Early spring sport results

Many sports have seen big improvements

Wren Wilcox, Reporter

May 18, 2026

A GJHS player cradles the ball as he attempts to maneuver away from a Telluride player. The Tigers lacrosse team won the match against Telluride with a score of 9-7.

Landon Ward

As the Grand Junction High School spring sports season comes to an end, many sports have shown improvement from seasons prior.

On May 7-9, the entire varsity GJHS girls tennis team went to the CHSAA State Championships in Pueblo, Colorado. GJHS sophomore Maridie Schmidt placed 3rd for No. 1 Singles, sophomore Kendra Tooker placed 2nd for No. 3 singles and sophomore Grace Deherrera placed 4th for No. 2 singles.

“We all made it to state, the whole team, so that’s exciting,” said GJHS sophomore and tennis player Piper Hall.

Boys swimming had two state qualifiers from GJHS: sophomore Gage Myers and freshman Lucas Simmons. The CHSAA State Championships took place on May 8 and 9 at the Veteran’s Memorial Aquatic Center in Thornton, Colorado. Simmons placed 6th in the 100-yard breaststroke, scoring 17 points for the team at state.

Girls soccer defeated Coronado High School (3-0) on May 6 to win their first playoff game in over a decade. The team lost their second playoff game against Windsor High School (1-0) to end their season with a record of 14-3.

Girls Golf has four individual qualifiers including freshman Violet Birdsong and sophomores Hailey Dryer, Karina Gonzalez and Cyanna Martin. The CHSAA State Championship will take place at The Bridges Golf and Country Club in Montrose on May 18 and 19.

Track and Field has 5 individual state qualifiers including seniors Hadyn Bunnell, Isaac Baca, Drew Marsh, junior Gabriel Gonzalez and sophomore Olivia Young. The CHSAA State Championship for Track and Field took place on May 14-16 in Lakewood, Colorado at the Jefferson County Stadium. Baca won the Boys Discus Throw (4A) with a throw of 179-05. Bunnell won the Girls Discus Throw (4A) with a throw of 142-07.

Boys Lacrosse won their first three playoff games and made it to the final four to play Evergreen High School on May 16 where they fell short with a final score of 9-10. The Tigers ended their season with a record of 16-2.

Girls Lacrosse made it to the first round of playoffs but fell short to Green Mountain with a score of 11-12. The Tigers ended the season with a record of 5-10.

Boys baseball won regionals and are one of eight teams moving on to compete in the CHSAA 4A State Championship at the United States Air Force Academy on May 22 and 23.

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About the Contributors

Wren Wilcox, Reporter

Wren Wilcox is a sophomore at Grand Junction High School and a reporter for the Orange & Black Newspaper. She enjoys swimming, playing softball, hanging out with friends and being outside. This is her first year being a part of the Orange & Black.

Landon Ward, Online Editor

Landon Ward is a junior at GJHS, and is the Online Editor for the Orange and Black newspaper. He enjoys playing tennis and the outdoors. He joined the Orange and Black during the second semester of the 2023-2024 school year.