CHSAA (Preseason #1: Regis Jesuit)

COLORADO HIGH SCHOOL ACTIVITIES ASSOCIATION BOYS

The Team to Beat: Regis Jesuit

The Raiders graduated 15 seniors off last season’s state semifinalist team. But Regis Jesuit had 21 underclassmen on the varsity roster, and that is a lot of experience coming back in 2010. Regis Jesuit is expected to have the state’s top defense, and it’s tough to lose when opponents can’t score.

Defensively, it will be all about the two Tanners. Junior long-stick middie/defenseman Tanner Ottenbreit and sophomore defenseman Tanner Scales make up the backbone of the back line, and junior goalie Rhody Heller is a wall.

Offensively, Regis Jesuit isn’t quite as strong. But with the level of talent on the defense, it won’t have to be. Senior attackman Logan Clark and senior middie Jon Law will need to consistently ring the register for the Raiders to truly be state-title contenders.

Contenders: Mullen, Kent Denver, Fort Collins Unified, Cherry Creek, Arapahoe, Chatfield

Mullen graduated nine seniors and brings back five starters, including its entire attack, from its state-finalist team. The Mustangs should have one of the top offenses in the state, but the question will be whether they can rebuild the defense. Mullen also has an extremely tough early-season schedule that includes road games in Dallas against St. Mark’s and Highland Park, the top two ranked teams in Texas.

The Mustangs will be led by Delaware-bound senior attackman Brian Kormandy, senior attackman Tyler Ankarlo and senior attackman Jake Smith. Ankarlo was Mullen’s top point producer and Smith was Mullen’s top goal scorer in 2009. The Mustangs will also be strong in the midfield, with senior Erik Smith and juniors Austin Schacht and Nick Ahrens running the show.

Kent Denver will be young after it graduated 15 seniors. The Sun Devils bring back three starters, but they also have a lot of young talent. Bowdoin-bound senior middie Will Horne will lead a group that will also get big contributions from senior long-stick middie Chris Barton and junior goalie Sam Van Hook. Kent Denver will get a boost from a trio of super sophomores, led by already highly-recruited middie Matt Florence. Sophomore defenseman Alex Sadler and sophomore attackman Bailey Tills are impact players as well.

Fort Collins Unified brings back eight starters, including two on attack, all three first-line middies and two defenseman. The Vipers, who have two NCAA Division I-bound players and one Division III-bound player, should be back among the state’s elite after a down year last season. Ohio State-bound senior defenseman Brett Newman and Denver-bound junior goalie Ryan LaPlante will make it tough for opposing teams to score. Colorado College-bound senior middie Max Hittisdorf, senior middie Andrew Kurth, sophomore attackman Sean Arruabarrena and senior long-stick middie John Moore will also make big contributions.

Cherry Creek reached the state semifinals last season after coming from five goals down to upset Kent Denver in overtime in the quarterfinals. But making a repeat run to the Final Four will be difficult after the Bruins graduated a huge portion of their offense. Cherry Creek lost three first-team All-State selections and one second-team All-State pick. Senior defenseman Kevin Arnold and senior middie Scott Hewitson are among the Bruins’ top players, and sophomore attackman Kendall Williams made significant contributions as a freshman. Williams will team up top with senior attackman Blake Cassidy.

Defending state champion Arapahoe has some rebuilding to do after graduating 18 seniors. The Warriors bring back three starters, including a future NCAA Division I player in Drexel-bound senior attackman Greg Colosimo. But winning back-to-back titles is not an accomplishment very many people expect. Senior defenseman Davis Gunter, senior middie Dylan Leary and senior goalie Scott Thompson will all make certain Arapahoe stays competitive.

Chatfield has a new head coach, as former assistant Kyle Lambert has taken over for Reg Weber, and the new boss inherits a team that returns all 10 starters. Chatfield graduated just one senior, and he was a limited contributor to last season’s quarterfinalist team. Senior middie Greg Kelsic, junior middie Mitch Erickson, senior goalie Connor Lewis, senior defenseman Jordan Stillwagon and senior defenseman Jacob Black should have the Chargers in the hunt.

