Marcus Lindsay knows a thing or two about the running back position.
His father, Phillip Troy Lindsay, and his uncle, Tony, played the position at Thomas Jefferson. His older brothers Phillip and Zach were standouts at Denver South. So when he says he takes pride in following in their footsteps, you can be sure that he means it.
Lining up in the backfield for the Rebels carries plenty of weight. A number of great ones came before Marcus, and when he took his turn as the featured back as a junior, all he did was rush for more than 1,500 yards.
It’s no different for backs like Grandview’s Hayden Blubaugh or Fort Morgan’s Tate Kembel. Blubaugh led the entire state in rushing yards as a junior, following in the footsteps of former Wolves like Bo Bolen and Chukwuma Obinnah.
Kembel, 3A’s leading rusher a year ago, has back-to-back seasons of more than 1,000 yards. His predecessors include Dusty Quick — third all-time in state history in rushing yards — and Chris Cobbley.
Lindsay, Blubaugh and Kembel are just a sampling of why the running back position is so deep and talented headed into the 2016 season, which gets underway this weekend. Spread offenses and aerial attacks may get a lot of attention, but there is something to said for being able to pound the ball into the interior of the defense 30 times a game.
“Being a running back, that’s a big job. You have to be able to run, you have to be able to catch and block,” Lindsay said. “If you don’t have any running game, you’re not going to have any passing game because they’re just going to drop everyone back.
“I feel a good running back has to be able to run inside. If the defense stacks the box with nine people, then you’re doing something right.”
All Blubaugh did last fall was erupt for 2,386 yards and 28 touchdowns in his first year with the Wolves. As a sophomore at Smoky Hill he showed signs of that talent, but given the opportunity to carry the ball for Grandview, he ran with it — literally.
“He exceeded (expectations) a great deal. We knew he was going to be a good running back for us,” Wolves coach John Schultz said. “But he learned how to read blocking really well and what we do.
“When he gets in open space he’s really tough to handle. He’s very explosive and usually finishes. That’s the exciting part about Hayden — when you block the play right, he’s capable of taking it all the way.”
But he’s hardly the only one. Five of the top six players at the position in 2015 were juniors (Columbine’s Mikey Griebel, who rushed for 1,480 yards, will play quarterback this season).
Pomona’s Cameron Gonzales, Mullen’s Marcus McElroy Jr. and Horizon’s Cade Verkler each topped 1,400 yards on the ground. Gonzales’ teammate, Max Borghi, finished two yards shy of 1,000 yards in his sophomore season.
Valor Christian, which has captured a state title in six of its previous seven seasons — including a thrilling comeback victory over Pomona last December — returns the 5A player of the year in quarterback Dylan McCaffrey, who has verbally committed to Michigan.
Pomona has Gonzales and Borghi and a host of others. Columbine and Cherry Creek came close to reaching the title game, and McElroy Jr. and Mullen opens the season ranked third in the CHSAANow.com preseason poll.
Grandview, which fell to Pomona in the quarterfinals last season, is ranked fifth. The Wolves return nine starters on offense — four on the offensive line — and a defense that was young in 2015 but will only get better.
“What’s even more important in 5A is having someone capable of taking over the game and having either an offensive line or defensive line that’s able to wear people down,” Schultz said. “That’s what both Valor and Pomona had last year. By the time the fourth quarter hits, it’s tough to keep going against them.
“We hope we have that this year.”
[divider]
Class 4A
Marcus Lindsay. (Lance Wendt/LanceWendt.com)
Denver South fell short of its ultimate goal in 2015 when the team’s season came to a close in the quarterfinals.
“As a team we just learned that we need to go harder,” Lindsay said. “We need to get stronger and get faster and get meaner.”
Lindsay led an offense that had a combined 2,831 yards on the ground and 36 touchdowns. Five players had at least four rushing TDs.
Dakota Ridge’s Jeremy Lujan led 4A in rushing, followed by Lindsay. Broomfield’s Jalon Torres rushed for 1,375 yards as a junior, and Windsor quarterback Brad Peeples went for 1,368 yards and 20 touchdowns.
