Idalia’s Reagan Shaffer, the reigning player of the year in 1A volleyball. (Tim Visser/MaxPreps)

[dropcap]R[/dropcap]eagan Shaffer’s junior year at Idalia High School was the stuff of which dreams are made.

Shaffer and the Wolves made school history on multiple occasions a year ago, starting when the volleyball team advanced to the Class 1A state championship game for the first time. Some five months later it was the girls basketball team’s turn, and this time Idalia emerged with the school’s first title on the girls’ side.

Shaffer finished the year with first-team all-state accolades in both sports and was the 1A Player of the Year in volleyball. But she and her Idalia teammates haven’t forgotten about the one that got away.

The Wolves missed out on a state title last November in a four-game loss to Fleming, and it has the squad hungry for a second chance.

“Having never been in that situation, any of us, that was a learning experience for us too,” Wolves coach Kylie Chamberlain said. “Hopefully we find ourselves back in that situation and maybe we do something different.”

Idalia finished the 2014 season with a 26-2 record, with both losses coming at the hands of Fleming. In the state tournament the Wolves were battling fatigue after a five-set marathon in a semifinal victory over Otis. After taking the first set against the Wildcats, Shaffer said the team simply ran out of energy.

The setting at the Denver Coliseum was also a bit overwhelming, with five championship matches taking place at one time.

“There was definitely an adrenaline rush. It’s not what we were used to; it was a lot to take in because you could barely hear your own teammates,” Shaffer said. “We were pretty dead at the end of the day, so we’ve worked on a lot of conditioning and drills to keep us in shape.”

Idalia comes into 2015 as the top-ranked 1A squad in the CHSAANow.com preseason poll after graduating only two seniors off last year’s team. The Wolves return all-state talent in Shaffer (344 kills, 38 aces as a junior) and Jennay Terrel (154 kills, 48 total blocks). Junior Faith Carpenter joins Terrel in the middle, with junior Alex Weyerman back at setter, senior Bryce Schafer on the outside and Susana Herrera on the right side.

Shaffer ripped 24 kills in the semis a year ago and had a team-high 11 in the title match.

Shaffer. (Tim Visser/MaxPreps)

“She’s definitely a leader for us on the court. She doesn’t get rattled, doesn’t lose her head,” Chamberlain said. “You get in a crunch situation and you can look at her on the court and she’s looking at the rest of the team saying, ‘It’s OK, we’ve got this.’

“She’s a competitor.”

Now it’s all about the road back to the Coliseum for Idalia and its 1A competition. While Fleming graduated five all-state players, the Wildcats are always a tough out. Otis returns a trio of all-state players, and Chamberlain also pointed to Flagler and Kit Carson as teams that could make a run.

After making the state tournament a year ago for the only the third time in Chamberlain’s tenure, the tide has started to turn in Idalia for volleyball as a winning tradition begins to take shape.

Shaffer said that should the team get back to Denver, the nerves shouldn’t be a factor this time around. The state basketball tournament is the perfect example — having been in a high-pressure situation earlier in the school year, the Wolves stared down adversity and came away with their first championship.

“Really I think a lot of it came from having the mindset from being at state volleyball,” Shaffer said. “State basketball was a little more mellow and not as crazy. I think we went in and weren’t really nervous — we had gotten rid of the jitters and just played.”

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Volleyball preview

• Regular Season Start Date: Aug. 27
• Postseason Start Date: Oct. 31
• State Tournament: Nov. 13-14, Denver Coliseum (All Classes)

Class 5A

• Preseason No. 1: Cherokee Trail
• Defending Champion: Grandview
• Returning All-State Players: Audrey Cheng, Jr., Fairview (2nd team); Shannon Webb, Sr., Cherokee Trail (2nd).

Class 4A

• Preseason No. 1: Lewis-Palmer
• Defending Champion: Lewis-Palmer
• Returning All-State Players: Lydia Bartolo, Jr., Lewis-Palmer (2nd team); Mariah Evans, Sr., Lewis-Palmer (1st); Elisa Hill, Sr., Montrose (2nd); Braya Hunt, Sr., Valor Christian (2nd); Maddie Labor, Sr., Steamboat Springs (2nd); Kylee Shook, Sr., Mesa Ridge (2nd); Allison Smith, Sr., Ponderosa (1st); Camille Smith, Sr., Ponderosa (2nd).

