COLORADO SPRINGS — Five championships were claimed at the second day of the state boys and girls basketball finals at the Broadmoor World Arena.
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Three classifications saw a new team take over as No. 1 in this week’s football rankings.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches, are the official polls of the Association. Polls are released each Monday.
Complete rankings for all classes are below.
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Voted upon by coaches around the state. New voters can sign up by emailing rcasey@chsaa.org. These rankings are part of the postseason seeding process.
| Class 5A | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RK | TEAM | W-L | PTS | PVS | LW |
| 1 | Vista PEAK Prep (6) | 1-0 | 61 | 1 | 1-0 |
| 2 | Fort Collins | 1-0 | 48 | 8 | 1-0 |
| 3 | Denver South (1) | 1-0 | 47 | 5 | 1-0 |
| 4 | Rangeview (1) | 1-0 | 43 | 3 | 1-0 |
| 5 | Northglenn | 1-0 | 24 | 1-0 | |
| 6 | Far Northeast | 0-0 | 20 | 6 | 0-0 |
| 7 | Denver East | 0-1 | 17 | 2 | 0-1 |
| 8 | Westminster | 0-1 | 12 | 4 | 0-1 |
| Others receiving votes: | |||||
| Boulder 11, Mountain Range 5 | |||||
| Dropped out | |||||
| Boulder (7) | |||||
| Class 4A | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RK | TEAM | W-L | PTS | PVS | LW |
| 1 | Harrison (2) | 1-0 | 44 | 2 | 1-0 |
| 2 | Thomas Jefferson (2) | 1-0 | 40 | 1 | 1-0 |
| 3 | Centaurus (1) | 1-0 | 28 | – | 1-0 |
| 4 | Aurora Central | 1-0 | 25 | 7 | 1-0 |
| 5 | Falcon | 0-1 | 23 | 3 | 0-1 |
| 6 | Kennedy | 1-0 | 21 | – | 1-0 |
| 7 | Skyview | 0-0 | 12 | 6 | 0-0 |
| 8 | Lincoln (1) | 0-1 | 8 | 5 | 0-1 |
| Others receiving votes: | |||||
| Denver North 6, Sierra 5, Gateway 3, George Washington 1 | |||||
| Dropped out | |||||
| Denver North (4), Gateway (8) | |||||
| Class 3A | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RK | TEAM | W-L | PTS | PVS | LW |
| 1 | Rifle (2) | 1-0 | 48 | 2 | 1-0 |
| 2 | Basalt (4) | 1-0 | 46 | 1 | 1-0 |
| 3 | The Classical Academy (1) | 1-0 | 44 | 3 | 1-0 |
| 4 | Glenwood Springs | 1-0 | 39 | 6 | 1-0 |
| 5 | The Academy | 1-0 | 18 | – | 1-0 |
| 6 | Sand Creek | 1-0 | 16 | – | 1-0 |
| 7 | Faith Christian | 0-1 | 11 | 4 | 0-1 |
| 8 | Salida | 0-1 | 9 | – | 0-1 |
| Others receiving votes: | |||||
| Kent Denver 5, Denver West 5, Northfield 5, Montezuma-Cortez 4, Aspen 2 | |||||
| Dropped out | |||||
| Aspen (5), Kent Denver (7), Northfield (8) | |||||
| Class 2A | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RK | TEAM | W-L | PTS | PVS | LW |
| 1 | Buena Vista (6) | 1-0 | 55 | 1 | 1-0 |
| 2 | Flatirons Academy | 1-0 | 43 | 2 | 1-0 |
| 3 | Manual (1) | 1-0 | 41 | 3 | 1-0 |
| 4 | Grand Valley | 1-0 | 35 | 8 | 1-0 |
| 5 | Estes Park | 0-1 | 28 | 4 | 0-1 |
| 6 | St. Mary’s | 1-0 | 21 | – | 1-0 |
| 7 | Clear Creek | 0-1 | 17 | 5 | 0-1 |
| 8 | Manitou Springs | 0-1 | 5 | 6 | 0-1 |
| Others receiving votes: | |||||
| Roaring Fork 3, Ridge View 2, Ellicott 2, Sheridan 0 | |||||
| Dropped out | |||||
| Sheridan (7) | |||||
| 8-man | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RK | TEAM | W-L | PTS | PVS | LW |
| 1 | John Mall (2) | 1-0 | 23 | 4 | 1-0 |
| 2 | Hoehne (1) | 1-0 | 22 | 1 | 1-0 |
| 3 | Front Range Christian | 0-0 | 17 | 2 | 0-0 |
| 4 | Las Animas | 1-0 | 14 | 6 | 1-0 |
| 5 | Plateau Valley | 0-1 | 12 | 7 | 0-1 |
| 6 | Custer County | 0-1 | 11 | 3 | 0-1 |
| 7 | Justice | 0-1 | 6 | 8 | 0-1 |
| 8 | Primero | 0-0 | 3 | 5 | 0-0 |
This week’s girls volleyball rankings are out.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. Polls are released each Monday.
