Month: April 2019

  • Baseball rankings: Seven new teams hop into the polls

    There are seven total newcomers to this week’s baseball rankings.

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

    During the regular season, new polls are released each Monday.

    Complete rankings for all classes are below.

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    CHSAANow.com Baseball Polls

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

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

    Class 5A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Mountain Vista (9) 13-2 117 1 2-0
    2 Regis Jesuit (3) 11-3 100 2 1-2
    3 Douglas County 12-1 99 3 2-0
    4 Rocky Mountain 9-3 64 8 4-0
    5 Rock Canyon 11-3 53 5 3-1
    6 Windsor 12-1 51 7 3-0
    7 Cherry Creek 10-6 45 6 3-2
    8 Heritage 10-6 36 9 2-0
    9 Fort Collins 11-4 20 4 1-3
    10 Legend 8-6 18 1-1
    Others receiving votes:
    Horizon 13, Chaparral 11, Cherokee Trail 7, Smoky Hill 6, ThunderRidge 6, Broomfield 5, Pine Creek 5, Castle View 2, Fossil Ridge 2.
    Dropped out:
    Broomfield (10).
    Class 4A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Pueblo West (12) 15-2 120 1 2-0
    2 Cheyenne Mountain 14-1 105 2 3-0
    3 Silver Creek 14-2 87 3 4-0
    4 Montrose 15-3 81 4 2-0
    5 Longmont 10-4 70 5 1-1
    6 Holy Family 8-4 43 6 0-0
    7 Lewis-Palmer 12-5 31 2-0
    8 Palisade 13-5 28 9 2-0
    9 Palmer Ridge 11-5 17 8 2-1
    10 Fort Morgan 8-5 15 3-0
    Others receiving votes:
    Eagle Valley 14, Golden 14, Wheat Ridge 12, Roosevelt 8, Skyview 6, Evergreen 2, Lincoln 2, Pueblo Central 2, Pueblo County 2, Centaurus 1.
    Dropped out:
    Roosevelt (7), Eagle Valley (10).
    Class 3A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 University (9) 13-1 99 1 3-0
    2 Eaton (1) 10-2 91 2 4-0
    3 Sterling 11-2 80 3 2-1
    4 Delta 12-2 65 5 2-0
    5 Jefferson Academy 7-2 56 8 3-1
    6 Resurrection Christian 10-3 47 6 2-1
    7 Peak to Peak 10-3 34 7 3-1
    8 Brush 7-5 26 1-1
    9 La Junta 9-5 22 4 1-2
    10 St. Mary’s 13-4 18 10 2-0
    Others receiving votes:
    Colorado Academy 5, Alamosa 4, Lutheran 3.
    Dropped out:
    Colorado Academy (9).
    Class 2A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Peyton (9) 13-0 90 1 3-0
    2 Rye 12-1 78 4 3-0
    3 Burlington 8-2 57 9 3-0
    4 Hotchkiss 12-1 51 7 2-0
    5 Dawson School 9-3 50 2 1-1
    6 Front Range Christian 8-2 35 6 1-1
    7 Clear Creek 7-4 30 3-0
    8 Dayspring Christian 10-4 29 3 1-1
    9 Yuma 10-4 26 5 0-2
    10 Holly 11-2 21 3-0
    Others receiving votes:
    Limon 10, Wray 9, Holyoke 4, Fowler 3, Calhan 1, Rocky Ford 1.
    Dropped out:
    Wray (8), Calhan (10).
    Class 1A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Cornerstone Christian (9) 13-1 90 1 2-0
    2 Otis 13-1 79 2 3-1
    3 Springfield 6-1 74 3 1-0
    4 Cotopaxi 13-3 53 5 4-0
    5 Dove Creek 11-4 48 6 2-1
    6 Granada 9-2 46 7 3-0
    7 Nucla 8-5 27 4 0-3
    8 Caliche 11-7 23 3-0
    9 Haxtun 8-7 20 10 1-3
    10 Longmont Christian 8-6 15 8 1-2
    Others receiving votes:
    Evangelical Christian 10, Elbert 4, Prairie 4, Eads 2.
    Dropped out:
    Evangelical Christian (9).
  • Girls lacrosse rankings: Chatfield jumps in at No. 10

    (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    Chatfield has joined this week’s girls lacrosse rankings, coming in at No. 10.

