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DENVER - The Colorado High School Activities Association concluded its 2025 Spirit State Championships on Saturday with the Pom, Hip-Hop and Jazz competitions at the Denver Coliseum.

Alongside the Hip-Hop and Jazz State Champions, each of the Poms champions were repeats from a year ago, with University winning its second-straight 2A/4A Pom title, Roosevelt capturing its fifth-straight 4A Pom title and Rock Canyon stretching its stream to three state titles in 5A Pom.

University, second after the opening routine of the day, turned in a zero-deduction performance of 84.3 in the finals for its second straight championship in 2A/3A Pom. The Bulldogs, winners of seven pom state championships, had won in every even-numbered year starting in 2016 and has now captured its first back-to-back titles.

“I’m grateful for our community and for the girls in their hard work," said head coach Gina Shepherd. "I’m grateful for this opportunity to show what we have, because as a 3A team, sometimes we get looked back on, and it’s just to show that we are also just as good as that big team. It feels so great.”

SkyView Academy, two-time champion in 2A pom (2022 and 2023) was second and was also deduction-free with 83.15.

The 4A Pom title was a near tie as Roosevelt and Holy Family finished just .025 points apart, but it was Roosevelt that held the narrow advantage to claim its fifth-straight pom title.

“It’s easy to compare yourself in this sport and try to do things a different way, but we know if we stay true to ourselves, then that’s all we can ask for and all we can do," head coach Brittany Coleman said. "We just told them, it’s your time, you need to fight and leave it all out on the floor. We say, all gas, no brakes. And they did just that."

This marks the sixth overall spirit title for Roosevelt, as it also won the 4A Co-Ed Cheer title in 2023.

The Roughriders won with a score of 89.475, while Holy Family was close behind at 89.45. Standley Lake took third with a finals score of 82.025, while Pueblo County was fourth (81.175) and Windsor fifth (80.85).

Rock Canyon and Cherry Creek continued its dominance of the 5A Pom discipline as the two teams have not only combined to win the last seven state championships, but have finished in the top-two the last six years straight. It was the Jaguars that stretched their streak to championships to three-straight championships this year, though, while Cherry Creek finished second.

This marks the first time in 5A Poms history that a team has won back-to-back-to-back state titles.

“I think we knew we were fighting for the three-peat, which in 5A has never been done," head coach Christina Leone said. "It was a lot of motivation to try and make some history, and we know that climbing to the top is a little bit different of a journey than just trying to stay there.”

This three-peat marks the eighth overall poms title for the Jaguars, and its fifth in the last six years.

“I think this [three-peat] just made these girls that much more hungry," Leone continued. "The opportunity is there for them, if they want to fight for it. We never have to assume that just because it hasn’t been done, that it can’t be done.”

Rock Canyon posted the winning score of 88.475 to win the school it's 12th overall spirit championship, while Cherry Creek finished second at 87.375. Legend took third with a score of 87.225, Legacy was fourth at 86.7 and Ponderosa was fifth wtih a score of 85.65.

DENVER - The Colorado High School Activities Association continued its 2025 Spirit State Championships on Friday with the All-Girl Cheer and Co-Ed Cheer competitions at the Denver Coliseum.

Alongside the Co-Ed Cheer State Champions, Denver Christian captured the 2A All-Girl Cheer title for the fifth-straight year, while Resurrection Christian won 3A All-Girl Cheer for the first time ever. For 4A, Windsor won for a second-straight year and in 5A, Douglas County captured the state title for the first time since 2022.

For the fifth-year in a row, Denver Christian has been named state champions in 2A All-Girl Cheer.

"We graduated 10 athletes from last year's team that had won nationals after we won state for the fourth time," Denver Christian coach Gina Harris said. "So, half of the athletes on the mat, they were pretty much brand new to cheer - like, either no experience or they were on JV last year – and they never have competed in this environment. So, we faced a lot of adversity, and for them to not only come in and win, but give such a dominant performance… I'm just so humbled and I'm so proud of them."

This championship also marks Denver Christian's sixth overall state title.

Denver Christian posted a score of 84.00, while Cheyenne Wells took second with a score of 73.25. Holly rounded out the top-three with a score of 71.30.

For the first time in school history, Resurrection Christian is lifting a spirit state championship trophy, as the Cougars put together a winning score of 67.50 in 3A All-Girl Cheer.

"Thier commitment, everything to this team was just so big," coach Jaidyn Esely said. "...at every practice they tried harder and harder and harder because they knew that they can succeed."

