CHSAANow

Month: April 2014

  • Explaining baseball’s Wild Card points

    CHSAA’s Wild Card points are, in effect, a formula to measure the relative strength of a team’s schedule.

    Baseball is among the sports that use this type of formula. However, in baseball, Wild Card points only factor into the postseason for classes 5A, 4A and 3A. Each of those classifications have a set number of qualifiers based upon league finish, and then fill in other spots based upon Wild Card point finish.

    • In 3A, 30 of the 32 postseason spots are filled by league finish. The other two spots can be claimed by Fort Lupton (which plays in the 4A Colorado 7 league) and Ridge View Academy (an independent) if either school wins 10 or more games against opponents in class 3A or higher. Thus, Wild Card points are only used in the event Fort Lupton and/or Ridge View Academy don’t meet that automatic qualifying standard. In that event, the remaining spot(s) will be filled by the teams with the highest wild card points who haven’t already qualified.
    • In 4A, 26 of the 32 spots are filled by league finish, and two more can come from individual qualifying criteria (Ponderosa and Valor Christian). Thus, between four and six spots in the 4A field come from Wild Card points.
    • In 5A, 25 of the 32 spots are filled by league finish. Seven spots come from Wild Card points.

    However, CHSAA determines Wild Card points for all classes because of cross-classification games which affect 3A, 4A and 5A.

    Out-of-state competition is assigned a Colorado-equivalent classification based upon enrollment.

    Wild Card points also determine seeding in 4A and 5A.

    • Seeds Nos. 1-8 will be set by the standings.
    • Seeds Nos. 9-16 will also be set by the standings, but can be moved up or down a seed to avoid “significant geographical conflicts” as well as league matchups.
    • Seeds Nos. 17-32 will be paired geographically (avoiding league matchups in the first round). Teams can move 2-3 spots from the final Wild Card standings to meet these requirements.

    The Wild Card point formula boils down to adding Victory Points & Defeat Points, then dividing the total by games played. The resulting total becomes a team’s Wild Card points.

    Victory Points & Defeat Points are determined by the number of wins an opponent has, as well as their classification. For example, a win over a 5A team with 12 wins is worth 129 points. A defeat to that same team is worth 95 points. A win over a one-win 5A team is worth 96 points; a loss to a 19-win team is worth 130 points.

    Find a full breakdown of this process in the in the baseball bulletin. A chart for Victory & Defeat Points is below.

    Class 5A
    Victory Defeat
    Wins Points Wins Points
    0 93 1 40
    1 96 2 45
    2 99 3 50
    3 102 4 55
    4 105 5 60
    5 108 6 65
    6 111 7 70
    7 114 8 75
    8 117 9 80
    9 120 10 85
    10 123 11 90
    11 126 12 95
    12 129 13 100
    13 132 14 105
    14 135 15 110
    15 138 16 115
    16 141 17 120
    17 144 18 125
    18 147 19 130
    19 150
    Class 4A
    Victory Defeat
    Wins Points Wins Points
    0 84 1 30
    1 87 2 35
    2 90 3 40
    3 93 4 45
    4 96 5 50
    5 99 6 55
    6 102 7 60
    7 105 8 65
    8 108 9 70
    9 111 10 75
    10 114 11 80
    11 117 12 85
    12 120 13 90
    13 123 14 95
    14 126 15 100
    15 129 16 105
    16 132 17 110
    17 135 18 115
    18 138 19 120
    19 141
    Class 3A
    Victory Defeat
    Wins Points Wins Points
    0 73 1 20
    1 76 2 25
    2 79 3 30
    3 82 4 35
    4 85 5 40
    5 88 6 45
    6 91 7 50
    7 94 8 55
    8 97 9 60
    9 100 10 65
    10 103 11 70
    11 106 12 75
    12 109 13 80
    13 112 14 85
    14 115 15 90
    15 118 16 95
    16 121 17 100
    17 124 18 105
    18 127 19 110
    19 130
    Class 2A
    Victory Defeat
    Wins Points Wins Points
    0 63 1 10
    1 66 2 15
    2 69 3 20
    3 72 4 25
    4 75 5 30
    5 78 6 35
    6 81 7 40
    7 84 8 45
    8 87 9 50
    9 90 10 55
    10 93 11 60
    11 96 12 65
    12 99 13 70
    13 102 14 75
    14 105 15 80
    15 108 16 85
    16 111 17 90
    17 114 18 95
    18 117 19 100
    19 120
    Class 1A
    Victory Defeat
    Wins Points Wins Points
    0 53 1 0
    1 56 2 5
    2 59 3 10
    3 62 4 15
    4 65 5 20
    5 68 6 25
    6 71 7 30
    7 74 8 35
    8 77 9 40
    9 80 10 45
    10 83 11 50
    11 86 12 55
    12 89 13 60
    13 92 14 65
    14 95 15 70
    15 98 16 75
    16 101 17 80
    17 104 18 85
    18 107 19 90
    19 110

