CHSAANow

Month: January 2017

  • Jim Lucas elected next president of CHSAA’s Board of Directors

    Legislative Council Jim Lucas
    (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)

    AURORA — Jim Lucas, an assistant principal at Pine Creek High School, has been elected as the next president of CHSAA’s Board of Directors.

    Lucas’ appointment will be made formal at the Legislative Council meeting on Thursday. He will become the 61st Board president, succeeding Boulder’s Eddie Hartnett.

    Lucas will serve as Board president during the 2017-18 and 2018-19 school years. His term will begin in June 2017.

    “It’s going to be exciting, and it’s going to be challenging,” Lucas said on Wednesday night. “It’s humbling to be selected.”

    Lucas currently represents the Colorado Association of School Executives on CHSAA’s Board of Directors, and has since 2011. He will be the first Board president from the Colorado Springs area since Widefield’s Shelli Miles was president from 2009-11.

    Lucas has a wide range of experience at both small and large high schools, as well as public and private high schools, ranging from being a coach to a teacher to an administrator. He has spent time at a number of Colorado high schools, including Columbine, Crowley County, Custer County, and Florence. (He was principal at both Custer County, from 1996-99, and Florence, from 2000-08.)

    He has been at Pine Creek ever since, including roles as interim athletic director and assistant principal.

    Lucas says his wide-ranging experience will help him have a well-rounded viewpoint as Board president, including time at Fort Hays State University in Kansas, where he got his master’s degree in athletic administration.

    “I have a soft spot in my heart for rural schools, just because I’ve worked in them. And I understand the big metro schools,” Lucas said. “Ultimately I think it will help as I lead the Board. Those experiences will help guide all of us, and guide myself.”

    Lucas has twice previously served as a Board president for the Colorado Association of Secondary School Principals, of which he’s been a member since 2003.

    “I think that will help me, having that experience with CASSP,” Lucas said.

    Lucas said one of his focuses as president will be to help ease the transition from retiring CHSAA commissioner Paul Angelico to the next commissioner.

    “I want to spend some time with that (new commissioner) and kind of give them some historical background of the Board of Directors,” Lucas said. “I want to see a smooth transition.”

    CHSAA’s Board of Directors, formerly known as the Executive Committee, has been around in some form since the Association was formed in 1921.

    Lucas applied to be Board president in December, writing a letter to CHSAA commissioner Paul Angelico.

    The Board considered two candidates during an executive session on Thursday, and then voted to elect Lucas president.

    While serving on the Board, Lucas has served on a variety of CHSAA committees, and helped to rewrite the Association’s personnel handbook.

  • No. 3 D’Evelyn tops No. 7 Golden in 4A boys hoops showdown

    Golden junior Riley Stoner (10) loses the ball while being covered by D’Evelyn seniors Jason Gardner (11) and CJ Olson (21). (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    DENVER — D’Evelyn is sitting in the penthouse at the midway point of the Class 4A Jeffco League boys basketball schedule.

    While there are several team knocking on the door the Jaguars (14-2, 7-0 in 4A Jeffco) completed an undefeated run in first go-around one of the hardest conferences in the state. D’Evelyn, ranked No. 3 in the latest CHSAANow.com 4A boys hoops poll, defeated No. 7 Golden 82-77 in a packed gym Wednesday night at D’Evelyn.

    “It’s a great win. Finishing 7-0 in the first half of league is huge,” said D’Evelyn junior Charles Dinegar, who led the Jaguars with 21 points. “Everyone is out for us now. We have a long road ahead of us now. No game will be easy.”

    D’Evelyn junior Charles Dinegar (0) glides past Golden junior Joe Madsen. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    The key for D’Evelyn was a 13-0 run in the second quarter that turned a 26-21 deficit into a 34-26 lead. The Jaguars never trailed from there on out.

    “It was a big quarter,” Dinegar said of the second quarter where the Jaguars outscored the Demons 23-9. “It put them on their heels. They had to be in attack mode from there on out. We could relax and play our game. We didn’t have to force anything and they did.”

    While Dinegar had a stellar night, the Jaguars used their balanced offensive attack to their advantage. Five players — Dinegar, CJ Olson (18 points), Jason Gardner (14 points), Josh Brinkerhoff (12 points) and Cole Clifton (11 points) — all finished in double-digit points for D’Evelyn.

    “We had too many open spaces. (D’Evelyn) passes it so well they find the open man,” Golden coach John Anderson said. “I don’t know what they shot, but from the 3-point line and from the free-throw line they were very clutch.”

