AURORA | A look ahead at some of the key games, tournaments and happenings in Aurora prep sports between April 13-19, 2017:
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. FB: Aurora Prep Sentinel
• Continental League girls soccer heavyweights play April 13 when Regis Jesuit takes on Mountain Vista at 4 p.m. at Shea Stadium in Highlands Ranch. Four other games involving city teams take the pitch, with Cherokee Trail heading to Overland at 4:30 p.m. and Grandview taking on Eaglecrest at 5:30 p.m. at Legacy Stadium.
• The Smoky Hill boys and Regis Jesuit girls lacrosse teams play host to Menlo-Atherton April 13 as both take their home fields at 5 p.m. against the visitors from California. The Menlo-Atherton boys team is off to an 11-1-1 start (and play at Golden on April 15), while the girls team — which will play another Aurora team, Grandview, at noon on April 15 — is 9-3.
• Centennial League baseball heats up April 14 with a number of key matchups, highlighted by Grandview’s visit to Cherokee Trail at 4:15 p.m. Eaglecrest looks to stay undefeated with a visit to Arapahoe and Overland is home to Smoky Hill in two other 4:15 p.m. games.
• The Predators Cup is again up for grabs April 14 when the Grandview and Cherokee Trail boys lacrosse teams play at 7:30 p.m. at Legacy Stadium. The Wolves have prevailed over the Cougars to claim the traveling trophy all three times since it debuted. Grandview and Cherokee Trail also play in girls lacrosse in a game set for 6 p.m. at Stutler Bowl.
• The Pomona Invitational track meet is set for April 14-15 as nearly every Aurora team is in a massive field set to compete at Jeffco Stadium, site of the state track meet. Aurora Central, Cherokee Trail, Grandview, Hinkley, Overland, Rangeview and Vista PEAK head to the meet, scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. April 14 and resume at 9 a.m. April 15. On April 13 at the same venue, Eaglecrest and Regis Jesuit are entered in the 16-team Don Osse Invitational at 3 p.m.
• The Smoky Hill Invitational boys swim meet is set for April 15 with another large and talented field on hand that includes Cherokee Trail in addition to the host Buffs. Chatfield, Denver East, Denver South, Douglas County, George Washington, Heritage, Highlands Ranch, Liberty, Mullen and Ponderosa also will be on hand for the meet, which begins with swimming prelims at 8:30 a.m. Diving prelims are slated for 12:30 p.m., with finals in both swimming and diving scheduled for 5 p.m. Hinkley, meanwhile, heads to Pueblo for the Hornet Invite.
• Quality girls soccer is set for April 15 with two matchups involving Aurora teams rising to the forefront. Grandview welcomes Arapahoe to Legacy Stadium at 1:30 p.m. for a key Centennial League battle, while Cherokee Trail challenges undefeated Chaparral at 3 p.m. at Parker’s EchoPark Stadium.
• A Class 5A state baseball championship game rematch is April 17 as Cherokee Trail and Rocky Mountain play at 3 p.m. at Coors Field in a game rescheduled due to bad weather on its original date.
• A boys lacrosse showdown is set for April 18 at Lou Kellogg Stadium when Regis Jesuit plays host to Mountain Vista at 6 p.m. The Raiders won last season’s matchup in a thriller that came down to the final minute of regulation.
• A slate of strong girls soccer April 18 features an EMAC clash with Rangeview playing at Vista PEAK at 4:30 p.m., while seven other city teams also take the pitch.
• The EMAC girls tennis race reaches a pivotal point April 18 when currently undefeated Rangeview pays a visit to one-loss Vista PEAK at 4 p.m. After matches on April 12, the Raiders held a win advantage in the league standings (which determine where teams go for regional state qualifying tournaments) over the Bison and Brighton.
