Category: Press Releases

Denver’s You Can Play receives first ESPN Stuart Scott ENSPIRE Sports Humanitarian Award

DENVER – It’s a big week for the Denver-based non-profit You Can Play Project with the sports-focused anti-homophobia campaign attending the ESPY Awards in Los Angeles to receive the first Stuart Scott ENSPIRE Award from ESPN and, separately, being recognized by the National Education Association for “creative leadership in human rights.”

The Stuart Scott ENSPIRE Award, given as part of ESPN’s Sports Humanitarian of the Year Awards program, pays tribute to the late sportscaster and his “indomitable spirit, celebrating those who use the power of sport by taking risk and using an innovative approach to aid the disadvantaged, save lives, alleviate suffering and maintain and protect human dignity,” according to ESPN.

“Through their selflessness and compassion, the Sports Humanitarian of the Year Award honorees are improving lives of many around the world,” ESPN president John Skipper said. “The awards pay tribute to some incredible individuals and organizations and the extraordinary impact of their efforts on society.”

“Stuart Scott’s legacy is one of courage and honesty,” said You Can Play president Patrick Burke. “It’s an honor to even be mentioned alongside Stuart and a greater honor to carry on his legacy of respect for sports.”

In addition to the ESPN award, You Can Play has become the first non-profit organization to win the National Education Association’s Virginia Uribe Award for Creative Leadership in Human Rights. Immediate past award winners include philanthropist Tim Gill and entertainer Cyndi Lauper.

You Can Play and co-founder Brian Kitts also have received the 2015 Colorado Education Association’s Coloradan Award – the highest award for a non-member – for You Can Play’s work fighting homophobia in partnership with the Colorado High School Activities Association. CHSAA and You Can Play were joined in the inclusion and diversity campaign by the Colorado Avalanche, Colorado Mammoth, Denver Nuggets, Denver Outlaws and Denver Mayor Michael Hancock.

“Creativity, leadership and human rights are the core values of You Can Play and we’re happy that so many in Colorado’s sports community have sent an inclusive message to athletes and fans – especially our youth,” Kitts said. “Any volunteer working in non-profit advocacy simply wants to make our part of the world better so, the recognition from those who see the results of our efforts, in both sports and education, is tremendously humbling.”

You Can Play was founded in 2012 to challenge a sometimes homophobic culture in locker rooms and sports venues. The You Can Play Project asks athletes and fans to acknowledge an athlete’s skill, commitment and contribution to his or her game, rather than sexual orientation. You Can Play was founded after a talk on homophobia at the University of Denver by then-Philadelphia Flyers scout Patrick Burke, Denver sports marketing executive Brian Kitts and Denver real estate developer Glenn Witman. Last year, Kitts and You Can Play became the first LGBT sports advocates to address the United Nations.

Laila Ali will host the Sports Humanitarian of the Year Awards in Los Angeles. You Can Play will be honored along with Major League Baseball Commissioner Emeritus Bud Selig and his wife Suzanne (Sue), Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll, and the “Like a Girl” Campaign. Humanitarian of the Year Awards will be announced from finalists in the individual category (Anquan Boldin – San Francisco 49ers, Tamika Catchings – Indiana Fever, John Cena – WWE, Henrik Lundqvist – New York Rangers) and team of the year category (Chicago Bulls, Portland Timbers, San Francisco 49ers, WWE Community Relations).

A special featuring award-winners will air on ESPN on July 23.

July 14, 2015
2016 rule changes for baseball and softball from NFHS
(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Rules changes for the 2016 baseball and softball seasons were made at rules committee meetings last month in Indianapolis.

Those changes were subsequently approved by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Board of Directors.

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Baseball

Beginning with the 2016 season, umpires will be required to issue a warning to coaches before restriction to the bench/dugout or ejecting them as part of a new penalty progression to promote preventive officiating.

The revision to Rule 3-3-1 Penalty was one of two changes recommended by the NFHS Baseball Rules Committee at its June 7-9 meeting.

