Grandview has joined the Class 5A boys lacrosse ranking this week. The Wolves, who are 9-2 so far this season, are No. 10.
Meanwhile, both No. 1 teams in CHSAANow.com’s polls — Cherry Creek (5A) and Valor Christian (4A) — held onto their top spots. Cherry Creek did so after beating then-No. 2 Regis Jesuit on Saturday.
The 4A ranking added Thompson Valley, also at No. 10.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association.
There was a lot of shakeup to the 5A rankings, including Mountain Vista’s rise to No. 2 after beating last week’s No. 2 Rock Canyon.
Grandview also made a big jump in going from No. 8 to No. 4.
Other newcomers this week include No. 9 Cheyenne Mountain and No. 10 Littleton in 4A; and No. 9 Middle Park in 3A.
A week after three new No. 1 teams dotted the rankings, all four top teams held firm in their respective classifications. Those are ThunderRidge (5A), Evergreen (4A), Colorado Academy (3A) and Front Range Christian (2A).
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association.
Monarch 12, Mountain Range 9, Regis Jesuit 9, Cherry Creek 6, Doherty 5, Denver East 4, Brighton 3, Ralston Valley 2, Prairie View 1, Smoky Hill 1.
Dropped out:
Fairview (10).
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Evergreen (11)
10-0-0
119
1
1-0-0
2
The Classical Academy (1)
10-0-0
106
2
1-0-0
3
Lewis-Palmer
8-1-1
86
3
1-0-0
4
Valor Christian
9-1-1
80
4
1-0-1
5
Mullen
7-1-0
68
5
0-1-0
6
Wheat Ridge
8-2-1
51
6
0-1-0
7
Windsor
8-1-0
39
7
1-0-0
8
Battle Mountain
10-1-0
27
8
0-0-0
9
Cheyenne Mountain
5-5-1
22
–
2-0-0
10
Littleton
7-4-0
16
–
1-0-0
Others receiving votes:
Niwot 10, Ponderosa 10, Palmer Ridge 8, Weld Central 4, Discovery Canyon 2, Elizabeth 2, John F. Kennedy 2, Palisade 2, Standley Lake 2, Durango 1, Holy Family 1, Pueblo Centennial 1, Thompson Valley 1.
Dropped out:
Niwot (9), Silver Creek (10).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Colorado Academy (10)
9-1-0
118
1
1-0-0
2
Jefferson Academy (1)
9-0-0
98
2
2-0-0
3
The Academy (1)
10-0-0
95
3
1-0-0
4
Kent Denver
7-2-1
82
4
2-0-0
5
Liberty Common
8-1-0
61
5
1-0-0
6
Peak to Peak
4-4-1
41
8
1-1-0
7
St. Mary’s
6-3-0
40
6
1-1-0
8
Coal Ridge
8-3-0
30
9
2-0-0
9
Middle Park
7-0-0
25
–
1-0-0
10
SkyView Academy
6-2-0
19
10
1-0-0
Others receiving votes:
Machebeuf 13, Faith Christian 8, Frontier Academy 5, St. Mary’s Academy 5, Alamosa 4, Aspen 3, Fountain Valley 3, Salida 3, Sterling 3, Manitou Springs 2, CS Christian 1, Trinidad 1.
AURORA — The fifth-annual CHSAA Vocal Music Gala is slated for Friday, May 1, at the University of Denver’s Newman Center for the Performing Arts beginning at 6 p.m.
Twelve of the state’s top choirs are scheduled to appear, including groups from the following high schools: Discovery Canyon, Montezuma-Cortez, Doherty, Mountain View, Lewis-Palmer, Rifle, Lutheran, Prairie View, Castle View, Greeley Central and Eaton. The Newman Center is located at 2344 East Iliff Avenue on the DU campus.
Each of the performing groups earned their right to take the stage on May 1 after their performances during the CHSAA Large Group Music Festivals which have professionally-trained vocal music judges evaluating and rating each group. Those selected were among the top-rated groups across the state.
Tickets are $10 for adults, with K-12 students and Senior Citizens (60 & over) $7. DU Pioneer Card holders are $5. On-site parking is $8 per vehicle (cash only). Please note that persons needing accommodations for a disability should call the box office as early as possible.
Tickets can be purchased prior to the event at the Newman Center Box Office, which is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. or online at newmantix.com.
For additional information, please contact Bethany Brookens at the CHSAA office.
COLORADO SPRINGS — There was genuine concern over whether or not St. Mary’s and Lamar would even get their Saturday double header in.
Weather in Colorado Springs had left the field at the Grace Center nearly unplayable but both teams nearly got both games played before a rain/snow mixed suspended play.
