A roundup of Jeffco prep highlights from November with Dennis Pleuss, Jeffco Public Schools’ Communication Specialist. This month’s edition features state gymnastics action where Jeffco schools continued its dominance. Chatfield and Columbine football rolled to playoff opening victories. Chatfield, Pomona, Wheat Ridge, Columbine and Bear Creek spirit squads all won Jeffco League titles at the conference championships. Several Jeffco schools had student-athletes sign their National Letter of Intent during the early signing period that began Nov. 8. We also look back at the legacy left by Arvada West pitching great Roy Halladay.

For the first time in a while, there is going to be a different feel to the Class 3A football state championship game. Erie and Palmer Ridge will battle it out for the state’s ultimate prize, but in a different venue than what either team is used to.

After it was determined that Don Breese Stadium did not seat the capacity needed to host the game, Palmer Ridge went looking for a new site. And the administration found a good one. The game will be played at Falcon Stadium on the grounds at the United States Air Force Academy.

It’s as close to home as the Bears were going to get while still providing a great atmosphere for a worthy game.

“I’ve been calling it a neutral field,” Erie coach Chad Cooper said. “I know they have some familiarity with the (Air Force) program and the stadium, but there are going to be no practices allowed there before the game, so it’s being treated by CHSAA, us and them as a neutral field.”

At the end of the day, it’s just going to be a football game on a football field. The stakes are just a little bit higher.

(Jeff Tucker/jefferywtucker.zenfolio.com)

“It’s 120 yards long and 50 yards apart like any other field,” Palmer Ridge quarterback Ty Evans said.

The story come Saturday will be what happens within those dimensions. It has been no secret that the Bears are talented on offense. Evans leads a unit that accounts for over 400 total yards per game.

Only twice this season has Palmer Ridge failed to up at least five touchdowns in the 48 minutes they’re on the field. This team has been firing on all cylinders since games began in early September in both football and friendship.

“Execution-wise, we’ve been pretty solid all year,” Evans said. “The thing that has made us click the most is the bond that we’ve built between each other. It’s grown from being on the same team to friendships and being brothers.”

When it comes to slowing down the Bears’ offensive attack, Cooper knows that slowing down Evans is the priority.

He’ll have to use his players on both sides of the ball to accomplish that mission. If he can lean on running back Noah Roper to keep the ball out of Evans’ hands, he knows the Tigers will have a shot. But he’ll also need to his defense to disrupt what the Bears will look to do when they do have possession.

“It’s going to be a tall order,” Cooper said. “For us, it’s going to be a matter of trying to put pressure on him and creating some different looks behind our front seven that he maybe hasn’t seen before.”

When the Tigers have the ball, they’ll do everything possible to make sure Roper is as productive as he has been all year.

The junior runs for 195 yards per game and has gone over 200 yards in each of his last five games. That streak started with a loss to Mead, a team that many thought would make a state championship run.

(Steve Oathout)

A loss is never ideal, but Roper looks back at it as a major factor that helped the Tigers get to where they are this week.

“I’m grateful for that loss,” he said. “I think it made us a better team in all aspects. We’re not invincible. We have a lot of stuff we know we need to work on and it got us to the point where if we wanted to be one of the best teams in the state, we needed to work harder.”

They put in the work and as of right now, they cannot argue with the results. They toppled defending 3A champ Pueblo East in the opening round. They made the long trip to Durango and came away with a win before beating Longmont in the semifinals.

Now, as the No. 5 seed in the tournament they might be seen as the underdog going into Saturday. Roper wouldn’t have it any other way.

“We’ve always been such a small school and we haven’t done anything big in such a long time,” Roper said. “We’ve never done anything big in 3A, so for sure, we’ve always been an underdog.”

The Bears and Tigers will kick off at 1 p.m. at Falcon Stadium. Regardless of the outcome, the season will end for both teams after this week.

Each side knows how fortunate they are to reach this level and the coaches hope that the players can soak it in while still focusing on the ultimate goal.

