The sport of field hockey continued to take a step forward locally and around the state in 2024.
The area’s three programs all were able to play in the postseason with the sport’s new set up (thanks to the arrival of the state’s 16th program) and Regis Jesuit and Smoky Hill were able to experience various amounts of success in the postseason.
Players from those two programs make up the majority of the 2024 Aurora Sentinel All-Aurora Field Hockey Team, which is picked by the Sentinel in conjunction with balloting of city coaches.
— Find the full 2024 Aurora Sentinel All-Aurora Field Hockey Team, here
Smoky Hill’s upward trend as a program under the guidance of coach Lisa Griffiths took another step forward this season, as the Buffaloes were able to lay claim to the championship of the new consolation playoff bracket. It was in many ways a cathartic finish for a group of seniors that were part of a team that finished 12-6-1 after going winless in their freshman season.
Leading the way for Smoky Hill was senior midfielder Elyse Bailey, who finished with the second-most points of any player in the state with 45. Bailey — an All-Group 2 first team selection and a Colorado High School Activities Association first team all-state pick — scored 19 goals, which ranked her only behind Colorado Academy’s Addie Chandler (26).
Bailey added seven assists, including one to freshman Carmella Trujillo in overtime in a 2-1 win over Pine Creek in the consolation championship game game.
Senior Darian Smith — whose goal back on Sept. 6, 2022, stood up as Smoky Hill snapped an 0-74-1 stretch that dated back to 2016 — also contributed heavily to the Buffs’ success. She was a CHSAA all-state first team performer as well with her speed and tenacity in the midfield, though it didn’t produce gaudy stats.
Junior goalie Riley Leeser played a ton of minutes in the goal and held up well against some formidable attacks. She made 18 saves in an early season game against eventual state champion Cherry Creek in a 2-0 loss and followed that with 16 in a 4-0 loss to a potent Colorado Academy team that easily led the state in scoring.
Leeser had 10 shutouts on the season with help from a defense that included a three-year varsity staple in senior defender Ella Ambruso.
For the second straight season, it was a rare early exit to the playoffs by the enormous standards of Regis Jesuit, which had appeared in five straight state championship games until a quarterfinal loss in 2023.
Coach Spencer Wagner’s Raiders suffered the same fate in the same round this season, as they saw a goal lead slip away against Kent Denver (which caught fire in the postseason and went on to finish as the eventual state runner-up).
Still, it was a Regis Jesuit team that had plenty of talent at all levels.
The Raiders (10-6-1) scored the fourth-most goals of any team in the state (36) and got offense from multiple sources, including All-Group 1 first team and CHSAA all-state second team performer Hailey Cornell.
Cornell far and away led local players in assists with nine, while the standout midfielder added four goals to finish with 17 points. That was the same total accrued by sophomore forward Katie Rasure, who tied with senior Macia Parsons for the team lead in goals with seven. Parsons added a handful of assists, while Rasure had three.
The Raiders’ other double-digit point scorers were in the midfield in sophomores Natalie Chilton (13 — 5 goals, 3 assists) and Izzy Nichols (11 — 4 goals, 3 assists).
Regis Jesuit also had a strong defensive unit that was keyed by senior Addie Von Steeg, a CHSAA honorable mention all-state selection and All-Group 1 second team pick.
Von Steeg and fellow senior Valerie De Leeuw — a team captain and longtime varsity contributor — helped lead the way for a team that allowed 20 goals in 17 games, while she also scored one.
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@sentinelcolorado.com. Twitter/X: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