    D’Evelyn senior Alec Clifton lines up for a 3-pointer. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    D’Evelyn made nine 3-pointers and were an impressive 23-for-29 from the free-throw line. Golden (12-4, 4-3) matched the Jaguars’ 3-pointers with nine and scored 35 points during a fourth-quarter rally.

    Golden junior Adam Thistlewood (26 points) took over the game at times and senior Kayden Sund (20 points) scored 14 points in the final quarter. The Demons cut the lead to 80-77 with nine seconds remaining on a 3-pointer by junior Jack Moore, but Clifton hit a pair of free throws in the final seconds to seal the win.

    “There isn’t one guy on our team who needs to get the ball,” D’Evelyn coach Dan Zinn said of his team’s balance. “Any night we can have any number of guys go for 20-plus (points). We knew if we were patient enough we would get open looks and get scoring opportunities.”

    D’Evelyn has a tough road test to close out the week. The Jaguars face Evergreen (11-4, 4-2) at 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 27. The Cougars just upset Golden a week ago and will try to duplicate the feat against D’Evelyn.

    “It’s a really nice place to visit,” Zinn said with a smile talking about Evergreen. “They have great atmosphere and it’s going to be a challenge for sure. It’s going to be a really big challenge to go in there and get a W.”

    Zinn, in his second year at the helm of the Jaguars’ basketball program, has D’Evelyn in position to win a league title for the first time since the Jaguars’ three-peat from 2012-2014.

    “I wasn’t our goal to go 7-0 to start league, but we’ve put ourselves in a really good position,” Zinn said. “Now everyone is going to be gunning for us and we have to show up every night.”

    Golden hosts rival Wheat Ridge at 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 27, to begin its second go-around against conference teams.

    The Demons know another loss would like bury any hopes to three-peat as league champs, still Anderson is staying positive knowing how challenging the league is with three teams in the top-10 and Evergreen just on the outside of the rankings.

    “I was talking to Coach Zinn before the game. We are so happy we play everyone twice this year,” Anderson said. “We got rematches against teams. Stuff can happen in the league. The top four in this league can beat anybody.”

    The Demons had an impressive 28-2 league mark the previous two seasons where they were the outright conference champions twice. Despite three league losses, Anderson was pleased how his Demons fought in the loss Wednesday.

    “I hate losing, but once again, we got beat. We didn’t beat ourselves,” Anderson said. “D’Evelyn flat out beat us by shooting the basketball well. I’m proud of the way we came back in the end. We didn’t give up. We kept grinding.”

    Golden junior Adam Thistlewood (31) had a game-high 26 points, but it wasn’t enough as the Demons lost 82-77 versus D’Evelyn. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

  • Photos: Seven players score in Ralston Valley hockey’s win over Denver East

    ARVADA — Ralston Valley hockey got goals from seven different players in a 7-1 win over Denver East on Wednesday.

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  • Photos: Induction of the 2016 CHSAA Hall of Fame class

    AURORA — The 2016 CHSAA Hall of Fame class was inducted in a ceremony on Wednesday night.

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  • No. 9 Cherry Creek boys basketball stages late comeback to beat No. 10 Smoky Hill

    Cherry Creek Smoky Hill boys basketball
    (Max Potter/CHSAANow.com)

    GREENWOOD VILLAGE — Cherry Creek boys basketball snapped its two-game skid with a 71-67 win over Smoky Hill on Wednesday night.

    Right out of the gate, Smoky Hill came out hot and ready to play while the Bruins (13-3 overall, 5-2 Centennial League) came out cold and had problems covering the height that Smoky showcases.

    Smoky had a 19-7 lead at the first break and that success spilled over into the second quarter as the Buffs (11-5, 4-3) extended their lead to 23-7 only a minute and seven seconds in the second quarter. Smoky continued their dominance through the period, but the Bruins showed fight late in the second and the Buffs went into the locker room with a 40-22 lead.

    Cherry Creek came out of the break with renewed focus. They brought the Buffalo lead to 45-35 about halfway through the third quarter, until Smoky turned on the jets and grew that lead out. A late Cherry Creek run brought the lead back to 10 heading into the fourth quarter.

    And that’s when the Bruins really showed up. They went on a 11-0 run and grabbed their first lead of the day with 4:15 remaining in the game.

    “I knew that once we got it down to single digits and tied it the game was ours,” senior Jalen Meeks said. “We started rolling.”

    Meeks described it as the momentum started to shift to Creek, and a big shift it was as the crowd became a factor late.