Class 3A

• Preseason No. 1: Eaton
• Defending Champion: Eaton
• Returning All-State Players: Cassie Davis, Jr., Colorado Springs Christian (2nd team); Kaitlyn Detlefsen, Sr., Coal Ridge (2nd); Madison Fisher, Sr., University (2nd); Angala Jensen, Sr., Manitou Springs (2nd); Chelsey Lockey, Soph., Eaton (2nd); Katie McKiel, Sr., Manitou Springs (1st); Jamie Nielsen, Sr., Colorado Springs Christian (2nd); Caiden Rexius, Sr., Eaton (1st); Bailey Schumacher,Sr., Eaton (2nd); Tarynn Sieg, Jr., Eaton (1st).

Class 2A

• Preseason No. 1: Resurrection Christian
• Defending Champion: Resurrection Christian
• Returning All-State Players: Taylor Carsten, Sr., Paonia (2nd team); Jaedyn Lambrecht, Sr., Caliche (2nd); Mallory Noble, Sr., Yuma (1st); Peighton Roth, Sr., Yuma (2nd); Kaitlyn Rutherford, Sr., Ridgway (2nd); Sarah Schaller, Sr., Sargent (2nd); Laney Swan, Sr., Colorado Springs School (2nd); Tara Traphagan, Sr., Yuma (1st).

Class 1A

• Preseason No. 1: Idalia
• Defending Champion: Fleming
• Returning All-State Players: Jade Hasz, Sr., Flagler (2nd team); Micayla Isenbart, Soph., Kit Carson (2nd); Emily Kaiser, Jr., Prairie (2nd); Kylee Kuntz, Sr., Otis (1st); Lissette Lefforge, Jr., Otis (2nd); Alyssa Lovato, Sr., Cheraw (2nd); Elisa Rodwell, Sr., Flagler (2nd); Antonya Schaffert, Jr., Otis (1st); Reagan Shaffer, Sr., Idalia (1st, POTY); Jennay Terrell, Sr., Idalia (1st).

AURORA — Trailing late, No. 6 Douglas County scored twice in the top of the sixth inning then held on for a 6-5 season-opening win against No. 4 Eaglecrest on Tuesday.

Clara Larson, an Eaglecrest senior, went 1-for-4 with two RBIs, while Alley Kim and Katelyn Dain each were 2-for-3.

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The Classical Academy, runner-up in 4A boys soccer last season, opens at No. 2 in the preseason poll. (Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com)

[dropcap]P[/dropcap]erhaps the story of the year in 2014 boys soccer was that of The Classical Academy; a charter school right down the street from Air Academy in Colorado Springs which, due to attendance, rose from Class 3A to 4A last year and responded by going 19-1.

The Titans’ only loss? The state championship, to the very same Air Academy, which head coach Blake Galvin claims they can almost see from across I-25.

“I think that could develop into a pretty good rivalry in the future,” Galvin said. “But we’ve only been in 4A one year, so it’s hard to predict at this point.”

One can understand Galvin’s pragmatic answer to the often-loaded "rivalry" question. In fact, pragmatic is perhaps the best word to describe his squad’s approach to the upcoming season.

The Titans return all of their starting players from the team that finished runner-up a year ago and are among favorites to win it all in their sophomore campaign at 4A. TCA opened as No. 2 in the preseason poll — just behind preseason No. 1 Air Academy.

Yet besides last year’s disappointment in the final, TCA competed for 3A titles in 2010, 2011, and 2013 in efforts that all fell short.

“We’re doing everything we can, honestly, to not even talk about it,” Galvin said of his squad’s role as favorites this season. “We’re really trying to focus on being excellent in each moment.

“We’ve kind of made the decision as a team that if we can be excellent in each moment of the season, then whatever happens next for us is ‘right.'”

The Titans’ soccer program started in 2005, and Galvin has been with them since the beginning. They only fielded a JV squad that first year, but as the four state title appearances in the last five seasons indicate, things have progressed quickly since then. This year’s team will return a whopping six all-state players.

“We’ve kind of always had the thought that the top teams in 3A could compete with the top teams at 4A,” Galvin said. “We really didn’t ever know for sure though.

“I think the main difference (between 3A and 4A) is that the field is a lot deeper. Your first-round playoff matchup is always going to be tough at 4A, while that wasn’t always the case (at 3A).”

Because of TCA’s designation a school of choice, students enrolled there have the option to transfer to other public high schools in the area, one notably being Air Academy. TCA’s increased high school enrollment is unique in that they really get very few new enrollments in high school. More students who attended elementary and junior high school are simply electing to remain at The Classical Academy.

