DENVER — Thomas Jefferson’s volleyball team knows it’s underrated. But the players are also fearless, and that makes for a lethal combination for foes in the state tournament.
Second-year Thomas Jefferson head coach Erik Rhee said they’re an overlooked team, and no one is really expecting the Spartans to come out and win.
But Class 4A’s No. 9-seeded Spartans pulled an upset in the first match of Class 4A pool play in the 2016 state volleyball tournament on Friday at the Denver Coliseum, defeating No. 4-seeded Montrose in four sets (26-24, 17-25, 25-21, 25-16).
As the only Denver Prep League school in the tournament, the Spartans are not only an overlooked team, but the squad also represents an overlooked volleyball conference: a DPS team has never made it to the state championship game before.
But the Spartans boast versatility that makes this team a sleeper, even with the nation’s No. 4-ranked team, Lewis-Palmer — the “Goliath of Colorado volleyball,” in the words of Rhee — also vying for a state title.
“We’re the DPS team, but don’t underestimate us,” senior middle blocker Annie McAninch said. “We’ll knock your socks off, for sure.”
The Spartans, 14-3 in the regular season, came out aggressive in pool play and adapted early on to Montrose’s tough outside hitters, switching senior outside hitter Jaden Sandoval to the right side. The switch neutralized the outsides and really changed the momentum of the match.
(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
“We have so many diverse players on our team that can switch from position to position,” setter Gracey Jarecke said.
Alongside sister sophomore outside hitter Siale Sandoval, the two have been forces on the net to reckon with all season.
Throw in McAninch and Jarecke, who is typically a libero for her club team, and the Spartans have a tough offense to beat.
“McAninch’s hitting efficiency in the Montrose game must have been close to .700 — she was on fire today!” Rhee said.
He added: “We knew Montrose was going to be tough. We got to an early lead at the end of the match, 24-19, and they battled back. But we just kept calm and did what we needed to and squeaked out that win.”
Jarecke, a sophomore, hasn’t set in three years and has been running the offense for Thomas Jefferson.
“I told her I needed her to set this year, and she’s done an absolutely fantastic job,” Rhee said. “She has great hands, she’s very athletic and just so even-tempered. Good or bad, you can’t tell the difference because she’s always smiling and is so positive. Hitters tend to have fragile egos, so whenever they’re down a bit she’s always out there pumping them up, and she’s really been a key for us.”
Jarecke and McAninch both know the rep DPS volleyball teams get, and they’re thrilled to just be able to be one of the 12 teams playing at the highest level in the state.
“My freshman year we came here, and it’s so surreal and cool to see all the teams playing,” McAninch said. “The energy is amazing and representing DPS is huge because usually DPS gets the lower end of the stick. It’s a pretty good accomplishment.”
Jarecke added: “I’m very proud that our team could come and represent DPS because we do have an underrated rep. This is my first time at the state tournament, and it was so cool walking in for the first time. We’re mentally preparing to come out and give these teams a good run for their money.”
Thomas Jefferson takes on No. 5-seeded Pueblo West in pool play on Saturday at 8 a.m. at the Denver Coliseum.
[divider]
Notables:
Class 4A’s No. 11-seeded Niwot swept No. 2-seeded Eagle Valley in pool play, 25-23, 25-14, 25-19. No. 7-seeded Holy Family also took down Eagle Valley, 25-17, 25-19, 21-25, 25-16.
Defending Class 4A state champion Cheyenne Mountain (No. 3) swept No. 10-seeded Silver Creek, 25-13, 26-24, 26-24.
Class 5A’s No. 4-seeded Chatfield came back from a 2-0 deficit against No. 5-seeded Chaparral to push five sets. The Chargers won the fifth set, 15-13, and advanced to the semifinal round on Saturday.
Lewis-Palmer, MaxPreps’ No. 4-ranked team in the country, advanced to the Class 4A semifinal round with wins against Windsor (No. 12) and Berthoud (No. 8).
