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 bcochi@chsaa.org.
Class 5A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Regis Jesuit (5)
0-0
117
2
Valor Christian (3)
0-0
80
3
Mountain Vista (3)
0-0
78
4
Cherry Creek (2)
0-0
76
5
Rocky Mountain
0-0
69
6
Fairview (1)
0-0
61
7
Heritage
0-0
49
8
Chatfield
0-0
45
9
Rock Canyon
0-0
30
10
Douglas County
0-0
25
Others receiving votes:
Legend 23, Grandview 20, Mullen 13, Ralston Valley 11, Cherokee Trail 11, ThunderRidge 10, Pueblo West 9, Legacy 9, Pine Creek 7, Fossil Ridge 6, Fort Collins 5, Broomfield 4, Grand Junction 3, Denver South 2, Arapahoe 2, Chaparral 2, Lakewood 1, Brighton 1, Mountain Range 1
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Cheyenne Mountain (4)
0-0
90
2
Silver Creek (3)
0-0
72
3
Holy Family (1)
0-0
57
4
Golden (2)
0-0
55
5
Fort Morgan
0-0
49
6
Windsor (1)
0-0
45
7
Montrose
1-0
29
8
Longmont
0-0
26
9
Erie
0-0
25
10
Ponderosa (1)
0-0
23
Others receiving votes:
Lewis-Palmer 19, Palisade 18, Pueblo County 15, Skyview 14, D’Evelyn 14, Mead 13, Severance 13, Pueblo South 9, Falcon 9, Elizabeth 8, Frederick 7, Denver North 7, Palmer Ridge 6, Centaurus 5, Evergreen 5, Niwot 4, Wheat Ridge 4, Roosevelt 4, Durango 4, Eagle Valley 3, Pueblo East 2, Thomas Jefferson 2, Air Academy 2, Pueblo Central 1, Mountain View 1
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Eaton (3)
0-0
72
2
University (3)
0-0
67
3
Resurrection Christian (1)
0-0
49
4
Lutheran
0-0
43
5
Delta
0-0
35
6
Faith Christian
0-0
31
7
Colorado Academy
0-0
29
7
Sterling
0-0
29
9
Brush
0-0
20
9
Kent Denver
0-0
20
Others receiving votes:
Lamar 19, Alamosa 12, La Junta 12, Bayfield 11, Montezuma-Cortez 10, Pagosa Springs 9, Peak to Peak 8, Gunnison 5, Manitou Springs 4, Salida 4, Bennett 3, Strasburg 3, Basalt 2, Moffat County 1, Valley 1
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Peyton (5)
0-0
68
2
Limon (1)
0-0
44
3
Fowler
0-0
42
4
Rye (1)
0-0
36
5
Hotchkiss
0-0
30
6
Buena Vista
0-0
22
7
St. Mary’s
0-0
19
8
Rocky Ford
0-0
17
9
Wray
0-0
14
10
Dayspring Christian Academy
0-0
12
Others receiving votes:
Calhan 8, Cedaredge 8, Swink 8, Yuma 8, Holyoke 7, Colorado Springs Christian School 7, Front Range Christian 6, Highland 5, Dawson School 3, Clear Creek 3, Wiggins 2, Meeker 1, Burlington 1, County Line [Wiley/McClave] 1, Monte Vista 1
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Granada (3)
0-0
56
2
Dove Creek
0-0
35
3
Flatirons Academy (2)
0-0
34
4
Nucla
0-0
32
5
Holly (1)
0-0
30
6
Caliche
0-0
28
7
Otis (1)
0-0
27
8
Cotopaxi
0-0
23
9
Evangelical Christian
0-0
22
10
Haxtun
0-0
21
Others receiving votes:
Merino 17, Stratton/Liberty 15, Eads 13, Simla 7, Rocky Mountain Lutheran 7, Longmont Christian 7, Sanford 3, Mile High Academy 3, Cripple Creek-Victor 2, Manzanola 1, Springfield 1, Cheyenne Wells 1
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 bcochi@chsaa.org.