“A lot of times Marcus would come out. He played both ways and starts at linebacker,” South coach Tony Lindsay said. “Our backup tailback, Darius Pinkett, had (567) yards. He broke about three or four 80-yard touchdown runs.”
South returns eight starters on defense and six on offense.
“Since I’ve been at South, we’ve just built this program up,” Tony Lindsay said. “I’ve been really happy with our program. With this year and these seniors, we have leaders this year.”
Windsor is still the team to beat in 4A though after winning 13 games and capturing the state championship in 2015. Peeples, Corte Tapia and Storm Fox were each first-team all-state selections as juniors.
Pine Creek, which won state titles in 2013 and 2014, graduated 4A player of the year JoJo Domann off a team that was undefeated before falling to Loveland in the semifinals.
Denver South enters the season ranked third, followed by Loveland and Heritage, which drops down from 5A.
[divider]
Class 3A
Fort Morgan’s Tate Kembel. (Pam Wagner/CHSAANow.com)
In a classification that prides itself on its ability to run the ball, the 2016 season has no shortage of standout rushers.
Seventeen players topped the 1,000-yard mark last fall, seven of who were juniors. Kembel led the way with 1,893 yards and 29 touchdowns for a Fort Morgan team that lost in the 3A semis to defending state champion Pueblo East.
“That’s the mentality of a lot of programs,” Mustangs coach Harrison Chisum said. “You’ve got to be able to run the football and you’ve got to be able to stop the run. That’s just been a thing forever.”
Look no further than Pueblo East, which had two players finish just shy of 1,500 yards on the ground. Quarterback Daniel Martin, the 3A POY, graduated, but running back Bryson Torres scored 24 touchdowns as a junior.
Roosevelt, the 3A runner-up, had a pair of players go for more than 1,200 yards on the ground, as did Rifle.
Kembel and Toby McBride combined for more than 2,500 yard between them and scored 40 touchdowns.
“Obviously it helped with a 6-foot-3, 240-pound fullback leading the way,” Chisum said of McBride, who graduated. “That definitely helps, and (Tate) will tell you that. But Tate is the type of kid that would trade any touchdown and carry and yards for wins. He wants to make sure whatever is best for the team is being done.”
The coach added that Kembel has maybe the best vision he has seen, and he did a lot of his damage last season in the first half before being taken out at halftime because of big leads.
“He’s a workhorse. He’s a tough kid, he takes hits and he’s just matured now to where he puts his head down and gets as many yards as he can,” Chisum said. “He used to try to outrun everybody but he’s even better now between the tackles.”
Fort Morgan returns eight starters on offense and six on defense, and comes into the season ranked third in 3A. Two-time defending champion Pueblo East is first, followed by Roosevelt.
Longmont, a 4A semifinalist last season, drops down to 3A and is ranked fourth. Discovery Canyon is fifth, followed by Western Slope powers Palisade and Rifle.
[divider]
Class 5A
Defending Champion: Valor Christian
Season Begins: Aug. 25
Playoffs Begin: Nov. 5
Championship: Dec. 3
Returning all-state players: Hayden Blubaugh, Sr., Grandview (1st team); Max Borghi, Jr., Pomona (1st team); Noah Elliss, Sr., Valor Christian (1st team); Cameron Gonzales, Sr., Pomona (2nd team); Mikey Griebel, Sr., Columbine (1st team); Santino Marchiol, Sr., Cherry creek (1st team); Dylan McCaffrey, Sr., Valor Christian (1st team); Marcus McElroy Jr., Sr., Mullen (2nd team); Jake Moretti, Sr., Pomona (1st team); Robert Moss, Sr., Grandview (2nd team); Jonathan Van diest, Sr., Cherry Creek (1st team); Tommy Wakefield, Sr., Fairview (2nd team).
Valor Christian is No. 1 in 5A’s preseason poll. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
As is tradition, the defending state football champions have a way of finding themselves atop the initial set of CHSAANow.com football rankings.
