As the regular season wrapped up, Colorado High School Activities Association announced its field of 32 for regional-round play in each of the sport’s three classifications.
Montezuma-Cortez High School (7-16, 6-6 3A WSL) built offensive momentum to stack up Western Slope League wins and climb the CHSAA rankings. Their No. 28 ranking at the season’s conclusion sends the Panthers to postseason play in the round of 32, where they will look to play spoiler at No. 5 Wellington (18-4-1, 11-4-1 4A/3A Longs Peak) in the opening round.
The Eagles host the region, which will also include No. 12 Arvada and No. 21 Weld Central, with both regional semifinals and the final scheduled for Oct. 18. Wellington senior Kensley Story leads the hosts in virtually every offensive category, batting over .500 with 29 RBIs and five home runs.
The Panthers lean on their own star at the plate, with junior Raegan Veach closing out the regular season with team bests in hits (37), extra-base hits (9) and RBIs (18). Four different Panthers have had double-digit appearances in the circle for Head Coach Anthony Mestas’s squad, as they hope to quiet the Eagles’ bats this weekend.
Winners of the opening-round games will not only advance to the regional finals, but also secure a berth in the state field of 16, to be played in Aurora over the weekend of Oct. 24-25.
Monticello 3, Dove Creek 0 (Thursday)
Monte Vista 3, Dove Creek 0 (Saturday)
The Bulldogs (2-13, 1-4 2A/1A SJBL) hit the home stretch with a pair of nonleague contests, pushing the Buckaroos in the second and third sets of their tight Border War loss. More tough tests await this week, as they travel to Dolores (13-1, 7-1 2A/1A SJBL) on Tuesday evening before hosting Ouray on Thursday night.
Centauri 3, M-CHS 1 (Friday)
Alamosa 3, M-CHS 0 (Saturday)
Intermountain League play officially wrapped up for the Panthers, who dropped both matches in the San Luis Valley. M-CHS (11-10, 2-8 3A IML) remains above .500 with two nonleague games left, beginning with a road trip to Moab to face Grand County (Utah) on Wednesday evening.
Ignacio 3, Mancos 0 (Thursday)
In the thick of a challenging stretch, the Bluejays (7-10, 4-5 2A/1A SJBL) prepare to host two top-10 2A opponents this weekend, when Sargent and Sanford visit Bluejay Fieldhouse on Thursday and Friday, Oct. 16-17.
