Valor Christian quarterback Dylan McCaffrey has been named the Gatorade football player of the year for Colorado.
McCaffrey, a senior, helped the Eagles win the Class 5A championship earlier this month. He threw for 31 touchdowns and 2,796 yards, and also rushed for 10 scores and 579 yards as Valor went 11-3.
A Michigan recruit, he has been selected to play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.
“Dylan has had an exceptional career,” Valor Christian coach Rod Sherman said in a statement. “He has developed into the top leader on our squad. He has never been about his stats, records or anything of the like.”
With this award, McCaffrey becomes a finalist for the national player of the year award, which will be announced later this month. He is also a finalist for the Maxwell Football Club High School Player of the Year, set to be announced in January.
McCaffrey has been a starter since he was a sophomore, and played in four state championship games. He has helped the Eagles win three championships over the course of his career.
The 2016 grad finished his career with seven entries into the state record book, including fourth for total touchdowns (120), and third for total offense (9,900).
“I don’t know that this state will realize how good Dylan was until Dylan is gone,” Sherman told CHSAANow.com after the 5A semifinals. “He’s an unbelievable quarterback.”
McCaffrey was named the 5A football player of the year as part of CHSAA’s all-state team last season. This year’s team comes out this week.
Started in 1985-86, the Gatorade award has been honoring the top football players in Colorado for more than three decades. This is believed to be the first time that brothers have won the award — McCaffrey’s older brother, Christian, was a two-time winner in 2012 and 2013.
We covered the early tourney play heating on Thursday and now it’s time to take a look at how the tourney finals along with non league action closed out!
[divider]
The Look Back
Thursday, Dec. 8
How do you top beating 5A No. 1 Eaglecrest in Colorado? How about taking the Rock Canyon show on the road and beating Brackenridge, Texas 79-56! Many people will be asking, “Who’s that No. 5 for the Jags?” … and that question was truly relevant in Texas when Sam Masten scored 42 points in a mystery jersey while luggage was at the airport! Cool story for the ages. We got to chat with junior star Masten and he simply said beating Eaglecrest, a 5-0 week, and scoring 42 “was simply a week I’ll remember for a long time!” Sam’s a man of few words and we have the feeling he knows there’s still work to be done despite this blazing start.
Our 4A No. 3 Sand Creek is led by star D’Shawn Schwartz which has been documented but fellow seniors David Jabedo and Jeffrey Gary scored 18 and 25 points respectively proving this is not a one man show! Four-point win over Widefield in tourney play.
Five contributing seniors is going to make this Vista PEAK team a tough out in 4A play. A 12-point tourney win over Coronado with Dylan Holt scoring a steady 11 points.
Monarch oh-so-close to getting over the hump as junior Tyler Trinh poured in 25 points but not enough to stop Pine Creek in overtime with Q Gutierrez scoring 27 in the win.
Noah Beatty is as steady as they come in senior-point guards scoring 16 points, grabbing 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals for Vista Ridge while running mate Hunter Maldonado, who was covered this week, scored 27 in win over Fountain Fort Carson.
Chaparral has a ton of young talent and four sophomores led the way topped with Ronnie DeGray Jr.’s 24 points as the Wolverines ran away from Grand Junction.
Regis Raiders are on the road as well in California and came up short to St Patrick-St Vincent despite Sam Bannec’s 19 points.
The Far Northeast (Montbello) Warriors have a special senior play maker who we believe has the ability to play at the next level and Dan Morhmann caught Aaris Bonds skills on display has he hit the game winner vs. Rampart
Friday, Dec. 9
(Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
Balanced and tough is one way to describe Rock Canyon and with four players in double figures the Jags went 2-0 in Texas beating McArthur by 4 jumping out in the first quarter 14-6.
Senior Connor Hobbs scored 23 on the west coast visit helping Regis get on track with a 14-point tourney win over Serra (CA).
Junior Noah Martinez was a hot 8-11 from the field as Falcon beat Mitchell by 14.
Score Keeper Alert!! Pueblo Centennial kept the table working running up 105 points as a team vs. Moffat County. Senior R. Vaughn led all with 26 points.
Rivalry game … but a 23-5 second quarter advantage along with Sierra’s CJ Jennings 24 points took down Palmer.
Seniors Jalen Sanders and Kaylen Knuckles both scored in the 20’s as No. 3 Valor left no doubt in blowout of Grand Junction.
Broomfield was tough throughout the Fairview Festival and beat the host in the third place game 61-56.
