TCA and Vista Ridge will square off for the girls 4A state championship after they each picked up wins during Wednesdays semifinals.

TCA is headed back to the flag football state championship for the third consecutive season, but will be defending a title for the very first time. Vista Ridge is making its first appearance in the state championship game.

It will be the second meeting this season between the Wolves and the Titans. TCA won the previous matchup 35-20.

The state championship game will be played on October 24 at Trailblazer Stadium with a start time of 4PM.

No. 1 TCA 19, No. 4 Green Mountain 13 The Harter sisters paved the way back to the state championship for TCA. Reagan Harter caught three touchdown passes from Kelsey Peterson while Kennedy Harter added an extra point and a crucial fourth quarter interception.

Green Mountain got on the scoring started at the beginning of the second quarter with a short quarterback keeper for the touchdown. TCA responded with Petersons first touchdown pass to Reagan in the back corner of the end zone. The Titans only successful extra point attempt of the game followed that touchdown as Kennedy Harter caught a short pass and reached across the goal line to even the score at 7.

The defending champs opened the quarter with a strong offensive drive. Peterson hit Brooklyn Blair along the left sideline good enough to move the chains. Later on the drive, Peterson felt the pressure of the defense and heaved it downfield for Reagan who made a contested catch along the sideline and took off with no one to stop her from leaping into the end zone for her second touchdown of the night.

Peterson and Reagan found that same success on a shorter pass play in the fourth quarter which gave TCA a 19-7 lead. The Rams drove down the field and were knocking on the door of the end zone. That was until Kennedy Harter picked off the pass and allowed the Titans offense to drain some more clock.

Green Mountain added a touchdown with just over three minutes to play but the Titans offense possessed the ball for the remainder of the game.

No. 3 Vista Ridge 28, No. 2 Mountain View 14 Kayla Dempsey and Addison DeGennaro started for the Wolves in the upset win. DeGennaro tallied 7 sacks throughout the course of the game, while Dempsey scored three of the teams four touchdowns.

Jocelynn Kalkman fired a pass into the end zone that was caught by Dempsey to give Vista Ridge a 6-0 lead at the start of the second quarter. Mountain View then gifted the Wolves a safety after a bad snap fell dead in the end zone.

Vista Ridge regifted points to Mountain View after a deflected pass was intercepted and returned for a touchdown. The game was tied at 8 after the two-point conversion.

The score remained the same until Dempsey caught another pass from Kalkman, which should have been a short pick up but she turned it into more. Dempsey reached out to pick up extra yardage but the defense completely missed her flags and she took off for the longest touchdown of the game. Vista Ridge led 14-8 at the break.

Coming out of the locker room, Dempsey did not seem to be satisfied with her two offensive touchdowns. After a Mountain View pass bounced out the hands of their receiver, Dempsey kept her focus on the ball resulting in an interception that she returned for her third touchdown of the night.

Isabella Waters put the game away in the fourth quarter with a rushing touchdown off of a reverse play. Her score put the team ahead 28-8, a lead they would not relinquish.

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Pueblo West junior Ethan Wagner is the definition of a student-athlete. With a 4.71 GPA, Wagner dominates in both the classroom and on the pitch, earning him recognition as News 5's Athlete of the Week.

See the full story in the video below AOTW ETHAN WAGNER

Wagner has seen tremendous growth on the pitch since his freshman year not just in his physical ability, but as a leader. Before being moved to left wing during his sophomore year, he was placed at left back. But the position never mattered to Wagner. He just wanted to go out and help the team.

"I didn't really care where I was on the field as long as I was on the field playing. As long as I had a ball at my foot. I didn't really care where I played. I told my coach wherever you want to put me, put me there. I just want to be on the field," Wagner said.

Wagner scored just one goal that year, and he knew he needed to fully commit if he was going to see improvement as a sophomore.

"It's taken a lot of work. Just training on your own versus just all with the team. Going out and doing it by yourself to get consistent with it," Wagner said.

He scored a team-high 14 goals as a sophomore, and he's up to 15 so far this season to go along with a team high 9 assist.

"Every time the ball hits the back of the net it gets you really excited. Then you run to the corner and find your teammates and everything. You just get really excited when you know you can support your team like that and when you know you can keep racking up the goals like that. It boosts your confidence a lot," Wagner said.

In regard to his future, Wagner has already began thinking about his career path.

"I'm looking at mainly going to schools that have engineering programs while being able to play in college as well. So I want to be able to balance the student athlete life that I'm doing right now, in college," Wagner said.

