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.
The 2019 all-state football teams 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 across the state.
Players were placed onto the first-team, second-team and honorable mention based upon the number of votes they received. In 5A-1A, spots were reserved for linemen and one kicker/punter, while 8-man reserved spots for linemen.
CHSAA does not determine who makes or doesn’t make the team; they are created from the results of the coaches’ vote.
Chaparral, unbeaten at 3-0-0, has taken over as the No. 1 team in this week’s hockey rankings.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. During the regular season, the poll will release each Monday.
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.
DENVER — Gavin Herberg used his legs, and then his arm, to help Pine Creek’s football come full circle.
The Pine Creek senior quarterback used a pair of big runs to set up touchdowns, and his 35-yard scoring strike late in the third quarter helped seal a 34-3 victory over Broomfield in the Class 4A state championship game Saturday afternoon at Empower Field at Mile High.
It was Pine Creek’s third trip to the title game but the first title since Herberg’s freshman season, when the Eagles also defeated Broomfield for the crown.
“I’ve been playing with some of these guys forever,” Herberg said. “Being able to come out on top like this – we’ve come up short a couple years, but coming out on top like this our senior year, there’s nothing like it.”
Herberg did the most damage with his legs, rushing for 131 yards on only eight carries with a touchdown. His 52-yard run in the first quarter helped set up David Moore III’s first touchdown run, and Herberg’s 53-yard in the third quarter led to his own 11-yard score.
On the very next possession, he found Eddie Kyle open for a 35-yard touchdown to make it 21-3.
“He let me go get the ball,” Kyle said. “That’s what we both like to do. We’ve been doing this together since I think seventh grade. We’ve always had that connection, so it’s just great to see how our last touchdown came out.”
Moore added another short rushing score for Pine Creek (13-1) and Kyle finished things off with a 74-yard interception return.
“I’ve been on Instagram and all that, and I’ve seen ‘oh my gosh, team comes back with a minute and 30 seconds left to go,’” Kyle said. “I always play like the game’s not over until the clock hits zero.”
Pine Creek’s defense was stifling all season, but even more so in the postseason. The Eagles allowed only 33 combined points in four games, and just three points between the semifinals and championship game.
The Eagles had three sacks and two interceptions. Outside of a 46-yard pass from wide receiver Grant Swenson to Trey Ortega – which led to Broomfield’s only points of the game on a 28-yard field goal from Matthew Eich – the Eagles (13-1) never really found their rhythm against Pine Creek.
Caden Peters, the state’s leading rusher coming into the game, was limited to 73 yards on 25 carries. Zachary Kapushion passed for 51 yards and was picked off twice.
Still, Broomfield trailed just 7-3 going into halftime thanks to a strong performance from its own defense.
“That first half we felt a little sluggish, but then we came out and we dominated that second half,” Kyle said. “We went into halftime and we just knew we needed to slow it down a little bit and we needed to keep our composure and just ball out that second half.”
Pine Creek did exactly that, as Herberg’s second big run of the afternoon set up an 11-yard keeper on fourth down. Broomfield was held on fourth down thanks to a big tackle from Abner Schwab, and a personal foul on Pine Creek’s next possession gave the Eagles new life. On the next play, Herberg found Kyle down the left sideline.
“That’s all thanks to the men up front. They do a great job,” Herberg said of his rushing success. “Our coaches do a great job of getting them set. They get up there and allow me to make plays.”
Moore capped his prep career in third place on the state’s all-time rushing list with 7,624 yards. Moore, who rushed for 112 yards and the two scores Saturday, finished off a 95-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run early in the first quarter. He added another 1-yard run in the closing minutes.
Pine Creek’s outgoing senior class finishes as part of a group that went 47-7 over four years.
“We finished three out of four years in this stadium, and it was fantastic,” Herberg said. “Junior year we couldn’t get here, and it was very sad, but being able to come out on top, it’s amazing.”