The team was eighth last year.

"I think that they came in last year, they had a drive but it wasn't quite there," Esely said. "This year, they realized…we can actually do this."

Vanguard School took second with a score of 63.60, while Highland was in third place (63.00).

For the second year-in-a-row, Windsor is lifting the 4A All-Girl Cheer trophy.

Windsor entered the finals with the sixth-best score, but turned it around for a winning score of 86.40 in the finals.

"We had to go out there after prelims, we saw we were in sixth [place]," Windsor coach Samantha Murray said. "We had to put the work in that we've been putting in all season and just do it how Windsor does, and just have fun."

Lutheran took second in the category, putting together a score of 85.00, while Thompson Valley took third (78.70), Severance was fourth (75.30) and Timnath took fifth at 73.60.

For the first time since 2022, Douglas County can call themselves state champions, as the Huskies captured their third 5A All-Girl Cheer title.

"This group was nothing but determined since day one," Douglas County coach Lauren Borgmeier said.

"Everyone was pretty laser focused since day one… we have been state runner-up two years in a row. 'We cannot be second place again.' And they came in every practice with that determination, with that grit, but also with that mental toughness of, we will not accept anything but a hit."

This marks Douglas County's eighth overall cheer title and third All-Girl Cheer championship.

The Huskies scored 94.7 in the finals. Rock Canyon finished second in the category with a score of 91.5, while Legend took third (91.45), Eaglecrest fourth (84.95) and Regis Jesuit fifth (76.45).

Competition will conclude tomorrow with dance, as performances will take place in jazz, poms and hip-hop. Routines will begin at 9 a.m., with finals scheduled to begin at 3:12 p.m.

DENVER - The Colorado High School Activities Association continued its 2025 Spirit State Championships on Friday with the All-Girl Cheer and Co-Ed Cheer competitions at the Denver Coliseum.

Alongside the All-Girl Cheer State Champions, each of the Co-Ed champions were repeat champions from a year ago, as DSST: Cedar captured the 2A/3A Co-Ed Cheer title for a second-straight year, Coal Ridge won 4A for an eighth-consecutive year, and Castle View took home the gold in 5A for a third-straight season.

DSST: Cedar's victory in 2A/3A Co-Ed Cheer marks back-to-back state championships for the Falcons.

“You just come in with more confidence," coach Sam Barton said. "I think you're a little more relaxed. We worked on harder skills and really focusing on trusting ourselves, the team and the work that we put in. And they executed.

“We’ve had a hard week. There’s been some sickness and injury and neither routine was perfect. But they put their heart out there. I’m proud of them.”

DSST: Cedar scored 71.5 in the final, while Wiley was second at 68.2 and Alamosa third with 66.1

These two state titles mark the only state championships for the school, which also finished as runner-up in both 2022 and 2023.

“We only had one senior last year and the majority were first-year underclassmen," Barton said. "It’s still a team that is half new. They’ve still got a lot to learn.”

Coal Ridge, second after the opening round, turned in a second-straight zero-deduction routine in the final and won its eighth straight championship in 4A co-ed cheer.

“There definitely is pressure (to keep the streak alive)," coach Alyssa Thurman said. "But we just make sure that we prepare them really well so that they feel comfortable coming in and they hit their routine."

Coal Ridge scored 82.10 in the final, while Roosevelt was second with 77.35.

“I think it’s just hard work and team chemistry," Thurman said. "This team was really awesome. We had 14 new kids on the team this year and only six returners. They just worked really hard and they did it.”

Castle View won its third straight title in the event, as well as for the fifth time in six years, and for the ninth time in the last 12 years.

“This means so much,” Castle View head coach Tatum Reel said. “To come back year-after-year and continue to deliver the same result is really hard. People say it’s hard to get to the top, but it’s really hard to stay at the top.

“They’ve had a really hard season… a lot of ups and downs and just a lot of things to go through. But they’ve come out stronger on the end of it every single time, including today… this is just the cherry on top to the season, honestly."

The finals were tight, with Castle View scoring 88.25, second-place Highlands Ranch scoring 86.10 and third-place Pueblo West finishing at 85.80.

Competition will conclude tomorrow with dance, as performances will take place in jazz, poms and hip-hop. Routines will begin at 9 a.m., with finals scheduled to begin at 3:12 p.m.

Utah-based Swire Coca-Cola plans to open a new manufacturing plant in Colorado Springs, and with it, create an estimated 170 new jobs.