He takes it one step further. Wagner says he would be willing to turn down an athletic scholarship if that school did not offer an engineering program. He says having that degree for a lifetime is worth far more than risking his future on just soccer.

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About Athlete of the Week

News5 works to honor the high school Athlete of the Week throughout the school year in our Wednesday evening newscasts. Were looking for that special teen who is working hard and playing right all while making parents and coaches proud.

Nominate your Athlete of the Week today! See our current and past athletes of the week, click here.

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 programs 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 TCAs 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 CHSAAs flag football playoffs.

No. 3 Vista Ridge 32 , No. 6 Air Academy 6

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The nationally No. 4-ranked CSU Pueblo Thunderwolves return to action this Saturday for their homecoming game against New Mexico Highlands, looking to remain perfect on the season.

Coming off a bye week following a win at Adams State, head coach Philip Vigil said the team chose to practice and improve rather than take an extended break.

Watch Dante Williams' report in the video player below: No. 4 CSU Pueblo enters back half of the season with focus on improvement

First off, you have to lean into what got you to 6-0, and that's just focusing on every single day. So last week, yes, it was a bye week, but we practiced and we made a determination that we're going to find a way to improve and get better over the bye week, and that was really our goal, Vigil said. Give the guys a couple of days off over the weekend, and as you can see this morning they're back at it and energized and ready to rock and roll.

Vigil said physicality is the defining characteristic of this team on both sides of the ball.

"I think first and foremost it's physical, you know? I think you turn on the tape, you're going to see guys that are running to the football on defense hitting people. Then on offense, you're going to see an offensive line, a tight end group, a running back group that is physically imposing their will, Vigil said. Physical football teams win games, and that's the thing that I'm most proud about this group because I think they're very, very physical on both sides of football.

With the season at the halfway point, Vigil acknowledged there are still areas to address particularly eliminating turnovers.

There's little things that we have to fine-tune and get better at. You know, you look at our tackling on defense from the first part of the season to where it's at right now; that's an improvement, but it's always going to be better. You look at offensively, some of the procedural penalties that we're making early in the season; that has improved it tremendously. We haven't had a game yet where we haven't turned the ball over. So there's always going to be areas where we can improve and find ways to get better, and every unit, every position, every player knows what that is, and they got to attack it every day," Vigil said.

CSU Pueblo will host New Mexico Highlands in their homecoming game at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 17.

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Disclaimer: This is sponsored content. All opinions and views are of Colorado Springs Orthopaedic Group and does not reflect the same of KOAA.

Brooklyn has transformed the Palmer High School volleyball program from the ground up ending an eight-year postseason drought and helping propel the Terrors to a 9-1 start this season.

After the program failed to reach the postseason for eight consecutive years, Brooklyn helped lead the Terrors to a regional tournament appearance in 2025. Head coach Adrianne Dettler said she recognized Brooklyn's potential from the moment she joined the program as a freshman.

Learn More About Brookln's Story Below

"Just starting her freshman year you could tell she was a little different. Her IQ even at a young age was kind of beyond what we've had here at Palmer, so overall experience of volleyball, you could tell there was a difference," Dettler said.

Now in her second year as team captain, Brooklyn has found the balance between leading and being supportive.

"I think my teammates would describe me as like someone who's encouraging in like the tough moments but also can give tough feedback when it's needed and when it's due like, but ultimately a pretty encouraging person," Brooklyn said.

Dettler has watched that leadership continue to develop.

"Last year she's like, 'I'm ready to be a leader.' And this year she has taken that on. Not afraid to have the hard conversations, not afraid to get on her teammates if they're slacking, but they respect it because she brings it as well," Dettler said.

Brooklyn backs up her leadership with production on the court. She is top 3 on the team in every statistical category and recorded 25 kills against Elizabeth, leading the Terrors to victory after trailing by two sets.

For Brooklyn, individual numbers take a back seat to team success.

"I would love a good stat line and to show I'm a good player, but honestly our team just does such a good job that it doesn't really matter," Brooklyn said.

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About Athlete of the Week

News5 works to honor the high school Athlete of the Week throughout the school year in our Wednesday evening newscasts. Were looking for that special teen who is working hard and playing right all while making parents and coaches proud.

Nominate your Athlete of the Week today! See our current and past athletes of the week, click here.

Air Forces scored two touchdowns in the second quarter to defeat Navy 14-9 and snaps a five game losing streak against other service academies. This win serves as the first time the Falcons have beaten the Midshipmen since 2023 and places them once step closer to reclaiming the Commander-In-Chiefs Trophy for the first time since 2022.

