This year’s award will be given out at the conclusion of the CHSAA season in a special ceremony.

The Denver Post is proud to announce the creation of the April Heinrichs Award, which will be presented annually to the top high school senior girls soccer player, scholar and citizen in Colorado. The inaugural honor will be awarded this June, following the conclusion of the high school soccer season in late May.

Like the newspaper’s Gold Helmet Award in football and Roy Halladay Award in baseball, the April Heinrichs Award will factor in achievements and impact outside the field of play. In addition to skills on the pitch, candidates for the award will also be evaluated by their GPA and their community service.

“It’s great for girls soccer to be on par with the boys sports (The Denver Post) is recognizing at the highest level,” said longtime Broomfield soccer coach Jim Davidson. “And while it’s great from a gender standpoint, it’s also awesome that we’re recognizing a player from a state that has had great success on the girls side of the game at the college, national, international and professional level.”

An explosion of soccer talent

While Heinrichs set the bar for Colorado high school girls soccer players — the 1982 Heritage High School graduate was the captain of the U.S. Women’s National Team that won the inaugural FIFA Women’s World Cup in 1991 — many other notable players have followed in her footsteps.

As of late, the state has produced USWNT players such as captain Lindsey Heaps (née Horan), Mallory Swanson (née Pugh), Sophia Wilson (née Smith), Jaelin Howell and Ryan Williams. Plus, the state has churned out other stars such as Canadian national team pillar Janine Sonis (née Beckie) and three-time National Women’s Soccer League champion Jaelene Daniels (née Hinkle).

That Colorado talent pipeline of world-class players is why, when The Denver Post evaluated which girls sport to honor with an annual award, girls soccer was the clear decision.

“The state’s talent has really exploded in the last 15 years,” said Davidson, who coached the Broomfield girls for 25 years, with 385 wins, two state titles and six state runner-ups. “When we saw Lindsey Horan and Mallory Pugh rise to stardom, Colorado girls soccer was really making breakthroughs at the youth national team level and the national team level.

“We’ve since maintained that, and it’s incredible to see these Colorado women on television, representing our country, playing in the NWSL, playing major Division I and having such great success.”

The April Heinrichs Award is backed by a nonprofit, the Colorado High School Girls Soccer Player Award Corporation. The award is made possible by donations, including a sizable donation from Arvada resident Adam Stevinson. Additionally, new NWSL franchise has committed to an annual donation to support the award.

The winner of the award will be profiled in The Denver Post, receive a trophy and have a celebratory banquet in her honor. Plus, Summit FC will recognize the player during a Denver home game this summer.

Heinrichs gave her blessing for the award to take her name. The first female player inducted into the U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame embodies the talent and lasting impact of a local player that the award seeks to honor.

After starring at Heritage, where led the Eagles to two state titles in 1979 and ’81 and was an All-American, she was a three-time first-team All-American , where the Tar Heels made four Division I championship games and won three of them.

After playing for the USWNT and professionally in Italy, she was the head coach at Maryland and Virginia. She was an assistant coach on the 1996 Olympic gold medal team in Atlanta, and was the head coach for the USWNT that claimed silver at the 2000 Sydney Games and gold at the 2004 Athens Games. After that, she oversaw the USWNT’s youth program.

“As a new women’s professional soccer franchise launches in Colorado, it feels fitting to launch an award that recognizes one of the state’s best female prep players and carries on the legacy of a trailblazer in the sport,” Denver Post sports editor Nate Peterson said. “Colorado has such a rich history of great players, coaches and teams in the women’s game, and April Heinrichs embodies that tradition. We couldn’t be more proud to partner with her to give out this award each year to a deserving player.”

Denver Post sportswriter Kyle Newman is the chairman of the award’s nonprofit, and he is joined on the board by Stevinson and Davidson as well as other longtime Colorado girls high school soccer coaches in , and .

A 17-person selection committee to decide the winner will consist of community members with an extensive range of girls soccer insight and influence, as well as Heinrichs herself and Denver Post staffers.

• Theresa Echtermeyer, longtime Mountain Vista coach
• Reagan Kotschau, CU player/All-American at Broomfield
• Dave Cope, retired Battle Mountain coach
• Nikki Marshall, ex-Mead/CU star and retired pro
• April Heinrichs, former USWNT player/coach
• Gary Gustafson, Heinrichs’ coach at Heritage
• Kia Gudewicz, longtime Heritage coach
• Jim Davidson, retired Broomfield coach
• Dan Watkins, longtime Jeffco girls coach
• Adam Stevinson, award’s first donor
• Lori Punko, Denver Post deputy sports editor
• Matt Schubert, The Athletic digital managing editor
• Kyle Newman, Denver Post sportswriter
• Jen Millet, Denver Summit FC president
• Nate Peterson, Denver Post sports editor
• Patrick Saunders, Denver Post sportswriter
• Joe Nguyen, Denver Post sports digital strategist

Nominations for the award and will be accepted through May 24, following the CHSAA state championships earlier that week. Ideally, players with a strong case for the award would be nominated by their head coach or athletic director.

The Post encourages any individuals or businesses who want to get involved in sponsoring the award with tax-deductible donations to reach out to board chairman Newman at knewman@denverpost.com.

2026 April Heinrichs Award nomination form

Nominations are open from March 1 through May 24 for the honor recognizing the state’s top senior girls soccer player.

Sonis, a Highlands Ranch native and Valor Christian alum, is close friends with U.S. Women’s National Team captain and Golden native Lindsey Heaps. So when Heaps texted Sonis last year about her intention to sign with Denver FC following the conclusion of her contract with Lyon in France, Sonis knew that she, too, had to find a way back home.

“That was the hardest-kept secret of my life,” Sonis said with a laugh. “I was obviously very excited for her, and she told me, ‘You have to get there.’ We’ve wanted to play together our entire careers.

“When I finally got (my trade) over the line, I texted her, all caps, ‘IT’S FINALLY HAPPENING!'”

Sonis (nee Beckie) and Heaps (nee Horan) have known each other since their elementary school days, when Sonis was a star for Real Colorado and Heaps was the headliner for Colorado Rush. The two frequently played against each other on Colorado’s youth scene, and in their professional eras, have become international rivals with Sonis as a longtime pillar for the Canadian Women’s National Team and Heaps as a centerpiece of the U.S. squad.