Fossil Ridge, Class 5A’s No. 1 seed, advanced to the semifinals with sweeps of Highlands Ranch (No. 12) and Coronado (No. 8). The Sabercats will play Chatfield on Saturday.
DENVER — For the last three years, Eaton has dominated the landscape of Class 3A volleyball.
But before the Reds, it was Valley who more often than not came away with a state title. The Vikings won two titles in three years under coach Rene Aafedt. This year, they’re looking to get their hands on one more championship trophy.
It’s Aafedt’s last shot at it.
The longtime coach at Valley is calling it quits after 20 years of coaching. When she entered the Denver Coliseum on Friday as her team began pool play, it was for the last time.
Her players are more than aware of the circumstances and want to do everything they can to make sure she goes out with her third title.
“Just yesterday we had our last home practice and we made a big deal about it,” senior Ashlyn Martinez said. “It’s pretty emotional, but being here and playing for her, we want to give her a championship for her last year.”
They got off to a good start. In the third match of the day for 3A, they swept Platte Valley 25-20, 25-18 and 25-15.
In they’re second match of the day, they beat Middle Park 23-25, 25-18, 25-14, 20-25 and 15-7, earning a spot in Saturday’s semifinals.
With each match, Aafedt’s career inches closer to its conclusion and she couldn’t help but think about all the good things that came in her time at Valley.
“You just want to savor every moment that you have left and make it the best that you possibly can,” she said.
Aafedt said she felt like she was ready to move on after last year. But she wanted to make sure that there was a good plan in place for when she was gone and she had a special class of seniors that she wanted hang with through their final season.
“These seniors are very very special,” Aafedt said. “I thought that could hang out with them until they were seniors. These last three kids still have part of that Legacy that Valley used to hang on to forever.”
Martinez, Brooke Schilling and Miller Kinsey complete the trio of seniors. They’ve been around their coach long enough to know that the end of her career is certainly on her mind as these final matches play out.
“Yeah, I think it is,” Martinez said. “She’s a great coach and such a great person and individual. She’s been helping us a lot.”
And she can’t help but think back to all moments she was a part of in the Coliseum. This is the 13th consecutive appearance for the Vikings in the state tournament and the one thing still jumps our to Aafedt is the feeling she gets right when she walks through the door with her team.
“(I’ll always remember) lining up to check in and hearing No. 1 through 17 or whatever it is (get called),” she said. “I’ll always remember my state championships that we had, playing tough matches, coaches, officials and the camaraderie and just tons of memories here.”
Things will start to sink in for her on Monday.
There will be no volleyball practice to attend. No players to instruct. No opponents to prepare for.
But there will always be the memories. The Coliseum, the championships and most importantly the girls.
And those memories will never fade away.
[divider]
Notables:
No. 10 Kiowa provided the shock of the day on the small school front, beating No. McClave 25-14, 14-25, 23-25, 25-14 and 18-16. The Indians will face Springfield on Saturday with a chance to move on to the 1A semifinals.
University advanced to the 3A semifinals after winning both matches of the day. The Bulldogs topped Pagosa Springs and Bayfield, both in five sets, to earn a berth in the semis.
Fleming advanced to the 1A semifinals thanks to sweeps over Otis and Weldon Valley.
Dayspring Christian and Colorado Springs School both moved on to the 2A semifinals after going 2-0 during pool play on Thursday.
Chatfield players celebrate during the Chargers 3-2 victory over Chaparral on Friday at the 5A state volleyball tournament. (Dennis Pleuss)
DENVER — Not surprisingly, Chatfield took the dramatic road to the Class 5A volleyball state semifinals Friday at the Denver Coliseum.
The No. 4 seed Chargers dropped the first two sets to No. 5 Chaparral in pool play action Friday afternoon. However, Chatfield rallied for three straight set victories of 25-23, 25-13 and 15-13 to earn a spot in the 5A semifinals Saturday back at the Coliseum.
