(Kevin Keyser/KeyserImages.com)

[dropcap]W[/dropcap]hen Pat DeCamillis took over the powerhouse Broomfield High School wrestling program it didn’t take him long to find success.

In year one with DeCamillis, the Eagles won the Class 4A state championship last February at the Pepsi Center in Denver.

Broomfield defeated Thompson Valley 127.50 points to 120 points, thanks to senior state champions Phil Downing (160 pounds) and Zach Stodden (182). Fellow Eagle seniors Jarod Albo (152) and heavyweight Austyn Harris also took second for the Eagles.

Downing actually became only the 17th wrestler in Colorado prep history to capture four state wrestling titles.

This season, everything has changed for the Eagles. Not only did they move up to the Class 5A ranks, but they did so after losing six total wrestlers to graduation.

“With the number of kids we lost to graduation it wouldn’t matter if we were 4A or 5A this year as far as working toward a championship,” DeCamillis said. “We are just trying to rebuild the foundation we have.”

DeCamillis was a three-time state champ at Arvada from 1988-90. And he is no stranger to 5A. Prior to taking over Broomfield, he spent eight seasons as the head coach at 5A Pomona.

Fueling the Broomfield charge this season will be senior Darek Huff.

Huff was a state-runner at 126 pounds last season and is expected to remain at that weight class this year. Huff will be joined by three state qualifiers Brandon Tyson (113), Randall Baker (145) and Connor Ventura (160).

“It’s not going to be an overnight fix,” DeCamillis said about getting his program back in contention to compete for a state title. “We have about 50 kids out for the program, so we have a lot of young kids, a lot of first timers. It has been a change of philosophy from teaching the elite to kind of having everybody come out and see what we have.”

This is unfamiliar territory for Broomfield’s wrestling program. Broomfield has won four state wrestling team crowns in the last six years. The Eagles won state titles in 2009, 2010, 2013 and 2014.

Since 2005, Broomfield finished no worse than fourth in the Class 4A state team standings.

“I’m going to build from within, and coach the kids who I have in the room,” DeCamillis said. “I wouldn’t expect us to be battling Arvada West and Pomona this year or even next year, but we will be back battling once we kind of get our foundation. With that said, I don’t expect these kids (this season) to be out of the top 10. If we are not in the top 10, I will not consider it a failure, but certainly that we didn’t do our job as coaches.”

Arvada West is the preseason choice to win the state 5A team title again. A year ago, Arvada West ran away from the competition with 179 points, followed by Pomona with 92 points.

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Wrestling preview

• Regular season begins: Dec. 1, 2014
• Regular season ends: Feb. 7, 2015
• Championships: Feb. 19-21, Pepsi Center (Denver)

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Defending champions

• 5A: Arvada West
• 4A: Broomfield
• 3A: Valley
• 2A: Paonia

Pueblo East High School linebacker Sonny Arellano makes a tackle against Coronado earlier this season. Arellano and the Eagles take on Rifle Saturday for the Class 3A state championship. (Alan Anderson)

PUEBLO — The combatants in the Class 3A state championship football game – Rife (12-1) and Pueblo East (10-3) – have vastly different playoff histories.

Rifle is playing in its fourth state championship since 2004 and has captured two state crowns outright in 2004 (Class 3A), and 1973 (Class AA) and shared the Class A title with Louisville in 1961 when the teams tied 6-6.

The Bears have played in six state championship football games, losing in the Class A finals in 1952, 3A finals in 2005, and most recently the Class 3A finals in 2012 to Silver Creek 32-15. This year’s 3A state title game begins at 1 p.m. Saturday at Dutch Clark Stadium in Pueblo.

“Even though we have had the great fortune to be in four state championship games the last 11 years, to us we say every team has a one year lifespan,” Rifle coach Damon Wells said. “This state championship game (Saturday) is the time for this group of kids. We are preaching to them and trying to help them just embrace the experience and get every little detail of enjoyment out of it.”

East, meanwhile, is playing the school’s inaugural football state championship. The school opened in 1959. The Eagles best finish in football came in 2012 when they advanced to the Class 3A state semifinals before losing at home to Rifle 56-6.

“There’s a lot of excitement,” said veteran East coach David Ramirez about his team making its first state finals appearance. “It’s a big game and we have it here at Dutch Clark, but for us on the team we understand there is a job to do. It has been a focused week and we just want to be ready for Saturday.”

