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
PVS
LW
1
Castle View (7)
13-2
84
1
2-0
2
Mountain Vista
12-2
74
2
1-0
3
Highlands Ranch (3)
14-1
67
3
2-0
4
Rock Canyon
12-3
45
4
2-0
5
Fossil Ridge
11-3
43
9
2-0
6
Chatfield
12-2
38
5
2-0
7
Rocky Mountain
13-1
34
7
1-0
8
Fruita Monument
13-1
29
8
1-0
9
Fort Collins
10-2
24
6
1-1
10
Cherry Creek
13-2
22
10
2-0
Others receiving votes:
Coronado 16, Chaparral 15, Denver East 2, Monarch 2.
Dropped out
None.
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Lewis-Palmer (10)
15-0
109
1
2-0
2
Valor Christian
10-3
81
3
2-0
3
Niwot
13-1
79
2
2-0
4
Holy Family
15-2
66
5
2-0
5
Pueblo West (1)
12-1
64
4
2-0
6
Palmer Ridge
13-2
51
6
2-0
7
D’Evelyn
12-0
49
7
2-0
8
Longmont
13-2
33
8
2-0
9
Windsor
9-5
26
10
2-0
10
Evergreen
9-5
20
–
2-0
Others receiving votes:
Thomas Jefferson 17, Eagle Valley 6, Mountain View 3, Palisade 1.
Dropped out
Thomas Jefferson (9).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Eaton (10)
14-1
100
1
2-0
2
University
12-3
78
2
1-1
3
Resurrection Christian
12-3
66
3
1-0
4
Lutheran (1)
13-2
59
6
1-0
5
Faith Christian
10-3
53
5
1-0
6
Lamar
17-1
50
4
2-0
7
Centauri
14-0
47
7
2-0
8
Coal Ridge
13-0
31
8
6-0
9
Bennett
12-1
29
9
1-0
10
Valley
11-5
21
–
2-0
Others receiving votes:
Bishop Machebeuf 17, Middle Park 16, Sterling 11, Bayfield 7, The Academy 7, Platte Valley 6, The Vanguard 6, Weld Central 4, Frontier Academy 2, Platte Canyon 1.
Wiggins (in Class 2A), Dolores (2A), Bennett (3A), Evergreen (4A) and Rocky Mountain (5A) have each joined their respective volleyball rankings this week.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. Polls are released each Monday.
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
PVS
LW
1
Castle View (9)
10-1
99
1
2-0
2
Mountain Vista
8-2
85
3
0-1
3
Rock Canyon
8-3
59
4
1-1
4
Chatfield
9-2
49
6
5-0
5
Fossil Ridge (1)
7-3
48
2
1-1
6
Highlands Ranch
10-1
47
5
2-0
7
Rocky Mountain (1)
10-1
45
–
1-1
8
Fort Collins
7-1
42
7
2-0
9
Fruita Monument
10-1
36
9
2-0
10
Cherry Creek
9-2
31
8
2-0
Others receiving votes:
Chaparral 21, Coronado 13, Denver East 11, Eaglecrest 6, Legacy 5, Dakota Ridge 3, Legend 2, Regis Jesuit 2, Pine Creek 1.
Dropped out
Chaparral (10).
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Lewis-Palmer (10)
11-0
109
1
3-0
2
Niwot
9-1
83
4
2-0
3
Valor Christian
6-3
78
5
2-1
4
Pueblo West (1)
7-1
71
3
2-0
5
Holy Family
11-2
60
2
2-0
6
Palmer Ridge
10-1
48
9
1-0
7
Longmont
9-2
33
8
1-1
8
Thomas Jefferson
8-3
30
7
0-1
9
D’Evelyn
9-0
19
10
5-0
10
Evergreen
7-3
18
–
2-0
Others receiving votes:
Durango 14, Ponderosa 9, Windsor 9, Silver Creek 6, Eagle Valley 4, Cheyenne Mountain 3, Mountain View 3, Glenwood Springs 2, Mullen 2, Palisade 2, Pueblo County 2.
