Though snow so far has been sparse, skiers across the state are prepping for the winter days ahead.
Battle Mountain boys head coach Simon Marsh has his team well underway in their dry-land training, knowing that showing up in shape is half the battle. Continual success starts well before the ski boots are on, and nobody knows this better than Marsh.
Last February, his squad won their second consecutive championship, with Marsh being named coach of the year. In 2015, the state title was led by standout skiers Sans Simonton and Keenan Zopf. When they graduated, seniors Quintin Cook and Luke Vickerman carried on the winning performance for a repeat championship.
Their points were crucial. Now there are holes in the roster, but goals are still as high.
“No question a three-peat will certainly be a challenge without these skiers who were both experienced racers and great athletes,” Marsh said. “However, nothing is out of reach for this year’s teams. We have a group of motivated skiers who were a part of last year’s teams, ready to train and compete.”
They’ll look for strong performances from Bryce Runckel (one of the three scorers in the slalom race last year), Dutch Schroeder and Michael Barrett. And those hopeful performances derive from Marsh’s emphasis on training.
“Most specifically to being a top contender, we take pride in our commitment to holding quality on-hill training, where we keep a focus on the ever-important fundamentals to ski racing that we build on during the season in preparation for the State Championships,” Marsh said.
On the girls side, the 2016 championship crowned Aspen as the new top dog, after two years of victory for Summit. Similar to Battle Mountain, dry-land practice is a top priority. The girls practice five days a week and occasional Saturday’s for lengthier time. It hones their endurance base while simultaneously increasing the athletes’ strength and speed. All of these, of course, are transferable to the hill.
This year won’t mirror last year though, At the moment, the team lacks the depth it had last year, a depth that other teams are full of.
“This year is completely different. We graduated some big skiers and have a few currently injured,” said coach Travis Moore. “We are simply focusing on building skills and fitness in hopes that in the coming years we are able to get back on top,”
But, like Marsh, Moore has hopes and they start now. “We will still train hard and see where it takes us,” says Moore. “The rivalry between us and Summit has been strong for years, sharing titles back and forth. It’s always a lot of fun to see how it plays out.” Juniors Chelsea Moore and Jozie Willie plan to lead Aspen this season.
The following information shows the designated home team for potential playoff football matchups to be played on Saturday, Dec. 3. The formula for determining the home team is shown on page 50 of the football bulletin.
Sites are determined each week at the CHSAA office, one-and-a-half weeks prior to the next round. When possible, this will be live-streamed.
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Explanation
How the home sites are determined.
5A, 4A: The team with the fewest playoff home games will serve as the designated “home” team at Mile High for the championship.
3A: The higher seed will host the championship game regardless of the number of home games.
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Future home sites
Key: Home games – Fewest home playoff games; Higher seed – The highest seeded team; Mileage – One-way mileage.
AURORA — The NFHS Network has had a ton of coverage of the state football playoffs so far this year, and that trend will continue over the final two weekends of the season.
Every remaining football game is set to be streamed by the Network, including each of the six championship games that have yet to be played.
This week brings the championship games in 2A, 1A and 8-man. Saturday’s coverage will also include all semifinals in 5A, 4A and 3A, thanks to a few school broadcast programs who will be covering their games.
Here’s the breakdown of games this week, which will all be played at 1 p.m. on Saturday:
The following week, each of the three championship games will be available exclusively on the NFHS Network. This is a change from recent years which also saw coverage on TV. There will be no TV coverage of the 4A and 5A games this season.
Here is the complete schedule for games on Dec. 3:
Nutrition for athletes is very important and there are three factors to consider when fueling for recovery. Rehydrating, repairing and replenishing are key areas for athletes to consider when choosing nutrition. Remember not all food is created equal, so being educated on the best foods to fuel our bodies is of the utmost importance.
You’re likely aware that good nutrition is key for optimal athletic performance; however, it may surprise you that research indicates that athletes don’t need a diet different from what is recommended by the Dietary Guidelines and MyPlate. Eating a variety of foods from all five food groups will help you get adequate fuel, in addition to your essential vitamins and minerals.
Build a healthy plate at every meal with these tips …
Make half of your plate colorful fruits and vegetables.
Choose low-fat or fat-free dairy products. They have the same essential nutrients as whole-milk varieties, but less fat and calories.
Make at least half of your grains whole by choosing 100% whole-grain bread, cereal, pasta and crackers, and opt for brown rice.
Enjoy a wider variety of protein-rich foods by including seafood, beans, eggs and nuts in addition to lean meats and poultry.
Eating for peak athletic performance includes recovery from workouts and competitions. Milk, both white and chocolate, is an excellent choice after exercise as it provides carbohydrates which help refuel muscles, high-quality protein to reduce muscle breakdown and aid in the repair of damaged muscle tissue, and fluids and electrolytes to rehydrate the body. It is best to begin your nutrition recovery within 30-60 minutes after a training session or competition.
