Six Schools Roll to Scholastic Inline Championships Horizon, Chatfield, Eaglecrest, Rangeview, Sierra, Summit celebrate RMSIHL titles


By Adam Dunivan T


o say Chatfield’s run to the Class 4A state roller hockey championship in April was im-


probable would be a massive understatement. In fact, it was borderline miraculous. But for coach Chuck Winters, it sure was a


fun ride, even if he’s still just shaking his head at the awe of the whole thing. Chatfield was one of six teams - four high


school and two middle school - that won the first state championships in the inaugural season of the Rocky Mountain Scholastic Inline Hockey League (RMSIHL). Horizon won the Class 5A var-


sity title, followed by the Char- gers (4A varsity), Eaglecrest (5A junior varsity), Rangeview (4A JV), Sierra Middle School (Gold) and Summit Middle School (Sil- ver). The games were contested at RMR in Lakewood. Whereas the Chargers’ ice


hockey team had an outstand- ing season on its way to the state semifinals, Winters’ inline team struggled mightily throughout the season, going 0-11 and scor- ing just 41 goals. All that changed in the post-


season, though. The third seed behind Castle


View and Arapahoe, Chatfield blitzed its way to a 10-4 win over the Warriors in the first game to put them in the championship against Castle View. In that contest, the line of Nick Heath, Caleb Winters and Christopher Voorhees was simply unstoppable, com- bining for nine of the 10 scores. Along with the entire defen-


sive unit, that trio came through big in the championship game, too. All three scored, and Colton Chestnut also tallied one in a 4- 2 win, capping the great finish. “We didn’t win a single game


during the season, and some of the goal spreads were eight or nine, so that was hard to swal- low,” Winters said, adding it was difficult even to decide whether to play 4A or 5A because of the dynamic of the team at the out- set.


“I don’t know (how things


turned around). Two of the teams that we beat in the playoffs were teams that beat us easily in the regular season. I only had seven skaters for the opening game and eight for the (championship) game. “The kids really created a synergy for them-


Despite an 0-11 record in the regular season, Chatfield came together in the playoffs to win the RMSIHL’s 4A varsity division title.


Horizon captain Isaac King, a senior, broke


selves. I told them before the championship game, ‘These guys are going to come out skating about 80 percent because they think they’re go- ing to dominate us, which they did the first two times we played them. Let’s go out and skate 110 percent and get them on their heels.’


16


the stalemate with just three seconds left, spill- ing the bench onto the rink in ecstasy. Blake Davies had a hat trick, Elijah King


and Shaun Linger each scored twice, and Aus- tin Resseguie had three assists as Horizon captured what Schaeffer believes is the school’s first title in the sport. “It doesn’t get any better than to watch or be


A total team effort propelled Horizon to the 5A varsity division crown at this year’s RMSIHL playoffs, which were contested last month at RMR in Lakewood.


tling to a seven-all deadlock in regulation, it took until the final seconds of overtime until the champion was determined.


“And that’s what we did. We never let up,


and it was awesome to watch.” For the other three high school champs, a


title was a little more predictable, but by no means any easier. Just ask Horizon coach Owen Schaeffer. The Hawks earned the top seed in the 5A


bracket, which also meant a bye for the entire first weekend. While a couple of teams used those first games to gain some momentum (espe- cially Highlands Ranch), Horizon was fresh for the semifinals - an 8-3 win over Eaglecrest - and the championship game against the Falcons. And what a championship it was. After bat-


a part of a championship game that goes to over- time, and with three seconds left our captain - in his last high school game - gets the game-win- ner,” Schaeffer said, adding he appreciated the support of the parents and the work of the play- ers. “It doesn’t get any better than that. “I knew Highlands Ranch was coming into


the game with their full roster and were playing well. We knew it was going to be a tough match. It just was a seesaw battle all the way through, back and forth the whole overtime until (King) got open.” Schaeffer added he felt his team was pretty


special and had a unique character that helped from the first game all the way to the last. “I think the success of this


team was built on camarade- rie,” he said. “From the captain Isaac King and the assistants, Austin Resseguie and Colby Schaeffer, on down. We had a lot of talent upfront, our de- fense was equally as talented, and rounding off our defense was our goalie, Jordan Ham- pleton.” The elation was similar for


Eaglecrest. The Raptors went 9-1-0-2 in the regular season to gain the top seed in the postsea- son. Facing Smoky Hill in the semis, Noah Hibbs rang up a hat trick and goaltender Jacob Roberts stopped 22 shots in


goal to lift EHS to a 5-2 win. The title tilt matched up Eaglecrest with Moun-


tain Vista, and goals from Cody Brush, Alex Haar and Dorian Sisneros backed Roberts’ 19 saves in a 3-1 win. “It was just a great year, and


enjoyable to be a part of this league in its inaugural season. The team itself - the support from the parents and the players - was unbelievable,” said coach Dave Roberts. “We had a hard-played (cham-


pionship) game, and for me it was intense because I’d never won a championship before. Everybody chipped in for that one; they just played well as a whole in pass- ing and play setups. I was really happy with their performance in that regard.” Rangeview finished 4-6-0-2 in


the regular season, but was the No. 2 seed in the 4A JV bracket behind


6-6 Douglas County. A 6-3 win against Ponderosa in its first playoff game saw Travis Good and Levi Kowalenko score two goals apiece and goaltender Shane Nelson make 19 saves, giving them a berth in the title game against the Huskies the next week. As expected, that game was much closer, and the


Raiders showcased a balanced scoring attack Continued on the next page


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20