Still, Galvin stopped short of giving his program credit for part of the boom.

“It’s so rare that the school takes in new ninth graders that most of the players that I have have been going to school here since at least junior high or even kindergarten,” Galvin explained. “I’ve had some great players but if kids are sticking around, it’s because of some great things going on in the classroom.”

The coach hesitated for just a moment, then added, “But it doesn’t hurt that we’ve had some success on the athletic field as well.”

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Boys soccer preview

• Preseason rankings
• Regular Season Begins: August 27
• Semifinals: November 11
• Championships: November 14, Dick’s Sporting Goods Park

Defending champions

• 5A: Broomfield
• 4A: Air Academy
• 3A: Kent Denver

Returning All-State athletes

• 5A: Brian Castruita, Sr., Boulder; Tyler Duggan, Sr., Broomfield; Porter Milner, Sr., Broomfield; Will Palmquist, Sr., Denver East; Adan Varela, Sr., Adams City
• 4A: Alejandro Alainz, Sr., Kennedy; Jeremy Baldes, Jr., TCA; Justin Barkow, Sr., Niwot; Jaden Borja, Jr., TCA; Anders Carlson, Jr., TCA; Chris Chasteen, Jr., TCA; Titus Grant, Jr., TCA; Sean Derby, Sr., Cheyenne Mountain; Andrew Peck, Sr., TCA; Jumanne Transou, Sr., Pueblo Centennial.
• 3A: Josh Elkington, Sr., Manitou Springs; Max Mehlman, Jr., Kent Denver; Jesus Nava, Sr., Lake County; Miguel Navarro, Sr., Coal Ridge

Broomfield gymnastics finished runner-up in Class 5A a season ago. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he 2014 season didn’t come without challenges for the Broomfield gymnastics team.

Sarah Holbrook, the Class 5A runner-up in the all-around competition as a sophomore, suffers from Bertolotti’s Syndrome, a back injury that prevented her from competing in all four disciplines as a junior. Heidi Liles and Nicole Remund, a pair of gifted first-years, both went down mid-season with ankle injuries.

And yet, the Eagles kept their tradition of excellence alive with a runner-up team showing at the state meet. They finished just behind Overland for a second straight year with 184.5 points to the Trailblazers’ 184.975.

“We had a really up-and-down year and certainly we were disappointed with second, but we reminded the girls that we finished (second) after the year we had,” Broomfield coach Erika Taga said. “With the girls we lost, we still had a great year.”

Now, the Eagles are mending their wings with a mixture of talented returners like Holbrook (the defending champion in balance beam), Nicki Verheyen, Liles, and Remund — and a new group, talented but unproven.

“We only have eight girls returning from last year, so we have a whole new identity with this team,” Taga said. “These girls haven’t been through the process. I think some coaches might look at that as a weakness, but I’m really excited for it.

“We’ve kind of started fresh and washed our hands after the last two years. We are going to build on the tradition and the legacy that is our program, but we also are going to create a new legacy with this group of girls.”

Broomfield — the only team to break up Overland’s run of titles from 2011-2014, with the Eagles winning 5A in 2012 — always have a goal of finishing first on the last day of the season. But, Taga knows there is more to gymnastics than just end results.

“We certainly feel fortunate that Sarah is coming back given all the challenges she’s working through on a daily basis,” she said. “She’s still in pain every day, but honestly she’s in a better place than she was all of last year. We are really excited to try and get her back in the all-around. We are just going to have to be patient and take it one meet at a time.”

Liles, a former club gymnast enjoying the high school team environment, is excited for Holbrook’s final go-around.

“A lot of our seniors are really talented athletes, especially my good friend Sarah Holbrook,” the sophomore said. “She has amazing skills on all four events. She’ll give it her all, but I hope that back injury doesn’t get in the way.”

As usual, Broomfield will have lofty individual and team aspirations in 2015.

“Certainly we want to beat Overland, but we try to keep a good spirit,” Liles said. “They are amazing gymnasts. We just really try to focus on our team. We love what we do.”

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Gymnastics preview

• Regular season begins: August 27
• Regionals: October 31
• State meet: November 6-7 at Thornton HS

Class 4A

• 2014 individual all-around champion: Alyssa Carroll, Thompson Valley (graduated)
• Defending team champion: Standley Lake
• Returning All-State athletes: Maddie Barkow, Niwot

Class 5A

• Defending individual all-around champion: Kelsey Boychuk, Pomona
• Defending team champion: Overland
• Returning All-State athletes: Boychuk; Holbrook; Rachel Dillman, Mountain Range; Samantha Simon, Cherry Creek; MacKenzie Doerr, Cherry Creek

In an effort to clear up confusion surrounding the use of some Louisville Slugger softball bats during the 2015 season, the NFHS is letting all players, coaches and umpires know that the company’s “rough finish” bats will be allowed.