    It was another great individual performance from Meeks as he dropped 20 points despite getting into foul trouble.

    “My guys had me the whole way,” Meeks said. “They found me in my mid-range spots and that’s when we started rolling.”

  • Ball Fever: Looking at the midseason stat leaders in boys hoops

    A little different angle this week, folks! The Fever Crew wanted to show some love to the midseason stat leaders in Class 5A/4A big hoops as part of the Week 8 report.

    Here’s points, rebounds, and assists leaders, but we won’t forget those blocks, steals, and dirty work — stay tuned…

    [divider]

    Mid-season stat leaders!

    5A Scoring

    • Braxton Bertollete – Fossil Ridge – 26 per game
    • Hunter Maldonado – Vista Ridge – 24 per game
    • Sam Master – Rock Canyon – 23 per game

    4A Scoring

    • D’Shawn Schwartz – Sand Creek – 26 per game
    • Jalen Sanders – Valor – 23 per game
    • CJ Jennings – Sierra – 22 per game

    5A Rebounding

    • Will Becker – Smoky Hill – 11 per game
    • Kam Vincel – Praire View – 11 per game
    • Gage Prim – Grandview – 9 per game

    4A Rebounding

    • Devin Huffman – Battle Mountain – 11 per game
    • Trey McBride – Fort Morgan – 10 per game
    • Dondre Savage – Sierra – 10 per game

    5A Assists

    • Calvin Fugett – GW – 6 per game
    • Trey Marble – Prairie View – 5 per game
    • Iseri Palacio – Fort Collins – 5 per game

    4A Assists

    • Noah Martinez – Falcon – 6 per game
    • Orlando Westbrook – Harrison – 5 per game
    • Dalen Jackson – Mesa Ridge – 5 per game

    Stats are fun, but we know the wins are what matter! On to the early games in Week 8:

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    A Look Back

    Monday, Jan. 23

    Denver East Eaglecrest boys basketball Colbey Ross
    (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)
    • Perennial CO powers Eaglecrest and Denver East got it on Monday and Matt Mathewes has your shots.
    • Solid win from Mountain View over Longmont by 3. Nick Messinger scored 12 in the win and the Mountain Lions outscored the Trojans 18-9 in the final stage!

    Tuesday, Jan. 24

    • Mead, No. 8 in this week’s poll, grabbed everyone’s attention with a 40 point win over Berthoud.
    • Silver Creek is rolling, folks! Now up to No. 5 in our 4A poll they started the week strong with a 24 point home league win over Centaurus.
    • Oscar Maldonado with 26 points for Northridge as they open the week with impressive 28-point blow out of Niwot.
    • Colby Phifer scored 21 points to help Fossil Ridge hold off Broomfield’s comeback to win 77-74.
    • Vista PEAK dropped to No. 9 in our poll this week but “put a hurtin” on Brighton 60-38 and senior Tre Early scored 21.
    • There’s that young man again! CJ Jennings 25 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals leads Sierra to 1-point win over Mesa Ridge.
    • No. 2 Pueblo West wins 76-42 over Pueblo South! We just can’t get those stats out of the defending champ, but we’ll visit soon.
    • 29 points and 7 rebounds from Sam Masten sent a “Continental Message” to Heritage as Rock Canyon rolled 60-37.
    • Go down the line for double-digit Grizzly scorers in No. 1 ThunderRidge’s throttling of Castle View 105-46. “You got Seng’d…you got everybody’d”!

    Wednesday, Jan. 25

    • Big nights from Vista Ridge seniors Hunter Maldonado (29 points) and Noah Beatty (15 points) earned the big win over 4A No. 1 Sand Creek!
    • Junior Daijon Smith scored 23 and senior Tristan Legins added 10 in Overland’s league win over Arapahoe.
    • Valor, now No. 4 in our 4A poll, didn’t allow Littleton more than 10 points in any quarter winning big!
    • Never easy on the road in DPL and George Washington got a bit of a test at Lincoln winning 88-72. Jervay Green score 21 and bit man Tray Pierce had 8 points with 4 blocks!
    • That Wolves duo again with Gage Prim scoring 26 and LeChaun Duhart 16 in Grandview’s league win over Mullen.
    • D’Evelyn up to No. 3 in 4A and prove again they are here to stay with 82-77 win over Golden in TOP 10 Alert match-up!
    • 5A No. 3 Chatfield easily over Columbine 70-43.
    • The tale of two halves…and Cherry Creek dominated the second half to storm back over Smoky Hill 71-67 in battle of No. 9 vs No. 10 in 5A!
    • Our Fever midweek report ends with young Chaparral Wayne Fish (17) and Ronnie DeGray III (14) paving the way to 23-point win over Heritage.