“In regionals a lot of times we were down like that,” Chatfield senior Sierra Bartley said. “We learned how to fight through things like that. It’s so important to our team because we don’t freak out anymore. We just play through it. We keep swinging and trust each other.”
Chatfield junior Lacey Cowan (5) puts down a kill. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
The remarkable comeback looked to be in doubt in the deciding fifth set. The Wolverines held a 13-10 lead, but a sideout and four straight service wins by Chatfield senior Haley Jacobson completed the come-from-behind victory.
“It’s so nice to know we are playing tomorrow,” Bartley said. “Just two more matches and we win state.”
The experience Chatfield has gain in its third straight trip to the state tournament and postseason battles at regionals helped Jacobson serve out the match.
“I had a little nerves, but in the Castle View (regional match last week) I had to come in and serve,” Jacobson said. “I think that kind of set me up. I wanted it so much for my team.”
Chatfield coach Stephanie Schick has orchestrated a very deep and talented squad to a 21-game winning streak heading into Saturday’s state semifinal against top-seeded Fossil Ridge. Schick pushed the right button again inserting Jacobson off the bench to serve to close out the match against Chaparral.
Chatfield senior Haley Fuller, left, hammers down a kill against Chaparral. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
“I can’t say enough about Haley (Jacobson). She is a girl who hasn’t got a ton of playing time and she stayed in for her team all season, even when it wasn’t easy,” Schick said. “I wanted her to be rewarded for that. I couldn’t be prouder of her.”
The Chargers have been a model for the dramatics during the last three state tournaments. Chatfield had its improbable run as the No. 12 seed to the 5A title game in 2014. Last year as the No. 1 seed the Chargers went 1-1 in pool play and ended up losing a tiebreaker set to prevent them from advance to the semifinals.
“This is the first time we’ve ever made it to the semis like this. Let’s go home,” Schick said through tears of joy and a huge smile. “You want to go out to eat? I don’t know how I’m going to feel tonight. I’m going to go pick up my daughters and have a normal night. Sleep-in tomorrow because we don’t have to watch other people determine our fate.”
With Chatfield’s fate in its own hands, one thing for sure is the Chargers will keep their trademark smiles and positive support of teammates through the final day on the volleyball court.
Even trailing 2-0 against Chaparral, the Chargers remarkably never got down with their season on the line.
“We talk about the circle of a volleyball life,” Schick said. “You play better volleyball when you are having fun and you have fun when you are playing better volleyball.”
Schick will coach this team one final day and try to bring Chatfield’s its first state volleyball in the school’s history.
“I’ve never coached a team like this before, lucky me,” Schick said. “They care so much and that is all I can ask for. I care a lot. It’s hard to coach kids when they don’t care as much as you do. Man, they want it so bad.”
Chatfield students turned out to cheer the Chargers to a pair of victories Friday at the 5A state volleyball tournament. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
AURORA — If there’s anything the Class 5A Mount Wilson conference football players learned this season about Eaglecrest, it’s to avoid Victor Garnes at all costs.
If you kick the ball to this man, it’s going to the house. If the ball gets thrown in his general vicinity, he will make you pay.
And that’s about what happened to Chaparral in the first round of the 2016 5A football state playoffs against Eaglecrest on Friday night at Legacy Stadium: a live-recording of Da Vicki G Show.
No. 5-seeded Eaglecrest’s junior running back magician did more than enough damage in the second period of the game against the No. 12-seeded Wolverines to help the Raptors to an 11-0 mark and trip to the quarterfinal round against Regis Jesuit.
Garnes dashed for a whopping 99-yards on a kickoff return for a touchdown – his second of the season. The first time he did it was in a tough conference matchup against Ralston Valley on Oct. 27.