“We’re really excited for the opportunity to be playing in this game,” Palmer Ridge coach Tom Pulford said. “Our kids are excited to be playing in Week 14 and excited for the opportunity to be playing in a big stadium.”

Tickets for Saturday’s game can be purchased online or at the stadium. The game can also be seen on the NFHS Network.

(Quentin Sickafoose/CHSAANow.com)

(Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)

(Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)

Eaglecrest is the Fall 2017 #BackMyTeam champion.

The school won the final vote — held simultaneously on Twitter and on CHSAANow.com — by a narrow margin over Rocky Mountain. Loveland finished third.

Eaglecrest will be honored at halftime of the Class 5A championship game this Saturday.

The Raptors had a strong turnout on both avenues of voting. The are the first-ever #BackMyTeam champion, a competition which seeks to promote positive sportsmanship and school spirit around the state.

The first winter sports #BackMyTeam period begins on Dec. 1 and runs for the rest of the the month. The second period is all of January, with the third period encompassing all of February.

To enter, schools, teams or administrators only need to use the #BackMyTeam hashtag on Twitter or Instagram with images or videos showing their positive school spirit.

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

DENVER — The glow of the cellphones followed the pack of players through the tunnel, their screens illuminating the walls as they documented the moment they walked into Sports Authority Field at Mile High.

The finalists for Saturday’s Class 5A — Pomona, Eaglecrest — and 4A — Pine Creek, Pueblo South — football championships visited the venue on Tuesday for a walk-through and press conference. One theme emerged: Yes, Saturday will be all business for each team, but it’s also a memory for the players. Something to be remembered.

“Please take the time to relish the opportunity and appreciate everyone who has played a part to enable you to be here today,” CHSAA assistant commissioner Bud Ozzello told the players. “This memory will never be forgotten.”

Said Pomona coach Jay Madden: “I hope you know how lucky you are to be sitting in those seats you’re sitting in right now. … Enjoy every second of it. Because it’s going to go by in a hurry. This week’s gonna fly.”

This year’s Championship Saturday marks the 13th year that the 4A and 5A games have been held at Mile High, home of the NFL’s Denver Broncos. Pomona will be making its fourth appearance at the venue, and third-consecutive. Pine Creek will play there for the fifth time since 2011.

Pine Creek coach Todd Miller was actually asked if being in another title game “becomes boring at some point.”

“It never becomes boring,” Miller replied. “This game is too important, and it changes. This team is new and for these guys, it’s new. For these seniors, it’s a new experience and it’s an exciting experience. And for those parents and those fans, it’s a special time.

“Even though we’ve been lucky enough to able to do this experience before, this year is unique.”

Neither Eaglecrest nor Pueblo South has ever played at Mile High. Eaglecrest hasn’t played in a title game since 1993, and Pueblo South has never played for a football championship.

“This is special,” said Eaglecrest coach Mike Schmitt. “I know for you boys, having the opportunity to play on a professional field? Man, there ain’t nothing like it. There ain’t nothing like it.”

Pueblo South football coach Ryan Goddard joked that he’d “never seen this many cameras in my entire life” during the press conference.

“I talked to our kids before we got up here, about, ‘Enjoy the moment, enjoy the experience. This is the moment to get out and take as many photos as you possibly can,'” Goddard said. “I think they took full advantage of that. It’s good to get up here.

“I brought every senior we had,” he continued. “That wasn’t by mistake. I wanted to get these guys up here and give them an opportunity to see see what they were going to be playing in. It’s a special moment, it’s about the experience. These guys have put in so much work, so much time, so much effort. It’s nice to be able to reward them with this.”

The 4A title game will kick off at 11 a.m., with the 5A matchup following at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are available online, or at the stadium.

The games will also be streamed live on the NFHS Network, and air on the radio on Orange and Blue 760.

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

(Jimmy Emerson, DVM/Flickr)

The Class 3A state football championship game will be held at the Air Force Academy’s Falcon Stadium, Palmer Ridge athletic director Lance McCorkle said on Monday.

