How every state title won never feels the same
When I got home from Colorado Springs on Saturday night, I told my parents, "I love winning state."
I am so incredibly lucky to be able to say that sentence. I have gotten to witness more state championships in any given year during my time at Cherry Creek/CCSN than some students get to see ever. Heck, we've had singular seasons (Fall 2020 most recently comes to mind when Football, Boys Tennis, and Girls Cross Country all won state titles) where we've had more than others have ever had.
Yet every single championship always feels different and unique, and every state championship always feels like the first to me. Saturday night's girls volleyball title, the first since 2008, was no different.
In my last four years, a few particular state championship titles come to mind. The 2019 girls basketball state championship will always be my favorite moment as a Bruin (that story will be told in-depth in a future "From Ben's Desk"), along with the 2019 and 2020 football titles, the 2020 boys tennis title, and of course this year's 2021 volleyball title.
Each of those four champions have drastically different stories. In spring 2019, the girls basketball team made history by becoming the first team at Cherry Creek to ever capture a state championship, thanks to amazing performances by Jana Van Gytenbeek, Cali Clark, and the whole team. I could go on and on about that team and that game, but we'll save that as my time at Cherry Creek gets closer to its end.
The following fall, we had no idea what our football team would look like after the graduation of QB Alex Padilla. Some kid named Julian Hammond ended up taking snaps that season, and on paper the team looked so different than a year prior. That season, we learned the names of players that became huge players both in 2019 and in 2020 including Myles Purchase, Chase Penry, Al Ashford, Gunnar Helm, and so many others. They completed an undefeated season, but the best was yet to come.
In 2020, six or seven months after the pandemic struck, we didn't know if there would be a football season at all. The story from a year prior was completely different because the names of the rising senior class had been established. We knew Myles was going to make interceptions while scoring kickoff returns for touchdowns, but we didn't know that he would become a dominant 2-way player come playoff time.
The team won another 10 games in a row, and the seniors graduated with a 24-game winning streak. The State Championship was played on a chilly night all the way in Pueblo in front of less than 200 people. It was nothing like Mile High the year before, and while it ended with Cherry Creek getting the title for a second consecutive year, the entire thing felt completely different. The players felt lucky to simply play ball that season, never mind win a state championship.
During that same fall, Cherry Creek boys tennis, who now has a record 44 State Championships was seeking number 43. The team had gone three seasons since their last titles which can be called a "long" drought when you consider that the program had only not won the championship twice between 1972 and 2016.
After rival Regis Jesuit had won back to back titles in 2018 and 2019, seniors Brayden Meyer and Nate Henden knew there was no way Regis would win a third in a row. It was time for Cherry Creek to reassert their dominance in boys tennis. As doubles partners, Brayden and Nate's match was the final match to conclude at the state tournament, and it was in front of the closest supporters, their parents and teammates, due to attendance restrictions.
In what was an emotional day for those two seniors, they took the match in a dramatic 3rd-set tiebreaker to win the match 6-3, 4-6, 7-6, helping clinch Cherry Creek's 43rd State Championship.
That brings us to fall of 2021, this past weekend.
Never had I ever been to the state volleyball tournament, or the Broadmoor World Arena for that matter. This season I had followed the team closer than the last three years, and broadcasted the sport on CCSN for the first time. In part those two things have to do with being a senior and having more friends on the team than I ever had before.
For those of you who still haven't attended a state tournament after this weekend, let me tell you firsthand that it is simply NUTS! To have all five classifications in the state all playing matches at the exact same time is indescribable. It is constantly loud, there is constantly cheering, and for someone who was on the floor during the matches, it felt like a snow globe.
After following the team and the CHSAA polls this season and seeing the tournament bracket come out with Cherry Creek as the No. 1 seed, I knew I could not miss the tournament. It was the best chance in my four years to possibly see Cherry Creek win a volleyball championship.
The fun for me started on Friday because we were able to market the football game and volleyball game at the same time with #BeatVista, because both teams were playing Mountain Vista. At halftime of the football game (below), I got to ask senior Natalia Landry what she thought of the school having one common opponent for the day. It was pure coincidence, but it was cool how that worked out.
Once Saturday morning came, it was up and out the door to Colorado Springs. It was amazing to see how many members of Bruins Nation were able to do the same. I have pride in saying that we seem to travel very well when it comes to state championships.
The day kicked-off with the semifinals against No. 2 seeded Chaparral, and it was the first time I ever had the privilege of covering a volleyball game in the manner that I did. I'd like to think that it turned out pretty well. Postgame, it was straight to the press box to cut the highlights you see below!
While finishing postgame coverage of the semifinal, Grandview defeated Mountain Vista in the second semifinal. The state championship matchup was set and my brain immediately thought of one thing. Yes, that game in 2019 will be at the forefront of my mind for a very long time.
The state championship game was everything a fan could ask for. A battle between two district rivals, that are really only 15 or 20 minutes away from each other. So how did this championship game stand out like the others?
This team.
Yes, all state championship teams are different but never have I seen a team play more together and more for each other than this team. Yes this team has statistical leaders and playmakers like all teams, but their work on the court cannot be compared to any other team I've seen at Cherry Creek. Usually a state championship involves a dominating performance from an individual like Myles Purchase scoring two touchdowns, or Jana Van Gytenbeek scoring 23-points (19 in the second half), but this state championship was true team win.
I've rushed fields and courts following state championships, but this one had a distinctly different feeling. This is the first time I've done that during my senior year and that really put things into perspective. Rushing the court at the Denver Coliseum or the field at Mile High was somewhat expected. I had thought about it leading up to the game. But never in my four years had doing it at state volleyball had crossed my mind. It didn't really cross my mind until we had 24 points in the fourth and final set on Saturday.
The pure joy on athletes faces, the roars of the crowd, and seeing how high coaches jump in celebration never gets old. Yes it might seem familiar from championship to championship, but it is never the same. I got chills watching this game and the celebration after it, and I think it's because looking back I have connections on this team that I haven't had on other teams.
I'm used to covering athletes that I go to school with, not ones who I have personal relationships with. I've become great friends with athletes usually because of the connections we've built surrounding their sports. This team was different because I had relationships with the players outside of volleyball and CCSN.
Quick shoutout to Natalia Landry who I have the privilege of being a peer ambassador with this year, Katie Ettel who I grew up with at High Plains Elementary, and Coach Quayle who's math classes have been among my all-time favorite classes at Creek.
Senior year championships feel different. For the first time, I feel that now. I'm honored and privileged to be in the position to have been up close to so many titles, but this year is going to be different. I can't wait for the next time for the Bruins to win a state title.
Until then,
Ben Parris
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