Browse the latest RPI standings for softball in all classes for the 2020 season.
Month: September 2020
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Gov. Polis: “We would be thrilled to work with” CHSAA on a fall football season
(Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com) Gov. Jared Polis said his office would be “thrilled” about working with CHSAA to make a fall football season a reality.
During a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, the Governor directly addressed the possibility of a high school football season this fall.
“We would be thrilled to work with (CHSAA) to make that happen, for the districts that are ready to go,” Polis said. “I think there’s some opportunity to have a fall season for those who are ready.
“Clearly returning to in-classroom instruction should be the priority,” Polis added. “Districts that aren’t even back in the classroom, and aren’t running busses, they want to provide the football experience, but many of them won’t be ready until Season C in the spring.”
Polis said that he would like to keep in tact “a Season C option for the districts that aren’t yet ready to move forward.” That could potentially mean having a season for some schools in the fall, and another season for other schools in the spring.
Later, in responding to a question about football, Polis said that a fall season was “absolutely” an option.
“If there are schools and districts that are ready to move forward with fall football, and can implement that quickly, we want to encourage CHSAA to allow for that, as long as they are running an analogous process in the C season for districts and teams that are not ready to compete in the A season,” Polis said.
The CHSAA office will provide an update when available.
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Softball rankings: Five newcomers join the polls
(David Johnson/davidjohnsonphotography.org) Five new teams hopped into the softball rankings this week: Grand Junction Central, Cherokee Trail, Ponderosa, Mesa Ridge, and La Junta.
The polls, voted upon by head coaches around the state, will serve as part of the seeding criteria in softball this season. Polls are released each Monday during the regular season.
Complete rankings for each class are below.
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CHSAANow.com Softball Polls
Voted upon by coaches around the state. New voters can sign up by emailing rcasey@chsaa.org. These rankings will factor into postseason seeding. More information is available here.
Class 5A RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS 1 Rock Canyon (12) 7-0-0 145 1 2 Broomfield (1) 8-0-0 110 5 3 Fossil Ridge 7-1-0 108 2 4 Legacy (1) 5-1-0 94 3 5 Smoky Hill 6-0-0 77 6 6 Chatfield (1) 7-2-0 69 4 7 Lakewood (1) 3-0-0 66 7 8 Grand Junction Central 4-2-0 38 – 9 Legend 3-2-0 37 10 10 Cherokee Trail 3-1-0 27 – Others receiving votes: Castle View 23, Columbine 23, Rocky Mountain 21, Cherry Creek 18, Brighton 13, Douglas County 10, Hinkley 10, Arvada West 7, Highlands Ranch 7, Horizon 6, Fountain-Fort Carson 5, Mountain Range 5, Chaparral 4, Eaglecrest 3, Fort Collins 3, Rampart 2, Arapahoe 1, Ralston Valley 1, ThunderRidge 1, Valor Christian 1. Dropped out Columbine (8), Cherry Creek (9). Class 4A RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS 1 Mead (12) 7-0-0 164 1 2 Wheat Ridge (5) 5-0-0 150 2 3 Holy Family (1) 3-2-0 112 3 4 Erie 4-2-0 79 4 5 Riverdale Ridge 5-1-0 56 10 6 Frederick 5-1-0 52 5 7 Silver Creek 2-4-0 35 6 8 Air Academy 4-1-0 33 7 9 Ponderosa 2-0-0 29 – 10 Mesa Ridge 5-0-0 23 – Others receiving votes: Pueblo South 21, Pueblo West 21, Windsor 20, Conifer 17, Pueblo Central 16, Northfield 16, Pueblo Centennial 12, Discovery Canyon 11, Roosevelt 11, Mountain View 9, Mullen 8, Berthoud 7, Coronado 5, Bear Creek 4, Pueblo County 4, Golden 3, Severance 3, Durango 1, Elizabeth 1, Evergreen 1, Niwot 1, Palisade 1, Standley Lake 1. Dropped out Pueblo South (8), Windsor (9). Class 3A RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS 1 University (8) 5-1-0 106 1 2 Eaton (1) 5-1-0 90 2 3 Rocky Ford (1) 5-0-0 80 3 4 Limon 5-1-0 54 4 5 Lyons 3-2-0 46 7 6 Sterling 4-2-0 45 10 7 Brush 3-3-0 42 6 8 Strasburg 4-3-0 40 5 9 Lutheran (1) 5-1-0 35 9 10 La Junta 2-1-0 20 – Others receiving votes: Lamar 16, Peak to Peak 11, Basalt 8, Cedaredge 5, Fort Lupton 3, Montezuma-Cortez 3, Weld Central 1. Dropped out Lamar (8). -
Commissioner Rhonda Blanford-Green’s comments on reconsideration of the 2020-21 sport calendar
(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com) CHSAA commissioner Rhonda Blanford-Green released the following statement on Monday:
“In recent weeks, we have seen reconsideration at the Association, school district and conference level regarding the resuming fall sports, especially football. We also hear those who are advocating for a reconsideration of the 2020-21 sport calendar.
