(Steve Oathout)

Chris Jones doesn’t like to look any further than the task at hand. Whether it’s a film session, practice time or game itself, he tries to tell his team that it will only be as good as it can be in the time frame.

Step-by-step, Jones has Windsor on the hunt for a second state championship in three years. The Wizards are 8-1 on the year and with an overtime win over Skyline on Friday night, clinched the Class 4A Northern League championship.

The Wizards currently sit at No. 2 in the 4A RPI, and a win over Fort Collins on Friday will go a long way in making sure they have a shot at returning to Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Their last time there, they beat Loveland 35-14 to win a state title.

But that’s not all Jones is about. He wants to make sure that he has positive impact on his players. He wants them to grow as much off the field as they on it.

Jones is this week’s Denver Broncos high school football coach of the week.

The Broncos coach of the week is selected in partnership with the Broncos, CHSCA, and the InSideOut Coaching Initative, which seeks to transform the current win-at-all-costs sports culture. Find a complete list of winners on this page.

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Chris Jones bio

Years as head coach: 15 (88-72 overall)

Years at Windsor: 10 (81-29)

Previous stops: Ocean City High School (New Jersey) assistant coach (1988-89), Thompson Valley head coach (1997-2001), Mountain View assistant coach (2002-2005), Windsor head coach (2007-present)

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Question: Why did you get into coaching?

Jones: You know, that’s a tough one sometimes. I feel like it’s an opportunity to take a sport and stretch its boundaries to life. Especially for young people who possibly struggle with confidence or a challenging, and (sports) help empower those kids to become risk-takers and to improve self-confidence and self-esteem.

Q: Why do you coach the way that you coach?

Jones: I had some interesting coaches in high school and college. I thought it was a different way to get your point across to kids than the way I was taught. But that was in the late 70’s, early 80’s.

I coach that way because I feel it’s a great way to give stuff to kids that they can give to others.

Q: What do you think it’s like for your kids to be coached by you?

Jones: I’d like to think that when they leave our program, they mattered to me and to my staff.

Q: What are some of your favorite coaching memories?

Jones: There’s been a couple of state championship, which have been great. We’ve also had 10 years in a row with a team GPA above 3.00.

Some great memories looking at Sky High Hook camp in the summer. It’s a subsidiary of the Ronald McDonald House and it’s a one-day field day we do for adolescent cancer survivors and their siblings.

Q: Let’s go back to Friday and when things went into overtime, I know you want to be on the defensive side of the ball first, so when Skyline got into the end zone, if you were in their position would you have gone for two?

Jones: I thought that right away. We knew they were going for two. We would’ve gone for two.

Q: For your boys to come out with that win with that kind of adversity this late in the season, is that something that can get them in the right frame of mind for the playoffs?

Jones: Yeah. And we talked last week about the 2017 season as a book that each individual writes one page as how they’ve grown as an individual academically, socially, with their family and on the football field.

A lot of guys wrote some really neat memories and moments on Friday night that they’ll be able to look back upon to gain some experience as we move forward and these weeks get tougher.

Q: Do you use references like the 2015 state championship to help motivate them this time of year?

Jones: We talk about tradition here, and some expectations on and off the field weekly.

We kind of do a weekly sermon that we carry over for five straight days heading into the game. We try to always stress to the kids that we’re only as good as today’s film session or we’re as good as today’s practice.

We try not to look past the 24 hours that we’ve been given.

If the end of the fall season has you traveling for tournaments, meets or the state championship, you may be wondering how to eat well while on the road. We’ve got you covered.

These 6 tips can help you meet your performance nutrition goals when you’re away from home:

1. Fuel up with carbohydrates and protein. Whether eating out or packing your own foods, make sure to continue to emphasize carbohydrates at each meal. Carbohydrates serve as fuel for active muscles and act to refill muscle energy stores post-exercise. In addition to carbohydrates, make sure you include protein-rich foods such as lean meat, fish, poultry, eggs, beans, nuts, nut butters and dairy foods.
2. Pack smart. Oftentimes, athletes have specific foods they enjoy before and after a workout. If that’s you, and those foods will not be available where you’re going, prepare a “travel pack” with snacks and beverages that support your performance eating plan. Try packing trail mix with dried fruit and nuts, fresh whole fruit, bagels with nut butter, dry cereal and sports drinks. If you have a cooler, throw in some string cheese, yogurts, sliced/cut fruits and vegetables, and single-serve chocolate milks.
3. Choose wisely. If traveling has you eating out, consider these tips and tricks…
   1. Fast Food: Choose items that emphasize protein and carbohydrates such as a grilled chicken sandwich or hamburger. Steer clear of fried or breaded items, choose a side salad or fresh fruit in place of fries, say “no” to supersized options and don’t be afraid to special order – asking to hold the condiments or dressings on the side.
   2. Choose Milk: Milk, both white and chocolate, is 90 percent water; contains electrolytes to replenish what is lost in sweat; has ample carbohydrates for refueling muscle glycogen stores; and has high-quality protein which helps with muscle recovery and repair. Enjoy an ice cold glass of white or chocolate milk, instead of soda, with your meal.
   3. Look for Key Words: Baked, broiled, grilled or steamed tend to indicate lower-fat cooking methods while dishes with the words fried, breaded, scalloped and basted tend to indicate higher-fat/calorie-dense cooking methods. High-fat foods tend to sit heavy and may not be ideal prior to activity.
4. Stay hydrated. Water is the most important part of any athlete’s diet. And while the goal is to drink enough fluid daily to prevent thirst and to stay hydrated prior to the big match, meet or game, drinking enough fluids while on the road can sometimes be a challenge. Take along a large water bottle and aim to fill it up two to three times throughout the day (even if that means stopping at all of the rest stops along the way!).
5. Don’t forget breakfast! True, it’s just one meal, but breakfast is the most important meal. Eating breakfast gets you started on the right foot for the day, and research shows it may improve nutrient intakes, enhance your sports performance and help you get good grades in school. If your hotel offers breakfast, choose a meal with protein and carbohydrates – such as toast or a bagel with peanut butter, cereal with milk or yogurt with a hardboiled egg and some fresh fruit. If it doesn’t offer breakfast, see tip #2 for packing smart.