  • Baseball’s Wild Card point standings, April 2

    Wild Card points help determine the postseason fields in 3A, 4A and 5A, with 4A and 5A also using them for seeding. Find a more detailed breakdown here.

    Baseball’s Wild Card point standings for April 2 are below.

    [divider]

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

    Class 5A
    Rank School Points
    1 Chatfield 109.429
    2 Regis Jesuit 104.167
    3 Fairview 104.000
    4 ThunderRidge 103.286
    5 Columbine 101.000
    6 Dakota Ridge 97.125
    7 Arapahoe 96.143
    8 Douglas County 94.857
    9 Rock Canyon 93.667
    10 Monarch 92.800
    11 Ralston Valley 92.714
    12 Mountain Vista 92.500
    13 Grand Junction Central 92.000
    14 Fossil Ridge 91.857
    15 Grand Junction 91.400
    16 Fruita Monument 90.545
    17 Chaparral 90.333
    18 Prairie View 89.714
    19 Brighton 87.875
    20 Mullen 87.667
    21 Arvada West 86.875
    22 Rocky Mountain 86.400
    23 Lakewood 86.000
    24 Lincoln 85.667
    25 Castle View 85.500
    26 Cherry Creek 84.125
    27 Pine Creek 82.625
    28 Mountain Range 82.429
    29 Standley Lake 81.625
    30 Bear Creek 81.571
    31 Doherty 81.000
    32 Horizon 80.714
    33 Highlands Ranch 80.714
    34 Denver East 78.667
    35 Northglenn 76.625
    36 Grandview 76.400
    37 Rangeview 76.333
    38 Aurora Central 75.750
    39 Legend 75.714
    40 Greeley West 75.143
    41 Eaglecrest 74.500
    42 Boulder 73.857
    43 Overland 73.667
    44 Littleton 73.167
    45 George Washington 72.636
    46 Montbello 71.875
    47 Palmer 71.286
    48 Heritage 70.714
    49 Liberty 69.857
    50 Fountain-Fort Carson 69.714
    51 Westminster 68.875
    52 Pomona 67.429
    53 Poudre 67.167
    54 Legacy 64.333
    55 Rampart 63.875
    56 Cherokee Trail 63.400
    57 Hinkley 61.889
    58 Loveland 60.200
    59 Fort Collins 60.000
    60 Smoky Hill 59.429
    61 Gateway 57.444
    62 Adams City 51.111
    63 Thornton 49.000