Lamar (11-1 overall, 5-0 3A Tri-Peaks League), ranked No. 2 in Class 3A, cruised to a 10-0 win in game one, but struggled a bit in the second game just as No. 10 St. Mary’s (9-4, 5-1) started hitting the ball around the yard.
“This young ball club is finally starting to come of age,” Pirates coach Bill Percy said. “We’ve been waiting for that all year long. They’ve had some bad innings here and there. But this is the first time we’re showing we can hang with the big boys.”
Percy might not have said so after the first game of the day. Lamar started the game with three straight hits and scored four runs in the first inning. It tacked on three more in both the second and third innings to jump to a 10-0 lead before the Pirates knew what hit them.
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
Once they built the lead, Lamar pitcher Darin Cook found his groove on the mound, striking out five straight hitters from the second to the fourth innings. When it was all said and done, Lamar came away with an important Tri-Peaks League win.
“It was very important for us because St. Mary’s is a good quality team,” Cook said. “We had a lot depending on these two games, so it was important to at least get one win.”
At the start of the second game, it appeared that it would be a carbon copy of the first. Lamar jumped out to a 2-0 lead thanks to a two-run home run from Brent Crampton.
But the bats for St. Mary’s woke up in their half of the first inning as a run of three straight base hits plated three runs for the Pirates. Lamar came back in the second to score four and regain the lead, but St. Mary’s responded with two of their own to lock the teams in a competitive 6-5 ballgame.
“It’s really hard to stay locked in especially when you’re playing two games and we struggled with that today,” Crampton said.
Lamar once again seized firm control of the game in the top of the fourth as Jake Specht launched a two-run home run to make it a 8-5 game.
The score would hold until the bottom of the sixth. Pitcher Dalton Chandler walked in a run to cut the Lamar lead to two with the bases still loaded.
That’s when Hayden Smith hit a ground ball to third baseman Mario Morales who got the forced out at second. Second baseman Kaleb Hansen got the throw to first off, but Smith was called safe by the umpires. In the ruckus, the tying run came across the plate.
“I don’t know what the (heck) happened on that play over at first base,” Lamar coach Dave Fassiotto said. “I thought he got him.”
Lamar got out of the inning and in the top of the seventh got a much-needed base runner as Colby Salisbury legged out an infield single. He moved up on a wild pitch, but that’s when the rain picked up forcing the game to be suspended until Tuesday.
A day that had looked promising for Lamar after a 10-0 had suddenly turned more serious with seeding in the state tournament on the line.
“I want to try and stay in that two-hole as much as possible,” Fassiotto said. “I want to be on the opposite side as Eaton. I’ve been on the same side as them before and it’s never really worked out for us.”
The final inning of the game will be played at 4 p.m. Tuesday.
Coaches from Lamar and St. Mary’s discuss suspending play during Saturday’s double header. (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
AURORA — Ben Adams found himself in a familiar venue on Saturday.
The senior was protecting goal at Lou Kellogg Stadium, the home of Regis Jesuit lacrosse. But, instead of donning the red and white of the Raiders, he was blocking his old friends’ shots as a Cherry Creek Bruin.
The goalie, who transferred from Regis for his final high school season for personal reasons, snuffed out his former teammates’ offensive attack, securing an 8-4 victory for Class 5A’s No. 1-ranked Cherry Creek (11-0) over No. 2 Regis (9-2). The Raiders beat Creek in the 5A state finals, 14-7, in 2014.
“Ben is a great kid and has had a really good season for us,” Bruin coach Bryan Perry said of the importance of his new goalie, a backup for the Raiders a year ago. “Obviously he played for Regis and was going against his old ‘mates and that’s always special. He likes those guys quite a bit, but you always want to win that game, of course. He did a great job.”
“Hat’s off to them,” Adams said of going against his former team. “They played a heck of a game.”
Cherry Creek’s Ben Adams. (Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)
While Adams was humble in victory, he was the backbone and the leader of an emotionally charged group that was both aggressive and efficient.
“Our defense really stepped it up today,” the senior raved. “They’ve been playing great all year, but this was definitely our best game so far.
“Coach (Payton) Sanders keeps us together and knows what we need to do on defense.”
The Bruins — who jumped on Regis only 18 seconds in as sophomore attacker Asher Nolting found the net — gave up two goals in the first quarter, but held a 3-2 advantage as Nate Miller scored and Nolting scored again.
Then, Creek took full command as they choked the life out of Regis’ typically high-powered offense, one that returned the top three scorers (Chet Dunstan, Matt Soran, Ben Bechter) from last year’s 5A championship team.
But the Bruins’ defense was so dominant Saturday that Regis didn’t score from the time there were 31 seconds remaining in the first until there were only 8:21 left in the fourth, a depleting drought of over 28 minutes.
