AURORA | Seven city teams are set for the Class 5A boys state soccer playoffs as the 32-team bracket was released by the Colorado High School Activities Association on Sunday.
The first round matchups are set, with the top 16 seeds to play host to first round contests on Wednesday at various sites around the Metro area.
Two first round games are on tap in Aurora, as Centennial League champion Smoky Hill and East Metro Athletic Conference runner-up Rangeview won’t have to travel far as they look to advance.
The Buffaloes (11-1-3) are Aurora’s top seed at No. 4 and haven’t tasted defeat since a double overtime loss at Aurora Central on Sept. 8. Coach Kerstan Mullan’s team will play its first game in nearly two weeks when it plays host to No. 29 Doherty (8-6-1) at 4 p.m. at Smoky Hill on the field dubbed “The Swamp.”
Rangeview capped its regular season with consecutive 3-0 victories over Hinkley and Prairie View and haven’t yielded a goal since a 3-0 loss to Adams City — the EMAC champion which netted the No. 1 overall seed — on Oct. 2 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. Coach Vic Strouse’s Raiders (10-2-3) face off against a familiar crosstown foe in No. 20 Regis Jesuit, which is 8-6-1 in the first season under new head coach Rick Wolf.
The game — scheduled for 6 p.m. at Aurora Public Schools Stadium — is a rematch of a second round contest from last season’s playoffs, in which Regis Jesuit scored twice in the second half to prevail 2-1.
Road contests are in store for No. 17 Eaglecrest (at No. 16 Mountain Vista), No. 18 Aurora Central (at No. 15 Highlands Ranch), No. 26 Grandview (at No. 7 Fossil Ridge) and No. 28 Gateway (at No. 5 Arvada West).
Coach Greg Watts’ Raptors (10-4-1 with a three-game winning streak to end the regular season) were 2-0 against Continental League teams in the regular season and get a crack at another in the Golden Eagles, who split their last four contests, in a game set for 4:30 p.m. at Shea Stadium in Highlands Ranch.
The Trojans won 11 games to match Smoky Hill for the city’s top total and coach Ken Wu’s squad is slotted to face Highlands Ranch, which was 3-3 in its last six games. The two teams meet in the second game of a doubleheader at Shea Stadium and will kick off at 7 p.m.
Coach Brian Wood’s Wolves (6-7-2) were the fifth team from the Centennial League to gain a postseason berth — including Mullen, which is seeded No. 4 in the 4A postseason — and come in playing well, having tied both Smoky Hill and 4A powerhouse Broomfield in the last two weeks of the season. Grandview visits No. 7 Fossil Ridge in Fort Collins for a 6:30 p.m. contest.
The Olys (7-3-5) make their third consecutive postseason appearance with a tough match against No. 5 Arvada West, scheduled for 4 p.m. at the North Area Athletic Complex in Golden.
Vista PEAK (9-4-2) qualified for the 4A postseason in its first varsity season and coach Jason Elliott’s talented young team is set to make a 4 p.m. visit to No. 4 Mullen in the opening round on Thursday.
Aurora also has an entrant in the 3A state tournament, as first-year Aurora West College Prep was slotted at No. 22. The Spartans (12-2) play No. 11 Salida in a first round contest scheduled for 2 p.m. Friday at Frontier Academy in Greeley.
Reach Sports Editor Courtney Oakes at sports@aurorasentinel.com or 303-750-7555
2012 CLASS 5A BOYS SOCCER STATE PLAYOFFS
AURORA | Pairings for the Class 5A boys state soccer playoffs as released by the Colorado High School Activities Association on Sunday. Aurora teams are bold and uppercased:
2012 CLASS 5A BOYS SOCCER STATE PLAYOFFS
FIRST ROUND (OCT. 24)
No. 32 Standley Lake at No. 1 Adams City
NO. 17 EAGLECREST vs. No. 16 Mountain Vista at Shea Stadium, 4:30 p.m.
No. 25 Legend at No. 8 Arapahoe, 4 p.m.
No. 24 ThunderRidge vs. No. 9 Cherry Creek at Legacy Stadium, 6 p.m.
NO. 28 GATEWAY vs. No. 5 Arvada West at NAAC, 4 p.m.
No. 21 Ralston Valley vs. No. 12 Pine Creek at District 20 Stadium, 6 p.m.
No. 29 Doherty at NO. 4 SMOKY HILL, 4 p.m.
NO. 20 REGIS JESUIT vs. NO. 13 RANGEVIEW at APS Stadium, 6 p.m.
No. 30 Liberty vs. No. 3 Heritage at LPS Stadium, 7 p.m.
No. 19 Rock Canyon vs. No. 14 Loveland at Loveland Sports Park, 6 p.m.
No. 27 Montbello 27 at No. 6 Boulder
No. 22 Rocky Mountain at No. 11 Chatfield
NO. 26 GRANDVIEW at No. 7 Fossil Ridge, 6:30 p.m.
No. 23 Bear Creek at No. 10 Fairview
No. 31 Fruita Monument at No. 2 Denver East, 5:30 p.m.
NO. 18 AURORA CENTRAL vs. No. 15 Highlands Ranch at Shea Stadium, 7 p.m.
CLASS 4A
FIRST ROUND (OCT. 25)
NO. 29 VISTA PEAK at No. 4 Mullen, 4 p.m.
CLASS 3A
FIRST ROUND (OCT. 26)
NO. 22 AURORA WEST COLLEGE PREP vs. No. 11 Salida at Frontier Academy (Greeley), 2 p.m.
how come no mention of cherry creek