ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The 4A boys lacrosse state championship lived up to the hype on Tuesday night at Englewood High School.
But a 5-4 final score? No one saw the coming.
No. 1 Cheyenne Mountain scraped and grinded out a gritty one-goal win over No. 2 Evergreen to claim its third state championship in program history. The Cougars came up just short in their first-ever title game appearance.
Trailing 2-1 at halftime, Evergreen rallied for three goals to start the second half and grab a 4-2 lead. But the Indians wouldn't be denied, scoring three goals of their own in the fourth quarter to claim the championship.
Kevin Papa had three tallies for Cheyenne Mountain, including the eventual winner with just 48 seconds left on the clock.
"It's awesome. This is my first year playing in high school lacrosse so this is just crazy. I just love all those guys and it's awesome to just be out here playing," Papa told 9NEWS after the game.
For Cheyenne Mountain it was their first title since 2018 after losing in the 2019 championship. The 2020 game didn't happen due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 5-4 title game was the lowest scoring in CHSAA 4A boys lacrosse history.
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