Strasburg is ranked No. 1 in 3A. (Matt Daniels/MattDanPhoto.com)
The preseason softball rankings from CHSAANow.com are out, and Broomfield (Class 5A), Valor Christian (4A) and Strasburg (3A) are the top-ranked teams.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. Polls are released each Monday during the regular season.
Voted upon by coaches and select media members around the state. New voters can sign up by emailing rcasey@chsaa.org. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.
Class 5A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Broomfield (4)
0-0-0
78
2
Eaglecrest (4)
0-0-0
75
3
Cherokee Trail (2)
0-0-0
60
4
Fossil Ridge
0-0-0
53
5
Legacy
0-0-0
41
6
Douglas County
0-0-0
34
7
Legend
0-0-0
31
8
Grand Junction Central
0-0-0
24
9
Ralston Valley
0-0-0
22
10
Rock Canyon
0-0-0
18
Others receiving votes:
Loveland 15, Brighton 14, Arvada West 13, Cherry Creek 12, Dakota Ridge 11, Grandview 10, Mountain Vista 9, Fort Collins 7, ThunderRidge 7, Hinkley 3, Liberty 3, Vista Ridge 3, Fruita Monument 2, Rampart 2, Castle View 1, Pine Creek 1, Smoky Hill 1.
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Valor Christian (9)
0-0-0
92
2
Air Academy
0-0-0
76
3
Wheat Ridge (1)
0-0-0
68
4
Mullen
0-0-0
64
5
Erie
0-0-0
62
6
Silver Creek
0-0-0
50
7
Pueblo West
0-0-0
45
8
Mountain View
0-0-0
35
9
Frederick
0-0-0
22
10
Pueblo Central
0-0-0
12
Others receiving votes:
Discovery Canyon 7, Thomas Jefferson 7, Evergreen 3, D’Evelyn 2, Falcon 2, Pueblo South 2, Berthoud 1.
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Strasburg (6)
0-0-0
78
2
Rocky Ford (2)
0-0-0
62
3
Brush
0-0-0
55
4
Eaton
0-0-0
54
5
Lamar
0-0-0
41
6
La Junta
0-0-0
28
7
Valley
0-0-0
27
8
The Academy
0-0-0
26
9
Sterling
0-0-0
24
10
Faith Christian
0-0-0
16
Others receiving votes:
University 7, Delta 6, Meeker 5, Burlington 4, Basalt 3, Limon 2, Cedaredge 1, Weld Central 1.
Dawson Holmes birdied the final three holes of his front nine on Friday, setting a winning tone for Aspen on the day.
He finished the day shooting a four-under-par 68 to claim the individual win at the Delta Invitational.
The Skiers shot a total of five-over to also wrap up the team win.
But it was Holmes who set the pace. He birdied his first two holes, before giving a stroke back on No. 4. He went three-under over his last three holes on the front nine to take a firm grasp of the lead.
Twice on the back nine he gave two strokes back, but would end his day with an eagle on the 18th, to move him back to four-under. That eagle putt, separated him from Eagle Valley’s Barrett Jones and Fruita Monument’s Blake Anderson to get the win.
Montrose’s Jordan Jennings and Delta’s KC Carlson also ended their days under par, as each shot 71.
[divider]
Pueblo West edges Fowler to take Grizzly Ivitational
Derrick Sharp’s 76 was good enough to sit atop the individual leaderboard, but Fowler was unable to sweep its own tournament as Pueblo West came away with the overall win by six strokes.
AJ Arguello’s 83 and Ryan Timme’s 85 were good enough to pace the Cyclones, allowing them to grab the team win.
Monte Vista’s Luke Hoffstaetter tied Timme with a 85, but won officially placed higher on the leaderboard.
Find complete results of all the day’s golf tournaments on this page.
Lakewood senior Jack Castiglia made some major swing changes over the off-season. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
LAKEWOOD — There is always room for improvement.
That was the mentality Lakewood senior Jack Castiglia had during the off-season. Before beginning his senior campaign the three-time Class 5A boys golf state qualifier went through a grip and swing change. Despite finishing with a third straight top-40 finish at the state tournament and another 5A Jeffco League all-conference selection, Castiglia knew it was time for a change.
“I had always had a pretty unorthodox grip and swing,” Castiglia said during a practice at Fox Hollow Golf Course on Aug. 11. “It was just time to go more conventual, something I can be more consistent with going forward.”
Castiglia worked hard last spring on his new grip and swing. He kept busy this summer with practice and playing tournaments to prepare for his final prep season on the links.
