LOUISVILLE — Fossil Ridge, ranked No. 2 in this week’s CHSAANow.com boys basketball poll, kept its perfect record intact on Tuesday night. But barely.

The Sabercats escaped from No. 9 Monarch’s upset bid with a 49-46 win on the road.

D’Evelyn senior Malia Shappell, left, goes up for a shot over Green Mountain senior MacKenzie Schaller on Tuesday night in Class 4A Jeffco League action. Shappell had a game-high 20 points as the Jaguars extended their conference winning streak to 36 games with a 58-50 victory. (Dennis Pleuss)

DENVER — A winning streak coming to end Tuesday night at D’Evelyn Junior/Senior High School was a certainty.

Green Mountain’s girls basketball team came in riding an 11-game winning streak, while the D’Evelyn Jaguars had won 35 straight Class 4A Jeffco League games dating back to the 2010-11 season.

D’Evelyn (12-3, 7-0 in league), ranked No. 8 in this week’s CHSAANow.com 4A girls poll, ran its conference streak to 36 games with a 58-50 victory over the Rams (13-3, 6-1). The Jaguars used their effective full-court press on defense and buried five 3-pointers to build a double-digit lead midway through the first half.

D’Evelyn senior Malia Shappell picks up her dribble during the Jaguars’ 36th straight Class 4A Jeffco League victory Tuesday night. D’Evelyn defeated conference rival Green Mountain, 58-50. (Dennis Pleuss)

“It just shows that we are the best team in the league when we play our best game of basketball,” said D’Evelyn senior Malia Shappell, who led the scoring effort with 20 points. “We actually didn’t play our best basketball tonight, but we pulled it out and played as a family. It was a team effort.”

Shappell was hot from beyond the arc. The senior guard drained four 3-pointers through the first 11 minutes of the game.

“I’ve got to thank my teammates,” said Shappell, who finished with five 3-pointers on the night. “They found me when I was open.”

D’Evelyn coach Chris Olson was aiming for his team to make six to eight 3-pointers on the night. Sophomore Lexi Reed (14 points) hit a pair and senior Katie Cunniff sunk a 3-pointer in the final quarter to give the Jaguars eight 3-pointers for the game.

While D’Evelyn long-range shooting was on, Olson best described his team’s defense.

“We smothered (Green Mountain),” Olson said. “We wanted to make sure we started well. We know they are real physical and try to pound and pound to beat you up. If you don’t start well then you are going to play from behind against that and it’s really tough to do.”

Green Mountain coach Rudy Martin admitted it was a little difficult to prepare for D’Evelyn and its defensive pressure.

Green Mountain senior Kelli Van Tassel (23) tries to get the ball away from D’Evelyn senior Emily Garnier (32) during the first half Tuesday night. Also pictured is Green Mountain junior Natalie VanDyke, far left. The Rams saw their 11-game winning streak come to an end with a 58-50 loss to D’Evelyn. (Dennis Pleuss)

“It’s hard to simulate their length and quickness in practice,” Martin said. “I think we settled down in the second half and realized where we could pass it and where we couldn’t.”

The Rams’ leading scorer was held in check for most of the game. Freshman Delaney Bernard was clearly the focus when Green Mountain was able to break through the Jaguars’ pressure. The sharpshooter finished with a pair of 3-pointers and eight points.

Green Mountain found success in the second half with senior Kelli Van Tassel (13 points) and junior Brooklyn Gaffner (nine points) doing damage down low.

“We’ve just really wanted to beat (D’Evelyn) for a long time,” Van Tassel said. “We really didn’t talk about their streak. We just wanted to play well against them and hopefully get the win.”

Green Mountain will get another shot at D’Evelyn toward the end of conference play. The Rams will host the Jaguars on Feb. 13.

“Next time when they come to our place we’ll see if they hit those 3s,” Martin said. “It wasn’t like (Shappell) wasn’t covered half the time. We had a hand up in her face. She just made them. Shappell had a good game tonight.”

