CHSAANow

Month: December 2017

  • Girls basketball rankings: Highlands Ranch takes over as No. 1 in 5A

    Arapahoe Highlands Ranch girls basketball
    (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)

    Highlands Ranch took over as the No. 1 team in the Class 5A girls basketball rankings this week.

    With a relatively light schedule this week, these will be the final rankings prior to the winter break.

    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 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.

    Class 5A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Highlands Ranch (8) 5-1 106 2 1-0
    2 Regis Jesuit (2) 6-2 93 4 3-0
    3 Grandview (1) 3-1 89 1 1-1
    4 Ralston Valley 5-1 79 3 2-0
    5 Lakewood 6-2 44 8 0-0
    6 Castle View 7-0 42 9 3-0
    7 Horizon 4-0 41 6 0-0
    8 Fairview 4-2 40 5 1-1
    9 Cherry Creek 2-1 38 7 0-0
    10 Fossil Ridge 5-2 16 10 3-0
    Others receiving votes:
    Fruita Monument 6, Fort Collins 4, Denver East 3, Columbine 2, Mountain Vista 2.
    Dropped out
    None.
    Class 4A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Pueblo West (10) 5-0 136 1 0-0
    2 Golden (3) 8-0 116 2 3-0
    3 Evergreen (1) 6-1 92 3 2-0
    4 Valor Christian 4-1 85 6 1-0
    5 Holy Family 6-1 80 5 3-0
    6 Mesa Ridge 4-2 67 4 0-0
    7 Air Academy 7-1 52 9 2-0
    8 D’Evelyn 7-2 37 7 1-1
    9 Windsor 4-2 25 10 2-1
    10 Berthoud 8-0 22 – 2-0
    Others receiving votes:
    Thomas Jefferson 20, Pueblo South 16, Discovery Canyon 8, Pueblo County 7, Centaurus 2, Greeley Central 2, Widefield 2, Standley Lake 1.
    Dropped out
    Pueblo South (8).
    Class 3A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Centauri (6) 7-0 91 1 1-0
    2 St. Mary’s (1) 6-0 90 2 2-0
    3 Colorado Springs Christian (2) 4-0 84 3 1-0
    4 Lamar (1) 5-1 71 4 2-0
    5 Pagosa Springs 4-1 63 5 2-0
    6 Kent Denver 7-1 32 8 3-0
    7 Resurrection Christian 5-1 26 – 1-0
    8 Alamosa 4-2 17 10 0-0
    9 Manitou Springs 2-3 11 – 1-1
    10 Cedaredge 6-0 10 9 2-0
    Others receiving votes:
    Colorado Academy 9, Liberty Common 9, Moffat County 8, Delta 5, Sterling 5, Grand Valley 4, The Vanguard 4, University 4, Brush 2, Jefferson Academy 2, Eaton 1, Lutheran 1, Prospect Ridge 1.
    Dropped out
    Moffat County (6), Eaton (7).
    Class 2A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Yuma (7) 7-0 106 1 2-0
    2 Swink (2) 5-1 91 2 2-0
    3 Limon 5-0 76 5 2-0
    4 Simla 4-0 59 7 2-0
    5 Wray 3-3 51 3 0-1
    6 Holyoke (2) 6-0 49 9 3-0
    7 Del Norte 5-3 47 4 1-0
    8 Ignacio 4-0 44 6 1-0
    9 Vail Christian 6-0 21 – 1-0
    10 Haxtun 4-2 20 10 1-2
    Others receiving votes:
    Ellicott 12, Paonia 9, Highland 5, Rocky Ford 4, Sanford 4, Denver Christian 2, Soroco 2, Clear Creek 1, Colorado Springs School 1, Lyons 1.
    Dropped out
    Paonia (8).
    Class 1A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Kit Carson (11) 5-0 110 1 3-0
    2 Kim/Branson 7-0 81 3 3-0
    3 Briggsdale 5-1 74 2 2-1
    4 Fleming 3-1 72 4 2-0
    5 Sangre de Cristo 5-0 48 5 1-0
    6 Holly 6-2 44 – 2-1
    7 Antonito 4-1 37 6 0-0
    8 Heritage Christian 6-1 25 8 2-1
    9 Springfield 4-2 20 – 2-1
    10 North Park 5-0 17 – 0-0
    Others receiving votes:
    Eads 15, La Veta 15, McClave 10, South Baca 7, Centennial 6, Cheraw 6, Wiley 6, Prairie 5, Hi-Plains 4, Arickaree/Woodlin 2, Longmont Christian 1.
    Dropped out
    Wiley (7), Cheraw (9), McClave (10).

  • Photos: No. 5 Cherry Creek hockey downs Lewis-Palmer

    CENTENNIAL — Alec Gray scored a goal and assisted on another as CHSAANow.com No. 5-ranked Cherry Creek hockey grabbed a 3-1 win over Lewis-Palmer on Saturday.

