ARVADA — Cody Noel and Tony Salazar each had two goals, Scott Albertoni had a shutout, and No. 5 Ralston Valley hockey beat Battle Mountain 7-0 on Thursday.

HIGHLANDS RANCH — D’Evelyn boys basketball beat Valor Christian on Thursday.

This week’s wrestling rankings from On The Mat are out.

The No. 1 teams all remained the same: Arvada West (5A), Thompson Valley (4A), Brush (3A) and Paonia (2A).

Complete team rankings for all classes are below.

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On The Mat Wrestling Rankings

Tim Yount of On The Mat provides weekly wrestling rankings for teams and individuals in all weight classes. To see individual rankings, you can subscribe to On The Mat’s full rankings.

To subscribe via PayPal, choose your subscription option on this page click on the corresponding PayPal button. To subscribe by mail or fax and pay by personal check, click here for a printable subscription form. Email Tim Yount at tim@onthematrankings.com with questions.

To purchase individual weeks of the rankings (as opposed to the entire season), you will need to use the printable subscription form and pay by check. The season ranking subscriptions are offered at a discounted rate.

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

The Colorado Springs Metro League is working on a proposal that would seek sanctioning for girls rugby in Colorado. (Tawnya B Photography)

AURORA — Girls rugby is closer than ever to becoming an official high school sport.

The Colorado Springs Metro League is working on a proposal seeking sanctioned status in Colorado. That proposal will either be submitted at a Legislative Council meeting for consideration this April or in January 2016 with an eye at starting the sport sometime in the 2016-18 two-year cycle.

If everything falls into place — many, many hurdles remain — Colorado would become the first state to sanction rugby as a varsity sport.

“Might as well be the first,” said Dave Eichman, the district athletic director at District 11 Schools in Colorado Springs. “That’d be cool. I know as our league, though, that’s not why we’re doing it. When it comes down to it, its really about providing an opportunity.”

“It’d be huge; historic,” said Amy Rusert, the head women’s rugby coach at Colorado College who works with Varsity Rugby, a leader in the drive for sanctioning.

The current plan is only aiming to add girls rugby as a sanctioned sport, not boys.

“Really what interests us is we recognize the need to get more girls participating,” Eichman said. “It seems like when we get into the high schools, we’re losing girls for whatever reason. Anything we can do to increase participation in girls sports, we want to do that.

“We also found that we already do have quite a lot of girls participating in girls rugby at the club level.”

A survey last year, spearheaded by varsityrugby.org, showed there was interest among the membership in sanctioning girls rugby.

Five schools indicated they would definitely be interested in adding a girls rugby program. Nine said they would like to add both boys and girls rugby, while 31 indicated they would be interested “if supplied more information.”

In order to become sanctioned, first the CSML needs to officially submit the proposal to amend CHSAA bylaws. It would then need majority approval from the Legislative Council.

If approved there, a rugby committee would be formed to iron out the details: season of sport, the number of games played, postseason format, and so on. That committee would submit its report to the Legislative Council with the structure of the sport outlined. If approved, girls rugby could begin play.

The CSML won’t submit its proposal, however, until a second survey goes out to the membership seeking commitments from schools to add a program. That will happen early next month.

The sport likely wouldn’t be added unless there are at least 12 schools willing to field programs. At that point, even if there are only 12 schools wanting programs, history has shown the Legislative Council to be willing to approve a sport even if their school or area they represent aren’t going to offer a program.

“Just because we support it and think it’s good and we think there’s interest there, doesn’t mean everybody has to (offer) it. It can’t hurt,” Eichman said. “And we said that even within our own league: Just because we’re proposing it doesn’t necessarily mean we’re going to have a team, either. There’s still a lot of issues, and other kinds of things around facilities, that we need to deal with. My guess is it would grow.”

Rugby Colorado currently oversees a girls rugby club league with 12 teams. The league is expanding to 14 teams next season.

“I imagine we’d have more than (12),” Eichman said.

Currently, the thought is that the girls rugby would be added to the fall season because many of the potential athletes would also likely play soccer and lacrosse, both of which are contested in the spring.

“It might be a good fit to get those kids involved in another sport, and have multisport athletes,” Eichman said. “You also might have some rugby kids who then they may become interested in crossing over into lacrosse or soccer, which would help those programs, too.”

Though nothing is official, an eight-game schedule during the regular season where teams play once a week has also been kicked around.

If the sport were to begin play in the fall of 2016, the sanctioning proposal would likely need to be submitted to the Legislative Council this April in order to give enough lead time to hammer out the details of the sport, and to allow schools to budget for it. If it were to be submitted to the Legislative Council in January 2016, girls rugby likely wouldn’t begin play until the fall of 2017.