    Class 4A
    Rank School Points
    1 Evergreen 99.500
    2 Niwot 99.250
    3 Elizabeth 99.167
    4 Ponderosa 95.000
    5 Montrose 94.875
    6 Lewis-Palmer 94.000
    7 Wheat Ridge 93.250
    8 Windsor 92.625
    9 Green Mountain 92.600
    10 Delta 91.222
    11 Longmont 90.143
    12 Skyview 88.143
    13 Falcon 87.714
    14 Palmer Ridge 86.857
    15 Skyline 86.000
    16 Air Academy 85.400
    17 Valor Christian 84.625
    18 Canon City 83.800
    19 Durango 83.625
    20 D’Evelyn 82.000
    21 Palisade 81.625
    22 Golden 80.200
    23 Pueblo Centennial 79.333
    24 Thomas Jefferson 79.250
    25 Mesa Ridge 79.222
    26 Northridge 77.833
    27 Widefield 77.500
    28 Mountain View 74.750
    29 Rifle 74.429
    30 Erie 74.333
    31 Frederick 74.286
    32 Denver North 74.250
    33 Vista PEAK Prep 74.222
    34 Conifer 74.000
    35 Steamboat Springs 73.500
    36 Kennedy 73.273
    37 Montezuma-Cortez 72.750
    38 Denver West 71.500
    39 Battle Mountain 71.500
    40 Alameda 71.000
    41 Pueblo Central 70.667
    42 Pueblo West 70.333
    43 Greeley Central 70.222
    44 Eagle Valley 69.500
    45 Pueblo East 69.500
    46 Silver Creek 69.375
    47 Pueblo South 68.857
    48 Mead 68.750
    49 Thompson Valley 67.333
    50 Berthoud 67.167
    51 Discovery Canyon 66.571
    52 Coronado 64.000
    53 Vista Ridge 64.000
    54 Pueblo County 62.833
    55 Sand Creek 62.667
    56 Arvada 62.000
    57 Fort Morgan 60.333
    58 Englewood 60.143
    59 Cheyenne Mountain 60.000
    60 Broomfield 59.600
    61 Woodland Park 55.500
    62 Centaurus 53.000
    63 Summit 52.000
    64 Glenwood Springs 51.000
    65 Roosevelt 50.833
    66 Denver South 48.909
    67 Weld Central 45.833
    68 Sierra 45.571
    69 Mitchell 38.000
    70 Harrison 34.000

    Class 3A
    Rank School Points
    1 Eaton 90.500
    2 Valley 82.000
    3 Kent Denver 82.000
    4 Cedaredge 80.800
    5 Holy Family 80.667
    6 Gunnison 79.000
    7 The Classical Academy 79.000
    8 University 78.000
    9 Lamar 77.167
    10 Faith Christian 77.000
    11 Arrupe Jesuit 75.333
    12 Basalt 75.000
    13 Brush 69.750
    14 Fort Lupton 69.250
    15 Centauri 67.000
    16 Platte Valley 66.600
    17 Florence 65.500
    18 St. Mary’s 65.000
    19 Olathe 63.111
    20 Moffat County 61.286
    21 Strasburg 61.000
    22 Bennett 60.750
    23 Sheridan 60.571
    24 Manitou Springs 58.000
    25 La Junta 57.125
    26 Buena Vista 56.500
    27 Bishop Machebeuf 54.429
    28 Pagosa Springs 54.333
    29 The Academy 53.200
    30 Peak to Peak 53.000
    31 Clear Creek/Gilpin County 51.667
    32 Alamosa 51.333
    33 Ellicott 51.250
    34 Sterling 50.125
    35 Trinidad 49.714
    36 Roaring Fork 46.000
    37 Colorado Springs Christian 45.500
    38 Dolores Huerta Prep 44.143
    39 Monte Vista 43.800
    40 Jefferson Academy 42.000
    41 Salida 41.000
    42 Denver Science & Tech Stapleton 39.500
    43 Coal Ridge 38.833
    44 Grand Valley 38.750
    45 Platte Canyon 38.600
    46 Middle Park 36.250
    47 Colorado Academy 36.000
    48 Estes Park 35.571
    49 Aspen 34.286
    50 Manual 34.200
    51 Bruce Randolph 33.250
    52 Jefferson 28.333
    53 KIPP Denver Collegiate 20.000