Complete rankings for all classes are below.
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Voted upon by coaches around the state. New voters can sign up by emailing rcasey@chsaa.org. These rankings are part of the postseason seeding process.
| Class 5A | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RK | TEAM | W-L | PTS | PVS | LW |
| 1 | Chaparral (5) | 1-0 | 154 | 1 | 1-0 |
| 2 | Rampart (5) | 1-0 | 138 | 3 | 1-0 |
| 3 | Valor Christian (1) | 0-0 | 131 | 4 | 0-0 |
| 4 | Cherokee Trail | 2-0 | 130 | 7 | 2-0 |
| 5 | Cherry Creek | 1-1 | 122 | 5 | 1-1 |
| 6 | Grandview (1) | 1-1 | 114 | 6 | 1-1 |
| 7 | Mountain Vista | 2-0 | 107 | 8 | 2-0 |
| 8 | Legend | 0-2 | 105 | 2 | 0-2 |
| 9 | Eaglecrest | 2-0 | 62 | 14 | 2-0 |
| 10 | Fort Collins | 0-0 | 52 | 8 | 0-0 |
| 11 | Ralston Valley | 1-0 | 49 | 11 | 1-0 |
| 12 | Chatfield | 0-0 | 34 | 15 | 0-0 |
| 13 | Highlands Ranch | 1-1 | 30 | 12 | 1-1 |
| 14 | Heritage | 2-0 | 28 | – | 2-0 |
| 15 | Pine Creek | 1-0 | 25 | – | 1-0 |
| Others receiving votes: | |||||
| Columbine 24, Rock Canyon 20, Pueblo West 17, Broomfield 16, Denver East 14, Regis Jesuit 13, Castle View 12, Liberty 9, Dakota Ridge 7, Rocky Mountain 6, Doherty 5, Arapahoe 4, Lakewood 3, Boulder 3, Ponderosa 2, Fossil Ridge 2, Horizon 1, Douglas County 1 | |||||
| Dropped out | |||||
| Broomfield (10), Castle View (13) | |||||
| Class 4A | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RK | TEAM | W-L | PTS | PVS | LW |
| 1 | Palmer Ridge (11) | 1-0 | 195 | 2 | 1-0 |
| 2 | Cheyenne Mountain | 2-0 | 192 | 4 | 2-0 |
| 3 | Coronado | 2-0 | 190 | 3 | 2-0 |
| 4 | Lewis-Palmer (3) | 0-1 | 159 | 1 | 0-1 |
| 5 | Discovery Canyon | 1-1 | 145 | 7 | 1-1 |
| 6 | Mead | 0-0 | 142 | 5 | 0-0 |
| 7 | Montrose | 0-0 | 92 | 6 | 0-0 |
| 8 | Windsor (1) | 0-0 | 86 | 10 | 0-0 |
| 9 | Erie | 0-0 | 72 | 8 | 0-0 |
| 10 | Niwot | 0-0 | 71 | – | 0-0 |
| 11 | Thomas Jefferson | 0-0 | 67 | 11 | 0-0 |
| 12 | Holy Family | 0-0 | 60 | 13 | 0-0 |
| 13 | Pueblo County | 1-0 | 56 | 8 | 1-0 |
| 14 | Woodland Park (1) | 1-0 | 54 | 15 | 1-0 |
| 15 | D’Evelyn | 0-0 | 51 | 14 | 0-0 |
| Others receiving votes: | |||||