“We continue to work collaboratively with our state, health and educational officials. We’re monitoring information from other states to see if it’s applicable to reconsiderations in Colorado.
“Over the course of the past week, this has prompted conversations at the state level to see if some outdoor fall sports could resume under the state safety guidelines, including variances that would be needed to make this happen. We appreciate their willingness to keep the dialogue open.
“Our office will continue to provide further updates if any changes occur with the 2020-21 activities calendar.”
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SMAC information regarding poor air quality from smoke
As wildfires across Colorado continue to burn, the air quality across the state is a concern. Please see the following information from the Sports Medicine Advisory Committee.
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ATTENTION ATHLETIC TRAINERS
As you may be aware, our state is currently experiencing wildfires in various locations throughout the state. As a result, air quality throughout our state, and in the affected areas specifically, has been impacted. We urge you to visit the SMAC Handbook and Air Quality section of the Sports Medicine page on CHSAANow for helpful information.
As referenced from the CHSAA Sports Medicine Handbook:
AIR QUALITY INDEX (AQI)
The AQI is an index for reporting daily air quality. It tells you how clean or polluted your air is, and what associated health effects might be a concern for you.
MANAGEMENT
- Distance runners should avoid running next to busy roadways.
- Ozone exposure can be lessened by early morning work outs.
- Athletes with asthma must be carefully monitored when AQI is above 100.
- Athletes with asthma should always have a rescue inhaler readily available.
- Practices, contests, and outdoor activities should be modified or moved indoors when AQI is above 100 and consideration given to rescheduling or moving them when AQI is greater than 200.
In order to quickly assess the daily AQI in your area, please refer to this website:
Other resources for information on air quality:
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Photos: George Washington girls, Bear Creek boys win the SkyView Academy cross country invite
George Washington’s girls team and Bear Creek’s boys team won the SkyView Academy cross country invite on Saturday.
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No. 4 Chatfield softball bounces back with win over Ralston Valley
LITTLETON — The sprint toward the Class 5A Jeffco League softball title officially got underway late Friday afternoon at Chatfield High School.
Chatfield — No. 4 in the 5A CHSAANow.com rankings, but coming off a tough 8-7 loss Wednesday to D’Evelyn — hosted Ralston Valley to being conference play in a league that featured three ranked teams.
Chatfield senior Courtney Bidwell rounds the bases during her solo home run in the first inning to help spark the Chargers to a 4-0 victory. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) Senior Courtney Bidwell sparked the Chargers early with a solo home run in the first inning and senior pitcher Izzy DiNapoli did her share pitching a 3-hit shutout of the Mustangs.
“The loss to D’Evelyn kind of showed us the power we needed more on the offensive end,” Bidwell said after an impressive 4-0 victory. “When I came up that first at-bat I knew we needed to rally early in the game. It really started the game off well.”
Sophomore Avery Rohlman’s flare to left field dropped to score the second run in the bottom of the first inning for Chatfield (7-2 record, 1-0 in league). DiNapoli and sophomore Brooklyn Levin both had RBI hits in the bottom of the sixth inning to extend the lead to 4-0.
DiNapoli was 3-for-3 at the plate with a pair of doubles to go along with her 11 strikeouts in the circle for the Chargers.
“The seniors had never beat Ralston Valley before. We really wanted to,” said DiNapoli, who also admitted she had been struggling at the plate before the break-out game to open conference play. “After we lost Wednesday we really focused on winning going into league.”
With no regional tournaments to qualify for the 5A state tournament during the shortened and changed season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 16-team state field will be determined differently this year. The league champion in each 5A conference will earn a bid and the remainder of the field will be determined by RPI rankings.
The change this season makes league play in deep leagues like Jeffco even more important.