    Class 2A
    Rank School Points
    1 Rye 69.143
    2 Peyton 69.143
    3 Swink 67.333
    4 Hotchkiss 65.000
    5 Kiowa 65.000
    6 Sedgwick County 63.000
    7 Front Range Christian 62.500
    8 Rangely 62.200
    9 Denver Christian 59.500
    10 Sierra Grande 59.333
    11 Resurrection Christian 59.000
    12 Springfield 59.000
    13 Ignacio 58.667
    14 Rocky Ford 58.143
    15 Yuma 57.750
    16 Fowler 57.400
    17 Limon 56.429
    18 Holyoke 55.667
    19 Crowley County 54.200
    20 Nucla 53.800
    21 Burlington 53.667
    22 Lyons 52.833
    23 Dolores 52.714
    24 Center 51.286
    25 Lutheran 51.200
    26 Alexander Dawson 49.714
    27 Custer County 49.667
    28 Haxtun 49.000
    29 South Park 48.143
    30 Paonia 47.167
    31 Akron 45.000
    32 Calhan 44.667
    33 John Mall 44.000
    34 Las Animas 42.000
    35 Evangelical Christian 39.500
    36 Wray 39.000
    37 Dayspring Christian Academy 38.000
    38 Merino 37.500
    39 Longmont Christian 35.286
    40 Sargent 33.000
    41 Highland 32.750
    42 Meeker 32.500
    43 Simla 30.000
    44 Sanford 27.500
    45 Antonito 26.000
    46 Wiggins 25.000
    47 Denver Academy 20.000
    48 County Line [Wiley/McClave] 15.750
    49 Pikes Peak Christian 15.000
    50 Cripple Creek-Victor 10.000

    Class 1A
    Rank School Points
    1 Stratton 62.333
    2 Elbert 61.250
    3 Weldon Valley 50.000
    4 Granada 44.500
    5 Dove Creek 44.500
    6 Cotopaxi 40.250
    7 Peetz 38.000
    8 Community Christian 36.857
    9 Manzanola 33.800
    10 Eads 28.857
    11 Caliche 28.286
    12 Rocky Mountain Lutheran 25.750
    13 Cheyenne Wells 23.333
    14 Fleming 22.500
    15 Cornerstone Christian Academy 22.000
    16 Holly 13.333
    17 Primero 11.667
    18 Briggsdale 10.000
    19 Denver Jewish Day 7.500

  • Lakewood picks Braun to head football program

    Lakewood quarterback Casey Nichols, pictures during a game against Fairview earlier this season.
    Lakewood will have a new football coach next season. (CHSAANow.com file photo)

    Jeff Braun, a longtime assistant coach at a number of Colorado schools, will be Lakewood’s next football coach.

    The school announced that it had hired Braun in an email Wednesday afternoon. He spent the past two years as the Tigers’ defensive coordinator, and has also been an assistant coach at Mullen, Chatfield, Arvada West, Pomona and Regis Jesuit.

    “We enthusiastically welcome Jeff and are excited to have his positive and hard-working attitude leading our students in the classroom and on the field,” Lakewood athletic director Tim Walker, Jr. said in a statement.

    Braun spent a lot of time on Dave Logan’s highly-successful staff at Mullen, winning state titles there.

    He’ll replace Mark Robinson, who had been at Lakewood for 16 years before taking the head job at Highlands Ranch in early March.

    Lakewood is coming off a 3-7 season, though that record is deceiving. The Tigers had three losses of seven points or fewer, including a 45-43 defeat to eventual state runner-up Fairview.

    They will have to find a new quarterback with senior Casey Nichols graduating, though leading rusher Sean Pinson, an all-around threat, was a junior last season. Defensively, Lakewood’s top four tacklers will be back.

    Lakewood went 5-5 in 2012, and was 12-2 during a run to the 5A title game in 2011.

    Braun also assists with Lakewood’s track program. He will teach PE at the school in 2014-15.

    We’re tracking of football’s offseason coaching changes here.

  • Photos: Cutler’s hat trick leads Fossil Ridge in top-10 girls soccer showdown

    WESTMINSTER — Grace Cutler completed her hat trick in the game’s final seconds to lead No. 6 Fossil Ridge to a 3-2 win over No. 4 Legacy on Tuesday afternoon.