Sleeper: Wheat Ridge

With all 10 starters coming back from last year’s playoff team, the Farmers are ready to make the leap into the Top 10. Wheat Ridge graduated four seniors, and none of them started. Chestnut Hill-bound senior goalie Koltin Fatzinger has been the Farmers’ MVP three straight seasons since taking over in the cage midway through his freshman year. Junior middie Sander Aplet, junior middie Nick Ossello and junior attackman Chris Roach will make sure Wheat Ridge has its most successful season in years.

NCAA Division I Recruits: Grant Beczkalo, MF, Denver East (Bellarmine); Greg Colosimo, Att., Arapahoe (Drexel); Tommy Gerwick, Def., Highlands Ranch (UMBC); Davis Gunter, Def., Arapahoe (Air Force); Rhody Heller, G, Regis Jesuit (Virginia); Sean Joyce, Def., Mountain Vista (Bellarmine); Ethan Kitchell, Def., Fort Collins Unified (Vermont); Brian Kormondy, Att., Mullen (Delaware); Matt Kramer, Def., Heritage (Denver); Ryan LaPlante, G, Fort Collins Unified (Denver); Dylan Leary, MF, Arapahoe (Air Force); Brett Newman, Def., Fort Collins Unified (Ohio State) Tanner Ottenbreit, LSM, Regis Jesuit (Virginia).

Other Top Players: Nick Ahrens, MF, Mullen; Tyler Ankarlo, Att., Mullen; Sander Aplet, MF, Wheat Ridge; Kevin Arnold, Def., Cherry Creek; Sean Arruabarrena, Att., Fort Collins Unified; Ben Barocas, Att., Denver East; Dylan Barrett, MF, Denver East (Bates); Chris Barton, LSM, Kent Denver; Matt Becker, Def./LSM, Cheyenne Mountain; Joel Berdie, MF, Colorado Academy; Jacob Black, Def., Chatfield; Isaac Bock, Att., Grandview; Blake Cassidy, Att., Cherry Creek; Logan Clark, Att., Regis Jesuit; Chris Cunningham, MF, Heritage (Mesa State); Mitchell Erickson, MF, Chatfield; Koltin Fatzinger, G, Wheat Ridge (Chestnut Hill); Matt Florence, MF, Kent Denver; Stuart Foster, Def.-LSM, Grand Valley United (Mesa State); Johnny Graham, Def.-LSM, Smoky Hill (Mesa State); Jack Grinewich, G, Air Academy; Scott Hewitson, MF, Cherry Creek; Max Hittisdorf, MF, Fort Collins Unified (Colorado College); Will Horne, MF, Kent Denver (Bowdoin); Parker Jackson, MF, Rock Canyon; Casey Joy, MF, Douglas County; Greg Kelsic, MF, Chatfield; Dakota Klossner, MF, Castle View (Mesa State); Andrew Kurth, MF, Fort Collins Unified; Jon Law, MF, Regis Jesuit; Connor Lewis, G, Chatfield; Brian Lynch, MF, Grandview; Peter Macartney, LSM, Colorado Academy (Bowdoin); Kellen Miller, Att., Air Academy; John Moore, LSM, Fort Collins Unified; Mitch Nelson, Att., Mountain Vista; Dominic Niemi, Def., Monarch; Nick Ossello, MF, Wheat Ridge; Kyle Post, LSM, Heritage (Ferrum); Danny Prevedel, Att., Denver East; Nathan Puldy, MF, Monarch; Bryce Raber, MF, Chatfield (Mesa State); Michael Rea, MF, Fairview; Chris Roach, Att., Wheat Ridge; Michael Roberts, Att., Monarch; Alex Sadler, Def., Kent Denver; Tanner Scales, Def., Regis Jesuit; Austin Schacht, MF, Mullen; Justin Sengenberger, Att., Grandview; Dylan Smith, MF, Arapahoe (Whittier); Erik Smith, MF, Mullen; Jake Smith, Att., Mullen; Jon Stewart, Def., Golden (Massachusetts Institute of Technology); Sam Stein, Att., Colorado Academy; Jordan Stillwagon, Def., Chatfield; Jake Teague, Def., Cheyenne Mountain (Western New England); Scott Thompson, G, Arapahoe; Kevin Tighe, MF, Golden (Millsaps); Bailey Tills, Att., Kent Denver; Jordan Ulrich, G, Colorado Academy, Le Moyne; Sam Van Hook, G, Kent Denver; Kendall Williams, Att., Cherry Creek; Russ Wilson, Def., Colorado Academy (Colby); Dan Zamora, MF, Mountain Vista.