Rifle is paced offensively by senior quarterback Layton Stutsman (1,045 yards passing and 422 yards rushing). Bears’ running back Brock Clark, a fellow senior, has 1,364 yards rushing and scored 21 touchdowns.

Wells also pointed out seniors, linebacker/guard Austin Shepherd, linebacker/offensive lineman Alex Gould, and linebacker/tight end Cody Rice, plus junior center/defensive lineman Joe Kosht need to play well against the Eagles.

The Bears have won six games in a row after suffering their only loss of the season to Palisade (18-10) on Oct. 10.

The Eagles are riding seven-game winning streak, including playoff wins over Palisade (28-14) and top-ranked Discovery Canyon (39-21). East’s three losses are to rival Class 4A Pueblo South (34-20), Discovery Canyon (27-21) and 4A Pueblo West (27-21).

East’s offense is fueled by junior quarterback Danny Martin (1,870 yards passing and 1,217 yards rushing) and sophomore running back Bryson Torres (1,219 yards rushing). Senior Kevin Ribarich has a team-best 1,233 yards receiving.

“Rifle has system that works for them and they like to run the football and they are physical,” Ramirez said. “On offense we need to put together drives and those drives need to end with scores.”

The Eagles’ defense is spearheaded by linebackers, senior Sonny Arellano (77 total tackles) and junior Bruno DeRose (142 tackles).

“Sonny has done a great job all year long and he’s our defensive leader, but I also think we have leadership by committee,” Ramirez said. “We have a lot of great football players on our entire defensive unit.”

Arellano is thrilled to have the opportunity to clash for a state title against Rifle.

“We’ve put in a lot of hard work to get to this point,” the 6-foot, 210-pound Arellano said. “We just have to do our job. We all have individual assignments and we go 1-on-1 every play and if every person beats their person across the line scrimmage we will be victorious.”

Logan Hixon (3) is a returning all-state player for Yuma this season. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)

[dropcap]P[/dropcap]laying for a state championship is a desire that burns deep for every high school program.

So in that instance, the Yuma Indians consider themselves extremely fortunate. In each of the previous two seasons, Yuma has found itself playing for the Class 2A state title in girls basketball. Just a few weeks ago the Indians also competed for the 2A volleyball crown, with a handful of basketball players on the roster.

Those are experiences no one would consider trading. The only negative? The Indians were the runner-up each time.

“Going in and just getting second kind of ticks you off,” said Yuma senior Katrina Terrell, who played in all three of the title games. “It shows you can get that close, and if you’d just done a little more you might’ve won it. Going into the next season it just gives you that drive and hunger to win it.”

That drive and hunger are ever present for the Indians’ girls basketball team headed into the 2014-15 season. Yuma hasn’t won a state title in the sport since 1997, and second will no longer cut it for a team eager to take its turn atop the 2A mountain.

“We have one goal right now, and it’s obviously a very lofty goal because there are several good teams,” Yuma coach Mike Neill said. “But we have one goal and that’s to win a state championship.

“What these girls have done the last three to four years is just amazing for Yuma girls basketball.”

The core of the current squad, ranked No. 1 in the preseason, consists mainly of juniors. All-state point guard Logan Hixon, Peighton Roth and Tara Traphagan, along with Terrell, saw playing time in the 2012 championship game, which ended with a 53-36 loss to Akron.

A year ago the squad had only one loss entering the state tournament. Yuma easily won its first two games before falling to Lutheran 47-35 in the finale.

(Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)

Even after losing Marina Hansen and Caitlyn Murphy to graduation, Yuma returns four starters from that team. Hixon averaged 15.1 points per game and Roth averaged 11.1. Terrell was third on the team in rebounding.

Four juniors will start this winter, with Taryn Baucke and Mariya Mekelburg added to the team’s strong junior class.

“As juniors we’ve been playing together for quite a while,” Hixon said. “The team chemistry is great.”

Hixon and Roth were lights out from 3-point range a year ago, with the two guards combining for 126 treys between them. Baucke figures into the mix as another guard; Terrell will likely assume her role at forward, though Neill said she could handle any of the five positions on the floor.

Traphagan is a 6-foot-1 post who has already verbally committed to the University of Wyoming for volleyball.

“We’re definitely going to have to step up a little bit with some of our rebounding,” Terrell said. “Getting big girls down low will be a little bit of a challenge, but we have some girls who I think will be just as good as Caitlyn and Marina were.”

