Month: February 2018

  • Photos: Class 3A girls swimming and diving state championships

    THORNTON — The second, and final, day of the Class 3A girls swimming championships was held on Friday.

    Longmont won the state title on the final event of the meet.

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  • 3A girls state swimming: Aspen’s Davy Brown sets backstroke record in prelims

    3A girls state swimming Davy Brown Aspen generic
    Davy Brown. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

    THORNTON — Davy Brown responded to a DQ in a huge way.

    Brown, an Aspen junior, lowered her own meet record during the Class 3A girls swimming and diving prelims on Thursday, an hour or so after she was disqualified for a stroke infraction in the individual medley.

    Brown’s time of 56.86 in the 100 back lowered the mark of 57.37 she set at last year’s 3A meet. She now has the top qualifying time in the event heading into Friday’s finals. The time was 2.78 seconds faster than her seed time of 59.64.

    Her time was even more impressive given that Brown swam the lead leg of Aspen’s 200 freestyle relay in the event prior to the backstroke. The Skiers finished with the second-fastest prelim time at 1:43.06. Pueblo County will enter the finals as the top seed with a time of 1:41.92 in the 200 free relay.

    Among the favorites to win a state title for much of the season, Pueblo County had a great first day of the 3A meet.

    The Hornets also qualified with the fastest time in the 200 medley relay (1:51.79), and junior Amanda Blickensderfer was the fastest qualifier in the 100 breaststroke. Blickensderfer finished in 1:05.88 — she set the 3A record last year at 1:05.26.

    3A girls state swimming Abbey Selin D'Evelyn
    Abbey Selin. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

    Also shining during Thursday’s prelims was D’Evelyn senior Abbey Selin. A University of Wyoming recruit, she swam the fastest qualifying time in both the 200 and 500 freestyle races. Selin won the 500 last season.

    Likewise, Longmont sophomore Lucille Matheson positioned herself well in multiple races. She had the top time in the 200 individual medley after the prelims, and was second in the 500.

    Longmont is also expected to challenge for the team title on Friday. The Trojans qualified first in the 400 free relay with a time of 3:46.08. Kent Denver was second in 3:48.27.

    St. Mary’s Caitlin Cairns qualified first in both the 50 free and 100 butterfly.

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    Tight leaderboard after diving semifinals

    Girls state diving Rachel Alexander Discovery Canyon
    Rachel Alexander. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

    Discovery Canyon sophomore Rachel Alexander seized the lead after the diving prelims on Thursday morning, but there are three others close behind.

    Alexander’s score of 279.85 led the group, with Durango junior Kylie Behn nipping behind at 279.30.

    St. Mary’s Retta Smith, runner-up in the event last season, sits in third at 278.10, and Fountain Valley’s Harriet Townsend is fourth at 276.40.

    Alexander finished fourth last season, while Behn was sixth, and Townsend was fifth.

    The top 16 divers, out of 21 who qualified, advanced to Friday’s finals.

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    Friday’s schedule

    The 3A meet resumes on Friday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. at VMAC. The 4A swim prelims will be held at the venue on Friday morning.

    A full schedule of events is available on this page.

  • Wrestling rankings from On The Mat before regionals

    Below are this week’s wrestling rankings from On The Mat.

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    On The Mat Wrestling Rankings

    Tim Yount of On The Mat provides weekly wrestling rankings for teams and individuals in all weight classes. To see individual rankings, you can subscribe to On The Mat’s full rankings.

    To subscribe via PayPal, choose your subscription option on this page click on the corresponding PayPal button. To subscribe by mail or fax and pay by personal check, click here for a printable subscription form. Email Tim Yount at tim@onthematrankings.com with questions.

    To purchase individual weeks of the rankings (as opposed to the entire season), you will need to use the printable subscription form and pay by check. The season ranking subscriptions are offered at a discounted rate.