Previously, issuing a warning to an offending coach was optional for umpires, who will now restrict to the bench/dugout or eject coaches who commit a violation after previously being warned for a minor offense. However, coaches can still be ejected on a first offense if it is deemed to be major.

Also part of the modification to Rule 3-3-1 Penalty, coaches who receive a written warning (Rule 10-2-3) will be restricted to the bench and/or dugout for the remainder of the game.

“The new rule change has initiated a penalty progression, starting with a written warning, restriction to the bench/dugout and subsequent ejection from the contest,” said Elliot Hopkins, NFHS director of sports and student services and liaison to the Baseball Rules Committee.

The changes to Rule 3-3-1 Penalty will help to de-escalate contentious situations and allow coaches to dictate their status in the game by their behavior, Hopkins said.

“A successful game official practices preventive officiating, and this new penalty progression will allow the official to issue penalties that give the coach the opportunity to remain in the game and teach his players.”

The other change approved by the Baseball Rules Committee is an addition to Rule 3-3-1. Article “q” will state that a coach, player, substitute, attendant or other bench personnel shall not “have any physical contact, spitting, kicking of dirt or any other physical action directed toward an umpire.” The addition of article “q” serves to clarify other behaviors that would result in an ejection from the game, Hopkins said.

“Bad behavior that is being imitated from other levels has no place in education-based athletics and will not be tolerated,” Hopkins said. “If we are to continue to use sport to teach life lessons, then we have to ensure that appropriate behavior and conduct are modeled from those adults in the role of coach/teacher.”

In addition to the two rules changes, the Baseball Rules Committee approved three Points of Emphasis for the 2016 season. Points of emphasis are developed by NFHS rules committees and should receive special focus and attention by officials, coaches, players, fans and other leaders within the high school setting.

Points of Emphasis developed by the Baseball Rules Committee for the 2016 season are as follows:
1. Intermediate penalties/restriction to the bench/dugout
2. Proper catcher’s equipment
3. Sportsmanship — Celebrations around or near the plate and post-game ejections
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Softball

In softball, beginning with the 2016 season — not the upcoming fall season in Colorado — one rule change was recommended by the NFHS Softball Rules Committee at its June 15-17 meeting. In the new Article 4 of Rule 2-57, the committee provided a standard definition of a “projected” substitute.

Rule 3-3-3 prohibits the use of a projected substitute, which is now defined in the new article as “a player who does not immediately participate in the game.”

“There has been some confusion among both officials and coaches about substitution procedure,” said Theresia Wynns, NFHS director of sports and officials education and liaison to the Softball Rules Committee. “Therefore, the committee felt it was necessary to clear up that process and provide coaches and officials with a standard definition of a projected substitute.”

The following Points of Emphasis were approved by the Softball Rules Committee:
1. Strike zone (FP)
2. DP/Flex education
3. Pitching (FP)
According to the NFHS Athletics Participation Survey, baseball is the fourth-most popular sport for boys at the high school level with 482,629 participants in 15,789 schools. Fast-pitch softball is the fifth-most popular sport for girls with 364,297 participants in 15,225 schools during the 2013-14 season.
July 9, 2015
New Orleans to host 96th annual NFHS summer meeting

(Billy Metcalf Photography/Flickr)

INDIANAPOLIS — The 96th annual National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Summer Meeting will be held June 28-July 2 at the New Orleans Marriott in New Orleans, Louisiana.

The NFHS is the national leadership organization for high school athletic and performing arts activities and is composed of state high school associations in the 50 states plus the District of Columbia.

More than 900 individuals are expected to attend the Summer Meeting, including staff members and board members from the 51 member associations.

The entire CHSAA administrative staff will be in attendance, as well as the Board of Directors.

The 33rd annual induction ceremony of the National High School Hall of Fame and discussion of several key issues affecting high school sports and performing arts highlight this year’s agenda.

CHSAA assistant commissioner Bert Borgmann will lead a gymnastics forum during the conference, while director of digital media Ryan Casey will help lead a session on technology.