Athletes can train harder and perform better with proper nutrition. Visit WesternDairyAssociation.org to read more about milk as an exercise recovery beverage and learn how to eat for peak athletic performance.  

The 2017 all-state boys tennis teams are presented by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps.

These teams were created based upon results at the state tournament.

The athletes who won championships at their classification were named players of the year.

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Class 5A

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

Coach of the year: Chad Tsuda, Fairview

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Class 4A

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

Coach of the year: Randy Ross, Kent Denver

The following information shows the designated home team for potential playoff football matchups to be completed by Saturday, Nov. 11. The formula for determining the home team is shown in the football bulletin.

Sites are determined each week at the CHSAA office, one-and-a-half weeks prior to the next round. When possible, this will be live-streamed.
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Explanation

How the home sites are determined.

• For 5A, 4A, 3A, 2A and 1A: The team with the fewest playoff home games will host. If equal, the higher seed will host.
• For 2A: The team with the fewest playoff home games will host. If equal, the higher seed will host. Exception: If playoff home games are equal, and the opponents are from the same conference, the school with the higher conference standing in the regular season shall be the host.
• For 8-man and 6-man: The team with the fewest playoff home games will host. If equal, a coin flip determines the home team.
• In 3A, the higher seed will host the championship game regardless of the number of home games.

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Future home sites

Key: Home games – Fewest home playoff games; Higher seed – The highest seeded team; Mileage – One-way mileage.

(Lance Wendt/LanceWendt.com)

Lakewood, Arvada West and Palisade have all joined this week’s football rankings.

The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. Polls are released each Monday.

Complete rankings for all classes are below.

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CHSAANow.com Football Polls

Voted upon by coaches and media members around the state. New voters can sign up by emailing rcasey@chsaa.org. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.

A roundup of Jeffco prep highlights, interviews and schedules with Dennis Pleuss, Jeffco Public Schools’ Communication Specialist. This month’s edition features action from the Jeffco League cross country championships at Clement Park. Chatfield junior Christian Holmes made history at the Class 5A boys tennis state tournament at Gates Tennis Center in Denver. Arvada West softball swept through the Class 5A Jeffco League this fall and qualified for the 5A state tournament. Ralston Valley football improved it all-time record against rival A-West to 8-0 with a last-second touchdown. Dakota Ridge junior running back Jered Garcia had a monster game in a victory against Golden. Evergreen senior Bridger Tenney placed second in at the 4A boys golf state tournament and the Cougars took second in the team race.

A complete schedule for the Class 5A regional volleyball tournaments in 2017.

Order of play at each regional: Team 1 vs. Team 3, Team 2 vs. Team 3, Team 1 vs. Team 2.

All regional winners advance to the state tournament.

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A complete schedule for the Class 4A regional volleyball tournaments in 2017.

Order of play at each regional: Team 1 vs. Team 3, Team 2 vs. Team 3, Team 1 vs. Team 2.

All regional winners advance to the state tournament.

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A complete schedule for the Class 3A regional volleyball tournaments in 2017.

Order of play at each regional: Team 1 vs. Team 3, Team 2 vs. Team 3, Team 1 vs. Team 2.

All regional winners advance to the state tournament.

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(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

AURORA — Eaton, Lewis-Palmer and Mountain Vista are the No. 1 seeds in their respective classifications heading into the regional tournaments this week.

The regional fields and brackets were unveiled on Monday morning by the CHSAA office. Find them here:

• Class 3A
• Class 4A
• Class 5A

Each classification has 12 regions, with the winner of each region advancing to the state tournament on Nov. 10-11.

The regional fields were captured using the final RPI standings of the regular season, and seeded with the RPI as the primary component. Some changes may have been made because of geography and to avoid league opponents, where possible.

Defending champions include Fossil Ridge (5A), Lewis-Palmer (4A) and Eaton (3A).

Fossil Ridge is seeded No. 2 in 5A. Mountain Vista was runner-up in 5A last season.

The 2A and 1A regional brackets were reported by individual districts. Those brackets are available here:

• Class 2A
• Class 1A