With a stud-point guard and stud big man inside you can get a lot done on a high school court. That is exactly the foundation for Grandview this year as Lechaun Duhart runs the show and fellow senior Gage Prim takes care of the paint. Both scored in double figures as the Wolves won the A-Town battle vs. Rangeview.
Looking for a possible new No. 1 to give Rock Canyon competition? Look no further than the GW Patriots, who have a win over the Jags and packed the house Friday night vs. defending champ Overland. Jervay Green stole the show on this night and was the buzz all over Twitter with this electrifying dunk that was part of his game-high 18 points.
Senior vs. Sophomore action! Ronnie DeGray III was back and forth vs. the veteran-point guard Brevin Brimble and DeGray’s 26 points wasn’t enough as Doherty locked down in the fourth quarter for the win.
Charles Dinegar 8-11 with 20 points as 4A No. 8 D’Evelyn finished strong beating Fort Morgan.
Not a shootout by any means but these two teams who will get some upsets battled to a 42-35 football score as ThunderRidge edged Cherry Creek in tourney play with Corey Seng scoring 18.
Our Fever Crew has mentioned we love Jaize Lottie’s leadership and ability to get in the paint making the Cougars our sleeper to advance late in the season and Friday night Tim Visser caught him “stat-stuffin” again as Deon Barfield sealed it with the last-second tip.
Centennial League, and all of 5A for that matter, please take notice of young Smoky Hill coming your way! The Buffaloes also traveled this week for out of state competition and took down the No. 1 team in Utah perennial power Lone Peak 68-64. Way to rep on the road Smoky Hill! The Buffs will climb the 5A rankings quickly.
The late night treat on Friday was the Fairview Festival title game where DPL rivals East and South battled. Big 7-foot-2 sophomore Asane Diouf had a bit of a coming out party controlling the paint with 21 points and 10 rebounds leading the Angels to the tourney championship 72-57. Kwane Marble, the Angels’ leading scorer this season as a sophomore, also added 15. Although Marble is handling heavy scoring duty he credits defense saying, “We didn’t like the way last season ended so we push hard everyday in practice. We work hard on defense, put a lot of effort in on defense because that’s what it will take to keep going undefeated.” For the Rebels, sharp shooting senior Tucker Cargile scored 15 points in the loss.
Saturday, Dec. 10
(Tim Visser/timvisserphotography.com)
The Bison are hot! Vista PEAK now has two tournament championships under their belt in the early season and convincingly beat Manual with seniors Dylan Holt and Marquise Johnson both scoring 16.
Tim Visser was our man on the scene as Jalen Sanders led four Eagles in double digit scoring with 23 points, 10 rebounds in No. 2 Valor’s win over Rocky Mountian.
Mesa Ridge has been putting up some major points and this time it was 95-44 over Palisade!
The Angels continue to impress early following up the Fairview title game with a throttling of Hinkley 77-36. Smooth sophomore Kwane Marble led once again with 22 points. Our Fever Crew caught up with Marble and were impressed by his mature approach to the game and leading as a sophomore. Marble stated, “It feels good to be the leading scorer as a sophomore but my team pushes me as hard as they can … on and off the floor. On the floor they get me the ball where they know I will succeed.” Up next for the Angels is a trip to Las Vegas for a tourney at hoops landmark Bishop Gorman High School. “We are extremely excited for our trip to Vegas,” Marble said. “We will play as hard as we can because we have something to prove and want to represent for Colorado.” He noted that the team hasn’t reached it’s peak.
Warrior defense kicked in fourth quarter in the annual Arapahoe vs. Dakota Ridge Saturday fun with Kyle Lucasiewicz scoring 21 in the win along with 12 assists! Sweet double-double the hard way Kyle!
Cherry Creek doubled-up young Chaparral 22-11 in the first quarter and never looked back in 62-48 tourney win.
What a week for No. 2 Rock Canyon! The Jags finished their San Antonio visit 4-0, winning the tourney title over South San Antonio 64-49. Seniors Colin Rardin and Sam Masten score 19 and 18 respectively.
A grueling and physical tournament seemed to have taken a toll on No. 3 Sand Creek who was upset by Pueblo Central in tournament play cooling off the Scorpions.
Young sophomore shooter Jamil Saffiediene came to play scoring 17 for Regis in California but the Raiders suffered a loss to Clayton Valley Charter 72-64.
