ESPN High School Sports

We've been MIA for a little while, but the Colorado postseason has been in full swing, so it's time to get back on track and find out what's going on around the state.

FOOTBALL:

The 5A bracket is still largely intact as the quarterfinals get underway this weekend. Only one double-digit seed — Lakewood — still remains. Mullen coach Dave Logan also won his 200th game last week. In 4A, all of the top seeds won their first games except for Montrose, which fell to Greeley West in the first round. We'll see if this is merely a coronation for Valor Christian or if some other team can pull the major upset. In 3A, it's been a wild ride as top-seeded Canon City lost to 16 seed Frederick, sending the entire bracket into tumult — who wins now is anyone's guess.

SOCCER:

Cherry Creek may have been rated one of the nation's top teams in the POWERADE FAB 50, but that's why they play the games. The Bruins didn't advance past the state quarterfinals, and Denver East won the Class 5A title (then promptly broke the trophy). You can see the full game in its entirety here. In Class 4A, Mullen proved to be the class of the classification in a win against Evergreen. You can also view that entire contest here. In 3A, Faith Christian withstood a furious late effort to hold on to a 1-0 win over Classical Academy. You can watch the full game here.

In this week's ESPNHS Weekly Report, Multimedia Editor Phil Murphy covers the Gateway City Soccer Classic, which featured soccer teams from Colorado and other regions competing in St. Louis. Cherry Creek, currently ranked No. 6 in the POWERADE FAB 50, won the Group A Bracket title in thrilling fashion, including two overtime games.

Check out the video above, and click here for full results of the Gateway City Soccer Classic.

The Colorado All-State soccer team will be unveiled in our October issue of the magazine. But if you haven't seen it yet, here's who we picked as the top players in the state.

STARTING 11
Position/Name, School, Year, Club Team

[F] Danny Jensen, Evergreen, Junior, Colorado Rush
Star forward notched 23 goals for 4A semifinalists last fall
[F] Oscar Montes, Bear Creek, Junior, Colorado Rush
Talented underclassman earned All-Colorado honors last year
[F] Shane O’Neill, Fairview, Senior, Colorado Rapids
Dangerous scorer is also a star basketball player
[MF] Danny Childs, Sand Creek, Senior, Pride SC
One of the state’s most dynamic scorers; 29 G and 28 A last fall
[MF] Karsten Hanlin, Cherry Creek, Senior, Colorado Rapids
All-Colorado midfielder led Bruins to 5A state crown
[MF] Lexington Leitmayr, ThunderRidge, Senior, Real Colorado
His breakout year helped Grizzlies to 5A semis
[MF] Matt Marchena, Columbine, Senior, Colorado Rush
The unquestioned leader of up-and-coming Rebels squad
[MF] Jake Martinez, Liberty, Senior, Real Colorado
Also made the ESPNHS West Region “Starting 11” team
[D] Mark Dotseth, Air Academy, Senior, Real Colorado
His stellar defense helped Air Academy win Class 4A crown
[D] Chris Gurule, Niwot, Senior, Colorado Rapids
Named Longmont Times-Call Player of the Year last season
[GK] Christian Nicolosi, Mountain Vista, Senior, Colorado Rush
Allowed only five goals in 495 minutes of playing time last season

OTHER TOP PLAYERS
Position/Name, School, Year, Club Team

[F] Jesse Ham, Denver Christian, Senior, Real Colorado
Part of a soccer-playing family; his brother plays at Washington
[F] Akio Ohtake-Gordon, Wheat Ridge, Senior, Colorado Rush
Dangerous up front, as his 21 goals and nine assists can attest
[F] Nathan Rubio, Air Academy, Senior, Pride SC
Knee injury will keep him out this year, but he’s still one of state’s best
[MF] Yasin Abdulgasem, Overland, Junior, Real Colorado
Aurora Sentinel first-teamer owned the middle of the pitch
[MF] Jack Huettel, Boulder, Senior, Boulder County Force
Versatile midfielder is his team’s lone returning starter from last year
[MF] Emmanuel Martinez, Bear Creek, Junior, Colorado Rush
His four-goal game vs. Lakewood showed glimpse of his potential
[MF] Ricardo Perez, Rocky Mountain, Junior, Colorado Rapids
Considered one of the nation’s top midfielders in the Class of 2013
[MF] Dillon Serna, Horizon, Senior, Colorado Rapids
Represented the US in the U-17 World Cup in Mexico
[D] Cole Davis, Cherry Creek, Senior, Colorado Rapids
Anchored defense that gave up only 15 goals last season
[D] Jason Prichard, Eaglecrest, Senior, Colorado Rush
One of only two non-seniors on All-Aurora Sentinel first team
[GK] Ethan Horvath, Arapahoe, Junior, Real Colorado
Has trained with U-17 National Team and various European clubs

Note: The Starting 11 is comprised of the best players in Colordo who were projected to suit up for their high school teams this year. The Other Top Players are comprised of high school players as well as club-only players.

Every once in a while we'll take a tour of some of the state's best stories and the numbers that follow. If you've got something you think we should mention, let us know in the comments or on Twitter @CParishESPNHS.

0: Sets lost by Niwot junior tennis player Harrison Lang last season. He hadn't lost a set since his freshman year, but on Saturday Cheyenne Mountain's Stephen Moore took the first set of their match in a tiebreaker (10-8) before Lang rallied to claim the next two sets and win the match.

9: Rank, in the POWERADE FAB 50, for the Cherry Creek soccer team. The Bruins moved up two spots after beating Fort Collins and Pine Creek.

68: Score posted by Regis senior golfer Cole Cunningham to win the Metro East Regional tournament. Cunningham won the event in a playoff after tying for the low score with teammates Ryan Schmitz and Gus Lundquist. Together the trio helped Regis win the team event as well. All three golfers qualified for the state tournament.

679: Passing yards this season compiled by Aspen freshman quarterback Tucker Beirne. He's also thrown for nine touchdowns compared to only one interception. Aspen is 2-1 this season.

799: Passing yards posted by D'Evelyn senior Cody Marvel this season, a mark which leads the state. Marvel is a fill-in at quarterback this season, as junior Caleb Flack, the team's star QB, is out with a concussion. Marvel had not previously played QB since his senior season. In one game alone, he threw for 523 yards and four scores.

After three weeks of the POWERADE FAB 50 Soccer Rankings, Cherry Creek continues to represent Colorado well in the national ranks.

The Eagles, ranked No. 11 in the nation, remain perfect at 3-0-0 following two wins last week — a 3-1 triumph over Fairview and a 1-0 win over Mountain Vista. Sophomore Jacob Hanlin has had the hot hand so far — he has three goals and an assist in the team's first three games. His brother Karsten, a senior, has yet to record a point but is one of the state's best players.

ESPNHS has also put together state rankings for some teams, including Colorado. According to soccer expert Sheldon Shealer, the state's top three are as follows...

Colorado:

1. Cherry Creek (3-0-0)
2. Ponderosa (1-0-0)
3. Mountain Vista (1-0-3)

For the full POWERADE FAB 50 Soccer Rankings, click here. Or click here to check out the state rankings.

It might be time to start calling Cherry Creek’s players the Cardiac Kids.

The soccer program survived several close finishes last season and came out on top, winning a Class 5A state title. Three of the Bruins’ five playoff games went to overtime — a 3-2 extra-session win against Fort Collins in the Round of 16, a 2-1, two-OT thriller over Boulder in the semifinals and an edge-of-your-seat 1-0 win versus Mountain Vista in the finals.

Head coach Chelo Curi says those close calls are ultimately a good thing.

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