Regis Jesuit is among 10 Colorado schools playing in the Nike Tournament of Champions. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
Ten Colorado schools will play in the 17th-annual Nike Tournament of Champions in Arizona this weekend. The girls basketball tournament, which features 83 total schools competing in 11 separate divisions, begins on Thursday.
Games are played at five local high schools in Chandler, Ariz. Colorado schools competing in the tournament include Castle View, Cherry Creek, Grandview, Highlands Ranch, Horizon, Pueblo County, Pueblo West, Regis Jesuit, Rock Canyon and ThunderRidge.
Seven of the schools are ranked in this week’s CHSAANow.com 5A poll. Regis Jesuit, Highlands Ranch, ThunderRidge and Grandview go Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 4. Rock Canyon is No. 6, Castle View is No. 8 and Cherry Creek is No. 9. Pueblo West is ranked No. 4 in the 4A poll.
Each division has its own bracket and championship games. Horizon and Cherry Creek are the only Colorado schools that will play in the same division.
Regis Jesuit, ranked No. 6 in the most recent MaxPreps’ Xcellent 25 national rankings, has perhaps the most challenging division of all local schools. The Raiders will play in the Joe Smith Division, which features six other schools ranked in the top 15 nationally. Those teams are No. 2 Mater Dei (Calif.), No. 7 Riverdale Baptist (Md.), No. 8 Long Beach Poly (Calif.), No. 11 Homewood-Flossmoor (Ill.), No. 12 Christ the King (N.Y.) and No. 15 Stockton St. Mary’s (Calif.).
LAKEWOOD — No. 6 Cherry Creek broke a 3-3 tie in the second period when Nick Mcwharter scored 8:51 into the frame, then went on to score the game’s final five goals in an 8-3 win.
Mcwharter finished the game with two goals. Teammate Cody Oakes also had two goals and added an assist.
Cherry Creek outshot Kent Denver 68-11 in the game. Kent goalie Jack Friedman made 60 saves.
Arapahoe’s wrestling team has been granted a two-pound weight allowance for this weekend’s tournaments due to an inability to practice created by last week’s tragic shooting.
In an email to Arapahoe, Cherokee Trail and Gateway high schools, assistant commissioner Harry Waterman wrote, “Due to the tragic event that took place at Arapahoe High School last week, it has created a hardship on the ability for the Arapahoe wrestling team to conduct practice.”
In fact, Arapahoe has practiced just once since last Thursday.
“This has made it very difficult to have structured work-outs and maintain their weight,” Waterman wrote. “As a result, I am permitting a (two-pound) allowance for all wrestlers in the following tournaments this Saturday: Cherokee Trail dual tournament, Gateway JV tournament.”
Program helps Gambian national team
USA Volleyball’s Leave a Ball Behind program at the state volleyball tournament helped provide volleyballs for the Gambian national team.
“They were very excited to receive them and are using two at a time so that they can last through the next year,” reports a peace corps volunteer who works with the team.
Here’s a picture of the team with the items which were donated via USA Volleyball:
(Courtesy photo)
Short stuff
You may notice a slight difference in how public address announcers are handling basketball games. Due to a new rule from the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), announcers can no longer make announcements during play. The goal, according to the rule, “is to remove play by play commentary.” Thus, they are no longer permitted to announce information such as “assist by,” “rebound by,” and so on. Announcing fouls, scorers, and free-throw shooters is still allowed.
Changes out of the tennis committee meeting earlier this month: Teams will only be eligible to compete for the team championships if they qualify for four or more positions at the state championships. This is a move toward something golf already has in place. Additionally, regional hosts for the 5A girls this spring will not be determined until after the final league standings.
This season’s winter break, meaning no practice, is Dec. 24-Dec. 27, and Jan. 1. Voluntary winter practices are Dec. 28, 30 & 31.
Next year’s Championship Saturday (the Class 5A, 4A, 3A football title games) again falls just after Thanksgiving. It is Nov. 29.
Football can begin 2014 practice on Aug. 11. Zero Week is Aug. 21; Week 1 is Aug. 28.
Ralston Valley senior Janelle Feldmann, far left, and junior Morgan Nishida, far right, attempt to rip the ball away from Chatfield sophomore Peyton Gibler during the Class 5A Jeffco League opener for both teams Tuesday night. Ralston Valley came away with a 60-51 victory. (Dennis Pleuss)
LITTLETON — Staying at the top of the heap is never easy.