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

    During the regular season, polls are announced each Monday.

    Complete rankings for all classes are below.

    [divider]

    CHSAANow.com Girls Lacrosse Poll

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

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

    Girls Lacrosse
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Colorado Academy (8) 10-0 80 1 1-0
    2 Cherry Creek 9-1 71 2 2-0
    3 Denver East 6-4 58 4 1-0
    4 ThunderRidge 9-0 51 7 2-0
    5 Regis Jesuit 6-2 48 3 1-0
    6 Fairview 10-1 36 6 2-1
    7 Pine Creek 9-1 30 8 1-0
    8 Aspen 10-0 29 9 3-0
    9 Valor Christian 7-3 24 5 1-1
    10 Chatfield 10-3 6 2-0
    Others receiving votes:
    Chaparral 3, Evergreen 3, Mullen 1.
    Dropped out
    Chaparral (10).
  • Boys lacrosse rankings: The polls add four newcomers

    Columbine Chaparral boys lacrosse
    (Jeff Tucker/jefferywtucker.zenfolio.com)

    This week’s boys lacrosse rankings saw Columbine (5A), Highlands Ranch (5A), Evergreen (4A) and Holy Family (4A) join the polls.

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

    During the regular season, new polls are released each Monday.

    Complete rankings for all classes are below.

    [divider]

    CHSAANow.com Boys Lacrosse Polls

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

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

    Class 5A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Cherry Creek (11) 9-0 110 1 1-0
    2 Valor Christian 11-0 96 2 1-0
    3 Arapahoe 8-2 84 3 2-0
    4 Grandview 9-1 75 4 2-0
    5 Kent Denver 7-2 66 5 0-1
    6 Rock Canyon 8-2 48 7 2-0
    7 Regis Jesuit 4-4 41 6 1-0
    8 Monarch 10-1 37 8 1-0
    9 Columbine 6-4 11 2-0
    10 Highlands Ranch 6-3 9 2-0
    Others receiving votes:
    Chaparral 8, Colorado Academy 8, Mountain Vista 5, Grand Junction 4, Fruita Monument 1, Heritage 1, Windsor 1.
    Dropped out:
    Mountain Vista (9), Chaparral (10).
    Class 4A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Cheyenne Mountain (8) 11-2 98 1 3-0
    2 Erie (2) 9-1 89 2 2-0
    3 Thompson Valley 7-4 82 3 2-1
    4 Green Mountain 8-1 69 5 2-0
    5 Air Academy 7-3 56 6 1-0
    6 Steamboat Springs 11-3 54 7 3-0
    7 Golden 5-6 38 4 0-1
    8 Evergreen 4-5 16 2-0
    9 Thomas Jefferson 7-2 15 9 2-1
    10 Holy Family 5-3 11 0-0
    Others receiving votes:
    Aspen 10, Telluride 6, Lutheran 5, Ponderosa 1.
    Dropped out:
    Aspen (8), Battle Mountain (10).
  • Girls soccer rankings: Broomfield new No. 1 in 5A; five newcomers added this week

    (@LHSparkerSports/Twitter)

    Thomas MacLaren (2A), Loveland Classical (2A), Prospect Ridge (3A), Lutheran (3A) and Rock Canyon (5A) have joined this week’s girls soccer rankings.

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

    New polls are released each Monday during the regular season.

    Complete rankings for all classes are below.

