Wheat Ridge junior Bennie Pachello, far right, takes a diving shot on goal that found the back of the net during the first quarter Monday at Trailblazer Stadium. The Farmers defeated Thompson Valley 13-2 in the 4A Foothills League game. (Dennis Pleuss)
LAKEWOOD — Wheat Ridge continued its domination in the boys’ lacrosse Class 4A Foothill League on Monday at Trailblazer Stadium.
The defending 4A state champion Farmers handled fifth-ranked Thompson Valley in conference action with a 13-2 victory. Wheat Ridge, No. 1 is this week’s CHSAANow.com 4A boys lacrosse rankings, all but wrapped up the league title improving to 6-0 in conference play with only Golden left on its league schedule.
The Farmers (10-3) have outscored their league opponents 97-12. Wheat Ridge’s only in-state loss this season came against 5A’s No. 2 ranked Cherry Creek.
Wheat Ridge junior Bennie Pachello, left, takes a hit from Thompson Valley senior Stanley Garcia on Monday. (Dennis Pleuss)
“They (Wheat Ridge) are very good,” Thompson Valley coach Rich Modesti said. “They have been ranked No. 1 in 4A all year long because they deserve it.”
Wheat Ridge scored the first seven goals of the game, taking a 7-0 lead into halftime. Senior John Roach and junior Dima Makarov led the Farmers’ offensive attack with four goals each on the game.
Roach also added three assists and Dima Makarov had a pair of helpers.
“We are clicking on all cylinders,” Roach said. “I think the chemistry has real come together this time of the season. I’m excited about what we have coming.”
Senior Tyler Knott picked up a pair of goals for the Farmers. Max Marcum, Bennie Pachello and Dan O’Connor each added a goal for the Farmers in their sixth straight victory.
Defensively, senior goalie Jensen Makarov didn’t allow a goal in the first half. He also managed a shot on goal himself that was saved by Thompson Valley keeper Tim Zimmerman. Jensen Makarov officially signed with the University of Maryland this year after giving a verbal commitment after his sophomore season. The Terrapins (10-2) are currently ranked No. 4 in the Division I.
Wheat Ridge goalie Jensen Makarov (7) makes a save at pointblank range on Thompson Valley junior Johnny Parsons during the third quarter Monday at Trailblazer Stadium. The Farmers improved to 10-3 on the season with a 13-2 victory. (Dennis Pleuss)
The Eagles (9-4, 5-1) prevented the Farmers’ starting goalie from grabbing his third shutout victory of the season early in the third quarter. Senior Jonah Warren was able to get a shot past Makarov with 10:28 left in the third quarter.
Wheat Ridge stopped any momentum Thompson Valley had with its first goal by scoring the next six goals to extend its lead to 13-1 early in the fourth quarter.
“The unforced turnovers and us trying to push things got the better of us in the first half,” Wheat Ridge coach Chris Knott said. “Once we got settled down and got things going the way we wanted to things started to fall for us.”
Senior Chris Tuuk played the final handful of minutes in net for the Farmers. After a goal by Eagles’ senior Michael Murray with 5:57 left in the game Tuuk was solid in net with several saves.
“It’s great,” Jensen Makarov said of watching his teammate in net. “He (Tuuk) is a senior and doesn’t get much playing time. It’s great to see how much how he has improved and see what he can do out there.”
Wheat Ridge closes the regular season with a pair of non-league games against Grandview and Highlands Ranch, with facing rival Golden sandwiched in the middle. Coach Knott wants to use the next few weeks to get his team playing to its fullest potential.
“We want to fine tune things,” coach Knott said. “When we do that we’ll be playing our best ball. That is where our focus is, to fine tune things.”
The 4A state tournament is schedule to begin May 7 and the Farmers are clearly focused on defending their state championship.
“We just need to play our game,” Jensen Makarov said. “We know we have a well-off team and have the talent to beat anyone if we play our game.”
A check from Wheat Ridge sophomore Regan Devine, right, jars the ball loose from Thompson Valley senior Michael Murray during the second quarter Monday at Trailblazer Stadium. (Dennis Pleuss)
Thompson Valley senior Brian McGhie (18) tries to keep possession of the ball while taking a check from Wheat Ridge senior Caleb Cerf on Monday at Trailblazer Stadium. The Farmers’ defense has only allowed a dozen goals in six conference games this season. (Dennis Pleuss)