CHSAA hasn’t added a sport since since 1998-99 with the addition of boys lacrosse. Girls lacrosse was added in 1998, and field hockey joined in 1997.

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

MONUMENT — Jonathan Scott once again paced the Lewis-Palmer Rangers by scoring a game-high 22 points in the 56-44 win over Palmer Ridge.

But it was Colin Cicere who scored arguably the most important seven points of the game. He started off the fourth quarter by knocking down a three-pointer for his first points of the game. Then, with the Rangers (10-5 overall, 5-1 4A Pikes Peak League) up 46-39, he scored two straight baskets, the second of which coming from a behind-the-back pass from Sam Strasburger.

Palmer Ridge (10-6, 2-5) called timeout. The Rowdy Rangers celebrated an all-but-sealed victory.

“That was awesome,” Cicero said. “I couldn’t hear anything after that. I couldn’t hear myself and I was screaming pretty loud.”

That moment was representative of the atmosphere at Lewis-Palmer High School. Wednesday was the first meeting of the season between the district rivals and it wouldn’t have been a surprise if the energy from the gym registered on the Richter Scale.

Both teams started the game running, hoping to impose their own will. Though there was plenty of movement in the first quarter, there were few baskets and Palmer Ridge walked away with a 8-6 lead.

The pace picked up significantly in the second quarter and was highlighted by a lob pass from Strasburger that Scott slammed home to give the Rangers a 15-12.

“We practice those plays all the time, that’s not just something we do for a rivalry game,” Scott said. “(But) with this many people here, it’s great.”

The Rangers looked to have momentum going into halftime, but Cole Hurford was fouled when heaving up a last-second three-pointer. He made all three free throws, sending the teams to the locker with the Rangers leading 21-20.

The opening possession of the second half also favored the Bears as Tyler Trego knocked down a three-pointer to give them a two-point lead. But that was the last lead they would hold as Scott and the Rangers seized control.

Scott scored seven of his 22 in the third quarter and Lewis-Palmer never looked back.

“If the focus turns to Johnny, it opens things up for other guys,” Rangers coach Bill Benton said. “If he’s having success I think other guys will feed off that.”

Trailing going into the fourth quarter, the Bears turned to their star forward Matt Cameron to try and get them back in the game. Cameron led the Bears with 19 points, 10 of which came in the fourth quarter. But in the end, Lewis-Palmer had built up too big of a lead, thanks in part to the Bears having a poor night shooting from the field.

“We shot (13) for 35,” Bears coach Nick Mayer said. “When you shoot like that from the field, you’re not going to win many games.”

Despite the loss, Mayer was happy to see his kids come out and compete with a team that is arguably the second-best in the Pikes Peak League. He’s anticipating the rematch that will close the regular season for both squads.

“Hopefully next time we play we’ll see this atmosphere again and it’ll be a different story with the outcome,” he said.

Ed Hartnett. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)

AURORA — Eddie Hartnett, the district athletic director of Adams 12 Schools and a member of CHSAA’s board of directors since 2012, has been named the Association’s new board president.

The announcement will be formally made at the Legislative Council meeting on Thursday morning.

“It’s an honor,” Hartnett said on Wednesday night. “Over many years of experience of working with people, especially kids, I’m very fortunate to be in this position.

“It sounds to cliché to say that it’s humbling, but it really is,” he added. “If you look over the years at the CHSAA presidents, including Curt Wilson and Harry Bull, the last two (presidents) before me, they’ve impacted my life in such a positive manner that I hope to be half the president that they were.”

Hartnett’s term will begin in June 2015, when he will succeed current president Curt Wilson. Hartnett is currently the representative from District 6, which includes the Continental, Front Range and 5280 leagues.

He will be the 60th president in the Association’s history, which dates to 1921.

“Thinking about having the opportunity to represent all of the communities in Colorado is really humbling,” Hartnett said. “It really is.”

Hartnett formally applied to be the board president in December. He wrote a letter to CHSAA commissioner Paul Angelico as part of a that process, and discussed it during the board meeting on Wednesday.

“It was quite a humbling experience to basically look at myself to represent such quality people in this room,” he told the board on Wednesday. “I’ve never, ever worked with people who’ve influenced so many lives.

“It’s an amazing group of people to work with, in this room, as well as the schools, the communities, the coaches, the athletes,” Hartnett added. “To write a letter saying, ‘I would like to represent all of you,’ was quite humbling.

“I am asking to represent you as president,” he said.

Shortly after, the board went into executive session to discuss the next president. It then voted to name Hartnett president.