The title game, which matches No. 2-seeded Palmer Ridge against No. 5 Erie, will be played on Saturday at 1 p.m.

“It’s going to be awesome,” McCorkle said. “I think it’ll be good for the kids. It’ll be fun for them.”

Said Erie athletic director Justin Carpenter: “We’re very excited and grateful to be playing another week, and our community and our kids are very excited for this opportunity.”

The 3A title game is played at a site the highest seed designates. Typically, this is a home site, but the site must hold at least 5,000 fans, per CHSAA guidelines. Don Breese Stadium, where Palmer Ridge plays its home games, has a capacity of roughly 2,500.

While exploring other sites, Falcon Stadium (which has a capacity of 46,692) emerged as an option, McCorkle said. The football team’s booster club has raised the entirety of the funds to pay for the rental of the facility.

Everyone attending the 3A championship game will need to enter the base through the North Gate, but they will not be permitted to enter until 11 a.m. Fans should be prepared and have up-to-date license plates, registration and ID.

Parking will be free.

Palmer Ridge enters the game unbeaten at 13-0, while Erie is 11-2 and has won four consecutive games.

Palmer Ridge has never won a football championship, and this is actually the school’s first appearance in a title game. The Bears topped Palisade in the semifinals to advance.

Erie has won one championship (1A in 1997), and will be making its fourth title game appearance. The Tigers beat Longmont in the semis to punch their ticket.

The following information shows the designated home team for championship football games to be played on Saturday, Dec. 2. The formula for determining the home team is shown on page 50 of the football bulletin.

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Explanation

How the home sites are determined.

• 5A, 4A: The team with the fewest playoff home games will serve as the designated “home” team at Mile High for the championship.
• 3A: The higher seed will host the championship game regardless of the number of home games. A home site must hold 5,000 fans, otherwise the host school must designate a site to host the game.

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Future home sites

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

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

The 2017-18 preseason boys basketball rankings are here. No. 1 teams to start the season include: Rock Canyon (5A), Golden (4A), Sterling (3A), Sedgwick County (2A) and Holly (1A).

Sterling and Holly are defending champions, while Sedgwick County finished runner-up last season.

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.

Complete rankings are below.

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CHSAANow.com Boys Basketball Polls

Voted upon by coaches and media members around the state. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.

First-place votes are in parentheses.

Coaches and media members looking to vote should email rcasey@chsaa.org.

(Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)

Grandview (5A), Evergreen (4A), Lamar (3A), Yuma (2A) and Kit Carson (1A) are each top-ranked teams in the preseason girls basketball rankings that were released on Monday.

All but Yuma are defending champions.

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.

Complete rankings are below.

[divider]

CHSAANow.com Girls Basketball Polls

Voted upon by coaches and media members around the state. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.

First-place votes are in parentheses.

Coaches and media members looking to vote should email rcasey@chsaa.org.

(Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com)

Monarch, the defending champion, is on top of the preseason hockey rankings on the eve of the 2017-18 season.

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.

Complete rankings are below.

[divider]

CHSAANow.com Hockey Poll

Voted upon by coaches and media members around the state. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.

First-place votes are in parentheses.

Coaches and media members looking to vote should email rcasey@chsaa.org.

Golden senior Adam Thistlewood, who has signed to play at Drake University next year, will be key to the Demons’ aspirations this basketball season. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

GOLDEN — Adam Thistlewood was in tears as he attempted to go through his speech to thank his supporters during a National Letter of Intent signing celebration at Golden High School on Nov. 8.

“It just means so much,” Thistlewood said when asked why he was so emotional when the senior inked with Drake University’s D1 men’s basketball program in Des Moines, IA. “All the people who have impacted my life and how they have influenced my journey on where I am today. It’s beyond words.”

The 6-foot-7 inch forward averaged nearly 20 points and 7 rebounds per game during his junior year at Golden. As the No. 12 seed, the Demons advanced all the way to the Class 4A state semifinals last season.

