LAKEWOOD | Facing a team with considerably more recent postseason experience, the Smoky Hill boys lacrosse team couldn’t keep up with Wheat Ridge in their first round state playoff matchup Saturday at Trailblazer Stadium.

Gunnar Bolstad’s goal gave the 21st-seeded Buffaloes the early lead in their first postseason contest since 2008, but the 12th-seeded Farmers — who have made six straight playoff appearances and went to the state quarterfinals last season — took it from there. They scored the last four goals of the first period and the last three goals of the second period to take a six-goal halftime lead and finished off a 15-7 victory.

Smoky Hill got two goals each from Vinny Cardella and Hunter Gillespie and one each from Bolstad, Blake Spencer and Blake Foerster in finishing the season 7-9 overall.

Wheat Ridge got five goals from Josh Kaufling, three from Pete Aplet and two more from Rady Waters to move to 10-6. The Farmers will formally find out their next opponent when CHSAA officially releases the quarterfinal bracket, but they should face fifth-seeded Mullen based on the seeds of the first round winners.

Notes: No. 14 Steamboat Springs beat visiting No. 19 Denver East 9-4 in the other first round matchup on Saturday.

Reach Sports Editor Courtney Oakes at sports@aurorasentinel.com or 303-750-7555

(12) WHEAT RIDGE 15, (21) SMOKY HILL 7

Score by periods:

Smoky Hill   1   3  2  1 —     7

Wheat Riege  4  6  2  3 — 15

SCORING

First period — Smoky Hill: Gunnar Bolstad, 7:14; Wheat Ridge: Rady Waters (Pete Aplet), 6:36; Wheat Ridge: Josh Kaufling; Wheat Ridge: Aplet; Wheat Ridge: Waters (Kaufling); 41.8; Second period — Smoky Hill: Blake Spencer, 10:57; Wheat Ridge: Kaufling, 9:37; Wheat Ridge: Aplet, 9:24; Wheat Ridge: Nikolai Kiarich, 8:30; Smoky Hill: Blake Foerster, 7:07; Smoky Hill: Vinny Cardella (Spencer), 5:18; Wheat Ridge: Kaufling (John Roach); 3:43; Wheat Ridge: Kaufling (John Roach); 1:01; Wheat Ridge: Aplet, 54.3; Third period — Wheat Ridge: Kaufling (Aplet), 8:57; Smoky Hill: Hunter Gillespie (Kyle Schnitzer), 6:23; Wheat Ridge: Roach (Patrick McKinney), 4:25;  Smoky Hill: Gillespie (Spencer), 3:22; Fourth period — Smoky Hill: Cardella, 10:26; Wheat Ridge: Tyler Morpurgo, 9:08; Wheat Ridge: Jacob Gladfelter, 5:07; Wheat Ridge: Dima Makarov, 1:14

Courtney Oakes is Sports Editor and photographer with Sentinel Colorado. A Denver East High School and University of Colorado alum. He came to the Sentinel in 2001 and since then has received a number...