“We’re excited to have Eddie as our new president,” Angelico said. “Curt Wilson is a tough act to follow, but with Eddie’s experience and reputation for attention to detail and teamwork, and making sure things are done right, I look forward to seeing what his leadership brings for the next couple of years.”

Hartnett began his career as an athletic director at Nederland, and was also AD at Northglenn. Prior to that, he was a teacher in Broomfield, and also coached football, baseball and basketball in Boulder Valley. He is a graduate of Broomfield.

He said his experience in both small and large schools should be helpful in his role as president.

“I have developed, over the years, an enormous amount of relationships that I take great pride in which encompass 5A schools, metropolitan schools, rural schools,” Hartnett said. “I think that will help the Association. That’s my hope. And I look forward to facilitating and continuing great relationships already established by previous presidents.”

At Adams 12, Hartnett has been instrumental in a number of the district’s programs, including its Unified teams. He is also active in the Colorado Athletic Directors Association, and is a member of their board.

In addition, Hartnett chairs of CHSAA’s equity committee, which oversees inclusion in the Association — from Title IX to LGBTQ and other issues of equality.

Just this week, he was honored by the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association with an award recognizing his “significant contributions” in professional development of administrators.

Ralston Valley sophomore Ashley Van Sickle (5) brings the ball up the court after one of her nine steals Wednesday night as Dakota Ridge junior Becky Holley (23) and senior Sydney Buchli (12) attempts to cut off her path to the basket. (Dennis Pleuss)

ARVADA — Halfway through the Class 5A Jeffco League girls basketball conference schedule Ralston Valley is planted in the driver’s seat.

The Mustangs, ranked No. 8 in the latest CHSAANow.com 5A girls hoops poll, improved to 7-0 in league play Wednesday night with a 74-41 home victory against Dakota Ridge (7-9 overall, 4-3 in league).

“We have our confidence up, but we are going to have to keep it there,” Ralston Valley sophomore Sarah Bevington said after the 33-point victory. “We have to keep working hard and never let down.”

Ralston Valley sophomore Micheala Shaklee snags a rebound during the second quarter Wednesday night during the Mustangs’ 74-41 victory against Dakota Ridge. (Dennis Pleuss)

Bevington and fellow sophomore Ashley Van Sickle led the way for the Mustangs (11-4). Both just missed out on double-doubles. Bevington scored a game-high 19 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Van Sickle poured in 16 points and recorded nine steals.

“(Bevington) was doing so good,” Van Sickle said. “She kept crashing the boards and rebounding. She played great.”

Bevington actually scored Ralston Valley’s first nine points of the game. The 6-foot forward dominated down low early on. Her 3-point play midway through the first quarter gave the Mustangs a 9-2 lead.

“She (Bevington) was really big because I thought we were flat coming out,” Ralston Valley coach Jeff Gomer said. “All the sudden she gets that little run and that got us going. Once we got going we were pretty good.”

Van Sickle poured in 11 points in the first half. Senior Morgan Nishida’s 3-pointer with 4:18 left in the second quarter gave the Mustangs their biggest lead of the first half, 28-12.

Van Sickle missed four games earlier in the season, including two games during Ralston Valley’s four-game losing streak. The Mustangs dropped games to Broomfield, Fairview, Mountain Vista and Monarch before reeling off their current seven-game winning streak.

“She (Van Sickle) creates a lot for us,” Gomer said. “She is a difference maker for us.”

Ralston Valley’s defensive pressure gave Dakota Ridge fits for the majority of the game. With the Mustangs’ deep bench Gomer was able to utilize Ralston Valley running ability throughout the game.

“Our team is really good at getting steals,” Bevington said of the 18 steals the Mustangs grabbed. “We are good enough to run and get up the court. Everyone played really good.”

Nishida and sophomore Chloe Gillach each poured in nine points as 10 different Mustangs scored in the victory.

Dakota Ridge had a dozen different players score as both coaches emptied their benches in the fourth quarter. Junior Annie Kotarba led the Eagles with eight points.

Now, Ralston Valley begins the second go-around against league foes. The Mustangs travel to Arvada West to face the Wildcats on Friday. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.

Gomer fully expects to see some different looks from conference foes after Ralston Valley won all seven league games by double-digits the first time around.

Dakota Ridge junior McKenzie Wilhelm (14) tries to get a shot over the arms of Ralston Valley senior Morgan Nishida (3) and sophomore Micheala Shaklee during the Class 5A Jeffco League game Wednesday night at Ralston Valley High School. (Dennis Pleuss)

“They are growing. They are young, but they are growing up,” Gomer said of his team that had just one senior. “We’ve just got to find away to stay sharp.”