D’Evelyn and Green Mountain will both be on the road for 4A Jeffco games at 7 p.m. Friday. The Jaguars face Alameda. The Rams square off against Wheat Ridge.

D’Evelyn senior Rachel Olson (15) blocks the shot of Green Mountain junior Brooklyn Gaffner (33) in Class 4A Jeffco League action Tuesday night. (Dennis Pleuss)

D’Evelyn senior Emily Garnier, left, secures a rebound in front of Green Mountain junior Brooklyn Gaffner on Tuesday night at D’Evelyn Junior/Senior High School. The Jaguars took a 58-50 victory over the Rams. (Dennis Pleuss)

The Colorado High School Activities Association, in partnership with ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps.com, will produce all-state teams for all sports, beginning with this past fall season.

Below is a memo which was sent out to all league presidents explaining the process:

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MEMORANDUM

January 28, 2014

TO: CHSAA League Presidents

FR: Ryan Casey, Director
CHSAA Web Services

RE: All-State Teams

Due to the overwhelming feedback from coaches and administrators around the state, we are partnering with ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps.com in an attempt to fill the void that now exists when it comes to all-state teams. Our hope is that, though late, we can start this year’s all-state teams with this past fall season.

All-state teams for sports which finish their season at a classification-wide individual meet will have all-state teams selected based upon performance at those meets. Therefore, the information below pertains only to so-called team sports. In the fall, that is softball, boys soccer, football, volleyball and field hockey.

With the help of coaches and administrators across the state, we have determined criteria on which the selection of these teams will be based. This process starts with you, and your league members.

The all-state process will be as follows:

• Nominations from leagues.
  • Leagues will nominate players for all-state consideration. In the future, our hope is that this is done concurrently with the existing all-league meeting.
  • Each league will be allowed to nominate X number of players, where X is the number of teams in the league.
  • These nominations do not need to be position specific. In other words, leagues can nominate multiple players from the same position.
  • Similarly, these nominations do not need to be school specific. So, leagues can nominate more than one player from the same school. However, each nomination counts towards the leagues total allotted nominations.
  • Leagues comprised of teams from more than one classification should simply make their selections, then input players’ classification when prompted.
  • The deadline for fall nominations will be February 10, 2014.
• Coaches voting.
  • All nominations will be entered into an easy-to-use database where each coach will be able to vote.
  • Each head coach will be permitted to vote one time.
  • Voting will then be tallied from February 12-19, 2014, and the teams will be announced on February 24, 2014.
• Team formats.
  • We will only be releasing all-state teams by classification. There will be no overall, cross-classification team. The reason for this is because, typically, cross-classification teams tend to overwhelmingly be comprised of players from the largest classification(s).
  • Each sport has a set number of slots for the all-state teams. These numbers were arrived at after considering things like roster size, lineup size and rotation size (the number of players who see action during a typical game/match).
  • An athlete will make the all-state team if they are among the top X vote-getters, where X is equal to the number of slots on that all-state team. (See below for specific numbers.)
  • As a general rule, each slot on the team will be filled without regard to position. Therefore, for example, an all-state softball team may have seven shortstops. There is one exception to this rule:
    • In certain sports, there are specialized positions. When appropriate, those positions will have their own voting slot. An example of this is a goalkeeper in soccer.
  • We will release a first- and second-team only if the classification is comprised of more than 48 teams.
  • Specific number of slots. (These are per all-state team. For example, in softball, there are 15 slots. That means there will be 15 first-team selections, and 15 second-team selections in 5A.)
    • Softball: 15. (5A: 1st/2nd; 4A: 1st/2nd; 3A: 1st)
    • Field hockey: 12 + one goalie for 13 total. (1st)
    • Boys soccer: 14 + one GK for 15 total. (5A: 1st/2nd; 4A: 1st/2nd; 3A: 1st)
    • Volleyball: 9 + one libero for 10 total. (5A-1A: 1st/2nd)
    • Football:
      • 1A-5A: 17 + 8 offensive/defensive linemen + 1 K/P for 26 total. (5A: 1st/2nd; 4A-1A: 1st)
      • 8-man: 12 + six linemen for 18 total. (1st)
      • 6-man: 14 total. (1st)
  • These teams will be known as the “CHSAA All-State Teams” and will be the official all-state teams of the Association.
    • All-state athletes will  be given a certificate to print out, and will receive additional recognition on their MaxPreps player profile

Again, league participation in this process is very important, so we appreciate your help. Without it, kids from your league will be unable to make the all-state teams. Only players nominated by leagues will be considered for the all-state teams. (Independents are the lone exception to this rule, and will be handled on a case-by-case basis.)

