Voted upon by coaches and media members around the state. New voters can sign up by emailing rcasey@chsaa.org. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.
Class 5A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Chaparral (6)
0-0
86
2
Cherokee Trail (2)
0-0
80
3
Valor Christian (1)
0-0
59
4
Eaglecrest
0-0
49
5
Cherry Creek
0-0
47
6
Fort Collins
0-0
41
7
Grandview
0-0
37
8
Chatfield
0-0
22
9
Mountain Vista
0-0
19
10
Fossil Ridge
0-0
15
Others receiving votes:
Rampart 11, Windsor 9, Adams City 5, Rocky Mountain 4, Columbine 3, Pine Creek 3, Rock Canyon 3, Legend 2.
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Lewis-Palmer (9)
0-0
95
2
Holy Family
0-0
64
3
Longmont
0-0
61
4
Niwot
0-0
57
5
Palmer Ridge
0-0
38
6
Discovery Canyon
0-0
37
7
Mead (1)
0-0
35
8
Cheyenne Mountain
0-0
32
9
Silver Creek
0-0
31
10
Ponderosa
0-0
21
Others receiving votes:
Evergreen 17, Berthoud 14, Pueblo West 10, Air Academy 9, Thomas Jefferson 9, Erie 5, Montrose 5, Coronado 4, Palisade 3, George Washington 2, Mullen 1.
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Lutheran (8)
0-0
88
2
Eaton
0-0
73
3
Colorado Springs Christian (1)
0-0
70
4
Alamosa
0-0
46
5
Faith Christian
0-0
42
6
Sterling
0-0
40
7
University
0-0
36
8
Platte Valley
0-0
33
9
Resurrection Christian
0-0
20
10
Valley
0-0
17
Others receiving votes:
Lamar 7, Bishop Machebeuf 5, Centauri 4, Pagosa Springs 4, Delta 3, La Junta 2, Middle Park 2, St. Mary’s 2, Peak to Peak 1.
As the summer days begin to fade away, it’s nearly time to start looking to the fall. The official start of practice is just weeks away and once the ball gets rolling, the 2019-20 athletic season will consume coaches, athletes and fans for the better part of nine months.
Over the last few weeks, CHSAANow.com has featured returning stat leaders from various sports (football leaders will come next week), but the real question that lingers is who is everyone excited to see?
So we asked.
We shot emails to various outlets throughout the state and asked them who they’re excited to see once competition starts next month while adding a few names of our own.
[divider]
The Pueblo Chieftain’s Marcus Hill and Austin White
Athlete: Marvin London Jr. Year: Senior School: Pueblo East Sport: Football
Why to watch: Marvin London Jr. had a team-high 73 receptions for the Eagles last season. He also had 1,083 yards and seven touchdowns — both second to only Kain Medrano.
Athlete: Samantha Meehan Year: Senior School: Pueblo County Sport: Volleyball
Why to watch: The Hornets senior ran rampant through the South-Central League last season and helped Pueblo County go 10-0 in league play. She led the Hornets with 284 kills, 24 aces. Meehan along with the core of Hornets hope to repeat as S-CL champs this season.
CHSAANow.com’s Dan Mohrmann
Athlete: Trey Jones Year: Senior School: Palmer Ridge Sport: Boys golf
Why to watch: Jones has a little bit of work cut out for him this fall, but in terms of the Colorado Springs area, he’s one of the top returning golfers. He finished tied for 18th at the Class 4A state tournament and this summer tied for 14th in the JGAC Junior PGA Championship on the difficult Blue Course at the Air Force Academy.
Why to watch: Katie is a phenomenal multi-sport athlete. This fall, the 2018 runner of the year will look to defend her 2A cross-country individual state title, one that helped the Lions claim just their second ever team championship. A side note – she is also the third ranked female junior freestyle kayaker in the WORLD. To say she is competitive would be a huge understatement.
Athlete: Gavin Sawchuk Year: Sophomore School: Valor Christian Sport: Football
Why to watch: Expect Gavin to carry the same energy and momentum from his freshman season into his sophomore campaign. He put up 13 touchdowns for the Eagles in 2018 – in large part due to his speed. Sawchuk posted the fastest 100m dash time in the Colorado during the spring track and field season, and he already boasts several D1 football offers.