They are two of the five local players on and their acquisitions by the club were announced three days apart last month. Denver got the 2020 Olympic gold medalist via trade with Racing Louisville FC in exchange for an initial $120,000.

“When the team was announced (last January), I knew I wanted to be back here,” Sonis said. “I loved being in Louisville… but I was very excited about the possibility of coming back home. I reached out to my agent and asked to do some exploration, see where the club’s head was at, float my name around and see if there’s any interest. Then, when they announced Nick (Cushing as manager), I knew I needed to be here.”

Sonis played for Cushing for two seasons with Manchester City, winning two FA Cups and two Women’s Super League titles. Cushing was the first coach to switch Sonis from forward to fullback, which is what the defender will be playing with Summit FC.

But Sonis is still capable of being an offensive threat from that position, as evidenced by a goal and an assist in Summit FC’s first exhibition match. The 2-1 victory over the Kansas City Current last weekend came in the opening phase of the club’s preseason training in Santa Barbara, Calif.

Sonis is one of several notable veterans on the Summit FC defense, along with Camryn Biegalski, Carson Pickett, Kaleigh Kurtz and fellow Canadian Women’s National Team member Megan Reid. Plus, the defense has several intriguing NWSL rookies in Natalie Means, Eva Gaetino and Ayo Oke, who recently

While Cushing vowed that Summit FC will be “an attacking team,” he also acknowledged that the club’s ability to fulfill owner Rob Cohen’s expectations to compete for a championship in Year 1 will hinge heavily upon the back line.

“You won’t win championships without a good defensive record, so to give us the chance at being above the line and having a solid position, we have to be a team that can contain the opposition,” Cushing said. “To defend the way we did in Game 1 after two weeks (of training), it showed the potential we have is going to be high.”

Behind the defense, Cushing said the starting goalkeeper job is still up for grabs.

Summit FC has veteran Abby Smith, a two-time NWSL Champion, as well as rookie Jordan Nytes, a Grandview alum who is coming off a prolific career with the CU Buffs. The goalies split time in the exhibition against the Current. Summit FC general manager Curt Johnson said he plans to sign one more goalkeeper sometime in the next couple weeks.

Cushing will continue to evaluate the position but doesn’t want to platoon there, and will settle on a starter heading into the regular season. Summit FC will train at Infinity Park in Glendale for the next couple of weeks before heading to Indio, Calif., for an exhibition tournament at the Coachella Valley Invitational. There, the team will play the Utah Royals and San Diego Wave FC.

Summit FC’s inaugural match is March 14 against Bay FC at PayPal Park in San Jose, Calif., followed by two more road contests before making its Denver debut on March 28 against the Washington Spirit at Empower Field. The game has already sold 40,000 tickets, so it is well on pace to shatter the NWSL single-game attendance record of 40,091, set last August in a match between Bay FC and the Spirit at Oracle Park in San Francisco.

Sonis will be thinking of her late father when she takes the pitch that day at Empower Field — Gary Beckie died from skin cancer when she was seven years old — and will relish having her family in the stands, along with what she hopes is a crowd that approaches the stadium’s maximum capacity.

“I’m not surprised at all by the Denver community showing up for this team,” Sonis said. “I know they’ve been eager to have women’s professional sports back in Denver for a long time (since the Colorado Xplosion basketball team in the 1990s).

“I’ve envisioned that moment walking onto the pitch many times already. It’s going to be an incredibly special moment, and I’d love to see us push that number to 50,000, 60,000-plus.”

The title-hungry Mustangs made that abundantly clear a mere 3 minutes into their title match Saturday against a scrappy Greeley Central squad.

They only reinforced that notion throughout the ensuing 74 minutes.

After senior forward Rocco Manerbino gave Mullen an early one-goal lead, the top-seeded Mustangs never allowed the sixth-seeded Wildcats any life in a 2-0 victory in the finals of the Class 4A boys soccer state tournament at Switchbacks Weidner Field.

This was just Mullen’s second boys soccer title in school history, its first since 2011. With the victory, the Mustangs also avoided their sixth runner-up finish, most recently falling in titles games a season ago and in 2021.

“It was a tough night one year ago at this time when we were the finalist, and Air Academy had won,” Mullen coach Matt Degitis said, moments after his team received the elusive championship trophy. “But, we talked today about how we are familiar (with a state finals environment). And, in the first couple minutes of the game when they’re still adjusting to the crowd and the lights and the field, that����ap when we are going to go after them. And, these boys just brought the fury.”

The Mustangs wrapped up their season with an 18-1-1 record

The title game was the Wildcats’ only loss of the season, as they conclude perhaps the best season in their school’s history with a 17-1-2 mark.

Greeley Central was playing in its first title game in program history and was attempting to become the first Greeley team to win a boys soccer state title.

But even though the Wildcats clawed back from 1-0 deficits in two previous games in these playoffs — and they came up clutch in a semifinals victory via a shootout Wednesday against Silver Creek — the smothering Mustangs defense didn’t allow Greeley Central an inch of breathing room from the opening whistle.

“We’ve been down 1-0 before, but in the finals, it����ap a different atmosphere,” Wildcats coach Nestor Perez said. “Mullen has been here before, and they showed their composure. Helluva team.”

Despite the eventful start, the game remained a one-goal affair until the final moments.

With 13:04 left, Mullen senior forward JT Gerber found senior midfielder Roman Cedillo streaking toward the goal from the right side.

Greeley Central senior goalkeeper Robert Humphrey got a finger on the ball, but Cedillo collected the cross pass and poked a title-seizing goal into the back of the net.

“I knew that we won as soon as I got that goal,” Cedillo said. “We just came into this like: We’re not losing. This is going to be our year.”

Regis Jesuit stuns Ralston Valley in OT

The quantity may be in Regis Jesuit����ap favor — after Saturday’s finals the Raiders have five boys state soccer titles, tying them for seventh most in state history.

But when it mattered the most in their 5A state title match at Weidner Field, quality mattered much more than quantity.