Dropped out
Cheyenne Mountain (6).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Eaton (13)
10-1
130
1
2-1
2
University
9-2
103
2
2-0
3
Resurrection Christian
10-2
96
3
2-0
4
Lutheran (1)
10-2
60
7
1-0
5
Faith Christian
7-3
58
4
1-1
6
Lamar
11-1
56
8
2-0
7
Bayfield
7-3
54
6
1-1
8
Valley
8-4
40
5
1-1
9
Bishop Machebeuf
10-2
35
10
2-1
10
Bennett
9-1
27
–
1-0
Others receiving votes:
Middle Park 21, Coal Ridge 18, Centauri 11, Platte Valley 9, The Academy 8, Sterling 7, Colorado Springs Christian 6, Frontier Academy 6, Aspen 5, Colorado Academy 5, Pagosa Springs 5, Weld Central 5, Jefferson Academy 4, The Vanguard 4, Manitou Springs 1.
Dropped out
Middle Park (9).
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Yuma (7)
8-1
88
1
2-0
2
Lyons
9-4
55
2
1-2
3
Dayspring Christian
9-1
53
3
4-0
4
Simla
10-2
47
5
4-0
5
Swink
7-1
45
6
1-0
6
Paonia (2)
8-1
42
4
1-0
7
Denver Christian
9-1
37
7
2-0
8
Dolores
8-1
30
–
2-0
9
Hoehne
8-3
28
8
4-1
10
Wiggins
12-1
21
–
5-0
Others receiving votes:
Meeker 10, Dawson School 7, Fowler 6, Ignacio 6, John Mall 6, Union Colony 6, Rocky Ford 5, Wray 2, Telluride 1.
Dropped out
Meeker (9), Fowler (10).
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Kit Carson (7)
11-0
95
1
3-0
2
Fleming (1)
10-1
78
2
1-0
3
Holly (2)
9-1
76
4
0-0
4
McClave
8-1
65
5
4-1
5
La Veta
9-0
61
3
1-0
6
Otis
8-3
48
6
0-2
7
Flagler/Hi-Plains
6-2
38
9
4-0
8
Briggsdale
10-2
30
8
3-0
9
Wiley
7-2
22
7
0-1
10
Belleview Christian
9-0
10
10
1-0
Others receiving votes:
Eads 8, Cheyenne Wells 6, Kim/Branson 4, Pikes Peak Christian 4, Weldon Valley 4, Dove Creek 1.
After failing to beat La Junta twice last year, Kent Denver needed this one. And with a late field goal, the top-ranked team in the Class 2A CHSAANow.com football poll got it.
The Sun Devils came away with a 10-7 win over the Tigers to somewhat avenge last year’s defeats, the latter of which came in the 2A state title game.
“Anytime you lose the state championship game you have a bad taste in your mouth,” Kent Denver coach Scott Yates said. “All our kids and coaches wanted to try and erase it.”
The win is the 319th for Yates, who remains tied with West Grand’s Chris Brown for the most in state history.
The Tigers (3-1 overall) jumped out to a 7-0 lead before the end of the first quarter.
But the lead wouldn’t hold.
Kent Denver (4-0) was able to tie the game before halftime and the two teams came out unwilling to give each other any more points.
Still locked in a 7-7 tie, it was Kent Denver who would get the edge as Quinn Voboril kicked a late field goal which proved to be the game winner.
“We had to stop them in order to get the ball with enough time to go down the field. That created a little momentum for us,” Yates said. “It gives you an uplift and said let’s do something with it. We marched the ball down the field pretty well.”
The Sun Devils open league play next week when they hit the road and travel to Elizabeth. The Tigers also begin league play next week, hosting TCA.
[divider]
8-man: (8) Hoehne 44, (2) Daypsring Christian 37
Hoehne built a 22-8 lead at halftime, but Dayspring Christian did everything possible to make up ground in the second half. But 22 points in the third quarter alone wasn’t going to cut it.
The Farmers were able to put up 22 more points in the second half and finish off the upset over 8-man’s second-ranked team.
Senior Jacob Yates had 202 yards and two touchdowns for Hoehne. Kyle Rowe also rushed for two scores, and Riley Hudson added one.
Christian Still, a freshman, tossed three touchdown passes for Dayspring Christian — all of them to senior Jimmy Fargo.
[divider]
5A: (5) Regis Jesuit 24, (9) Highlands Ranch 0
It took Regis Jesuit almost a full 24 minutes of game time to find the end zone. But after scoring just once in the first half, the Raiders turned up the heat in the second.
