Sweeping The Field
East High Spring Sports Roundup
Story and photos by Reid Neureiter
Girls Lacrosse
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The East girls finished their regular season with a 10-5 record and a No. 7 state ranking, earning the Lady Angels a No. 7 playoff seed and a first-round playoff bye. In the round of 16, East took down No. 10-ranked Chatfield High by the score of 19-12. The Angels’ season ended May 15 with a hard-fought 12-7 state quarterfinal defeat to No. 2 Cherry Creek, a team East had beaten 13-12 in overtime back in March. East junior Lucy McHugh (who has already committed to Richmond University) finished as top scorer for the Angels, with 50 goals on the season. Fellow junior Ella Squibb (who has committed to Butler University) contributed another 39 goals. On May 20, Colorado Academy beat Cherry Creek for its fifth consecutive title.
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Denver East Boys Rugby
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The defending state champion East rugby squad continued its remarkable tradition of success, going undefeated in the regular season, and entering the playoffs as No. 1 seed. East had a close call in the semi-final on May 11, barely holding off a hard-charging Colorado Springs Falcons squad by the score of 36-31. But, in a rematch of last year’s championship game, East fell in the title match by the score of 21-14 to No. 2-seeded Regis Jesuit at Glendale’s Infinity Park Rugby Stadium on May 18. In a game dominated by defense, East led at halftime by the score of 7-0, but lost three starters to injury in the second half. The match was tied 14-14 as the clock wound down. With overtime a distinct possibility, Regis scored the game-winning try on a 50-yard breakaway with just a minute left on the clock.
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Track and Field
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East’s track team performed well at the Denver Public Schools League Meet at All-City Stadium on May 11. The East girls squad, hindered somewhat by the lack of its star sprinter Arria Minor (who was saving herself for state), nevertheless tied with South High School for first place in the DPS League, with 156 total points. Northfield High School finished third with 131 points. Standouts for the East girls included sophomore Michele McDonald, who won both the 100- and 200-meter dash events, and fellow sophomore middle distance runner Christina Doolan, who won the 800-meter individual event and was part of the winning 4×800 relay squad. The East boys team, without any throwers of note, finished with 118.50 points, in second place behind Denver West High’s 162.50. South was third, with 101 points. Stars for the East boys included junior Zion Wagoner, who anchored a win in the 4×100 meters relay event and finished third in the high jump, clearing the bar at 5’6”. East sophomore Korey Hairston won both the 100- and 200-meter dash events. One of the most exciting events of the meet was the boys 1,600 meter, where East juniors Will Daley and Asher Hoyt led for much of the race, only to be outsprinted by West’s Yasin Sado, who won in a time of 4.22.20, with Daley just a quarter of a second behind. The state championship meet on May 16-18 at Jefferson County Stadium was highlighted by East’s senior Arria Minor’s superstar final schoolgirl performance. For the fourth time, Minor won the 100-meter dash, tying a 32-year old record at 11.31. She also won the 200-meter for the fourth time, and contributed to East’s 4×100 meter relay winning team. Minor now holds the Colorado state records for the 100, 200, and 400 meters. She will attend the University of Georgia next year.
Boys Swimming
For the first time in years, East boys swimming took top honors at the Denver Public Schools meet, held May 10. There they uncrowned perennial city champ, George Washington. East finished with 358 points, with GW close behind at 321, and Thomas Jefferson in third with 151. In a dual meet earlier in the season, East and GW had it tied, 151-151. At the citywide meet, GW’s Xavier Hill won both the 50 and 100 freestyle events, while East’s Saylor Benes won the 200 freestyle. East’s Ethan Beaty took the 100 butterfly, and Ryan Lauth took top honors in the 100 backstroke event.
East Girls Tennis
The East girls tennis squad finished with a 6-7 overall record, going 5-2 against Denver Public Schools opposition. East qualified an Angel or Angels in every spot at the state tournament, held on May 10-11 in Denver. Senior Emma Eckenhausen at No. 2 singles advanced to the quarterfinals, as did the No. 1 doubles team of Maddie Darre and Sienna Dilworth. The state highlight was sophomore standout Karri Leach at No. 3 singles. Leach advanced to the semi-finals before falling to eventual champion Sayuri Garud of Cherry Creek, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3. On a team basis, East finished 12th out 27 5A schools, with Cherry Creek taking the state girls title ahead of Chatfield.
Boys Lacrosse
The East boys lacrosse team missed the playoffs for the first time in several years, finishing with an 8-7 overall record and going 5-3 in League play. The squad ended with a No. 21 state 5A ranking under the RPI system, with only the top 16 teams making the state playoff tournament. East junior midfielder Duncan Lewis finished as top scorer with 27 goals, while senior attackman Mustang Sally scored 22 goals – while being limited to only nine games due to injury. On May 20, in a raging snowstorm, No. 3 Cherry Creek beat No. 5 Kent Denver for the 5A state title by the score of 12-7.
Ultimate Frisbee
The East boys ultimate Frisbee team defended their state title by winning the state championship tournament May 11-12 in Arvada. East squeaked by Lakewood High 13-12 in the semi-final, and knocked off Monarch High 12-10 in the final.