| Mullen 31, Frederick 25, Longmont 18, Fort Morgan 18, Thompson Valley 17, Durango 15, Battle Mountain 15, Glenwood Springs 14, Pueblo South 13, Berthoud 12, Pueblo East 12, Roosevelt 8, Weld Central 7, Eagle Valley 6, Littleton 6, The Classical Academy 4, Riverdale Ridge 4, Evergreen 3, Palisade 3, Steamboat Springs 3, Skyview 2, Severance 2, Skyline 2, George Washington 1 | |||||
| Dropped out | |||||
| Longmont (12) | |||||
| Class 3A | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RK | TEAM | W-L | PTS | PVS | LW |
| 1 | Eaton (3) | 0-0 | 244 | 2 | 0-0 |
| 2 | Sterling (10) | 0-0 | 226 | 1 | 0-0 |
| 3 | Lutheran (2) | 1-0 | 219 | 3 | 1-0 |
| 4 | Colorado Springs Christian (2) | 0-0 | 165 | 4 | 0-0 |
| 5 | Alamosa | 1-0 | 162 | 7 | 1-0 |
| 6 | University | 0-0 | 134 | 6 | 0-0 |
| 7 | Faith Christian | 1-0 | 133 | 8 | 1-0 |
| 8 | Lamar | 2-0 | 123 | 5 | 2-0 |
| 9 | Bayfield (1) | 0-0 | 111 | 11 | 0-0 |
| 10 | Platte Valley | 0-0 | 102 | 8 | 0-0 |
| 11 | Resurrection Christian | 0-0 | 85 | 12 | 0-0 |
| 12 | Valley | 0-0 | 65 | 14 | 0-0 |
| 13 | DSST: Montview (1) | 1-0 | 53 | 10 | 1-0 |
| 14 | Coal Ridge | 0-0 | 52 | 13 | 0-0 |
| 15 | Manitou Springs | 0-0 | 42 | – | 0-0 |
| Others receiving votes: | |||||
| Prospect Ridge Academy 36, Eagle Ridge Academy 34, Cedaredge 29, Fort Lupton 28, SkyView Academy 28, Delta 27, St. Mary’s 25, Frontier Academy 20, Pagosa Springs 18, Montezuma-Cortez 15, La Junta 15, Strasburg 15, The Academy 14, Centauri 14, Englewood 13, Bishop Machebeuf 13, Peak to Peak 12, Arrupe Jesuit 12, Buena Vista 12, Basalt 11, DSST: College View 10, Bennett 10, Estes Park 10, Colorado Academy 9, Middle Park 8, Lake County 8, James Irwin 7, Roaring Fork 6, DSST: Byers 5, Jefferson 4, St. Mary’s Academy 4, The Vanguard School 3, Highland 3, Grand Valley 3, Kent Denver 1, Salida 1, Ellicott 1 | |||||
| Dropped out | |||||
| Prospect Ridge Academy (15) | |||||
| Class 2A | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RK | TEAM | W-L | PTS | PVS | LW |
| 1 | Denver Christian (9) | 0-0 | 176 | 1 | 0-0 |
| 2 | Limon (1) | 0-0 | 173 | 2 | 0-0 |
| 3 | Wiggins (1) | 0-0 | 154 | 3 | 0-0 |
| 4 | Meeker (1) | 2-0 | 150 | 5 | 2-0 |
| 5 | Fowler | 0-0 | 124 | 4 | 0-0 |