They added two touchdowns and field goal to get a big win over a top-10 opponent.
[divider]
1A: (3) Strasburg 14, (4) Limon 12
Strasburg handed Limon its first loss of the season on Saturday.
The Indians scored touchdown a in each the first and fourth quarters and that was all that was needed to move to 3-1 on the season.
[divider]
8-man: (9) Merino 14, (10) McClave 8
Merino remained undefeated on the year with a 14-8 win over McClave. It’s the first loss for the Cardinals, who broke into the 8-man rankings last week.
[divider]
Notables:
No. 3 Cheyenne Wells beat No. 5 Kit Carson in a top-10 game in 6-man, 14-12.
Monarch is now 4-0 following a 14-10 win over Brighton in 4A.
Blayden Fletcher rushed for five touchdowns and 227 yards in North Park’s 47-42 win over Briggsdale. He also had 11 tackles and a sack on defense.
Noah Roper’s great season continues: He had 276 yards and three touchdowns as Erie beat Centaurus 38-13 in 3A. Erie is 4-0.
5A No. 10 Fairview rolled over Prairie View 68-0. Sophomore quarterback Aiden Atkinson threw for 305 yards and three touchdowns. Mariano Kemp, Brian Moreno and Jake Sheerin each rushed for two scores. Sheerin also had a receiving touchdown.
Calvin Pope rushed for 135 yards and a touchdown as Denver East beat Hinkley 50-19 for its first win this season.
Gilpin County improved to 3-1 following a 54-0 win over Belleview Christian.
Thane Duzenack threw a touchdown pass for Mitchell and the Marauders beat Ridge View Academy 22-6 to win their first game this season.
Golden beat Far Northeast 17-14. David O’Connell threw two touchdown passes. Jack Walters recovered two fumbles.
James LaCerte had two touchdowns and 182 yards rushing for Cheyenne Mountain in its 30-7 win over Lincoln.
DJ King threw three touchdowns and had 199 yards passing as Mesa Ridge beat George Washington 49-22. Ju-Wan Edgerton added two rushing scores.
Grant Baker returned an interception 47 yards for a touchdown, and then held up as Colorado Springs Christian beat Valley 7-0.
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
PVS
LW
1
Castle View (7)
8-1
87
3
2-0
2
Fossil Ridge (2)
6-2
80
1
4-2
3
Mountain Vista (1)
8-1
77
5
5-1
4
Rock Canyon (1)
7-2
75
2
1-1
5
Highlands Ranch
8-1
46
9
1-1
6
Chatfield
4-2
42
4
0-1
7
Fort Collins
5-1
35
7
1-0
8
Cherry Creek
7-2
34
6
5-1
9
Fruita Monument
8-1
31
10
1-0
10
Chaparral
6-3
24
8
2-0
Others receiving votes:
Rocky Mountain 22, Coronado 13, Denver East 13, Eaglecrest 6, Legacy 5, Dakota Ridge 4, Pine Creek 3, Rampart 3, Columbine 2, Brighton 1, Lakewood 1, Palmer 1.
Dropped out
None.
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Lewis-Palmer (9)
8-0
115
1
1-0
2
Holy Family
9-2
82
2
3-0
3
Pueblo West (1)
5-1
78
3
1-0
4
Niwot (1)
7-1
76
4
2-0
5
Valor Christian
4-2
65
5
2-0
6
Cheyenne Mountain
1-5
36
7
1-3
7
Thomas Jefferson
8-2
33
6
2-0
8
Longmont
8-1
30
–
1-1
9
Palmer Ridge
9-1
30
–
1-0
10
D’Evelyn
4-0
17
–
1-0
Others receiving votes:
Air Academy 15, Glenwood Springs 15, Ponderosa 12, Windsor 12, Berthoud 9, Silver Creek 9, Pueblo County 7, Frederick 5, Eagle Valley 4, Mountain View 4, Steamboat Springs 3, Montrose 1, Mullen 1, Palisade 1.