The new grip and swing definitely worked for Castiglia at the AJGA WinCraft/McArthur Towel & Sports Future Legends tournament last month in Waukesha, Wis. Castiglia fired a tournament-best final round of 68 to finish tied for third, just behind former Lakewood teammate Griffin Barela who is a freshman playing at the University of Wisconsin.
Lakewood coach Alan Gonzales describes Castiglia’s new swing as “looking perfect right now” as the Tigers open up conference play Monday, Aug. 14, at Deer Creek Golf Course with the first of six Jeffco League tournaments this fall.
Lakewood golf coach Alan Gonzales, left, keeps an eye on three-time state qualifier Jack Castiglia during practice. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
“That was something we were pleased about. It is something that needed to change,” Gonzales said of Castiglia’s swing evolution. “It’s tough as a teenage kid to make a change. Making a grip change doesn’t sound like a big change, but we all know it’s a big change and commitment.”
Another big change for Lakewood was the graduation of all-conference selections Barela, Grayden Wolfe and Max Camp-Oberhauser. Lakewood is the three-time defending 5A Jeffco League team champion, but Gonzales knows it won’t be easy with the majority of his top players graduating last spring.
“It’s going to be tough,” Gonzales said. “We lost a lot of good leadership and a lot of good talent. The good thing is these young kids learned from those players and we still have Jack to teach them as well.”
One benefit for the Tigers is the fact that six of eight 5A Jeffco all-conference selections graduated. Ralston Valley senior Landon Thunell is the only other returning all-conference selection besides Castiglia.
“It’s a challenge,” Gonzales said. “We like a challenge. We can’t be our best unless we are challenged through the whole season.”
Castiglia is up for the challenge to heading into his final shot to make a solid run to a strong finish to his prep career.
“I want to play a lot better than I have a state. Try to get into that top-5,” said Castiglia, who is hoping to play in college. He is making a visit to the University of Northern Colorado next week. “I know I have the capability to win it.”
[divider]
Class 4A Jeffco boys golf
Green Mountain senior Gabe Goodman was as close as you can be from winning the 4A Jeffco League individual medalist title.
A season-long duel with Evergreen’s Lenny Urbas ended with Goodman just on the short end of the stick. Goodman and Urbas were deadlocked going into the final hole of the final Jeffco League tournament last fall. Urbas, who finished a shot ahead of Goodman at the state tournament too, sank a long birdie putt to win the individual medalist title by a single stroke.
Green Mountain senior Gabe Goodman chips in the rain during the first week of practice. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
“That would be huge because last year I lost it with a 35-foot putt,” Goodman said of winning the 4A Jeffco individual medalist title this fall. “It would be awesome to finally get that. That’s pretty important to me.”
Goodman spent a lot of time at his home course of Bear Creek Golf Club this summer, along with playing several tournaments. The highlight of Goodman’s summer was playing in a national junior tournament at the PGA National Golf Club in Palm Beach Florida.
“That was a great experience,” said Goodman, who finished his junior season with a 16th place finish at the 4A state tournament.
The Rams’ top golfer has some good vibes going into the season. He believes he can finish the season with a scoring average under 72. At the end of the line is a likely fourth trip to the state tournament Oct. 2 and 3 that will be held at one of Goodman’s favorite courses.
“I do like that Raccoon Creek course. I’ve had some good results there,” Goodman said. “It’s where I actually qualified for state my freshman year. I shot an 81 at regionals. I have good memories out there.”
Goodman is looking at a pair of colleges in California to continue his golf career — Chapman University and Loyola Marymount University.
“He (Goodman) is very consistent any ways, but I think he just needs to keep that consistency up and keep his focus where it needs to be,” Green Mountain coach Derek Van Tassel said. “He is going to be a great senior leader for us.”
Green Mountain senior Gabe Goodman is focused on claiming the 4A Jeffco individual medalist title. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
Sulzbacher started his Colorado coaching tenure as an assistant with Legend high school before moving to Denver East as the associate head coach in 2016.
He played college lacrosse at the University of Montana from 2008-11.
Fossil Ridge softball has been there: on the verge of capping their season with a win only to taste defeat again.
Four years in a row, the Sabercats found themselves one win away from a Class 5A state title game. Only once were they able to break into the championship game.
“Somehow, we’ve got to break through here,” Fossil Ridge coach Dave Philop said. “I don’t know if it’ll be this year or next year or if it’ll ever happen. You just never know It’s a what have you done for me lately kind of game.