| 6 | Yuma | 0-0 | 92 | 6 | – |
| 7 | West Grand | 0-0 | 85 | 7 | 0-0 |
| 8 | Union Colony Prep | 0-0 | 81 | 8 | 0-0 |
| 9 | Dolores | 1-1 | 71 | 10 | 1-1 |
| 10 | Hoehne | 0-0 | 63 | 13 | 0-0 |
| 11 | Del Norte | 0-0 | 61 | 8 | 0-0 |
| 12 | Sedgwick County | 0-0 | 60 | 11 | 0-0 |
| 13 | Dayspring Christian Academy (1) | 3-0 | 54 | – | 3-0 |
| 14 | Swink | 0-0 | 45 | 12 | 0-0 |
| 15 | Rocky Ford (1) | 0-0 | 44 | 14 | 0-0 |
| Others receiving votes: | |||||
| Rye 38, Holyoke 30, Sargent 25, Fountain Valley 17, Custer County 16, Gilpin County 14, Clear Creek 13, Wray 10, Soroco 10, Ignacio 10, Vail Mountain 9, Akron 9, Olathe 8, Sanford 8, John Mall 6, Dawson School 5, Telluride 5, Rangely 4, Lyons 3, Platte Canyon 3, Heritage Christian 2, Ridgway 2 | |||||
| Dropped out | |||||
| Rye (15) | |||||
| Class 1A | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RK | TEAM | W-L | PTS | PVS | LW |
| 1 | Fleming (6) | 0-0 | 112 | 1 | 0-0 |
| 2 | Briggsdale (1) | 0-0 | 101 | 2 | 0-0 |
| 3 | Kit Carson | 0-0 | 97 | 3 | 0-0 |
| 4 | Otis | 0-0 | 70 | 4 | 0-0 |
| 5 | Merino (1) | 0-0 | 68 | 5 | 0-0 |
| 6 | Simla | 0-0 | 64 | 6 | 0-0 |
| 7 | Sangre de Cristo | 0-0 | 58 | 7 | 0-0 |
| 8 | Dove Creek | 1-0 | 53 | 8 | 1-0 |
| 9 | South Baca [Campo/Vilas/Pritchett] | 0-0 | 49 | 8 | 0-0 |
| 10 | Springfield | 0-0 | 44 | 10 | 0-0 |
| 11 | La Veta | 0-0 | 40 | 11 | 0-0 |
| 12 | Haxtun | 0-0 | 37 | 12 | 0-0 |
| 13 | Genoa-Hugo/Karval | 0-0 | 36 | 13 | 0-0 |
| 14 | Wiley | 0-0 | 20 | 14 | – |
| 15 | McClave | 0-0 | 14 | 15 | 0-0 |
| Others receiving votes: | |||||
| Prairie 13, Kim/Branson 13, Flatirons Academy 13, Weldon Valley 12, Cotopaxi 10, Lone Star 9, Belleview Christian 8, Elbert 6, Shining Mountain 5, Idalia 4, Pikes Peak Christian 3, Nucla 1 | |||||
| Dropped out | |||||
| None. | |||||
This week’s boys soccer rankings have been released.
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.
Complete rankings for each class are below.
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Voted upon by coaches around the state. New voters can sign up by emailing rcasey@chsaa.org. These rankings are part of the postseason seeding process.
