Eaglecrest (5A) and Erie (4A) have taken over the top spots in their respective softball rankings this week.
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
PVS
LW
1
Eaglecrest (3)
5-1-0
61
3
5-1-0
2
Fossil Ridge (1)
6-2-0
52
2
6-2-0
3
Legacy
3-2-0
49
4
3-2-0
4
Douglas County
5-1-0
44
10
5-1-0
5
Cherokee Trail (3)
7-0-0
41
–
7-0-0
6
Brighton
4-2-0
29
5
4-2-0
7
Valor Christian
5-1-0
28
9
5-1-0
8
Rock Canyon
5-0-0
26
–
5-0-0
9
Loveland (2)
6-0-0
24
6
6-0-0
10
Legend
1-4-0
22
1
1-4-0
Others receiving votes:
Columbine 21, Arvada West 10, Prairie View 7, ThunderRidge 7, Hinkley 5, Castle View 4, Chatfield 3, Grandview 2, Mountain Vista 2, Ralston Valley 2, Broomfield 1.
Dropped out
Columbine (7), Arvada West (8).
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Erie (5)
3-0-0
84
3
3-0-0
2
Silver Creek
6-1-0
67
4
6-1-0
3
Holy Family (1)
4-0-0
63
6
4-0-0
4
Mountain View (1)
4-2-1
58
1
4-2-1
5
Mullen
1-2-0
32
5
1-2-0
6
Wheat Ridge (1)
4-1-0
25
–
4-1-0
7
Pueblo South (1)
4-0-0
23
9
4-0-0
8
Pueblo County
4-0-0
19
–
4-0-0
9
Conifer
2-1-0
17
7
2-1-0
10
Frederick
3-2-0
16
–
3-2-0
Others receiving votes:
Pueblo Central 15, Pueblo Centennial 14, Golden 13, Thomas Jefferson 13, Longmont 8, Discovery Canyon 6, Pueblo West 5, Roosevelt 5, Windsor 4, Berthoud 3.
Dropped out
Golden (2), Pueblo Central (8), Thomas Jefferson (10).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Strasburg (4)
2-2-0
70
1
2-2-0
2
University (3)
7-1-0
63
6
7-1-0
3
Eaton
4-3-0
56
2
4-3-0
4
Lamar
3-3-0
44
7
3-3-0
5
Faith Christian
2-2-0
38
3
2-2-0
6
Brush
4-2-0
37
5
4-2-0
7
Rocky Ford
2-3-0
25
9
2-3-0
8
Sterling
3-2-1
24
–
3-2-1
9
La Junta
1-5-0
19
4
1-5-0
10
St. Mary’s (1)
5-2-0
15
–
5-2-0
Others receiving votes:
Limon 11, Meeker 11, Burlington 8, Delta 6, The Academy 5, Basalt 3, Peak to Peak 3, Holyoke 1, Valley 1.
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY — Omar Castruita scored in the eighth minute and the Boulder boys soccer team never looked back.
The Class 5A No. 4 Panthers came away with a 3-1 win over 4A’s top-ranked Air Academy. They added two goals in the second half, but it was Castruita’s in the first that allowed them to settle in and control the pace of the game.
“This game is going to really set us up and boost our confidence,” Castruita said.
Thad Dewing scored the lone goal for Air Academy with about 15 minutes remaining, but Sam Phillips poured one in for the Panthers five minutes later.
The loss for the Kadets (1-1 overall) is the first since a 3-1 loss to Evergreen in the Class 4A playoffs back on Nov. 1, 2016.
The Panthers (2-0) face another tough test on Thursday when they host No. 8 Cherry Creek.
LAKEWOOD — Chatfield senior Hunter Barnes matched is rushing touchdown total from last year in the first half Saturday night at Jeffco Stadium.
Barnes scored a trio of touchdowns on the ground (6, 21 and 18 yards) before halftime as Chatfield cruised to a 42-0 victory over Gateway in its Week 1 football opener.
“I knew he (Barnes) had a future,” Chatfield coach Bret McGatlin said. “He finally got his time to shine. Talk about a great kid. I’m proud of him.”
Barnes played in six games last season. He had 19 carries for 168 yards with three touchdowns. Ben Frenette was the workhorse in the backfield last year with more than 1,500 yards rushing for the Chargers.