Chatfield senior Izzy DiNapoli pitched a 3-hit, complete-game shutout Friday against Ralston Valley. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) “There is a lot more pressure without regionals,” Bidwell said. “Winning league is our No. 1 goal right now.”
Chatfield looked like the front-runner and favorite to win the conference title after the strong performance against Ralston Valley (3-4, 0-1).
“We had a great practice yesterday,” Chatfield coach Jen Lazzeri said. “They realized yesterday that we get to come out here and play sports. A lot of other people don’t. We have to come out, enjoy it and have fun.”
Lazzeri was impressed how her team responded to a number of defensive line-up changes with starting catcher Kailey Horton still out with a concussion. The bounce-back game from DiNapoli also proved how tough the Chargers are to beat when their ace pitcher is on.
“I think she (DiNapoli) took the D’Evelyn game pretty personally,” Lazzeri said of the DiNapoli giving up eight runs on 10 hits against the Jaguars. “When she is in a groove it’s a tremendous confidence booster for us.”
The win also broke a 2-game winning streak for Ralston Valley. The Mustangs had outscored their last two opponents (Evergreen and Golden) 29-2. Senior Laney Clark was one of the few bright spots for Ralston Valley. Clark went 2-for-3 from the plate for the Mustangs.
“Ralston Valley is a great team. This is a big step for us,” Lazzeri said. “Our girls need to not have their eyes on the prize. Let’s enjoy every day and the time we are together.”
Ralston Valley senior Jaiden Geist (24) stretches for the ball as Chatfield junior Peyton Shepard sprints toward the bag. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) -
Photo: Legend softball beats crosstown rival Chaparral
Legend softball picked up a rivalry win with a 17-2 victory over Chaparral on Friday.
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Race for Jeffco League boys golf individual and team titles heating up
ARVADA — Friday at Indian Tree Golf Course was moving day of sorts for Class 5A and 4A Jeffco League boys golfers.
In the fourth of six scheduled Jeffco League tournaments, golfers made moves to position themselves for the final stretch that will determine individual and team titles.
Lakewood junior Max Lange, defending 5A Jeffco individual medalist, got himself in the mix to repeat as the conference champion. Lange shot the best round of the day with a 2-under-par, 68. The junior moved into seventh place for the individual medalist title.
Ralston Valley junior Gage Messingham and Lakewood senior Ryan Liao are leading the pack with Arvada West senior Tyler Tyson currently in third place. Ralston Valley senior Jack Larson, Columbine senior Drex Duffy and Ralston Valley senior Trey Kirschner are also still in the mix for the conference title. The top six golfers in 5A are separated by just 1-stroke when it comes to their 9-hole average.
Ralston Valley does have a sizable 47-shot lead in the team standings over second-place Lakewood.
In 4A, Conifer senior Dakota Dolph and Littleton junior Emmett Loomis tied for the individual title at Indian Tree. Both shot 5-over-par rounds of 75. Dolph and Green Mountain senior Oliver Gibbons are title atop of overall individual standings with a 9-hole average of 37.83.
The team race for the league title is just as tight. Evergreen and Green Mountain are tied with 1,310 total shots through the first four league tournaments.
The final two Jeffco League tournaments are scheduled for the Broadlands (Wednesday, Sept. 9) and West Woods Golf Course (Monday, Sept. 14). However, the possible winter storm that is forecasting from 5 to 8 inches of snow in the Denver Metro Area on Tuesday could cancel the tournament at Broadlands. If that becomes the case the individual and team titles will be decided at West Woods on Sept. 14.
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D’Evelyn boys tennis sweeps Golden in 4A Jeffco League match
DENVER — D’Evelyn boys tennis team continued its dominance in Class 4A Jeffco League play Thursday afternoon.
The Jaguars swept conference rival Golden 7-0 in the home league match for D’Evelyn. Jaguars’ singles players — Aswaanth Karuppasamy, Carter Smith and Phoenix Lee — all grabbed early wins for D’Evelyn.
D’Evelyn’s doubles teams — JJ Reschl/Carter Dart, Law Schoeman/Mason Gustafson, Mateo Zimmer/Dylan Moran and Vince Cushnie/Jake Davis — completed the sweep against the Demons.
The Jaguars close out their regular season with a couple of duals against Class 5A Jeffco teams — Lakewood and Ralston Valley — along with a tournament at the Arvada Tennis Center next week.
D’Evelyn will be in the 4A Region 1 tournament hosted by Colorado Academy before the 4A state tournament Sept. 25 and 26 at Pueblo City Park.