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    Midweek Thoughts

    Chaparral Denver East boys basketball
    (Kevin Keyser/KeyserImages.com)

    Consensus from the Fever Crew was that Denver East still looks a little disjointed but are ultra talented. We also want to see Eaglecrest turn it loose! Press, run, score, get above the rim…then put it in Ross’ hands late if necessary.

    We’ve chatted about this before but a senior floor leader with reliable big man down low is the formula Grandview is riding right now and shows what can be done with a squad following the “system” over at Grandview.

    Can’t forget 4A! D’Evelyn is rockin’ y’all, and Pueblo West looks on a mission to repeat! No shame is No. 1 Sand Creek’s loss to Vista Ridge. Hunter Maldonado and Noah Beatty are true leaders who may surprise many down the stretch.

    Get to the court and enjoy, hoop fans!

  • Legislative Council notebook: Boys soccer adds a fourth classification

    Colorado Academy Kent Denver boys soccer
    (John Priest/CHSAANow.com)

    Boys soccer will add a new fourth classification of competition beginning with the fall 2018 season.

    The new Class 2A was created when the Legislative Council voted to approve a proposal to do so during its meeting on Thursday at the Radisson Hotel Denver Southeast. The motion passed easily with a 62-5 vote.

    “We’re excited that the Association voted to add an additional championship for boys soccer in 2018,” said Bud Ozzello, the CHSAA assistant commissioner in charge of boys soccer. “It will enable our schools with smaller enrollments to compete in their own playoff bracket.”

    The move brings the boys in line with girls soccer, which added a fourth class two seasons ago. When that decision was made, the girls had 74 teams playing in 3A. Boys soccer currently has 78 teams in 3A, and the new class will help bring that number down.

    The proposal was supported by the soccer committee, the Classification and League Organizing Committee, as well as the equity committee.

    The change will be effective with the 2018-20 two-year cycle, meaning the next season, in fall 2017, will still remain at three classifications.

    When 2A boys soccer does begin play in fall 2018, it is likely that it will affect the structure of the championships, Ozzello said.

    Currently, all three classes play their title games at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on a Saturday. A fourth classification could mean splitting the championships over two days, like girls soccer does, or using a separate venue for 2A.

    “We’re limited by what the venue (DSGP) can do, especially because the (Colorado) Rapids are in-season at that time,” Ozzello said.

    That decision likely will be made over the course of the next year.

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    Notables

    • A few tweaks to the RPI formula became official. A full story is available here.
    • Eddie Hartnett, the current Board president, noted that he would be introducing the next CHSAA commissioner the next time the Legislative Council meeting convenes in April. (Applications for the commissioner job are being accepted now.)
    • Four new schools were approved for initial membership into CHSAA: DSST-Cole, Golden View Classical Academy, Stargate School and Victory Prep. This brings CHSAA’s membership to 355 schools. Additionally, Caprock Charter Academy, DSST-Green Valley Ranch, and Venture Prep were all approved as full members following a three-year probationary period.
    • In the future, applications for membership will only be considered in odd years after a proposal passed. This will make it so new schools are only added during the beginning of a two-year cycle, which will help reduce complications of changing schedules and league structure.
    • Officials’ fees got a $2 bump in all sports, at all levels, for the 2018-20 two-year cycle. There had already been a $1 increase scheduled.
    • Cross country’s wish to move the 2A state meet to run six, score four was voted down. So 2A will remain at six runners competing, but only three scoring.

  • Rob Wetta steps down as football coach at Coronado

    (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

    Coronado is in search of a new football as Rob Wetta has stepped down from the position.

    Wetta has been the coach of the Cougars for the last two seasons, taking over after Bobby Lizarraga stepped down after the 2014 season.

    “Coronado High School and the community want to thank Coach Wetta for his time and effort the last two years,” Coronado athletic director Andy Colgate said. “We would also like to wish him the best of luck in the future.”

    Lizarraga was the coach of the 2013 Coronado team that won the Class 3A state championship. The Cougars moved up to 4A the following season.

    This is the second football position to open up this week as Dain Mangnall also announced he was leaving Cherokee Trail after one season.

    It is one of two football jobs open in Colorado Springs District 11 as Palmer is looking for a coach to fill the position vacated by Jeff Priestly.

    Wetta’s resignation has been reflected in the 2017 football coaching tracker.