Chatfield senior Chris Lucas (77) celebrates with Hunter Barnes after a Charger touchdown Saturday night. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
“Sitting was a setback for me, but working hard everyday was the motivation for me,” Barnes said. “You want to get better everyday. That was my goal.”
The Chargers, ranked No. 5 in the Class 4A football CHSAANow.com preseason poll, showed off just how good their rushing attack will be early and often against Gateway. Chatfield rushed its way to five first-half touchdowns. Barnes had his fourth touchdown run with 5:53 left in the third quarter to induce a running clock with a 40-point lead for the Chargers.
Chatfield wasn’t able to get its passing game going and then there were the typical rash of first-game penalties.
“What I loved was when we ran our tempo offense we overcame all the drops and penalties to find ways to score. That was awesome,” McGatlin said. “Super proud of our offensive line. They were dominate tonight.”
Junior Malcolm Boyd and senior Derian Smith both bounced in a 1-yard touchdown runs for Chatfield before halftime. Gateway simply had no answer against the stout offensive line of the Chargers and their bevy of running backs.
“I love those guys,” Barnes said of the Chargers’ offensive line. “A lot of them are my best friends. To have that relationship is really big for us.”
Chatfield’s defense held up its end of the bargain. The Olympians didn’t get a first down offensively until the second quarter. Senior Graham Metzler — despite playing with a cast on his right hand because of a broken knuckle suffered on the first day of contact during practice — intercepted Gateway sophomore quarterback Antwaun Smith in the second quarter to set up the Chargers’ fourth touchdown.
Chatfield senior Graham Metzler (81) returns an interception during the second quarter. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
“I didn’t even think about this on my hand,” Metzler said. “It was really great to get that early in our game.”
Gateway did threaten to score just before halftime, but Chatfield junior Santi Ramirez intercepted Smith on the Chargers’ 1-yard line late in the second quarter to keep the shutout going for Chatfield’s defense.
Metzler is the lone returning starter on defense for the Chargers.
“To show up and get a zero on the board, I’m pretty proud of that,” McGatlin said. “If we want to go a long way this year we have to play tough defense.”
Chatfield is coming off a successful 2017 season where the Chargers finished 10-2. They cruised through undefeated in conference play and had a 10-game winning streak after losing to Braden River (FL) in Chatfield’s opener, but were tripped up in the 4A quarterfinals by Pueblo West at Cyclone Stadium.
“I think that will always be in the back of my mind,” Metzler said of the Chargers’ state quarterfinal loss. “It’s a new season. It’s a new year and we’re confident in what we can do.”
The Chargers are on the road for the next two weeks. Chatfield faces Rampart (1-0) at District 20 Stadium in Colorado Springs next week. The Rams actually defeated one of the Chargers’ chief rivals Friday night in their opener. Rampart defeated Dakota Ridge 45-17 at Trailblazer Stadium in Lakewood.
“Rampart is tough and physical,” McGatlin said. “They will test us up front.”
The conference schedule for Chatfield has a new look. The new two-year alignment has the Chargers in the newly formed Class 4A Jeffco League. Bear Creek (0-1), Dakota Ridge (0-1), Golden, Grand Junction and Wheat Ridge will join Chatfield in the league.
“Our league is going to be tougher with Bear Creek and Dakota Ridge in there,” McGatlin said.
Chatfield senior Hunter Barnes (1) had a huge season opener for the Chargers. Barnes rushed for four touchdowns in Chatfield’s 42-0 victory over Gateway. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
The social media age is long into its tenure and Facebook, Twitter and Instagram — the once chic platforms ruled by the young — have expanded into an all-out place of self-promotion and branding, distortion and self-affliction.
Eaglecrest started its season off with a big win over a top-10 foe, beating Highlands Ranch 49-35 in a Class 5A clash.
The Raptors, who led 28-14 at halftime, opened the third quarter with a 17-play, seven-minute scoring drive. That put them up 35-14.
“We executed really well on that drive,” first-year Eaglecrest coach Dustin Delaney told the Colorado Preps Scoreboard Show. “That really just demoralizes people when you do that. That’s the kind of football we want to play.”