    Kaylee Kennedy and Makenna O’Grady scored for Legacy.

  • Photos: Humpal’s goal holds up as Fort Collins girls soccer tops Horizon

    WESTMINSTER — Payton Humpal scored the game’s lone goal in the first half to lead No. 10 Fort Collins to a 1-0 win over Horizon on Tuesday. Nicole Dietrich had the assist.

  • Senior group leads emergence of Chatfield girls lacrosse

    Cherry Creek Chatfield girls lacrosse

    Since becoming sanctioned seven years ago, Chatfield’s girls lacrosse program has slowly been trying to evolve into a state powerhouse.

    The road hasn’t always been a smooth one. The Chargers have fallen in the second round of the state playoffs in each of the past three seasons, but a core group of seniors has third-ranked Chatfield believing that 2014 could be the year big things happen.

    Look no further than March 21, the team’s final game before spring break. The Chargers came into the Stutler Bowl to face defending state champion Cherry Creek on its home field, and left with an impressive 14-9 victory.

    Cherry Creek Chatfield girls lacrosse
    (Tim Visser/TimVisserPhotography.com)

    “Going into the Stutler Bowl was definitely a big game. The girls were ready,” Chatfield coach Adam Everett said. “I could tell from their responses and their body language that they were ready for a big test. It was a fun game.

    “Going into the Stutler Bowl to play Creek is a big deal for just about anyone. I’m glad everything turned out in our favor.”

    Chatfield (3-0) has been waiting a while to hear those words. Even after capturing its first Jeffco League title in 2013, the team was stunned by a 20-9 defeat to Arapahoe in the playoffs.

    “The wheels came off. I think that’s the ghost that kind of haunts us,” Everett said. “Do we have the mentality to win the big game when the pressure is on and to get us over some of the hurdles we’ve encountered over the past couple years? That’s where I have to rely on this group of seniors.”

    Those seniors have been the foundation and helped to put the school on the lacrosse map. Most of them have played together since grade school and made the varsity squad their freshman year.

    Five Chargers have signed to play at the collegiate level. Rachael Walker (Oregon), Emily McMinimee (Duquesne) and Allie Sale (American) are the program’s first Division I signees; Savannah Mellberg is headed to Scripps College and Shelby Piper to Allegheny College, both D-III programs.

    Junior Kendra Lanuza has verbally committed to the University of Denver.

    “Coming in was not easy. We had to work really hard to get onto the team,” McMinimee said of the group’s freshman year. “But I think we’ve made a difference. It made it a lot easier to have those others with me.”

    McMinimee has started at goalie over the past four seasons. Walker and Piper have made for a formidable attacking duo, with Sale and Mellberg helping to anchor the defense.

    In her three-plus years with the program, Walker has 134 goals and 123 assists; Piper has notched 172 goals to go along with 69 assists. Lanuza leads the team this season with 15 goals.

    “I think it’s extraordinarily important to have so many options on the attack. So many girls can handle the ball and score and also look for the assist as well,” Everett said. “It’s really important, and something I think that is underrated on our team.”

    Cherry Creek Chatfield girls lacrosse
    (Tim Visser/TimVisserPhotography.com)

    Chatfield opened 2014 with victories over ThunderRidge and St. Mary’s Academy by a combined 36-9 margin. It was the victory over Cherry Creek, though, that really showed the squad it can compete with the state’s elite.

    Walker scored six goals in the victory, with Piper and Lanuza adding three each. McMinimee recorded nine saves.

    “I’ve never had a moment where we’ve been so happy,” Walker said. “We’ve never worked as a team as much as we did that game. We pulled it together from the beginning.”

    The players will be the first to say though that one victory doesn’t make a whole season. There are still plenty of tests over the next several weeks, and opponents in Jeffco will be eagerly awaiting to try and dethrone the defending league champs.

    “We can’t go into any game thinking we’ll beat everybody just because we beat Creek,” McMinimee said. “We still have to work really hard and prepare for every game.”