Three of the top high school girls basketball players in history headline the 2015 class of the hall of fame, including Jackie Stiles from Kansas, Nikki McCray-Penson of Tennessee and Cindy Brogdon of Georgia. South Dakota wrestling star Lincoln McIlravy is the other former high school athlete in the 12-member class of inductees.

Stiles was a four-sport athlete at Claflin (Kansas) High School before becoming the leading scorer in NCAA Division I women’s basketball history at Missouri State University.

McCray-Penson became Tennessee’s all-time leading scorer and rebounder in five-player basketball at Collierville High School before playing nine years in the WNBA and winning two Olympic gold medals.

Brogdon was a standout at Greater Atlanta Christian School in Norcross, Georgia, setting 12 school records and winning three state titles.

McIlravy won five South Dakota state wrestling titles in four different weight classes for Philip High School before going on to win three NCAA championships and a bronze medal at the 2000 Olympic Games.

(Phil Roeder/Flickr)

Among the other inductees is New Orleans’ own J.T. Curtis, football coach at John Curtis Christian School in River Ridge, Louisiana, for the past 46 years who ranks No. 2 all-time nationally with 542 victories and 26 state championships.

Among the topics that will be discussed at the 60 workshops during the NFHS Summer Meeting are emerging sports and activities, promoting positive academic impact of participation in activities, social media marketing and technology, components of successful spirit programs, challenges with transfer rules, promoting education-based athletics, branding, public/private classification issues, working with state governments and legal issues.

The Summer Meeting will kick off on June 29 with the Opening General Session featuring a “We Are High School®” student program. Along with the eighth annual National High School Spirit of Sport Award ceremony, the NFHS will present its performing arts counterpart, the National High School Heart of the Arts Award.

Grace Cummings of Daniel Hand High School in Madison, Connecticut will receive the National High School Spirit of Sport Award, and Ethan Gray of St. Rita of Cascia High School in Chicago, Illinois will receive the National High School Heart of the Arts Award.

The Second General Session on June 30 will feature NFHS President Tom Mezzanotte, NFHS Executive Director Bob Gardner, a presentation on Olympic Day and an update on the NFHS Network. The Closing General Session on Thursday, July 2, will feature former NFL player and coach Herm Edwards.

The Summer Meeting Luncheon will be held at 12 p.m. on July 1, and will feature the presentation of NFHS Citations to 12 individuals. State association honorees include Pat Corbin of New Hampshire, Butch Powell of West Virginia, Wanda Gilliland of Alabama, Scott Johnson of Illinois, Cheryl Gleason of Kansas, Amy Cassell of Oklahoma, Dwight Toyama of Hawaii and John Billetz of Idaho.

Other Citation recipients are James Coon of Indiana (NFHS Officials Association), Milt Bassett of Oklahoma (NFHS Coaches Association), Jean Ney of Kansas (NFHS Music Association) and Darrel Harbaugh of Kansas (NFHS Speech, Debate and Theatre Association).

Two additional awards will be presented at the Summer Meeting luncheon. Mal Mayse, legal counsel for the Missouri State High School Activities Association, will receive the NFHS Award of Merit, and Varsity Spirit will be recognized with the NFHS American Tradition Award.

The Summer Meeting will conclude at 6 p.m. July 2 with the induction of the 2015 class of the National High School Hall of Fame.

In addition to the four athletes and coach J.T. Curtis noted previously, other coaches slated for induction this year are David Barney, who has won 35 state championships in boys and girls swimming at Albuquerque Academy in New Mexico; Rick Lorenz, girls volleyball coach at Central Catholic High School in Portland, Oregon, who has won 10 state championships and 1,174 matches; Don Petranovich, who retired in 2010 after winning eight girls basketball state championships at Winslow High School in Arizona; and Charles “Corky” Rogers, football coach at The Bolles School in Jacksonville, Florida, who ranks fifth among active coaches with 444 victories.