Dropped out
Air Academy (8), Glenwood Springs (9), Ponderosa (10).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Eaton (12)
8-0
120
1
5-0
2
University
7-2
94
4
3-0
3
Resurrection Christian (1)
8-2
93
2
1-0
4
Faith Christian
6-2
74
5
0-0
5
Valley
7-3
73
3
2-0
6
Bayfield
6-2
52
6
3-0
7
Lutheran
9-2
48
7
2-0
8
Lamar
9-1
38
10
1-0
9
Middle Park
4-1
25
9
1-0
10
Bishop Machebeuf
8-1
23
–
1-0
Others receiving votes:
Bennett 21, Coal Ridge 18, Frontier Academy 18, Centauri 15, Prospect Ridge Academy 11, Platte Valley 9, The Academy 8, Sterling 7, Colorado Springs Christian 5, Jefferson Academy 5, Pagosa Springs 5, Weld Central 5, The Vanguard 4, Alamosa 1, Colorado Academy 1, Manitou Springs 1.
Dropped out
Sterling (8).
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Yuma (7)
6-1
96
2
1-1
2
Lyons (1)
8-2
90
3
2-0
3
Dayspring Christian
5-1
68
1
0-1
4
Paonia (1)
7-1
50
4
3-0
5
Simla
6-2
39
5
1-1
6
Swink
6-1
39
6
2-1
7
Denver Christian
7-1
36
7
3-0
8
Hoehne (1)
4-2
35
8
1-0
9
Meeker
7-1
28
9
2-0
10
Fowler
5-1
17
10
2-0
Others receiving votes:
Dolores 15, Rocky Ford 7, Union Colony 7, Ignacio 6, Dawson School 5, Wiggins 5, John Mall 3, Custer County 1, Telluride 1, Vail Mountain 1, Wray 1.
Dropped out
None.
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Kit Carson (5)
8-0
69
1
1-0
2
Fleming (1)
9-1
67
2
2-0
3
La Veta
8-0
56
3
2-0
4
Holly (2)
9-1
53
6
2-0
5
McClave
4-0
45
4
0-0
6
Otis
8-1
44
5
5-0
7
Wiley
7-1
29
–
1-0
8
Briggsdale
7-2
22
7
2-1
9
Flagler/Hi-Plains
2-2
14
8
0-2
10
Belleview Christian
8-0
8
–
0-0
Others receiving votes:
Eads 8, Stratton/Liberty 8, Kim/Branson 7, South Baca 5, Weldon Valley 3, Cheyenne Wells 2.
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
PVS
LW
1
Fossil Ridge (7)
2-0
87
1
0-0
2
Rock Canyon
6-1
67
3
1-0
3
Castle View
6-1
56
4
2-0
4
Chatfield (1)
4-1
53
2
1-1
5
Mountain Vista
3-0
52
5
1-0
6
Cherry Creek (1)
2-1
44
7
1-0
7
Fort Collins
4-1
43
6
1-0
8
Chaparral
4-3
38
8
2-0
9
Highlands Ranch (1)
7-0
30
9
1-0
10
Fruita Monument
7-1
20
–
2-0
Others receiving votes:
Grandview 9, Coronado 8, Columbine 7, Pine Creek 7, Rampart 6, Adams City 5, Denver East 5, Rocky Mountain 5, Ralston Valley 4, Cherokee Trail 3, Legend 1.
Dropped out
Denver East (10).
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Lewis-Palmer (9)
7-0
106
1
6-0
2
Holy Family (1)
6-2
83
2
2-0
3
Pueblo West (1)
4-1
61
4
4-1
4
Niwot
5-1
56
6
5-1
5
Valor Christian
2-2
54
5
1-1
6
Thomas Jefferson
6-2
41
10
2-0
7
Cheyenne Mountain
0-2
40
3
0-2
8
Air Academy
4-2
29
–
1-1
9
Glenwood Springs
7-0
28
–
3-0
10
Ponderosa
4-4
27
–
2-2
Others receiving votes:
Palmer Ridge 21, D’Evelyn 19, Longmont 17, Mountain View 12, Silver Creek 11, Frederick 10, Steamboat Springs 10, Windsor 10, Eagle Valley 5, Roosevelt 4, Berthoud 3, Fort Morgan 3, Montrose 3, Mullen 3, Pueblo County 2, Evergreen 1, George Washington 1.
