CHSAANow

Month: February 2021

  • Photos: Prospect Ridge Academy boys basketball beats Peak to Peak

    Prospect Ridge Academy boys basketball battled to a competitive 55-48 win over Peak to Peak on Thursday.

  • Girls wrestling rankings: Douglas County and Mesa Ridge join

    Below are this week’s girls 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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    Girls Wrestling
    Rank Team LW
    1 Chatfield 1
    2 Doherty 2
    3 Denver East 3
    4 Loveland 4
    5 Pomona 7
    6 Poudre 5
    7 Legacy 6
    8 Olathe 8
    9 Douglas County –
    10 Mesa Ridge –
    Dropped out
    Vista Ridge, Riverdale Ridge

  • Boys wrestling rankings: Highland, Sterling, Roosevelt and Grand Junction are newcomers

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

    [divider]

    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.

    [divider]

    Class 2A
    Rank Team LW
    1 Wray 1
    2 Centauri 2
    3 Cedaredge 4
    4 Buena Vista 3
    5 Lyons 5
    6 Rocky Ford 6
    7 Meeker 7
    8 Crowley County 9
    9 John Mall 10
    10 Highland –
    Dropped out
    Hotchkiss
    Class 3A
    Rank Team LW
    1 Pagosa Springs 1
    2 Eaton 2
    3 Weld Central 3
    4 Bennett 4
    5 Valley 5
    6 Platte Valley 6
    7 Alamosa 7
    8 Jefferson 8
    9 Moffat County 9
    10 Sterling –
    Dropped out
    Lamar
    Class 4A
    Rank Team LW
    1 Pueblo County 1
    2 Pueblo East 2
    3 Cheyenne Mountain 3
    4 Thompson Valley 4
    5 Windsor 5
    6 Loveland 6
    7 Falcon 7
    8 Roosevelt –
    9 Mesa Ridge 8
    10 Pueblo West 9
    Dropped out
    Erie
    Class 5A
    Rank Team LW
    1 Pomona 1
    2 Ponderosa 2
    3 Brighton 3
    4 Monarch 4
    5 Douglas County 5
    6 Pine Creek 6
    7 Columbine 7
    8 Rocky Mountain 8
    9 Grand Junction –
    10 Denver East 10
    Dropped out
    Prairie View

  • Photos: Riverdale Ridge girls wrestling hosts triangular meet

    Riverdale Ridge girls wrestling played host at a triangular meet where Regis Jesuit and Dolores Huerta also competed.

  • McKenna Reynolds a product of Vista Ridge girls wrestling’s pack mentality culture

    (Photo courtesy of Eric Everard/Vista Ridge girls wrestling)

    Culture is often pointed out as a crucial factor in the success of athletic programs. A culture provides a roadmap for how a program runs and what it takes to sustain success both in competition and in life outside the sport.

    Like every girls wrestling team in the state, Vista Ridge is competing in its first season as a CHSAA sanctioned sport. But the Wolves have spent the better part of five years building a culture that will promote success for this year and for years down the road.

    McKenna Reynolds is a product of that. She’s off to a dominant 10-0 start to the season and has been relishing the chance for her, and all girls wrestlers across the state, to showcase the skills needed to be successful.

    “I wanted people to understand that just because you’re a female, you can’t do really cool stuff,” she said. “That was a problem for a while. I just wanted to make sure people knew you could still do cool stuff.”

    In each match, Reynolds has had her hand raised after pinning her opponents. It’s a reward for the way that the Wolves force themselves to work and get better. Rather than designating team captains, the team operates on a pack leadership mentality and it’s something that has been noticed by USA Wrestling.

    It’s also what continues to help Reynolds develop as a competitor as well as pushing her teammates to improve along the way.

    “The idea behind the Pack Leader Council is more of a mentorship program,” coach Eric Everard said. “It helps with confidence and self-esteem and everything that goes with that. We do hiking, we go up the (Manitou) Incline, we do 14ers, we do first aid, I do land nav with them – reading a map, how to not get lost. Things like that.”

    (Photo courtesy of Eric Everard/Vista Ridge girls wrestling)

    A wrestling man at heart, the emphasis on the the Pack Leadership Council helps him develop of level of trust with his team. That’s been the biggest difference in coaching boys and coaching girls. The respect has to be there, but the path to that success looks vastly different.

    “When I was at the (Olympic Training Center), I asked coach Terry Steiner was the biggest difference was,” Everard said. “He said boys have to respect you. They can either respect what you do in the room or what you’ve done on the mat, but girls have to trust you. They don’t care if you can beat them or what you’ve done on the mat.”

    The trust carries a lot of weight and Reynolds will rely on it as she continues her push to win a state championship.

    Originally from the Detroit area, she has not been present at previous Colorado state championship tournaments at Ball Arena, but she is aware of the pomp and circumstance involved with it.

    And while the 2021 tournament will look slightly different due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she’s excited and proud knowing that the girls will have their own seat at the table.