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    Class 2A
    RK TEAM PVS
    1 Rocky Ford 1
    2 Cedaredge 2
    3 Paonia 4
    4 Wray 3
    5 Hotchkiss 6
    6 Fowler 5
    7 County Line 10
    8 Meeker
    9 Burlington 9
    10 Soroco 8
    Dropped out
    John Mall (7).
    Class 3A
    RK TEAM PVS
    1 Alamosa 1
    2 Pagosa Springs 4
    3 Eaton 3
    4 Valley 2
    5 Lamar 5
    6 Berthoud
    7 Weld Central 6
    8 Centauri 8
    9 Brush
    10 Sheridan 10
    Dropped out
    Buena Vista (7), Moffat County (9).
    Class 4A
    RK TEAM PVS
    1 Pueblo County 1
    2 Windsor 2
    3 Pueblo East 3
    4 Greeley Central 4
    5 Mesa Ridge 5
    6 Thompson Valley 7
    7 Canon City 9
    8 Discovery Canyon 6
    9 Cheyenne Mountain 8
    10 Mountain View 10
    Dropped out
    None.
    Class 5A
    RK TEAM PVS
    1 Pomona 2
    2 Grand Junction 1
    3 Poudre 3
    4 Broomfield 9
    5 Ponderosa 7
    6 Castle View 6
    7 Adams City 8
    8 Brighton 5
    9 Monarch 4
    10 Grandview
    Dropped out
    Legacy (10).
  • Rampart and Cheyenne Mountain in good shape after 4A girls swimming prelims

    4A girls swimming
    (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

    THORNTON — Rampart wanted to establish itself as the Class 4A girls swimming favorite early. During the 200-medley relay, the first event during Friday’s preliminaries, the Rams set a meet record at one minute, 43.644 seconds.

    Overall, the Rams have eight swimmers over five final events, which will be held on Saturday. It puts them in a good position to contend for the team title.

    “The relay was definitely a highlight,” Rampart coach Dan Greene said. “That’s a pretty big deal for the girls and it got everyone fired up.”

    The team of Catriona Clarke, Edenna Chen, Allana Clarke and Lindsey Immel set the mark and then each went on to lock up individual spots in the finals.

    Catorina Clarke will swim for the 200-IM title while Allana Clarke and Immel will go for the 50-freestyle championship. Immel also qualified for the 100-freestyle, as did Chen. Overall, Rampart has a chance to make some serious noise when the 4A finals begin.

    And it was all sparked with the relay.

    “It was a great start to the meet,” Immel said. “I didn’t know we were going to go that fast and I was so surprised at the time, because saw all of them (celebrating) at the end and I realized we did it.”

    Immel said the intent for the girls was to go for that record for prelims then just focus on winning the event, regardless of time, on Saturday.

    Defending champion Cheyenne Mountain also fared well through prelims, putting swimmer in finals of every event except for the 50-freestyle.

    4A girls swimming
    (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

    With a deep roster that includes girls leftover from the 2017 championship team, coach Kate Doane likes where her team stands going into Saturday.

    “Cat (Wright) is such a leader and she’ll help keep the momentum going,” Doane said. “She can keep that enthusiasm alive.”

    Wright, the 2017 4A swimmer of the year, took first in three events last year. She is competing in four final events on Saturday.

    The 4A dive preliminaries will be held Saturday morning as the afternoon session at the VMAC was reserved for the 3A state finals.

    The finals for the 4A girls state swim meet will begin at 3 p.m. on Saturday. The pool doors will open for teams at 12:45 and on-site tickets will go on sale at 1:30.

  • Signing at service academies is the ultimate team play for athletes like Vista Ridge’s Jaylen Thomas

    Vista Ridge football Jalen Thomas
    (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

    COLORADO SPRINGS — When Vista Ridge football coach Jerimi Calip talked about Jaylen Thomas on Wednesday, he described the ultimate team player.

    And in choosing his post-high school destination, he kept with that mentality and chose a spot where it was about the whole rather than the individual. And the whole as in a college program, the whole as in country. Thomas will serve in the United States Air Force Academy and made his intentions clear that he will be playing for the Falcons as well.