Eaglecrest would stretch its lead to 49-21 midway through the fourth quarter before Highlands Ranch scored two late touchdowns to cut it to a 14-point game again.
“We didn’t keep our intensity for the whole time, and kind of let the game get closer than it should’ve been, quite honestly,” Delaney said. “That’s youth. There’s a lot of new starters from the team they had last year, so we’ve got to get them broken in. This was a good game to do it, and get ready for our real tough games down the road.”
Highlands Ranch actually drew first blood with a touchdown early in the first quarter. Eaglecrest responded with a touchdown of its own on the next drive, and then senior Elijah Anderson-Taylor forced a fumble on a sack that set up another touchdown.
The Raptors led the rest of the way.
Eaglecrest never punted, but did turn the ball over six times.
“We’ve got a lot of things to work on, and hopefully we can get them fixed for next week,” Delaney said.
Peetz actually led 28-25 at halftime, but Otis outscored Peetz 27-8 in the third quarter to seize control of the game.
“We pretty much shot ourselves in the foot that whole first half,” Otis coach Paul Griese told the Scoreboard Show. “You know, missed assignments; we’ve got to work on some tackling. But you know what? We were playing the returning state champs, and we were tight. We were extremely tight.”
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3A: (3) Pueblo East 47, (6) Roosevelt 8
Pueblo East yet again looks ready to contend for a state championship.
The Eagles rolled through the top-10 matchup, scoring the game’s first 40 points.
Quarterback Luc Andrada was 12-of-14 with 263 yards and five touchdowns passing, and also rushed for a score, according to Jeff Bersch of the Pueblo Chieftain. Pueblo East won three-straight state championships prior to last season.
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4A: (6) Fruita Monument 10, (9) Pueblo West 6
In a tight defensive battle, Fruita Monument held Pueblo West off the scoreboard following a touchdown on the Cyclones’ initial drive.
The Wildcats went ahead for good on Jacob Burns’ 1-yard rushing touchdown with four minutes to play in the second quarter, per Anthony Sandstrom of the Pueblo West View.
“Our defense flew around, was really aggressive at them, and kind of cut them off,” first-year Fruita Monument coach Cameron Russ told the Scoreboard Show. “They did the same thing to us, so it turned into a ground game — ground-and-pound.”
[divider]
3A: Holy Family 19, (4) Pueblo South 7
Holy Family knocked off the defending 4A champions, who have moved down to 3A for this cycle.
Kyle Helbig had two interceptions on defense, including a big one late in the third quarter, according to Jon Yunt of Holy Family. He also had a receiving touchdown.
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Notables
Broomfield, No. 3 in 5A, beat rival Legacy (a 5A team) 55-14. It’s Broomfield’s first Mayor’s Cup victory since 2011. The game is annually the season-opener for both teams.
2A No. 7 Resurrection Christian beat Sterling 24-3. “The defense was just outstanding,” first-year Cougars coach Jeff Van Winkle told the Scoreboard Show. “The defense really stepped up.”
Bayfield, the reigning 2A champion who is ranked No. 1 in the preseason, crossed the border to beat Farmington (N.M.) 54-13. It was their first meeting since 1947.
Durango’s Dawson Marcum had a 99-yard touchdown run in his eighth-ranked team’s 34-6 win over Pagosa Springs.
In the first game under new coach Rod Sherman, Arapahoe rolled over Adams City 52-6.
Battle Mountain used a goal-line stand to win against Middle Park, 14-7.
Aspen upset 1A No. 5 Meeker 38-26. The Skiers were 8-2 a year ago.
Valor Christian beat Faith Lutheran (Nev.) 35-0, giving new coach Ed McCaffrey his first win as a head coach. Luke McCaffrey accounted for three total touchdowns.
MONTROSE — In a battle of top-10 boys soccer teams, No. 9 Battle Mountain went on the road and beat No. 7 Montrose.
The teams went up and down the field for the first 20 minutes of the game, without a goal between them.
The Battle Mountain got on the board 21:06. They scored again at 35:35 and ended the first half with a goal with 4:05 to play.
Montrose scored early in the second half, but Battle Mountain added a late goal to make the final 4-1.
“There were times where we could of made better decisions,” first-year Montrose coach Cassie Snyder said. “We did very well moving the ball. There were some bright spots and looking forward to moving forward.”
