PARKER, Colo (KOAA) — The semifinals are set for the high school flag football playoffs after some thrilling second and third round matches on Saturday. TCA and Vista Ridge are the final two Southern Colorado teams after winning both of their games on Saturday.
TCA will meet fourth seeded Green Mountain on Wednesday, while Vista Ridge is scheduled for a matchup with second seeded Mountain View.
Colorado Springs Christian, Palmer Ridge, and Doherty (class 5A) saw their hard-fought seasons come to a close in the second round. Liberty (class 5A) and Air Academy split their games on Saturday and were eliminated in the quarterfinals.
5A Second Round:
No. 1 Chaparral 59, No. 17 Doherty 0 — The Spartans pulled off an upset win in the first round over Thunder Ridge but drew a tough matchup with top seeded Chaparral. Doherty finishes its season with a 9-8 record.
No. 10 Liberty 19, No. 7 Poudre School District 13 — The Lancers won their first playoff game in dramatic fashion in the program’s inaugural season. Trailing 13-6 in the fourth quarter, Lola Gartner evened the score with a long touchdown run and a one point conversion on a pass to Abby Stenerson.
Poudre had a chance to go ahead with just under three minutes to play but Sylvie Castonguay had other plans. Sylvie intercepted the pass attempt and ran it back more than 50-yards for the go ahead touchdown, serving as the game winner.
4A Second Round:
No. 1 TCA 39, Elizabeth 6
No. 5 Steamboat Springs 19, No. 12 CSCS 13
No. 3 Vista Ridge 27, No. 14 Palmer Ridge 0 — Vista Ridge started the game with a strong defensive series that featured back-to-back sacks for a safety. The Wolves offense scored two touchdowns in the first half on passes from Aubrey Leong.
She connected with Isabella Waters in the first quarter and Arayah Johnson right before half time to give them a 14-0 lead. They opened the game with a long touchdown pass to Kayla Dempsey at the start of the third quarter.
No. 6 Air Academy 35, No. 11 Pomona 20 — The Kadets have one of the best passing games in the state and that was on display early in this game. Nadia Anderson found Ayden Kissane in the end zone to open up the scoring. In the second quarter she found one of her favorite targets, Leah Dreesen, who made a contested catch through three defenders put Air Academy ahead two scores. Tess Heater was the defensive MVP as she came away with back-to-back interceptions in the first half, taking the second one back for a touchdown.
5A Quarterfinals:
No. 2 Legend 53, No. 10 Liberty 6
4A Quarterfinals:
No. 1 TCA 28, No. 8 Lutheran 24 — TCA’s chance at a second straight state title remains alive after surviving a close game with Lutheran. The Titans have reached the semifinals in all three years of CHSAA’s flag football playoffs.
No. 3 Vista Ridge 32 , No. 6 Air Academy 6
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