In a memo to softball administrators, the Theresia Wynns, the Director of Sports and Officials for the NFHS, wrote:

Last summer you received a list of Louisville Slugger bats that were declared illegal because of their gritty finish. There was a hearing and the legality of the bats on that list was overturned to make them all legal. You were sent an email to reflect this status in August.

There has been confusion among the umpires in that some were never told to ignore the first email and that list. Some of these umpires are removing these bats from the game because of the gritty finish which has been declared legal. Please take one more step to ensure that the umpires in your state know that these bats are legal. They will appear on the ASA Approved List.

Thank you for your efforts in this matter.

Then on Monday, Glenda Bates, Colorado’s rule interpreter for softball, wrote:

Coaches, Athletic Directors, Umpires:

The high school softball bulletin has printed information regarding the non-use of certain Louisville slugger bats deemed to be illegal per NFHS:

The grey Louisville bats: FPLX150, FPLX158, FPLX159 and the white Louisville bats: FPXN150, FPXN158, FPXN159

After doing some research and getting clarifying information from NFHS, we have found that the statements in the 2015 softball bulletin no longer hold true. In a memo from Theresia Wynns, NFHS Director of Sports and Officials, the Louisville Slugger bats listed above are now legal per a hearing referenced below. The statement is effective for the fall 2015 High School season.

If you have any questions regarding these changes/clarifications, please contact Glenda Bates, the Colorado Sate High School Softball Rules Interpreter, at softballcolo@gmail.com.

Thank you for your time and understanding as we correct this situation.

Valor Christian, the preseason No. 1 team in 5A, opens with Bonneville, Idaho, in Zero Week. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

A complete schedule and scoreboard for football’s top-10 teams during Zero Week in the 2015 season.

• Live scoreboard
• Complete CHSAANow.com rankings
• Full schedule and scoreboard of this week’s games
• Follow all the action live, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Friday

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Go to: 5A | 4A | 3A | 2A | 1A | 8-man | 6-man

Under Kathy James’ tenure, Kent Denver has turned into the state’s most successful field hockey program. (Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com)

[dropcap]A[/dropcap]t the end of the workday, when Kathy James leaves University of Denver, where she teaches epidemiology, she heads to another world of complexity — competitive teenage girls. This week, the field hockey pioneer heads into her 19th season coaching at Kent Denver, her 17th as head coach.

The Sun Devils have won nine championships. That figure is the most titles of any other program, and Kent continuously churns out high-level collegiate players.

Though the program’s run has been cut short in semifinals the past three years, they held the trophy the four consecutive years prior.

“You can’t be the crème de la crème every year. You just can’t,” said James, the winningest field hockey coach in the state. “Eventually someone steps in. And the level of expectation, whether self or externally imposed takes a toll.”

James’ most recent championship win was in 2011 against Colorado Academy, last season’s state champion.

In the preseason rankings, Kent Denver sits in third, behind No. 2 Colorado Academy and No. 1 Palmer Ridge, who beat Kent in the semifinals last year by a goal.

This year, James and her Sun Devils may or may not step onto the turf on Halloween, date of this year’s state championship, but it won’t bother James either way.

“Of course the last championship game is always my goal, and the girls know that,” she said. “But I don’t impose a disappointment factor on them if it doesn’t happen. It’s just that as athletes, you have to have a goal to work towards, but so much good happens along the way.”

(Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com)

Field hockey is close to home for the esteemed coach, as her husband, Brian Nutter, is the president of the Colorado Field Hockey Umpires Association, and was the head coach of Mountain Vista field hockey before that. The spouses faced off in a championship game in 2010, where Nutter took the win.

“We vent frustrations, we run scenarios, we help each other see a different view,” said James of her shop talk at home. “There is rarely a day we don’t speak some field hockey.”

Though the game has seen much evolution in nearly two decades, James’ philosophy has remained the same; her method to success consistent.

When ESPN named her high school coach of the week in 1999, she attributed her early careers wins to fundamentals, conditioning and simplicity.

“It’s funny how little that changes,” James said. “The game has shifted so much, but at this level, fundamentals will always be so important to me for development. Conditioning was a game-changer then and even more so now that everyone plays on turf.