Regis Jesuit����ap opponent, top-seeded Ralston Valley, certainly had the quantity. The Mustangs had prime scoring opportunity after prime scoring opportunity during the 80 minutes of regulation, while opportunities were few and far between for the Raiders.

But just 12 seconds into the sudden death overtime, Regis Jesuit junior Sawyer Berg turned the game on its head, as his stunning goal gave the sixth-seeded Raiders the 1-0 win.

Perhaps even in disbelief, himself, at what he just did, Berg instantly ripped off his jersey and ran toward Regis Jesuit����ap fan section where he was swarmed by his teammates.

“When I saw the ball about six feet in front of a wide-open goal, I was just planning my celebration,” Berg said. “I was like, ‘I can’t miss this. So, I might as well go and celebrate.’ I put it in right away.”

Neither team had lost before Saturday night����ap title match. While the Raiders capped their season with an 18-0-2 record and their fifth title, Ralston Valley finished its season at 18-1-1 after playing in the first title game in its program’s history.

Even though Regis Jesuit has five titles now, this was the first one since 1996.

Of course, none of the Raiders players were born the last time the program won a state title. In fact, there is even one player on this year’s team, Owen Meyer, who has a father that was on that last championship team.

“There was a lot of pressure on our team last year, because we had a lot of really good individual players that are having great college careers already now as freshmen,” Regis Jesuit coach Rick Wolf said. “So, we didn’t know what to expect with this team coming in. We returned three starters. … The first game we played against Ralston Valley (a 1-1 tie on Aug. 26), I told them, ‘You’re better than last year.’ I don’t know if they believed me then. But, they sure believe me now.”

Berg’s goal couldn’t have come in any more dramatic fashion.

Presented with the best scoring opportunity the Raiders had all night, senior Kam Bachus fired an initial shot right on line. Mustangs senior goalkeeper Ben Brown fended off the first shot attempt but couldn’t get his hands on the rebound a millisecond later.

“I got the ball on a long ball, and I just knew I had to get it to Kam, because Kam scored all of our goals, he’s been an amazing player for us all season,” Berg said. “He got that shot and I was sure it was going in. But, I still followed it up. It just popped out right in front of me. I just couldn’t miss.”

Kent Denver claims 3A title

Fourth-seeded Kent Denver brought plenty of defense, and just enough offense, to secure its sixth 3A boys soccer state title in program history Saturday afternoon.

The Sun Devils grinded to a 1-0 win against third-seeded Steamboat Springs. Senior captain Kobe Thai provided the game’s only goal just before the midway point of the second half.

This was Kent Denver’s first state title since 2019 when it won its fifth title in six years.

The Sun Devils wrapped up their campaign with a 12-5-3 record, winning their last seven games of the season.

With the championship victory, Kent Denver became just the seventh program in the state to win six or more boys soccer championships. The Sun Devils are three behind Broomfield’s record nine titles.

Steamboat Springs (13-4-3) was denied its first title in program history. This was the Sailors’ second boys soccer title match appearance.

They were the state runner-up in 1996.

Crested Butte wins PK thriller

The path to a fifth 2A boys soccer state title certainly wasn’t an easy one for Crested Butte on Saturday morning.

Having already survived two overtime games previously in the postseason, the third-seeded Titans rallied to defeat fourth-seeded Forge Christian via a 4-3 penalty kick shootout in overtime.

Argentinian exchange student Matias Bonnaterre scored the winning goal after the Fury had initially taken a 3-1 lead in penalty kicks. The game was scoreless before the shootout.

Crested Butte wrapped up its season with a 15-2-1 record. Forge Christian settled for a 9-6-4 record and runner-up finish after winning the 3A crown a season ago.

The Fury were in pursuit of their seventh state title, which would have placed them two behind the state record.

The Titans previously won titles in 2018, ’20, ’21 and ’23. They are 5 for 5 in title games.

And that’s exactly what Salehi brought to Fossil Ridge, a team that he says lacked an edge before. No more, though: In the battle of the Sabercats on Wednesday at Weidner Field, Fossil Ridge edged Castle View 1-0 in the Class 5A title game to break through for the school’s first girls soccer championship.

“When I took over the program last year, they hadn’t reached past the second round in about 13 years,” Salehi said. “One of the things we wanted to rebuild and rebrand was a gritty, selfless mentality because in the playoffs, talent doesn’t win. Culture, grit and scrappiness wins.

“… This has been a soft, sissified program for too many years. When I came in, what I said was we were going to bring the fight to a lot of players, to a lot of teams. We were going to have grit. We’re going to take teams by surprise because they’re going to think it’s the same Fossil. And we were not.”

The SaberCats from Fort Collins used a header by Teagan Myers late in the second half to fend off the Sabercats from Castle Rock in a well-played showdown between two evenly matched teams making their first title game appearances.

Castle View had the game’s first true scoring chance about 12 minutes in, when Fossil Ridge junior keeper Shay Masters came out to block a shot at the top of the box, and then found herself out of position when Castle View repossessed the ricochet. But the Fossil Ridge defense came up with a couple of key blocks to keep the game scoreless.

Halfway through the first half, Fossil Ridge had its first chance when junior Lily Wale fired a shot from inside the box that went just over the crossbar. Fossil Ridge continued to push the tempo down the stretch of the half, but couldn’t cash in as Castle View sophomore keeper Elly Bowers stood tall and her defense prevented any unobstructed looks.

Both keepers continued to impress early in the second half. Bowers raced up in the box to cut off some would-be chances before they could develop, while on the other end, Masters leapt up and snared a corner kick before it could find a Castle View head.

“I was kind of surprised I came down with it, not going to lie,” Masters said with a laugh. “But that come-up on the cross was probably my best save of the day.”

With 13:07 left, the stalemate was on the cusp of cracking when Castle View was called for a handball in the box. That set Wale up for a penalty kick. Bowers dove right and blocked it, then grabbed the loose rebound before more Fossil Ridge players could swarm in and get their feet on it.

“We have been resilient all year, and it’s been S.U.M.O. — Shut Up, Move On,” Salehi said. “As soon as that (missed PK) happened, I said, ‘Okay. This is our opportunity to get what’s next.’ And we got what’s next.”