“He (Thistlewood) is the hardest working kid I’ve ever been around,” Golden coach John Anderson said about his first player to go D1. “Coaches in our league and around the state are smart. They are going to do whatever they can to make someone else beat them besides Thistlewood.”

Golden lost just one senior to graduation from last year’s Class 4A state semifinal team. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

Losing just one senior — Kaden Sund who is redshirting at Chadron State College — expectations are high for Golden with Thistlewood as the keystone for the Demons. They are ranked No. 1 in 4A’s preseason poll, which was released on Monday.

“There is no secret in this gym of where we want to go,” Anderson said during a practice over the Thanksgiving break.

After having just one senior last year, Anderson has the luxury of plenty of experience with 10 seniors returning this season. The longtime coach at Golden admits the focus this season is to get to that next step.

Anderson’s players are clearly on the same page.

“We’ve got to take care of ourselves and work hard to get back to where we were,” Golden senior Jack Moore said. “Our goal is to get all the way to the state championship. That is our mindset every day during practice.”

Moore, along with fellow seniors Jack McLaughlin, Joe Madsen and Jake Niss are just a few names that are key for the Demons’ supporting cast.

“I think most teams will first try to stop Adam,” said Madsen the 6-foot-5 post player. “We are going to have to work on ways to get other people the ball and other people to score.”

One thing Anderson has stressed to his players is that can’t get in the habit of standing around and watching Thistlewood work his magic. The versatile Thistlewood can play any position on the court and welcomes the number of different defenses that will be thrown his way.

Joe Madsen is one of 10 seniors the Demons have on their experience roster this season. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

“I’m super confident with my teammates. I trust them 100 percent. I don’t feel any extra pressure,” Thistlewood said. “I hope teams triple-team me. That would mean two guys are open away from me, that’s an easy layup.”

The last memory of the 2016-17 season hasn’t been easy to swallow. Golden lost to eventual 4A state champion and 4A Jeffco League rival Valor Christian 85-55 in the state semifinal at the Denver Coliseum.

Anderson was impress with how Valor carried itself on the way to the Eagles’ first boys basketball state championship title.

“The No. 1 thing that comes to mind is, getting back to where we were is not enough,” Anderson said. “Looking at Valor’s approach, winning in the semifinals for them was no big deal. They had be there before. It was a senior-laded group. They were on a mission.”

Valor had lost in the 4A title game the previous season and had zeroed in on nothing but the path to win the state championship last season. It appears Golden has the tools, talent and experience to make a serious run at winning the school’s first boys basketball state title.

It will all begin with the D’Evelyn/Golden Preview Classic this week. The Demons face three teams — Holy Family, Pueblo South and Lewis-Palmer — that were top-10 4A teams last year. Pueblo South advanced to the 4A state semifinals and Lewis-Palmer lost to Valor in the 4A title game.

Golden opener will be at home against Holy Family at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 30. The Demons actually knocked out the No. 5-seeded Tigers in the Sweet 16 of the state tournament last year.

“We have a brutal non-league schedule to start out with Holy Family, Pueblo South and Lewis-Palmer,” Anderson said. “We do that for a reason. It’s not about winning every game. It’s about playing good teams, getting better and getting your RPI bumped up too.”

Golden lost six conference games in the tough 4A Jeffco League last season to finish fourth.

“I definitely don’t want to lose six league games again,” Madsen said. “That was rough.”

However, the battle-tested Demons went through Longmont, Holy Family and rival Evergreen to get down to the Denver Coliseum, a place where Golden wants to return to this March.

“I’m looking directly at that Final 4 game and the playoffs,” Thistlewood said. “I think league will take care of itself.”

The 4A Jeffco League should be ultra competitive again with Valor, D’Evelyn, Evergreen and Golden leading the way.

“League is going to be very tough again,” said Anderson, who guided Golden to back-to-back conference title in 2015 and 2016. “It doesn’t matter who has the best players in this league. It matters who gets it done every night.”

Golden coach John Anderson will get an early look at some tough competition during the D’Evelyn/Golden Preview Classic this week. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)