    [divider]

    CHSAANow.com Girls Soccer Polls

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

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

    Class 5A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Broomfield (5) 10-0-0 91 4 2-0-0
    2 Arapahoe (1) 10-1-1 83 1 1-1-0
    3 Regis Jesuit (3) 5-0-1 78 3 0-0-1
    4 Grandview (1) 8-1-1 76 2 2-0-0
    5 Rampart 9-0-0 48 8 3-0-0
    6 Ralston Valley 4-2-1 36 7 0-1-0
    7 Fairview 8-2-1 29 10 3-0-1
    8 Columbine 6-3-1 28 6 1-1-0
    9 Cherry Creek 7-2-1 21 5 1-1-0
    10 Rock Canyon 9-2-0 16 2-0-0
    Others receiving votes:
    Chatfield 12, Monarch 10, Cherokee Trail 5, Rocky Mountain 5, Windsor 4, Mountain Vista 3, ThunderRidge 2, Boulder 1, Fossil Ridge 1, Horizon 1.
    Dropped out:
    Chatfield (9).
    Class 4A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 D’Evelyn (10) 8-1-1 109 1 2-0-0
    2 Mullen (1) 6-1-1 88 2 1-0-0
    3 Sand Creek 11-1-0 78 4 1-0-0
    4 Wheat Ridge 9-1-1 64 6 4-1-1
    5 Pueblo Centennial 10-2-0 56 3 1-1-0
    6 Battle Mountain 11-1-0 55 7 2-0-0
    7 Evergreen 8-3-0 51 5 2-1-0
    8 Silver Creek 9-1-1 38 8 3-0-0
    9 Air Academy 7-3-1 20 9 2-0-1
    10 Ponderosa 5-7-0 18 10 1-2-0
    Others receiving votes:
    Holy Family 15, Palmer Ridge 7, Mead 2, Steamboat Springs 2, Golden 1, The Classical Academy 1.
    Dropped out:
    None.
    Class 3A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Jefferson Academy (9) 8-0-1 98 1 2-0-1
    2 Colorado Academy 8-1-0 88 2 2-0-0
    3 Kent Denver (1) 10-0-0 84 3 2-0-0
    4 Aspen 9-2-0 66 4 2-0-0
    5 Prospect Ridge 7-3-0 45 1-1-0
    6 Salida 9-2-1 41 5 1-0-1
    7 Stargate School 6-4-0 33 7 0-2-0
    8 SkyView Academy 5-3-1 30 6 1-0-1
    9 Lutheran 7-4-0 16 1-1-0
    10 St. Mary’s Academy 3-4-0 12 8 0-1-0
    Others receiving votes:
    Eagle Ridge Academy 11, DSST: Stapleton 9, Peak to Peak 7, Middle Park 6, Liberty Common 3, St. Mary’s 1.
    Dropped out:
    DSST: Stapleton (9), St. Mary’s (10).
    Class 2A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Dawson (6) 6-0-0 34 1 2-0-0
    2 Denver Christian (1) 9-2-0 29 2 3-1-0
    3 Thomas McLaren 8-2-0 12 1-0-0
    4 Crested Butte 7-1-1 11 5 0-0-0
    5 Loveland Classical 9-1-0 9 0-1-0
    Others receiving votes:
    Fountain Valley 8, Colorado Rocky Mountain 1, Cornerstone Christian 1.
    Dropped out:
    Telluride (4).
  • Photos: Ireland strikes out 11 as No. 1 Mountain Vista baseball tops No. 2 Regis Jesuit

    HIGHLANDS RANCH — Sam Ireland struck out 11 hitters in 6.2 innings as Class 5A No. 1 Mountain Vista baseball beat No. 2 Regis Jesuit 5-1.

    Clay Burke went 2-for-2 and scored three runs for the Golden Eagles.

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  • Six rules changes approved in swimming and diving

    Coaches Invite Boys Swimming
    (Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com)

    INDIANAPOLIS — Effective with the 2019-20 high school season, a legal finish now requires the competitor to contact either the touchpad or the finish end coinciding with the individual stroke of the race.

