AURORA | It hadn’t been gone long — just one season — but the Grandview boys lacrosse team was determined to get the Predators Cup back in its possession.
The Wolves did just that on a cold, blustery Wednesday night at Legacy Stadium as they secured the traveling trophy for ninth time in the 10 seasons of its existence with a 14-10 victory over rival Cherokee Trail.
Senior Liam Szarka had a second straight big offense game with six goals — four in the first half — while sophomore Owen Kulczewski also had three for Grandview, which earned a victory in the first matchup with Greg Mellinger as head coach. The Wolves upped their record to 7-3 and won for the first time in four league contests.
Senior Nate Gilmore scored two goals in each half for coach Matt Cawley’s Cherokee Trail team, which prevailed 18-9 in last season’s meeting between the teams. Ethan Conover added two goals — including one in the final second of the first half — for the Cougars, who dropped another close contest to fall to 3-7.
Both teams return to action Friday night, as Cherokee Trail plays host to Denver East at 6 p.m., while Grandview plays a 7 p.m. contest at Denver South.
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter/X: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
GRANDVIEW 14, CHEROKEE TRAIL 10
Score by quarters:
Grandview 4 6 3 1 — 14
Cherokee Trail 1 5 2 3 — 10
SCORING
First quarter: Grandview — Cameron Festi, 6:27; Grandview — Owen Kulczewski, 4:55; Grandview — Liam Szarka, 3:26; Cherokee Trail — Ethan Conover, 2:31; Grandview — Joe Alie (Mason Kelly), 1:04
Second quarter: Cherokee Trail — Nate Gilmore, 11:52; Grandview — Jeremy Rafferty, 9:33; Grandview — Szarka, 8:38; Grandview — Kelly (Alie), 5:30; Cherokee Trail — Gilmore, 4:31; Grandview — Szarka, 3:55; Grandview — Kulczewski, 3:49; Cherokee Trail — Blake Rodriguez, 3:42; Cherokee Trail — Christian Novak, 1:25; Grandview — Szarka, 0:07; Cherokee Trail — Conover (Rodriguez), 0:01
Third quarter: Cherokee Trail — Sam Burnette, 11:05; Grandview — Szarka, 10:36; Grandview — Kelly, 5:57; Grandview — Kulczewski (Festi), 2:19;
Fourth quarter: Grandview — Szarka, 9:44; Cherokee Trail — Gilmore, 4:26; Cherokee Trail — Gilmore, 0:58; Cherokee Trail — Bruce Pfeiffer, 0:25