    “I’m hoping this draws more girls to the sport,” Reynolds said. “I’m hoping everyone is just as excited as we are. I’ve never been to that state tournament, but I’ve definitely seen it. I always thought it was really cool and it would be awesome to compete at that kind of stadium.”

    She has to keep winning to get there. That effort continues this weekend as the Wolves compete at the Alpha Female Survivor Tri-Meet on Friday and the Douglas County Quad on Saturday.

    (Photo courtesy of Eric Everard/Vista Ridge girls wrestling)

  • No. 7 Evergreen zeros in on 4A Jeffco boys hoops title after win versus No. 12 Green Mountain

    LAKEWOOD — Evergreen is officially the front-runner in the race for the Class 4A Jeffco League boys basketball title.

    The Cougars — No. 7 in this week’s CHSAANow.com 4A boys hoops rankings — took a 1-game lead in the conference with a 54-41 victory over No. 12 Green Mountain on Wednesday night on the Rams’ home court.

    “It’s a huge game. This puts us in a good spot to run the table the rest of the way,” Evergreen senior Jackson Mott said of the Cougars winning the conference title.

    Evergreen senior Jared Stiller (13) had a solid night with 13 points against Green Mountain on Wednesday night. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    It has been awhile since Evergreen has claimed a boys basketball league title. The 2003-04 season was the last time the Cougars won a conference crown.

    “It was kind of revenge. We had these guys and Golden marked on our calendars,” Evergreen senior Griffin Lauritano said. “This is a really tough place to play against a really well-coached team. To get a win like this was good. Now we control our own destiny. We just have to take care of business the rest of the way.”

    Evergreen finished tied for fourth in 4A Jeffco last season. The senior-laded Cougars had a clear focus this season on ending the league championship drought. Evergreen has four more league games — Littleton, Conifer, D’Evelyn and Alameda — that count toward the conference standings.

    “We are looking forward to the next four (league games) and hopefully see what happens in the state tournament,” Evergreen coach Jeff Dolan said.

    The Cougars (5-1, 4-0 in league) grabbed its fifth straight victory of the season after an opening season loss at home against No. 3 Longmont. Evergreen’s defense has been remarkable. The Cougars haven’t allowed an opponent over 45 points in any game this season.

    “That has really been our identity,” Mott said of the Cougars tireless defensive effort. “It gives us a chance to win every game.”

    No. 12 Green Mountain (4-2, 3-1) came in averaging nearly 70 points per game, but were held to 24 points through three quarters. Senior Austin Peterson caught fire for the Rams in the fourth quarter scoring 14 of his game-high 20 points in the final quarter, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Evergreen’s 20-point lead.

    Green Mountain junior Luke Davis (3) had 8 points off the bench for the Rams, but it wasn’t enough as Green Mountain’s 4-game winning streak came to an end Wednesday night. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    The Cougars had a 15-0 run that spanned from late in the third quarter until a few minutes into the fourth quarter that gave Evergreen the cushion it needed. Green Mountain saw its 4-game winning streak come to an end.

    “It’s great. We are excited about the rivalry win over Green Mountain,” Dolan said. “In the third and beginning of the fourth we started to turn it up.”

    Lauritano (14 points) and senior Jared Stiller (13 points) dominated the inside offensively for the Cougars. Mott (14 points) and senior Aaron Browne (9 points) canned three 3-pointers each to jumpstart Evergreen from the outside.

    “Mott struggled a little early, but that kid works out every single day,” Dolan said. “Same thing with Aaron, he is a shooter. They hit them in a big, big game. They are seniors and are experienced. They have played in games like this before.”

    Evergreen heads to Littleton (3-3, 2-2) on Friday to face the Lions in an attempt to extend its winning streak to six.

    Green Mountain is on the road Friday against Wheat Ridge (4-3, 3-2).

    Evergreen senior Griffin Lauritano, left, is guarded by Green Mountain senior Dylan Green during the first quarter Wednesday. The Cougars grabbed a big 54-41 victory against the Rams to take a 1-game lead in the race for the Class 4A Jeffco League title. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

  • Photos: No. 5 Ralston Valley girls basketball shuts down Columbine

    A defensive lockdown in the second half helped Class 5A No. 5 Ralston Valley girls basketball beat Columbine 51-32.

  • Photos: Depth leads No. 14 Smoky Hill boys basketball over Grandview

    Three players scored in double figures as Class 5A No. 14 Smoky Hill boys basketball beat Grandview 63-58 on Wednesday.

  • Photos: Strong first half lifts Holy Family boys basketball over Greeley Central

    Holy Family boys basketball built a 22-point lead in the first half and rolled to a 69-47 win over Greeley Central.

  • Photos: Wells paces No. 2 Holy Family girls basketball in win over Greeley Central

    Alyssa Wells scored 15 points to lead Class 4A Holy Family girls basketball to a 63-23 win over Greeley Central on Wednesday.