    With this change, swimmers can legally complete a race by touching the finish end (end wall), regardless of whether the touchpad is activated.

    This rules revision, which affects the finish of all strokes used in swimming, was one of two swimming and four diving changes recommended by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Swimming and Diving Rules Committee at its March 24-26 meeting in Indianapolis. All recommendations were subsequently approved by the NFHS Board of Directors. 

    Rule 8-1-7 now will require swimmers to contact the finish end in the manner prescribed by the individual strokes. Descriptions of the backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and freestyle finishes in Rule 8-2 state that a legal finish requires contact with either the touchpad or the finish end.

    As a result of these changes, a swimmer will no longer be disqualified if the touchpad is not activated in races using automatic-timing systems.

    “This change allows for situations in which pools do not have touchpads that stretch the entire width of the lane, or in cases where the touchpad is not activated when the competitor finishes the race,” said Sandy Searcy, NFHS director of sports and liaison to the Swimming and Diving Rules Committee. “In those cases, the competitor legally finishes the race by contacting the finish end.” 

    The other major swimming rules change involved the protocol for uniform violations, which involved reorganization of Rule 3-3 to specify the penalty protocol for uniform violations. While the penalties associated with an illegal uniform did not change, a new process for communicating any violations to the competitor was approved.

    Effective with the 2019-20 season, when an official discovers a competitor wearing illegal attire specifically dealing with suit coverage as described in Rule 3-3-2, the official shall notify the coach of the competitor to make the attire legal before he or she is eligible to compete – if the uniform violation is observed prior to the start of the heat/dive. If the competitor cannot comply without delaying the start of the heat/dive, the competitor is disqualified from the event/dive and is not eligible for further competition until the attire is made legal.

    Previously, the official notified the competitor directly when illegal attire was discovered; now the official will notify the coach of the competitor.        

    “The penalty associated with this rule was written to provide clear indication that the coach of the competitor should be notified when a violation of this nature has occurred,” Searcy said. “In the case of suit construction and cap violations, for practicality and concerns over delay of the meet, the officials may communicate with either the competitor or coach.”

    Among the four diving rules changes was a change in degree of difficulty in the diving table in Rule 9-4. In a risk-minimization change, the degree of difficulty for back and reverse double somersaults was lowered to match back and reverse 1½ somersaults. This change is consistent with the degree of difficulty assessed to back and reverse dives versus back and reverse somersaults.

    In Rule 9-5-6, descriptions of diving positions were adjusted to maintain consistency with national trends. Language has been updated to clarify requirements of the straight, pike, tuck and free positions.

    In Rule 9-7-4, the following Note was approved: “In a championship meet, the diving referee may consult with a designated member of the judging panel concerning a possible unsatisfactory dive.”

    “The addition of this Note is consistent with the diving referee’s capability of consulting with a designated member of the judging panel concerning a possible failed dive,” Searcy said. “Because of the severity of the penalty and the judging panels seated on opposite sides of the pool or spread out on one side covering 10-12 feet along the side of the pool, providing the option for the referee to consult with another member of the panel to determine if a dive is satisfactory is appropriate.”

    Rule 9-1-3 regarding a fulcrum was updated to comply with industry standards. Searcy said the change aligns with current diving board manufacturers’ installation directions.

    According to the 2017-18 NFHS High School Athletic Participation Survey, swimming and diving is the 10th-most popular sport for boys with 138,935 participants in 7,595 schools, and the eighth-most popular sport for girls with 175,594 participants in 7,961 schools. 

  • Dakota Ridge baseball battles back to defeat Pomona

    LAKEWOOD — Dakota Ridge baseball has found a flair for the dramatics earlier during Class 5A Jeffco League play.