Said Montrose junior Shawn Alex: “We have lots to work on. We learn more from a loss. Practice will be things to work on.
LAKEWOOD — Lakewood seniors Pierce Holley and Kegan Hufford provided a potent 1-2 punch for the Tigers on Friday night at Jeffco Stadium.
Two of the Tigers’ key returners from last season helped Lakewood claw out a 38-13 victory against former league rival Bear Creek in the Week 1 football opener for both teams.
“I’ve been preaching since the summer that I had 33 seniors last year and people are going to say it’s a rebuilding year and we aren’t going to be very good,” Lakewood coach Jeff Braun said. “The kids really took that to heart and we are going to ride that as long as we can.”
Lakewood senior Elias Borjas, left, intercepts a pass in front of Bear Creek senior Nate Madrid. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
Holley passed for two touchdowns and had another pair of short touchdown runs to lead the Tigers’ offense. The senior quarterback shared snaps behind center with Ezekiel Sundberg last season.
“It’s definitely a change-up,” Holley said of playing quarterback full-time. “I’ll do whatever I can to help my team win.”
Holley opened the second half with an 8-yard touchdown pass to senior Elias Borjas to give Lakewood (1-0 record) a commanding 31-7 lead. Holley’s first touchdown pass came on a broken play where he scrambled away from pressure before hitting a diving junior Charlie Ross in the end zone to put the Tigers up 14-0 late in the first quarter.
“Everything went to heck. Pierce was able to scramble around to make a play,” Ross said. “I think that is one of our strengths they year. We can improvise on the fly when things go wrong.”
Both of the Tigers’ first scores came off Bear Creek turnovers. Borjas intercepted Bear Creek senior quarterback Isaiah Romero to set up Lakewood’s first score. Lakewood senior Lin Kim recovered a fumble by Romero on the next offensive drive for Bear Creek to set up the Tigers’ next score.
Hufford — two-way player and also one of the top lacrosse players in the state — was all over the field as he has been for a couple of years for the Tigers. The senior opened the scoring with a 3-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.
Lakewood senior Kegan Hufford (33) leads the Tigers onto the field Friday at Jeffco Stadium. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
“He (Hufford) does everything on the field,” Holley said. “We’ll keep him rolling him through the season.”
Hufford added a 40-yard field goal in the second quarter to respond after Bear Creek got on the scoreboard with a 2-yard touchdown run by senior George Martinez.
“I just want to get in the best shape I can be, stay healthy and go play lacrosse in the spring,” said Hufford who will likely play on nearly every snap for the Tigers this season.
Bear Creek was able to put in a late touchdown with a 50-yard run by junior Eric Johnson in the final minute to take a little momentum heading into another difficult non-league game next week. Bear Creek faces the defending Class 5A state champions Pomona (1-0) at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 30, at the North Area Athletic Complex in Arvada. The Panthers defeated Oak Ridge (FL) by a score of 32-14 last night in Orlando.
Once Bear Creek gets into conference play things will be different. A drop in enrollment at the school moved the Bears into 4A. The new two-year conference alignment has Bear Creek in the 4A Jeffco League that consists of the Bears, Chatfield, Dakota Ridge, Golden, Grand Junction and Wheat Ridge.
Bear Creek senior Josh Shipp (26) closes on Lakewood junior Keondre Beauty after a catch. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Stadium)
Lakewood is back at Jeffco Stadium next week on Thursday to host ThunderRidge. The Tigers play in the deep and talented 5A Metro West League — Arvada West, Columbine, Lakewood, Mullen, Pomona and Ralston Valley — which could be the toughest conference in the state.
“We’ve got to get through preseason (non-league) first,” Braun said. “We’ve got to stay healthy because we aren’t real deep, but we’ve got some key components that are better this year then last year.”
All six teams in the 5A Metro West qualified for the 16-team 5A state tournament last season. The new playoff format has extended the field to 24 teams in 5A for the next two-year cycle in 5A.
“It’s going to be a tough league, but we look forward to the challenge,” Holley said.
Lakewood senior Elias Borjas (3) gets some blocking from junior Charlie Ross (19) during a run in the first half Friday at Jeffco Stadium. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