The company and the city's chamber of commerce said in this week's announcement that Swire Coca-Cola plans to break ground on the new 620,000-square-foot facility next year at Peak Innovation Park, the business park located at the Colorado Springs Airport.

According to the announcement, Swire Coca-Cola had been considering multiple sites for its new plant, both in and outside of Colorado.

Perhaps relatedly, in 2023, Swire Coca-Cola was considering opening a plant on Denver International Airport land. The plan called for the company to lease 4.2 million square feet of land for 75 years, providing the airport with $260.7 million in rent and bringing hundreds of extra jobs to Denver.

Xcel allegedly dragged its feet in planning for power, Denver City Councilmember Stacie Gilmore said in August, and the company backed out of that deal.

The new plant will replace a current production plant located in Denver, which has been in operation for 90 years.

Once open, Swire Coca-Cola plans to produce more than 230 beverages across more than 60 brands at the site. The company anticipates positions including production, maintenance, quality and management roles.

According to the announcement, Swire Coca-Cola plans to seek LEED Gold certification, which is an industry standard for environmentally-minded construction. This demonstrates "our commitment to sustainability and being a responsible business within the community," Bryan Sink, senior vice president, supply chain at Swire Coca-Cola, said in a statement.

The new facility at the Colorado Springs Airport will be the company's second in the city. Swire Coca-Cola currently operates a distribution center, also near the airport. It also has facilities in Alamosa, Pueblo, and elsewhere in Colorado.

Denverite's Kyle Harris contributed to this report.

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An injury played a role in Gavin Brindley’s disappointing first season as a professional hockey player. He’s determined to make sure that doesn’t happen again.

Brindley will return to the lineup Thursday night for the Colorado Avalanche against the Florida Panthers at Ball Arena. The 21-year-old forward has missed the past 10 games with a lower-body injury, which he alluded to being a torn muscle.

“I feel good,” Brindley said. “Pretty much back to normal now. Excited to get out there. It’s been a while.

“It’s been good just to watch games from above and kind of learn a couple of things. I’m excited to get back out there finish what I started.”

Brindley starred at the University of Michigan for two seasons, including Big 10 player of the year honors as a sophomore. The start to his first season with the Cleveland Monsters, the AHL affiliate for the Columbus Blue Jackets, was delayed until late November because of a broken hand sustained in an Oct. 1, 2024 preseason game against St. Louis.

Things started well, with four points in his first three games, but a long season ensued. Brindley, a dynamic offensive player at every level he’s played, finished his rookie AHL campaign with six goals and 17 points in 52 games. It included a closing stretch with one goal in his final 33 games.

This season started very differently. Brindley was a breakout player during Avs training camp. Not only did he earn a spot on the Colorado roster, he quickly became a key depth guy for the Avalanche.

Brindley had four goals and seven points in 18 games, and earned promotions to both the second line and the second power-play unit when Valeri Nichushkin was injured. He also signed a two-year contract extension.

Then he got hit behind the net Nov. 20 against the New York Rangers and was back in injury purgatory again with the lower-body issue.

“I broke a bone in my hand, like I shattered my hand (last season),” Brindley said. “It’s a little bit different than tearing a muscle. It obviously stinks getting hurt. It’s not something you wish happened to anyone, but unfortunately that’s the business we’re in. It happens sometimes, and it’s just all about how you bounce back.”

Brindley will draw back into the lineup and likely return to his original role on the fourth line next to Parker Kelly and Joel Kiviranta. He has his experiences from a year ago to fall back on and learn from. He also has a new level of confidence. He wasn’t sure how his first pro season was going to go in the AHL, and then he had to sit around and wait to find out.

This time, he’s already proven he can be a consistent everyday player for the best team in the NHL. His coach is certainly not worried.

“I actually think he’s going to come back and be really good,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “Young guy, he’s going to bounce back quick. He’s pretty disciplined in his approach to the game.”

FOOTNOTES: Logan O’Connor’s extended absence from offseason hip surgery still does not have a return date. O’Connor was expected to be back in early November after a second hip surgery in as many years. Bednar said a new issue popped up during his rehab process, but it’s now at least a month missed beyond the original timeline.

With Brindley returning, O’Connor is the only player currently injured for the Avs. This is the closest they have been to full strength all season.

“There is, but I don’t have anything to share yet,” Bednar said when asked about an update. “We’re hoping that we’re getting some good information right now on how to get him back playing, but I’m going to wait on that until we are 100% sure.”