    “I think being able to serve my country, play football at the Division 1 level and receive a great education is something you can’t beat,” Thomas said.

    The stories are well-written. When it comes to athletics recruiting at any of the country’s three service academies, the standard top-level athletes don’t often sign on those dotted lines.

    Rampart Vista Ridge football
    (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

    But Air Force coach Troy Calhoun has said it many a times, they go after top-level human beings. Listening to Calip speak about Thomas and listening to Thomas himself, there is little doubt that Calhoun got himself a quality human being.

    “Just to make a commitment to play Division I football is unselfish in itself,” Calip said. “Going to a service academy that requires you to be unselfish, have discipline, be loyal and all the other qualities that the Academy demands, they couldn’t get a better candidate.”

    In all, Calhoun is getting four outstanding candidates from the state of Colorado. According to the CHSAANow.com recruiting database, Arapahoe’s Blake Carette, Eaglecrest’s Jalen Mergerson and Fairview’s Tevye Schuettpelz-Rohl will all join Thomas as Falcons in the fall.

    On top of the allure of playing Division I football, what helped drive Thomas in that direction was the fact that he grew up in the shadow of the Academy grounds.

    Although the Falcons are technically a federal program and not state funded or assisted, the Air Force fan base is strong to Colorado Springs residents, even those with no official ties to the Academy.

    That became evident with several signings around the springs. Cheyenne Mountain’s August Johnson is attending the Academy to play boys lacrosse, Pine Creek’s Kellsie Knoerzer is going for girls soccer and 2016 Class 4A champion Luke Trujillo is going for boys golf.

    There are several other from the class of 2018 going, and not just from the Springs, but from all around the state.

    But for those close, the Academy and even just the football games were a major part of growing up and falling in love with high-level athletics.

    “I remember going to Air Force games when I was a kid,” Thomas said. “My grandma and grandpa were always big fans.”

    From the time he entered as a freshman at Vista Ridge, Thomas knew that was the direction he wanted to go. He sent Calip an excited text message in November when the Falcons officially made their offer.

    “As soon as that offer came through, it was an easy decision,” Calip said. “He said he would see what other offers came through, but he was committing to Air Force. It was the one he wanted.”

    And it was the one he got.

    And if he continues to approach life as a cadet the way he has a high school football player, the Air Force is a better place today than it was 24 hours ago.

    (Bethany Brookens/CHSAANow.com)
  • Jeffco student-athletes sign with colleges near and far

    Columbine’s Ted Mullin, fifth from the left, will join former teammate Mikey Griebel at the University of North Dakota next fall. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    LITTLETON — From the University of Alaska to the University of Hawaii and beyond … Jeffco student-athletes will fan out to all corners of the United States to pursue their college dreams next school year.

    Wednesday marked another National Letter of Intent Signing Day. A total of a dozen high schools within Jeffco Public Schools had signing celebrations on Wednesday.

    “It’s always a special day,” Columbine principal Scott Christy said during the Rebels’ celebration.

    While Jeffco students will be taking their talents to several local schools, along with out-of-state programs there seems to be a surprising pipeline from Jeffco to the University of North Dakota football program.

    Columbine’s Mikey Griebel and Ralston Valley’s Ty Shannon signed to play football for the Fighting Hawks’ a year ago. Today, Columbine senior Ted Mullin continued the trend of UND tapping the football talent from Jeffco.

    “Last year they (Fighting Hawks) showed some interest starting in April and they never stopped,” Mullin said of his recruitment by North Dakota. “The coaches were awesome. It’s a blessing to be able to play college football there. I’m excited about going up there to be with some dudes that I know. It will be fun.”

    Griebel, a receiver at UND after being a two-way star for the Rebels during his three years at Columbine, ended up redshirting his freshman year due to injury.

    “There are no words to describe how not only happy I am that Teddy is coming up to be a Hawk, but how eager I am,” Griebel said via text Tuesday. “There is no stopping short for Teddy and having a kid like that on your team is essential.”