Besides having the task of seven league games, Ralston Valley hosts No. 2 Broomfield on Feb. 9 in a non-league game. The Eagles handed the Mustangs’ a 21-point loss in the Fairview Festival Tournament before winter break.

“We can’t get ahead of ourselves,” Van Sickle said heading into the final three weeks of the regular season.

If Ralston Valley stays the course and remains atop the league standings it will claim the program’s fifth 5A Jeffco conference title over the past seven seasons.

Dakota Ridge returns to its home court to host Pomona on Friday. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Ralston Valley sophomore Sarah Bevington (33) goes up for a shot over a pair of Dakota Ridge defenders Wednesday night at Ralston Valley High School. Bevington poured in 19 points and grabbed nine rebounds as the No. 8 Mustangs claimed their seventh straight victory with a 74-41 win. (Dennis Pleuss)

LAKEWOOD — Jessi Kenney had 11 points to lead Arvada West girls basketball to a 48-43 win over Bear Creek in Class 5A action on Wednesday.

Golden boys basketball is enjoying a 13-2 start — and a No. 2 ranking in Class 4A to this point. (Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com)

[dropcap]I[/dropcap]t’s been six years since Golden’s boys basketball team last clinched the Class 4A Jeffco League title.

That doesn’t mean that the Demons haven’t been in the thick of things in those seasons — far from it. Golden averaged 15 victories a year during that stretch and made the postseason each time. But when push came to shove, either D’Evelyn or Valor Christian ended the league campaign with the crown.

Those league contests are where the 2014-15 version of the Demons have been such a different squad. One year removed from a 19-win season that ended with a second-round playoff exit, No. 2 Golden (13-2, 7-0) is sitting in first in Jeffco with a handful of games remaining.

The Demons are just ahead of D’Evelyn and Valor Christian in the standings but have a combined three victories over those squads. A win over the No. 7 Eagles on Saturday in Golden would go a long way toward cementing a league championship, especially given that Valor plays the Jaguars on Thursday evening prior to Saturday’s big showdown.

Golden’s Ryan Blodget (33). (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)

Demons coach John Anderson joked that he wouldn’t mind if the Valor-D’Evelyn matchup were to go seven overtimes, but turned serious when adding that a two-point victory over the Eagles back on Jan. 10 in Highlands Ranch doesn’t mean anything going into this weekend.

“We’re looking forward to playing at home this time,” Golden junior Ryan Blodgett said. “It’s going to be loud and it’s going to be a fun environment. They’re a great team, so it should be a good game.”

It might have been easy to somewhat overlook Golden coming into this season, especially after last year’s disappointing exit in the team’s playoff opener against Greeley Central. Instead the team buckled down with a renewed focus on defense and opened the season with five consecutive victories – including a 78-76 thriller over current No. 5 Pueblo Central.

The Demons dropped two of its three games at the Kruel Classic in Florida, but have won seven in a row to start 2015 going into Thursday’s game at Arvada.

Anderson said his squad has strong senior leadership that responds in crunch time and knows how to finish games. There is also the matter of playing solid defense from start to finish.

“What this team does that I wish all teams would do, is they grind it out defensively. They understand. They know that defense isn’t just something you do until you get the basketball,” Anderson said. “They take it real serious.”

Golden graduated only three seniors off last year’s squad, only of one of whom played in all 24 games. The experience of playing together a year ago, combined with the motivation of the early exit, helped turn the current core into even more of a contender.

Senior Ryan Thistlewood leads the team at 13.5 points per game to go along with 5.8 assists and 3.1 steals, while the 6-foot-5 Blodgett and 6-3 senior Cole Greff have powered the interior game. Blodgett averages 10.6 points and 8.1 rebounds, while Greff is at 10.9 and 7.9.

“You can play the best defense ever, but if you don’t secure the rebound, it means nothing,” Anderson said. “Those two guys pursue it. They’re big, strong and athletic. Having them in there is huge.”

With both bigs missing during Tuesday’s victory over Green Mountain, Thistlewood came through with 24 points and seven steals and Nick Capaul and Kayden Sund added 12 points each.

“All 12 guys bring energy, and it starts on the defensive end. We’re running around and we’re playing a high-powered defense this year, a quick defense,” said Blodgett, who missed his first game of the year with an ankle injury. “It just translates to offense, and we’re deep this year.”

Thistlewood said the No. 2 ranking has been nice, but it also generates a target for opposing teams. He and his teammates have embraced that pressure and found success, but Anderson said what ultimately matters is where the team stands in March.