Of the seven teams that came away with titles in their respective classes, six will come into the 2016 season with a No. 1 ranking.
With 12 first place votes in Class 5A, Valor Christian comes in as the top dog in the states highest classification. They return MaxPrep All-American quarterback Dylan McCaffrey and emerging running back Josiah Davis on the offensive side of the ball.
Defensively, Noah Elliss leads a front seven that could rank as one of the top in the state. With balance on both sides of the ball, the Eagles will look for their seventh title in eight seasons.
State runner-up Pomona takes the No. 2 spot in the polls and are looking to bounce back after a tough loss to Valor in the 5A title game.
Mullen slides in at No. 3, while Cherry Creek and Grandview round out the top five teams.
Windsor is No. 1 in 4A. (Matt Daniels/MattDanPhoto.com)
In 4A, defending champion Windsor is riding high after playing its way to the fourth football title in team history. The Wizards sit atop the rankings with Pine Creek nipping closely at their heels.
The Eagles had a string of back-to-back title reigns ended last season and are looking rebound from an unexpected exit in the 4A semifinals.
With two consecutive titles in hand, Pueblo East starts the season as the top team in the 3A polls, taking seven first place votes.
The Eagles went through Fort Morgan in the 3A semifinals last year and topped Roosevelt in the title game. Those two teams follow Pueblo East in the rankings with the Roughriders sitting at No. 2 and the Mustangs coming in at No. 3.
As a newcomer to 3A, Longmont comes in at No. 4 despite receiving six first place votes.
The 2A poll starts with the most distribution among voters in the class. Bayfield comes in at No. 1 with three first place votes. Delta, a team dropping down to 2A with the new football classification cutoff numbers, received the most first place votes with five, but the Panthers come in at No. 4 to start the year.
The Classical Academy — another newcomer to 2A for this cycle — lands at No. 5.
Buena Vista is No. 1 in 1A. (Bill Cronin)
Just as they ended last season duking it out with each other, Buena Vista and Paonia battled for the top spot in the 1A polls with the Demons coming away with the top spot.
They received 12 votes for the No. 1 spot while the Panthers snagged four.
Burlington (No. 3) and Crowley County (No. 4) also received high rankings after making playoff runs last year.
Other quarterfinal teams that made the top 10 this season are Limon (No. 5) and Meeker (No. 10).
Like in the 1A polls, the 8-man state champ and runner-up come in as the top two teams this preseason. Sedgwick County and Akron take the No. 1 and No. 2 spots respectively with Sargent coming in at No. 3 and Norwood coming in at No. 4.
Overall, seven of the eight quarterfinal teams in the 8-man playoffs come into the season ranked in the top 10.
Fleming comes in as the only No. 1 team who does not have championship hardware from a year ago. The Wildcats lost in last year’s 6-man semifinals to eventual champion Eads, but come in this year as the preseason favorite to take the state title.
After coming away with the state title, Eads comes in at No. 2 despite receiving the majority of the first place votes.
State runner-up Arickaree/Woodlin comes in at No. 4.
Kit Carson (No. 3) and Pawnee (No. 5) round out the top five teams in the 6-man poll.
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.
Chatfield 25, Pueblo South 25, Fruita Monument 20, Monarch 17, Fort Collins 10, Montrose 10, Grand Junction 5, Greeley West 5, Pueblo Centennial 4, Pueblo West 4, Rampart 4.
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Pueblo East (7)
0-0
126
2
Roosevelt
0-0
100
3
Fort Morgan (1)
0-0
89
4
Longmont (6)
0-0
75
5
Discovery Canyon
0-0
71
6
Palisade
0-0
65
7
Rifle
0-0
40
8
Evergreen
0-0
37
9
Holy Family
0-0
30
10
Thompson Valley
0-0
26
Others receiving votes:
Mead 23, Durango 16, Lutheran 10, Pueblo County 9, Eagle Valley 8, Lewis-Palmer 8, Silver Creek 8, Vista Peak 8, Palmer Ridge 7, Mitchell 6, Alameda 5, Conifer 1, Pueblo Central 1, Woodland Park 1.