The state field underwent a bit of shuffling this season. Lutheran, the defending 2A champion, returns the bulk of its championship team but moved up to 3A this season. Holy Family, the defending 3A champion, is now in 4A, and 4A runner-up Broomfield made the move to the 5A ranks. Caliche, the 1A runner-up, joins the 2A classification.

That doesn’t mean that 2A is Yuma’s for the taking. Akron, which placed fifth a year ago after winning it all in 2012, returns standouts Jordan Baer (17.7 ppg) and A.J. Miller (14.6). Hoehne didn’t graduate anyone and brings back all-state guard Cydney Kreutzer and forward Aspen Anderson. Neill also mentioned Caliche, Meeker and Peyton as all being strong contenders.

Akron, the preseason No. 5 team, and Caliche (No. 3) are in the Lower Platte League along with Yuma.

Having come so close in the past though, the Indians are out to prove no one wants it more than they do.

“Especially being there for two years, I think we’re just hungry,” Roth said. “We’re ready to win it this year and bring the gold ball back to Yuma. We have a great coaching staff that is going to help us get there.”

[divider]

Girls Basketball

• Regular Season begins: Dec. 1
• Regular Season ends: Feb. 21
• Preseason rankings

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Class 5A

• Defending champion: Regis Jesuit
• Runner-up: Fossil Ridge
• Preseason No. 1: Regis Jesuit
• Returning All-State Players: Cassidy Budge, Sr., Rampart (2nd team); Mackenzie Forest, Jr., Lakewood (2nd); Callie Kaiser, Sr., Broomfield (1st, 4A); Michaela Onyenwere, Soph., Grandview (1st); Jon’nae Richardson, Sr., Denver East (3rd).
• Championship: March 12-14, Coors Event Center, Boulder

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Class 4A

• Defending champion: Mesa Ridge
• Runner-up: Broomfield (moved to 5A)
• Preseason No. 1: Valor Christian
• Returning All-State Players: Kendall Bradbury, Sr., Valor Christian (3rd team); Caroline Bryan, Sr., Valor Christian (3rd); Katie Chavez, Jr., Holy Family (1st, 3A); Alex Dufour, Sr., Frederick (2nd); Kylee Shook, Jr., Mesa Ridge (2nd); Haley Simental, Sr., Pueblo West (3rd).
• Championship: March 12-14, Coors Event Center, Boulder

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Class 3A

• Defending champion: Holy Family (moved to 4A)
• Runner-up: Pagosa Springs
• Preseason No. 1: Sterling
• Returning All-State Players: Caylin Arnold, Jr., Strasburg (3rd team); Xiana Fernandez-Sanchez, Sr., Strasburg (2nd); Katherine Kia, Sr., Peak to Peak (2nd); Jenna Knudson, Jr., Sterling (3rd); Maya Love, Jr., Kent Denver (2nd); Lauren McDonald, Sr., Salida (2nd); Shelby Megyeri, Soph., Manitou Springs (3rd); Kaleigh Paplow, Sr., Lutheran (2nd, 2A); Adriana Rios, Jr., Platte Valley (2nd); Payton Shahan, Sr., Pagosa Springs (2nd); Chandler Sturms, Sr., Lutheran (1st, 2A); Kristen Vigil, Jr., Lutheran (3rd, 2A).
• Championship: March 13-14, Lockridge Arena, Colorado School of Mines, Golden

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Class 2A

• Defending champion: Lutheran (moved to 3A)
• Runner-up: Yuma
• Preseason No. 1: Yuma
• Returning All-State Players: Aspen Anderson, Sr., Hoehne (1st team); Jordan Baer, Sr., Akron (1st); Logan Hixon, Jr., Yuma (1st); Shayln Johnson, Jr., Caliche (1st, 1A); Cydney Kreutzer, Sr., Hoehne (1st); AJ Miller, Sr., Akron (3rd); Abbey Stagner, Sr., Sangre de Cristo (3rd).
• Championship: March 13-14, Massari Arena, CSU-Pueblo

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Class 1A

• Defending champion: Norwood
• Runner-up: Caliche (moved to 2A)
• Preseason No. 1: Briggsdale
• Returning All-State Players: Allyson Grahn, Sr., South Baca (1st team); Darian Hale, Jr., Briggsdale (2nd); Tanaia Hansen, Sr., Eads (2nd); Aurelia Isenbart, Sr., Kit Carson (2nd); Alyssa Lavato, Jr., Cheraw (2nd); Brittanie Newman, Jr., Eads (3rd); Reagan Schaffer, Jr., Idalia (3rd); Lucia Vikova, Sr., Norwood (1st); Jordan Williams, Sr., Norwood (1st).
• Championship: March 13-14, Budweiser Events Center, Loveland

It’s well established, dairy foods are a great source of calcium! Even more people nowadays are recognizing that dairy foods contain protein, too — anyone else enjoy Greek yogurt this morning?