    Griebel describes Mullin as not only a high school teammate, but a “very close friend” and added he can’t wait until July when he gets to reunite on the football field with his former teammate.

    “We (North Dakota) landed not only an intense competitor, but an even better person,” Griebel said.

    The Fighting Hawks will also be getting a multi-sport athlete in Mullin. The senior is about to compete at regionals this coming weekend for Columbine’s wrestling team. Mullin is also planning on being on the Rebels’ track team again this spring.

    “North Dakota has preached to me how much they enjoy multi-sport athletes,” said Mullin, who is expected to be an outside linebacker for the UND. “It’s been huge for me in high school. It has made me a better competitor and a better athlete. I’m really thankful I choose to do more than one sport.”

    List of Jeffco student-athletes who signed Feb. 7

    Arvada West High School
    John ‘Jack’ Boyer, football, University of Wyoming
    Vinson Britton, baseball, Barstow Community College (CA)
    Morgan Clausen, softball, University of North Florida
    Caden Crosby, football, Fort Lewis College
    Katie Doucette, track/cross country, Western State Colorado University
    Elena Drogheo, women’s soccer, Doane University (NE)
    Anthony Gallardo, football, Nebraska Wesleyan University
    Rebecca Jeambey, women’s soccer, Adams State University
    Shea Mauser, softball, Colorado Mesa University
    Claire Pauley, track/cross country, Colorado State University-Pueblo
    Kailey Robb, softball, Augustana College (IL)

    Bear Creek High School
    Anna Branscome, women’s golf, Chadron State College (NE)
    Kaitlyn Chavira, women’s soccer, Hastings College (NE)
    Tanis Craiglow, football, Doane University (NE)
    Nick Donahue, baseball, Benedictine College (KS)
    Cooper Erickson, men’s soccer, Loyola Marymount (CA)
    Octavio Lucero, diving, University of Hawaii
    Kylan Martinez, football, Western State Colorado University
    Peyton Propp, softball, Western Nebraska Community College
    Joey Stenson, softball and track, Doane University (NE)

    Chatfield High School
    Chandler Callejo, football, South Dakota School of Mines
    Meghan Dunning, women’s soccer, St. Edward’s University
    Julia Eiken, volleyball, Colorado School of Mines
    Raquel Gunkel, women’s soccer, California Lutheran University
    Jared Hoerter, men’s lacrosse, Eastern University
    Drew Johnson, track and cross country, University of Alaska
    Connor Killion, men’s lacrosse, Eastern University
    Kasey Koppelmaa, baseball, University of San Francisco
    Riley Leichter, women’s lacrosse, Old Dominion
    Christian Macy, men’s lacrosse, Adams State University
    Aidan Mendoza, football, Doane University
    Matt Moon, baseball, Trinidad State
    Emma Peterson, women’s soccer, Colorado School of Mines
    Tyler Sexton, football, Western State University

    Columbine High School
    Annie VanNorstrand, women’s lacrosse, University of Redlands
    Skylar Alward, women’s soccer, University of Iowa
    Chloe Cook, women’s soccer, Adams State University
    Erin Smith, softball, Augustana College
    Angela Naughton, women’s lacrosse, University of Colorado-Colorado Springs
    Kai Valentino, football, Western Arizona
    Madison Martinez, women’s soccer, Trinity International University
    Ted Mullin, football, University of North Dakota
    Camryn Huff, women’s lacrosse, Colorado Mesa University
    Frankie Shearn, baseball, Colorado Christian University
    Corbin Leyshock, football, Colorado School of Mines

    Dakota Ridge High School
    Samuel Arfsten, men’s lacrosse, University of Indianapolis
    Jake Collins, baseball, Minot State University
    Taylor Hicken, volleyball, Colorado School of Mines
    Kailee Lammers, women’s lacrosse, University of Denver