It is recommended that you experiment with foods (including timing and amount) and figure out your individual nutrition needs during training. Avoid trying new foods or beverages on the day of a competition.
The Coyotes come in at No. 2 and will look to bounce back from the heartbreaking loss and make another deep playoff run.
Sitting at No. 3 is Ralston Valley who advanced to the state semifinals before falling 6-2 to Monarch.
After failing to defend its 2015 state title last year, Cherry Creek is looking to regain its championship form and grabbing the No. 4 spot in the rankings is the first step in doing so. The Bruins lost to Mountain Vista in the quarterfinals.
Resurrection Christian snags the No. 5 spot after making a run to the quarterfinals last year. The Cougars lost to Ralston Valley 4-3 in last year’s quarterfinals.
Dakota Ridge takes the No. 6 spot and is the lowest team in the poll to receive a first-place vote.
The No. 7 spot goes to Mountain Vista who made a strong run to the state semifinals.
Denver East lands at No. 8 after an impressive 12-2 season in 2015-16. The Angels made the state playoffs, but were beaten by Resurrection Christian in the first round.
Just two years ago, Valor Christian went 2-10 prompting much-needed changes in the program. They’ve paid so far as the Eagles come in at No. 9 to start the season.
Rounding out the preseason poll at No. 10 is Lewis-Palmer. The Rangers made the state playoffs last season but were beaten by Steamboat Springs in the first round.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. During the regular season, the poll will release each Monday.
For the most part, the defending state champions come into the 2016-17 basketball season as the big dogs in the yard.
Pueblo West, Colorado Springs Christian, Sanford and Fleming all took the top spot in their respective CHSAANow.com preseason basketball polls.
The only defending champion to not hold the top spot is Overland, which did not make the top 10 in the Class 5A rankings.
The top spot in that class goes to Eaglecrest, which finished runner-up last season. Colbey Ross will be back for his senior season and will look to lead the Raptors to another state title.
Rock Canyon (No. 2), Denver East (No. 3), ThunderRidge (No. 4) all got first-place votes to start the season.
(Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)
In 4A, the two teams that ended last season all top will start this season in the same position. Pueblo West holds the top spot in 4A with Valor Christian nipping at the heels of the Cyclones at No. 2.
Pueblo West came away with a 70-51 win over the Eagles to take the state championship. David Simental returns for his senior season at Pueblo West and is looking to turn heads as he did in last year’s state tournament.
He’d also like to win a second-straight title for the Cyclones.
Colorado Springs Christian takes the No. 1 spot in 3A after winning it’s second-straight championship. The Lions lose big man Sam Howard, but guard Justin Engesser does return for his senior year.
If the Indians win their season opener, they will set the record for most consecutive wins in state history. They currently sit tied with Ridgway, who won 73 straight games from 1993-96.
After missing out on the 2015 state title by a point, Fleming rebounded to capture last year’s 1A championship and will start the season at No. 1 as a result.
The boys basketball regular season begins Nov. 30.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. During the regular season, they are released each Monday.
Chatfield 38, Lakewood 35, Fort Collins 20, Overland 16, Smoky Hill 9, Rangeview 8, Vista Ridge 7, Chaparral 6, Rampart 6, Dakota Ridge 5, Fossil Ridge 5, Adams City 4, Far Northeast 4, Legend 3, Aurora Central 2, Coronado 2, Arapahoe 1, Cherry Creek 1, Grand Junction Central 1, Highlands Ranch 1.
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Pueblo West (10)
0-0
153
2
Valor Christian (6)
0-0
147
3
Sand Creek
0-0
105
4
Golden
0-0
93
5
Holy Family
0-0
70
6
Sierra
0-0
54
7
Mead
0-0
51
8
D’Evelyn
0-0
43
9
Vista PEAK
0-0
42
10
Evergreen
0-0
40
Others receiving votes:
Pueblo South 33, Longmont 22, Lewis-Palmer 18, Northridge 10, Windsor 10, Silver Creek 8, Air Academy 7, Mesa Ridge 7, Mountain View 7, Denver West 4, Fort Morgan 4, Rifle 4, Durango 2, Widefield 1.
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Colorado Springs Christian (10)
0-0
144
2
Faith Christian
0-0
97
3
Lutheran (1)
0-0
86
4
Manual
0-0
82
5
Manitou Springs (1)
0-0
76
6
Alamosa (1)
0-0
75
7
Resurrection Christian (1)
0-0
72
8
DSST-Stapleton (2)
0-0
65
9
Sterling
0-0
38
10
Colorado Academy
0-0
24
Others receiving votes:
The Pinnacle 17, Eaton 14, Bayfield 13, Jefferson Academy 12, DSST-Green Valley Ranch 11, Strasburg 11, Grand Valley 7, Platte Valley 6, Frontier Academy 5, St. Mary’s 5, Kent Denver 4, Basalt 3, Buena Vista 3, Middle Park 3, Coal Ridge 2, Ridge View Academy 2, Bennett 1, Peak to Peak 1, The Vanguard 1.