Dropped out
Berthoud (7), Silver Creek (8), Eagle Valley (9).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Eaton (10)
3-0
100
1
2-0
2
Resurrection Christian
7-2
73
6
6-1
3
Valley
5-3
68
2
4-2
4
University
4-2
67
5
4-2
5
Faith Christian (1)
6-2
66
3
4-2
6
Bayfield
3-2
48
9
3-2
7
Lutheran
7-2
34
10
2-0
8
Sterling
5-2
33
4
4-2
9
Middle Park
3-1
31
8
3-0
10
Lamar
8-1
26
–
4-1
Others receiving votes:
Platte Valley 15, Bishop Machebeuf 13, Frontier Academy 10, Rye 10, Colorado Springs Christian 8, Bennett 7, Florence 7, Weld Central 6, Alamosa 5, Centauri 5, The Academy 5, Coal Ridge 4, Colorado Academy 4, Delta 4, Jefferson Academy 4, Peak to Peak 3, The Vanguard 3, Gunnison 2, Manitou Springs 1, Pagosa Springs 1.
Dropped out
Colorado Springs Christian (7).
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Dayspring Christian (5)
5-0
77
1
5-0
2
Yuma (3)
5-0
75
2
2-0
3
Lyons
6-2
61
5
1-0
4
Paonia
4-1
47
3
2-1
5
Simla
5-1
30
6
3-1
6
Swink
4-0
28
–
2-0
7
Denver Christian
4-1
26
10
1-0
8
Hoehne
3-2
24
4
0-2
9
Meeker
5-1
19
–
1-0
10
Fowler
3-1
13
–
2-0
Others receiving votes:
West Grand 10, Union Colony 9, Ignacio 6, Wiggins 5, Dolores 3, Vail Mountain 3, Rocky Ford 2, Telluride 1, Wray 1.
Dropped out
Colorado Springs School (7), West Grand (8), Union Colony (9).
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Kit Carson (6)
7-0
69
1
2-0
2
Fleming (1)
7-1
62
2
5-1
3
La Veta
6-0
57
6
2-0
4
McClave
4-0
47
3
1-0
5
Otis
3-1
38
5
1-1
6
Holly
7-1
33
10
2-0
7
Briggsdale
5-1
30
–
1-0
8
Flagler/Hi-Plains
2-0
15
4
1-0
9
Weldon Valley
2-3
13
–
1-0
10
Eads
1-1
10
–
0-0
Others receiving votes:
Springfield 6, Arickaree 2, Caliche 1, Pikes Peak Christian 1, Wiley 1.
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
PVS
LW
1
Fossil Ridge (5)
2-0
84
1
2-0
2
Chatfield (3)
3-0
80
2
3-0
3
Rock Canyon (1)
5-1
70
3
5-1
4
Castle View
4-1
65
–
4-1
5
Mountain Vista
2-0
51
5
2-0
6
Fort Collins
3-1
40
–
3-1
7
Cherry Creek
1-1
34
6
1-1
8
Chaparral
2-3
32
4
2-3
9
Highlands Ranch
6-0
19
–
6-0
10
Denver East
2-0
8
7
2-0
Others receiving votes:
Grandview 4, Rocky Mountain 4, Eaglecrest 2, Cherokee Trail 1, Pine Creek 1.
Dropped out
Arapahoe (8), Grandview (9), Fairview (10).
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Lewis-Palmer (9)
1-0
113
1
1-0
2
Holy Family
4-2
82
2
4-2
3
Cheyenne Mountain
0-0
80
3
0-0
4
Pueblo West (2)
0-0
63
4
0-0
5
Valor Christian
1-1
62
5
1-1
6
Niwot (1)
0-0
41
6
0-0
7
Berthoud
1-2
36
7
1-2
8
Silver Creek
1-0
30
8
1-0
9
Eagle Valley
2-4
22
10
2-4
10
Thomas Jefferson
4-2
20
9
4-2
Others receiving votes:
Windsor 18, Air Academy 17, D’Evelyn 12, Montrose 12, Evergreen 8, Ponderosa 8, Longmont 7, The Classical Academy 7, Battle Mountain 5, Palmer Ridge 5, Mountain View 4, Mullen 4, Fort Morgan 3, Thompson Valley 1.
Dropped out
None.