Did you know that milk is a good source of nine essential nutrients?  Just one eight ounce cup of cow’s milk provides all of the following:

30 percent of the daily value (daily recommendation) of CALCIUM: Calcium is the nutrient most commonly recognized for its role in bone development. In fact, 99 percent of the body’s calcium is stored in the bones and teeth. The remaining 1 percent of calcium in the body circulates (mainly in the blood) plays many significant roles including participation in muscle contraction, nerve stimulus, blood clotting and the secretion of hormones. Dairy foods are the greatest source of calcium in the American diet.

30 percent of your daily value of VITAMIN D: There is currently a lot of research looking at the roles and recommendations for vitamin D. Some may even call it a “hot topic” in the nutrition science world. Vitamin D is well known for its role in bone growth — working with calcium and phosphorus to grow and maintain bones and teeth. Yet, vitamin D is technically a hormone and scientists have discovered many additional roles vitamin D may play including, but not limited to, immune function, cancer prevention, memory and reproduction. Vitamin D is naturally found in few foods. In the United States, cow’s milk is supplemented to provide Americans an adequate amount of vitamin D through a food they are (hopefully) enjoying every day.

10 percent of your daily value of POTASSIUM: Of interest to athletes, potassium plays a key role in electrolyte balance, one of the reasons the potassium in milk is helpful as a refuel beverage. Sodium and potassium work as a team to maintain many systems in the body that are vital for both children and adults.  Potassium also assists with muscle contraction and nerve impulses. Adults who get very little potassium from foods tend to have higher blood pressure and a higher risk for stroke.

25 percent of your daily value of PHOSPHORUS: In the sports nutrition world, phosphorus is very rarely recognized by its formal name but more often appreciated as a phosphate group in the body’s energy source — ATP. Athletes are not the only people who appreciate phosphorus: ATP is everyone’s energy source. Phospholipids are the structure of cell membranes, and 85 percent of phosphorus is stored in bone. Phosphorus is also recognized for many other important roles, so thankfully, it is readily available in many nutrient-rich foods, including dairy foods.

16 percent of your daily value of PROTEIN: Simply put, proteins are differing chains of amino acids and are important for life. When a protein is digested, each amino acid has a different role. Proteins are needed any time the body is growing or building, moving or digesting, healing or repairing. Dairy proteins are considered “high-quality” because they provide all of the 20 essential amino acids — building blocks necessary for many body needs.

25 percent of your daily value of RIBOFLAVIN: Riboflavin is necessary for the body to produce energy. The amount of riboflavin each person needs will depend on their specific energy requirements.

10 percent of your daily value of NIACIN: Similar to riboflavin, niacin is also necessary for energy — it helps turn food into energy for the body. People who are deficient in niacin can suffer severe consequences including symptoms related to abnormalities of the skin, digestive system and nervous system, but this only tends to only occur when people choose a diet which lacks variety and niacin.   

10 percent of your daily value of VITAMIN A: Did any of your family members ever tell you that eating carrots would help you see in the dark? The root of this wives-tale comes from the fact that carrots are rich in the orange pigment beta-carotene which is easily converted to vitamin A in the body. Most notably, vitamin A keeps eyes healthy, and luckily it’s in dairy foods, too.

20 percent of your daily value of VITAMIN B12: The vitamin B12 in milk is particularly important especially for any one following a vegetarian diet, or people who don’t eat animal products regularly. Vitamin B12 is unique in that it is naturally only found in animal foods. There are no symptoms from having too much vitamin B12, but not having enough over time can cause people to become extremely tired, with loss of appetite and even paralysis of the body.  

Dairy foods are more than just calcium. When we eliminate dairy foods from our diets, it becomes challenging to consume adequate amounts of many nutrients — nutrients that are important for all aspects of health.

