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PSD boys lacrosse star named Blue Federal Credit Union Athlete of the Week

chris abshire, fort collins coloradoan
·2 min read
Blue Federal Credit Union is partnering with the Coloradoan to honor our best Fort Collins-area high school athletes every week. Check coloradoan.com/sports every Monday to vote.
Blue Federal Credit Union is partnering with the Coloradoan to honor our best Fort Collins-area high school athletes every week. Check coloradoan.com/sports every Monday to vote.

This week's Blue Federal Credit Union Athlete of the Week award is finding the net with some star power!

Poudre School District boys lacrosse player Colton Pawlak took top honors in the Fort Collins area for April 21-27 behind a scoring barrage and a big winning streak.

The Stars junior fired in a combined 11 goals with two assists during PSD's wins over Ralston Valley and Monarch last week.

He's helped PSD find its footing after some early losses, scoring 26 goals during the team's seven-game winning streak that was just extended to eight in a tight 9-8 win Wednesday over Fairview.

Poudre School District boys lacrosse player Colton Pawlak (10) shoots for a goal during a game against Cherry Creek at PSD Stadium on Saturday, April 1, 2023, in Timnath, Colo.
Poudre School District boys lacrosse player Colton Pawlak (10) shoots for a goal during a game against Cherry Creek at PSD Stadium on Saturday, April 1, 2023, in Timnath, Colo.

Pawlak has been a standout in both lacrosse and football (for Fossil Ridge), tallying nearly 3,000 total yards in two seasons with the SaberCats. He was a key piece in the Stars' run to the 2022 Class 5A lacrosse semifinals and earned first-team all-state honors in 2023.

He's on that path again and has helped the Stars reach the 5A top-10 during this latest winning stretch.

A third-time nominee, Pawlak is the fourth district team athlete and second lacrosse player to win the Blue FCU Athlete of the Week honor this school year, joining PSD skier Cade Shortridge, the Stars boys ski team and PSD girls lacrosse player Launa Sanders.

The Stars' forward phenom pulled away from the pack to win the fan poll with a majority (55.6%) of the votes cast.

That beat out several other great weeks from his fellow nominees:

  • Ross Frank, Rocky Mountain baseball (runner-up with 33%)

  • Abby Ballek, Fossil Ridge girls soccer

  • Sean Togher, Fort Collins baseball

  • Faith Galyardt, Rocky Mountain girls tennis

The Blue Federal Credit Union Athlete of the Week series features five nominees every Monday, with voting at Coloradoan.com until 11 p.m. Wednesday and the winner named on Thursday.

Previous winner: Liberty Common freshman named Blue Federal Credit Union Athlete of the Week

Fans can nominate their favorite athletes (deadline: 11:59 p.m. every Saturday), and the Coloradoan Sports staff will ultimately select the five nominees each week.

If you have nominations for a future Athlete of the Week, please send them via email to ChrisAbshire@coloradoan.com for consideration.

View the full results:

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Poudre School District lacrosse's Colton Pawlak voted Athlete of Week