Category: Field Hockey

  • Photos: No. 2 Cherry Creek field hockey beats Mountain Vista

    GREENWOOD VILLAGE — No. 2 Cherry Creek field hockey beat Mountain Vista 4-1 on Tuesday, and is now 2-0 this season.

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  • Photos: Isner lifts No. 1 Palmer Ridge field hockey over No. 3 Colorado Academy

    DENVER — Jordyn Isner scored two goals, and freshman Hannah Hermann also scored, as No. 1 Palmer Ridge field hockey beat No. 3 Colorado Academy on the road, 3-1.

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  • Field hockey rankings: Colorado Academy bumps up to No. 3

    Palmer Ridge Colorado Academy field hockey
    (Lance Wendt/LanceWendt.com)

    Colorado Academy moved up to No. 3 in this week’s field hockey rankings.

    The ranking, voted upon by coaches, is the official poll of the Association. Rankings are released each Monday during the season.

    A complete ranking is below.

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    CHSAANow.com Field Hockey Poll

    Voted upon by coaches around the state. New voters can sign up by emailing rcasey@chsaa.org. This ranking has no bearing on postseason seeding.

    Field hockey
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Palmer Ridge (3) 1-0-0 23 1 1-0-0
    2 Cherry Creek (2) 1-0-0 22 2 1-0-0
    3 Colorado Academy 0-0-0 15 4 0-0-0
    4 Kent Denver 0-0-1 10 3 0-0-1
    5 Regis Jesuit 0-0-1 3 5 0-0-1
    Others receiving votes:
    Mountain Vista 1, St. Mary’s Academy 1.
    Dropped out
    None.
  • Photos: No. 2 Cherry Creek field hockey shuts out Dakota Ridge

    GREENWOOD VILLAGE — Second-ranked Cherry Creek field hockey cruised to a win over Dakota Ridge on Thursday.

    The Bruins won 7-0. It was the first field hockey game for Dakota Ridge. The program moved from Golden in the offseason.

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  • Photos: Cheyenne Mountain and Arapahoe field hockey play to a tie

    LITTLETON — Cheyenne Mountain and Arapahoe field hockey battled to a 3-3 tie on Monday.

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  • Field hockey in Jeffco finds new home at Dakota Ridge

    LITTLETON — For nearly a decade the lone girls field hockey program in Jeffco was based at Golden High School.

    A move last spring allowed Dakota Ridge High School in South Jeffco to take over reins of the field hockey program that has drawn student-athletes from across the district and even outside Jeffco.

    “Honestly, at first I was kind of skeptical. I was worried if we moved schools that some kids wouldn’t change with us,” Dakota Ridge senior Abby Steinman said of the move from Golden to Dakota Ridge. “But now that it’s the season we’ve got more players than last season.”

    Dakota Ridge senior Abby Steinman, far left, leads drills during practice Aug. 16. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    Jessica Summers spent last year as the head coach at Golden. She made the move over to stay on guiding the program at Dakota Ridge.

    “The administration has been very supportive ever since Dakota Ridge said it was going to take the program,” Summers said. “It’s really cool.”

    Summers, originally from Pennsylvania, believes the sport of field hockey is primed to have a tremendous growth in Colorado.

    “It’s not really popular yet, but I feel in the next four years it’s going to really be booming like lacrosse has exploded in Colorado,” said Summers who spent time coaching in Holland over the summer.

    The growth of Dakota Ridge’s program has already happened. Last season Summers didn’t have an assistant coach at Golden. This year Summers has two assistant coaches in two former college players in Megan Hollenbach and Kelsey Boyce.

    Dakota Ridge opens its season at Cherry Creek on Thursday, Aug. 23. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    There are plenty of young student-athletes just learning the game of field hockey for the Eagles this season. Steinman will be one of Dakota Ridge’s most experienced players. She has been playing the sport since before the 7th-grade.

    “I helped my teammates out with their hits (shots) a few days ago,” Steinman said of being a leader on the young squad. “It feels good to help them because then I know we are making the team better. If they improve we’ll all improve.”

    Golden’s last winning record was in 2015 when the program had back-to-back state playoff appearances. The program has never won a playoff game, but Summers is intent on haven’t a long-term plan to get the new Dakota Ridge based program up to the level of the elite teams like Palmer Ridge, Kent Denver, Colorado Academy and Cherry Creek.