Other members of the 2015 induction class are the late Joseph (Joe) Pangrazio Sr., who was a football official for 45 years and a basketball official for 55 years with the Ohio High School Athletic Association; Doug Chickering, who guided the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association to unprecedented levels of success during his 24 years (1986-2009) as executive director; and Mike Burton, one of the nation’s top speech and debate coaches during his 39 years (1969-2008) at two schools in the state of Washington.

(Romtomtom/Flickr)

June 23, 2015
Former CHSAA administrator Gene Bunnelle passes away at 88

Gene Bunnelle, pictured during his induction to the CHSAA Hall of Fame in 1996. (CHSAA file photo)

AURORA — A legendary figure in the Colorado High School Activities Association from 1965 until his retirement in 1988, Francis “Gene” Bunnelle had at various times during his tenure the primary administrative responsibility for each of the sports and activities sanctioned by the CHSAA.

Bunnelle passed away June 7 following a lingering illness. He was 88 years old.

He served as the state’s rules interpreter in baseball and basketball from 1965-88, as well as assisting with football rules interpretations throughout his career. He was a registered as an official in all three sports in both Colorado and Iowa.

Bunnelle officiated in the CHSAA state basketball tournament in 1962 and 1963 and was the state track and field meet games chair for 23 years. Widely respected for his rules knowledge, he worked on the National Federation of State High School Associations rules committees in all three sports, serving nine years on the baseball and basketball committees and one in football.

Of great pride to Bunnelle and the Association was his work with the late Dr. Earl Reum to develop the nationally-recognized student leadership workshops and conferences. Both Bunnelle (1996) and Reum (1990) are members of the CHSAA Hall of Fame.

Bunnelle had few peers when it came to the development of and interpretation of CHSAA rules and regulations. He a unique ability to see what was needed and to write rules to the need.

His work with Colorado’s football and basketball officials’ associations has given the state better officials and strong, leadership-oriented organizations.

A member of numerous organizations, he earned lifetime achievement awards from the Colorado High School Football Officials Association, IAABO Board No. 4 Basketball Officials and the Colorado High School Baseball Umpires Association, the highest honor the three organizations award. He earned the NFHS Interscholastic Officials Association’s Distinguished Service Award in 1995.

Prior to his CHSAA tenure, Bunnelle was an administrator on the Western Slope, serving as a teacher/coach at Fruita Junior High School from 1957-60. From 1950-60, Bunnelle was principal at Roaring Fork High School in Carbondale.

Following his retirement, Bunnelle served as the official starter for several state golf championships, along with assisting the assignment of officials at numerous state basketball championships.

Bunnelle is a native of Rankin, Ill., and graduated from Rankin Township High School in 1945. He received his bachelor’s degree from Buena Vista College in Storm Lake, IA, in 1950. He earned his master’s degree in 1959 from Western State College in Gunnison.

He is survived by his wife, Vivian, and two children.

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Service information

The internment ceremony for Gene Bunnelle will be at Fort Logan National Cemetery (4400 W. Kenyon Ave, Denver, 80236) on June 23, at 10 a.m. All mourners should enter through the North Gate and then take Drive A to the parking holding area for escort to gravesite. Gene was a member of the United States Navy.

June 8, 2015
Ponderosa AD Tim Ottmann receives NIAAA State Award of Merit

Tim Ottmann, far right, and other CADA award winners on Monday. (CADA)

INDIANAPOLIS – Tim Ottmann, CAA, Athletic Director at Ponderosa High School, was presented the 2015 State Award of Merit by the Colorado Athletic Directors Association (CADA), during the state conference for athletic administrators at the Beaver Run Resort, in Breckenridge, Colorado on April 27.

This award is provided annually by the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA), for recognition of meritorious dedication to High School and Middle School Athletics.

Tim received his bachelor’s degree from the University of New Mexico and is a Certified Athletic Administrator (CAA). He has been a member of the NIAAA for 13 years. Tim has been an Athletic Director for 20 years. During this time, the Mustangs have garnered 25 State Championships and 50 League Championship.

Ottmann served on the CADA Executive Committee from 1999-2001 and is the current Continental League President. Tim was named the CADA Athletic Director of the year in 1998.

