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CURTAINS AT DENVER COLISEUM - Unfortunately, our two area teams left in the state title games for boys class 6A and girls class 5A came up short of hoisting the trophy, finishing as runner-ups. But we’re proud they repped the Colorado Trust for Local News on the biggest stage!

Ralston Valley: It simply wasn’t the Mustangs’ time this year in the boys Class 6A state tournament as history favored another — No. 5-seeded Rock Canyon — who took home its first-ever state title.

No. 2 Ralston Valley (26-2) suffered its first loss since a four-point defeat to No. 4 Arvada West on Jan. 31. The Mustangs came up short in their quest to win a second all-time state title after they took the then-4A crown in 2003.

Ralston Valley beat No. 3 Rangeview 61-49 a day earlier in the Final Four to advance.

Green Mountain: The No. 2-seeded Rams had their first-ever state title in sight after beating No. 3 Montrose in the Final Four, 49-39. But the climb to overtake No. 1 Lutheran proved too steep on Saturday as Green Mountain’s historic season came to an end. The Rams were just 1-13 from 3-point range in the loss that ended a 24-game win streak for Green Mountain (26-2).

The Lions held on to win 33-27 in the title game for their sixth state championship and first in a decade. It was the second meeting this season between the top two seeds in the 5A state tournament. Green Mountain got the better of Lutheran, 48-41 in overtime, on the Rams’ home court Dec. 18. 

Green Mountain’s leading scorer Kantyn Pearson — 5A/4A/3A Jeffco League Player of the Year a season ago — suffered a season-ending knee injury in the Rams’ regular-season finale on Feb. 16. Despite the loss, the Rams advance to their first-ever Final Four on the hardwood.

Lutheran went on a 20-game winning streak after the loss to Green Mountain, including edging Standley Lake 38-36 in the 5A semifinals Thursday to prevent an all-Jeffco 5A title game.

ANOTHER COOL MOMENT: The Colorado High School Activities Association celebrated 50 years of sanctioned girls basketball at this year’s state tournament championships.

Full state tournament coverage from CHSAA can be found at CHSAANow.com.

CONSISTENT — Many people stop paying attention once their team loses in the tournament, whether it’s in high school, March Madness or the NBA Playoffs. In the “ring culture” that’s often brought up in basketball, fans and media members often put the only measure of success on whether or not you lift a trophy.

It reminds me of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s response to a reporter who asked whether the Milwaukee Bucks’ season was a failure after a playoff loss in recent years. Antetokounmpo went viral, of course, with his response, including asking the reporter if every year he didn’t get a promotion was a failure. (I laughed. If that’s true … )

He went on to say, “There is no failure in sports,” and setbacks are merely “steps to success.”

If I had to guess, Chris Olson, the head coach for D’Evelyn girls basketball, likely agrees. Though the Jaguars have lifted no trophies in the last five years, you can hardly call their run a failure.

“You want to win every game, but you realize you aren’t going to,” Olson said. “You just build and learn from it.” (Sounds kinda like Giannis, eh?)

Olson has led D’Evelyn to five straight Great 8 trips, including five consecutive 20-win seasons. Here are D’Evelyn’s records for the last five seasons:

With the youth on D’Evelyn’s squad, it’s a safe bet the Jags will go on another postseason run next year. The team only loses four seniors to graduation: Dani Davis, Claudia Creel, Aksita Dutta and Rowan Moden.

With key returners like Colleen Monahan and Giada Lampert, plus more reinforcements, you can almost pencil in D’Evelyn for next year’s Great 8.

WHY SPORTSLAND? Sportsland is the go-to high school sports newsletter in Colorado, covering athletics across Jefferson and Adams Counties. We give you all the game updates, yes, but we also go deep behind the scenes to give you context to some of the best sports stories in our coverage areas. The best part? It’s FREE!

While other news stations prioritize Denver’s professional and college sports teams, we keep our eyes on the high school athletics landscape, providing key updates and legislative news from CHSAA, hard-hitting feature stories and connecting generations of families through sports.

