DENVER - Mu-stang is the best way to describe the sting Wheat Ridge is feeling.
The Farmers furiously rallied late, but it was Ponderosa that shocked Wheat Ridge 13-11, winning the 4A boys lacrosse state championship Saturday at Sports Authority Field.
The reigning 2013 champions were looked at as a shoe-in to win another state title, but the shoe didn’t quite fit, and it was the Mustangs who hoisted the trophy on Saturday afternoon.
Ponderosa won its first ever lacrosse state title and did it in convincing fashion.
Wheat Ridge’s only lead of the game came less than a minute into the game as the Farmers scored just 54 seconds in.
However, like they did repeatedly throughout the game, the Mustangs answered everything the Farmers threw at them.
Wheat Ridge held a lead for most of the first quarter, but Ponderosa turned a 1-0 deficit into a 3-1 lead when senior Blake Bruner quickly scoring a pair of goals at the end of the quarter.
The Mustangs would not trail from that point on in the contest, cooling the Farmers off any time they started to look like they might breakout.
Instead, it was Ponderosa who looked like the offensive monster during stretches, getting four total goals from Bruner.
In addition, junior Jack Griffin scored three huge third quarter goals for the Mustangs and Derik Mango scored three times as well.
But Wheat Ridge did not go down without a fight and showed the heart of a champion down the stretch.
Down 13-7 the Farmers would score four in a row to cut Ponderosa’s lead to 13-11. The Mustangs would only score once in the final quarter, and Wheat Ridge in a furious attempt at a dramatic comeback.
But it was too little, too late, and Ponderosa goaltender Jacob Ochs was simply too good.
Wheat Ridge (15-5) wraps up its season certainly disappointed but the program is still revered as one of the state’s best.
Senior John Roach scored three times for the Farmers, and Tyler Knott scored a couple more, but the Farmers potent offense was staggered by Ponderosa’s suffocating defense.
Ponderosa (16-2) actually lost its regular season finale against Colorado Academy before its incredible playoff run.