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  • Regis Jesuit hockey beats Valor Christian in early-season showdown

    Regis Jesuit won one of the biggest games in the early part of the 2017-18 hockey season on Saturday night.

    The second-ranked Raiders topped No. 3 Valor Christian 2-1 before a big crowd at the Ice Ranch. Anders Erickson scored what proved to be the winning goal midway through the second period, his seventh of the season.

    With the win, Regis Jesuit is now 6-0-0 this season. It was Valor Christian’s first loss (3-1-0) of the season.

    On Saturday, the two teams battled one another in a tight contest.

    Regis Jesuit’s Paxton Erickson opened the scoring on a power play tally at 12:28 of the first period. Just 12 seconds later, Valor Christian’s Cole Cavey evened the game.

    Connor Kilkenny had two assists for Regis Jesuit, and Max Harlan made 11 saves.

    Valor Christian’s Trey Hirschfield made 32 saves for his team.

    Both teams now head into league play, Regis in the Foothills Conference, and Valor in the Highlands Conference.

  • Photos: Girls swimming’s 2017 Coaches Invite meet

    THORNTON — Fairview, Rampart and St. Mary’s Academy stood out as the top teams at the annual Coaches Invite on Saturday.

    The meet, seen as one of the top regular season events each year, draws many of the top athletes and teams.

    Fairview won the 5A event, with Rampart winning 4A, and St. Mary’s Academy winning 3A.

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  • No. 7 D’Evelyn’s girls basketball pushes the pace in win over Faith Christian

    D’Evelyn freshman Lexi Szathmary (22) goes up for one of his six made buckets in the first half Friday. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    DENVER — One word to describe D’Evelyn’s girls basketball team — GO.

    You’ll hear it yelled by longtime Jaguars’ coach Chris Olson almost every time one of his players has the ball after a defensive rebound, steal or made basket by their opponent.

    “If you haven’t heard me yell ‘Go’ yet you should watch a game,” Olson joked after D’Evelyn’s up-tempo style led to a 69-20 victory over Faith Christian on Friday night at D’Evelyn Junior/Senior High School. “I’ll yell ‘Go’ every once in a while.”

    D’Evelyn, ranked No. 7 in the CHSAANow.com Class 4A girls basketball poll, got steal-after-steal that led to layup-after-layup in the first half against Faith Christian. The Jaguars opened up a 42-11 halftime lead.

    The dominating start was a welcome sight after the Jaguars suffered a 25-23 loss Tuesday to Centaurus.

    D’Evelyn senior Angi Reed (2) had a game-high 20 points Friday night. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    “It’s all about the start for us,” D’Evelyn senior Angi Reed said of the Jaguars’ 25-point first quarter against Faith (3-6 record). “We had a good start here and it carried us throughout the game.”

    Reed accomplished a rare feat. Her game-high 20 points actually matched the Eagles’ scoring output for the whole game. The fact that Reed didn’t play in the fourth quarter made the accomplishment even more impressive.

    “We needed to see the ball go through the basket a few times,” Olson said.

    Freshman Lexi Szathmary (15 points), juniors Kylee Fridgen (12 points), Tori Szathmary (nine points) and Bella Scaturro (six points) also had strong offensive nights for the Jaguars.

    All of Fridgen’s points came off 3-pointers as she poured in four from beyond the arc. Tori Szathmary scored all nine of her points in the third quarter.

    “When we get contributions from everyone we’re pretty good,” Olson said.

    D’Evelyn (7-2) has nearly a three-week break until its next game. The Jaguars open conference play at No. 2 Golden on Thursday, Jan. 4.

    D’Evelyn junior Izzy Lopez (10) takes a shot over Faith’s Danella Bunavi. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    D’Evelyn will have its work cutout for its when it begins Class 4A Jeffco League play next month. Golden, Evergreen and Valor Christian are holding down three of the top-6 spots in the CHSAANow.com 4A girls basketball poll.

    “Jeffco is so good,” Reed said. “No matter who you start with it’s going to be a good game. It will be a good wakeup call for what we’ll have to do the rest of the year.”

    Also, six of eight teams in 4A Jeffco currently have winning non-league records. Don’t look for anything different style-wise from the Jaguars when conference play begins.

    “This is our only shot,” Olson said of his undersized team playing its high-pressure and up-tempo style. “We have to play Valor, Evergreen and Golden each twice and all have bigs. We can’t get into a half-court game. We have to press and get steals on the other side of the court. Hopefully we make some shots. It’s who we are and who we’ve been.”

    Olson says he believes 4A Jeffco is better than last season when three Jeffco teams advance to the Great 8 and Evergreen came away with the state title.

    For right now, the Jaguars welcome a little bit of a break from running up and down the basketball court.