Athlete: Alexisius “Q” Jones Year: Junior School: Fountain-Fort Carson Sport: Football
Why to watch: Q. Jones had anything but a good ending to his season. In his first year in a Trojan varsity uniform, he amassed 1,738 all-purpose yards. But his season was cut short due to a leg injury. FFC coach Jake Novotny told us this summer that Jones will be ready to go. He’s reportedly getting looks from the University of Colorado and Wyoming and the list is expected to grow upon his return to the field.
Why to watch: McGaffin starred in the pitching circle as a freshman in 2018 to help the SaberCats win 21 games. She went 14-1 with a 1.78 ERA (second in 5A), striking out 122 in 90.1 innings pitched.
Athlete: Tate Satterfield Year: Senior School: Poudre Sport: Football
Why to watch: Satterfield was eighth in 5A in 2018 with 1,238 rush yards, scoring 14 touchdowns on the ground. He’ll be a key part of an experience Poudre team that could challenge for the Front Range League title.
The Durango Herald’s John Livingston
Athlete: Madeleine Burns Year: Senior School: Durango High School Sport: Girls Cross Country
Why to watch: A year after Burns finished 13th in the 4A girls cross country state race, she is back as a senior looking for a podium finish for the Demons. Last spring, she won the girls 3,200 meter run at the 4A state track and field meet and backed it up with a third-place finish in the 1,600. She broke the school record in the 5K last year the Liberty Bell Invitational and is primed for a big senior season after a summer of competing around the country.
Athlete: Millie O’Ketter Year: Senior School: Durango High School Sport: Volleyball
Why to watch: A senior libero and outside hitter, O’Ketter has already verbally committed to Northern Arizona University to play Division I volleyball. This summer, she competed in the Global Challenge International volleyball tournament in Croatia, helping her team to a 5-2 overall record in the udner-18 division with the lone losses coming to first-place Italy and second-place Netherlands. She led her team with 47 of the squad’s 111 digs and also led the team in serve receive accuracy and was second in assists.
Athlete: Leland Heinicke Year: Senior School: Durango High Sport: Boys soccer
Why to watch: As a junior, Heinicke had a team-high 14 goals and added four assists to help lead the Demons to the fourth seed in the 4A state tournament. At 6-foot-4, Heinicke is dangers when he gets his head on the ball in set pieces, and he has the skill to once again lead Durango on a playoff push.
Other athletes to watch:
Laurin Krings (Loveland softball): The returning 5A player of the year is on a mission to bring home a state championship.
Amelia McCarthy (Cherry Creek field hockey): After falling short in the state championship game last year, McCarthy has the talent to take the Bruins to the top of the field hockey mountain.
Kole Taylor (Grand Junction Central football): Taylor hauled in eight touchdown catches in 2018 and recently committed to LSU. He makes the Warriors an instant threat when he’s on the field.
Cruz Culpepper (Niwot boys cross country): Last year’s 4A champ has ambitions of defending his championship this fall.
The 2019 all-state girls soccer teams honor the best players in the sport as judged by the leagues and coaches. They are presented by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps.
These teams were created following a lengthy process which included nominations from leagues, and then a vote of head coaches.
Player and coach of the year was also selected by a vote of the coaches.
The 2019 all-state girls tennis teams are presented by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps.
These teams were created based upon results at the state tournament.
The athletes who won championships at their classification were named players of the year. Coaches of the year were awarded to the coaches of championship teams.
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Class 5A
(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Player of the year: Valerie Negin, Smoky Hill
Coach of the year: Chris Jacob, Cherry Creek
First Team
Name
Year
School
Pos.