Liam Szarka led the way on offense for the Falcons, scoring two rushing touchdowns and tallying 163 total yards. However, the Falcons defense is what brought them the win.

Air Force held Navy to 1-of-11 on third-down attempts, something senior Blake Fletcher said has become an emphasis for the Falcons defense. The defense made plays down the stretch when it mattered most. Alexander Perez recovered a Navy fumble late in the third quarter, and Max Mustell had the teams lone sack on the Midshipmens final drive.

Mustells sack came on first and ten with just under three minutes to play. It served as a loss of ten yards and was followed by back-to-back incompletions which forced Navy to punt and allowed the Falcons to run out the clock.

Air Force will look to clinch the trophy for the first time since 2022 when they travel to West Point to take on Army on November 7.

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Disclaimer:

This is sponsored content. All opinions and views are of Colorado Springs Orthopaedic Group and does not reflect the same of KOAA.

TCAs Kelsey Peterson made history as the first player in CHSAA history to throw for 10,000 passing yards in flag football.

The senior quarterback has led the Titans to the state championship twice, winning it last season and earning Player of the Year honors. Despite all she has accomplished, Peterson said she had no idea she was on the brink of making history.

News5's Dante Williams has the story in the video below:

AOTW KELSEY PETERSON

"It was honestly crazy. I didn't really even know that was happening. I had no idea that's where my stats are at, but it's such an honor honestly to get that accomplishment. It's not something I ever thought I'd get to do and so, getting that was so cool and I'm so glad I got to do it and have that time to share with my team," Kelsey Peterson said.

A mid-game celebration recognized her historic achievement, but Peterson said the record belongs to more than just her.

"I have worked really hard for this and I mean, so have my teammates. I've worked a lot in the offseason with my receivers and that kind of stuff, so seeing some of that hard work pay off has been so amazing," Peterson said.

Peterson began her football career during her sophomore year, when flag football became a sanctioned CHSAA sport. She said reaching 10,000 passing yards in just under three seasons has felt unreal, but she hopes her true effect is that she becomes a trailblazer for other girls.

"I hope that other girls, younger girls, are going to gain a love for the game and that they're also going to have a desire to play flag football and that they'll gain a hard work ethic and also want to work towards not necessarily that same goal but also work towards a goal," Peterson said.

With a few regular season games and the playoffs remaining, the state's all-time passing leader will continue adding to her legacy, but she's looking forward to the next person who will further the sport.

"I think it's so cool that I have that right now, but I would love to see other girls break that record and other girls also get to do those cool things and have those goals and also thrive and lead a team well," Peterson said.

When Peterson was asked if she had a goal in mind for how high she would want to set this passing yards record, her answer was two as in the number of state titles she hopes to win by the time her high school career is over, putting her team above her own personal accomplishments.

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About Athlete of the Week

News5 works to honor the high school Athlete of the Week throughout the school year in our Wednesday evening newscasts. Were looking for that special teen who is working hard and playing right all while making parents and coaches proud.

Nominate your Athlete of the Week today! See our current and past athletes of the week, click here.

The CSU Pueblo football team has climbed to fourth in the national rankings, sitting at a perfect 5-0 on the season and remaining a clear favorite to win the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference title.

See our preview in the video below CSU Pueblo week 6 preview

Head coach Philip Vigil said the team's undefeated record reflects more than just wins it reflects a commitment to daily improvement.

"I mean, the first five opponents that we've played are all teams that were either picked in the top half of the RMAC or receiving votes being ranked," Vigil said. "I definitely know that the teams we've played are very good football teams, and, even though the score sometimes may not show it, there's adversity in every game, and I think that being able to overcome that adversity and continue to progress and execute, I think our team has shown that."

Despite the strong record, Vigil said there is still work to be done.

"From a record results standpoint, of course, I think you can't get any better than it is right now, but from like a finite details and where we need to improve, the beautiful thing about football is there's always areas where you can improve and get better," Vigil said. "That's the thing that we challenge this group on is it's not about the scoreboard, it's not about the opponent. It's about us."

The Thunderwolves face Adams State this week in their final game before the bye week. Adams State has yet to find the win column in its first five games of the season, but Vigil said his team is not taking the matchup lightly.

"Adams, you know, has struggled in the first five games, but it's a new staff, and they've done a good job in recruiting some really talented football players, and I know we can't take anybody lightly," Vigil said. "If you make the opponent the focus, then every week you can go like this you can be ups and downs. Human nature is to be complacent. Human nature is to seek comfort, and if we want to be the best at getting better, then we've got to come out and prove that every single day."

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