HELLO Kaison Hammonds! How about 38 points for the junior as No. 4 ThunderRidge held court vs. a tough Doherty team 68-57.
Smoky Hill continues to impress and junior Will Becker was a double-double machine on their successful tourney road trip! 66-52 over Wakefield.
J. Binkerhoff led four D’Evelyn players in double figures with 16 in the fourteen-point win over Longmont.
As mentioned previously, Grandview is not deep but with LeChaun Duhart scoring 31 and big man Gage Prim 24 they get it done again vs. a strong Mountain Vista squad to close Saturday out!
[divider]
The Look Ahead
(John Priest/CHSAANow.com)
Monday, Dec. 12
The big games this week starts with Boulder visiting an Eaglecrest squad that won’t be happy!
Thomas Jefferson vs. Valor.
Castle View vs. Palmer if you’re down south!
Horizon and Mountain Range face off with 4 wins each early.
Tuesday, Dec. 13
Rampart and undefeated Grandview.
Dakota Ridge vs. Doherty.
Longmont vs. unbeaten Green Mountain.
Mountain Vista vs. Fossil Ridge.
Two HOT teams in Smoky HIll vs. GW!
Vista PEAK looks to stay hot vs. Lewis Palmer.
Arapahoe seniors vs. Chaparral youth!
Holy Family and Sierra both 3-1.
Kolton Peterson for Lakewood and Corey Seng for ThunderRidge will let the 3’s fly!
Overland visits another tough spot for Rock Canyon’s return from Texas.
FNE (Montbello) Warriors will attempt to race Chatfield!
Wednesday, Dec. 14
Don’t look now but Ponderosa and Sand Creek both 5-1.
Wheat Ridge, 3-1 early, takes on Harrison.
Praire View vs. Mountain Range.
Thursday, Dec. 15
Castle View and Columbine tangle.
Things get private between Colorado Academy and Mullen.
Green Mountian & Rocky Mountain.
Denver South playing well sees Rampart’s size.
Doherty and Mountain Vista will put up some points!
Chatfield vs. Fossil Ridge.
Friday, Dec. 16
Lakewood vs. Regis looks good!
Rock Canyon vs. Dakota Ridge.
Cherry Creek vs. Rangeview Aurora flavor!
On the road Denver East takes on Bishop Gorman.
Saturday, Dec. 17
Pueblo County vs. Mead
Centaurus vs. Vista PEAK.
Legend vs. Doherty.
Arapahoe vs. Arvada West.
Braggin’ Rights: Rangeview vs. Smoky Hill
What a week of outstanding performances on our Colorado courts but the Fever Crew was thoroughly impressed with how some of our squads performed on the national tourney stage as well. Looking forward to another action packed week of ball!
It’s still early in the 2016-17 boys basketball season, but George Washington has already made some impressive moves.
The Patriots come in as the new No. 1 team in the Class 5A CHSAANow.com boys basketball rankings. In the two weeks since the release of the preseason rankings, they have gone 5-0 which included a three-point win over No. 2 Rock Canyon and a 13-point win over defending state champion Overland.
With a five-point loss to Rock Canyon, preseason No. 1 Eaglecrest falls to No. 5.
Grandview jumped two spots to land at No. 7 while Smoky Hill (No. 8) and Chatfield (No. 10) are the two new teams in the 5A poll.
A 3-0 record over the first week and a half of the season has kept Pueblo West as the No. 1 team in 4A.
Valor Christian also holds tight at N0. 2, despite a season-opening loss to 5A No. 9 Doherty.
Vista PEAK has looked good early in the year, starting with a 6-0 run to start the season. The Bison made a five-spot jump to come in at No. 4 this week.
Lewis-Palmer is the only new team to the 4A rankings, coming in at No. 10.
Colorado Springs Christian holds its spot as the No. 1 team in 3A. Resurrection Christian jumped five spots to come in at No. 2. Manitou Springs (No. 3) and Alamosa (No. 4) each moved up two spots from the preseason rankings.
At No. 7 and No. 10 respectively, Frontier Academy and Kent Denver are the two new teams to the 3A rankings.
Sedgwick County takes over as the No. 1 team in the 2A poll after Sanford’s 74-game winning streak came to an end last week.
The Indians now sit at No. 6.
There was a high turnover rate in the 2A rankings as four new teams broke into the poll this week.
Akron comes in at No. 4, Del Norte lands at No. 5, Dayspring Christian sits at No. 7 and Peyton breaks in at No. 9.
