For the first time since 2020, three Aurora-area softball programs made it into the select group of teams left in contention for the Class 5A state title.
Cherokee Trail, Eaglecrest and Grandview all advanced to the 5A state tournament, scheduled for Oct. 20-21 at the Aurora Sports Park, and the three Centennial League rivals — all of whom have a state championship to their credit in the past — will be there at the same time for the first time since 2012.
The Colorado High School Activities Association issued the 16-team bracket for state tournament on Oct. 16 and it included the regional champion Raptors, as well as the Cougars and Wolves, who both were the second teams out of their respective regionals Oct. 13-14.
“I think it says a lot about our area and about our conference, which is the smallest, so the fact that three of us made it is something,” Eaglecrest coach Yvette Hendrian said. “We’re always battling it out during our league and I think we all have the opportunity to do well at state.”
All three local programs have pitching depth, a core group of experienced players and laundry list of lessons learned throughout the season that bring them to this moment.
Best of all for the local teams, they ended up dispersed in the bracket — Eaglecrest is No. 8, Cherokee Trail No. 11 and Grandview No. 12 — so they wouldn’t run into each other until deep into the tournament. The Raptors are the lone local team in the upper half of the bracket, while the Cougars and Wolves would both have to make the semifinals before they went head-to-head.
Eaglecrest had made it to seven straight state tournaments, but fell shot of making it back for the past four seasons. Hendrian’s Raptors (19-6) earned their return in a big way, by knocking off the top seed among 32 teams in regional play.
Eaglecrest was seeded No. 16 going into regionals, but moves up to No. 8 in the state tournament by virtue of its 2-1 win over original No. 1 Arvada West at the Region 1 tournament Oct. 13. The Raptors got an outstanding effort from junior starter Jordan Stilley, who allowed just seven hits and struck out three as she held the powerful Wildcats to their lowest offensive output of the season.
Arvada West got its only run off Stilley in the fifth inning, but Eaglecrest — which had just four hits in the game —broke the tie in the top of the next inning. Senior Megan Drugan tripled to open the sixth inning and came home on senior Izzy Ervin’s single as the Raptors strung together the only two hits other than those from sophomore Chessa Reid.
Sophomore Briahna Gallegos earned the win the regional opener, an 11-2 victory over No. 17 Heritage in which senior Addison Mower drove in four runs.
Eaglecrest opens the state tournament against No. 9 Fruita Monument, a regional host that got upset by No. 12 Legend, in a game scheduled for 10 a.m. Oct. 20 at Complex B at the Aurora Sports Park.
Even though none of her players has been at the state tournament before, Hendrian believes her team has the leadership, the mentality and the skills to handle what comes at them on the big stage.
“Our whole mantra has been just enjoy the ride,” she said. “It’s a fun bunch to coach and I told them ‘it’s just a game, at the end of day, it’s state, but let’s just enjoy each other and go out and compete and have fun.’ When they do that, they are at their best.”
While Eaglecrest is at state for the first time in awhile, it will be the fourth straight trip for the Cherokee Trail program, so many Cougars — especially an impact senior class — should be ready. That experience will be especially important given that there are a number of freshmen, who have all played key roles during the season, that will be there for the first time.
“Once we get there, we know that anything can happen, so we just want those seniors to have one more shot at it,” Cherokee Trail coach Caley Mitchell said after her team defeated Legacy 14-6 at the Region 7 tournament at ThunderRidge High School to get the program into state for the sixth time in the past decade.
At regionals, Mitchell’s Cougars (the Centennial League champions who sport a 19-7 record) finished 2-1 with both wins over Legacy. The first one — a 12-2 victory that saw freshman Emma Rice earn the win on the mound — got Cherokee Trail into the regional final against host ThunderRidge. An 8-2 to the Grizzlies sent the Cougars into a rematch Oct. 14 for the second state spot.
Another freshman pitcher, Sydney Cobb, stepped up in relief for Cherokee Trail as she held the Lightning off the scoreboard for the last five innings in the 14-6 victory. Senior Addi Krei had four hits and scored three times, while juniors Kylie Twilt and Kennedy Brian drove in two runs apiece. Twilt had a combined seven RBI in three games for the Cougars, while senior Kiki Pryor went 6-for-10 with four RBI.
Cherokee Trail ended up with the No. 11 seed at the state tournament that pits it against No. 6 Broomfield (21-4) in the opening round in a game scheduled for 12:15 p.m. Oct. 20.
Coach Liz Carter’s Grandview team finished 2-1 Oct. 4 at the Region 8 tournament hosted by Broomfield to return to the state tournament. The program snapped a six-season drought in 2022 — when it made it to the quarterfinals — and earned a return with its regional performance, which was capped by an 11-4 win over Arapahoe.
The Wolves (19-7) defeated the Warriors for a third time on the season — which became necessary after they lost a 5-1 decision to Broomfield in the regional final. Grandview opened the day with a 12-5 win over No. 24 Fort Collins thanks to a complete game effort from junior Leah Graves, plus three RBI from senior Peytann Weiland and two apiece from senior Kristin Gallego and sophomore Sasha Kennedy.
“We went up there with the goal of walking away with two wins and that’s what we did,” Carter said. “It was amazing to win a region last year, but to go in and play some really scrappy competition and be able to walk away with those two victories put a big check mark on our goals for the entire season.
“Our consistent goal was making it to state, so we’ve been able to get that off the to-do list.”
Grandview has a 10 a.m. Oct. 14 first round contest vs. No. 5 ThunderRidge.
The Wolves topped the Grizzlies 7-4 at the Dave Sanders Memorial tournament Sept. 9 at the Aurora Sports Park, which was part of a whirlwind stretch of quality competition they faced in the middle portion of the season.
It was taxing at the time, but that early gauntlet — during which Grandview ruined a 9-0 start by defending 5A state champion Columbine with a 6-0 victory — could pay dividends.
“When we were in the thick of those really, really hard weeks and when we were playing ridiculously good competition, it was a constant reminder that this is what we were preparing for,” Carter said. “The reason we play in the Dave Sanders tournament is to get the comfortable at the Sports Park. Everything we do has a purpose, so hopefully it will all come to fruition at state.”