Cherry Creek cousins lead Bruins into lacrosse title tilt
Born a month apart in 2000, cousins Henry Olson and Chandler Nayman both picked up lacrosse sticks at age 5. Family functions would have a been a broken window waiting to happen, but Olson was the highly accurate shooter and Nayman the rock-solid goalie.
They played well together and pushed each other at their respective homes, lacrosse camps and as classmates at Cherry Creek High School. The seniors from deep-rooted Cherry Creek alumni family are a big reason the Bruins will face Kent Denver at 7:30 p.m. Monday in the Class 5A state championship game at All-City Stadium. Cheyenne Mountain meets Golden at 5 p.m. in the 4A title game.
“Winning Monday would be everything we’ve always dreamed of,” Olson said. “Growing up together, we always played together in the Cherry Creek feeder program, dreaming of winning the state title. To go out on top would be amazing.”
Olson, the son of Chad Olson — a tight end for the Bruins’ 1982 and 1983 football state championship teams — leads Cherry Creek in assists (26) and is second in goals (38) and points (64). Nayman has played 714 of 872 minutes, going 16-2 with a .575 save percentage. Nayman’s mother, Chani Olson, was with varsity poms for three years at Cherry Creek in the 1980s.
Chad and Chani’s older brother, Craig Olson, was an AllAmerican in football and basketball at Cherry Creek and went on to play basketball for Arkansas.
“There’s a legacy there,” Olson said of his family. “They’ve been really supportive of us. I think it’s cool for them to see their kids have athletic success as they had.”
Surprisingly, both Olson and Nayman are first-year starters. You wouldn’t know that based on the Bruins’ last game, a 14-3 rout of Highlands Ranch in last week’s state semifinals. Olson scored five goals in the first half, and Nayman had a shutout at the intermission. Neither played in the second half as coach Matt Bocklet replaced his best players with reserves.
Cherry Creek (16-2) lost to Kent Denver (15-3) 9-8 in overtime in the regular-season finale May 3. Nayman said avenging that loss to the Sun Devils in the title game would be an incredible way to complete his career.
“I’ve been waiting for this moment,” he said. “I feel like I’ve been capable, or good enough, to play since my sophomore year. I’ve been ready to go, but we had a really good goalie (Knox Dent) the last couple years. It’s awesome to finally step up and actually get on the field and contribute.
“And now we get an opportunity to get a ring.”