    The players have their eyes on making a postseason run, but before that can happen the Chargers have to get through an April gauntlet first. The Jeffco League opener is Thursday against Wheat Ridge. Chatfield will play 12 games in April, including a 2013 playoff rematch against Arapahoe on April 26.

    Everett said defending the league title could be even tougher because of the target on the team’s back and the possibility of falling prey to overconfidence.

    “We always go into every game prepared and taking it one game at a time,” he said. “I think that’s really essential for Jeffco. This year it’s essential the girls are prepared for every single challenge that comes up.”

  • Team meals: Thinking outside the spaghetti bowl

    Team dinners are a great way to build camaraderie and instill team spirit prior to a game or competition. But what you eat the night before an event, in addition to how you eat each and every day, can affect your athletic performance positively or negatively. Here are three things to think about when planning a team dinner:

    What is “carb loading” and is it beneficial? Carb loading is more than that big spaghetti dinner you enjoy with your team the night before a meet or game. The idea behind carb loading is to make sure your muscle glycogen stores (your energy reserves) are at their max prior to game day, but eating too much of a good thing can be bad. Without a doubt, carbohydrates are a great choice for fueling muscles, but make sure you are enjoying a variety of carbohydrate-rich foods throughout each day, such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables, in addition to your carb-centric evening meal.

    Why are all Five Food Groups important? Eating a variety of foods from all Five Food Groups will help you get adequate fuel (in the form of calories), in addition to essential vitamins and minerals necessary for optimal training, health and immunity. Remember, make two-thirds of your plate carbohydrate-rich foods and balance that out with lean proteins, low-fat dairy foods and healthy fats.

    Fluids: Which ones should I serve? During activity you lose fluid in the form of sweat; the harder you exercise, the more fluid you lose. But rehydrating after exercise isn’t enough. You must work to stay hydrated throughout the day. A good strategy is to drink milk with meals and water with snacks and between meals. Milk, both white and chocolate, is an excellent choice as it provides carbohydrates which help fuel muscles, high-quality protein to aid in muscle-building and repair, and essential nutrients for healthy bones and bodies. Both white and chocolate milk are popular offerings at team dinners.

    Taking into account these three key variables, here are some meal ideas for your next team gathering:

    Pasta: Pasta is a great source of fuel in the form of carbohydrates, but it is a marginal source of vitamins and minerals. Make your pasta dish a nutrition powerhouse by adding vegetables and protein. Try topping your pasta with a hearty tomato sauce and lean ground beef meatballs, or mix spiral pasta, broccoli, bell peppers, diced tomatoes and black olives with grilled chicken slices and a little bit of Italian dressing for a healthier twist on pasta salad. Serve a green salad as a compliment to the main pasta dish and round out the meal with a cold glass of milk and fruit for dessert.

    Stir fry: Rice is another popular carbohydrate choice as it is fairly easy on the stomach and can be used in a variety of dishes. Try making a big wok of stir-fried vegetables and offer grilled chicken strips or tofu, with a choice of sauces to put on top – that way each member of the team can customize their meal.

    Make-your-own pizza bar: Pizza can be a nutrient-rich and popular option for athletes. Choose whole grain crusts, either homemade or store-bought, or substitute a traditional crust with English muffins or bagels. Offer a variety of sauces and toppings, keeping fruits (think pineapple) and vegetables, lean proteins and low-fat cheeses top of mind. Allow each athlete to make their own pizza. Serve with a salad bar, and white and chocolate milk.

    Smoothies: Popular among athletes, smoothies make a great after-dinner treat. Simply mix fresh or frozen fruit, milk and yogurt in a blender. Put together a “create-your-own” station, letting the athletes choose their “blend.”

    Whether before each meet or at the end of the season, use team dinners as an opportunity to fuel up on carbohydrates, enjoy a variety of foods from all Five Food Groups and ensure adequate fluids all while enjoying the company of teammates.

    Athletes can train harder and perform better with proper nutrition. Visit WesternDairyAssociation.org to read more about milk as an exercise recovery beverage and learn how to eat for peak athletic performance.