Starting 5-0 has meant good things for Holly, the No. 1 team in 1A this week.
The Wildcats snagged six firs-place votes in the process.
Like the 2A poll, there was significant turnover in 1A this week.
Weldon Valley (No. 3), Eads (No. 7), Peetz (No. 9) and Sangre de Cristo (No. 10) are all newcomers to the rankings.
Fleming, who came in as the preseason No. 1 comes in at No. 6 this week.
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.
Lakewood 34, Regis Jesuit 22, Overland 10, Mountain Vista 8, Far Northeast 1, Fort Collins 1, Legend 1, Rampart 1, Rangeview 1.
Dropped out
Regis Jesuit (5), Mountain Vista (10).
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Pueblo West (13)
3-0
157
1
3-0
2
Valor Christian (2)
2-1
114
2
2-1
3
Golden
5-1
102
4
5-1
4
Vista PEAK (1)
6-0
88
9
6-0
5
Holy Family
3-1
82
5
3-1
6
Sand Creek
5-1
81
3
5-1
7
Mead
3-1
71
7
3-1
8
D’Evelyn
5-1
50
8
5-1
9
Sierra
3-1
45
6
3-1
10
Lewis-Palmer
3-1
31
–
3-1
Others receiving votes:
Silver Creek 18, Green Mountain 10, Northridge 6, Widefield 6, Ponderosa 5, Evergreen 4, Thompson Valley 3, Mountain View 2, Palmer Ridge 2, Erie 1, Longmont 1, Pueblo South 1.
Dropped out
Evergreen (10).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Colorado Springs Christian (9)
3-0
140
1
3-0
2
Resurrection Christian (1)
5-0
107
7
5-0
3
Manitou Springs (2)
5-0
93
5
5-0
4
Alamosa (2)
5-1
81
6
5-1
5
Faith Christian
3-1
65
2
3-1
6
Sterling (1)
5-1
48
9
5-1
7
Frontier Academy
5-0
42
–
5-0
8
DSST-Stapleton
4-1
41
8
4-1
9
Kent Denver
5-0
41
–
5-0
10
Manual
2-2
33
4
2-2
Others receiving votes:
Lutheran 26, The Pinnacle 23, Colorado Academy 20, Machebeuf 18, DSST-Green Valley Ranch 13, Weld Central 8, Bayfield 5, Jefferson Academy 4, Monte Vista 4, Basalt 3, Ridge View Academy 3, The Vanguard 3, Roaring Fork 2, Coal Ridge 1, Strasburg 1.
Dropped out
Lutheran (3), Colorado Academy (10).
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Sedgwick County (4)
3-0
79
4
3-0
2
Highland (2)
4-0
74
5
4-0
3
Paonia (3)
3-1
72
2
3-1
4
Akron
3-0
53
–
3-0
5
Del Norte
5-1
44
–
5-1
6
Sanford
2-2
40
1
2-2
7
Dayspring Christian (1)
3-0
38
–
3-0
8
Holyoke
1-1
37
3
1-1
9
Peyton
4-0
30
–
4-0
10
Ignacio
1-0
23
7
1-0
Others receiving votes:
Colorado Springs School 11, Sargent 11, Burlington 7, Dawson 5, Hotchkiss 5, Byers 4, Fowler 4, Yuma 4, Haxtun 3, Center 2, Crowley County 2, Dolores Huerta 1, Meeker 1.
Dropped out
Ellicott (6), Byers (8), Crowley County (9), Burlington (10).
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Holly (6)
5-0
81
2
5-0
2
Sierra Grande (1)
5-0
67
6
5-0
3
Weldon Valley (1)
4-0
64
–
4-0
4
Cheyenne Wells
3-0
60
5
3-0
5
Kit Carson (1)
2-0
50
3
2-0
6
Fleming
1-1
38
1
1-1
7
Eads
3-0
28
–
3-0
8
Flagler
3-1
22
8
3-1
9
Peetz
4-0
18
–
4-0
10
Sangre de Cristo
3-1
14
–
3-1
Others receiving votes:
Wiley 12, Front Range Baptist 9, Shining Mountain 8, Creede/Lake City 7, Rocky Mountain Lutheran 7, ThornCreek Christian 6, Heritage Christian 3, Primero 1.
Sterling is the new top dog in the Class 3A CHSAANow.com girls basketball rankings.
The Tigers are 6-0 on the young season which includes two wins at the Buena Vista Tournament this past weekend.
