Colorado
Fort Collins-area girls soccer stars set to shine in 2026 CHSAA season
Watch postgame mayhem as Fossil Ridge celebrates 5A soccer state title
Watch the Fossil Ridge girls soccer team celebrate the program’s first state title with fans and the Colorado 5A championship trophy.
If last spring was any indication, this is going to be another phenomenal high school girls soccer season in Northern Colorado.
Three Fort Collins-area teams (Fossil Ridge, Windsor, Timnath) made state championship games, with the SaberCats winning their first-ever title in Class 5A.
There are several returning all-state players, meaning the local talent pool is rich again.
Here are more than a dozen of the top Fort Collins-area girls soccer players to watch in the 2026 CHSAA spring season:
Lily Wale, Fossil Ridge
The two-sport star helped the SaberCats win 5A soccer and track and field state titles in the same week last spring.
Now the senior returns after that sensational junior campaign on the pitch. Wale led Fossil with a dozen goals and over 25 points as the team’s top offensive threat and a 5A first team all-state selection.
While the reigning champions are solid at every position, Wale is most often the attack’s finishing touch.
Tatum Gentry, Windsor
The Wizards lose some great players in the defensive half, but all the top scorers return for the reigning 4A runner-ups.
That is highlighted by the quick-twitch Gentry, who uses her blazing speed and short stature to run right by defenders and win balls in the box.
The junior was already a 4A first team all-state player last season, posting a whopping 44 points on 18 goals. Expect those numbers to stay high on another Windsor contender.
Gentry’s soccer future is also local as she’s committed to Colorado State.
Lily Eisbrener, Timnath
The multi-sport standout returns to the pitch after helping the Timnath girls basketball team reach a second straight Final Four.
Eisbrener was already among the top players in Colorado last season, scoring 17 goals with 13 assists despite missing several early-season matches for the reigning 3A runner-ups.
The first team all-state selection may find even more scoring chances with senior Natalie Washburn gone to graduation. The junior’s scoring ability will be key for a possible Cubs’ return to the title game.
Reese Morgan, Fossil Ridge
The SaberCats’ secret weapon is the solid formation coach Cyrus Salehi brings to the back line and midfield.
Morgan is a prime example of that, working seamlessly between the attacking third and dropping back into midfield defense, winning headers and controlling the ball.
The senior is a pretty good scorer too, posting 10 goals last season as a first team all-state pick.
Isabel Guerrero, Fort Collins
The forward made a big freshman impression last season, tallying up six goals and five assists on a senior-laden Lambkins squad that made the 5A playoffs.
Guerrero should be a far more featured offensive option this season with every other top scorer graduating.
The sophomore is a likely all-conference player and could post a possible all-state caliber season after already scoring two goals in an early game vs. Fairview.
Ella Crotts, Windsor
The midfielder is perhaps the Wizards’ most versatile player, a high-level defender and strong scorer who also kicks on set pieces and wins balls in the air.
The junior was a 4A first team all-state player last year, scoring 12 goals and dishing out five assists. Crotts may not need to take on a heavier scoring role, but don’t be surprised if she sets up a ton of Windsor goals this spring.
Miriam Huffsmith, Liberty Common
Talk about prolific. The Eagles junior is one of the state’s most electric offensive players, compiling 29 goals and 69 total points last season.
The forward is a microwave scorer, capable of heating up fast with 11 hat-trick games in her first two seasons.
A 2A all-state honorable mention last season, Huffsmith should be a premier scorer again after already producing a four-goal in an early-season win over Regis Groff.
Maggie Pletcher, Timnath
The junior doesn’t make much of a dent on the stat sheet, but she leaves her mark on opposing offenses as a shutdown defender.
Pletcher is adept at breaking up scoring chances, heading out corner kicks, clearing through balls and being in the right position.
A first team all-state selection last season, Pletcher should help the Cubs lock down defensively against the top 3A teams come May.
Shay Masters, Fossil Ridge
A dominant defense always needs its last line of defense.
Fossil Ridge has that in spades with Masters, a brick wall in front of the net even if opposing strikers make it through an iron back line.
The senior has championship experience after allowing a ridiculous 13 goals in 20 matches last year, including just one in five postseason games.
Expect a lot of clean shots from Fossil again this spring.
Gwennie Dow, Windsor Charter Academy
The Firebird junior is back after a breakout campaign that saw her score 14 goals with five assists on a playoff squad.
Dow is going to get plenty of scoring chances this season after top scorer Dillan Brown’s graduation. She’s off to a strong start, posting eight goals in two March matches.
Expect the forward and the Firebirds to compete for the Patriot League title and be one of Northern Colorado’s most improved squads.
Mia Thomas, Rocky Mountain
The Lobos forward is back after an all-conference junior year with eight goals on a Rocky squad that plays plenty of defense.
Thomas usually scores more goals off her left foot, leading both her club and high school teams in scoring last season.
The senior is poised for a great final season and could help the Lobos get back to the 5A postseason after a one-year absence.
Jacqui Wilson, Poudre
The University of Denver signee is one of NoCo’s top players at the club and prep level, making an impact at all three levels.
Even as a defensive midfielder, Wilson scored eight goals with a pair of assists last season while spearheading a solid Poudre defense that limits clean looks at the net.
The senior could have an all-state level impact as the Impalas chase a third straight playoff appearance.
