AURORA – The red, white, and blue runs in the family’s veins.
 
For star lacrosse player Wyatt Branish, representing Cherry Creek has been something he wanted to do much of his life.
 
“It means a lot, because I’m able to carry on their legacy at Creek but also be able to create my own legacy,” said Branish, whose father and uncle played for the Bruins.
 
“My Dad played lacrosse at Denver University and it’s just always been the sport that’s been in my family. My older brother played at Creek, and ever since I started playing sports that was the sport that I wanted to become the best at. I’ve loved it ever since I picked up a stick.”
 
And now, like some of his family members, he is a high-level college prospect. In fact, he already committed to play for the University of Michigan even though he is a junior.
 
Before he takes his talents to Ann Arbor, Branish has plenty he wants to accomplish for Cherry Creek.
 
“I want to keep improving on just being a leader,” the attacker said. “I want to be not just a good lacrosse player, but I want to be a leader on and off the field. I think this year I stepped up more as an upperclassman, but I think I can keep improving on that and helping out the younger guys.”
 
After graduating a number of talented seniors from last year’s undefeated team, Branish needed to step up as one of the commanders of the program.
 
“Wyatt, he’s having an incredible season so far this year,” coach Matt Bocklet said. “I think a lot of that has to do with his leadership, both on and off the field. He’s definitely one of the hardest workers in our program, which is awesome to see all the hard work he puts in outside of practice and to see how hard he works in practice.”
 
All that effort has paid off as he has become one of Colorado’s premier lacrosse players.
 
After making an immediate splash as a freshman, being named honorable mention all-conference, he was all-state second team as a sophomore. Now he wants to take his game to another level and earn all-state first team. He even wants to be named an All-American.
 
On top of all that, Branish hopes to top the all-time career points record for Cherry Creek, which is quite a lofty goal when you play for one of the best programs in Colorado history, with eight state championships in boys lacrosse. He should break the record at some point, though, as he is well ahead of pace with 175 in 2 ½ seasons.
 
Bocklet is impressed with Branish’s growth and knows he has upside for more.
 
“Really, the special thing about Wyatt is his evolution as a player and all the different things that he can do,” he said. “His freshman year, when he was on varsity, he actually ran midfield for us. He was one of the leaders on the team in assists (23) … which is a lot of assists for a midfielder. His sophomore year, we asked him to switch to attack and he led the state in goals. He had 70 goals and he also had 30 assists, so he had 100 points.”
 
Now in 2026, the Bruins are ranked No. 3 in Class 5A in the CHSAA seedings index. They are 7-2, and their only losses have come at the hands of powerhouse California teams Loyola, who sits atop the national rankings, and La Costa Canyon. Branish is off to a hot start despite facing some elite teams.
 
“Now, as a junior we’re asking a lot more of him when it comes to being the quarterback of our offense,” said Bocklet, the Cherry Creek coach since 2018. “Not only scoring goals, but he’s also helping set up other players. He currently leads our team in goals and assists and fairly evenly. He’s a really well-balanced, well-rounded player that has shown the ability to change into the player that we need him to be.”
 
Over the course of the first nine games, Branish has poured in 26 goals and added 23 assists. He has a boatload of career goals (108) and assists (67) for a junior. The attacker helped lead the Bruins to their first boys lacrosse state championship since 2019 by defeating Valor Christian 11-8 last year.
 
“It was a surreal feeling,” Branish said. “It was one of the best feelings I’ve ever felt in my life. All the hard work we put in and all the offseason work and all the offseason conditioning was probably the best feeling.”
 
The future Michigan Wolverine gives a lot of credit to the coaching staff.
 
“The coaches at Creek, they’re really good,” he said. “Every practice we are getting after it and competing. Our defense is very good and our offense is too, so it just makes everyone better. Our coaches really know how to scout a team and they know personnel. They know how to put us in the right positions.”
 
Bocklet has a wealth of experience after playing professionally for the Denver Outlaws for 11 years. The Bruins also boast many college prospects, along with Branish, with the likes of Channing Walter (Amherst), Charlie Kiefer (Hofstra), Grant Van Wyk (North Carolina), Sean Kilkenny (Marquette), Benji Davoll (Colgate), Will Howard (Quinnipiac), Connor Abell (St. Lawrence), and Layne Mills (Utah).
 
“We know we have the skill this year and it just comes down to if we can put it all together,” Branish said.
 
Bocklet, considering the depth of talent in 5A, said: “I feel like there’s a lot of new teams that are state championship contenders, like Fairview, Lakewood, Rock Canyon, Legend, and Mountain Vista. It is cool to see there’s some new teams that are having some early-season success that will be competing for a state championship this year.”