Wale had her redemptive moment about six minutes later when her perfectly placed cross found the head of Myers. The senior captain headed it in off the turf, off Bowers’ diving hand and into the net for a 1-0 Fossil Ridge lead with about eight minutes left.

“I had that feeling on that corner that we weren’t going to get many more chances, and I had to make it happen in that moment,” said Myers, a Kentucky commit. “To be able to help solidify this amazing win in a historic moment for our team felt so good.”

Wale, a Washington State commit, said that “as soon as Teagan got a head on it, I knew it was going in.”

A couple of minutes later, Castle View had a great look at an equalizer, but couldn’t put it home. Masters made a diving save off a free kick just outside the box, then Castle View’s Jaya Dern rushed in and kicked the rebound just over the net. The Fossil Ridge defense did the rest to earn the trophy.

“We couldn’t bury chances early on, and momentum switched for about seven minutes in the second half (toward Castle View),” Salehi said. “But we took it back, buried the goal, and holy cow we came to finish the game.”

The victory gave Salehi his second state title as a coach, as he also led Liberty Common to the Class 3A crown in 2018 via an undefeated season.

Loveland Classical won its first state championship in any sport on Wednesday at Weidner Field, beating Flatirons Academy 3-0 in a Class 2A title game where the Lions dominated every facet. It marked the first girls soccer title for the city of Loveland, in just the eighth year of Loveland Classical’s program.

The Lions got two first-half goals within the opening six minutes from junior Abby Ruppert, then delivered the knockout blow with a score by senior captain Emily Carman midway through the second half.

“We pushed really hard at the beginning, and we came out and decided we were going to win,” Ruppert said. “We set the tone early, and we never looked back. We knew history was on the line and we weren’t going to come up short.”

One of Ruppert’s first-half goals came via a short-hopped shot that Flatirons Academy keeper Sydnie Mangel appeared to think was going wide, but instead went into the corner of the net. Then Ruppert scored again about six minutes later on another short-hopped kick that went between Mangel’s legs as she guarded the post.

That was all the cushion the Lions, who won two close matches to reach the championship, needed. Loveland Classical beat Colorado Springs Christian 5-4 in the quarterfinals, then triumphed 2-1 in overtime over Forge Christian in the semis.

Lions fifth-year head coach Juan Orozco said his team’s commitment to buying into the minutiae of the sport resulted in the championship. It was the second time Loveland Classical beat Flatirons Academy this season, the other a 5-3 win on April 13, and the Lions defense was stout as keeper Keira Doan was hardly tested all match.

“We really put an emphasis on technical work,” said Orozco, who has coached in the Loveland/Fort Collins area for 30 years. “We worked on our passing movement, possession, being really disciplined with the short game. That’s really worked for us over the past few years to get to the playoffs, and it finally brought us here.”

At the 18-minute mark of the second half, Carman put the trophy on ice.

She got a booming go ball that was sent from deep inside the Loveland Classical defensive territory, outracing two Bison defenders to possess it, and then left the Flatirons Academy defense in the dust to set up a one-on-one with Bison keeper Sophia Patrick.

Patrick took over in net for Flatirons Academy with 12 minutes left in the first half, after Mangel had to leave the game due to injury. Mangel and junior Kaelyn Doan collided vying for a loose ball at the top of the box, with Doan kneeing Mangel in the face. The play drew a yellow card and left Mangel bleeding all over her jersey.

In Mangel’s stead, Patrick played well, but had no chance on Carman’s breakaway. Carman crossed over the freshman to the right, then drilled the ball home in the lower right part of the net.

“My thought on that one was, ‘Don’t miss,'” Carman said. “… That play, and winning this title, was a great way for me to go out in my final game of soccer.”

As Carman emphasized, Wednesday’s triumph might just be the start of the trophy accumulation at Loveland Classical, which was founded in 2011 but has had varsity sports for a much shorter time.

“Boys soccer, boys basketball, girls basketball, we’re already in the state running for girls and boys cross country with top 10 finishes this year,” Loveland Classical athletic director Matt Begeman said. “Volleyball is strong, too. I can’t wait to see what happens next year, and in the years to come.”

On Feb. 10, a group of parents, coaches and students gathered at the private school in Highlands Ranch to meet with head of school Bryan Ritz. The concerns centered around the resignation of football coach Bret McGatlin a month earlier and how his departure correlated to larger issues within the Eagles athletic department.

Criticism voiced at that meeting alleged a toxic environment within the department. That environment, critics said, had caused discontent, high coaching turnover and a perceived over-emphasis on winning championships over program stability.

Past and present coaches, as well as parents, held Valor Christian’s leadership responsible for the turmoil, which reached a tipping point with McGatlin’s resignation in January shortly after he was put on a performance improvement plan.

Both Ritz and athletic director Keith Wahl declined an interview request for this story, but Ritz addressed concerns voiced in the community meeting held Feb. 10 — audio of which was obtained by The Denver Post.

Valor Christian is one of the top athletic departments in Colorado, with since the school opened in 2007 — eight of which belong to the football program. The department is built on the notion of experiencing sports as an act of worship, led by “transformational” coaches who reject the idea of winning at all costs and “choose a countercultural approach to athletics,” . But the foundation of those values had been shaken, critics at the meeting said.

To understand the tumult around the school’s athletic department, The Post interviewed more than a dozen coaches and parents who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to fear of retribution from the school.

At the core of their concerns was a belief that Valor Christian athletics had lost its way.

“It����ap devastating that this culture in the athletic department is pulling people apart, and misleading and misrepresenting people,” assistant football coach Matt Fox, who declined an interview request from The Post, said at the meeting. “And quite frankly, the behaviors are serial, the behaviors are intentional and premeditated, and it����ap not a coincidence.

“And for me, it����ap disappointing, because this isn’t about Coach McGatlin entirely. That man lived up to every ethos that this school put in front of him.”

McGatlin’s resignation

When Valor Christian announced McGatlin’s resignation Jan. 16, Wahl told the community that McGatlin was leaving the Eagles after three seasons to “pursue new opportunities in his career.”

But his departure wasn’t quite that simple.

According to the concerns voiced at the community meeting — where numerous assistant football coaches, parents and football players spoke, and a statement from McGatlin was read — McGatlin’s exit was directly tied to issues with the school’s athletic department.

