FORT COLLINS — Fifth-ranked Broomfield beat Fossil Ridge 40-39 in a Class 5A girls basketball game on Friday.

Broomfield converted a late free-throw with 1.9 seconds remaining to secure the win.

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LITTLETON — Michael Wambsganss had 12 points, Elijah Martinez scored 11, and No. 4 Regis Jesuit boys basketball beat Heritage 53-41 on Friday.

Geoffrey Kelly added nine points and eight rebounds for the Raiders.

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FORT COLLINS — Blake Baer scored in overtime to give No. 9 Resurrection Christian hockey a 4-3 win over No. 6 Cherry Creek on Friday.

Baer had two goals and an assist, including a third-period tally which tied the game at 3. Goalie Billy Martin made 26 saves for the Cougars.

Joe LoSasso led Cherry Creek with a goal and two assists.

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The track and field committee meeting originally scheduled for Monday has been postponed to Feb. 8 because of an impending snowstorm which is expected to make travel difficult.

Forecasts vary, but a major snowstorm is expected to move into the metro area on Sunday and continue all day Monday. 

In order to avoid any issues with the committee traveling on Monday, assistant commissioner Jenn Roberts-Uhlig postponed the meeting a week. 

The committee meeting was scheduled for Monday at the CHSAA office, but it has been rescheduled to 9:30 a.m. on Feb. 8. The meeting remains at the CHSAA office.

DENVER — Fourth-ranked Valor Christian improved to 14-1 with a 65-38 win over D’Evelyn in Class 4A Jeffco action on Thursday.

The game marked the return of coach Troy Pachner, who moved from D’Evelyn to Valor Christian in the offseason.

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DENVER — Kim Childress led three players in double figures as No. 3 Valor Christian girls basketball topped D’Evelyn 60-49 on Thursday.

Childress had 15 points and 11 rebounds in the Eagles’ win. Madison McCoy and Heidi Hammond each added 13 points.

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Grandview wrestling joined the 5A ranking at No. 7 this week. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)

Below are this week’s wrestling rankings from On The Mat.

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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

COLORADO SPRINGS — Vista Ridge wrestling topped Sand Creek when the two teams met for a dual meet on Thursday.

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Pueblo South’s Maleek Johnson. (Courtesy of Roxy Burris)

[dropcap]W[/dropcap]hen DJ Johnson reminisces on Pueblo South boys basketball, he comes across as humbled. After all, he knows the program well.

Johnson donned the black and white as a player. He served as an assistant from 1993-2010. He’s even been there for both state championship runs as the Colts won Class 4A in 1995 and 2001.

Now in his fifth season as the head coach, Johnson has been able to carry upon a legacy marked by winning and grit. This year’s team boasts a 14-0 record (including 3-0 in the South Central League) and a No. 1 ranking in the Class 4A poll.

While every season is a little different, and certainly this group is forging their own path, the seeds of success draw back to a tradition built over several decades.

“South’s always had a tradition of good players and good teams,” Johnson said. “Since I’ve been there, we’ve been fortunate to have success in a number of different years. I’m just doing the best I can to try and carry that on and teach the kids the things that I learned when I was younger.”

Back in 1975, the Colts reached the AAA state finals, the highest classification at the time, before falling by a mere two points to Westminster. Soon after Dave Lockett took over the program in 1989, South finished as the 5A runner-up to Palmer when 6A was the largest in 1993.

Then, the 1995 team brought the first gold ball home when they defeated Rampart in 4A. Pueblo South also won 4A over Sierra in 2001 and finished as the 4A runner-up to Sierra in 2009. The 2009 title loss closed out Lockett’s legendary career.

The Colts’ tradition has rubbed off on the current group. And, in some ways, the success South has experienced, over a number of decades, seems to be ingrained in the culture of the city.

“Pueblo is very unique in a lot of ways,” Johnson said. “Kids from Pueblo are tough. They grow up tough, they learn tough. I don’t know if it’s a mentality or it’s a blue-collar work ethic that Pueblo has always carried on from the steel mill back in the day, but it’s always been there. I think that’s what makes Pueblo special.”

(Courtesy of Roxy Burris)

That level of persistence, along with leadership and obvious talent, has been a perfect recipe for the Colts so far this season. After graduating a senior class of Jared Baros, Trey Parker and Bryson Smith — a core that carried South to a 41-10 record the last two seasons, along with Sweet 16 and Great 8 appearances — Johnson wasn’t as sure about this season going in.