    D’Evelyn Jr./Sr. High School
    Angi Reed, women’s basketball, Oregon Tech University
    Bailey Marvel, softball, Chadron State College
    Alexis Miller, women’s soccer, Bowling Green University
    Sarah Anschutz, women’s soccer, Virginia Military Institute
    Carolyn Anschutz, women’s soccer, University of Wisconsin
    Payton Wright, volleyball, University of Northwestern-St. Paul
    Kendra Cerrone, volleyball, West Texas A&M University
    Abbey Selin, women’s swimming, University of Wyoming
    Jack Morantz, men’s swimming, University of Wisconsin
    Chad Dines, football, University of Rhode Island
    Charles Dinegar, men’s basketball, Carleton College

    Evergreen High School
    Sidney Fairbanks, softball, Mayville State
    Cassidy Formanek, women’s soccer, University of Houston
    Joshua Gauvin, men’s swimming, McKendree University
    Zach Klein, men’s lacrosse, Marietta College
    Evan Price, football, University of Colorado

    Golden High School
    Dawson Kennedy, football, Colorado Mesa University
    Joe Madsen, football, Colorado State University-Pueblo
    Jack McLaughlin, baseball, Northeastern Junior College

    Lakewood High School
    William Gifford, baseball, Hillsdale College
    Chase Dornbusch, cross country and track, University of Kansas
    Parker Beastrom, football, Presentation College (SD)
    Rex Desso, football, Macalester College (MN)
    Weston Lee, football, Colorado State University-Pueblo
    Robert Miller, football, Colorado School of Mines
    Trenton Sanders, football, Concordia University-Nebraska
    Ezekiel “EZ” Sundberg, football, Gustavus Adolphus College (MN)
    Denaya Evans, women’s soccer, Emporia State University (KS)
    Katherine Oehm, women’s soccer, St. Olaf College (MN)

    Pomona High School
    Alexus Spinks, softball, Dodge City Community College
    Allie Hufford, softball, Dodge City Community College
    Jessica Espinoza, softball, Dodge City Community College
    Bre Shaffer, softball, Adams State University
    Ryan Marquez, football, University of Wyoming
    Brock Boyd, Western State Colorado University
    Santos Meguina, football, University of Northern Colorado
    Jesse Stuht, football, University of Alberta
    Max Borghi, football Washington State University
    Holly Ciberay, women’s soccer, Midland University
    Kelsey Boychuk, gymnastics, Iowa State University

    Standley Lake High School
    Emma Smith, women’s soccer, University of Chicago
    Emily Naysmith, women’s soccer, Fort Hays State University (KS)
    Weston Short, men’s soccer, Sheridan College (WY)

    Ralston Valley High School
    Nikki Sefcik, volleyball, United States Coast Guard Academy (CT)
    Brian Hendrickson, baseball, Belhaven University (MS)
    Katharine Kimbro, volleyball, Lewis and Clark College (OR)
    Mackenzi Kirschner, women’s soccer, Northern Oklahoma College
    Laurel Rowe, women’s swimming, College of Idaho
    Jackson Zinn, men’s golf, New Mexico Military Institute
    Jameson Barnard, men’s soccer, Air Force Academy

  • Columbine boys basketball stays hot in 5A Jeffco with win over Bear Creek

    LITTLETON — Solo possession atop the boys basketball Class 5A Jeffco League will be on the line when Arvada West travels to Columbine High School for a 7 p.m. tip Friday, Feb. 9.

    A-West’s 70-51 home victory over Lakewood, along with Columbine’s 67-61 win against Bear Creek on Wednesday night left the Wildcats (13-7, 8-3) and Rebels (11-9, 8-3) in a share of the conference lead with three games left in league play.

    “It’s going to be great. We are going to go out there and play the best we can,” said Columbine sophomore Luke O’Brien, who scored a game-high 25 points against Bear Creek. “Arvada West is a really good team. We are going to go out there and win, hopefully.”

    Columbine sophomore Luke O’Brien went for a game-high 25 points. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    After a slow start in non-league play, the Rebels are one of the hottest teams in 5A Jeffco. Columbine has won 7-of-8 games dating back to its dramatic overtime victory against Bear Creek.

