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Cheyenne Mountain High School's playoff run is being fueled by a goalie who's doing whatever it takes to keep the season alive.
Senior captain Walt Cameron stopped 14 shots in the Red-tailed Hawks' upset win over top-seeded Air Academy, a team Cheyenne Mountain lost to in the regular season.
"I mean, it meant everything," Cameron said the day after taking down Air Academy. "That first game we had against them really left like a bad taste in our mouth."
After the final buzzer, Cameron launched the ball down the field — a moment that captured just how much the win meant.
"I mean, it was awesome. We knew we had that game in that 4th quarter and you could kind of feel the other team deflate a little bit," Cameron explained.
Head coach Sequoia Bowen says Cameron is the backbone of the team. The opposing team's coach told KOAA's News Partner The Gazette, that Cameron is the best goalie in the state.
"In lacrosse, the goalie is the most important position on the field without a doubt. And Walt's the best athlete on our team," Bowen said.
Cameron even played through a broken thumb earlier this season. But his coach says he brings more than just grit to the field.
"Walt makes some saves that really nobody in their right mind should make. He's had a couple of saves this year where he's done a complete split when he makes the save, very instinctual. We don't try to overcoach him. We let him play the way he wants to play. Playing goalie is an art form, and he's an artist," Bowen stated.
For Cameron, the motivation runs deeper than individual accolades. He won a state championship as a freshman and wants one more title run with the teammates he's grown up with.
"Senior year, last time I'm gonna be with this group of guys, and I just wanna go out and give it our all and try to imprint our foot in history," Cameron said.
Cheyenne Mountain faces Lutheran in the semifinals Saturday at the University of Denver, with a trip to the state championship on the line.
After high school, Cameron will play Division I lacrosse at Merrimack College in Massachusetts.
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