| Class 5A | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RK | TEAM | W-L | PTS | PVS | LW |
| 1 | Broomfield (11) | 0-0 | 209 | 1 | 0-0 |
| 2 | Boulder (4) | 0-0 | 201 | 2 | 0-0 |
| 3 | Regis Jesuit (3) | 0-0 | 187 | 3 | 0-0 |
| 4 | Fairview | 0-0 | 126 | 6 | 0-0 |
| 5 | Arapahoe (1) | 1-0 | 120 | 8 | 1-0 |
| 6 | Grandview | 0-0 | 118 | 5 | 0-0 |
| 7 | Pine Creek | 2-0 | 94 | 10 | 2-0 |
| 8 | Legacy | 0-0 | 85 | 7 | 0-0 |
| 9 | Cherry Creek | 0-1 | 70 | 4 | 0-1 |
| 10 | Arvada West | 1-0 | 68 | 11 | 1-0 |
| 11 | Denver East | 0-0 | 62 | 8 | 0-0 |
| 12 | Castle View | 0-0 | 58 | – | 0-0 |
| Others receiving votes: | |||||
| Rampart 50, Far Northeast Warriors 32, Fort Collins 25, Mountain Vista 22, Rock Canyon 14, Overland 12, Rocky Mountain 12, Gateway 12, Valor Christian 10, Bear Creek 9, Adams City 8, Ralston Valley 7, Smoky Hill 7, Prairie View 6, Eaglecrest 4, Rangeview 4, Ponderosa 3, Liberty 2, Legend 1 | |||||
| Dropped out | |||||
| Rampart (12) | |||||
| Class 4A | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RK | TEAM | W-L | PTS | PVS | LW |
| 1 | Air Academy (11) | 0-0 | 288 | 1 | 0-0 |
| 2 | Skyview (8) | 0-0 | 268 | 2 | 0-0 |
| 3 | Battle Mountain (3) | 1-0 | 208 | 5 | 1-0 |
| 4 | Lewis-Palmer (1) | 0-0 | 193 | 4 | 0-0 |
| 5 | Golden | 1-0 | 161 | 3 | 1-0 |
| 6 | Denver North | 0-0 | 148 | 6 | 0-0 |
| 7 | Alameda (1) | 2-0 | 114 | 11 | 2-0 |
| 8 | The Classical Academy (1) | 1-0 | 93 | 12 | 1-0 |
| 9 | Pueblo Centennial | 2-0 | 75 | 10 | 2-0 |
| 10 | Niwot | 1-0 | 73 | – | 1-0 |
| 11 | Holy Family | 0-0 | 71 | 8 | 0-0 |
| 12 | Mullen | 0-0 | 50 | – | 0-0 |
| Others receiving votes: | |||||
| Discovery Canyon 46, Windsor 43, Northfield 40, Centaurus 38, Evergreen 32, Regis Groff 26, Cheyenne Mountain 25, Glenwood Springs 20, Thomas Jefferson 20, Grand Junction 16, Erie 15, Greeley West 12, Northridge 12, Thompson Valley 10, Montrose 9, Greeley Central 9, Standley Lake 9, Littleton 8, Harrison 7, Wheat Ridge 6, Palmer Ridge 6, Pueblo West 5, Elizabeth 5, Steamboat Springs 4, Durango 4, Pueblo Central 4, D’Evelyn 3, George Washington 3, Denver West 2, Loveland 2, Lincoln 1 | |||||
| Dropped out | |||||
| Discovery Canyon (7), Centaurus (8) | |||||
| Class 3A | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RK | TEAM | W-L | PTS | PVS | LW |
| 1 | Colorado Academy (4) | 1-0 | 121 | 1 | 1-0 |
| 2 | Kent Denver (5) | 0-0 | 110 | 2 | 0-0 |
| 3 | Liberty Common | 1-0 | 106 | 7 | 1-0 |
| 4 | Salida | 1-0 | 73 | 3 | 1-0 |
| 5 | Delta (1) | 1-0 | 66 | – | 1-0 |
| 6 | Faith Christian | 0-0 | 64 | 6 | 0-0 |
| 7 | Coal Ridge (2) | 1-0 | 59 | 10 | 1-0 |
| 8 | Atlas Preparatory School | 0-0 | 44 | 4 | 0-0 |
| 9 | Arrupe Jesuit | 0-0 | 33 | 8 | 0-0 |
| 10 | Jefferson Academy | 0-0 | 27 | – | 0-0 |
| 11 | Roaring Fork | 0-1 | 26 | 5 | 0-1 |
| 12 | Frontier Academy | 1-0 | 22 | – | 1-0 |
| Others receiving votes: | |||||