    “It’s really awesome to see these girls go from square one in the beginning of the season and see what they learn, how they grow and see their passion for the sport at the end of the season,” said Summers, who hopes to get the Eagles to a new level. “It is what really keeps me motivated.”

    Dakota Ridge opens it season against Cherry Creek at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 23, at Stutler Bowl. The Eagles will play home games at the Rooney Road Sports Complex in Golden. Dakota Ridge’s home opener is Aug. 30 against Fossil Ridge.

    Girls field hockey could have boom in interest like lacrosse has in Colorado over the past two decades. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
  • Palmer Ridge is atop the preseason field hockey rankings

    Palmer Ridge Colorado Academy field hockey
    (Lance Wendt/LanceWendt.com)

    Palmer Ridge, the defending champion, is atop the preseason field hockey rankings to begin the 2018 season.

    The ranking, voted upon by coaches, is the official poll of the Association. Rankings are released each Monday during the season.

    A complete ranking is below.

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    CHSAANow.com Field Hockey Poll

    Voted upon by coaches around the state. New voters can sign up by emailing rcasey@chsaa.org. This ranking has no bearing on postseason seeding.

    xxx

    The ranking, voted upon by coaches, is the official poll of the Association. Rankings are released each Monday during the season.

    A complete ranking is below.

    [divider]

    CHSAANow.com Field Hockey Poll

    Voted upon by coaches around the state. New voters can sign up by emailing rcasey@chsaa.org. This ranking has no bearing on postseason seeding.

    Field hockey
    RK TEAM W-L PTS
    1 Palmer Ridge (4) 0-0-0 20
    2 Cherry Creek (1) 0-0-0 18
    3 Kent Denver 0-0-0 16
    4 Colorado Academy 0-0-0 13
    5 Regis Jesuit 0-0-0 4
    Others receiving votes:
    Denver East 3, Mountain Vista 1.
  • Field hockey rule changes address pace of play, substitution rule

    Denver East Kent Denver field hockey generic
    (John Priest/CHSAANow.com)

    INDIANAPOLIS — Among the rules revisions in high school field hockey for 2018 are changes designed to increase the pace of play, and a new penalty for a team having too many players on the field.

    These rules changes were among those recommended by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Field Hockey Rules Committee at its January 10-12 meeting in Indianapolis. All rules changes were subsequently approved by the NFHS Board of Directors.

    “The committee wasn’t looking to make wholesale changes to the rule book, but instead examined the existing rules to make sure they reflected the current trends of the game,” said Julie Cochran, NFHS director of sports and liaison to the NFHS Field Hockey Rules Committee. “The committee provided clarity for officials by redefining a dribble to include aerial dribbling, defined goalkeeper playing actions in and outside the 25-yard line, and established a penalty for a team having too many players on the field.”

    Rule 4-4-8 now states that too many players on the field is a violation of the substitution rule, and the committee approved two new penalties concerning the new rule.

    If the violation is discovered immediately, the extra player(s) is removed. When the extra player(s) is discovered after a goal is scored, but before play has restarted, the goal will not count and the extra player(s) will be removed. In both scenarios, a misconduct penalty will be assessed to the head coach of the offending team using the card progression.

    Increasing pace of play was the focus of Rule 9-1-3. A free hit within 5 yards of the circle now will be taken at the spot of the foul. Previously, the attack’s free hit within 5 yards was taken on the broken line circle. The revision not only speeds up the game, but also keeps up with current trends in field hockey.

    “Taking a free hit within 5 yards of the circle at the spot of the foul was one area that was identified in the NFHS annual questionnaire that coaches, officials and state association members were all in favor of changing,” Cochran said. “The committee felt this change would increase the pace of play by allowing for faster restarts in the game.”

    A change in Rule 1-7-2 clarifies goalkeeper play outside the circle. At that time, the goalkeeper may only play the ball with her stick up to the 25-yard line she is defending, and may not play the ball past the 25-yard line unless she is taking a penalty stroke.

    A revision to the definition of dribbling in Rule 3-3-9 allows a player to maintain possession of the ball while moving it with the stick either on the ground or in the air. Previously, the ball’s movement was performed with a series of taps.

