AURORA | With the field in Lou Kellogg Stadium undergoing renovation, the Regis Jesuit boys lacrosse team played host to Wednesday’s Class 5A quarterfinal playoff contest at Laber Field.
The venue made no difference for the third-seeded Raiders, who parlayed a strong start into a 7-4 victory over sixth-seeded Kent Denver to earn a spot in the 5A semifinals at Peter Barton Stadium on the campus of the University of Denver.
Coach Jim Soran’s Regis Jesuit got two goals apiece from seniors Logan Farrington and Ethan Hughes, while seniors Fletcher Sullivan, Reed Foltz and Ryan Coughlin also had goals.
The Raiders advanced to a May 20 matchup with second-seeded Valor Christian, which topped No. 10 Arapahoe 8-2, in a rematch of a regular season game won 10-3 by the Eagles back on April 25. A win would give Regis Jesuit a chance to win its first state championship since 2018.
The other semifinal pits No. 5 Mountain Vista — a 6-5 winner over No. 4 Legend — and No. 1 Cherry Creek, which handled No. 8 Denver South 17-7. The semifinal winners move into the 7:30 p.m. May 22 final on the same turf at DU.
Regis Jesuit downed Kent Denver (12-5) 13-8 in a regular season game that was heavy on offense, but defense ruled the rematch and the Raiders had plenty of it to extend their winning streak to seven games, which included a win over previously undefeated Cherry Creek in the regular season final May 5.
Courtney Oakes is Sentinel Colorado Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@sentinelcolorado.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
2023 CLASS 5A BOYS LACROSSE STATE QUARTERFINALS
May 17 at Regis Jesuit High School (Laber Field)
(3) REGIS JESUIT 7, (6) KENT DENVER 4
Score by quarters:
Kent Denver 1 0 3 0 — 4
Regis Jesuit 4 2 1 0 — 7
Kent Denver goals: Jack Cutler, Ben Dutton, Nick Johnson, Oliver Thomas. Regis Jesuit goals: Logan Farrington 2, Ethan Hughes 2, Ryan Coughlin, Reed Foltz, Fletcher Sullivan. Kent Denver assists: Matteo Agostine, Cutler, Christopher Eiselein, Thomas. Kent Denver saves: Sam Kosloski (19 shots on goal-12 saves)