“That’s all done and over with and doesn’t mean anything anymore if we don’t come out ready to play this year.”
Fossil Ridge did make one title game over that span, in 2014, but fell short to Grandview.
“We’ve tasted it as coaches and as players,” Philop said. “Even the ones that had a different role, they’ve been there before. It’s their turn, and they’re ready to go. They’re ready to take off and do something with it.”
Rheanna Will tasted three of those shortcomings. She started as a freshman in that championship game against Grandview.
“There’s the one person who’s been in that state hunt,” Philop said of Will. “All three years, she’s been there. She’s got the experience that we’re really going to be counting on as a leader this year. You’ve got to have that senior leadership.”
In her senior year, Will is embracing this season.
“It’s going to be tough, it’s going to be a tough run, because of losing those three and these freshman coming in,” Will said. “We need to put more focus in and work harder. Last year we didn’t really work out or put our minds to what we needed to do to get that far, so this year I think we’re going to focus more on our athletic ability.”
Now, Philop’s squad has three big holes to fill. Two of those were expected with Megan Jamison and Grace Philop graduating.
Jamison posted an 8-3 record as a pitcher for the Sabercats.
The third hole could be the biggest with Landyn Bruce moving to California.
“We have some girls that will hopefully come up and fill those spots,” Will said. “We’re hoping those younger girls will get the taste of what it feels like to be on a higher standard team. I’m not going to set super high standards on us because we did lose those players, and they were a pretty big part of our team.”
Bruce, an Ole Miss commit, hit .432 with 25 runs batted in. On the mound, Bruce went 10-3 with a 3.14 earned run average.
Between Jamison and Bruce, Fossil Ridge lost just under 150 innings.
“We’ve got a lot of kids back,” Philop said. “We hope that’s going to make a difference. I think it has over the last several years.”
(Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)
Fossil Ridge plans to fill that void with Jordan Ellis shouldering the brunt of the pitching load. Ellis (1-0, 0.95 ERA) appeared in four games last season.
“The pitching piece is going to be interesting,” Philop said. “Fortunately, we’ve got some throwers in the program. (Ellis) has definitely been a big part of our program and had opportunities. When she’s had those opportunities, she’s done extremely well. She really wants it bad.”
At the plate, Will could take on some of the lost production. She had 27 runs batted in and nine homeruns.
“(Will) is just a really athletic kid,” Philop said. “She runs well, hits the ball well. She hits the ball out of the park and hits for average. She’s been a fixture in our lineup; she’s hit in the four or five hole the whole time she’s been here.”
Will also steps into a big leadership role for a Fossil Ridge team with just three seniors.
“The other seniors and I gathered everybody together to tell them how our past seasons have gone and how we need to have even more of a focus this year than we did last year,” Will said. “I’m trying to get us to all have the same motivation and the same outlook on how we want our season to be.”
But, Philop has built a culture at Fossil Ridge that has the new crop of freshmen ready come in and contribute.
“The kids are coming in with a culture,” Philop said. “We talk about getting better every day and being focused. We believe in what we’re doing and try to control what we can control. It’s not said, it’s expected that we can be good. And we should be good. If we’re not, then it’s our fault.
“Enough is enough. It’s a question of when we’re going to break through.”
Will believes the freshmen will be big additions to the lineup.
“We had our first day of camp today and we have some freshman that are looking pretty good,” Will said. “We’re going to try to move many girls around to see what other positions they can play so we can get those freshman in.”
Philop breaks the season into three pieces: Preseason, midseason and where his team is at going into the postseason.
“That’s helped to break it down into little sections. As you get into it, you’re not overwhelmed,” Philop said. “We want to be in a situation where we’re playing well at the end of the season.
“You don’t catch anybody off guard anymore, either. You’ve got to be ready to play every time out.”
Will touched on the culture around Fossil Ridge and her expectations for this year.
“Having that higher standard put on us from the older girls from years before motivated us to do as best as we can and work against what other people thought,” Will said. “Most people think that we’re going to be the underdogs this year and that we’re not going to be as good as we have the past three years, but I feel like we’re going to come back strong.”
(Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com)
[divider]
Softball preview
Important dates
Regular season begins: Aug. 14
Regional tournaments: Oct. 14
State tournaments:
5A/4A/3A: Oct. 20-21, Aurora Sports Park, Aurora, Colo.
Second team: Aubrea Leikam, Cherry Creek, 2B, Sr.; Alyssa Pinto, Cherokee Trail, OF, Sr.