It’s a one-spot jump for Sterling who benefit from two early-season losses by No. 8 Manitou Springs.
St. Mary’s takes over the No. 2 spot in 3A and Lamar leaps ahead six spots from the preseason rankings, coming in at No. 3.
At. No. 7, Colorado Springs Christian is the only new team to the 3A poll.
In 5A, Grandview holds on to the No. 1 spot. Ralston Valley and Highlands Ranch also held firm at their No. 2 and No. 3 spots respectively.
Horizon (No. 4) and Arapahoe (No. 7) each jumped two spots from the previous rankings.
Despite a 2-1 record, Valor Christian is still the No. 1 team in 4A. Evergreen jumps up to No. 2 and Pueblo South comes in at No. 3, each team two spots better than the preseason poll.
Air Academy is the only new team in the 4A poll, rounding it out at No. 10.
Paonia holds firm at the No. 1 spot in 2A, but Wray is the new No. 2 team, jumping two spots to get there.
Del Norte made an impressive four-spot leap to land at No. 4 this week.
At No. 9, West Grand is the only new team in the 2A rankings.
Kit Carson is still the No. 1 team in 1A with Fleming still holding the No. 2 spot.
Antonio is new at No. 3, jumping five spots from the preseason poll. Kim/Branson also greatly improved its ranking, coming in at No. 4 which is six spots better than where they came in previously.
Cheraw (No. 7) and Wiley (No. 10) are the two new teams in the 1A rankings.
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.
Pueblo East 24, Palisade 16, Sand Creek 14, Falcon 8, George Washington 6, Sierra 6, Windsor 6, Green Mountain 3, Silver Creek 2, The Classical Academy 2, Durango 1, Lewis-Palmer 1, Longmont 1, Thomas Jefferson 1.
Dropped out
Sand Creek (7).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Sterling (8)
6-0
117
2
6-0
2
St. Mary’s (3)
4-0
112
6
4-0
3
Lamar
4-0
80
9
4-0
4
Pagosa Springs
2-1
69
3
2-1
5
Centauri
5-1
56
5
5-1
6
Liberty Common
3-0
55
10
3-0
7
Colorado Springs Christian
3-0
46
–
3-0
8
Manitou Springs (2)
1-2
37
1
1-2
9
Eaton
4-1
33
7
4-1
10
Faith Christian
5-2
31
8
5-2
Others receiving votes:
Moffat County 26, Lutheran 23, Trinidad 14, Olathe 10, Bennett 2, Cedaredge 1, Coal Ridge 1, Delta 1, St. Mary’s Academy 1.
Dropped out
Lutheran (4).
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Paonia (12)
4-0
120
1
4-0
2
Wray
4-0
100
4
4-0
3
Yuma
4-1
89
2
4-1
4
Del Norte
4-2
54
8
4-2
5
Soroco
5-1
54
6
5-1
6
Haxtun
3-0
45
7
3-0
7
Swink
2-2
44
3
2-2
8
Lyons
4-1
32
9
4-1
9
West Grand
5-0
31
–
5-0
10
Highland
4-1
25
10
4-1
Others receiving votes:
Evangelical Christian 19, Akron 18, Sargent 13, Ignacio 12, Ellicott 10, Holyoke 9, Peyton 8, Sanford 8, Calhan 6, Dawson 6, Center 5, Hoehne 4, Custer County 2, Clear Creek 1.
Dropped out
Akron (5).
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Kit Carson (8)
2-0
96
1
2-0
2
Fleming (1)
2-0
80
2
2-0
3
Antonito (1)
5-0
67
8
5-0
4
Kim/Branson
4-0
60
10
4-0
5
Heritage Christian
3-0
50
3
3-0
6
Idalia
3-1
37
4
3-1
7
Cheraw
4-1
26
–
4-1
8
Kiowa
2-1
23
9
2-1
9
Briggsdale
3-1
14
5
3-1
10
Wiley
2-1
14
–
2-1
Others receiving votes:
DeBeque 11, La Veta 11, Springfield 10, Holly 9, McClave 7, Sierra Grande 7, South Baca 5, Arickaree/Woodlin 4, Belleview Christian 4, Beth Eden Baptist 4, Caliche 4, Sangre de Cristo 4, Creede/Lake City 3.
In its first year of competition, Fort Collins is going noticed on the ice. The Lampkins are off to a 4-0 start and have climbed to the No. 3 spot in the CHSAANow.com hockey rankings.