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. 

Cherry Creek coach Dave Logan, left, and Valor Christian’s Rod Sherman during media day on Tuesday. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)

DENVER — To become a champion, losses must be embraced and used as learning tools to become a better team in the long run.

The Cherry Creek Bruins and Valor Christian Eagles have both overcome setbacks this season as the two prepare to battle for the Class 5A state football championship Saturday at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.

“To lose our last two regular season games it really gave us the chance to respond to some adversity,” Valor coach Rod Sherman said during Tuesday’s state championship press conference. “That is the great thing about high school athletics, you are going to have some bumps in the road and you get a chance to see how you are going to use those to grow and move forward.”

Cherry Creek and Valor enter the title game with six combined losses and identical 10-3 records. In the previous four 5A title games, the eight finalists combined for six losses going into the championship game.

The Bruins got off to a slow 1-2 start this season dropping non-league games to Pomona and Jordan (Utah). A loss to Grandview midway through its brutal 5A Centennial League schedule was Creek’s last loss before going on its current six-game winning streak.

Cherry Creek’s Milo Hall. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)

“It motivates teams to play harder the next game. Those losses are what got us going,” said Cherry Creek senior running back Milo Hall, who has 2,086 yards rushing this season. “We’ve bounced back and are getting ready for this game Saturday.”

It’s the first time Dave Logan, who will be coaching in his ninth 5A state championship game since 1997, has taken a three-loss team to the title game. Logan guided Arvada West (1997) and Chatfield (2001) to championships before taking Mullen to six titles games during his tenure with the Mustangs.

Cherry Creek claimed eight football titles from 1982 to 1996. It will be the Bruins’ first trip back to Mile High since 2008 and initial title game voyage with Logan at the helm.

“Even though we’ve lost three times, it has steeled us for the highest of competition,” Logan said of the season. “We’ve been in tough games and none will be bigger, nor tougher, than what we’ve got on Saturday.”

Valor had a total of three losses over its previous two seasons that ended with the Eagles winning back-to-back 5A titles. Two of those losses came against Utah powerhouse Bingham. This season Valor dropped a game against Chandler (Arizona), which will play for the state title in Arizona’s largest classification Friday.

The Eagles also had their 28-game winning streak against in-state schools snapped by Cherry Creek in a Centennial League game back in October. The Bruins won 33-17, scoring 26 unanswered points in the second half.

“We played really hard. It’s the only way that you have a chance to compete at the highest level against championship quality teams,” said Logan looking back at the first meeting against Valor. “You have to play with every fiber of your body for 48 minutes, otherwise you have no chance. We have great respect for Valor and what they have accomplished.”

Valor’s defeat against Creek was followed up with another conference loss against Grandview the next week.

Valor Christian dropped its final two games of the regular season, but has been on a roll ever since. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)

“For us with the losses we were able to look back and realized there were things we were missing,” Valor senior captain Nathaniel Whatmore said. “We were missing some motivation and we needed to fix the physicality. We came together as a team.”

Valor has put together four straight postseason victories since the back-to-back losses, including knocking off previously undefeated and Centennial League champion Grandview on the Wolves’ home field last Saturday.

“I’m really thankful to our players who embraced the newness of the playoffs and we’ve been able to play a little bit better playoffs,” said Sherman, who also admitted him and his staff weren’t “pushing the right buttons” at times this season.

Valor will attempt to win its sixth straight football title Saturday. The Eagles won the 3A trophy in 2009 before taking back-to-back 4A titles in 2010 and 2011 before moving up to claim the 5A championships the past two seasons. Valor has a never lost a playoff game, going 26-0 since 2009.

“It’s always be the motto of our program to challenge ourselves so weaknesses can get revealed so you can fix them,” Sherman said. “We would never want to be a team that is untested going into the playoffs.”

It’s fair to say Valor and Cherry Creek have dealt with their losses and disappointments in a positive manner to make them significantly battled tested going into Saturday’s 2:30 p.m. kickoff.

The 2014 all-state volleyball players of the year. From left: Eaglecrest’s Jordyn Poulter (5A), Lewis-Palmer’s Alexa Smith (4A), Resurrection Christian’s Madison Webb (2A), Idalia’s Reagan Shaffer (1A) and Eaton’s Kortney Lockey (3A). (Photos: Tim Visser and Matt Daniels/MaxPreps)

The 2014 all-state volleyball teams are presented by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps.