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Eaton (8)
1-0
80
1
1-0
2
Valley
1-1
68
2
1-1
3
Faith Christian (1)
2-0
58
8
2-0
4
Sterling
1-0
55
4
1-0
5
University
0-0
37
3
0-0
6
Resurrection Christian
1-1
35
5
1-1
7
Colorado Springs Christian
0-0
29
7
0-0
8
Middle Park
0-1
27
6
0-1
9
Bayfield
0-0
16
9
0-0
10
Lutheran
5-2
14
–
5-2
Others receiving votes:
Coal Ridge 13, Pagosa Springs 12, Platte Valley 9, Bishop Machebeuf 7, Jefferson Academy 7, Bennett 6, The Academy 5, Buena Vista 4, Platte Canyon 4, Alamosa 3, Centauri 3, Delta 2, The Vanguard 2, Manitou Springs 1.
Eaton isn’t playing around when it comes to seeking a fifth consecutive Class 3A volleyball title.
So when the CHSAANow.com No. 1-ranked team in the state played host to No. 2 Valley, the Reds were all business. It showed with a 25-21, 25-13, 21-25, 25-22 win over the Vikings on Thursday night.
Even though the final score in sets was 3-1, Valley was anything but an easy team to beat. Sophomore Delaney Eckhardt put on a hitting show, finishing the match with 20 kills.
Senior Halie Diederich did her part as well with 34 assists. But it wasn’t enough for the Vikings who fall to 1-1 on the regular season.
[divider]
1A: (2) Fleming 3, (5) Weldon Valley 1
Fleming opened its season with a 25-23, 18-25, 25-14, 25-20 win over Weldon Valley in a battle of 1A top-five teams.
After the match was even through the first two sets, the Wildcats took over in the final two to get the victory.
[divider]
5A/4A: (6) Cherry Creek 3, (5) Valor Christian 2
A five-set thriller highlighted Thursday’s volleyball slate and it was 5A No. 6 Cherry Creek who got the 19-25, 25-21, 27-25, 25-23, 15-9 win over 4A No. 5 Valor Christian.
Junior Katie Sherman recorded 21 kills in the win. Ashley Hand helped out with 33 assists while Santana Monroe helped out defensively with five blocks.
For a team that had not been to the Class 2A state volleyball tournament since 2011, Dayspring Christian Academy’s undefeated 2016 season – capped by the school’s first state championship – seemingly came out of nowhere.
But the reality is, the stars had just not aligned for the Eagles in recent years. Dayspring Christian won at least 16 matches each season during its state drought from 2012-15. But the Eagles were in the same district as Resurrection Christian – the state champions in 2013-14 and runner-up in 2015 – and were matched in a region that included 2015 champion Yuma.
So with an experience core coming back last fall, Dayspring Christian coach Kristin Kurz challenged her players to take the next step.
“What happened is I said we cannot wait for the wild card,” Kurz said. “We’ve got to go out and we’ve got to do it. We had a point-by-point philosophy, where you’re constantly fighting for those points just so you can win the set and eventually the match.
“They were hungry … they wanted it. Literally all six of them bought into it and persevered and fought. They had the ‘it’ factor.”
The season culminated with a four-set victory over Yuma in the 2A title game and Player of the Year honors for Katie Kurz.
“We took our past defeats from previous years – my freshman year losing out on the wild card by .01 points – and used them to push ourselves harder the next year,” Katie Kurtz said. “We wanted to push hard for the four seniors. We all wanted it for them.”
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
Those four seniors all happened to be in the starting lineup, meaning that Dayspring Christian comes into 2017 with some new faces. Katie Kurz and Megan Roberts, who led the team in kills as juniors, are back, but a lack of height and inexperience will present some challenges to Kristin Kurz early in the season.
“We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us. Katie and Megan are the backbone; they’ve been there and they know what to do. They’ve been starters since their freshman year,” the coach said. “They’ve tasted what it’s like to be on top and they want it back. We’re trying to get the other four up to the same speed of what needs to be expected.”
Kurz had the third-best hitting percentage in the state as a junior at .426 and was seventh in the state – but first in 2A – in kills with 434. She led the team in aces and digs as well, and Roberts’ 329 kills were good for eighth in 2A.
“We’re definitely setting the bar high for us this year. We try to set them high, so that way we can push ourselves harder,” Katie Kurz said. “We have set the bar high and we tell (our teammates) they can reach it. You can actually achieve what you dream.”