About the NIAAA: The NIAAA is located in Indianapolis, Indiana and is the national organization for high school and middle school athletic administrators with more than 8,500 individual members. The NIAAA membership consists of athletic administrators from organizations in the 50 states, the District of Columbia and Internationally. NIAAA membership provides opportunity for professional development, education, certification, national award recognition and exchange of ideas with other athletic administrators throughout the world.

April 28, 2015
Vocal Music Gala set for May 1 at DU

(Bethany Brookens/CHSAANow.com)

AURORA — The fifth-annual CHSAA Vocal Music Gala is slated for Friday, May 1, at the University of Denver’s Newman Center for the Performing Arts beginning at 6 p.m.

Twelve of the state’s top choirs are scheduled to appear, including groups from the following high schools: Discovery Canyon, Montezuma-Cortez, Doherty, Mountain View, Lewis-Palmer, Rifle, Lutheran, Prairie View, Castle View, Greeley Central and Eaton. The Newman Center is located at 2344 East Iliff Avenue on the DU campus.

Each of the performing groups earned their right to take the stage on May 1 after their performances during the CHSAA Large Group Music Festivals which have professionally-trained vocal music judges evaluating and rating each group. Those selected were among the top-rated groups across the state.

Tickets are $10 for adults, with K-12 students and Senior Citizens (60 & over) $7. DU Pioneer Card holders are $5. On-site parking is $8 per vehicle (cash only). Please note that persons needing accommodations for a disability should call the box office as early as possible.

Tickets can be purchased prior to the event at the Newman Center Box Office, which is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. or online at newmantix.com.

For additional information, please contact Bethany Brookens at the CHSAA office.

April 20, 2015
CHSAA and Feeding Colorado joining forces to dunk hunger in the state
AURORA — Colorado’s high school basketball teams will use the final week of the state playoffs March 12-14, to help collect food for the thousands of hungry and food insecure in the state, the Colorado High School Activities Association has announced.

Feeding Colorado is a collection of the state’s largest five food banks’ and include Food Bank of the Rockies, Care and Share Food Bank for Southern Colorado, Community Food Share, Food Bank for Larimer County and Weld Food Bank. All four championship sites — CU Events Center, Colorado Mines, Budweiser Event Center and CSU-Pueblo — have opened their doors to help, as well.

“The numbers of Coloradoans that are food insecure and in need of food assistance in any given week is staggering. Our CHSAA schools have long been the support system for their communities and this gives them yet another chance to help out people in need right in their own communities,” Commissioner Paul Angelico noted. “The food raised by the program will be distributed across Colorado.”

Here are some pertinent stats around hunger in Colorado:
1. There are slightly more than 750,000 Coloradoans that are food insecure and in need of food assistance on any given week
2. The five Feeding America Food Banks in Colorado provide and distribute over 100 million pounds annually to nearly 1,600 food assistance programs in Colorado
3. Feeding Colorado touches each of Colorado’s 64 counties at least once each month
4. Nearly 1 in 4 children in Colorado are food insecure
5. Combined, Feeding Colorado has more than 33 trucks delivering and/or picking up food on any given day and in any given part of Colorado
In order to facilitate the food drive, the CHSAA has developed two approaches to the activities during Championship Week. One, food raised by the school will remain in their community, and the second is to drive donations from those attending the games each day of the championship tournaments.

Each school that qualifies for the state tournament will be challenged to see which school can raise the most food over the first three days of that week. It will be weighed and the team that raises the most will win $1,000 from the Foundation for Colorado High School Student Activities to donate in that school’s name to Feeding Colorado. The winners will be announced during one of the state championship games on March 14. Any food raised by the schools will remain in those communities to help fill their local pantries’ shelves.

The second part of the Food Drive revolves around those attending the games. Collection bins will be placed at the front doors of the facility for fans to drop off food items as they enter the facility. To entice donations, each person who donates will receive a raffle ticket for a chance to win a prize during that session of the tournament. Prizes to be given away include items from the Broncos, Rockies, Nuggets, Avalanche and Rapids, along with the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame and Mile High Sports Magazine.