    “You always hope you are in the conversation late in the season,” Columbine coach Clay Thielking said of being in the mix for a league title. “We are just focused on getting better everyday.”

    While Wednesday’s win over the Bears (11-7, 7-4) wasn’t as thrilling as the first time around, it was just as effective. For the first time all league season Bear Creek has now slipped out of the top spot in the conference standings. The Bears are now tied with Chatfield (11-9, 7-4) a game behind A-West and Columbine.

    “Bear Creek wanted to come in and beat us tonight,” O’Brien said. “We weren’t going to let that happen.”

    Neither Bear Creek or Columbine held a double-digit lead the entire game. However, Columbine went on a 10-2 run in a minute span late in the fourth quarter to take control.

    O’Brien scored 13 points in the final quarter as Bear Creek suffered its second league loss in three games.

    Columbine’s Justin Lohrenz, left, battles inside with Bear Creek’s Manuel Perez. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    “We’ve got a lot of room for improvement,” Thielking admitted. “I didn’t think we played particular well tonight. I’ve got to give Bear Creek a lot of credit for that. We just made enough plays to extend the lead late.”

    Bear Creek was led by junior Grant Karger who made six 3-pointers on his way to 20 points. Seniors Jordan Ramos (17 points) and Jovan Dodig (12 points) both had strong nights, but both fouled out with under 2 minutes to play in the fourth quarter.

    The game plan on Bear Creek’s leading scorer Manuel Perez was allow Columbine junior Logan DeArment to match-up with Perez. The strategy worked as Perez scored just 4 points, all in the final quarter.

    Columbine’s utilized its size advantage with junior Cody Ramming (11 points) and sophomore Justin Lohrenz (10 points) controlling the boards on both ends of the court.

    “We match-up well with anybody,” Ramming said. “Justin (Lohrenz) boxes out everybody. It makes it easy for me. He does the dirty work.”

    The work ahead for the Rebels is pretty simple. Columbine controls its own destiny when it comes to winning league. After the meeting with A-West on Friday, the Rebels host Ralston Valley and Chatfield next week to close the regular season.

    “We would like to think our home court is an advantage for us. Anything can happen on any given night,” Thielking said of the wild 5A Jeffco this year. “Our guys just have to stay focused and keep working hard.”

    Arvada West, Columbine, Bear Creek and Chatfield all have legitimate shots of winning the 5A Jeffco League title. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
  • Football players with improper equipment will be removed for one down

    Columbine Eaglecrest Football
    (Renee Patridge/reneepatridgephoto.com)

    INDIANAPOLIS — Players in high school football who are detected with missing or improperly worn equipment during playing action will be removed from the game for at least one down, unless the improper equipment is directly attributable to a foul by the opponent.

    This revision in Rule 1-5-5 and other related rules was one of five rules changes for the 2018 season recommended by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Football Rules Committee at its January 19-21 meeting in Indianapolis. All changes were subsequently approved by the NFHS Board of Directors.

    Rule 1-5-5 also states that if the player is wearing otherwise legal equipment in an illegal manner, the participant must also be replaced for one down. If proper and legal equipment has become improperly worn through use during the game, and prompt repair does not delay the ready-for-play signal for more than 25 seconds, the repair can be made without replacing the player for one down.

    In a related change (1-5-4), the head coach is responsible for verifying that all players are legally equipped and will not use illegal equipment. The penalty provisions for any use of illegal equipment remain unchanged and result in an unsportsmanlike foul charged to the head coach.

    “I commend the entire football rules committee for its thoroughness and focus on the state of the game of football,” said Todd Tharp, chair of the NFHS Football Rules Committee and assistant director of the Iowa High School Athletic Association. “The committee recognizes that the state of high school football focuses on risk minimization and the responsibility that coaches, players and game officials play in continuing to protect our student-athletes.

    “By emphasizing that the coach is ultimately responsible for assuring his players are using legal equipment by issuing an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for violations and that players will be removed for using legal equipment in an illegal manner, the committee continues to focus on minimizing risk for all players.”