4A:
First team: Jade Garbiso, Pueblo West, P/OF/SS, Sr.; Alexandria Kilponen, Valor Christian, P/1B, Sr.; Jetta Nannen, Silver Creek, P/1B/3B, Jr.; Taylor Puga, Pueblo Central, P/1B, Sr.
Second team: Hannah Hackney, Erie, Sr.; Sevi Harden, Thomas Jefferson, 1B/C/OF, Sr.; Makayla Keck, Pueblo South, P/1B, Jr.; Mikayla Marquez, Kennedy, Sr.
3A:
First team: Kamryn Leoffler, Brush, Jr.; Priscilla Lozoya, Valley, Sr.; Dakota Stotyn, Strasburg, P/3B, Sr.
Second team: Morgan Brantmeyer, Peak to Peak, C/OF, Sr.; Jolene Carrica, Rocky Ford, C/3B/2B, Sr.; McKenzie Connor, Faith Christian, P/1B, Jr.; Cordelia Hanger, The Academy, P/INF, So.; Lexi Smith, La Junta, P/SS, Sr.
Below is a list of high school football games available on TV and live streams in Colorado this season. This is in addition to games on the NFHS Network, which will have extensive coverage every week.
This list will be updated with new information as it becomes available. These games are in addition to those on the NFHS Network, which produces a wide range of games each week. This section will be updated.
Eight holes into his day, Castle View’s Dillon Baker sat at three-under. He fell back to even par, but birdied the 476-yard par five and sank a hole-in-one on No. 4 to finish with a three-under-par 69 to win Thursday’s Continental League golf tournament.
Baker claimed the individual win on the day while ThuderRidge claimed the overall team title, shooting 12-over as a unit.
Sam Ostravich led the Grizzlies by shooting an even 72 while teammate Evan Kalac nearly matched him with a 73.
Jessen Steel led the effort for Legend with a 74 while Mountain Vista’s Elisandro Aragon was right behind him with a 75.
Brayden Lambrecht shot a 72 to claim the individual win and he got plenty of support from his Sterling teammates to take the team victory at the Tri-Valley Sterling Invite.
The Tigers finished a combined nine-over to take the team win.
Mead, who played in its first event as a varsity golf program finished fourth as a team while TJ Shehee finished tied for second place with a 74.
Roosevelt’s Tyler Severin and Sterling’s Riley Schaefer also shot 74.
[divider]
Kent Denver claims Metro League opener
Defending Class 3A boys golf champion Kent Denver is off to a good start. The Sun Devils claimed the Metro League season-opener by shooting a combined five-over par.
It was Walter Franklin of Prospect Ridge claimed the individual title with a 69. He made only one bogey on the day, making a five on the par-four 14th.
Kent’s Oliver Jack took second place with a 70 while Peak to Peak’s Nishant Datta (71) finished third.
[divider]
Other notes:
Yuma’s Jakob Chrisman took the individual win at the Brush Invite with a 83 while the Beetdiggers won the team title, going a combined 66-over.
Montezuma-Cortez’s Cris Rudosky birdied two of his last four holes to shoot a 71, winning the Panther Invitational. Grand Junction went 12-over as a unit to get the team win.
Prairie View got the sweep at the EMAC North tournament as Jay Audette-Smith’s 75 gave him the individual win while the team went took first at 24-over.
Other Thursday tournaments included the Cedaredge Invtational, the EMAC South and the Mountain View League Meet. Results were not posted on iWanamaker as of Friday morning.
Find complete results of all the day’s golf tournaments on this page.
GOLDEN — Golden senior Abby Garnett has verbally committed to play basketball at the University of Ohio.
As a junior, Abby Garnett led Golden to its first league title since 2008. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
Garnett helped the Demons’ girls basketball team to a 22-4 record last season that included Golden winning the deep Class 4A Jeffco League that includes the past three 4A state champions — Valor Christian (2015 and 2016) and Evergreen (2017). It was Golden’s first girls basketball conference title since 2008.
As a junior, Garnett was the Demons leading scoring averaging nearly 17 points per game while grabbing almost 10 rebounds per game.
Golden’s season ended in the 4A state quarterfinals last season with a close loss to eventual state runner-up Pueblo South. The Demons should be in the mix again this coming winter season led by Garnett and the Prey sisters — Makena and Haley.
With one more chance to go for a state title, Eaglecrest’s Davis Bryant is doing everything possible to make a run for the top spot in Class 5A.