Additional information will be forwarded as the playoffs progress.
February 23, 2015
Littleton’s Stringy Ervin named national girls swim coach of the year

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Twenty-one high school coaches from across the country have been selected as 2014 National Coaches of the Year by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Coaches Association.

Included is Littleton’s Maurice “Stringy” Ervin, who was named 2014 NFHS national girls swimming and diving coach of the year.

The NFHS, which has been recognizing coaches through an awards program since 1982, honors coaches in the top 10 girls sports and top 10 boys sports (by participation numbers), and in one “other” sport that is not included in the top 10 listings. The NFHS also recognizes a Spirit coach as a separate award category. Winners of NFHS awards must be active coaches during the year for which they receive their award. This year’s awards recognize coaches for the 2013-14 school year.

Recipients of the 2014 NFHS national awards for girls sports are:

Carmen Jackson, track and field, Miami (Florida) Northwestern Senior High School; Curt DeHaan, basketball, Lynden (Washington) Christian Schools; Laurie Glass, volleyball, Leland (Michigan) Public Schools; Brian Song, soccer, Clarksville (Maryland) River Hill High School; John Biedenbach, softball, Trenton (Michigan) High School; Johnette Goldman, cross country, Heber Springs (Arkansas) High School; Coleen Davis, tennis, Portland (Oregon) Episcopal School; Maurice “Stringy” Ervin, swimming and diving, Littleton (Colorado) High School; and Leslie Bender, golf, Louisville (Kentucky) Sacred Heart Academy. There was no national coach selected for girls lacrosse.

Recipients of this year’s national awards for boys sports are:

Dale Mueller, football, Ft. Thomas (Kentucky) Highlands High School; John Lober, track and field, Traverse City (Michigan) Central High School; Pat Rady, basketball, Cloverdale (Indiana) High School; Rick Carpenter, baseball, Prosper (Texas) High School; Lee Mitchell, soccer, Sandy (Utah) Alta High School; Russ Cozart, wrestling, Brandon (Florida) High School; Frank Trammel, cross country, Benton (Louisiana) High School; Micheal Goll, tennis, Salina (Kansas) Central High School; Roger Lauzon, golf, Lynnfield (Massachusetts) High School; and Claude Valle, swimming and diving, Weston (Massachusetts) High School.

The recipient of the National Coach of the Year Award for spirit is Tina Fortner of Minonk (Illinois) Fieldcrest High School, and Joan Ganim of Broadview Heights (Ohio) Brecksville High School was chosen in the other sports category for girls gymnastics.

In addition to the 21 National Coaches of the Year, the NFHS Coaches Association has selected James N. Feldkamp of Troy, Michigan, as the recipient of the National Coach Contributor Award. This award is presented to an individual who has gone above and beyond and who exemplifies the highest standards of sportsmanship, ethical conduct and moral character, and who carries the endorsement of his or her respective state high school association.

The NFHS has a contact person in each state who is responsible for selecting deserving coach award recipients. This contact person often works with the state coaches’ association in his or her respective state. He or she contacts the potential state award recipients to complete a coach profile form that requests information regarding the coach’s record, membership in and affiliation with coaching and other professional organizations, involvement with other school and community activities and programs, and coaching philosophy. To be approved as an award recipient and considered for sectional and national coach of the year consideration, this profile form must be completed by the coach or designee and then approved by the executive director (or designee) of the state athletic/activities association.

The next award level after state coach of the year is sectional coach of the year. The NFHS is divided into eight geographical sections. They are as follows: Section 1 – Northeast (CT, ME, MA, NH, NJ, NY, RI, VT); Section 2 – Mideast (DE, DC, KY, MD, OH, PA, VA, WV); Section 3 – South (AL, FL, GA, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN); Section 4 – Central (IL, IN, IA, MI, WI); Section 5 – Midwest (KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD); Section 6 – Southwest (AR, CO, NM, OK, TX); Section 7 – West (AZ, CA, HI, NV, UT); and Section 8 – Northwest (AK, ID, MT, OR, WA, WY).