McGatlin declined an interview request from The Post, but in a statement Fox read at the meeting, McGatlin pointed to what he believes is a gladiator culture in high school sports. And that culture, he says, is negatively influencing Valor Christian athletics.

“The real problem lies within the system itself, and it can be traced back to a common denominator: the current leadership within the athletic department,” McGatlin’s statement read. “During my 32 months at Valor, my office became a refuge for coaches seeking support, sharing frustrations about the athletic department. … Their concerns were not isolated incidents but part of a broader pattern of dissatisfaction and distress.

“… The root cause: a leadership crisis. At the heart of the issue is a leadership style characterized by a culture of fear, comparison and uncertainty. Coaches have felt unsupported and undervalued, leading to an environment where fear and anxiety replace passion and purpose. I can say without hesitation that I would not have resigned if not for this leadership dynamic.”

Had McGatlin stayed at Valor Christian, he would’ve been coaching under a performance improvement plan in 2025. The improvement plan came after the Eagles went 11-2 in 2024 and lost to eventual Class 5A champion Cherry Creek in the state semifinals. Valor Christian went 6-5 the previous season and lost to Cherry Creek in the 5A title game in McGatlin’s first year in 2022.

Ritz told those gathered at the meeting that the community was divided in its support of McGatlin, and that he “got at least a dozen phone calls with specifics of what was going wrong” during the season and then again after it.

McGatlin’s PIP, presented by Wahl to the coach on Jan. 6, outlined several concerns.

According to a copy of the PIP obtained by The Post, a parent survey conducted by the athletic program garnered a 73% response rate — the highest participation in program history. Wahl wrote that the cumulative survey results over the past three years were “beyond the scope of an acceptable amount of noise.”

That included a 7% “net promoter score” for varsity in 2024 and a minus-20% score in ’23 — two of the lowest scores in program history. McGatlin’s average program-wide net promoter score over three seasons was 27%. The formula for net promoter scores is promoters (those who rated the program a nine or 10) minus detractors (ratings of one through six), divided by respondents.

Areas for improvement listed in the PIP included player experience and development, coaching and leadership, and program excellence and expectations. It called for program-wide net promoter scores in the range of 50% to 60% in 2025, restructuring the coaching staff, and the school hiring an executive coach for McGatlin.

The PIP stated that the program should win 10 varsity games each year, never lose by 20 or more points and consistently make a run at a state title. It stated that McGatlin would be subject to three performance reviews in ’25 and that his “ability to maintain employment at Valor in this role is contingent on satisfactory, consistent and sustained improvement in all areas identified” in the document.

In a written rebuttal, McGatlin’s lawyer blasted the overall nature of the PIP, calling it based on “arbitrary or capricious criteria,” and said it “raises significant concerns about its fairness, objectivity and alignment with Colorado employment laws.”

The PIP and its requirements were evidence that the school did not support the coach, those who spoke at the community meeting said. An email obtained by The Post also showed that Wahl posted an opening for an assistant coaching job without McGatlin’s knowledge on Jan. 7, two days before the coach submitted his resignation.

Amid the conversation about McGatlin, a consistent theme emerged from parents and coaches alike: McGatlin’s departure was part of a larger, corrosive culture that’s been cultivated within the athletic department and festered across a wide swath of sports.

Upheaval in other programs

As a result of the community meeting, Ritz set in motion a review of Valor Christian’s athletic department processes, he wrote in a Feb. 14 email. In another email in late April, Ritz wrote that he met with more than 40 past and present coaches, as well as parents, as part of the review.

The review was based in part on the high coaching turnover the school has seen recently, including the upheaval in specific programs that led to resignations similar to McGatlin’s.

Among other turnover, notable departures came in strength and conditioning (two coaches, Darren Krein and Adam Osborn, resigned in 2024 and ’25, respectively); girls lacrosse (coach Terry Ellis resigned in February); girls and boys soccer (founding teacher and longtime coach Brian Shultz left before the spring ’24 season); and boys basketball (Dennis Burrage left before the 2023-24 season).

Krein, who played and coached in the NFL, expressed disappointment at the community meeting about what he saw as a lack of support of coaches at Valor Christian.

“In the 20-plus years I’ve been a player and coach in the NFL — and it����ap a rough situation there. … I’ve never been treated as bad in the NFL as I was treated here,” said Krein, who declined an interview request from The Post.

Ellis, who also declined an interview request, was placed on an improvement plan in 2024 despite leading the Eagles to two state championship games and two semifinals during his tenure.

According to emails obtained by The Post, Wahl presented Ellis with his improvement plan after the end of last season, which concluded with a Class 5A semifinal loss to perennial power Colorado Academy. The plan focused on three areas of improvement: culture, connection and communication.

The plan, a copy of which was obtained by The Post, said that one parent complained in the survey that “there just seemed to be tension or dissatisfaction.” The plan listed four families for Ellis to meet with, in addition to conducting player development meetings with every returning player.

All of this led Ellis, a former professional player who also coaches in the club sphere, to resign on Feb. 3, about a month before the first game. As with McGatlin, an email from Wahl to the community said Ellis resigned “to pursue other opportunities.”

The perceived discontent within the girls lacrosse program was not isolated within Valor Christian’s spring sports. A review of the summary of parent surveys from spring sports last year said net promoter scores “continued a negative slide” with parents in many sports frustrated with coaching as well as “an environment of Christ-centered character development.” The cumulative net promoter score for 2024 spring sports was 44%.

Those who voiced concerns at the community meeting, as well as those who spoke with The Post under condition of anonymity, said the culture within Valor Christian athletics started to change when Wahl took the helm as AD in 2023.

Pressure on Wahl

McGatlin’s characterization of a “leadership crisis” within the Valor Christian athletic department was a common theme among those who spoke with The Post.

Wahl was previously the school’s head baseball and softball coach and assistant athletic director. Repeated critiques of Wahl were that the athletic director’s leadership style was deceptive; the department had issues with communication and transparency; and an overall belief that, as one football parent put it, the department needs “revival.”

