Legacy High School earned the top seed in the class 5A boys state soccer tournament.
The Colorado High School Activities Association released the brackets on Oct. 23.
The Lightning, which rode 12 goals from Lucas Montera in the regular year, takes a 12-1-2 into the tournament. Legacy faces Lakewood (7-6-2) in the first round. Rashed Jahan Rahi, a senior, scored 13 goals for the Tigers this fall.
The winner advances to face either Liberty or Rock Canyon in the next round. Rock Canyon and Legacy played in the first match of the season, and the Lightning won it 2-0. The Jaguars’ top scorers were Birat Shrestha (through 10 recorded games) and Alec Lauretti (through 11 recorded games). They each scored three times.
Arapahoe High School earned the No. 5 seed in class 5A and will host Far Northeast Warriors in the opening round. The winner gets either Fairview or Mountain Vista high schools in the second round. The Golden Eagles amassed a 6-4-5 record this season. Lucas Serna scored six of his team’s first 21 goals.
Cherry Creek (11-3-1) has the eighth seed in the draw and will host Heritage in the first round. Cole Wearner scored a team-high 12 goals for the Bruins. The Eagles’ top goal-scorer this season was Logan Hause with eight tallies.
In class 4A, Skyview (7-6-2) rode the offense of Nicholas Marmolejo (seven goals through six recorded games) to its berth in the state playoffs. The Wolverines visit Skyline High School in the first round.
Golden (7-5-3) earned the 19th seed, thanks in part to Flynn Halsor’s team-high eight goals, and travels to 14th-seeded Longmont.
In class 3A, Stargate School (5-5-5) visits Fort Lupton (10-1-4). Through 13 recorded games, Chase Myers scored six goals for Stargate. The Bluedevils’ Diego De La Fuente scored 30 goals. He, Carlos Limones and Caleb Adam scored more than 10 goals apiece for Fort Lupton this season.
Eagle Ridge Academy (6-7-2) hits the road for a first-round match against KIPP-Denver Collegiate School. The Warriors’ Hyunsoo Kim scored 11 of his team’s 32 goals this fall.
Tickets for the quarterfinals and semifinal rounds are available at https://gofan.co/app/school/CHSAA. The finals will be at Switchbacks Weidner Field in Colorado Springs. Tickets will be available through SeatGeek.
Local first-round matches include:
Class 5A:
First-round games are Wednesday, Oct. 25; times to be announced.
Lakewood @ Legacy (the winner faces either Liberty of Rock Canyon in the second round; Horizon @ Regis (the winner gets either Cherry Creek or Heritage in the second round); Mountain Vista @ Fairview (the winner fakes on either Denver East or Doherty in the next round); Valor Christian @ Cherokee Trail; Adams City @ Fossil Ridge (the winner gets either Ralston Valley or Denver South in the second round); ThunderRidge @ PIne Creek (the winner faces either Legend or Rocky Mountain in the second round)
Class 4A
First-round games are Thursday, Oct. 26; times to be announced.
Golden @ Longmont (the winner gets either Battle Mountain or Mullen in the second round); Skyview @ Skyline (the winner faces either Niwot or Pueblo Central in the next round)
Class 3A
First-round games are Wednesday, Oct. 25; times to be announced.
Stargate School @ Fort Lupton (winner gets either Frontier Academy or Prospect Ridge Academy in the next round); Eagle Ridge Academy @ KIPP-Denver Collegiate (the winner gets either Forge Christian or Aurora West Prep in the second round)
Here are the brackets:
5A Bracket: https://chsaanow.com/news/2023/10/23/5a-boys-soccer-state-tournament-bracket-2023.aspx
4A Bracket: https://chsaanow.com/news/2023/10/23/4A-boys-soccer-state-tournament-bracket-2023.aspx
3A Bracket: https://chsaanow.com/news/2023/10/23/3a-boys-soccer-state-tournament-bracket-2023.aspx