| Palisade 16, DSST: Byers 16, Aurora West College Prep Academy 15, Manitou Springs 14, Lutheran 13, Alamosa 13, Colorado Springs Christian 12, The Academy 12, Middle Park 11, Vail Mountain 11, KIPP Denver Collegiate 11, Lamar 8, DSST: College View 6, DSST: Green Valley Ranch 6, Peak to Peak 5, Fort Lupton 4, SkyView Academy 3, DSST: Montview 2, Basalt 2, Aspen 2, Bennett 2, Arvada 1 | |||||
| Dropped out | |||||
| Aurora West College Prep Academy (8), Aspen (11), Lutheran (12) | |||||
| Class 2A | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RK | TEAM | W-L | PTS | PVS | LW |
| 1 | Denver Christian (2) | 1-0 | 78 | 2 | 1-0 |
| 2 | Dawson School (1) | 0-0 | 62 | 4 | 0-0 |
| 3 | Ridgway (1) | 0-2 | 56 | 1 | 0-2 |
| 4 | Fountain Valley (2) | 0-0 | 53 | 3 | 0-0 |
| 5 | Crested Butte (1) | 2-0 | 45 | 6 | 2-0 |
| 6 | Telluride | 1-0 | 42 | 5 | 1-0 |
| 7 | Thomas MacLaren School | 0-0 | 32 | 12 | 0-0 |
| 8 | Lotus School For Excellence | 0-0 | 28 | 8 | 0-0 |
| 9 | Colorado Rocky Mountain | 1-1 | 27 | 7 | 1-1 |
| 10 | Mile High Academy | 0-0 | 22 | 8 | 0-0 |
| 11 | Colorado Springs School | 0-0 | 21 | – | 0-0 |
| 12 | Heritage Christian | 0-0 | 19 | 11 | 0-0 |
| Others receiving votes: | |||||
| Loveland Classical 15, The Vanguard School 10, Evangelical Christian 10, Dolores Huerta Prep 8, Ellicott 7, Rocky Mountain Lutheran 7, Beth Eden Baptist 2, Campion Academy 1, Lake County 1 | |||||
| Dropped out | |||||
| Loveland Classical (10) | |||||
This week’s field hockey rankings have been released.
The ranking, voted upon by coaches, is the official poll of the Association. Rankings are released each Monday during the season.
A complete ranking is below.
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Voted upon by coaches around the state. New voters can sign up by emailing rcasey@chsaa.org. This ranking has no bearing on postseason seeding.
| Class 5A | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RK | TEAM | W-L | PTS | PVS | LW |
| 1 | Colorado Academy (3) | 0-0 | 59 | 1 | 0-0 |
| 2 | Cherry Creek | 0-0 | 54 | 2 | 0-0 |
| 3 | Regis Jesuit (1) | 0-0 | 52 | 3 | 0-0 |
| 4 | Kent Denver | 1-0 | 48 | 4 | 1-0 |
| 5 | Palmer Ridge | 1-0 | 43 | 6 | 1-0 |
| 6 | Mountain Vista | 0-0 | 42 | 5 | 0-0 |
| 7 | Arapahoe | 0-0 | 33 | 8 | 0-0 |
| 8 | Liberty | 1-0 | 26 | – | 1-0 |
| 9 | Denver East | 0-0 | 24 | – | 0-0 |
| 10 | Dakota Ridge | 0-0 | 16 | – | 0-0 |
| 11 | Fossil Ridge | 0-0 | 15 | – | 0-0 |
| 12 | Cheyenne Mountain | 0-2 | 14 | – | 0-2 |
| 13 | Grandview | 0-1 | 12 | – | 0-1 |
| 14 | St. Mary’s Academy | 0-0 | 9 | 7 | 0-0 |
| 15 | Smoky Hill | 0-0 | 5 | – | 0-0 |
LAKEWOOD — Arvada West’s boys soccer team continues to show off its multiple scoring options and impenetrable defense.
The Wildcats — No. 10 in this week’s CHSAANow.com Class 5A boys soccer rankings — took a 4-0 victory over previously undefeated Bear Creek on Monday at Trailblazer Stadium in Lakewood.