Class 5A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Grandview (8)
0-0
184
2
Broomfield (3)
0-0
172
3
Arapahoe (1)
0-0
139
4
Rock Canyon (2)
0-0
106
5
Cherry Creek
0-0
98
6
Columbine (1)
0-0
92
7
Mountain Vista (2)
0-0
91
8
Fairview
0-0
87
9
Regis Jesuit
0-0
82
10
Rocky Mountain
0-0
74
11
Valor Christian (1)
0-0
67
12
Ralston Valley
0-0
51
Others receiving votes:
Fossil Ridge 40, Legacy 35, Boulder 35, Rampart 31, ThunderRidge 24, Cherokee Trail 24, Chatfield 24, Castle View 18, Brighton 11, Pine Creek 10, Northglenn 9, Legend 7, Lakewood 7, Ponderosa 7, Fort Collins 6, Liberty 5, Mountain Range 5, Denver East 5, Chaparral 4, Prairie View 3, Pomona 2, Denver South 2, Horizon 1, Vista PEAK Prep 1, Rangeview 1
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Evergreen (10)
0-0
213
2
Cheyenne Mountain (5)
0-0
181
3
D’Evelyn (4)
0-0
159
4
Air Academy
0-0
108
5
Wheat Ridge
0-0
101
6
Sand Creek
0-0
92
7
Mullen
0-0
86
8
Green Mountain
0-0
76
9
The Classical Academy
0-0
75
10
Windsor (1)
0-0
63
11
Pueblo Centennial
0-0
49
12
Battle Mountain
0-0
47
Others receiving votes:
Niwot 40, Holy Family 39, Palmer Ridge 36, Mead 30, Erie 20, Golden 19, Northridge 15, Lewis-Palmer 14, Denver North 13, Thompson Valley 13, Vista Ridge 11, Northfield 11, Glenwood Springs 8, Standley Lake 8, Pueblo West 7, Montrose 5, Frederick 4, Durango 4, Mountain View 3, Steamboat Springs 3, Discovery Canyon 3, Roosevelt 2, Skyview 1, Pueblo County 1
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Colorado Academy (15)
0-0
191
2
Kent Denver (2)
0-0
178
3
Jefferson Academy
0-0
154
4
Peak to Peak
0-0
100
5
Aspen
0-0
89
6
Liberty Common
0-0
77
7
Middle Park
0-0
72
8
Salida
0-0
62
9
St. Mary’s
0-0
59
10
Lutheran
0-0
52
11
Vail Mountain
0-0
51
12
Prospect Ridge Academy
0-0
49
Others receiving votes:
Eagle Ridge Academy 31, Manitou Springs 29, Stargate School 27, SkyView Academy 26, Colorado Springs Christian 17, The Academy 15, Jefferson 11, Roaring Fork 6, Sterling 5, KIPP Denver Collegiate 5, Alamosa 4, Faith Christian 3, Resurrection Christian 3, Coal Ridge 3, Frontier Academy 2, James Irwin 2, STRIVE Prep – SMART 2, DSST: Green Valley Ranch 1
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Dawson School (5)
0-0
104
2
Denver Christian (4)
0-0
99
3
Telluride
0-0
75
4
Crested Butte
0-0
69
5
Flatirons Academy
0-0
63
6
Front Range Christian
0-0
51
7
Loveland Classical
0-0
43
8
Ridgway
0-0
35
9
Del Norte
0-0
32
10
Belleview Christian
0-0
30
11
Colorado Rocky Mountain
0-0
29
12
Colorado Springs School
0-0
16
Others receiving votes:
Thomas MacLaren School 12, Clear Creek 11, Evangelical Christian 9, Rocky Mountain Lutheran 7, Vail Christian 7, Rye 6, The Vanguard School 3, Campion Academy 1
LITTLETON — Columbine sisters Abi and Rita Nua intensely eyed the ball on what would be the final point during the nearly 7-hour marathon of volleyball action Saturday.
The bump over the net by Denver East senior Bella Simkus after a serve by sophomore Rita Nua landed just out to conclude the long day at Dakota Ridge High School. The No. 4-seeded Rebels immediately went into celebration mode after Columbine clinched the Class 5A Region 4 title and berth into the state tournament with a 25-18, 25-21, 19-25, 25-17 over the Angels.
Columbine senior Abi Nua (9) will lead the Rebels into the 8-team Class 5A state tournament that is scheduled for May 12 and 13 at The Broadmoor World Arena in Colorado Springs. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
“It’s amazing. These girls are resilient,” Columbine coach Shelly Kurach said. “It was one step at a time. We fought and we fought and we stuck together. That is why we won. These girls are awesome people.”
The Rebels (12-1 record) opened the regional tournament with a 5-set victory over No. 21 Loveland. Columbine scored the first eight points in the final set to lock up the big victory, but it was a few sets earlier that really turned it around for the Rebels.
Loveland (9-5) and Columbine had split the first two sets, but the Indians looked to go up 2-1 with a commanding lead in the third.
Kurach pointed to the Rebels’ come-from-behind victory in the third set as a key moment during the day. The Indians held an 18-7 lead, but Columbine rallied to take a 26-24 win and steal a 2-1 lead in the match.
“Our coach prepared us so well,” Abi Nua said. “She puts all the faith in us. She teaches us and we use those skills on the court.”
Columbine closed out a 25-22, 23-25, 26-24, 22-25, 15-7 victory over Loveland to grab the driver’s seat. No. 13 Denver East (13-2) edged Loveland in another 5-set triller to set up a winner-take-all situation in the final match.
Denver East junior Taylor Day, right, tries to put down a spike over Columbine senior Caylen Alms (15) and junior Audrey Dowd (5) during the Class 5A Region 4 tournament Saturday afternoon. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
The Rebels grabbed a 2-0 lead behind the play of Abi Nua, who came in with more than 220 kills on the season. Denver East continued to set its left side to avoid giving a chance for Abi Nua to block any spike attempts on the senior’s side of the net.
