Colorado’s unpredictable weather led to several postponements and schedule changes, but the spring high school sports seasons ended when the baseball championships concluded despite the rain.
Teams from south metro schools won six state championships and several individuals also earned individual state titles.
Valor Christian won the Class 5A girls state track title, the girls golf championship and the baseball crown. Cherry Creek was the winner of the girls tennis team title and ThunderRidge took home the 5A girls state soccer trophy. Mountain Vista was the 5A boys lacrosse state champion.
Colorado Community Media selected players of the year from south metro schools for the 10 different sports.
They are:
Girls tennis
Junior Jiselle Boker of Cherry Creek is being honored after winning her third straight state championship. She won her second straight No 3 singles title this season to go along with a share of a doubles crown won as a freshman. Boker also won her match in the team finals, which helped Creek capture the state team championship.
Girls lacrosse
Castle View senior Evie Tanella, who has signed to play at San Diego State, was very good toward the end of the season as she had 11 goals and five assists in four state playoff games. Tanella had 40 goals, 34 assists and 74 points for the season.
Boys lacrosse
Mountain Vista’s Ethan Pearson, a senior who has committed to Towson University, helped the Golden Eagles win the state championship. He had 46 goals, 26 assists and 72 points for the season, and in four state playoffs games he unofficially contributed five goals
Boys volleyball
Reece Lindstrom is the player who was a key to Legend’s success. The senior had 54 blocks, 239 digs, 927 assists and also contributed 78 kills. He will play next season at Merrimack College.
Boys swimming
Junior Brodie Johnson of Cherry Creek won two titles at the state swimming championships. Johnson captured the 100 butterfly in 48.62 and was also on the Bruins’ first-place 200 medley relay team.
Boys track
Drew Costelow, a Valor Christian senior who has signed to run at the University of Colorado, won his fourth and fifth state titles after winning three last season after transferring from Center Grove (Indiana). Costelow captured the 800 meters state title in 1:52.17 and the 1,600 with a time of 4:11.88.
Girls track
Mountain Vista senior Rachel Bair, a Utah commit, wrapped up her high school career in impressive fashion as she won state individual titles in the 100 meters with a time of 11.82 and the 400 meters in 56.05.Bair was second in the 200 meters finale.
Girls soccer
ThunderRidge’s junior goalkeeper Becca Winton was a force leading the Grizzlies to the state championship. She and the Grizzlies had four postseason shutouts, including a 1-0 win over Rock Canyon in the state title game. Winton finished the season with a 0.500 goals against average and 74 saves, including nine in the state championship game.
Girls golf
Sophomore Brenna Higgins helped Valor Christian win the 5A girls golf championship. She opened with a 6-under-par 66 at Black Bear golf course and finished tied for the medalist title with a 143 two-day total. She won the individual state crown after a one-hole playoff. Higgins was also first in the Western regional tournament with a 1-under-par 70.
Baseball
Valor Christian senior catcher Cashel Dugger was the Jefferson County League most valuable player and he is the Colorado Community Media’s south metro baseball player of the year after hitting .493 with 20 runs batted in, 11 doubles, a .598 on base percentage and .656 slugging percentage. Dugger, who has signed to play at UCLA, had a hit in each of the Eagles’ six state playoff games en route to the state championship.