What to watch in big- school state tourneys
Class 5A
Broomfield is in the championship game after beating Valor Christian, Douglas County and Chaparral last weekend. The Eagles (208) are led by senior catcher Camden Ross. The Wabash Valley commit is hitting .628 with nine homers and 42 RBIS.
Standing in the way of Broomfield’s first Class 5A title, and sixth overall, is Chaparral, Cherokee Trail and Legacy. Broomfield, like Ponderosa in the 4A bracket, will need to be beaten twice if the Eagles win their 12 p.m. Friday game against Cherokee Trail at AllCity Stadium.
Chaparral (22- 6, Continental League champion) has the pitching depth to win multiple games thanks to the trio of senior right-hander Nate Pitts, senior southpaw James Harbison (Northeastern Junior College) and senior righthander Andrew Isdale (Northern Colorado). Cherokee Trail (20-7, Centennial League champion) features senior right-handed ace Tyler Wilcox (Csu-pueblo) and already took down the tournament’s top two seeds. Legacy (25-3, Front Range League champion) played Broomfield competitively in a 5-2 loss on May 3.
Class 4A
D’evelyn (19-9) hammered top-seeded Palisade 13-2 in last Saturday’s elimination game to get to this weekend. The Jaguars made the Final Four last year, so this is not new territory for them. They are led by junior shortstop Colin Kim (Colorado School of Mines) and junior righthander Tate Aurich.
Erie (19- 8) was blitzed for 11 runs in the first inning in last weekend’s blowout to Ponderosa, but is capable of bouncing back. Senior center fielder/first baseman Sam Stem (Gonzaga) is hitting .571, and he and fellow senior Trenton Rowan (Garden City) both have six homers this year.
Cheyenne Mountain (21-7) is the lone team that’s been able to hang with Ponderosa in the playoffs. The Red-tailed Hawks trailed Ponderosa 9- 8 heading into the sixth before the Mustangs pulled away last weekend. Cheyenne Mountain is led by senior catcher Denton Damgaard, who’s hitting .471 with eight homers.