“No matter what happens on the court we are ready to play that ball,” Abi said about Denver East staying away from her side of the court the entire match. “I trust my team and every one of my teammates.”
The Angels weren’t done after falling behind. Denver East took a 25-19 victory in the third set to threaten to force a third straight 5-set match.
“I knew we were all tired and we had worked so hard,” Columbine junior setter Audrey Dowd said. “We were sinking a little in that third (set), but we pulled out of it.”
Abi Nua got involved offensively with several kills in the last set. Dowd looked to Abi Nua with the Rebels trying to wrap up the victory.
“It’s nice when you have someone like Abi who can close it out,” Dowd said.
Columbine senior Francesca Cereda (12) tries to tip the ball over the outreached arms of Loveland senior Maddie Kinney during the opening match of the Class 5A Region 4 tournament Saturday. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
Every ball Abi Nua seemed to touch in the final set ended up on the floor on Denver East’s side of the net.
“Abi is an amazing player and she works hard,” Kurach said. “She is the first one in the gym and the last one to leave. She does her job and trusts her teammates to do their job. She hold them to a high standard all the time and that is why this team works.”
Columbine was the final 5A team to advance to state. Mountain Vista, Rampart, Ralston Valley, Columbine, Cherry Creek, Legend, Grandview and Chatfield are the eight qualifiers. The Class 5A Jeffco League qualified three teams to the condensed 8-team state tournament this season.
“That is awesome. I can’t be more proud of our league,” Kurach said of the Rebels joining rivals Chatfield and Ralston Valley in the state tournament. “It’s so great we can get to the final 8 and represent Jeffco. It says how strong our conference is.”
It will be a bit of a wait now. The state tournament was originally scheduled for May 10 and 11 the NORCO Volleyball Facility in Loveland, but moved a little over a week ago to May 12 and 13 at The Broadmoor World Arena in Colorado Springs.
While Kurach said the challenge now is to keep her squad focused for the state tournament, the Rebels won’t mind a bit of time before heading back into competition.
“I think we are ready to have a little rest,” Abi said of the 10-day break before the state tournament. “I know we are all really tired, but really excited to play on that state floor.”
Columbine senior Analeece Ellis (14) attempt to put down a kill through the block attempt of Denver East seniors Bella Simkus (8) and Harper Johnson (2) during the Class 5A Region 4 tournament Saturday at Dakota Ridge High School. Loveland, Denver East and Columbine battled in three matches that lasted 7 hours before Columbine closed out a 3-1 victory over Denver East to punch its ticket to the 5A state tournament. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
COLORADO SPRINGS — It just felt like the game was coming to Colorado Academy. That was the case as Nick Maffei scored an early easy goal. He had no idea that he would need another goal, a golden goal, to help the Mustangs come away with the gold.
Maffei scored again in the second overtime to give his team a 2-1 win over Frontier Academy and the Class 3A boys soccer state championship.
It’s the first championship for the Mustangs (13-0 overall) since they beat TCA 4-2 back in 2013. And now the seven-year itch has been scratched.
“It’s hard to put into words how much this means,” coach Gabe Bernstein said. “Way more than for myself but for the school and the program. From how hard these guys worked to how hard my coaching staff worked, it is truly one of the most special moments I’ve had in coaching.”
Colorado Academy seized momentum early as Maffei got behind the Frontier Academy defense and chipped the ball just by Wolverines keeper Tanner Madden. He positioned himself for a clean shot to give his team the early edge that they held through halftime.
“There was that feeling that the game was coming to us in the first half,” Maffei said. “We had a lot of opportunities and we didn’t put all of them away. Then the game went on and we got a little more tired.
And the Wolverines (10-4) took advantage of the fatigue. Madden redeemed himself by booting the ball downfield where Seth Sheppard played it around the defense before drawing Charlie Westfall out of the net and burying his shot into a wide open net.
“As soon as he hit it, I knew we were in trouble,” Colorado Academy keeper Charlie Westfall said. “I was confident that my center-back would get there, but it was just one mistake and it wasn’t a big deal.”
Everyone went right back to square one with each team pressing to try and break the tie before time ran out.
But neither team found a way to put an equalizer into the net before regulation and the game had to be settled in extra time. The Mustangs had a few early opportunities but found their shots missing either wide or high.
The first 15-minute overtime period went without a goal and the game felt destined for a shootout. But Maffei didn’t want to leave it to chance. He got his golden goal, sending the Colorado Academy crowd into a frenzy.
“It was a great feeling,” Maffei said. “I had a lot of opportunities tonight so to put that one away felt nice.”
And among the now five state championships that Colorado Academy has won, this had to be among the most exciting way to bring a trophy home.
“Golden goals make it really exciting for the fans,” Bernstein said. “It’s not really exciting for the coaches. It’s really nerve racking, but again I’m just excited for our guys.”