With the graduation of middle blockers Makayla Bell and Brogan Launer, the Eagles will have to make some adjustments this season. Roberts returns to her natural position in the middle, but Kurz is also making the transition.
“We lost a lot of height,” Katie Kurz said. “We’ve been working on our blocking drills. … It’s tough, but we’ve just got to keep pushing ourselves.”
Setter Kelsi Donoho also graduated, but her younger sister, Talia, played a bit at the position on varsity early in the season as a freshman while Kelsi recovered from injury.
Dayspring Christian took part in a camp at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley over the summer. At one point, Kristin Kurz removed both her daughter and Roberts from the lineup and forced her younger players to sink or swim on their own.
The coach told her players that they were not going to always rely on their seniors.
“‘They’re not going to carry this team. You carry each other,’” Kristin said of her message that day. “It will be a learning experience, but the good part is the girls that we pulled up were on the team last year. They were on the bench; they were there, they felt that, they’re hungry for that. They’re willing to do whatever.”
Dayspring Christian enters the season ranked No. 1 in the CHSAANow.com preseason poll, followed by Yuma. Lyons and Union Colony Prep, which also fall in District 7 with the Eagles, are ranked third and seventh, respectively.
In 5A, defending champion Fossil Ridge returns a pair of all-state talent in senior Riley Zuhn and junior Catie Semadeni. Rock Canyon, a state semifinalist, brings back outside hitter Keeley Davis. Davis was second in 5A as a junior with 421 kills.
In 4A, Lewis-Palmer captured its third title in four years. The Rangers graduated three first-team all-state players, including MVP Elizabeth Reich. Three of the classification’s top five hitters – Silver Creek’s Rylee Anderson, Berthoud’s Julie Ward and Holy Family’s Ali Travis – return.
Four-time defending state champion Eaton returns the classification’s top setter in all-state senior Chelsey Lockey, but the Reds graduated Player of the Year Tarynn Sieg. The top five teams in the 3A preseason poll – Eaton, Valley, University, Sterling and Resurrection Christian – all reside in the Patriot League. Valley has been the 3A runner-up to Eaton in each of the three previous seasons.
Fleming returned to the 1A title game last November and captured its third championship in four seasons. Player of the Year Shaylee Johnson graduated, but the Wildcats return a pair of first-team all-state selections in outside hitter Bailey Chintala and middle Alli Keisel. Kit Carson comes into the season ranked first in the preseason poll, with two all-state players back in Tess Hornung and McKenzie Smith.
[divider]
Volleyball preview
Important dates
Regular Season Begins: Aug. 24
Postseason Begins: 2A/1A districts completed by Oct. 28; regionals by Nov. 4
State Tournaments: All classifications, Nov. 10-11 at Denver Coliseum
Kit Carson is No. 1 in 1A. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
No surprise: Four of the five defending champions are ranked No. 1 in CHSAANow.com’s preseason volleyball rankings.
The lone exception is Kit Carson, which is top-ranked in Class 1A after finishing runner-up to Fleming last season.
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.
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
Fossil Ridge (9)
0-0
104
2
Chatfield
0-0
67
3
Rock Canyon (2)
0-0
66
4
Chaparral
0-0
62
5
Mountain Vista
0-0
58
6
Cherry Creek
0-0
47
7
Denver East
0-0
27
8
Arapahoe
0-0
20
9
Grandview
0-0
18
10
Fairview
0-0
17
Others receiving votes:
Highlands Ranch 17, Castle View 16, Cherokee Trail 14, Coronado 13, Fort Collins 13, Rocky Mountain 12, Fruita Monument 11, Legend 6, Pine Creek 6, Rampart 6, Eaglecrest 3, Regis Jesuit 2, Ralston Valley 1.
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Lewis-Palmer (8)
0-0
103
2
Holy Family
0-0
73
3
Cheyenne Mountain
0-0
72
4
Pueblo West (2)
0-0
59
5
Valor Christian
0-0
56
6
Niwot (1)
0-0
41
7
Berthoud
0-0
33
8
Silver Creek
0-0
27
9
Thomas Jefferson
0-0
22
10
Eagle Valley
0-0
21
Others receiving votes:
Windsor 18, Air Academy 17, D’Evelyn 12, Montrose 9, Evergreen 8, Ponderosa 7, The Classical Academy 7, Battle Mountain 5, Mountain View 4, Mullen 4, Fort Morgan 3, Palmer Ridge 3, Thompson Valley 1.