A complete schedule and scoreboard for hockey’s top-10 teams this week.

• Full schedule and scoreboard of this week’s games
• Complete CHSAANow.com rankings

A complete schedule and scoreboard for boys basketball’s top-10 teams this week.

• Live scoreboard
• Full schedule and scoreboard of this week’s games
• Complete CHSAANow.com rankings

Go to: 5A | 4A | 3A | 2A | 1A
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A complete schedule and scoreboard for girls basketball’s top-10 teams this week.

• Live scoreboard
• Full schedule and scoreboard of this week’s games
• Complete CHSAANow.com rankings

Go to: 5A | 4A | 3A | 2A | 1A
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Mountain Vista joined this week’s girls basketball ranking in 5A. (Taylor Blatchford/Mountain Vista Journalism)

Mountain Vista has joined this week’s CHSAANow.com girls basketball ranking in 5A.

The Golden Eagles, who have won 11 straight games, toppled then-No. 6 Rock Canyon as part of a 3-0 week last week. They are now ranked No. 9.

Aside from Rock Canyon, ranked teams in 5A went 20-0 last week. Regis Jesuit held on to the top spot in that poll.

However, there is a new team in the 2A poll, where Lutheran takes over for Yuma. The Lions moved up from No. 2 after Yuma lost to then-No. 4 Akron on Saturday. Lutheran also went 2-0 last week.

Akron moved up to No. 2 this week, while Yuma dropped to No. 4. Heritage Christian was the lone newcomer in 2A, joining at No. 10.

The other No. 1 teams stayed put. Those are Valor Christian (4A), Holy Family (3A) and Caliche (1A).

The 3A poll added No. 10 Brush, while 1A added No. 7 Briggsdale and No. 9 South Baca.

Complete rankings for all classes are below.

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CHSAANow.com Girls Basketball Polls

Voted upon by coaches and media members around the state. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.

Coaches and media members looking to vote should email rcasey@chsaa.org.

Go to: 5A | 4A | 3A | 2A | 1A

Eaglecrest is up to No. 3 in this week’s 5A poll. (Brock Laue)

The Centennial League is perhaps the strongest Class 5A boys basketball conference in the state. This week’s CHSAANow.com boys basketball poll continues to reflect that.

A poll-best four Centennial teams are ranked in the top-10 this week, led by Eaglecrest. The Raptors moved up to No. 3 following their fourth-consecutive win.

Cherry Creek is No. 6, Overland is No. 7 and Arapahoe is No. 8. Grandview, another Centennial team, also received votes.

"I’ve seen all of the teams in our league now," Arapahoe coach Dan Snyder said as Centennial League play was getting underway in early January, "and I can unequivocally say, without a doubt, this is the strongest the league has been — top-to-bottom — since I’ve been coaching at Arapahoe."

Still, the Continental has something to say when it comes to the strongest league this year. That league has three teams in this week’s 5A poll, led by No. 4 Mountain Vista. No. 5 Regis Jesuit and No. 10 Highlands Ranch — a newcomer this week — also hail from the Continental. So does Legend, which received votes this week.

Denver East stayed atop the 5A ranking, just ahead of No. 2 Fossil Ridge. The Angels got 12 first-place votes to Fossil’s eight.

Likewise, the other No. 1 teams also stayed put: Valor Christian in 4A, as well as Holy Family (3A), Ignacio (2A) and Caliche (1A).