    The second rules change approved by the NFHS Football Rules Committee provides another option for teams in Rule 6-1-9 on fouls committed by the kicking team during free kicks and scrimmage kicks. Now, the receiving team can accept a 5-yard penalty from the succeeding spot. The previous three options remain: accept a 5-yard penalty from the previous spot and have the kicking team re-kick, put the ball in play at the inbounds spot 25 yards beyond the previous spot, or decline the penalty and put the ball in play at the inbounds spot.

    Bob Colgate, NFHS director of sports and sports medicine and liaison to the NFHS Football Rules Committee, said this additional option was approved by the committee in an effort to reduce re-kicks, further minimize risks and ensure that appropriate penalties are in place for all fouls.

    “The ability to ‘tack on’ penalty yardage on free kicks will potentially reduce the amount of repeated free kicks,” Tharp said. “In addition, this rule change is consistent with NFHS rules that no foul should go unpenalized.”

    The third change approved by the committee was a revision related to the examples of a defenseless player. In Rule 2-32-16a, the committee clarified that defenseless player provisions do not apply to a passer until a legal forward pass is thrown. The passer continues to be a defenseless player until the pass ends or the passer moves to participate in the play.

    The committee also changed the signal for free-kick infractions, other than encroachment of the neutral zone, from Signal 18 to Signal 19.

    The final change approved by the NFHS Football Rules Committee concerned six-player football in Rule 3. The timing rule between periods and intermission for six-player football has been standardized to match the current NFHS rules for 8-player, 9-player and 11-player football.

    A complete listing of the football rules changes will be available on the NFHS website at www.nfhs.org. Click on “Activities & Sports” at the top of the home page and select “Football.”

    According to the 2016-17 NFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey, football is the most popular sport for boys at the high school level with 1,057,407 participants in 11-player football. Another combined 29,341 boys participated in 6-, 8- and 9-player football. In addition, 2,115 girls participated in one of the four football offerings during the 2016 season.

  • Ball Fever: A little bit of everything in early-week boys hoops action

    ThunderRidge Chaparral boys basketball
    (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

    The early action gave us a bit of everything this week, hoop fans!

    GW, who slid a bit early, is coming into form with a vengeance in the city … and Denver East is awaiting that annual showdown with them.

    The Continental league gave us ANOTHER “packed house” 5A top 5 match-up and this time it was 1 vs. 2 for one of our best coach’s 400th victory.

    If that wasn’t enough, how about 205 points combined last night for Pomona/Dakota Ridge. And that “Home & Away” Centennial Tough league preps battle tested squads.

    4A? You get the feeling Pueblo South and Lewis-Palmer are “side eyeing” each other’s performances but Longmont and Golden have proven to be more than legit. Let’s get to it!

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    The Look Back

    Monday, Feb. 5

    • Widefield is now our 4A No. 10 and sophomore Randall Day’s 27 point, 6 rebound effort helped lift them to win over Woodland Park.
    • Lincoln was in need of a DPL win and soph TJ Bamba’s 16 points helped them earn that on the road at Montbello (FNE) 62-59.
    • Speaking of DPL, No. 4 GW ran away from Thomas Jefferson 81-43 behind senior Jon’il Fugett’s 19 points, 9 rebounds. Soph Darius Hornbuckle also scored 19 for the Spartans in the loss.
    • Elizabeth and Mesa Ridge both slid out of the 4A top 10 but didn’t stop the Cardinals from winning a tight 1-point victory with senior Garrett Hawkins leading four in double figure scoring with 14.