Valerie Negin
Sophomore
Smoky Hill
1S
Sophie Pearson
Senior
Fairview
1S
Alexis Bernthal
Sophomore
Fairview
2S
Sayuri Garud
Senior
Cherry Creek
3S
Halley Mackiernan
Sophomore
Cherry Creek
1D
Anna Fusaris
Sophomore
Cherry Creek
1D
Kaki Cantor
Junior
Cherry Creek
2D
Miranda Kawula
Junior
Cherry Creek
2D
Wesley Sternberg
Freshman
Chatfield
3D
Kaitlyn Speer
Freshman
Chatfield
3D
Ella Barclay
Sophomore
Cherry Creek
4D
Dahlia Rappaport
Sophomore
Cherry Creek
4D
[divider]
Class 4A
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
Player of the year: Lucy Lu, Niwot
Coach of the year: Dave Adams, Cheyenne Mountain
First Team
Name
Year
School
Pos.
Lucy Lu
Sophomore
Niwot
1S
Josie Schaffer
Senior
Kent Denver
1S
Jensen Enterman
Junior
Cheyenne Mountain
2S
Tessa Rothwell
Sophomore
Palmer Ridge
3S
Emma Delich
Sophomore
Cheyenne Mountain
1D
Sydney Wagner
Sophomore
Cheyenne Mountain
1D
Maedee Trank-Green
Junior
Niwot
2D
Lily Sieben
Junior
Niwot
2D
Anna Sallee
Freshman
Niwot
3D
Georgia Lang
Freshman
Niwot
3D
Paige Shrader
Freshman
Windsor
4D
Emmy Butler
Freshman
Windsor
4D
[divider]
Class 3A
(Adam Hothersall/CHSAANow.com)
Player of the year: Trisha Somasundaram, Peak to Peak
WINDSOR — It is in no way ideal, but sometimes you just have to roll with the punches.
Such is the case with the fickle spring weather in Colorado.
Mother Nature threw a monkey wrench — and some snow, rain and freezing temperatures — into the girls state golf championship plans and turned what was supposed to be a two-day affair, into a single round on Monday. In Windsor at Pelican Lakes Golf Course, the host Wizards claimed their second straight Class 4A title with a Monday score of 253 (37-over par) that was 21 shots better than runner-up Niwot (274).
“We just didn’t know what was going to happen and kind of what we wanted to have happen was to be first yesterday and if we play today then we will be first today as well,” Windsor coach Kenny Anderson said. “That was our mindset going in and fortunately we were able to accommodate that yesterday.”
The foursome of Jessica Zapf (79), Kinsey Smith (85), Brynn Ellis (89) and Sarah Johnson (89) was fantastic for the Wizards all year long and it will be tough for Anderson to have to say good bye to three seniors that have brought back-to-back state title to the program.
“It’s setting in now because we are kind of in state championship mode,” said Anderson, who returns Ellis and a promising group of underclassmen next year. “The seniors won four regional titles in a row and it has been an incredible run for these girls. They are a special group and we will have fond memories and they have set the program up for the young girls behind them.”
(Jon E. Yunt/CHSAANow.com)
The medalist honors went to Holy Family junior Hailey Schalk. She joins Cherry Creek’s Lynn Ann Moretto (1995-97) and Mullen’s Ashley Tait (2002, 2004-05) — now the Mustangs’ coach — as the only three-time champions since the sport was sanctioned in 1990.
She can bet she already has her sights set on making history in 2020.
“I think it would be amazing to win four and I definitely want to, and I’m definitely going to keep working hard to get there,” said Schalk, whose Day 1 score of 72 was six shots better than both Mullen freshman Sophia Choi and Vista PEAK’s Kylie Severin. “Honestley, I think I can improve everywhere as long as I keep practicing like I am and maybe even harder, then I think I can get there.”
LAKEWOOD — Luc Andrada saw a glimpse of the future.
“Before the 4×100, I swear I’ve never been more confident before a race,” Andrada said on the final day of the state track and field championships. “I had a weird gut feeling that we would PR by half a second and win it. That’s what we did.”
Andrada and his teammates capped off a terrific weekend for Pueblo East, claiming the 4A 400-meter relay title in a time of 42.40 seconds.
But, the victory did not come so easily. In the preliminary round, held on Friday, Pueblo East finished 4th with a time of 42.98. Only 0.17 of a second separated Windsor in 1st and Skyline in 5th though.