“This was a super huge game for us,” A-West senior goalie Jacoby Landskov said about the late Monday afternoon win over the Bears. “It felt super nice to come out strong and beat a really good team.”
The shutout victory was A-West’s third in as many games. The Wildcats (3-0, 2-0 in 5A Jeffco League) have outscored their opponents 11-0 through the first three games.
Landskov has been in net for all three of the Wildcats’ victories. His best save of the game against Bear Creek (2-1, 2-1) came in the first half when Landskov was just able to keep a spinning shot out of the net when the game was scoreless.
“That’s the goal,” Landskov said of the Wildcats not allowing a goal all season. “We made a bet. The guys said, ‘Jacoby, we’ll pay you $50 if you don’t give up a goal the entire year.’ We are on a roll right now and it’s not just me. Our defense is playing really well right now. They are making my job easy.”
A-West junior Dylan Richards broke the ice in the 31st minute with a direct free-kick that skipped in front of Bear Creek junior goalie Garrett Nelson and into the back of the net. The Wildcats took a 1-0 lead into halftime.
It was Nelson’s first goal of the season. He became the seventh different goal-scorer for A-West this season and it was the first of two goals on the day on direct free-kicks.
“We work on set pieces a lot in practice,” A-West senior captain Kyler Tate said. “We might have got a little lucky on that first goal. We try to score a lot of goals on those set pieces.”
Tate made it a 2-0 lead in the 52nd minute. His goal came off another set piece, a direct free-kick from 27 yards out. It was the second goal of the season for Tate. Senior captain Noah Kanagy picked up his third goal on the season with a strong run before sliding a shot past Nelson to give the Wildcats a 3-0 lead.
“I think we definitely have a deeper team then we did last year,” Tate said. “We are trying to get everyone involved.”
The Wildcats put the game away with a penalty kick goal by senior Karl Pankratz, his first goal of the season, to make it a 4-0 lead. Pankratz became the eighth different player to put one in the back of the net on the season for A-West.
“Other teams should be afraid,” Landskov said. “Our entire team can score. It’s not about locking up one player. We’ve got nine other guys out there that can score.”
A-West is hoping to erase the memories of having a stellar regular season, but falling short in the postseason. The Wildcats were the No. 4 seed in the 5A state tournament in the Fall of 2019, but lost to Rocky Mountain in the second round. In 2018, A-West suffered a tough 1-0 loss to eventual state champion Arapahoe in the second round.
“Definitely a third straight league title is the goal,” Tate said. “We’ve come up a little short (in the playoffs) over the past two years. We think we can do it this year and go all the way.”
COLORADO SPRINGS — Five championships were claimed at the first day of the state boys and girls basketball finals at the Broadmoor World Arena.
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COLORADO SPRINGS — St. Mary’s typically operates that a pace that would make a coyote-evading road runner jealous. So in order to capture the Class 3A boys basketball state championship, Lutheran had to slow down the Pirates and limit the damage that junior Sam Howery could do.
With plenty of options at his disposal, coach Bill Brandsma opted for perhaps the most unconventional. He called on 6-foot-11 center Baye Fall to take on the Pirates’ sharpshooting point guard.
The gamble paid off.
Howery held well below his season average as the Lions (16-1 overall) beat the top-seeded Pirates 72-56 to capture the 3A boys basketball championship.
“I respected him, knowing that he’s a good player and he can get it going,” Fall said. (I had to) be aggressive against him, not let him catch the ball at times and just guard him full.
Fall scored 12 points and was one of four Lions to score in double figures, but his ability to slow down Howery’s production will go down as a big reason why they were able to clutch that gold trophy.
“Baye moves like a big-time DI athlete,” Brandsma said. “The speed doesn’t bother him but the length bothers the guard.”
Lutheran held a 15-12 lead after the first quarter but St. Mary’s (16-1) rallied to take a 27-24 lead at the half. The second quarter moved at a pace that St. Mary’s was much more comfortable with and the Lions knew that they had to make some changes in the second half.