    In other changes, the committee approved:

    • Revisions which clarify that an extra player on the field is an ineligible player (3-1-6);
    • An addition of language to ensure the timer is watching both officials on the field and is consistent with officials training as well as current trends of the sport (2-1-5); and
    • Changes that clarify the playing actions of the goalkeeper. (1-7-1a-f)

    A complete listing of the field hockey rules changes will be available on the NFHS website at www.nfhs.org. Click on “Activities & Sports” at the top of the home page and select “Field Hockey.”

    According to the 2016-17 NFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey, field hockey has 60,549 girls participating in more than 1,700 schools nationwide. The total number of girls participating in the sport has increased by nearly 1,000 from the 2015-16 school year. In addition, there are four schools with as many as 87 boys participating in field hockey.

  • Legislative Council notebook: Changes to football’s calendar; volleyball moves to bracket format

    Legislative Council January 2018
    (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

    AURORA — Football’s calendar will align with the national setup, allowing for more consistency with surrounding states, and flexibility within the state’s current format.

    Additionally, volleyball is heading to a bracket format, there will be a new process for adding a new sport, teams will be allowed to play an exhibition game to raise money for their program, and baseball’s move to a 23-game regular season in 3A, 4A and 5A was approved.

    Those were among changes made by the CHSAA Legislative Council during the first of their two annual meetings on Thursday.

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    Football changes

    Peetz Stratton/Liberty football
    (Dustin Price/dustinpricephotography.com)

    For the immediate 2018 season, football’s changes means that the start of practice will move up by a week, and begin on Aug. 6. Additionally, this change will build in a bye week for classes 4A through 6-man, and allow for 5A to move to a 24-team playoff — something that was also approved on Thursday.

    The lead up to full contact will be as follows: two days in helmets, two days of full pads with limited contact, and one day of full pads and full contact. Scrimmages will be allowed on Aug. 16, with the first regular season games allowed on Aug. 23.

    No longer will the first week of competition be known as Zero Week — the former scrimmage/contest hybrid week. Instead, it’ll simply be Week 1.

    Because the existing approved dates of the postseason remain in place, it leaves a bye week during the regular season for 6-man through 4A, and a bye week for the top eight seeds in the 5A football playoffs while seeds Nos. 9-24 play in the first round.

    Elsewhere in football:

    • 2A and 3A will play their championship games at a neutral site.
    • The proposed league alignments were all approved and are now final.
    • As noted above, 5A is moving from a 16-team playoff to a 24-team playoff.

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    Volleyball bracket

    Valor Christian Lewis-Palmer volleyball
    (Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com)

    All five classes of the state volleyball tournament, held annually at the Denver Coliseum, will change from pool play to a bracket starting this fall.

    The bracket format will be a 12-team Olympic crossover, meaning it will be double-elimination up until the semifinals, where the tournament will change to a single-elimination.

    “We are really excited to be moving in this direction,” said CHSAA assistant commissioner Bethany Brookens said following the volleyball committee meeting last November.

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    New process for adding activities and sports

    Legislative Council meeting January 2018
    (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

    The process for adding a new sport or activity — something that was in the spotlight last January with boys volleyball — has been overhauled.

    Now, the process will be as follows:

    • The Board of Directors must approve the new activity for a piloting process, while taking into account things like “longevity and history of the activity, support from the activity’s governing body, ability to host a coach’s clinic on skills and safety (sports only),” and “adequate number of officials (sports only).” The pilot program must last at least one year. New activities can ask for a pilot program from the Board at any point.
    • The new activity must have support from the Classification and League Organizing Committee, the Sports Medicine Committee, the Equity Committee, the and Board of Directors before the Legislative Council can vote on it.

    The new bylaw additions also outlines step-by-step what each new activity should be doing, and when.

    It seems likely that boys volleyball and girls wrestling will approach the Board to begin the piloting process. Both sports have expressed interest.

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    Foundation Showcase creates exhibitions to raise money

    A new bylaw which allows teams to participate in a “Foundation Benefit Contest” beyond the game limits was approved.

    This will allow schools the opportunity to schedule exhibition games where they charge admission, keep score and raise money for their programs or a cause.

    These games will not have any impact on postseason/playoff considerations.