The senior sprinter knew how close Saturday’s final would be, but Pueblo East had a lightning rod in Andrada as the anchor leg. As long as he could get the baton relatively close to the leaders, he would have a chance of winning.
After all, he was the 4A king of the sprints this season, tallying gold medals in the 100 and 200-meter dashes. Andrada simply has next-level speed.
“We were thankful to be in lane three, so we could see our competition in front of us,” he said.
And, Kain Medrano, Joe Padula, and Marvin London gave Andrada a shot. They were in the thick of the race with one leg to go, but Skyline (42.54, 2nd place) and Canon City (42.63, 3rd) were ahead.
Andrada made it all up in the final 100 meters, causing the Jeffco Stadium crowd to buzz.
He had plenty of spectators chatting about him throughout the final day of competition. His winning times of 10.51 in the 100 and 21.21 in the 200 were slightly wind-aided but very swift.
The 4A 100 state record of 10.53, which Andrada would’ve beaten if his time was wind-legal, has been held since 2000 (Gregg Trigg of Fountain Fort-Carson).
Nevertheless, Andrada put the finishing touches on a memorable prep career, and with style, while also anchoring Pueblo East to a 4×200 relay state crown on Friday.
“They just gave me a chance,” he said of the 4×200. “With a team like that, how can you lose it?”
Medrano, Padula, and Oscar Flores were the other members of that relay as they gave Andrada the baton in a close battle with Pueblo West (runner-up).
For all of Andrada’s accomplishments in football, East was the state runner-up his senior year and the champion in 2016, Medrano has been a decorated athlete as well. He broke the 4A state meet record in discus on Thursday (188-6) and finished runner-up in shot put.
Medrano will soon be a football player for UCLA, while Andrada will compete at Brigham Young University in both football and track.
“He motivates me to be a better person day in and day out,” Andrada said of their friendship. “He’s always pushing me to be better. He deserves every accomplishment.”
[divider]
Class 5A
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
The Valor Christian boys won their first state championship as a track and field team with 90 points. They also won the girls title as Fort Collins (57 boys points) was the runner-up for both genders.
Cian Quiroga will bring a title back to Valor in the discus (182-4) and Cole Sprout won his second 1,600 crown (4A in 2018) in 4:13. They also earned gold in the 4×100 relay (42.46).
Fort Collins’ Joseph Maguire, the anchor of their 4×400 relay group, just barely edged out Arapahoe at the line as the teams ran 3:18.77 and 3:18.78.
A terrific 110 hurdles showdown between seniors Zion Gordon of Regis Jesuit and Cameron Harris of Brighton produced swift times of 13.85 and 14.03. Gordon, a University of Southern California recruit, won the 5A crown.
Gordon (10.67) got the better of Harris (10.72) again in the 100-meter dash, the next event on Saturday. Both will be competing at the collegiate level as Brighton’s super sprinter signed with Air Force.
Harris was also the runner-up in the 300 hurdles to Garrett Nelson of Poudre (37.16). Nelson’s time was sixth-fastest in Colorado prep history.
Eaglecrest’s Langston Williams will bring a gold medal back to Aurora with his 400 win (48.59).
Monarch’s Max Manson capped his storied career with three pole vault state titles. He cleared 16 feet, 8 inches in his prep finale.
[divider]
Class 4A
Niwot needed to finish at least fifth in the final event of the weekend, the 4×400 relay, to capture the team crown over Pueblo East but instead the Cougars won the event in a time of 3:22.86. Niwot bettered Pueblo East 66-60 in the final team standings. The Cougars also won the girls crown.
Zhaire Jackson (Northfield) topped the 110 hurdles field in 14.60 seconds.
Niwot junior Cruz Culpepper smoothly crossed the line in 4:16.69 to earn a 1,600 championship, adding to his 800 crown on Friday and helping Niwot earn a team trophy.
Brendan Young, the pride of Canon City, won a pair of jump titles this weekend (long and triple). He leapt 47 feet, 11 inches in triple jump Saturday.
[divider]
Class 3A
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
Manitou Springs produced the 100 and 200 champion in Jayden Omi. His times were 10.97 and 22.14 seconds.
