AURORA | The 2024 prep field hockey season for Aurora teams at a glance:
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter/X: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
2024 AURORA FIELD HOCKEY SEASON AT A GLANCE
Teams: The state has 16 total field hockey programs and three of them are from the Aurora area in Grandview, Regis Jesuit and Smoky Hill (which is a co-op with players from other area schools).
Coaches: Grandview — Alex Smith; Regis Jesuit — Spencer Wagner; Smoky Hill — Lisa Griffiths
Last year: Two Aurora programs qualified to compete in the 2023, as Regis Jesuit qualified for an automatic berth in the eight-team playoff bracket as the No. 3 overall seed, while Smoky Hill earned a spot in a play-in game. The Buffaloes lost a 2-1 decision to Mountain Vista, which advanced into the playoff bracket, while the Raiders lost a 1-0 overtime contest to Denver East in the state quarterfinals. …Regis Jesuit’s final record was 10-4-2, while Smoky Hill finished 6-9-1 and Grandview went 0-14-1.
Regular season/postseason: The field hockey regular season begins on Aug. 22 and continues through Oct. 24, when all 16 teams will be seeded in the postseason bracket based on the Colorado High School Activities Association Seeding Index. First round contests will be contested Oct. 28-29 at higher seeds with winners advancing in the championship bracket and losers moving to the consolation side. The postseason will conclude at All-City Stadium in Denver with championship semifinals (Nov. 4) and consolation semifinals (Nov. 5), followed by the championship games for both on Nov. 6 (consolation at 5 p.m., championship at 6:45 p.m.).
News and notes: Regis Jesuit’s loss in the quarterfinals last season snapped a streak of five straight seasons in which it had made it to the state championship game and was the first time it hadn’t made at least the semifinals since 2016. The Raiders had 11 seniors. …Smoky Hill qualified for a play-in contest in the past two seasons. …In the Colorado High School Activities preseason coaches poll, Regis Jesuit is ranked No. 3 — behind Colorado Academy and Cherry Creek — while Smoky Hill is No. 10. …Smoky Hill graduated 12 seniors
Look back: Full 2023 Aurora Sentinel All-Aurora Field Hockey Team, here