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Eaton (8)
0-0
98
2
Valley
0-0
74
3
University (1)
0-0
53
4
Sterling
0-0
51
5
Resurrection Christian
0-0
50
6
Middle Park
0-0
45
7
Colorado Springs Christian
0-0
43
8
Faith Christian (1)
0-0
37
9
Bayfield
0-0
28
10
Pagosa Springs
0-0
25
Others receiving votes:
Bishop Machebeuf 20, Coal Ridge 18, Platte Valley 13, Kent Denver 11, Delta 8, Lutheran 8, Jefferson Academy 4, La Junta 4, The Academy 4, Centauri 3, St. Mary’s Academy 3, Aspen 2, The Vanguard 2, Bennett 1, Prospect Ridge Academy 1, Weld Central 1.
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Dayspring Christian (8)
0-0
98
2
Yuma
0-0
86
3
Lyons (1)
0-0
63
4
Paonia (1)
0-0
62
5
Hoehne
0-0
61
6
West Grand
0-0
36
7
Union Colony
0-0
33
8
Colorado Springs School
0-0
31
9
Simla
0-0
26
10
Denver Christian
0-0
18
Others receiving votes:
Fowler 16, Ignacio 6, Wray 5, Del Norte 3, Ridgway 2, Byers 1, Limon 1, Merino 1, Swink 1.
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Kit Carson (4)
0-0
67
2
Fleming (3)
0-0
66
3
Prairie
0-0
53
4
McClave
0-0
34
5
Weldon Valley
0-0
32
6
Flagler
0-0
28
7
Otis
0-0
24
8
La Veta
0-0
22
9
Springfield
0-0
17
10
Kiowa
0-0
14
Others receiving votes:
Nucla 13, Aguilar 9, Holly 2, Rocky Mountain Lutheran 2, Dove Creek 1, Genoa Hugo/Karval 1.
Strasburg is ranked No. 1 in 3A. (Matt Daniels/MattDanPhoto.com)
The preseason softball rankings from CHSAANow.com are out, and Broomfield (Class 5A), Valor Christian (4A) and Strasburg (3A) are the top-ranked teams.
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.
Voted upon by coaches and select 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
Broomfield (4)
0-0-0
78
2
Eaglecrest (4)
0-0-0
75
3
Cherokee Trail (2)
0-0-0
60
4
Fossil Ridge
0-0-0
53
5
Legacy
0-0-0
41
6
Douglas County
0-0-0
34
7
Legend
0-0-0
31
8
Grand Junction Central
0-0-0
24
9
Ralston Valley
0-0-0
22
10
Rock Canyon
0-0-0
18
Others receiving votes:
Loveland 15, Brighton 14, Arvada West 13, Cherry Creek 12, Dakota Ridge 11, Grandview 10, Mountain Vista 9, Fort Collins 7, ThunderRidge 7, Hinkley 3, Liberty 3, Vista Ridge 3, Fruita Monument 2, Rampart 2, Castle View 1, Pine Creek 1, Smoky Hill 1.
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Valor Christian (9)
0-0-0
92
2
Air Academy
0-0-0
76
3
Wheat Ridge (1)
0-0-0
68
4
Mullen
0-0-0
64
5
Erie
0-0-0
62
6
Silver Creek
0-0-0
50
7
Pueblo West
0-0-0
45
8
Mountain View
0-0-0
35
9
Frederick
0-0-0
22
10
Pueblo Central
0-0-0
12
Others receiving votes:
Discovery Canyon 7, Thomas Jefferson 7, Evergreen 3, D’Evelyn 2, Falcon 2, Pueblo South 2, Berthoud 1.
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Strasburg (6)
0-0-0
78
2
Rocky Ford (2)
0-0-0
62
3
Brush
0-0-0
55
4
Eaton
0-0-0
54
5
Lamar
0-0-0
41
6
La Junta
0-0-0
28
7
Valley
0-0-0
27
8
The Academy
0-0-0
26
9
Sterling
0-0-0
24
10
Faith Christian
0-0-0
16
Others receiving votes:
University 7, Delta 6, Meeker 5, Burlington 4, Basalt 3, Limon 2, Cedaredge 1, Weld Central 1.
