Cherry Creek is atop the Class 5A football poll this week. More photos. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
Cherry Creek, fresh off of two impressive wins to begin the season, has ascended to the top of CHSAANow.com’s Class 5A football rankings this week.
The Bruins, defending 5A champions, beat Heritage in Zero Week, then followed it up with a 17-3 win over then-No. 4 Regis Jesuit in Week 1. They received 11 of the 18 first-place votes, and edged out Pomona, which moved up to No. 2 after getting six first-place votes.
Cherry Creek and Pomona play on Friday.
Pomona, No. 3 in the preseason, beat No. 1 Valor Christian last week. Valor Christian fell to No. 3 in the 5A poll.
Columbine is fourth, and Grandview moved into the top five following its win over Chaparral. Ralston Valley also moved up — to sixth — after its Week 1 win over Eaglecrest.
Regis Jesuit fell three spots to seventh, Fairview is eighth and Doherty moved up to ninth. Mullen is the lone newcomer to 5A this week at No. 10. The Mustangs opened the season with a 41-0 win against Gateway.
There are also new No. 1 teams in the 2A and 8-man rankings.
Kent Denver is now No. 1 in Class 2A. More photos. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
In 8-man, Dayspring Christian takes over at the top. The Eagles narrowly edged out Norwood with 75 total points to Norwood’s 74 — despite Norwood actually getting more first-place votes (four) than Dayspring (three).
The 8-man poll added Haxtun (No. 9) and Merino (No. 10) this week.
Each of the other No. 1 teams held firm this week: Pine Creek (4A), Pueblo East (3A), Paonia (1A) and Fleming (6-man).
The biggest movers in 4A’s ranking were Windsor, which moved up to fourth and Vista Ridge, now ranked No. 6. That poll added three new teams: No. 8 Ponderosa, No. 9 Greeley West and No. 10 Wheat Ridge.
In 3A, Rifle jumped up from No. 8 to No. 4. That poll, too, has three new members: No. 7 Berthoud, No. 8 D’Evelyn and No. 9 Lewis-Palmer.
There were no new teams in 1A, though Burlington did jump from No. 10 to No. 6.
The 6-man poll added Cheraw at No. 8.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. Polls are released each Monday.
Loveland 13, Montrose 7, Pueblo West 7, Rampart 6, Denver South 4, Palmer Ridge 4, Fort Collins 3, Durango 2, Silver Creek 2, Greeley Central 1.
Dropped out
Denver South (5), Fort Collins (8), Pueblo South (9).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
1
Pueblo East (8)
1-1
130
1
2
Fort Morgan (5)
1-0
109
2
3
Holy Family
1-0
107
4
4
Rifle (1)
2-0
89
8
5
Palisade
1-0
72
5
6
Roosevelt
1-1
50
6
7
Berthoud
1-0
43
–
8
D’Evelyn
1-0
35
–
9
Lewis-Palmer
1-0
29
–
10
Delta
1-1
24
9
Others receiving votes:
Discovery Canyon 20, Mead 13, Evergreen 11, The Classical Academy 8, Conifer 7, Erie 6, Mitchell 4, Pueblo Central 4, Canon City 3, Pueblo County 2, Eagle Valley 1, Frederick 1, Lutheran 1, Thomas Jefferson 1.
Brush head coach Reid Kahl chats with his assistants during football practice. (Photo courtesy of Scott Hodgson/Brush High School)
[dropcap]R[/dropcap]eid Kahl is no stranger to defending state championships. Kahl was able to secure Class 4A titles in 2006 and 2008 while he was the head coach at Wheat Ridge.
Now he has the task of defending a 2A championship. Only, unlike those at Wheat Ridge, this is not a state championship that he won. This offseason, Kahl was hired by Brush to take over for Randy Dreitz. Dreitz left the team in March after leading the Beetdiggers to the 2A state championship.
“After the season was over last year, everybody pretty much knew that Randy was going to retire,” Kahl said. “I didn’t think much about it until later in the spring when the job opened up. I had a lot of people from the community reach out to me and show a lot of interest in me doing it.”
The start of Brush’s title defense is a more interesting story for Kahl himself rather than the team. The Beetdiggers kick their season off by traveling to Fort Morgan on Sept. 4. Kahl was a standout football player for the Mustangs, who happen to be the Beetdiggers’ rivals.
“I’m going to be completely honest with you, and I’m not just saying this, it’s been a much bigger deal for everyone else than it has been for me,” Kahl said. “It’s been since 2001, which was my last season in Fort Morgan.”