    In less than 48 hours, the Eagles (8-7, 2-0 in 5A Jeffco) scored in the final inning twice to pull off back-to-back conference victories. The latest escape act came Saturday afternoon at Keli McGregor Field at All Star Park in a wild 12-10 win over Pomona (3-11, 0-2).

    Dakota Ridge senior Henry Fox (7) crosses home plate during the Eagles’ five-run second inning Saturday. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    “Hopefully we don’t have any more of these during league, but if we do we know what to do to get the win,” said Dakota Ridge senior Ben Biffinger.

    Dakota Ridge got an RBI single by Biffinger in the top of the seventh inning to break at 10-10 tie. Pomona intentionally walked senior Ryan Stohr after senior Jake Sansburn doubled with one out in the seventh.

    “That is something we’ve talked about with Ben all year long,” Dakota Ridge coach Jeff Legault said of Pomona giving the free pass to Stohr to face Biffinger. “It’s going to happen in the future. They are going to come after (Biffinger) and he has to be ready to swing it.”

    Biffinger finished 2-for-3 from the plate with two walks and a pair of runs scored.

    “I feel like when they walk some intentionally that it’s my job to show them that they should have intentionally walked me,” Biffinger said. “I need to prove them wrong and I did that today.”

    Dakota Ridge senior Brody Stevens (9) gets caught in a rundown Saturday afternoon at All Star Park. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    A fly ball to right field by junior Mason Sauter scored another running in the seventh to give Dakota Ridge an insurance run heading to the final half of the seventh with a two-run advantage.

    “We’ve been in tight games, especially two days ago. That helped,” Legault said referring to the Eagles’ walk-off victory Thursday with a two-run home run by Sansburn to defeat rival Columbine 8-6.

    Still, things got interesting when Pomona loaded the bases with one out and sophomore Brady Ritzman coming to the plate in the seventh. Ritzman belted a grand slam during the Panthers’ seven-run sixth inning, but the sophomore grounded out in a game-ending 6-4-3 double play.

    “I think you have to give a lot of credit to Dakota,” Pomona coach EJ Mapps said. “After what we did in the sixth, a lot of high school teams would really let that effect them. Dakota Ridge isn’t like that. That’s due to Jeff and their other coaches.”

    Dakota Ridge junior Jacob Diaz picked up the victory after taking the mound in the bottom of the sixth inning and getting the final five outs of the Eagles. He also picked up the win on the hill in the comeback win over Columbine.

    Dakota Ridge junior Jacob Diaz has grabbed back-to-back victories on the hill in relieve for the Eagles to start 5A Jeffco League play. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    It’s the third straight win for Dakota Ridge after the Eagles went through a five-game losing streak

    “It’s a good feeling and a good confidence booster for sure,” said Diaz of Dakota Ridge keeping pace with Lakewood and Ralston Valley at 2-0 in league play.

    Valor Christian is right in the mix after a 1-0 conference start with a 7-3 win over Chatfield following Dakota Ridge’s win at All Star Park.

    Pomona is in the same boat as Arvada West and Bear Creek with 0-2 league starts.

    “I was proud of our kids for coming back the way they did,” Mapps said. “We’ve had some tough games. We’ve lost some close ones. They are still trying to find their confidence.”

    Dakota Ridge shortstop Jake Sansburn (2) reaches for the ball as Pomona senior Colton Muller steals second base Saturday. The Eagles are off to a 2-0 conference start. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
  • Valor baseball walks away with first 5A Jeffco League win

    Valor junior Zain Zinicola, left, tags out Chatfield senior Luke LaChance between third and second base during the first inning Saturday on Keli McGregor Field at All Star Park. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    LAKEWOOD — Patience at the plate served Valor Christian’s baseball team well Saturday afternoon on Keli McGregor Field at All Star Park.

    The newest member of the Class 5A Jeffco League used a dozen walks on the way to Valor taking an eventual 7-3 conference win over Chatfield. It was the first 5A Jeffco League win ever for the Eagles.