“We had to control tempo and not turn the ball over and we didn’t do a good job of that in the first half,” Brandsma said. “They went on their runs because we let them dictate tempo so for us to get down and come back and own the tempo was good for us.”
Tommy Apodaca and Sam Hoops paced the Lions, scoring 22 and 12 points, respectively brought the leadership from the guard position that Brandsma needed his team to rely on. Mamadou Sow was also a big-time factor with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Sow, Hoops and Fall all recorded double-doubles for the Lions providing the balance needed to win the state title.
“(St. Mary’s) had balance and with so many things going on, we needed guys who could finish at the rim,” Brandsma said. “We needed guys to knock down their free throws and that’s what we got.”
Luke Stockelman scored 11 of his 17 points in the first half when St. Mary’s took the lead. Howery led the Pirates with 20.
This is the fourth boys basketball championship for Lutheran and the first since the Denver Lutheran the Lutheran Parker campuses merged to form one school. The last state title came in 2011 when the then-split schools met for the 2A title. Denver Lutheran won 61-48.
Lutheran last played in the 2018 championship game, but lost to Bayfield 68-57.
The search for the first boys basketball title for St. Mary’s will have to continue. This was the first state title game in school history for the Pirates. They averaged nearly 90 points per game during the season before Lutheran held them to just 56.
And the feeling of slowing down a talented, fast-paced team combined with holding a championship trophy was everything the Lions hoped it would be.
“It was the best feeling ever,” Fall said. “This is my first time being a state champion. It’s big. I love Lutheran. I did this for them. My teammates and coaches always got me.”
COLORADO SPRINGS — For nearly 20 years, ThunderRidge has been trying to get back to the top of the mountain. The Grizzlies have had their chances, even coming painstakingly close on one of them.
The fifth attempt turned out to be the charm as they knocked off George Washington 68-59 to claim the Class 5A boys basketball championship at the Broadmoor World Arena.
It’s the first championship for ThunderRidge since the school won back to back titles in 2002 and 2003.
“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve thought about that,” coach Joe Ortiz said. “I’ve chronologically gone through every year and how they’ve finished several times. I did it today.”
He did it with the weight of the missed opportunities sitting on his shoulder. For the next year when he thinks about the chronological finish, it ends with his guys as the defending state champions.
He knew it was never going to be easy, however. This was the third matchup between the Grizzlies (13-2 overall) and the Patriots (13-4). George came away with the first win and the lesson learned from that one remained fresh in ThunderRidge’s mind at the start of the state title game.
“The first game we just realized they were a physical team,” Jason Simental said. “Nobody could really match up with us before so they were the first team to really put it to us.”
The game plan for the Patriots was pretty simple. Apply pressure and be the more physical group. It worked for the first quarter as the teams were locked in a 16-16 tie, but ThunderRidge clamped down in the second and held George to just four point on one field goal and two free throws.
“It helps playing here to be honest,” Ortiz said. “It’s a bigger court, it’s a bigger feel and in a smaller type of confined area it’s tougher because there’s more pressure. Our big guy Nolan Marld was huge. He’s a mismatch and they’re not going to pressure him with a guard.”
Marld led all scorers with 17 points and Simental added 16. Joey Bilello and Jackson Brennan also scored in double figures, Brennan getting all 11 of his points in the first half. Zach Keller had nine, nearly giving the Grizzlies five players in double figures.
“We have a very balanced team,” Ortiz said.
ThunderRidge last played in the 5A title game in 2015 and lost to Overland 55-42. George Washington made it to back-to-back title games in 2017 and 2018 but lost to Eaglecrest and Grandview, respectively.
Jarmell Johnson and Kijuan Thompson led the Patriots with 10 points each, but the combined effort keeps a state basketball title out of George’s grasp for at least another season.
For ThunderRidge, it’s the culmination of a championship drought that began before anyone on the roster was even born.
“We were on a dry streak but we came here to break it,” Simental said. “We had to do that.”
COLORADO SPRINGS — The state basketball championship games for 1A boys and girls, 4A boys and girls, and 5A girls are on Saturday at World Arena.
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