    Tuesday, Feb. 6

    Denver East Doherty boys basketball
    (Kelsey Lowry/CHSAANow.com)
    • Nothing bigger than No. 1 vs. No. 2 in 5A and our guy, Ryan Casey, was all over Coach Ortiz’s 400th win that undoubtedly came in “team” T-Ridge style.
    • More 5A top-10 action and the duo of “Kountz/Marble” didn’t disappoint, even on the road…
    • Elijah Martinez scored 18 in Regis’ 16-point win over Mountain Vista.
    • Longmont, up to No. 3 in our 4A poll, flexed it’s muscle on the road beating Greeley Central 62-35.
    • Trent Dykema was “stat-stuffin” again for No. 7 Silver Creek with 20 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists in the 4-point win over Thompson Valley. Check the video recap here.
    • Much tougher than Rock Canyon expected and they needed all of Sam Masten’s 25 to go along with Tyson Gilbert’s 18 to win in overtime vs. a game Legend squad.
    • DE-FENSE! No. 1 Pueblo South gets it down on both sides of the floor shutting down Pueblo County 64-22.
    • No. 5 Pueblo West was in a blowout mood as well racing away from Pueblo Centennial 78-45. Pierre Taylor led three in double figure scoring for the Cyclones with 17.
    • Liberty grabbed a couple top 10 votes and Rampart is anxious to prove they deserve some beating the Lancers by 1 in a tight game with Dawson Carper scoring 20 points along with Xavier Johnson’s 15.
    • Big game out west and senior Darren Davison scored 10 points and added 4 rebounds in Fruita Monument’s key league win over Grand Junction Central.
    • Senior Sam Nehme joined Matt Ragsdale and Joel Scott in double figure scoring this time for No. 2 Lewis-Palmer who started strong and never looked back beating Cheyenne Mountain by more than 20.

    Wednesday, Feb. 7

      • The Fever Crew made it out to see the high-flying No. 9 Smoky Hill Buffaloes on their senior night where they seemed to almost allow Mullen to hang around early but then flexed their athletic muscle pulling away by double digits at the half and closing the game out 61-42. Missing PG Quentin Rock the Buffs showed they have the talent to play with anyone. Big men John Harge and Will Becker dominated the boards (and above the rim) while Kenny Foster played a lot of the distributor role. Fun to see the seniors celebrated and we’ll see if the talented Buffs have the depth for a late season run! Above the rim, senior night love here:

      • Whoa! Senior TJ Davis scored 20 and pulled down 11 rebounds for a double-double and was 10-11 on 2-pt shots along the way in Widefield’s drubbing of Mitchell.
      • Terrific performances from Standley Lake’s Garrett Martin and Chris Bowerman who scored 29 and 25 points respectively but not enough to take down No. 4 Golden who won by 16.
      • Eaglecrest mad a late run but Grandview’s poise at home and late free throws helped secure the 58-49 always tough Centennial league win.
      • Falcon is up to No. 8 in 4A and let 5A Sand Creek know it! Falcon got defensive and held the Scorpions to single digits in two quarters on their way to the 19-point road win.
      • Ummm…yes! You read this right, folks! If the score keeper takes a day off, don’t blame em! Pomona outlasted Dakota Ridge in double overtime 104-101…”Pomona Principal” caught a bit of the OT action on Twitter

    • Back and forth the entire way No. 6 Valor Christian won by 4 over rival D’Evelyn.
    • In true Trailblazer fashion a different senior led the scoring charge tonight in the home league win over Cherokee Trail as Laulo Oke scored 15 for No. 6 Overland.
    • Columbine holds on for the 6 point win over Bear Creek in the home league win. They started the first quarter down by 6 but won by the same margin 67-61. Rebels hot in 5A Jeffco!

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    Mid-Week Thoughts

    Our Fever Crew has learned over the years that the more we think we know, the less we actually know and that’s why we love this game.

    Yes, there are some favorites creeping to the top of 5A/4A ball but each week brings us a surprise.

    “Wide open”? Yep, face it, it’s a fact that we have at least four teams in each classification have a legitimate shot at Denver Coliseum success and we have no doubt there will be a couple surprises along the way.

    Get out and enjoy!

  • Final results: State swimming and diving championships

    Girls swimming generic
    (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

    THORNTON and FORT COLLINS — Final results from the 2018 girls swimming and diving state championships are below. Navigate to the classification of your choosing below.

    More info:

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