There was widespread criticism at the meeting about how much Wahl listened to parents, questions about whether parents who were larger donors had more influence, and how parent surveys were being used. According to several coaches, under Wahl’s tenure, coaches did not see individual parent surveys, only a summary of their overall results and the net promoter scores that were put together by Wahl.

“I think their surveys are part of the problem because I think the surveys are honestly being manipulated,” Krein said at the meeting.

Ritz said at the meeting that he believed some of the critique of McGatlin in the parent surveys was warranted, but acknowledged that Wahl also made mistakes in his handling of parent criticism of the coach. Ritz said Wahl was too negative in his meeting with McGatlin two days after the season ended.

“I told them both, ‘You guys need to get back in the same room, and you need to have another discussion, and Keith, you need to apologize,'” Ritz said at the community meeting. “That’s what needed to happen. Two days after we lose a massive game is not the time to talk about anything other than, ‘Hey, good season, and we’ll come back (later) and talk about the good things and the bad things.'”

Winning over faith?

In the community meeting, Ritz also conceded another factor in the turbulence within Valor Christian athletics: out-of-control parents.

Ritz noted that “our reputation when we go to other stands is not good.”

“I do think we have a culture issue, but I think it����ap broader than what we just talked about (between coaches and athletic leadership),” Ritz said at the meeting. “… It����ap not just a culture issue with our coaches or with our leadership. It����ap also with our families.

“… In terms of our vision and mission, it����ap (about) partnering with parents. That also means our parents have to model Christ-like behavior. And some of the behavior I saw in the stands is not acceptable, full stop.”

The Post witnessed some of what Ritz alluded to at both of Valor Christian’s football losses in 2024.

In the Eagles’ 62-21 defeat at Mountain Vista on Oct. 4 — the Eagles’ worst loss in program history — some Valor Christian adults were visibly irate and yelling negative comments toward the field. In the 42-17 semifinal loss to Cherry Creek on Nov. 30 at Stutler Bowl, it was more of the same, with multiple parents screaming demeaning comments at the coaching staff on the Eagles’ sideline.

In response, Ritz tasked the athletic department with developing a document called “The Valor Way.” In a Feb. 14 email to the school community, Ritz said such a document “will outline our community’s commitment to exemplary behavior and excellence.”

“Every student-athlete and family will sign this pledge, affirming their dedication to upholding Christ-like character both on and off the field,” Ritz wrote.

In an email in late April, Ritz asked that the school’s community “extend both understanding and grace” as he works with Wahl to re-focus the Eagles’ Christ-centered vision for both the athletic department and its parents.

“I am committed to providing more consistent support and development for our coaches, strengthening our athletic leadership team, establishing clear written guidelines, setting expectations for parent engagement, and cultivating a culture that honors God in all things,” Ritz wrote. “While I acknowledge we have missed the mark in some areas, our calling remains clear: We must keep God at the center of everything we do.”

Can Valor get back on track?

In his first full year as the head of school, Ritz’s learning curve has been steep.

In addition to the discord within the athletic department, Ritz acknowledged in an April 11 email to the community that he’s also dealt with two other serious issues involving staffers.

One of those cases was a result of a report, which “identified behavioral concerns involving a staff member and a student.” The report did not concern a criminal act, according to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office. But that staff member was put on administrative leave while Valor Christian conducted an internal review, which Ritz wrote revealed “a misalignment between this individual and our organizational standards, which ultimately led us to separate.”

“This review includes interviews with students, parents and staff, as well as a detailed examination of communications such as texts and emails,” Ritz told The Post in an email on May 7.

The other situation involved a coach. Michael Duran, an assistant wrestling coach, was arrested on Dec. 28 by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office. According to the arrest affidavit, Duran was charged with two counts of unlawful sexual contact, Class 1 misdemeanors, stemming from massages he conducted at Olive Juice Beauty Bar in Highlands Ranch. Duran also had his massage license suspended by the state.

Ritz said the school “immediately placed (Duran) on administrative leave. The following day (he) resigned.”

While Ritz had his hands full, two notable 2025 resignations in the athletic department — McGatlin and Ellis — moved on. McGaltin is the head football coach at Denver Christian, while Ellis is an assistant girls lacrosse coach at Regis Jesuit. Valor Christian filled both vacancies, naming former CU coach Mike Sanford its football coach (the fifth in nine seasons) on Feb. 28 and Samantha Geiersbach its girls lacrosse coach three days before that.

The listed salary range for the full-time head football coach position was $90,000 to $110,000. And the coaching search that culminated in Sanford’s hire wasn’t without drama.

A group of parents and assistant coaches did not approve of the parent committee, picked by Wahl, set up to help with the hire. After those parents voiced their displeasure to Ritz at the community meeting, the committee’s engagement was paused. It has since been rekindled as the Football Ambassador Committee, which serves in an advisory capacity and is designed to offer insights and suggestions on best practices to strengthen the program.

Some also took issue with how Wahl framed religion into the coaching search, specifically how the AD wrote in several emails that “God has great plans for our football program.”

The community meeting revealed angst within some circles of Valor Christian parents and coaches. But several sources also expressed hope that Ritz was making a concerted effort to address the issues brought to the forefront and that his review could help change the culture of the athletic department.

As Ritz explained in the meeting, he is determined “to understand (the issues), and then see what we need to do to change.”

“(For) the future of our football program, and the future of all our athletics and academics, we’ve got to be decidedly Christian,” Ritz said at the meeting.

On May 1, Ritz wrote in an email to The Post that “we’ve seen more transition than is ideal in our athletic department and we are aware of opportunities for growth … (and) we are actively working to address them.”

In an email sent to the school’s community in late April addressing Ritz’s athletic department review, the head of school backed Wahl and his leadership team for “navigating this intersection of spiritual growth and sport well.” He also wrote that the coaches he met with “highlighted a desire for more consistent and relational leadership from the athletic director, including increased open dialogue, along with more administrative support.”

Ritz presented a multi-pronged approach to address the athletic department’s issues.

That includes enhanced support and professional development, increased transparency and constructive feedback for coaches, and “more consistent and healthy engagement” between coaches and parents. Ritz also announced the expansion of Tige Watson’s role. Watson, the director of student affairs, will now be the chief of parent and student affairs, who “will be empowered to help resolve conflicts more timely and bring about restoration and reconciliation when needed.”