That run includes a 4-2 win over Monarch, last year’s state runner-up. The Coyotes came into the season ranked No. 2, but fell to No. 8 as a result of that loss.
Regis Jesuit still holds the No. 1 spot in the rankings and will likely do so until another team can dethrone the defending state champion.
Cherry Creek jumps two spots this week to land at No. 2.
Dakota Ridge improved to No. 5, up one spot from the preseason poll.
Valor Christian is another team that’s off to good start and as a result, the Eagles moved up three spots to come in at No. 6.
Ralston Valley (No. 4) dropped one spot while Resurrection Christian (No. 7), Mountain Vista (No. 9) and Denver East (No. 10) each fell two spots.
The aforementioned Lampkins are the only new team in this week’s hockey poll.
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.
DENVER — Going into Saturday night’s final round of the State Spirit Championships, four points and two teams stood between the Class 5A cheer squads from four-place Rock Canyon and first-place Grandview.
And, at the end of the night, a fully executed routine by Rock Canyon sealed the 5A state title for its third time in the last four years.
“Having their hard work pay off is a phenomenal feeling and I’m unbelievably proud of them,” said Rock Canyon coach Amanda Mundaca.
By hitting a clean, solid routine, the Jaguars overcame an overwhelming four point deficit, performing skills such as switch-up pull throughs, one-and-a-half ups, inverted twisting variations, high-to-high full arounds, and impressive squad tumbling.
There is an clearly an incredible amount of difficulty within the routine, which was a major contribution to the errors made during prelims on Day 1.
All coaches deal with the deduction sheet differently, but Mundaca made the executive decision to keep everything the same heading into Day 2 and with lots of encouragement, teamwork, and motivation. The Jaguars were able to come together as one and perform a routine that will forever be remembered.
“It was just amazing to put something on the mat that we could be proud of,” said senior captain Schyler Geck.
The Jaguars finished with a score of 92.4. Eaglecrest (88.9) finished second, while Grandview (86.3) was third. Chaparral (85.8) was fourth.
Alongside Mundaca, stood Geck and the three other seniors on the team when Rock Canyon won its first State Championship back in 2012. With the Jaguar’s most recent accomplishment, these upcoming graduates can add another ring to their collection.
(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
“I couldn’t be prouder to end their senior year with another state championship so it’s an awesome send off for them,” said Mundaca.
Even though the Jaguars will lose their four seniors next year, a great amount of returning talent will remain on the team and Mundaca hopes to continue this win streak next year by “coming out and hitting another clean routine.”
Coming off of last year’s streak-breaking sixth place finish, the Jaguars stayed determined and motivated throughout their entire season. On top of the traditional gameday situations, Mundaca consistently held five practices per week in order to properly prepare the team for State.
Throughout the season, the Jaguars have developed a growing passion for the team and its routine. The results made everything pay off for all of the time and energy that each individual athlete has put into it.
“I’m glad we could end with a bang and leave it all on the mat and I’m also happy that I could leave the team knowing that I did everything I could for them,” said Geck.
[divider]
Notables
(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Five teams successfully defended championships from a season ago: Vail Christian (2A pom), St. Mary’s (2A/3A co-ed), Castle View (4A/5A co-ed), Cherry Creek (5A pom), and Monarch (hip-hop). Vail Christian’s title was an astonishing sixth-straight, while Castle View has now won three-straight championships.
Strasburg rebounded from losing a teammate to a serious injury in warmups to finish second in 2A/3A co-ed.
Highland ended Cheyenne Wells’ run of three-straight titles by winning 2A cheer. Cheyenne Wells finished third, while Swink was runner-up.
Coal Ridge (cheer) and University (pom) took home championships in 3A.
Valor Christian (cheer) and Wheat Ridge (pom) were crowned in 4A.
Ponderosa won the Jazz championship, edging out defending champion Mountain Vista.
HIGHLANDS RANCH &Mdash; Three players scored in double figures as Valor Christian, a 4A program, beat 5A Rocky Mountain 69-55 on Saturday.
Jalen Sanders led the No. 2 Eagles with 22 points, 10 rebounds, six steals and five assists, Kayle Knuckles had 18 points and seven rebounds, and Karsten Michael scored 12.
COLORADO SPRINGS — Cole Sienknecht led the way with 20 points as Manitou Springs grabbed a rare December league victory over rival St. Mary’s. The Mustangs won 63-45.