These team were created following a lengthy process which included nominations from leagues and then a vote of coaches.

Scroll down to see the teams, or use the menu below to navigate to the class of your choosing.

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

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Class 5A

Player of the year: Jordyn Poulter, Eaglecrest

Coach of the year: Stephanie Schick, Chatfield

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Class 4A

Player of the year: Alexa Smith, Lewis-Palmer

Coach of the year: Susan Odenbaugh, Lewis-Palmer

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Class 3A

Player of the year: Kortney Lockey, Eaton

Coach of the year: Gwen Forster, Eaton

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Class 2A

Player of the year: Madison Webb, Resurrection Christian

Coach of the year: Caleb Howard, Resurrection Christian

[divider]

Class 1A

Player of the year: Reagan Shaffer, Idalia

Coach of the year: Derek Herbert, Fleming

Colorado Academy lost last season’s 3A championship game by one point to Holy Family. (Pam Wagner)

[dropcap]I[/dropcap]t’s good to be wanted, a fact to which Justin Bassey can certainly attest.

The Colorado Academy junior is on the radar of a number of Division I colleges these days. Programs ranging from Harvard and Cornell to Gonzaga, Creighton and Vanderbilt, not to mention Colorado and Denver, are all interested in the 6-foot-4 standout.

But when the 2014-15 prep basketball season tips off in early December, Bassey has only one focus: Bringing the Class 3A state championship trophy back home with the Mustangs.

“It’s another thing to consider and contemplate,” Bassey said of the attention. “But during the season I don’t think my main focus will be college. It’s an exciting experience to have, but I also don’t want to allow that to sidetrack me from the current season.”

Colorado Academy comes into this winter with big ambitions after a one-point loss to Holy Family in the 3A state title game last March. The Mustangs had a final chance to take it all, but a last-second shot went off the back of the rim.

“Holy Family was kind of destiny. It was kind of their year. They were very good, very talented, very well-coached and had some really good senior leadership,” CA coach Steve Hyatt said. “We learned what it takes to get there. We know you’ve got to prepare every day and get better very day and focus on the process, not the product.”

“We don’t really care about win-loss records or rankings – all we want to do is try to hold that ball up at the end of the year.”

Holy Family moved up to the 4A classification this year, and Colorado Academy is among the early favorites to replace the Tigers as champions. In fact, on Monday, the Mustangs were ranked No. 1 in CHSAANow.com’s preseason poll.

Colorado Academy’s Justin Bassey. (Mark Adams)

Bassey, fellow junior Christian Hyatt and senior Chris Kuelling lead the way, with Bassey coming off a season in which he averaged 20.3 points and 8.1 rebounds per game.

“Justin is definitely a special, special player,” Coach Hyatt said. “He’s an unbelievable athlete – he can play point guard, post up, shoot 3s and handle the ball.”

Christian Hyatt started as a freshman and averaged 14.5 points as a sophomore. Kuelling was right behind him with 14 points a game, shooting 51 percent from 3-point range and knocking down 90 3s on the season.

The team is still young with a lot of junior talent, including Peter Vukovich-Simonson, a transfer from Valor Christian; and Will Creedon, a 6-8 post who played junior varsity as a sophomore.

“We’re constantly hungry. We had 11 guys on varsity last year and only four of those guys left,” Bassey said. “So really we have seven guys returning to the team who still have that bitter taste in their mouth. We came so close to winning a state championship, but coming up short, that will be a major motivation for us coming this year.”

Colorado Academy lost its second-leading scorer in Jack Buckmelter, who transferred to Denver East. Bassey said it’s a big loss, but it will force the Mustangs to play a different style and create a different dynamic.

“We have a really strong group of guys. Pretty much the whole lineup, I’ve known them all since fourth or fifth grade,” he said. “Our relationship off the court really blossomed on the court. You can see that chemistry we have and the feeling we have for each other’s game.”

Hyatt said scoring won’t be an issue for the Mustangs, but depth and getting the younger talent ready to play will be an early focus. With teams like Colorado Springs Christian (preseason No. 2), Faith Christian (No. 3), Moffat County (No. 4), Jefferson Academy (No. 5) and 3A newcomer Lutheran (No. 6) in the mix, getting back to the 3A state title game will be a challenge.