McGatlin proposed a solution of his own for Valor Christian’s athletic department in his statement read at the meeting.

“Genuine, unwavering support for our coaches (will solve this),” McGatlin wrote. “This means leadership accountability. The athletic director, head of school and the board must recognize their role in shaping the culture and commit to positive servant leadership. …  When coaches feel supported, valued and trusted, their joy will return and excellence will naturally follow, on and off the field.”

In fact, Hobson, whose sports ownership portfolio includes the Broncos, White Sox, WNBA and League One Volleyball, believes the team’s commitment to making the largest investment in women’s sports history will look like a deal in due time.

“Math has no opinion,” said Hobson, the co-CEO and president of Ariel Investments. “And what does the math tell us? The math is astounding. (NWSL) viewership is up, the fandom is up, the sponsorships are up. The media rights are up.

“Yes, the (the NWSL entry price) by the standards of what we’ve seen recently is a lot more. However, it’s (a fraction) of the most valuable men’s team in sports in America. That says a lot about the value that can still be created. And we are convinced that in a decade, two decades from now, we are going to look back and say, ‘We are so glad we own this team.’ And this will seem like the best bargain price that you could imagine.”

Hobson was one of several key stakeholders who took center stage on Thursday afternoon at a packed Number 38 in RiNo, where it was officially announced that Denver is getting the NWSL’s 16th franchise. The team is set to begin play in 2026 and has plans to build a women’s soccer-specific stadium somewhere in Denver.

The formal announcement at 2:22 p.m. by NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman was met with deafening cheers by hundreds of club supporters in attendance as Berman passed a ceremonial ball to controlling owner Robert Cohen, who held it in the air above his head and pumped it towards the ceiling a couple of times.

As of Thursday afternoon, the franchise already had over 2,000 fans signed up for season tickets for the inaugural 2026 season, which the team will play at a temporary venue to be announced in the next couple of months.

As the alternate governor of the franchise and one of its primary investors along with Cohen, Hobson declared the moment as further evidence that “women’s sports are at a generational shift.”

“We are watching it in real time and we have a front-row seat to what is happening,” Hobson said. “And we want to be a part of elevating women to their rightful place in the pantheon of sports.”

Hobson’s newly formed Project Level, a subsidiary of Ariel Investments, is dedicated to leveling the opportunities in women’s sports through investment and ownership. The firm aims to capitalize on “the under-appreciated growth and value embedded in women’s sports.” The Denver NWSL franchise is the private investment firm’s first team.

For the supporters in attendance, the cash put up by Cohen and Project Level — in addition to other owners FirstTracks Sports Ventures LLC, Neelima Joshi, Dhiren Jhaveri, and Molly Coors — indicates the current stability of the NWSL as well as the long-term viability of the team.

Colorado’s previous women’s professional team, the Colorado Xplosion in the American Basketball Association, lasted three seasons in the late 1990s.

“The launch of this team is sentimental and emotional, and it����ap meaningful to support women and young girls,” said Abby Waner Bartolotta, a former Colorado prep basketball great who attended the event and plans on being a season-ticket holder. “But these owners are not here if it����ap not a great business opportunity as well.”

For the homegrown soccer players in attendance on Thursday, the launch marked a new era. Denver is no longer the largest American city without a professional women’s sports franchise.

Waner Bartolotta’s 7-year-old daughter, Real Colorado player Ella Bartolotta, wore a soccer sweatshirt as she witnessed history.

For the NWSL alumni at the event, the afternoon underscored how far the league has come since launching in 2013. That included emcee Jordan Angeli — a Green Mountain alum who was part of the For Denver FC grassroots campaign — as well Arapahoe and CU alum Amy Barczuk, who was the 14th overall pick in the league’s inaugural draft.

Barczuk recalled her $5,000 salary in that first NWSL season and living in a small house with two teammates. Fast forward 12 years, and the NWSL is in the second season of a historic $240 million TV rights deal, the minimum salary is $48,500 and Berman says there are “10 to 15 cities” vying for the league’s next expansion bid, which could come as early as 2027.

“At that time (in 2013), it wasn’t sustainable for many of the women, especially who weren’t on the national team level, to stay in the league and play for a long time because the pay was just really hard to live off of,” Barczuk said.

With a team in hand in a thriving league, Cohen and his fellow owners now turn their attention to building a stadium in the coming years.

Berman said that with the league’s average attendance around 11,000 last year — nearly double what it was a couple of seasons prior — the NWSL will consult the ownership group on how big the building should be. “You want to strike the balance between creating demand, and having space to accommodate the community that����ap going to be there to support the team,” she said.

“I’ve already instructed our team at (Denver Department of Transportation and Infrastructure) to reserve downtown for championship parades in 2027 and ’28,” Denver Mayor Michael Johnston joked.

Aspirations for winning aside, Johnston believes Thursday is the beginning of a long-term opportunity for Colorado girls like Ella Bartolotta to “not just see themselves just at the top of this game, but at the top of any game.”

“(A women’s professional sports team) is what inspires our girls to believe this town is theirs, this city is theirs and this country is theirs, and it’s all open for them to dream and to achieve,” Johnston said.

“That’s what we start today in Denver.”

The senior had already tossed aside his jersey after his 93rd-minute goal sent the Bruins past Broomfield, 2-1, on Saturday at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. And shortly after that, he was signing autographs for some starry-eyed young kids. Ink for them and gold for Cherry Creek.

The moment wouldn’t have been possible if not for his twin brother, Reed, who assisted his winner in the two’s final high school game.

“Any win would have been perfect but it����ap great that it went from one brother to another,” said Reed as his brother Cole continued to be mobbed by adoring fans. “It����ap even more perfect.”

A Wearner Brothers production: Reed had the ball around midfield when he saw his brother with an opening. Doing his best impersonation of a quarterback, he floated a pass so accurately into the box that it hit Cole in the numbers.

From the right, Cole took the pass off his chest, deked a defender before going over Broomfield keeper Evan Kulstad’s head with a picturesque shot into the top of the net.