“And today’s sport is more high speed with less stoppage, so my simplicity theory has changed a bit, but it is merely a reflection of the sport’s growth.”

Colorado graduates nine all-state players from last season, including three from the Kent Denver squad. But James doesn’t feel it will be a setback, or a rebuild year, as they are not alone in losing pivotal players.

Last year, the coaches comprised a team of 15 players from seven different schools to compete in a national tournament — 14 of them were seniors.

“Nearly every school lost one or two key girls. There won’t be a decline in skill, just a more uniform level of play, a more uniform competiveness,” James said. “Field hockey will just have a different character across the board in Colorado. And nobody is out of the running.”

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Field hockey preview

• Preseason rankings
• Defending state champion: Colorado Academy
• Regular season begins: Aug. 27
• Postseason start date: Oct. 23
• State championships: Oct. 31, All-City Stadium
• Returning all-state players: Emily Munn, Jr., Palmer Ridge; Emma Richards, Sr., Colorado Academy; Edie Statham, Sr., Palmer Ridge; Claire Stemper, Sr., Regis Jesuit; Fe Van Berhel, Jr., Denver East.

Ace Escobedo, a senior defensive tackle at Regis Jesuit, committed to the University of Pennsylvania’s football program on Saturday afternoon.

Escobedo, who stands 6-foot-3 and is 270 pounds, announced his decision over Twitter:

https://twitter.com/ace_escobedo/status/635181076126654464

Last season, Escobedo had five sacks and two hurries. He also had 20 total tackles, including four for a loss.

The senior picked Pennsylvania, which competes in the Ivy League of Division I’s Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), over seven other offers, according to Rivals. Included were offers from three other Ivies — Columbia, Dartmouth and Yale — and offers from Air Force, Northern Colorado, Montana and South Dakota.

Penn is playing under first-year coach Ray Priore this season, who is replacing the legendary Al Bagnoli. Bagnoli retired following the 2014 season with a career record of 234-99, but came out of retirement three months later when, to the surprise of many, he took over as the head coach at Columbia.

Penn has the most outright Ivy League titles of any schools with 13, and won a league record 20-straight games from 2001-04.

At Penn, Escobedo will join former Regis Jesuit teammate Jack Maly, a 2015 graduate who plays on the offensive line. Also on the Quakers’ roster is 2015 Broomfield graduate Cooper Gardner, a defensive lineman, and Fairview alum Jack Madden, who will be a senior this season.

Escobedo is the eighth in-state football player to make his college choice from the Class of 2016 to this point.

Escobedo’s junior season highlights are below, via Hudl.

Highlands Ranch athletic director Bruce Wright announced on Twitter Friday morning that forward Brianne Stiers has committed to the University of Missouri-Kansas City to play basketball.

Stiers played in 25 of 26 games for the Falcons last year. On top of being a force in the post for the Falcons, she was clutch for the team at the free throw line, hitting 72 percent of her shots from the charity stripe. She also helped the Falcons reach the Class 5A Great 8 last season.

Falcon Nation is proud to announce that Bri Stiers has verbally committed to Missouri-Kansas City for Basketball! #FalconPride #FalconNation

— Bruce Wright (@RBWHRHSAthletic) August 21, 2015

Stiers played in 25 of 26 games for the Falcons last year. On top of being a force in the post for Highlands Ranch, she was clutch for the team at the free throw line, hitting 72 percent of her shots from the charity stripe. She also helped the Falcons reach the Class 5A Great 8 last season.

She is the latest basketball player from the recruiting Class of 2016 to declare her commitment. Stiers joins her teammate, Blaire Braxton, in committing to a Division I school.

Three schools have been forced to not field their football teams for the 2015 season due to low numbers.

Deer Trail (6-man), Prairie (6-man) and Longmont Christian (8-man) will all not play this season, according to CHSAA assistant commissioner Harry Waterman, who oversees football. As they decided to not field their programs prior to the season, their opponents will receive a bye on the date they were scheduled to play. Teams also have the option to schedule another opponent.

As of Friday morning, those are the only programs that have notified the CHSAA office they won’t be playing this season. The 2015 season begins on Aug. 27 with Zero Week.

If any further programs decide to not play prior to Aug. 27, their opponents will receive a bye, as well. However, if a team stops play after the season has begun, they will forfeit their remaining scheduled games to their opponents.

Prairie went 4-4 last season, Deer Trail was 0-8, and Longmont Christian finished 0-9.