Blowout and a game-winner: PSD boys, girls lacrosse teams sweep home playoff doubleheader

It doesn't get much better than a home doubleheader in the playoffs.

The Poudre School District boys and girls lacrosse teams hosted and won consecutive matches to open up their Colorado Class 5A playoffs on Wednesday evening at PSD Stadium in Timnath.

The PSD girls kicked it off with a nail-biter that kept swinging back and forth, with the Stars finally scoring a late goal for a 10-9 win over Palmer Ridge.

The PSD boys made it more stress-free, hopping out to a huge early lead and walloping Pine Creek in a 15-3 blowout.

Here's how the wins happened:

Kate Wind's late goal lifts Stars

This one was in doubt until the final minutes.

So, PSD attacker/midfielder Kate Wind decided to call game.

Wind got fouled with less than three minutes left and took advantage of an open lane to fire the game-winning goal.

"Their goalie was really good, so it was just quick instincts," Wind said. "Fake the goalie out and find your shot."

She did exactly that, scoring her team-high fifth goal of the match and propelling the seventh-seeded Stars into the quarterfinals of the 16-team 5A girls bracket.

"Kate came up clutch as she always does," said PSD girls coach Pam Kramer. "You can always count on her."

This was a game of swings, as momentum shifted wildly throughout.

The teams traded goals in the first half, with No. 10 Palmer Ridge holding a 4-3 halftime edge.

But the Stars came out on fire and opened up an 8-5 lead behind two of Launa Sanders' three goals. The Bears weren't done, though, scoring four straight to grab the lead back until Wind tied it midway through the final period.

"It was a heart attack as a coach," Kramer joked. "You're losing your mind watching a game like that."

"When it's like that, the team really has to come together," Wind said. "We pulled it out and were hyped for each other."

The thrilling finish was a surprise for this rematch. PSD beat Palmer Ridge (16-6) in last year's 5A first round and dispatched the Bears again (15-7) earlier this season.

"That was unexpected because we beat them soundly, and I thought they really came out fired up," Kramer said.

It's the second straight year PSD has recorded a 5A playoff win since moving up to the classification.

The road gets tougher now, with No. 2 ThunderRidge awaiting Friday in the quarterfinals. The Grizzlies beat No. 15 Ralston Valley 14-3 in the first round.

"We have a lot of talent and potential, so this is another chance to show it," Wind said.

Ethan Hough's scoring barrage sets tone for PSD

The PSD boys had the opposite experience in the nightcap, scoring early and often to crush Pine Creek.

The Stars led 8-0 after the first quarter, 11-0 by halftime and forced a running-clock mercy rule by the final minutes in the 15-3 win.

"It’s definitely nice to get that early cushion and settle into the playoff pressure like that," PSD junior Ethan Hough said.

Speaking of Hough, he had five goals in that first period and six by halftime before sitting the entire second half, along with many of PSD's other starters.

"I’ve scored a bunch of goals in a game before but never had them all happen that quick," Hough said.

He was electric shooting the ball, slinging goals in from medium and longer distances, especially head on at the goalie.

It was part of a brilliantly executed strategy. With all-state scorer Colton Pawlak fighting a nagging injury and defenses already keying on him, PSD used Pawlak more as a decoy to free up other scorers.

"We anticipated Colton would be getting locked off and used that against them," PSD boys coach Will Cantwell said.

"We were setting picks on the wing for Ethan, and they stayed on Colton, so (Hough) had some free runs and shot it clean. Man, he was firing them in there."

Aidan LaGuardia also had a pair of early goals, including a nifty under-handed scoop to open the scoring.

The quick start was a point of emphasis after PSD struggled in a season-finale loss to Chatfield, the Stars' first loss against a conference opponent in nearly three years.

"I was proud of us for coming out sharp like that," Cantwell said. "It's good to get our momentum back."

The Stars will now travel to No. 5 Legend for a second-round match in the 24-team boys 5A bracket, with the Titans fresh off a bye.

The two programs have never played, and Legend is one of the state's elite teams.

"I feel like we don’t have a lot to lose, so we’ll throw everything we’ve got at them," Cantwell said.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Colorado lacrosse: Poudre School District teams win playoff doubleheader