    Chatfield senior Luke LaChance squares up a pitch during Saturday’s 5A Jeffco League game. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    “It’s a first for us this year,” Chatfield coach Daniel Medina said of the 12 walks four different Charger pitchers issued. “We’ve been pretty clean getting guys on and off the field. Today we just weren’t around the zone. That was the difference in the ball game for sure.”

    The Chargers (8-6, 1-1 in 5A Jeffco) also saw their four-game winning streak come to an end with the loss. Chatfield finds itself a game back in the league standings as the Chargers try to defend their conference title.

    Senior lefty Ben Kornegay got the start for Chatfield, but didn’t record an out after giving up a pair of singles and three straight walks to start the bottom of the first inning. Valor grabbed an early 3-0 lead that it would never give up.

    “We are a young team, so they are anxious to swing the bat,” Valor coach Brian Bonn said. “They did a really nice job of making sure they were selective.”

    The combination of eight walks in the fifth and sixth innings allowed Valor (6-6, 1-0) to take a 7-1 lead. The Eagles actually didn’t have an RBI hit throughout the entire game.

    “Anyway we can get runs we’ll do it,” said Valor senior Rafe Kinder, who walked with the bases loaded in the first inning and scored on a passed ball in the fifth inning.

    Chatfield finished with seven hits to Valor’s six, but the Chargers couldn’t string together hits until the two-run top of the seventh inning where Jacob Roybal, Sam Low and Landon Gaber had back-to-back-to-back singles.

    Valor sophomore Ben Whipple picked up his third win on the hill this spring with the Eagles’ 7-3 victory Saturday over Chatfield. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    “We just didn’t have that big hit,” Medina said. “We had guys in scoring position. We left a ton of dudes on today.”

    Valor’s sophomore pitching tandem of Ben Whipple and Deacon Nagy held the Chargers in check. Whipple picked up the win pitching four innings, scattering four hits and allowing just one run on an RBI double by Jack Kornegay in the second inning.

    Nagy got a three-inning save while giving up two runs.

    “Two sophomores who are really doing a great job for us,” Bonn said of Whipple and Nagy. “Throwing a lot of strikes, staying in the zone, not walking a lot of guys and they tend to keep batters off balance.”

    Whipple has a 3-2 record with a 2.33 ERA. Nagy has a 2.69 ERA in 13 innings. Another sophomore — Radek Birkholz — has a 2-1 record with a 4.00 ERA.

    “We rely on our sophomore pitchers a lot,” said Kinder after the fourth straight win for the Eagles. “They have been pitching amazing.”

    It hasn’t been an easy transition to 5A for Valor. Before the current winning streak the Eagles lost four straight with defeats to Broomfield, Regis Jesuit, Legend and Heritage.

    “It’s been a battle all season. These 5A teams are great,” Bonn said of his Eagles who moved up from 4A Jeffco to 5A Jeffco in conference play. “Chatfield is one of those great teams and we were fortunate to get an early lead today. It feels good to get this (league win) under our belt.”

    Valor’s move up to 5A follows three straight 4A state titles — 2016, 2017 and 2018.

    Chatfield shortstop Sam Low (4) turns a double play in the second inning Saturday. The Chargers now have an uphill battle to repeat as 5A Jeffco League champs after losing to Valor 7-3 on Saturday. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
  • Photos: Rodny breaks out as No. 6 Air Academy boys lacrosse tops Littleton

    LITTLETON — Freshman Grant Rodny scored a game-high five goals as Class 4A No. 6 Air Academy boys lacrosse beat Littleton 17-6 on Saturday.

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  • Photos: Arapahoe boys lacrosse wins top-5 matchup vs. Kent Denver

    LITTLETON — Bobby Baltzer and Josh Carlson each scored four goals to help No. 3 Arapahoe beat No. 5 Kent Denver in a Class 5A boys lacrosse matchup, 16-14.

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