Nate Hanson of Lutheran (14.31) was the 110-hurdles champion as the Lions swept the boys (91.5 points) and girls team titles. Mike Ciccio was second in the 400 and Lutheran piled up points with great depth.
Lutheran has won six state titles in boys track and field.
Denver West, with brothers Yasin and Ahmed Sado finishing 1-2 in the 1,600, was the runner-up with 65 points.
Elizabeth’s Mason Anthony, the 3A state record holder in the 300 hurdles, didn’t quite top his best time but still finished 1st in 38.67.
Alamosa won the boys (3:23) and girls (3:58) 4×400 relays, while Ian Jackson and Lilly Lavier were individual 400 champions for Alamosa.
[divider]
Class 2A
Lyons boys (68 points) claimed their fifth team title in track and field, but first since 2015. Mancos was the runner-up with 57. Lyons excelled in distance events once again.
Both competitors, Grant Redmond of Soroco and and Jake Chrisman of Yuma, cleared 6 feet, 7 inches in the high jump but Redmond won with fewer attempts. Chrisman was the pole vault gold medal winner on Thursday.
David Trujillo of Rocky Ford was the champion in the 100 with a time of 11.19.
Clear Creek boys won the 4×100 relay (44.10).
Alex Ramos (Holly, 50.14) cruised in the 400.
Jaden Evans of Telluride (4:30.27) held off Isaac Roberts of Lyons (4:30.77) in the 1,600.
Victor Mendoza (20 feet, 10.5 inches) of Yuma was the long jump champion.
[divider]
Class 1A
The Heritage Christian boys scored points in bunches, securing the team title again with 148 points. They won in 2018 in much the same way with firepower in distance as Levi Kilian (4:28) and Seth Bruxvoort (4:32) both shattered the 1A State meet record in the 1,600 and were 1st and 2nd.
HCA tallied points in many other events, as well, including the 300 hurdles (Ryan Zrubek, champion) and the 200 (Jaden Johnson, 1st).
Arlo Garner of Cotopaxi (15.48) was the state champion in 110 hurdles.
Elton Yarger of Stratton/Liberty broke the triple jump state record yesterday and clinched the 400 title in 50.61 seconds today.
Pikes Peak Christian’s Tommy Harmon (12-10) climbed higher than anyone in pole vault.
Simla (3:37.82) won the 4×400 relay and finished runner-up in the team standings. Simla also claimed the 4×100 title and Darias Harms was the 100 champion in a new 1A State Meet record of 11.18.
LAKEWOOD — Five weeks ago, Anna Hall’s ankle was in a boot and with her final Colorado track and field state championships in doubt, the Valor Christian senior wasn’t doing much smiling around that time.
But she recovered just in time to join the fray this weekend, and Hall’s smile returned immediately. Then that championship smile grew bigger and brighter with every state title she claimed and with each record she set over the course of the three-day meet.
In all, Hall left Jefferson County Stadium with gold medals from the Class 5A girls 100- and 300-meter hurdles, as well as having imprinted her name on all-classification records in the 4×200-meter and 4×800-meter relays.
It took a pretty fast recovery but Hall is feeling like herself again.
“With each race, I’m starting to feel more and more like my usual myself before I got injured,” Hall said. “That felt so good because it felt kind of like old Anna. That’s why I was smiling so much, because I feel good and we were winning.”
Hall’s first medal came after she crossed the finish line – smiling – in 14.18 seconds to win the 100-meter hurdles. Later in the day, Hall, who is still the 4A state meet 300-meter hurdles record holder and will run track for the University of Georgia next year, won the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 41.70.
Finally, she ran a sub-54-second split to anchor the Eagles – Reese Dragovich, Camille Peisner, Quincy McMahon and Hall – to a 4×400-meter relay that set an all-classification record of 3:41.89 in the final girls event of the day. The previous record of 3:45.69, was set by Littleton and had stood since 2011.
“I’m just happy I was back in time to run here,” said Hall, who had a Grade 3 ankle sprain. “When I first injured it, they said six to eight weeks and I think right now I’m at five and a half weeks. I rehabbed for like three hours every day and my PT people were super amazing. I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time and it couldn’t have turned out better.”