Ralston Valley girls basketball team knows its will be a marked team every time it takes the court during the Class 5A Jeffco League schedule. The Mustangs are attempting to win their fourth straight conference title.
It wasn’t trouble-free, but Ralston Valley (5-2) took care of business Tuesday night in its league opener with a 60-51 road victory against Chatfield (2-4).
“It wasn’t the win we wanted to come out with, but with it just being out of the way we can build on it to improve,” said Ralston Valley junior Morgan Nishida, who led the Mustangs with a team-high 16 points.
Ralston Valley freshman Sarah Bevington looks for an open teammate through traffic during the first half Tuesday night at Chatfield High School. The Mustangs opened their conference season with a 60-51 victory over Chatfield. (Dennis Pleuss)
The Mustangs held a single-digit lead for the majority of the game until a 3-point play by senior Chantal Jacobs early in the fourth quarter gave Ralston Valley a 49-39 lead. Jacobs had a strong second half scoring all 12 points after halftime.
Nishida and Jacobs combined to go 8-of-9 from the free-throw line in the final quarter to seal the victory. Freshmen Ashley Van Sickle (13 points) and Sydney Prey (12 points) had solid games for the Mustangs.
Ralston Valley coach Jeff Gomer was happy to take the victory to open league play, but saw plenty of areas for improvement.
“We played like we were young,” said Gomer, who started a pair of freshmen and a sophomore. “We just weren’t very patient. We are talented. We are just young, but we’ve got to learn fast.”
Gomer was without the services of seniors Sierra Galbreath and Amanda Lefholz. Galbreath has an injury that will keep her out for about a month. Lefholz was ill Tuesday and didn’t make the trip up to Chatfield High School.
“We are going to need (Galbreath and Lefholz) later in the season,” Nishida said. “I think we came in timid and scared tonight without them. We’ve just got to build our confidence.”
Ralston Valley freshman Ashley Van Sickle (5) brings the ball up the court on Chatfield senior Kate Gelston on Tuesday night at Chatfield High School. (Dennis Pleuss)
Chatfield had some confidence after taking a 10-8 lead after the first quarter. Seniors Emily Lachenmayer and Katie Glander each scored 10 points to lead the Chargers.
An attacking offensive style for Chatfield paid off with several trips to the foul line. The Chargers finished 16-of-27 from the charity stripe. Ralston Valley on the other hand made just three trips to the foul line before the fourth quarter.
“If you are aggressive and attack you never know,” Chatfield coach Mike Deutsch said of the Chargers’ advantage at the line. “You let the officials make the call. That was encouraging.”
Deutsch also doesn’t mind the fact that his team faced Ralston Valley and goes up against undefeated Lakewood at 7 p.m. Friday before winter break. The Tigers are undefeated on the season and entered the CHSAANow.com 5A girls’ hoops rankings this week at No. 7.
“I like going into January knowing kind what we have to do and what we are up against,” Deutsch said of facing the two favorites to win the conference title. “I think it’s an advantage. We can talk over winter break about what we need to work on.”
Chatfield senior Jaelyn Gonzales, left, and Ralston Valley junior Morgan Nishida battle for a loose ball Tuesday during a Class 5A Jeffco League opener at Chatfield High School. Nishida scored a game-high 16 points in the Mustangs’ 60-51 victory. (Dennis Pleuss)
While Gomer wants this year’s squad to write its own chapter, he admits the conference success has put a target on its back.
“I know this,” said Gomer after the Mustangs stretched it conference-winning streak to 17 games dating back to last season. “Every time we step on the floor somebody wants a piece of us. That’s tough.”
To say Ralston Valley has dominated the 5A Jeffco League in recent years is an understatement. The Mustangs have a 31-1 conference record over the previous two seasons, only dropping their league finale to rival Arvada West during the 2011-12 season.
Ralston Valley rolled to a 16-0 league mark last year to claim its third straight 5A Jeffco championship.
Ralston Valley will continue its league journey on the road 7 p.m. Friday at Columbine.