Karl left the Farmers after the 2013 season and took last year off before taking the job at Brush. It was a summer of turnover at the school as a new principal and athletic director were named at the same meeting.
To echo the sentiment of Kahl, it was really the community support that brought his name into the coaching search since there wasn’t an athletic director to include him in it.
“None of us that hired Reid were here,” said athletic director Scott Hodgson, who is also in his first year at the school after coming over from Holly. “Once we found out that was the choice, we were really happy. He’s had great success everywhere he’s been.”
Karl comes in this season with the task of defending a state championship that he was not a part of. The Beetdiggers also lost a big senior class, including 2A player of the year Kyle Rosenbrock.
Fair or not, this young Brush team comes into the season, not only with a new coach, but also with a target on its back.
“It’s a different situation and it’s not an easy situation,” Kahl said. “They graduated a ton of seniors last year and I have a really inexperienced team. We all know that there’s a big target on our back and I talked to the kids about it when I first met with them.”
But that won’t matter to the teams on the opposite sideline. They’ll only see “Brush” on the jerseys and they’ll know that was the last team to walk away as state champions.
Karl knows the expectations are high and that he is walking into a program that will expect him to win. His track record at Wheat Ridge indicates that he can find success. His plan is to just run the systems that he’s comfortable running and hope that it translates into wins for the Beetdiggers.
“I’ve installed a lot of the same offense that I run wherever I’m (coaching),” Kahl said. “We spent a lot time on it over the summer and the kids have done a nice job picking it up.”
He gets his chance to see just how well they’ve picked it up when Brush travels to Fort Morgan on Sept. 4. Kahl has plenty of good memories from when he was with the Mustangs but knows once the ball kicked-off, it’s time to focus on his job as the coach of the Beetdiggers.
“After 26 years of coaching, it’s not like I was there yesterday,” Kahl said. “I think it seems to be a big to people on the outside and not so much for me.”
2A: Cole Bryant (Sr.) La Junta, Connor Dooley (Sr.) Kent Denver, Anthony Ibarra (Sr.) Platte Valley, Parker Joens (Sr.) Platte Valley, Brett Loyd, (Sr.) Moffat County, Mitchell Martin, (Sr.) Strasburg, Will McKissick (Sr.) Kent Denver, Ty Percival (Sr.) Gunnison, Victor Perez (Sr.) Montezuma-Cortez, Zane Phelps (Sr.) Bayfield, Carl Schmidt (Sr.) Kent Denver, Clay Shaver (Sr.) Brush, Joao Thives (Sr.) Denver North, Brady Wilson (Sr.) Gunnison, Luke Wilson (Sr.) Kent Denver, Zeke Zuelke (Sr.) Bennett
1A: Beau Beckman (Sr.) Wray, Hank Bode (Sr.) Platte Canyon, Bryce Buhr (Sr.) Crowley County, Devin Christian (Sr.) Limon, Luke Cross (Sr.) Resurrection Christian, Sabyn Diamond (Sr.) Buena Vista, Austin Dinis (Sr.) Wiggins, Cooper Eggleston (Sr.) Buena Vista, Jayden Hilferty (Sr.) Limon, TJ Shelton (Sr.) Meeker, Taylor Walters (Sr.) Paonia, Cooper Ward (Sr.) Resurrection Christian, Trey Zupancic (Sr.) Rye
8-man: Alex Davis (Sr.) Vail Christian, Spencer Gatlin (Sr.) Dove Creek, Jason George (Sr.) Simla, Rafe Hutches (Sr.) Springfield, Tre Jensen (Sr.) Granada, Anthony Payne (Jr.) Hoehne, Mitch Sides (Sr.) Dayspring Schristian Academy, Bruce Taylor (Sr.) Caliche, Matt Thieman (Sr.) Simla, Joey Younkerman (Sr.) Sargent
6-man: Jaxon Crawford (Jr.) Kit Carson, Dylan Dixon (Sr.) Eads, Luke Duggan (Sr.) Pawnee, Caine Farmer (Sr.) Kit Carson, Chase Flynn (Jr.) Stratton/Liberty, Tristan Headrick (Sr.) Cheraw, Ben Lambrecht (Sr.) Fleming, Reagan Lane (Sr.) Eads, Trent Leoffler (Sr.) Arickaree/Woodlin, Jordan Nelson (Sr.) Peetz, Tanner Patterson (Jr.) Otis, Marco Solis (Sr.) Kit Carson, Joesph Stahley (Sr.) Fleming, Alex Vandenbark (Jr.) Fleming, Cody Wilson (Jr.) Peetz
Regular season begins: Sept. 3
Postseason begins: Nov. 7
State championship: Nov. 21 (6-man), Nov. 28 (8-man, 1A and 2A)
Dylan McCaffrey (12) and Valor Christian open 2015 as the No. 1 team in Class 5A. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Defending champions rule the preseason football rankings, save for two classifications.