Braely Martinez, Windsor
Windsor will have its pick of scorers this season and Martinez will be a dynamic attacking duo with Gentry.
The forward brings some ankle-breaking moves and can finish off both feet from different angles, making her a scoring threat anywhere near the box.
Martinez already had eight goals and eight assists as a junior and she could easily up both marks into the double digits this season.
Sara Swenson, Timnath
Another goalkeeper on the list and it’s well-deserved recognition.
Swenson was sensational last season and especially in the playoffs, surrendering just one goal in the first four postseason matches and saving over a dozen shots against a relentless Colorado Academy offense in the finals.
That earned the then-junior 3A first team all-state honors as the final line of a Cubs defense that allowed just 19 goals in 20 matches.
Bonus names to know:
- Fort Collins: Keira Gill, Judy Bridge, Brighlee Reynoso
- Fossil Ridge: Maddie Kubat, Anna Rogers, Mia Lorenzen, Jordan Killion, Makenah Salas
- Liberty Common: Zoey Davis, Joelle Knowles, Alexa Kent
- Poudre: Payton Lockman, Brennen Decamillo, Kami Ball, Riley Smith
- Rocky Mountain: Hannah Smith, Alicyn Martinez, Grace Radcliff
- Timnath: Addie Clemmer, Gracyn Redmon, Skylar Merrill, Maia Kub, Ella Benedict, Sage Raymond
- Wellington: Anna Grace Schultz, Ryann Goodman
- Windsor: Ambry Plate, Rylinn Bernhardt, Raegan Lewis, Macy Isom
- Windsor Charter Academy: Olivia Wallace, Ella Hennen
Chris Abshire covers high school and community sports for the Coloradoan.
The Town of Windsor has closed a Northern Colorado lake to motorized boating for 2026 as officials project rapidly declining water levels in the months ahead.
Windsor Lake, a popular destination for outdoor recreation, is currently full. However, town officials say that is expected to change quickly as water is sent downstream for irrigation and other uses.
“With the unknown water levels we are going to have at Windsor Lake, we didn’t feel it was safe to have any kind of motorized boating,” said Kendra Martin, the town’s operations and facilities manager.
The town’s recreation department made the decision to prohibit motorized boating because of concerns surrounding projected low water levels throughout the season.
“We love activity on this lake; it is a super bummer for those who have been on motorized boats on Windsor Lake,” Martin said.
Despite the lake appearing full now, officials say much of the water currently visible is not expected to remain through the summer.
“Due to the low snowpack this year, when water wasn’t yielding in here, only water would be coming out,” said Leif Lesoing, water resource manager for Windsor.
Lesoing said Windsor Lake operates in coordination with the New Cache La Poudre Irrigation Company and plays an important role in irrigation deliveries.
“We operate this reservoir with the New Cache La Poudre Irrigation Company. It is used to equalize their ditch deliveries,” Lesoing said.
According to officials, much of the water currently near the top of the reservoir is already expected to be drained in the coming weeks.
“While it does look full, their water is on the top of the reservoir,” Lesoing said, adding, “This reservoir works every day to make replacements for augmentation and return flows.”
Lesoing said the lake is expected to continue dropping throughout the irrigation season.
“This isn’t in here for the summer. It will be drawn down to make irrigation deliveries through the season,” Lesoing said.
With projections showing more water flowing out of the reservoir than into it for the remainder of the season, town officials said the lake’s boat ramp would not be safe for motorized boating operations.
Colorado
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Colorado
Colorado wildfires: Evacuations ordered for 13,000-acre wildfire burning on Colorado-Oklahoma border
Southeastern Colorado residents were ordered to evacuate Sunday afternoon as the rapidly growing Sharpe fire in Oklahoma spread across the state line, according to emergency officials.
As of Sunday afternoon, the mandatory evacuation zone included the town of Campo in Baca County and an area bordered to the north by County Road J, to the east by County Road 36, to the west by County Road 24 and to the south by the Colorado-Oklahoma border, according to Baca County Emergency Management officials.
Emergency officials announced the fire had crossed into Colorado from Oklahoma at 12:47 p.m. Sunday and first issued mandatory evacuations at 2:06 p.m.
The Sharpe fire sparked Friday evening in Oklahoma’s Cimarron County and was estimated to have consumed roughly 3,500 acres as of Sunday morning, according to a daily incident report from the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture.
By Sunday afternoon, the burn area had exploded in size to an estimated 13,198 acres, according to maps from the National Interagency Fire Center. It’s unknown how many of those acres are in Colorado.
A roughly 70-mile stretch of U.S. 287 was closed between Lamar and the Oklahoma-Colorado border for the fire, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.
Heavy smoke from the fire created low visibility and unsafe conditions on the highway, state transportation officials said.
“Oklahomans in the Panhandle are facing active wildfires, and our state is mobilizing resources to respond,” Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said in a statement on social media. That includes sending air support to fight the Sharpe fire, he said.
Southern Colorado was under red flag warnings for critical fire danger on Sunday, according to the National Weather Service. The warnings included parts of Baca, Crowley, Fremont, Huerfano, Kiowa and Otero counties . Another round of red flag warnings was forecast for the southern state on Monday .
“Elevated fire danger is expected,” the warnings stated. “Fires will catch and spread rapidly and erratically.”
Videos posted by Denver7 of the fire showed walls of smoke stretching up into the sky from a dirt road as trucks from the volunteer-based Springfield Fire Department responded.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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