“I want to be the No. 1 team in the state at the end of the year,” Anderson said. “That’s what we always talk about. It’s a process, go through it, be glad you’re No. 2 — but that and 50 cents will get you a cup of coffee.”

The second go-around with Valor Christian could provide the toughest challenge yet. The Eagles have a talented group that includes junior Khameron Davis (15 ppg) and sophomore Jalen Sanders (14.5 points, 7.9 rebounds) and play a similar style to the Demons.

Only four regular-season games remain after Saturday, with the league tournament and then state looming on the horizon. Golden is confident though it will be ready for whatever challenges lay ahead.

“We see every kind of style just in our conference,” Thistlewood said. “We see the big bangers in Valor, the athletic guards at D’Evelyn — we just see everyone. That helps us to play any team pretty much.”

(Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com)

CHSAA’s Legislative Council met on Thursday. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

AURORA — The structure of CHSAA’s classifications will see more equity after approval of the Classification and League Organizing Committee’s report at the Legislative Council meeting on Thursday.

It means that CLOC, which sets the league alignment, will evenly divide teams among classifications in a given sport beginning with the 2016-18 two-year cycle.

“There are a number of ways to measure equity,” said CHSAA commissioner Paul Angelico. “One way is this: If I’m the 50-yard dash champion in 5A, I’m the champion of 50,000 kids. If I’m the 50-yard dash champion in 1A, I’m the champion of 1,000 kids. And that’s not to say one’s more important than the other.

“But we can’t measure the number of kids competing in a classification. The only thing we have that’s measurable is the number of teams per classification.”

The change marks a shift in philosophy for CLOC, which in past years had simply divided classifications using enrollment splits determined upon the number of basketball teams in the Association. The hope is to get as close as possible to an equal number of teams competing in every classification.

This philosophy was actually used by the Association roughly 20 years ago. This return was modeled by something wrestling did at last April’s Legislative Council. It was first presented to the membership at the All-School Summit last July, and then hammered out at a meeting in November.

“It’s a system that worked for us 20 years ago,” Angelico said. “And swimming, as an example, was better competition when we split the teams in half than it is now with using the basketball numbers to do so.”

Now, equal classes will expand to all sports, including football. The new enrollment splits will be used to determine alignment for 2016-18.

Traditional play-ups and play-downs have been accounted for in initial projections of classification numbers, but unexpected plans from teams to play up a classification may shift the equity slightly.

In addition, the projections were based on October 2014 counts, so CLOC built in a 5 percent allowance which will allow them to adjust the enrollment splits based on October 2015 figures to preserve equity as best they can.

This also opens the door to potentially adding a third classification of girls swimming and diving, girls tennis and girls golf, as the numbers support doing so. (Additionally, a recent survey of athletic directors supported the idea.) That may happen as soon as April’s Legislative Council meeting.

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Notables

• All three proposed changes to the transfer rule were shot down. It means the transfer rule will stay the same — for now.
• The cross country committee’s recommendation to keep the state meet at the  Norris-Penrose Event Center in Colorado Springs drew much discussion. Ultimately, it is just that: a recommendation. The state venue will be voted upon by the Board of Directors at its meeting in June, along with the rest of the state championship venues for other sports.
• The new pitch-count limits for baseball also passed along with its report, but not before some drama. First came a motion from the Southwestern League which sought to strike it entirely. That was defeated by the Council. Then the Santa Fe League moved to delay the new rule by one season. That passed. So, when the baseball report finally passed — by a wide margin — it meant that this new pitch-count rule would go into effect during the 2016 season.
• A proposal to bar teams which are playing down a classification from competing in the postseason passed. It means that, for example, a Class 4A-sized team which applies for and is granted the chance to play in 3A due to a lack of success will no longer be allowed to make the postseason. If this new rule were in effect two seasons ago, 3A football champion Coronado would not have been allowed to make the playoffs.
• Football’s new quarter limits passed. Here’s more information on that rule. This brings Colorado more in line with the rest of the nation.
• Golf will now mandate the use of iWanamaker to track scoring during all regular season and postseason events. This only applies to varsity.
• The new penalties in tennis for stacking a lineup were approved.
• A change to the Sunday contact rule was approved. It allows contact via social media, so long as it’s done in a group or public fashion, and is not a direct call-to-action, such as instructions on which pages of the playbook to study.
• Newly appointed CHSAA board members, who will begin their terms in June: Doug Pfau, the superintendet at Weldon Valley (District 3); Troy Baker, the athletic director at Buena Vista (District 7); and Wendy Ruben, the principal at Chatfield (CASE). Wendy Dunaway returns from CDE.
• As we reported this morning, Adams 12 district athletic director Eddie Hartnett will be the new president of the board.