Dakota Ridge senior Ian MacDonald, left, drives on Highlands Ranch Jack Fiddler during boys hoops action Monday at Dakota Ridge High School. The Eagles won their home opener 62-55. (Dennis Pleuss)
LITTLETON — Two timely 3-pointers in the fourth quarter Monday night propelled Dakota Ridge to a 62-55 victory against Highlands Ranch in boys basketball.
“I loved the way we responded to adversity,” said Dakota Ridge coach Curi Yutzy, referring to his Eagles squandering a 10-point lead in the first half. “With the league games coming up, teams will make runs. We are going to have to respond like we did tonight.”
Dakota Ridge senior Cambrian Antrillo glides toward the basket for an uncontested layup Monday in the Eagles’ 62-55 victory over Highlands Ranch. (Dennis Pleuss)
The non-league game was tied at 39-39 with 5:39 left in the fourth quarter at Dakota Ridge, Yutzy called a timeout to design a 3-pointer for senior Cambrian Antrillo. The initial 3-pointer was off the mark, but the Eagles grabbed the rebound and kicked it out to junior Mason Grothuemann for a 3-pointer in the corner, which he buried.
After a failed possession by the Falcons, Antrillo sank a 3-pointer in transition to push Dakota Ridge’s lead to 45-39 with 4:50 left in the game.
“Those definitely changed the game,” Grothuemann said. “We got on a roll after that.”
Dakota Ridge (4-1) sealed the victory by making 15-of-22 free throws in the fourth quarter. Grothuemann made 9-of-10 free throws in the final quarter to accumulate a team-high 16 points. Antrillo finished with 13 points and senior Jake Flores had a big second half, scoring all 10 points after halftime.
Senior Zach Braxton led Highlands Ranch (2-3) with a game-high 31 points. The 6-foot-9 post player for the Falcons had to carry much of the load with senior Evan Motlong and junior Keith Coleman missing the game due to injuries.
“We’ve got some guys out with varsity experience, but we expect guys to step up. I think they did for the most part tonight,” Braxton said. “We showed a lot of effort and we can only go up from here.”
Dakota Ridge seemed to throw everything but the kitchen sink at Braxton in attempt to slow him down. Junior Alden Erickson and senior Ian MacDonald shared the duty to cover Braxton for the majority of the game.
Highlands Ranch senior Zach Braxton goes up for a shot over Dakota Ridge senior Cambrian Antrillo on Monday night. Braxton scored a game-high 31 points, but the Falcons came up on the short end with a 62-55 loss. (Dennis Pleuss)
Erickson and MacDonald both fouled out in the fourth quarter while making Braxton earn every point. Sophomore Devante Jones got his turn on Braxton after Erickson and MacDonald fouled out.
“The team did a good job defending (Braxton),” Yutzy said. “The ball pressure on the perimeter was good and forced some turnovers. It was a good team effort.”
It was the third straight victory for Dakota Ridge. The Eagles’ loss this season came to Class 5A’s No. 2 ranked and undefeated Fossil Ridge.
Dakota Ridge tips off its 5A Jeffco League schedule when it hosts Pomona at 7 p.m. Wednesday before heading into winter break.
The Eagles’ home crowd was happy to finally see its team playing at Dakota Ridge as the student section chanted “We want Chatfield” as the final seconds ticked off Monday in the home opener for the Eagles.
Highlands Ranch hopes to break its three-game losing streak as soon as possible. The Falcons are scheduled to play in the Cherry Creek Tournament later this week. The Falcons will face Hinkley in the opening round of the holiday tournament at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 19, at Cherry Creek High School.
“We’ve got to take care of things at Creek to get some momentum going,” Braxton said.
Highlands Ranch senior Zach Braxton, left, looks for an open teammate while being covered by Dakota Ridge senior Ian MacDonald. Braxton had 31 points for the Falcons in their third straight loss. (Dennis Pleuss)
Thomas Jefferson remained in the No. 3 spot in the 4A poll. (Pam Wagner)
Unbeatens Arapahoe and Grand Junction have joined this week’s CHSAANow.com boys basketball rankings in 5A.
The Warriors (3-0) are No. 9, while Grand Junction (5-0) is No. 10. Highlands Ranch, last week’s No. 5, and Chaparral, last week’s No. 10, both dropped out this week.
Elsewhere, Denver East maintained its grip on the top spot, and Fossil Ridge continued its climb up the poll. The SaberCats are No. 2 this week, moving up two spots from No. 4. Fossil Ridge went 3-0 last week, including a 66-48 win over Highlands Ranch.