Golden joined the 4A ranking at No. 10, while 3A added two new teams in No. 9 Moffat County and No. 10 St. Mary’s.

The 2A poll added Denver Christian (No. 9), and 1A added South Baca (No. 7).

Complete polls for all classes are below.

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CHSAANow.com Boys Basketball Polls

Voted upon by coaches and media members around the state. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.

Coaches and media members looking to vote should email rcasey@chsaa.org.

Go to: 5A | 4A | 3A | 2A | 1A

Cherry Creek is ranked No. 4 in this week’s poll. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)

Cherry Creek has jumped Regis Jesuit for the No. 4 spot in this week’s CHSAANow.com hockey poll.

The Bruins (11-2-1) have won six consecutive games, and edge the Raiders by one point.

Ralston Valley stayed in the No. 1 spot, where it has been since the preseason.

The complete poll is below.

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CHSAANow.com Hockey Poll

Voted upon by coaches and media members around the state. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.

Coaches and media members looking to vote should email rcasey@chsaa.org.

Windor’s Trenton Noller (76). (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)

As Signing Day draws increasingly near, seniors continue to make their college decisions.

A host of Colorado kids made their decisions over the weekend, including Overland linebacker Tre Thomas, who committed to Colorado State, and Windsor lineman Trenton Noller, who committed to the Naval Academy.

Thomas is the fifth in-state senior to pick CSU this cycle, following Loveland athlete John Freismuth, Douglas County running back Trey Smith, Pomona lineman Zach Stefo and Valor Christian defensive back Marcus Wilson. He chose the Rams over offers from New Mexico, San Jose State, UTEP, Wyoming and Northern Colorado, according to his Rivals.com profile.

Thomas, 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds, had 219 total tackles last season, a figure that led the state across all classifications. He also had four sacks and 16 hurries, along with two fumble recoveries, a forced fumble, and two blocked kicks.

“It’s a great school, a great community,” Thomas told GreenandGoldNews.com. “The players are good. I like the players, I like the coaches, and it’s in my home state, not too far from my family. So it seemed like the perfect fit for me.”

The 6-foot-4, 300-pound Noller also had offers from Arizona, Army, Georgia Tech, New Mexico State, Wyoming and Northern Colorado, according to Rivals.com. He announced his commitment over Twitter on Sunday morning:

Officially committed to The Naval Academy!

— Trenton (@Trenton_Noller) January 26, 2014

“It’s a huge weight off my shoulders,” Noller told the Fort Collins Coloradoan. “I love it here. They told me straight up that it will be hard, but I can get through it, and it will be more rewarding than if I go anywhere else.”

Additionally, Fairview lineman Connor Spencer announced his commitment to San Diego, an FCS program.

I've committed to play football at University of San Diego. Thanks to everyone that helped make this happen. Couldn't be happier #GoToreros

— Connor Spencer (@connorspencer74) January 27, 2014

With the three new commits, Colorado now has 35 players committed to Division I football programs — 25 to FBS schools and 10 to FCS. The 35 total is the most since the class of 2008, according to a search of the Rivals.com database. That year, the state produced 38 Division I recruits.

The 25 FBS commits are also the most since 2008, when the state had 33.

A few locals also declared their intention to head to Division II programs.

Included are Legend wide receiver/defensive back Elijah Cherrington (CSU-Pueblo), Smoky Hill quarterback Trent Clay (Black Hills State), ThunderRidge wide receiver Mark Hopper (Colorado School of Mines), Poudre quarterback Cody Limmer (Colorado School of Mines), Clear Creek wide receiver/defensive back Tevin Lucas (Sioux Falls), Lakewood quarterback Casey Nicholls (Sioux Falls), Dakota Ridge lineman Brant Seeley (Adams State), and Regis Jesuit linebacker Quinn Vandekoppel (CSU-Pueblo).

A full list of football commits can be found here.

Elsehwere, Monarch’s Parker Sitton committed to Arkansas State for track, and Legend’s Peyton Remy committed to New Mexico for baseball. Remy’s commitment means Colorado now has 29 Division I baseball recruits this class.