AURORA | A look at some of the key games, tournaments and happenings in Aurora prep sports from Nov. 9-10:
• Two Class 5A second round state football playoff games are scheduled for Aurora teams Nov. 9, both at 7 p.m. The home contest is at Legacy Stadium, where No. 3 Cherokee Trail (9-1) plays host to former Centennial League rival No. 14 Mullen (6-4)— which won when the teams met in non-league play last season — for the right to advance to the state quarterfinals Capsule preview here. In the top second-round matchup in terms of seeds, ninth-seeded Grandview is on the road to play at No. 8 Fountain-Fort Carson in Colorado Springs. The Wolves (7-3) and Trojans (9-1) haven’t met before on the football field. Capsule preview here.
• Cherokee Trail, Eaglecrest and Grandview are set for the Class 5A state volleyball tournament Nov. 9-10 at the Denver Coliseum, as the tournament takes place for the first time with 12 teams instead of eight. Pool play begins at 8 a.m. each day. Eaglecrest and Grandview are in the same three-team pool — which also includes Heritage — while Cherokee Trail is grouped with Chaparral and Legend. The winner of each four-team pool plays in the semifinals immediately following pool play on Nov. 10, with the 5A state title to be decided at 7 p.m. State match schedule here.
• Winter prep sports teams practice for the first time Nov. 9, as boys and girls basketball, wrestling, girls swimming and ice hockey swing into action. First contests are Nov. 28.
• The Class 5A boys state soccer championship is decided at 4 p.m. Nov. 10 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, with fourth-seeded Smoky Hill set to take on No. 6 Boulder with a chance to bring home the program’s first 5A state title since 2007. Coach Kerstan Mullan’s team advanced with a 1-0 overtime victory against Cherry Creek in the semifinals, with Boulder — which will appear in the 5A final for the first time ever — winning by the same score against Fairview.
• Two more Class 5A state football second round contests are slated for 1 p.m. Nov. 10 and both will be in Aurora. Coming off its upset of No. 13 Gateway, No. 20 Regis Jesuit receives a home contest and welcomes fourth-seeded Valor Christian at 1 p.m. The Eagles squeaked out a four-point victory when the teams met on the same field at Lou Kellogg Stadium last season. Capsule preview here. Also at 1 p.m., No. 22 Eaglecrest — which toppled No. 11 Chatfield in the first round — plays its first home playoff game in more than a decade when No. 6 Chaparral visits at Legacy Stadium. Capsule preview here.
Reach Sports Editor Courtney Oakes at sports@aurorasentinel.com or 303-750-7555