But there’s been no need for a transition year. Three new seniors — Maleek Johnson (16.6 points per game), Isiah Pannunzio (14.3), and Brett Devries (13.2) — have influenced the team both in production and leadership.

“When you put together the fact that you only have three seniors, you have a young team, I really didn’t know what to expect,” Johnson admitted. “But it’s been nice to have those three seniors. The things that they bring to the team, the leadership qualities and the work ethic that they bring, has really helped the younger kids come along.”

Maleek Johnson, a speedy and offensively gifted guard, and Pannunzio, a Colorado State football recruit, are now four-year varsity players. Devries has been capable in the frontcourt next to Pannunzio, as well.

“I’m trying to take more of a leadership role this year,” Johnson said. “I just need to play how I play and be the quarterback on the court. Isiah and I know what the varsity level is like.”

Of course, the seniors haven’t been alone in keeping their unbeaten streak alive thus far.

Junior Deshiloh Stanley, the team’s point guard and a player Maleek Johnson praises as a two-way standout, is averaging 11.6 points and shooting 80 percent from the free throw line. Sophomore Lawrence Ramos, only 5-foot-8 but a scrappy defender, chips in 6.6 points per game, and sophomore forward Marcel Barbee contributes 5.6 in the scoring department.

An athletic and Pueblo-tough basketball team that averages 71 points and only gives up 52 a game, South has clearly placed themselves in the top group of 4A title contenders, especially when taken into account the fact they’ve already beaten No. 2 Lewis-Palmer and No. 6 Golden.

Nonetheless, 4A has been a bit unpredictable in recent years and, while an undefeated record through 14 games is certainly worthy of praise, the Colts are confident but grounded while staying focused on the simple game-by-game task at hand.

“We still have our deficiencies,” coach Johnson said. “We have to tighten things up and we have to rebound better at times and we have to play defense better at times. The ranking doesn’t matter. It’s nice to have a good record as far as seeding but, like everybody else, we’re just trying to improve. We’re not resting on our laurels and we’re not happy with where we are in some areas.”

At the same time, the excitement coach Johnson has about this group is obvious.

“There’s a good sense of team, a good sense of unity,” he said.

Maleek Johnson, who admitted the Colts got a little overconfident at times the last two seasons, thinks this is their best chance at returning to the Coors Events Center for the Final Four for the first time since 2009.

“We are more of a team than we were last year,” the senior said. “We have a bench that does well for us and we just have a good overall team.”

If Pueblo South does make a deep playoff run all the way to Boulder, perhaps even claiming the gold ball they so desire, it won’t be just a result of a special lightning in the bottle type season. It’ll also be a direct result of the winning hoops culture at the school and the grittiness of the players, a rugged determination that has defined Pueblo prep sports for decades.

(Courtesy of Roxy Burris)

The 2015 CHSAA Hall of Fame inductees. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

AURORA — Eight new members joined CHSAA’s Hall of Fame on Wednesday night following an induction ceremony at the Radisson Hotel Denver Southeast.

Coaches Judy Beardsley (Merino/Sterling), Maurice “Stringy” Ervin (Littleton), Art Wollenweber (Sheridan); participants Natalie Hughes (Palisade), Amy Van Dyken-Rouen (Cherry Creek), Edward “Chuck” Williams (Denver East); sponsor Jess Gerardi (Durango/Englewood); and significant contributor Homer “Irv” Moss (Denver) were all honored on Wednesday.

Together, they comprise the 2015 class, which is the 27th in the history of the Hall of Fame.

Williams spoke for the group. In a speech, he said, “We all feel that it was essential to have the passion and the love for our respective endeavors.”

The CHSAA Hall of Fame was started in 1989.

Biographies of each new member are below, via the press release announcing the new members last October. With their inclusion the CHSAA Hall of Fame now has 180 members.