“Since we’ve played together forever, I knew if he got the ball and I raised my hand he’d get me the ball,” Cole said. “And it was a perfect ball.”

The winning setup had been much longer.

Back to regulation, time was running out with the Bruins down a goal. They had their chances against the superb Kulstad, who jumped and dove, time and time again turning them away. They just needed to finish. When Owen Lamphear drew a penalty in the box in the 73rd, they found their opening.

Austin Hall scored the ensuing penalty kick with 7:45 remaining. The senior went to his right and away from Kulstad, who guessed wrong, sprawling out the other way.

Hall’s goal put a halt on Broomfield’s quest to add to its revered collection of titles in the sport. The Eagles won their state-most ninth boys soccer title last year but couldn’t close for No. 10.

Instead, Cherry Creek won for the first time since 2010, its seventh in program history. That ties the Bruins with Colorado Academy for second-most in the state.

“Obviously right now, it����ap incredibly disappointing I feel like the boys …,” Broomfield coach Zachary Hindman said before taking a pause. “It����ap disappointing right now.”

Adding, “When we look back on the season as a whole, we’ll be proud of it. But in the moment, right now, it����ap really hard.”

Not long before, the Eagles were in the driver’s seat to win their sixth 5A title in 11 years.

In the 44th, they went ahead as Hayes Baucom gave up a good look to feed Adam Thresher for a better one.

It was the kind of unselfish play Broomfield loves. Baucom caught up to a through ball and got a step on the defense, entering the box from the left. That forced Cherry Creek goalkeeper Sullivan Arledge to push up and contest, leaving Thresher, trailing a few steps behind, with an open net in front of him.

The cross in the box was pure and Thresher finished, giving him a goal in four of the Eagles’ five postseason games.

“We all play for each other. We’re a band of brothers,” Thresher said. “At the end of the day, we want to win for the person to our right and the person to our left. But sometimes that doesn’t happen. Like today.”

The senior midfielder left the game with 18:19 remaining due to leg cramps so severe she couldn’t stand. But after getting treatment on the bench, the Arkansas commit re-entered the game to deliver a perfect corner kick to junior Laney Erickson, who side-kicked in the only goal in Mountain Vista’s 1-0 victory over Rock Canyon.

The Golden Eagles (18-0-1) captured their fifth title, their first since 2017.

“We knew we had to put everything on the line for that goal, and we did,” Erickson said. “I knew after we scored that goal that we had the game in the bag. We just had to finish the last 13 minutes. We know we are strong on corner kicks, and Lily puts in a great ball every time.”

Boydstun said she’s had practice coming back from leg cramps.

“They were so bad, and it just took me down,” she said. “But I get them so often. I just have to go out, stretch, and get fluids, and come back in. … I guess I need to hydrate better.”

It was expected to be a close game. After all, the two Continental League rivals played to a scoreless draw on April 29.

“We knew it was going to be a tremendous match, and it was,” coach Theresa Echtermeyer said. “You have to look at times and spaces in the field when you can create scoring opportunities and I thought we did a really good job of that tonight.”

Still, Mountain Vista dominated most of the game and pressed the action throughout the second half, leaving the Jaguars with scant opportunities to score. The Jags’ best chance came with 25:15 remaining when senior midfielder Grace Rossner got an open look, but her shot from about 25 yards out sailed wide.

Boydstun, the fastest, most nimble player on the pitch, nearly gave the Golden Eagles a first-half lead. With 19 minutes left in the half, she lasered a shot from about 30 yards out that caromed off the left post.

“It was close. I swore it was going in,” she said, holding her fingers inches apart to illustrate how close it was.

Late in the half, the Golden Eagles scored on a gorgeous play, with Boydstun feeding Erickson for a bang-bang goal. The problem was that Erickson was flagged for offsides, and the goal was waved off.

Rock Canyon had another opportunity to score on a free kick with just under 20 minutes left in the half. The Jaguars got two headers on the ball, just in front of the goal, but Mountain Vista keeper Casey Loughran snuffed out the chance.

No. 1 seed Mountain Vista defeated No. 8 seed Pine Creek, 1-0, and No. 5 seed Ralston Valley, 1-0, to gain a chance at another state title.

No. 3 seed Rock Canyon advanced past No. 11 seed Castle View, 2-1, and shut out No. 10 seed Heritage, 3-0, to reach the championship game. The Jaguars (14-1-5) were hunting their first girls soccer state championship, though Rock Canyon has finished as the runner-up three times, including twice in the last three seasons (2023 and 2021).

Flatirons wins 2A crown

Annabelle Rakers found a sliver of daylight, received a touch pass from Abby Downey, and chipped in the winning goal to give the No. 1 Flatiron Academy Bison a 2-1 double-overtime victory over No. 7 Buena Vista in the Class 2A championship.

Rakers’ winning goal came in the 108th minute of a tight and tense match.

“This was definitely a mental challenge for us tonight, but we hung in there,” Rakers said.

Rakers, a junior, tied the game, 1-1, with 23:16 left in the second half. She got behind Buena Vista’s defense and lined a shot into the corner of the net.

“Annabelle provided us that spark of energy tonight, and she has improved so much this year,” coach Amy Downey said.

Downey said that the Bisons’ first title was dedicated to all the girls who have played in the program.

“What this means to me is that all of the athletes over the last 11 years that I’ve been coaching, this is for them as well,” she said. “Our program was built by each one of the players who came through here. We only had 11 players on the roster 11 years ago. This is about the work ethic they built over the years, and we got to capitalize on it tonight.”

Buena Vista was the more aggressive team in the first half and took a 1-0 lead on a sweet goal by sophomore Mae Blazer. She dodged two defenders and then left-footed the ball into the net.

Flatirons (16-1-1) not only won its first state soccer title, it also made the Final Four for the first time. The Bison routed the No. 8 Dawson School, 8-0, in the quarterfinals and then edged No. 4 Crested Butte, 3-2, to reach the finals.

Buena Vista (14-4) defeated No. 2 Denver Christian, 4-2, and No. 6 Colorado Springs Christian, 1-0, to earn its first trip to the state championship game. BV was eliminated in the quarterfinals last season.

Want more sports news? Sign up for the Sports Omelette to get all our analysis on Denver’s teams.