Last September, he finished the state tournament at three-under-par, placing second to Highland Ranch’s Kyle Pearson.
So Bryant did the most natural thing he could do as a golfer. He sought tough competition and he continued to work on his game. That work took him to the 2017 U.S Junior Amateur which was held at Flint Hills National Golf Club in Andover, Kan.
He played well enough in the first two days to make the 64-player cut, which was then broken down into a match play bracket.
“I played it two years ago and it was the same thing, it was an awesome experience,” Bryant said. “I played a lot better (this time) which made it more enjoyable. It was really cool, a great golf course and obviously great competition.”
Bryant trailed Korean Won Jun Lee by one hole going into 18, but he refused to go quietly. The Colorado State commit sank a birdie on the hole to extend the match into sudden death.
It took three additional holes, but it was Lee who finally broke the tie and was able to advance to the round of 32.
The one-on-one atmosphere is something that Bryant admittedly doesn’t get to experience very often. Few of the junior tournaments that he plays in have a match play format.
However, he did find it to be beneficial. In high school tournaments, there is no match play and everything is done through strokes.
“I feel like no matter if you’re playing stroke play or match play, it’s going to be similar (in that atmosphere),” Bryant said. “In the end, you’re just playing golf and trying to get the ball in the least amount of shots. It’s just in stroke play, you’re playing against the course and with match play, you’re playing against another person.”
Bryant and Pearson entered the final day of last year’s state tournament locked in a tie for second place.
But Pearson was nearly unstoppable on the last day. He ended with a 67, including a hole-in-one on the par 3 15th to claim the title.
“Kyle played really well that day,” Bryant said. “I just couldn’t get a putt to go in the hole.”
But he’ll have another shot in October when the 5A state tournament rolls in CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora. It just so happens to be a course that is 15 minutes from Bryant’s house and one that he’s played often.
When my coach (Stan Adams) texted me and told me that state was going to be at CommonGround, I was really excited,” Bryant said. “I’ve played there numerous times. I like the course and I like the layout of it. It’s a good fit for a state tournament and a good fit for my game.”
While Bryant takes aim at the individual championship, the three team champions are all returning at least two all-state players and have their eyes on repeating.
But as with any sport, a championship has to be earned and in order to claim one, the kids have to keep working.
Part of that is making sure they’re playing the right level of competition in order to get better each day as the season progresses.
Bob Austin and Oliver Jack. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
“I want us to play the very best teams that we can and I work hard on our schedule every year,” Kent Denver coach Bob Austin said. “We are going to a national tournament in Chandler, Arizona which I am really looking forward to.
The Sun Devils claimed the 3A title last year and defending 5A champion Regis Jesuit will join them in Arizona.
Defending 4A champion Discovery Canyon brings back Luke Trujillo, who claimed the 4A individual title, and Caleb Blackburn. The Thunder’s win back in September was the first team state championship in school history and they’re looking to grab another.
But the common theme amongst all golf teams across the state is general excitement for the start of the season. While teams and individuals will certainly take aim ending the season at the top of the leaderboards, the coaches are also insistent that the kids just take the time to enjoy getting out on the course and playing a game that they can continue to play for the majority of their lives.
“I want these kids to have lifetime great experiences whether they win or lose,” Austin said.
5A: Drew Anderson (Sr.) Regis Jesuit, Davis Bryant (Sr.) Eaglecrest, Josh Caridi (Sr.) Fossil Ridge, Cal McCoy (Sr.) Regis Jesuit, Kailer Rundiks (Sr.) Denver East
4A: Caleb Blackburn (Sr.) Discovery Canyon, Darren Edwards (Sr.) Thompson Valley, Barrett Jones (Sr.) Eagle Valley, Tyler Severin (Sr.) Roosevelt, Micah Stangebye (So.) Montrose, Luke Trujillo (Sr.) Discovery Canyon
3A: Nishant Datta (Sr.) Peak to Peak, Peter Grossenbacher (Jr.) Eaton, Billy Howenstein (Jr.) Dawson, Oliver Jack (Sr.) Kent Denver, Jackson Klutznick (Jr.) Kent Denver, Jacob Mason (So.) Jefferson Academy, Liam O’Halloran (So.) The Classical Academy, Ivan Richmond (Sr.) Estes Park, Ethan Tartaglia (Sr.) Peak to Peak, Ian Thorpe (Sr.) Peak to Peak, Ben Zimmerman (So.) Kent Denver