And Da Vicki G Show wasn’t over just yet in the second: on Chaparral’s next possession, the running back returned an interception 75 yards for a touchdown, leading the Raptors into halftime with a dominant 27-3 lead.
“I just have to give it up to my blockers, because they make that seam for me and when I see that, I can hit it,” Garnes said. “They do such a great job at blocking for me, and when they do a good job, it makes my job so much easier to score touchdowns.”
Garnes squeaked in a third TD of the night, running in a short one with just under six minutes left in regulation. Wolverines’ Isaac Wilson was able to block the extra point attempt and halt the Raptors’ scoring efforts at 40 points.
Chaparral kicker Ben Kearney scored two field goals, one in the second quarter and another in the third, and senior wide receiver Cole Williams scored the Wolverines’ lone TD of the game with 18 seconds left on the clock.
But the Raptors dominated the game form start to finish.
“I think the way our defense played was great,” Raptors head coach Mike Schmitt said. “Chaparral can really run the ball and has done a good job with that all year, and our defense was just stiff, and they wouldn’t let them get anything. Offensively, we did a great job holding on to the football and moving it at the end.”
Eaglecrest’s junior quarterback Jalen Mergerson took charge early on and scored a touchdown five minutes into the game on a 20-yard scramble. After Chaparral was called on an offside penalty during the good point after touchdown, the Raptors failed on the two-point conversion for the first lead of the game at 6-0.
Mergerson ran in a second TD on a 1-yard rush at the very beginning of the fourth period.
Kenny Wantings also made some big dashes for the Raptors, and ran into the end zone five yards for a TD with just over thirty second left in the first quarter.
Eaglecrest is the lone undefeated team left in 5A and will take on No. 4-seeded Regis Jesuit on the Raiders’ turf next week.
“All I know is the year before I got this job, I think Regis beat Eaglecrest 49-0 (in the 2009 5A quarterfinals),” Schmitt said. “I don’t know anything about them except for watching some film. We’ll get to work tonight as soon as we get home and spend some time on the weekend getting ready for the next round.”
GREENWOOD VILLAGE — In order to gain momentum for a playoff run, sometimes a team just needs to make a statement.
And that’s exactly what Grandview did in a 37-7 win over Legacy Friday night at the Stutler Bowl.
Hayden Blubaugh ran for 157 yards, picked off a pass and made a highlight-reel special teams return in the win.
When coaches talk about all three phases of football sharing importance, Blubaugh is the player that models their statements.
“(We wanted) to make a statement, show other teams that we’re not a team to be messing with,” Blubaugh said. “We had a great week of practice and we came out, executed and got the job done tonight.”
And they got the job done with by putting the ball in their playmaker’s hands just like they have done all year.
If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.
The Wolves (10-1 overall) gave Legacy a healthy dose of Blubaugh and the senior running back didn’t disappoint. He ran for 104 yards and a touchdown just in the first half.
But his most exciting play came on the special teams side. Trying to get on the board early in the second quarter, the Lightning sent Kyle Freeburg out to try a 51-yard field goal. The try came up about 11 yards short and it was Blubaugh who sat at the one-yard line ready for a return.
Legacy wasn’t going to stop him if it built a fence on the field. He just would’ve plowed right through it.
“I thought that if I could get to the sideline, I would score,” Blubaugh said. “So that’s what I tried doing and the field goal team set up a good block for me to do that.”
And it didn’t help Legacy (8-3) that the offense struggled all night. It seemed like things were going to get figured out as Alec Lewis found Landon Sneyd for a 63-yard touchdown pass to make it a 21-7 game.
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
But the Wolves answered right back as Gunnar Lamphere found Gunner Gentry for an 11-yard touchdown that pushed the lead back to three scores at halftime.
“The biggest we said (at halftime) was we had to execute the little things that we were not doing in the first half,” Legacy coach Wayne Voorhees said. “So that first step was making sure that we got hands on guys. Those kinds of things.”