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2015 CHSAA Hall of Fame class

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

Judy Beardsley (Merino/Sterling) – One of the finest volleyball coaches in the state, Beardsley’s teams have won 11 state titles, including 10 at Merino and one at Sterling. Her teams compiled records of 502-88 (85%) through last year. She was named Class 1A Coach of the Year on 10 occasions and has earned numerous other coaching honors, including induction last spring into the CHSCA Hall of Fame. Her teams were runners up four times, finished third on three occasions and earned three trips to the final four. Beardsley was named coach of the year on 16 occasions, including 2000 when she was the National High School Coaches Association’s National Coach of the Year.”

Jess Gerardi (Durango/Englewood) – The “godfather” of blending marching band and concert bands, Gerardi is recognized as the state’s most balanced instrumental music director. His bands have excelled at the highest level, at the state, regional and national levels. He served in nearly every role possible in the Colorado Music Educators Association and Colorado Bandmasters Association (CBA). He is an accomplished judge as well, judging strings and bands with aplomb. Gerardi is a member of the CBA’s Hall of Fame and the Colorado Music Educators Association’s Hall of Fame. He was named “Citizen of the Year” in Englewood and “Colroado’s Outstanding Music Educator” by the National Federation (NFHS) in 1994.  In 2006, Gerardi received the covetous “Citation of Excellence” award from the National Band Association. Of note is that Gerardi served as director of entertainment for the Denver Broncos Football Club and was director of the Denver Broncos Band from 1967 to 1998.

Maurice “Stringy” Ervin (Littleton) – A coach for five decades, Erwin’s girls’ swimming teams won five state championships and his boys’ teams won another seven. He has coached 19 individual state champions, as well. He has also coached football and baseball. He has won too many honors to count and has been an integral part of the leadership team for the CHSCA. For a man who never learned to swim himself, Ervin can always be found at the pool coaching all levels of swimmer. He was a classroom teacher for LHS for over 30 years and is a meticulous record keeper. He was named the 1998 National Swimming Coach of the Year. He is the recipient of The Denver Post’s Dave Sanders Award (2001), as well as multiple other coaching and leadership awards. As a three-sport high school athlete at LHS, he led his teams to a state championships in football (quarterback) and basketball.

Natalie Hughes (Palisade) – One of the state’s most prolific runners, Hughes won 13 individual state titles in high school. She won three cross country titles (1997, 99, 00) and then won titles in the 800, 1600 and 3200 meters in track and field. She went on to run at Florida State where she was a seven-time All-American and eight-time All-ACC runner during her time with the Seminoles. She still holds the mile record at FSU.

Homer “Irv” Moss (The Denver Post) – Moss has been writing prep sports stories since 1955 and was in integral part of the early coverage for high school sports in Colorado. He and Manual Boody (CHSAA HoF 1990) were the first two newspaper writers to give life in the major papers to prep sports. He printed the CHSAA championship programs until 1988. He was hired as a part-timer while still a student at Denver West. If you are anyone in high school sports, you can’t pass on into the next world without an obituary from Irv Moss. He was instrumental in developing the Metro vs. Suburbs Baseball All-Star game at Bears Stadium and remains one of the state’s most compelling voices in sports, serving as a resource for prep, collegiate and professional sports in Colorado.

Amy Van Dyken-Rouen (Cherry Creek) – Van Dyken is now one of the world’s most recognizable athletes after a stellar swimming career at Cherry Creek High School and Colorado State University. In high school, she set the state record in the 50 free and 100 butterfly. Her teams won state titles each year from 1987-1991. She was named the 1991 Female Swimmer of the Year. She competed in the Olympics winning six Gold Medals. After suffering a serious injury several years ago, she has become a strong spokesperson for the Paralympic athletes and those with spinal cord injuries.

Edward “Chuck” Williams (Denver East) – An all-state basketball and track athlete at Denver East High School, Williams is one of the state’s finest basketball players. He played on three state championship teams, winning in football (1962), basketball (1964) and track (1964). He also played on a football and basketball team that finished runners-up. He earned All-State honors in football and basketball as a senior. He is a member of the DPS’s All-Century Teams in both football and basketball.

Art Wollenweber (Sheridan) – One of the state’s iconic coaches and administrators, Wollenweber baseball teams won over 300 games, captured seven league titles and made the state tournament eight times. As an administrator for SHS, Wollenweber played a key role in the Metro League, serving as the league secretary/treasurer from 1973-1989. He spent many years on the CHSAA Board of Control (Legislative Council) and was a member of the CHSAA Executive Committee (Board of Directors).