  • RPI tweaks made official for football, baseball and boys soccer

    (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

    AURORA — Three sports tweaked the RPI formula they will use for postseason qualification.

    Baseball, football and boys soccer all made slight adjustments after their proposals to do so were passed by the Legislative Council at its meeting on Thursday.

    The Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) formula uses the following components in weighing the relative strength of a team: A team’s winning percentage (WP), the winning percentage of a team’s opponents (OWP), and the winning percentage of the opponents of a team’s opponents (OOWP).

    The standard RPI formula used is:

    RPI = (¼ × WP) + (½ × OWP) + (¼ × OOWP)

    But those three sports have changed slightly the percentages they will be using.

    Starting immediately with the 2017 spring season, baseball will use:

    RPI = (0.35 × WP) + (0.35 × OWP) + (0.30 × OOWP)

    Starting in fall 2017, football will use:

    RPI = (0.375 × WP) + (0.375 × OWP) + (0.25 × OOWP)

    Starting in fall 2017, boys soccer will use: 

    RPI = (0.35 × WP) + (0.35 × OWP) + (0.30 × OOWP)

    Note that girls soccer will continue to use the standard formula for the current spring 2017 season. It is possible the soccer change could be addressed again at the April Legislative Council meeting. However, if that doesn’t happen, both boys and girls will use 35/35/30 after the fall 2017 season.

    The following sports have decided to continue using the standard RPI formula:

    • Field hockey
    • Softball
    • Volleyball

    A few other team sports do not present their reports until the April meeting, including basketball, hockey and lacrosse. Of those, only lacrosse has met this season, and that sport has not recommended any changes to the RPI.

  • Late shot lifts No. 4 Colorado Springs Christian School boys basketball over No. 2 Manitou Springs

    Manitou Springs CSCS boys basketball
    (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

    MANITOU SPRINGS — With the game tied and the ball in Colorado Springs Christian’s hands, coach Mark Engesser could’ve called timeout.

    But he decided to trust his son, Justin.

    That trust was rewarded as Justin hit an off-balance shot from the top of the key, lifting CSCS over Manitou Springs 40-38 in a thrilling Class 3A top 10 showdown.

    “I was trying to pass it somebody, but they were in full deny,” Justin said. “For my dad to not call timeout and to trust us and not let them get their defense set is props to him and our team.”

    Justin had hit and even bigger shot about five minutes earlier. The Lions (11-2 overall, 5-0 Tri-Peaks) led 35-31 with control of the ball. He sat well behind the 3-point line and fired a shot that cut smoothly through the net.

    Up 38-31 with 5:05, the Lions instantly went into stall mode.

    But that wasn’t going to deter the Mustangs (11-1, 3-1). Lucas Rodholm connected on a jumper and Jared Keul knocked down a 3-pointer, pulling Manitou to within a basket.

    While still trying to burn the clock, Cole Sienknecht was able to steal the ball and lay it in to tie the game.

    “I always do that with a lead,” Coach Engesser said. “With about two or three minutes left, I pull it out. We try to get layups or they have to foul us and we just didn’t execute.”

    But they were able to execute on the final shot when it mattered the most.

    When it came down to it, the Lions scored on the closing seconds of each half, with each shot drastically altering the course of the game. Engesser’s of course won it, but just as important was Noah Hopkins’ 3-pointer to close out the second quarter. CSCS was trailing 22-19 prior to that shot and going into the break at halftime was a huge momentum swing.

    Manitou Springs CSCS boys basketball
    (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

    “To be honest, I didn’t even know it was halftime,” Hopkins said. “It was a huge confidence booster for me and my team and it gave us a lot of energy.”

    No team led by more than seven at any point of the game, showing just how evenly matched these two league foes were. When down 38-26, Manitou had three attempts at a 3-pointer that would’ve given them the lead, but none fell.

    Sienknecht scored a game-high 16 points and Engesser led the Lions with 15. Rodholm only scored six, his lowest total of the year.

    “He has to shoot the ball,” Manitou coach Ken Vecchio said. “That’s the bottom line. I think he took it to the rack early a couple of times and it didn’t go his way and he got frustrated with it.”

    CSCS now holds firm control of the Tri-Peaks League. The only way that they’ll run into the Mustangs again is if they collide in the district tournament.

    If that ends up happening, the Lions know that they’ll be in another tough battle.

    “It’s going to be an absolute grind,” Justin Engesser said. “Maybe double-overtime next time. But they fight to the very end and we fight to the very end. Both of us never give up.”