Of course, Creek wouldn’t have been able to seal a road victory over a team the caliber of Regis without a complete effort.
“We really hustled hard and shared the ball well in transition and that was a good thing,” Perry said. “We got some really good looks at the goal. Guys were seeing some things that were there.”
Nolting, Michael Morean, and Max Tennant led the undefeated Bruins with two goals apiece.
Dunstan, an Air Force recruit, had a hat trick with three of Regis’ four goals in defeat.
The rivalry between the two has blossomed into a full-fledged war every time they face off in recent years. Both teams have a healthy amount of respect for the other, but that doesn’t mean the games aren’t impassioned.
While a win over a powerhouse program is always sweet, Creek did beat the Raiders 10-7 in April of last year, as well, before falling to them in the finals. They know not to put too much stock into one game.
“We just want to stay tight through the ups and downs and obviously this is a big up,” Adams said. “We need to just get back to practice on Monday and keep working our tails off.”
“There are certainly some things we need to do better,” Perry added of his team.
Nonetheless, both player and coach are pleased with where Cherry Creek is at and where they could be headed.
And, the Bruins may have found something of a stalwart at the back end of their defense.
“Creek has welcomed me as a brother and it’s just great,” Adams said with a grin. “I love it.”
Schools: Eaton, Greeley Central, Fort Lupton, Fort Morgan, Justice, Mead, Mountain View, Northridge, Sterling, Thompson Valley, University, Weld Central, Windsor
Region 5
Date: April 29-30
Site: CU South Courts
Site contact: Richie Wildenhaus, Erie
Coaches meeting: April 28, 6:30 p.m.
Schools: Erie, Dawson, Berthoud, Centaurus, Frederick, Holy Family, Longmont, Niwot, Peak to Peak, Silver Creek, Skyline, Skyview, Standley Lake
Region 6
Date: April 29-30
Site: Cheyenne Mountain HS
Site contact: Kris Roberts & Jackie Jones
Schools: Cheyenne Mountain, Air Academy, CS Christian, CS School, Harrison, Mitchell, Sand Creek, Sierra,
St. Mary’s, Vanguard, Widefield
Region 7
Date: May 1-2
Site: City Park, Pueblo
Site contact: Cherie Toussaint, Pueblo County HS
Schools: Pueblo County, Canon City, Fountain Valley, La Junta, Mesa Ridge, Pueblo Centennial, Pueblo Central, Pueblo East, Pueblo South, Pueblo West, Salida
Region 8
Date: April 30-May 1
Site: Canyonview Courts, GJ
Site contact: Jeremy McCormick, Delta HS
Schools: Delta, Aspen, Cedaredge, Durango, Glenwood Springs, Hotchkiss, Montezuma-Cortez, Montrose, Roaring Fork, Steamboat Springs, Vail Mountain
Find complete results from this year’s large group music festivals in the database below. This database will be updated through the completion of all events.
AURORA — The proposal to add an eighth classification — Class 6A — to football was shot down at CHSAA’s Legislative Council meeting on Thursday.
The measure, which was brought forward by the Union Pacific League, sought to change the enrollment cutoff splits used by football. In the process, it would have also added 6A.
Because it amended the Classification and League Organizing Committee’s report which was passed in January, the proposal required two-thirds of the Legislative Council to approve it. However, it only got 23 percent approval, with 54 members voting against it, and just 16 voting for it.
In fact, the Legislative Council was so against the proposal that it nearly didn’t even open the CLOC report to consider it. That vote, which needed a simple majority, narrowly passed with 58 percent.
“We would encourage you to vote no on this proposal,” football committee chair Mike Krueger said before the vote on Thursday. “There are a lot of intended consequences from this proposal that are very good. But at the same time, when you have a proposal that affects all classifications, there are many unintended consequences at the other end, and we need to evaluate that.
“The other thing is, we would like to (move to 6A) as an entire body,” Krueger added .”Right now, football already has additional classifications that the other sports don’t.”
Added Cherry Creek athletic director Jason Wilkins: “We need to look at (adding 6A) more in-depth.”
The football committee met on Tuesday at the CHSAA office, and didn’t support the proposal, which wanted to create 6A in 2016.
“It has some good ideas, but there’s a lot of discussion that needs to take place,” Krueger said then. “The unintended consequences and ramifications of the proposal could be far-reaching, and we need time to explore them. That is why you have a committee.”
This isn’t to say that the sport won’t eventually add another classification. In fact, that seems likely to happen in the near future. It may be as soon as 2018 — and it will likely be a plan which is formulated by the football committee, after the Classification and League Organizing Committee decides to move to 6A in all sports.
CHSAA last had a Class 6A in 1994, with football’s last 6A title game coming in 1993.