More photos. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)More photos. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
The two teams have not met this season. They have not played since the 2016 season, when they met in this very game for the Class 4A title. Pine Creek won that meeting, 36-14.
This will be the fourth time the programs have matched up in the postseason, according to the Colorado Preps playoff database. Pine Creek has won the previous three games.
This will be Pine Creek’s sixth state championship appearance as a program, all of which have come since 2011. It is their third appearance in four years. They have won four championships, with the most recent coming in 2017.
Saturday will be Broomfield’s eighth state championship game appearance, and first since that 2016 game. The program’s first appearance was in 1979. The Eagles have won three titles, with the most recent coming in 1984.
They have one common opponent: Longmont, and the Trojans actually faced both Eagles in back-to-back weeks. Broomfield beat Longmont 44-7 in the final week of the regular season, and the Pine Creek beat Longmont 48-13 in the first round of the playoffs.
Rushing offense: 3,706 yards and 48 touchdowns. They average 285.1 yards per game.
Passing offense: 1,923 yards and 26 touchdowns.
Scoring: They are averaging 43.2 points per game.
Defense: The defense has forced 12 turnovers, including eight interceptions. They are allowing 13.0 points per game. They have an incredible 33.5 sacks, which are the most in 4A.
Special teams: Luke Wieland is 70-of-73 on PATs, and 5-of-6 on field goals, including a long of 33.
Top players: Senior running back David Moore III is the engine of the offense, with 2,490 yards and 34 touchdowns, which are the most in the state in any classification. QB Gavin Herberg has 1,670 passing yards and 24 touchdowns against just five interceptions, and also has six rushing scores (along with 327 yards on the ground). Senior Eddie Kyle is Herberg’s top target with 424 yards and six touchdowns, and he also has a kickoff return for a score. But 11 different Eagles have receiving touchdowns, so they spread it around. Beau Freyler (64) and Elias Rolfe (60) are the team’s leading tacklers, and Rolfe has a team-high 8.5 sacks. Freyler has a team-high three interceptions.
Coach Todd Miller: “The best thing we’ve done is coming into Saturday is we just haven’t turned the ball over. When you do that, and we’ve got a great kicking game, you always have a chance because you can put people on a longer field. Our defense has gotten much better as the season has gone on, and in the playoffs, they’ve played their best football. I think the best thing we’ve done is we’ve started to tackle a little better, and if you do that, you’ve always got a chance.”
Rushing offense: 3,511 yards and 33 touchdowns. They average 270.1 yards per game.
Passing offense: 1,368 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Scoring: They are averaging 32.5 points per game.
Defense: The defense has forced nine turnovers, including seven interceptions. They are allowing 9.38 points per game.
Special teams: Matthew Eich, a junior, has been a very reliable kicker, and is 30-of-32 on PATs, and 8-of-10 in field goals with a long of 45. He hit in the game-winning field goal as time expired in a semifinal win over Dakota Ridge.
Top players: Caden Peters, a senior, leads the state, in all classes, with 2,568 rushing yards. He also has 22 touchdowns. QB Zachary Kapushion has 1,330 passing yards and 17 touchdowns against 11 interceptions. He directed the game-winning drive in the semifinals. Grant Swenson leads the team with 711 receiving yards and seven scores. Both Hall Edmonds and Simon Worthley have a team-high 74 tackles. Worthley also leads the team with three sacks. Aedan Collins and Trey Ortega both have two interceptions.
Coach Blair Hubbard: “We’ve had to overcome some adversity in the playoffs. A couple of weeks ago, I think it was up to 16 players that were sick going into the Chatfield game. In these situations, you’ve got to overcome the adversity. Last week, we had to overcome the adversity of field conditions and nasty weather and grit out a tough football game. We’re excited to not have to wear multiple layers of clothes and snow boots on the sideline. But, yeah, we feel like we’re hitting on all cylinders right now.”