Overland fell one spot to No. 3, and is followed by No. 4 Mountain Vista and No. 5 Regis Jesuit. Mountain Vista moved up from eighth; Regis up from No 6.
Eaglecrest is sixth in this week’s 5A poll, Legend is seventh and Rangeview fell five spots to eighth.
In addition to Denver East, the other four No. 1 teams remained the same this week: Valor Christian (4A), Holy Family (3A), Sanford (2A) and Caliche (1A).
The 4A poll added Air Academy at No. 10 this week. That ranking also saw Thompson Valley jump from fifth to second following wins over three 5A teams. Thomas Jefferson is third.
Falcon 35, Greeley Central 11, Lewis-Palmer 8, Mountain View 7, Frederick 6, Mesa Ridge 2, Palmer Ridge 2, Glenwood Springs 1, Ponderosa 1, Pueblo South 1.
Dropped out
Denver South (8).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Holy Family (8)
5-0
98
1
2-0
2
Colorado Academy (1)
4-0
81
3
2-0
3
Brush (1)
2-0
77
2
1-0
4
Jefferson Academy
4-0
69
9
4-0
5
Bishop Machebeuf
4-0
67
6
3-0
6
Faith Christian
4-3
36
4
3-1
7
Moffat County
3-1
29
7
3-1
8
The Pinnacle
3-1
22
–
1-0
9
Kent Denver
3-1
20
10
2-0
10
Colorado Springs Christian
1-2
19
5
1-2
Others receiving votes:
Denver Science & Tech 10, St. Mary’s 6, Valley 6, Aspen 4, Monte Vista 4, Cedaredge 2, Sterling 1.
Dropped out
Aspen (8).
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Sanford (12)
4-0
155
1
4-0
2
Yuma (3)
3-0
125
2
2-0
3
Akron
2-0
110
4
1-0
4
Lutheran
2-1
106
3
1-0
5
Ignacio (1)
5-0
101
5
2-0
6
Resurrection Christian
4-2
75
6
3-0
7
Limon
3-1
39
9
2-0
8
Simla
3-1
31
10
2-0
9
Rye
4-1
30
–
1-1
10
Denver Christian
1-3
24
7
1-1
Others receiving votes:
Swink 23, Peyton 22, Haxtun 13, Alexander Dawson 11, Sedgwick County 6, Crowley County 3, Front Range Christian 3, Custer County 1, Paonia 1, Rangely 1, Sierra Grande 1.
Lakewood is No. 7 in this week’s 5A poll. (Kevin Keyser/KeyserImages.com)
Lakewood, coming off a 4-0 week, has jumped into the 5A CHSAANow.com girls basketball ranking.
The Tigers (6-0) are No. 7 this week, and are joined by fellow newcomer Cherry Creek (3-1), which is No. 9 this week.
Regis Jesuit remained as the unanimous No. 1 pick in 5A. In fact, the Nos. 1-4 teams stayed the same this week. The Raiders continued to be followed by No. 2 Highlands Ranch, No. 3 ThunderRidge and No. 4 Grandview.
Fossil Ridge jumped up from ninth to fifth, and Rock Canyon from eighth to sixth. Castle View is eighth, and Monarch is tenth.
Broomfield (4A), Holy Family (3A), Yuma (2A) and Caliche (1A) all remained atop their respective rankings this week.
Dakota Ridge is ranked fifth in this week’s hockey poll. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
Resurrection Christian and Lewis-Palmer have joined this week’s CHSAANow.com hockey poll.
Resurrection Christian, now 3-1-0, is No. 7 this week. The Cougars went 3-0-0 last week, including a 5-2 win over then-No. 8 Steamboat Springs on Friday. Steamboat dropped to No. 10 this week.
Lewis-Palmer, meanwhile, is No. 9. The Rangers beat then-No. 10 Standley Lake and Bishop Machebeuf last week.
Ralston Valley continued to hold the top spot. The Mustangs were idle last week, as was the No. 2 team, Monarch.
Regis Jesuit jumped up from No. 6 to No. 3 after winning its first three games of the season. Columbine is fourth this week, and Dakota Ridge rounds out the top 5.
Aspen (No. 9) and Standley Lake (No. 10) dropped out this week.