Pine Creek (Class 4A), Pueblo East (3A), Brush (2A), Paonia (1A) and Caliche (8-man) all won championships last season — and each one sat atop their respective classfication when the preseason CHSAANow.com Football Polls were released on Monday.
Only Valor Christian (5A) and Fleming (6-man) are preseason No. 1 teams without being a defending champion. Valor was the runner-up in 5A last season, while Fleming was a semifinalists in 6-man.
The 5A voters were pretty determined that the top three teams this season would be Valor, Cherry Creek and Pomona. Each team received at least one first-place vote, and the trio separated themselves from the rest of the field by more than 50 points each.
Valor got nine of the 15 first-place votes and totaled 140 points. Cherry Creek, last season’s 5A champion, is No. 2 with four first-place votes and 134 total points. Pomona got one first-place vote and is No. 3 at 123 total points.
At No. 4 is Regis Jesuit and new coach Dan Filleman. Perennial contender Columbine rounds out the top five.
Fairview, led by senior star Carlo Kemp, checks in at No. 6; returning semifinalist Grandview is No. 7; and Fountain-Fort Carson is No. 8.
Ralston Valley, another semifinalist, opens at No. 9, and Doherty rounds out the ranking at No. 10.
Longmont, the 4A runner-up, is No. 2; Dakota Ridge is third; and Falcon (No. 4) and Denver South (No. 5) round out the top five.
Pueblo East is No. 1 in 3A’s preseason poll. (Mark Adams)
In 3A, defending champion Pueblo East returns a stacked roster, but will have a new coach in interim head Lee Meisner. Even still, the Eagles got 13 of the 14 first-place votes in 3A, and lead the ranking.
Fort Morgan got the other first-place vote and is No. 2 to begin the year. Evergreen is third, Holy Family is fourth and Palisade is No. 5.
Brush, another team looking to defend its title, led the 2A poll with seven of the 10 first-place votes. The Beetdiggers, too, have a new coach: Reid Kahl. Kent Denver, last year’s runner-up, opens at No. 2.
In the 1A ranking, Paonia, the defending champion, received eight of the 12 first-place votes. Buena Vista is No. 2.
The 8-man poll was interesting. Defending champion Caliche leads the way at No. 1 in the preseason, but four different teams received first-place votes — including Dayspring Christian at No. 3, which got three top votes. Caliche and No. 2 Norwood each got two first-place votes, and Granada got one.
Fleming got four first-place votes to lead the 6-man ranking, while No. 2 Eads and No. 3 Arickaree/Woodlin each received one. Arickaree/Woodlin won last season’s title.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. Polls are released each Monday.
Greeley West 19, Montrose 15, Ponderosa 5, Pueblo West 4, Rampart 4, Wheat Ridge 4, Standley Lake 3.
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Pueblo East (13)
0-0
130
2
Fort Morgan (1)
0-0
94
3
Evergreen
0-0
74
4
Holy Family
0-0
73
5
Palisade
0-0
65
6
Roosevelt
0-0
61
7
Discovery Canyon
0-0
47
8
Rifle
0-0
43
9
Delta
0-0
39
10
Lutheran
0-0
26
Others receiving votes:
Berthoud 20, Canon City 18, D’Evelyn 18, The Classical Academy 15, Conifer 9, Pueblo Central 8, Pueblo County 8, Erie 7, Lewis-Palmer 6, Glenwood Springs 5, Niwot 2, Mead 1, Thomas Jefferson 1.
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Brush (7)
0-0
92
2
Kent Denver (2)
0-0
89
3
Strasburg
0-0
63
4
Faith Christian
0-0
59
5
Platte Valley
0-0
54
6
Eaton
0-0
44
7
Gunnison
0-0
42
8
Bayfield (1)
0-0
32
9
Florence
0-0
27
10
Lamar
0-0
18
Others receiving votes:
La Junta 13, Bennett 4, Moffat County 4, Trinidad 4, Sterling 2, Valley 2, Alamosa 1.
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Paonia (8)
0-0
125
2
Buena Vista (4)
0-0
120
3
Meeker
0-0
81
4
Resurrection Christian (1)
0-0
78
5
Platte Canyon
0-0
60
6
Rye
0-0
56
7
Monte Vista
0-0
36
8
Cedaredge
0-0
30
9
Wiggins
0-0
29
10
Burlington
0-0
28
Others receiving votes:
Crowley County 17, Limon 17, Colorado Springs Christian 11, Centauri 9, Ellicott 6, Center 4, Hotchkiss 4, Wray 4, Denver Christian 1.
