AURORA | The members of the Grandview boys lacrosse team can sleep well tonight with Predators Cup again securely in their possession.
After a couple of sleepless nights of buildup as they dealt with the deep emotions that go into their matchup with rival Cherokee Trail, the Wolves played to perfection in stretches and held off the Cougars when it mattered on their way to a 21-12 win in front of a large crown at Legacy Stadium.
Senior John Alie racked up eight goals and three assists while sophomores Joe Alie and Liam Szarka added three goals apiece for Grandview, which has won the Predators Cup every year since the trophy came into the rivalry in 2014. That makes eight wins in the last night years, while the 2020 matchup was wiped out by the coronavirus pandemic.
Cherokee Trail — which came into the match on a three-game winning streak — carved a 10-goal deficit down to four in the early stages of the fourth quarter, only to see the game get away with a five-goal burst by Grandview. Sophomore Nate Gilmore led the Cougars with four goals, while seniors Grant Green and Flint Thielen scored three apiece.
Courtney Oakes is Sentinel Colorado Sports Editor. Reach him at [email protected] Twitter: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
GRANDVIEW 21, CHEROKEE TRAIL 12
Score by quarters:
Cher. Trail 2 2 4 4 — 12
Grandview 6 4 4 7 — 21
SCORING
First quarter: Grandview — Jace Bush (Joe Alie), 9:20; Grandview — John Alie (Nikolas Moore), 8:18; Grandview — Liam Szarka, 6:56; Grandview — John Alie (Bush), 5:01; Grandview — Ronan Abeyta, 4:38; Grandview — John Alie, 3:49; Cherokee Trail — Nate Gilmore (Evan Gibbs), 2:59; Cherokee Trail — Grant Green (Gilmore), 0:26
Second quarter: Grandview — John Alie (Joe Alie), 11:26; Grandview — Bush (John Alie), 10:50; Cherokee Trail — Gilmore (Craig Nam), 9:40; Grandview — Moore, 4:28; Grandview — John Alie, 3:47; Cherokee Trail — Flint Thielen, 1:58
Third quarter: Grandview — Szarka (Joe Alie), 10:21; Grandview — Moore, 9:19; Grandview — Moore, 6:43; Grandview — John Alie, 6:07; Cherokee Trail — Gilmore (Flint Thielen), 5:17; Cherokee Trail — Green, 4:31; Cherokee Trail — Flint Thielen; Cherokee Trail — Gibbs
Fourth quarter: Cherokee Trail — Brek Thielen, 10:03; Cherokee Trail — Brek Thielen, 9:38; Grandview — Abeyta, 9:24; Grandview — John Alie (Bush), 8:56; Grandview — John Alie (Joe Alie), 7:49; Grandview — Joe Alie (John Alie), 7:22; Grandview — Szarka; Cherokee Trail — Flint Thielen, 3:24; Cherokee Trail — Gilmore, 2:51; Grandview — Joe Alie (John Alie), 2:36; Grandview — Joe Alie (Moore), 1:08