Defensively, the Lightning seemed to do a better job of just that as it held the Wolves to nine points in the second half. But the offense just could not counter the speed and athleticism of Grandview.
Overall, Legacy rushed for -11 yards on the night. Lewis went 12 for 25 for 151 yards. He threw two interceptions to go with his touchdown pass to Sneyd.
Next up for Grandview in the Class 5A state playoffs is a showdown with former league foe Valor Christian.
The Wolves did not schedule the Eagles for non-league play so they have not taken the field together this year.
“But do now,” Grandview coach John Schultz said.
In order to get through one of the state’s elite teams, Shultz knows that he’ll have to lean on Blubaugh in order to advance to the semifinals.
“We’ve been leaning on Hayden a lot for a long time,” Shultz said. “We also got some great play out of Gentry tonight. He threw the ball well, so we have to continue to do that.”
His winning formula isn’t broken. So he has no desire to fix it.
Pomona junior Ryan Marquez breaks loose for a long run Friday against Bear Creek in a playoff opener. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
ARVADA — Pomona made it be known early on Friday night that its running game is up to speed with the Class 5A football state playoffs underway.
Senior quarterback Ryan Marquez ripped off a 42-yard run for the No. 1-seeded Panthers on their opening play from scrimmage. Junior Max Borghi rushed in from 13 yards out for his 20th touchdown on the season on the next play, giving Pomona a quick 7-0 lead on Bear Creek just 37 seconds into the first-round game.
“We knew we had to come out and get our offense going,” Pomona senior Cameron Gonzales said after a 42-26 victory against Bear Creek at the North Area Athletic Complex.
The win moves Pomona (10-1) into the quarterfinals where the Panthers will face a familiar foe — Columbine (9-2).
The No. 9 Rebels held on to defeat No. 8 Highlands Ranch on Friday night to set up a rematch of the 5A state semifinal last year. The Panthers won that game by a point on a late missed extra point that would have sent the game into overtime.
“We’ve got to get ready to go. We’ve got a lot of work to do,” Pomona coach Jay Madden said about preparing for Columbine. “They are a heck of a football team.”
Bear Creek senior Brian Sanchez (21) looks for some running room. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
With the new leagues and waterfall format, Jeffco schools Pomona and Columbine didn’t go up against each other in the regular season.
“It’s always a dogfight,” Gonzales said facing Columbine.
Gonzales finished with 13 carries for 128 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Panthers’ ground game against Bear Creek. Borghi finished with seven carries for 51 yards and also had a 32-yard touchdown catch midway through the third quarter that pushed Pomona’s lead to 28-7.
Marquez was a perfect 2-for-2 — both touchdown throws — in the second half before Pomona’s backup took over to start the fourth quarter. A 20-yard touchdown pass from Marquez to junior Riley Govan gave the Panthers a 35-7 lead heading to the fourth quarter.
“The simple fact is we have to come out ready to go,” Marquez said. “Respect to Bear Creek. They put up some points on us. You have to be ready for anything in the playoffs.”
No. 16 Bear Creek (3-8) put together a solid scoring drive before halftime with senior Andre Renteria capping it off with a 2-yard touchdown run. Bear Creek senior quarterback Walker Rumsey gave the Panthers’ defense fits at times with his scrambling ability.
Rumsey had a 63-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter that cut Pomona’s lead to 42-20. He also threw a touchdown pass on the final play of the game to make the score a little closer.
A tough scheduled helped Bear Creek make the 16-team field despite just three wins on the season. With high winning percentages for the Bears’ regular-season opponents moved Bear Creek’s RPI up 16.
“We thought we had to beat Regis to get in,” Rumsey said about the Bears losing their regular-season finale last week. “It was a miracle honestly. We were just lucky enough to play an extra game. Most teams are sitting at home. We are pretty blessed.”
Pomona junior Max Borghi (21) is dragged to the ground by Bear Creek senior Neil Vanlerberghe. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