8-man
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Caliche (2)
0-0
60
2
Norwood (2)
0-0
59
3
Dayspring Christian (3)
0-0
54
4
Granada (1)
0-0
52
5
Hoehne
0-0
50
6
Akron
0-0
38
7
Sedgwick County
0-0
35
8
Springfield
0-0
23
9
Simla
0-0
15
10
Sargent
0-0
13
Others receiving votes:
Vail Christian 10, Sangre de Cristo 8, Wiley 7, Merino 6, Haxtun 4, Holly 4, Fowler 2.
The 2014-15 all-state skiing teams are presented by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps.
These teams were created based upon results at the state meet. Skiers of the year were selected based upon the number of team points they produced during the meet.
Skimeister is a season-long event conducted by the Colorado High School Ski League which honors the top skier in both disciplines.
Scroll down to see the teams, or use the menu below to navigate to the class of your choosing.
KEYSTONE — On a bluebird day, temperatures in the 40s baked Upper Go Devil, the run in which the giant slalom course was set to kick off two days of skiing state championships.
The field of 71 girls began their turns downhill promptly. It didn’t take long for viewers to notice the snow was firmer than met the eye and the turns were full of pebble-like chops of hard-pack, creating the chattering ski edges of competing high schoolers.
The upper half was mellow, but the second half was a steep pitch that ended with a tough, sharp maneuver around the last gate to reach the finish line. Merely a quarter of the riders had finished before one went careening into the netting at the bottom.
The tournament director and jury eventually decided to move the gate and races resumed.
All previous racers were then given the opportunity to race again, and if they accepted, the second time would be the one to count. Now racing for time to fit all the events in one day and give all competitors an equal chance, racers and spectators alike made adjustments and avoided protest.
When all the hiccups had passed, Aspen sophomore Quincy Dollahan, finished on top with a time of 1:22.1.
Last year was her first year racing, a season in which she placed in the top-10.
“I haven’t been practicing as much as I liked to so I was not expecting this. I’m pretty psyched,” Dollahan said. “I really liked this course, but I’m not so sure many others did. I am just really excited to be here and that helped me win.”
Dollahan heads into the slalom race Friday morning, though she notes her stronger event is the giant slalom.
Gisele Thompson from Summit and Brenna Hattler out of Evergreen followed behind her. Sophie Defries, a junior at Nederland, who placed fourth, agrees with Dollahan’s enjoyment with the course.
“That was a really fun run,” she said. “It was fast and straight, one of those courses where if you mess up you’re done for, which is scary, but there was just this prevalent feeling of fun the whole way down.”
The boys giant slalom ran a little smoother, and very similar to last year.
Spectators remembered teammates Sands Simonton and Quintin Cook of Battle Mountain taking first and second place last season. They didn’t skip a beat.
The two seemingly neck-and-neck classmates raced on Friday in the slalom, a race Simonton topped last year as well. Simonton won in 1:17.3. Cook was second in 1:18.7. Luke Bailey of Platte Canyon followed in third on Thursday.
Due to the morning delay, parents and coaches scrambled to get the Skimeisters — racers who compete in both alpine and nordic events — to the Frisco Adventure Center.
(Danielle Ennis/CHSAANow.com)
The girls led the Nordic Skate race, followed by the boys.
The Aspen girls squad, a strong contender every year, qualified 10 ladies. Four of those finished in the top 10.
Nina Beidleman was among the exhausted athletes as the sun set and temperatures dropped.
“It hurts the whole race,” said Beidleman, a fourth-place finisher. “But you might as well get a reward from all the pain.”
As with the downhill course, the Nordic one seemed to entertain the racers.
“There were so many downhills and transitions,” Beidleman said. “It was so fun to compete on.”
Summit’s Ezra Smith won the event in 15:22.5. Vail Mountain’s Maddie Donovan (15:40.1) was second.
The boys closed out the packed day, with Summit’s Henry Trowbridge (14:10.4) and Aspen’s Nick Sweeney (14:25.7) finishing first and second.
Cook, the dual discipline competitor who raced his way from downhill to cross-country, showed every bit of tenacity as he crossed his second finish line of the day, with two more to go Friday.
“Everyday we train for both. I’m used to hopping right from one set of gear to the next,” he said. “But it really hurts to do two in one day. And it also feels great.”