    “We are looking forward to some rest,” said Reed, who noted the Jaguars were without seniors Bailey Marvel and Anna Bane because of illness and injury against Faith. “This (win) is a good one before break.”

    D’Evelyn junior Bella Scaturro, middle, drives toward the basket during the Jaguars’ 69-20 victory. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

  • Photos: Monarch boys basketball tops Columbine in OT

    LITTLETON — Monarch boys basketball beat Columbine in overtime on Friday, 66-62.

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  • Photos: No. 8 Regis Jesuit boys basketball beats Lakewood

    LAKEWOOD — No. 8 Regis Jesuit boys basketball cruised to an 86-58 win over Lakewood on Friday.

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  • Photos: No. 3 Yuma boys basketball cruises past Wray

    YUMA — Class 2A’s third-ranked Yuma boys basketball beat Wray 70-52 on Friday to improve to 5-2 this season.

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  • Photos: No. 1 Yuma wins major 2A girls hoops clash against No. 3 Wray

    YUMA — In a major Class 2A battle, No. 1 Yuma girls basketball beat No. 3 Wray 52-42 on Friday.

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  • Buzzer-beater gives Dakota Ridge boys hoops win over Arapahoe

    LITTLETON — Antonio Norton brought the home crowd out of their seats Saturday afternoon at Dakota Ridge High School.

    The Dakota Ridge senior made a layup with 1.5 seconds left in the fourth quarter Saturday to give the Eagles a 66-64 victory in the non-league boys basketball game. Norton sliced toward the basket after an entry pass from fellow senior Koby Ryckman for the eventual game-winning shot.

    “We were just trying to get something inside, finish or maybe draw a foul,” said Norton, who had to take a seat on the bench for the majority of the first half after picking up a pair of early fouls. “It was a great pass by Koby.”

    Arapahoe senior Drew Hayes put up a half-court shot at the buzzer, but it was off the mark. It was the third straight victory for Dakota Ridge (4-3 record).

    Dakota Ridge senior Cole Binder (21) had a game-high 19 points against Arapahoe. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    “We’ve had three close wins so far,” Dakota Ridge senior Drew Dominic said. “We are gaining a lot of experience in these close games which I think will be very beneficial late in the season.”

    The Eagles’ win streak has come during a string of three consecutive games that have all come down to the wire. Dakota Ridge has won the three games by a combined eight points.

    “Escape is a good word. Honestly, I think (Arapahoe) was the team that should have won it,” Dakota Ridge coach Curi Yutzy admitted. “It is a tribute to our guys. We found a way.”

    After a defensive battle through three quarters, both teams found an offensive rhythm in the fourth quarter. The Warriors (2-5) drained four 3-pointers in the fourth quarter on the way to 21 points in the final eight minutes.

    Arapahoe had a balanced scoring attack with seniors Braxton Reinders (10 points) and Hayes (12 points), along with juniors Kevin Lukasiewicz (12 points) and Lane D’Agostino (11 points) all finishing in double-digit points.

    Seniors Cole Binder (19 points) and Dominic (18 points) led the way for the Eagles. Binder heated up in the fourth quarter scoring 13 points. Besides getting the key assist on Norton’s game-winning shot, Ryckman finished with 10 points.

    Dakota Ridge’s Alex Overlie (4) looks for a passing lane. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    “Antonio was awesome. Antonio was excellent,” Yutzy said of Norton, who scored all four of his points in the fourth quarter. “His decision making and passing was excellent. I feel like Antonio was the key to our comeback.”

    Dakota Ridge scored 25 points in the final eight minutes and overcame a 6-point deficit early in the fourth quarter.

    “It was definitely a weird game for sure,” Dominic said. “What I really like about our team is we just plug away and find a way to win.”

    Dakota Ridge has one final non-league game before winter break. The Eagles host Denver South at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 21.

    The Class 5A Jeffco League looks to be pretty wide-open with no dominate team. Chatfield is the two-time defending conference champion, but the Chargers’ 30-game league winning streak dating back to the 2014-15 season could be in jeopardy when conference play begins Jan. 4.

    “Hopefully we’ll be able to put some wins together and win a league championship,” Dominic said. “That’s our goal as a team right now.”

    The Eagles begin their league schedule at home against rival Columbine on Jan. 4. Dakota Ridge placed fourth in the conference last season. The Eagles won the league title back in 2015.

    “I think you are going to see games like that basically every Wednesday and Friday night in Jefferson County,” Yutzy said. “There are going to be a lot of competitive games.”

    Arapahoe has a pair of non-league games at home next week. The Warriors face Heritage and Rangeview, ranked No. 9 in the latest CHSAANow.com 5A boys basketball poll.

    Dakota Ridge’s Koby Ryckman (23) has a shot contested by Arapahoe’s David Brophy (2) and Denzel Valerio. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)