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Sanford (7)
0-0
94
2
Paonia
0-0
85
3
Holyoke (3)
0-0
76
4
Sedgwick County
0-0
67
5
Highland
0-0
46
6
Ellicott
0-0
40
7
Ignacio
0-0
35
8
Byers
0-0
28
9
Crowley County
0-0
26
10
Burlington
0-0
24
Others receiving votes:
Meeker 11, Vail Mountain 5, Hotchkiss 3, Soroco 3, Del Norte 2, Rocky Ford 2, Dayspring Christian 1, West Grand 1, Wiggins 1.
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Fleming (9)
0-0
90
2
Holly
0-0
81
3
Kit Carson
0-0
67
4
Shining Mountain
0-0
53
5
Cheyenne Wells
0-0
43
6
Sierra Grande
0-0
40
7
Ouray
0-0
38
8
Flagler
0-0
23
9
Rocky Mountain Lutheran
0-0
21
10
Wiley
0-0
16
Others receiving votes:
Cheraw 10, Eads 3, Primero 3, Longmont Christian 2, Nucla 2, Sangre de Cristo 2, Genoa-Hugo/Karval 1, Otis 1, Springfield 1.
It appears that defending girls basketball state champions are going to have their work cut out for them in 2016-17.
Only Valor Christian comes in as a No. 1 team in the CHSAANow.com preseason girls basketball rankings as a team who also finished the season hoisting a state championship trophy.
Led by Michaela Onyenwere, Grandview comes in as the top team in 5A. The Wolves advanced to the Final 4 last season, but lost a heartbreaker to eventual state champion ThunderRidge.
The Grizzlies did not break into the top 10 to start the season.
In 3A, it’s the 2016 state runner-up Manitou Springs who comes in as the No.1 team to start the year.
The Mustangs return senior Shelby Megyeri, who is regarded as one of the top guards in the state.
Like the 3A poll, it’s the runner-up that will start the season at No. 1 in 2A. After falling to Yuma 55-46 in the 2A title game, Paonia will start the 2016-17 season as the top team in the class.
Yuma isn’t far behind though as the defending champ sit at No. 2.
A stunning upset in the first round of the 1A state tournament ended Kit Carson’s bid at a state title, but the Wildcats find themselves as the team to beat to start this season.
They take the No. 1 spot in the preseason 1A rankings.
The girls basketball regular season will begin Nov. 30.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. During the regular season, they are released each Monday.
Longmont 33, Windsor 32, Durango 17, Falcon 16, Air Academy 12, Green Mountain 8, Pueblo East 8, Palisade 6, Berthoud 5, Montrose 5, Discovery Canyon 3, Thomas Jefferson 3, Rifle 2, Centaurus 1, Elizabeth 1.
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Manitou Springs (5)
0-0
87
2
Sterling (2)
0-0
84
3
Pagosa Springs
0-0
76
4
Lutheran (1)
0-0
62
5
Centauri
0-0
58
6
St. Mary’s (1)
0-0
52
7
Eaton (1)
0-0
38
8
Faith Christian
0-0
27
9
Lamar
0-0
19
10
Liberty Common
0-0
11
Others receiving votes:
Moffat County 7, Coal Ridge 5, Grand Valley 5, Bennett 4, Olathe 3, Resurrection Christian 3, Alamosa 2, Cedaredge 2, Colorado Springs Christian 2, Kent Denver 1, Strasburg 1, Trinidad 1.
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Paonia (9)
0-0
99
2
Yuma (1)
0-0
70
3
Swink
0-0
67
4
Wray
0-0
64
5
Akron
0-0
28
6
Soroco
0-0
26
7
Haxtun
0-0
20
8
Del Norte
0-0
19
9
Lyons
0-0
17
10
Highland
0-0
16
Others receiving votes:
Ignacio 15, Clear Creek 14, Evangelical Christian 14, Sanford 13, West Grand 12, Hoehne 10, Sargent 7, Simla 7, Ellicott 6, Limon 5, Meeker 5, Calhan 4, Ridgway 4, Burlington 2, Fowler 2, Center 1, Custer County 1, Denver Christian 1, Norwood 1.
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Kit Carson (7)
0-0
88
2
Fleming (1)
0-0
55
3
Heritage Christian
0-0
53
4
Idalia (1)
0-0
49
5
Briggsdale
0-0
47
6
South Baca
0-0
35
7
Genoa-Hugo/Karval
0-0
25
8
Antonito
0-0
23
9
Kiowa
0-0
21
10
Branson/Kim
0-0
18
Others receiving votes:
Cheyenne Wells 15, McClave 13, Jim Elliot 11, La Veta 10, Sangre de Cristo 10, Hi-Plains 5, Springfield 5, Eads 4, Holly 4, Otis 3, Stratton/Liberty 1.