Hall’s dominating finish was a fitting end to the Eagles’ state meet, which certainly began with a flurry and ended with both the Valor Christian girls and boys winning team titles.
On Thursday’s opening day, Hall along with teammates Destiny Grimes, Sadie McMullen and Peisner, set an all-classification record of 1:37.00 in the 4×200-meter relay prelims well before the won the state title on Friday. The previous record was 1:37.05, set by Pine Creek in 2014.
[divider]
Class 5A
(Brad Cochi/CHSAANow.com)
Denver East senior Arria Minor went through her typical state meet routine on Saturday, winning the 100 and 200 to push her career total to 10 total individual titles, and added her first-ever relay title by anchoring the Angels’ 400-meter relay team to victory. Along the way, the girl who may go down as the greatest sprinter in Colorado preps history tied the all-time state record of 11.31 in the 100 meters.
After placing third for the past two years in a row, Fairview’s Marlena Preigh won the 1,600 in 4:59.53. The Knights senior also defended her 800 title on Friday.
Grandview junior Lily Williams continued what has been a consistently-excellent prep career in the 400, winning the event in 53.63 to defend the title she won as a sophomore in 2018. As a freshman, she was runner-up to Minor.
To prove her title-winning discus throw of 142 feet was no fluke on Saturday, Loveland’s Kajsa Borrman made sure to hit the mark twice in the finals.
Despite battling injuries throughout the season, Monarch junior Mia Manson defended her pole vault title by clearing 12 feet.
[divider]
Class 4A
(Brad Cochi/CHSAANow.com)
Niwot won the team title with 123 points, which was an incredible 65 points ahead of runner-up Battle Mountain. That was in no small part a result of sophomore Taylor James’ versatile performance. She won the 200 and 400, and ran a leg of the Cougars’ winning 4×200 relay, all on Saturday and a day after setting a 4A meet record of 2:08.29 in the 800 on Friday.
After leading the Mead Mavericks to their school’s first girls title in the sprint medley last spring, Abbey Glynn won Mead’s first girls title in an individual event with a 44.35 in the 300-meter hurdles. The senior finished her career with 14 state medals out of a possible 16 opportunties.
The fastest race of the day went to Harrison’s Ereana McCallister, who won the 100-meter dash in 12.37 seconds.
[divider]
Class 3A
(Brad Cochi/CHSAANow.com)
Have a day, Jordan Lanning. The Bayfield senior made her presence known immediately on Saturday morning, setting a 3A meet record of 14.20 in the 100-meter hurdles. After setting a 3A meet record of 5-8 in the high jump on Thursday and winning the long jump on Friday, it’s safe to say Lanning had more than a good day at the 2019 state championships.
“It’s just felt different when I crossed the finish line,” said Lanning, who also placed third in the 300-hurdles. “I can barely even remember that race.”
Lutheran won the team championship, sweeping 3A with the boys.
The Classical Academy’s Kaylee Thompson (5:04.27) and Katie Flaherty (5:04.61) went 1-2 in the 1,600, helping the team to a runner-up finish.
[divider]
Class 2A
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
It was clear by Saturday that this year’s team champion would be Highland and the rest of the top teams were competing for second place. Highland ended up winning with 100 points, a full 32 ahead of runner-up Lyons.
Reigning champion Remington Ross wasn’t letting anyone near the 100 and 200 titles on Saturday. The Highland junior set a meet record of 11.84 in the 100 and cruised to victory with a 24.77 in the 200. She also won the long jump.
Hotchkiss senior Kiaya set a 2A state meet record of 55.76 in the 400. She broke the previous record of 56.34 set in 2013 by Jennifer Celis, who also went to Hotchkiss. Firor, who also won the 100- and 300-meter hurdles, set a 2A meet record in the later with a time of 44.06.
[divider]
Class 1A
With 108 total points, the Dragons from De Beque won the team title by an impressive 35 points over runner-up Heritage Christian.
Leading the way for the Dragons, senior Faith Novess won the 100 hurdles and set a 1A meet record of 45 seconds flat in the 300 hurdles. She now has six individual medals in her career.