Preseason Top 10: 1. Regis Jesuit, 2. Mullen, 3. Kent Denver, 4. Fort Collins Unified, 5. Cherry Creek, 6. Arapahoe, 7. Chatfield, 8. Wheat Ridge, 9. Colorado Academy, 10. Denver East.

Notes: Colorado Academy brings back a tough team with several impact players. The Mustangs have three future NCAA players on their roster in Le Moyne-bound senior goalie Jordan Ulrich, Bowdoin-bound senior long-stick middie Peter Macartney and Colby-bound senor defenseman Russ Wilson. Macartney, Wilson, senior attackman Sam Stein and junior face-off middie Joel Berdie were all second-team All-State selections last season....Denver East has bolstered its coaching staff with three Denver Outlaws players: Brendan Mundorf, Rocco Romero and former Heritage head coach Sean McCarthy. All three will be assistants under Jon Barocas. Denver East graduated seven seniors, but it returns seven starters, including all three of its attackmen. Bellarmine-bound senior middie Grant Beczkalo leads a group that is flying under the radar going into the season. Bates-bound senior middie Dylan Barrett, junior attackman Danny Prevedel and sophomore attackman Ben Barocas will also make an impact....Mountain Vista has some rebuilding to do after it graduated 11 seniors. The Golden Eagles return four starters and will be led by Bellarmine-bound senior defenseman Sean Joyce. Junior middie Dan Zamora and junior attackman Mitch Nelson will also be big contributors....Monarch is another team not getting much notice that could make some waves. Monarch graduated two seniors and returns eight starters, including a returning second-team All-State selection in sophomore middie Nathan Puldy, the only freshman in the state to garner All-State honors last year....In Colorado Springs, Air Academy has looked good in preseason. The Kadets return six starters, including two on attack and two in the midfield. Senior attackman Kellen Miller and junior goalie Jack Grinewich will be the key to Air Academy’s success....Douglas County returns four starters, including one on attack, two in the midfield and one on defense. It will be led by senior middie Casey Joy, senior defenseman Matt Hahn, senior middie Eric Kreuger and senior attackman Ben Dieker, who may move into the midfield this season....Rock Canyon nearly pulled off a stunner in last year’s playoffs before falling two goals short against Regis Jesuit, but a repeat performance of that game will be difficult after 15 seniors graduated. Junior middie Parker Jackson, senior attackman Court Pietra and junior defenseman Drew Stormo are the team’s only three returning starters....Junior middie Michael Rea will lead a Fairview team that is in a rebuilding mode after it graduated all but three starters....Cheyenne Mountain graduated 11 of its top 18 players from last season, including a school-record five who have moved on to play college lacrosse at NCAA-sanctioned programs. Western New England-bound senior defenseman Jake Teague and senior defenseman/long-stick middie Matt Becker will comprise the heart of a strong back line this season....Grandview graduated six seniors and returns seven starters off last year’s roster, including all three on attack and two first-line middies. Junior attackman Isaac Bock, junior attackman Justin Sengenberger and junior middie Brian Lynch are three players to watch.