To help it better prepare for that competition, Colorado Academy is taking part in early tournaments at Fossil Ridge and Mullen, playing a handful of 5A and 4A teams.

“We want to go play good competition,” Hyatt said. “I tell the kids we can go 0-9 and I don’t care; we can go 9-0 and I don’t care. The purpose is to get better and we need to play tough competition.”

[divider]

Boys basketball preview

• Regular Season begins: Dec. 1
• Regular Season ends: Feb. 21
• Preseason rankings

[divider]

Class 5A

• Defending champion: Denver East
• Runner-up: Fossil Ridge
• Preseason No. 1: Overland
• Returning All-State Players: Blend Avdili, Sr., Eaglecrest (3rd team); Jack Buckmelter, Jr., Denver East (1st, 3A with Colorado Academy); Austin Conway, Sr., Overland (2nd); De’Ron Davis, Jr., Overland (2nd); Jake Holtzmann, Sr., Chaparral (2nd); Thomas Neff, Sr., Arvada West (3rd); Michael Sparks, Sr., Abraham Lincoln (3rd).
• Championship: March 12-14, Coors Event Center, Boulder

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Class 4A

• Defending champion: Pueblo East
• Runner-up: Denver South
• Preseason No. 1: Longmont
• Returning All-State Players: Dylan Brink, Sr., Erie (3rd team); Jake Gavitt, Sr., Elizabeth (3rd); Luke Golter, Sr., Holy Family (2nd, 3A); Chris Helbig, Jr., Holy Family (3rd, 3A).
• Championship: March 12-14, Coors Event Center, Boulder

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Class 3A

• Defending champion: Holy Family (moved up to 4A)
• Runner-up: Colorado Academy
• Preseason No. 1: Colorado Academy
• Returning All-State Players: Justin Bassey, Jr., Colorado Academy (1st team); Alex Greenly, Sr., St. Mary’s (3rd); Grant Harkness, Sr., Faith Christian (2nd); Deron Harrel, Jr., Denver Science & Tech (3rd); Kort Hawthorn, Jr., Moffat County (3rd); Samuel Howard, Jr., Colorado Springs Christian (2nd); Sam Parker, Sr., Grand Valley (3rd); James Willis, Sr., Lutheran (1st, 2A).
• Championship: March 13-14, Lockridge Arena, Colorado School of Mines, Golden

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Class 2A

• Defending champion: Sanford
• Runner-up: Akron
• Preseason No. 1: Sanford
• Returning All-State Players: Chance Canty, Jr., Sanford (1st team); Jared Clarkson, Sr., Akron (3rd); Connor Fiscus, Sr., Merino (3rd); Wyatt Hayes, Jr., Ignacio (3rd); Adison Jones, Sr., Ignacio (2nd); Christian Ortiz, Sr., Center (2nd).
• Championship: March 13-14, Massari Arena, CSU-Pueblo

[divider]

Class 1A

• Defending champion: Hi-Plains
• Runner-up: Caliche
• Preseason No. 1: McClave
• Returning All-State Players: Michael Durrill, Sr., Cornerstone Christian (3rd); Austin Littlefield, Sr., Prairie (3rd).
• Championship: March 13-14, Budweiser Events Center, Loveland

DENVER — The annual press conference ahead of the Class 4A and 5A football championships is on Tuesday at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.

The 4A game will match defending champion Pine Creek up against Longmont.

In 5A, defending champion Valor Christian will play Cherry Creek.

• ON DEMAND: On the NFHS Network

DENVER — The four finalists in the Class 4A and 5A football championships attended media day at Sports Authority Field on Mile High. Included was a tour of facilities.

The 2014 boys soccer players of the year: Boulder’s Quinn Liebmann (5A); Air Academy’s Austin Dewing (4A) and Kent Denver’s Max Mehlman (3A).

The 2014 all-state boys soccer teams are presented by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps.

These team were created following a lengthy process which included nominations from leagues, and then a vote of coaches.

Scroll down to see the teams, or use the menu below to navigate to the class of your choosing.

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

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Class 5A

Player of the year: Quinn Liebmann, Boulder

Coach of the year: Jim Davidson, Broomfield

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Class 4A

Player of the year: Austin Dewing, Air Academy

Coach of the year: Espen Hosoien, Air Academy

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Class 3A

Player of the year: Max Mehlman, Kent Denver

Coach of the year: Brad Homan, Denver Christian