The Professional Women’s Hockey League, or PWHL, stopped its “Takeover Tour” at Ball Arena in Denver for the second time this past weekend, and the city showed up in droves to show its support. The 2025-26 Takeover Tour traveled across the United States and Canada, but Denver clearly wants pro hockey to stay.

WHO PLAYED? The Minnesota Frost played the New York Sirens on March 15, with the Frost taking a 4-3 victory. The PWHL also stopped in Denver on Jan. 25 for a matchup between the Vancouver Goldeneyes and the Seattle Torrent.

COLORADO CONNECTIONS: Lakewood native Nicole Hensley plays goalie for the Sirens. Arvada native Peyton Anderson is a forward for the Frost.

“It was so much fun to get to play here this time,” Hensley said. “Just taking in the moment pregame, I got a little bit emotional when I heard how loud the cheer was before the game. That was really cool. And it was cool to see the ovation for Peyton as well.”

Sirens captain Micah Zandee-Hart said that the Denver crowd’s enthusiasm for the game — which featured scores of “We want a team!” chants — was palpable.

“I think from the outside it might seem strange that it’s a home game for Minnesota in Denver, but our team has embraced it,” Zandee-Hart said. “We’ve been in a lot of Takeover Tour games this year and have been fortunate to experience them. Seeing the attendance record go up —15,000 — and hearing the ‘We want a team!’ chant gives me chills on the bench.”

DEMAND, BY THE NUMBERS:

“I'm very blessed to be able to get the chance to be a part of this league, because it really is very special,” Anderson said. ”It's just cool to be a part of the growth of the game. Like I said, I'm just blessed to be a part of it, and to be able to work every day to inspire young girls to push towards this in their future.”

PWHL TEAMS: There are currently eight teams in the PWHL — The Boston Fleet, Minnesota Frost, Montreal Victoire, New York Sirens, Ottawa Charge, Seattle Torrent, Toronto Sceptres and Vancouver Goldeneyes.

EXPANSION PLANS: The PWHL expanded from six teams to eight in the 2025-26 season, adding Seattle and Vancouver. According to Front Office Sports, by season four (2027), the league —owned by billionaire Mark Walter, who also recently acquired the majority stake in the Lakers —could include up to 12 teams, depending on research from the 2025-26 Takeover Tour.

Let’s hope Mr. Walter was listening to 15,000+ hockey fans in the Mile High City this weekend.

⛹‍♀️ Brihanna Crittendon named Gatorade Colorado Player of the Year: Well, it’s really no surprise. How do you not give the state’s all-time leading scorer the Player of the Year award? Read about the senior’s high school legacy before she moves on to Texas. Read the full story ➡

🏒 High school ice hockey All-State teams released by CHSAA: Though a handful of COTLN teams struggled or failed to make the state tournament, a few found their names on this year’s All-State teams. Read the full story ➡

🤼 CHSAA wrestling committee details on-mat, off-mat issues: Are illegal strikes to the head causing concussions? How do referees plan to deal with these issues? Plus, why co-op teams are making it difficult for some upstart programs. Read the full story➡

🥍 Arvada West boys lacrosse outshoots ThunderRidge for first win: Spring sports are officially springin’. See how the Wildcats earned their first win and check out the wonderful photos from Dennis Pleuss. Read the full story ➡

⭐ Peyton Anderson becomes first Arvadan to play pro hockey: From youth teams to club and high school powerhouses, all the way to multiple Frozen Fours in college, this Arvadan made it big in the Professional Women’s Hockey League. Read the full story ➡

🤕 Parents say coach knew, but didn’t follow, concussion rules: A Conifer High School freshman suffered a concussion during lacrosse practice. His coach allowed him to return to the drill, saying he saw no symptoms, but records suggest he suspected a head injury. Read the full story ➡

We want to hear from you!

Last week’s poll: Which remaining COTLN team has the best chance to win a basketball state title? Green Mountain Rams (57.4%)

All records are current as of March 16

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