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    Elsewhere:

    • Here’s a full breakdown of baseball’s increase to 23 games in 5A, 4A and 3A.
    • The Technology Committee gave a report on their recommendation with the RPI.
    • Seven new schools were approved for initial membership: DSST-Byers, KIPP Northeast, Loveland Classical, Riverdale Ridge, Strive Prep Rise, Strive Prep Smart, Thomas MacLaren. This gives CHSAA 358 member schools.
    • Stargate, Golden View Academy and Victory Prep Academy were approved as full members.
    • The cross country proposal to score four of the six runners at the 2A state meet was amended, so 2A will remain with three scoring runners.
    • Field hockey officially changed its OT procedure for the playoffs. Now, games will play 11 on 11 in the first OT. If still tied, they will play 7 on 7 in a second OT. If the game remains tied, they will go to a shootout.
    • 3A girls soccer’s postseason field will expand from 24 to 32 teams in 2019.
    • New CHSAA Board members to start in 2018-19: Luke DeWolfe, Steamboat Springs; Chase McBride, Niwot; Obafemi Alao, DSST-Green Valley Ranch; Don Steiner, Evangelical Christian.
  • All-state field hockey team for the 2017 season

    The 2017 all-state field hockey team is created by the field hockey league and their sport’s coaches.

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    Coach of the year: Paul Lewis, Palmer Ridge

    First Team
    Name School Year Pos.
    Olivia Baglieri Kent Denver Senior M
    Isobel Baker Denver East Senior D
    Regan Cadieux Regis Jesuit Senior F
    Emma Domich Kent Denver Senior M
    Abby Hermann Palmer Ridge Senior M
    Hannah Lester Regis Jesuit Senior D
    Megan Matthews Grandview Senior G
    Jill Murphy Colorado Academy Senior M
    Sloane Murphy Colorado Academy Junior D/M
    Liz Phillips Palmer Ridge Senior M
    Abby Timmins Cheyenne Mountain Senior M
    Second Team
    Name School Year Pos.
    Ellie Bauer Colorado Academy Senior G
    Sydney Chytka Palmer Ridge Senior F
    Eliza Davis Colorado Academy Senior D
    Emily Dawson Grandview Senior  
    Camilla Holmsen Cherry Creek Senior D
    Madeleine Hunt Kent Denver Junior F
    Jordyn Isner Palmer Ridge Junior F
    Bridget Kennedy Regis Jesuit Senior F
    Tess Kramer Cherry Creek Junior D/M
    Lucy McHugh Denver East Sophomore F
    Raegan Rychecky St. Mary’s Academy Senior  

    Honorable mention: Kelly Burke, Arapahoe, Senior; Camryn Capoot, Kent Denver, Senior; Josephine Castle, Cherry Creek, Sophomore; Abbie Chalmers, Arapahoe, Sophomore; Shaylah Devlin, Mountain Vista, Junior; Erin Drumm, Smoky Hill, Senior; Kate Frankmore, St. Mary’s Academy, Sophomore; Alex Fuller, Fossil Ridge, Junior; Andrea Gonzalez, Colorado Academy, Senior; Isabella Guerrero, Mountain Vista, Senior; Kate Hatchell, Liberty, Senior; Riley Hatchell, Liberty, Senior; Christina Jensen, Liberty, Senior; Madelyn Lewis, Cheyenne Mountain, Senior; Ann-Claire Lin, Colorado Academy, Senior; Lily Loftus, St. Mary’s Academy, Junior; Danielle Malinski, Mountain Vista, Senior; Amelia Mccarthy, Cherry Creek, Sophomore; Jacqueline Mcdonald, Denver East, Senior; Tess Mchugh, Denver East, Sophomore; Molly Moran, Regis Jesuit, Senior; Lizzie Pierpoint, Arapahoe, Senior; Melissa Rinaldo, Grandview, Junior; Kyra Rothwell, Palmer Ridge, Senior; Kate Sawyer, Denver East, Senior; Pearl Schwartz, Cherry Creek, Senior; Hali Sibilia, Cherry Creek, Senior; Kate Smetana, Smoky Hill, Freshman; Sarah Tartell, Regis Jesuit, Junior; Hannah Tellez, Palmer Ridge, Sophomore; Portia Tieze, Kent Denver, Senior; Sydney Turner, Colorado Academy, Senior; Caroline Tychsen, Fossil Ridge, Senior; Reece Wagers, Palmer Ridge, Sophomore; Olivia Wayne, Grandview, Junior; Kylie Weaver, Fossil Ridge, Junior.