The NFHS Coaches Association has an advisory committee, composed of a chair and eight sectional representatives. The sectional committee representatives evaluate the state award recipients from the states in their respective sections and select the best candidates for the sectional award in each sport category. The NFHS Coaches Association Advisory Committee then considers the sectional candidates in each sport, ranks them according to a point system, and determines a national winner for each of the 20 sport categories, the spirit category and one “other” category.

A total of 533 coaches will be recognized this year with state, sectional and national awards.

January 14, 2015
Great crowds turn out for football’s 10th annual Championship Saturday

13,970 fans watched the 5A and 4A football championships at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on Saturday. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)

DENVER — The CHSAA “Championship Saturday” event, presented by The Colorado Sports Hall of Fame, continues to be successful with consistently great, enthusiastic attendance.

The Colorado High School Class 5A and 4A State Championship Games held at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on Saturday, Nov. 29, were watched by the second largest crowd (13,970) in “Championship Saturday” history.

This marked the 10th consecutive year for both of the state’s big school title games taking place at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.

Cherry Creek defeated Valor Christian 25-24 to win the Class 5A title in perhaps one of the all-time great high school football games, while Pine Creek defeated Longmont by a 45-20 margin to claim the Class 4A title for a second consecutive year.

“We are thrilled by the growth of this program, which has featured great games, tremendous enthusiasm and the opportunity for The Colorado Sports Hall of Fame to make significant monetary and in-kind contributions over the past 10 years,” said Colorado Sports Hall of Fame Board Chairwoman Kim Carver.

Over $900,000 has been donated to the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) and other charitable youth sports organizations like Special Olympics Colorado, National Sports Center for the Disabled, Sportswomen of Colorado, Colorado Golf Association / Colorado Junior Golf Association and the Gold Crown Foundation.

“We certainly look forward to continuing this program in years to come, Carver said. “It is gratifying to all involved to be part of something which benefits high school football, youth sports organizations and Colorado’s prep students to this high level.”

The Presenting Sponsor for CHSAA “Championship Saturday” was The Colorado Sports Hall of Fame. Legacy Sponsors were Wells Fargo, Gatorade, King Soopers, The Denver Post, and the Denver Broncos Football Club.

Broadcast partners are Altitude Sports & Entertainment and Mile High Sports Radio.

For more information about The Colorado Sports Hall of Fame, a 501-(c)(3) charitable, non-profit organization, please go to www.coloradosports.org, or call 720-258-3536.

December 1, 2014
CHSAA office affirms call made in Valor Christian/Grandview 5A football semifinal

There was some confusion regarding a call made during the Valor Christian/Grandview semifinal football game in Class 5A on Saturday.

During the game, Grandview punted the ball to Valor Christian in the second quarter. A Valor Christian player attempted pick up a scrimmage kick at the 2-yard-line and, never gaining possession, muffed it into the end zone. The ball crossed the plane of the end zone, and was recovered by the kicking team (Grandview). However, the officials correctly ruled on the field that once the ball crossed the plane, it was a dead ball, and therefore a touchback.

This is the correct call.

On page 47 of the NFHS’ 2014 Football Case Book, Rule 6.3.1, Situation A states:

A scrimmage kick by (the kicking team) comes to rest on (the receiving team’s) 6-yard-line. (The receiving team) attempts to recover and advance, but muffs the ball so that it rolls into the end zone where: (a) (The receiving team) downs the ball; or (b) (The receiving team) recovers and advances out of the end zone; or (c) (The kicking team) recovers and downs the ball in the end zone.

RULING: The ball became dead as soon as it broke the plane of (the receiving team’s) goal line. It is a touchback in (a), (b) and (c). The kick had not ended because muffing does not constitute possession, therefore, it is a kick into (the receiving team’s) end zone which is an automatic touchback.

Additionally, the Referee on this game is in the NFHS officiating Hall of Fame and is currently the Colorado football rules interpreter.

November 24, 2014