combined 38 yards.

Pine Creek, No. 4, hosts No. 5 Ralston Valley on Friday in the 5A quarterfinals.

Lillian Edwards, jr., The Classical Academy volleyball — Edwards helped TCA make a run in the 4A state tournament.

The junior totaled 86 kills in the Titans’ five matches, averaging 17.2 per match. She logged a team-high 24 kills in their final match, a 3-2 loss to Cheyenne Mountain.

TCA finished the season 24-5 overall.

Compelling contests

FOOTBALL

Lewis-Palmer 28, Resurrection Christian 21

No. 10 Lewis-Palmer pulled the upset over No. 7 Resurrection Christian in the first round of the 3A playoffs.

After Resurrection Christian took a 21-14 lead in the fourth quarter, the Rangers scored two touchdowns to win. Lewis-Palmer, 9-2, has already won its most games since the 2016 season, and the Rangers aren’t done yet.

Lewis-Palmer’s next game is against No. 2 Holy Family at 6 p.m. on Friday.

Delta 16, The Classical Academy 14

TCA’s season ended in heartbreaking fashion Saturday, as the No. 8 Titans lost 16-14 to No. 1 Delta.

The Titans held Delta to a punt on its final possession and took over from their own 4-yard line with less than a minute remaining in the game. Delta then forced a safety, giving the Panthers a two-point lead that they were able to keep.

The Titans finished the season 8-3.

Thompson Valley 21, Discovery Canyon 17

Discovery Canyon’s strong second half of the season ended on Friday, as the Thunder lost 21-17 to Thompson Valley.

The Thunder, No. 14, kept close with the No. 3 Eagles for the entire game but ultimately fell just short. DCC junior quarterback Hayden Jones completed 12 of 22 pass attempts for 160 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.

Discovery Canyon, which entered the contest on a seven-game winning streak, ended the year 8-3.

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

Palmer Ridge 3, Thompson Valley 2

Palmer Ridge won its first volleyball state title in 2021, but Thompson Valley took the podium from the Bears in each of the last two seasons.

The Bears grabbed the trophy back Saturday, beating the Eagles in five sets.

Palmer Ridge led early in the fifth set before Thompson Valley tied the set at 13-13. The Bears then won two points in a row to clinch the 4A state title.

Palmer Ridge finished the season 23-6 overall and won its last eight matches. The Bears beat Palisade, Windsor, Cheyenne Mountain and Thompson Valley in their four matches at state.

Cheyenne Mountain 3, The Classical Academy 2

The match between Cheyenne Mountain and The Classical Academy at the 4A state tournament was an epic local-versus-local battle.

TCA won the first set, then Cheyenne Mountain won the next. TCA took the third, and Cheyenne Mountain took the fourth.

The Titans and Red-Tailed Hawks continued their back-and-forth duel in the fifth set, when Cheyenne Mountain escaped with a 15-13 set win to take the match 3-2.

The win propelled Cheyenne Mountain to the quarterfinals, where the Red-Tailed Hawks fell 3-0 to eventual champion Palmer Ridge.

Trends to track

Strong showing for local volleyball teams at state

Between the state champion Palmer Ridge Bears and a handful of other local teams that made runs, Pikes Peak region volleyball teams did well at state.

In addition to Palmer Ridge, Lewis-Palmer and Cheyenne Mountain both reached the 4A semifinals. The Classical Academy was two points away from reaching that round, as they fell in five sets to Cheyenne Mountain in the Contenders Bracket.

Pine Creek made it to the third round of the winners bracket in 5A, beating Rock Canyon and Ralston Valley. The Eagles then lost back-to-back matches to Fossil Ridge and Legend.

Colorado Springs Christian and St. Mary’s qualified for the 3A and 2A tournaments, respectively, but both were eliminated after two matches.

Tale of two halves for Pine Creek

Pine Creek played about as well as it could in the first half of the Eagles’ 41-24 win over Denver East in the 5A Round of 16.

The Eagles scored 31 points in the first two quarters and held the Angels to zero. Pine Creek utilized every asset it had — in the run game, in the passing game and on defense — to create an insurmountable lead.

The second half, though, was less effective. Denver East scored the first 16 points of the second half before Pine Creek finally answered.

Pine Creek’s advantage at halftime was so large that it didn’t matter. If the Eagles play like they did in the first half, they can likely beat anyone. But if they play like they did in the second half, they could be a victim of an upset to No. 5 Ralston Valley in the quarterfinals.

Winter sport athletes meet in Denver for CHSAA Media Day

Some of the area’s best winter sports teams made the trip north to Denver for CHSAA Media Day at Ball Arena on Monday.

Among those represented from the Pikes Peak region were state champions from last year — Mesa Ridge boys basketball, Cheyenne Mountain hockey, Calhan wrestler Ciara Monger and Pine Creek swimmer Madison Mintenko. A couple of runners up — Air Academy boys basketball and Vanguard girls basketball — were there as well.

Winter sports competition begins Nov. 27.