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Bayfield (3)
0-0
104
2
Kent Denver (1)
0-0
97
3
Platte Valley (2)
0-0
90
4
Delta (5)
0-0
78
5
The Classical Academy
0-0
68
6
D’Evelyn (3)
0-0
67
7
La Junta (1)
0-0
62
8
Resurrection Christian
0-0
58
9
Sterling
0-0
47
10
Brush
0-0
38
Others receiving votes:
Eaton 33, Faith Christian 20, Bishop Machbeuf 9, Manitou Springs 8, Moffat County 8, Elizabeth 7, Cortez 6, Fort Lupton 5, Steamboat Springs 5, Arvada 4, The Academy 4, Gunnison 3, Basalt 2, Weld Central 2.
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Buena Vista (12)
0-0
149
2
Paonia (4)
0-0
146
3
Burlington
0-0
83
4
Crowley County
0-0
76
5
Limon
0-0
71
6
Strasburg
0-0
52
7
Bennett
0-0
50
8
Platte Canyon
0-0
41
9
Monte Vista
0-0
35
10
Meeker
0-0
34
Others receiving votes:
Rye 33, Cedaredge 24, Centauri 24, Dolores 16, Ellicott 15, Wiggins 14, Center 8, Dolores Huerta 8, Holyoke 8, Vail Christian 8, Colorado Springs Christian 6, Olathe 6, Rocky Ford 6, Grand Valley 5, Byers 4, Highland 4, Peyton 3, Trinidad 3, Hotchkiss 2, Front Range Christian 1.
8-man
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Sedgwick County (8)
0-0
96
2
Akron
0-0
87
3
Sargent
0-0
80
4
Norwood (2)
0-0
73
5
Dayspring Christian
0-0
61
6
Hoehne (1)
0-0
60
7
Merino
0-0
31
8
Granada
0-0
26
9
Caliche (1)
0-0
23
10
Dove Creek
0-0
20
Others receiving votes:
West Grand 15, Sangre de Cristo 14, Holly 12, Springfield 12, Sanford 10, Las Animas 9, Mancos 9, Miami-Yoder 6, Haxtun 5, Plateau Valley 3, Del Norte 2, Hayden 2, Soroco 2, Gilpin County 1, McClave 1.
The 2016 all-state baseball players of the year are (from left): Holly’s Ricardo Juarez (1A); Dawson’s Luke Feigal (2A); ThunderRidge’s Jake Eissler (5A); Lewis-Palmer’s Paul Tillotson (4A); and Faith Christian’s Austin Stone (3A). (Photos: Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com; Jeff Tucker/jefferywtucker.zenfolio.com; Chris Fehrm/MaxPreps; Michael Hankins/MaxPreps)
The 2016 all-state baseball 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.
[divider]
Class 5A
ThunderRidge’s Jake Eissler is the 5A baseball player of the year. (Michael Hankins/MaxPreps) Player of the year: Jake Eissler, ThunderRidge
Coach of the year: Allan Dyer, Cherokee Trail
First Team
Name
School
Pos.
Year
Austin Alarid
Rocky Mountain
LHP/1B
Senior
Jerome Bohannon
Cherokee Trail
LHP/OF
Senior
Quin Cotton
Regis Jesuit
OF
Senior
Jake Eissler
ThunderRidge
RHP/3B/1B
Senior
Maverick Handley
Mullen
C/INF
Senior
Travis Marr
Regis Jesuit
RHP/1B
Senior
Conner Nantkes
Cherokee Trail
LHP/UTIL
Junior
Ryan Sullivan
Cherokee Trail
1B
Senior
Nate Sweeney
Cherry Creek
RHP/SS/OF
Senior
Bo Weiss
Regis Jesuit
RHP
Senior
Second Team
Name
School
Pos.
Year
Peter Carlson
Ralston Valley
SS/RHP
Senior
Bailey Collins
Dakota Ridge
OF/P
Senior
Eric Cox
Cherokee Trail
RHP/OF
Junior
Cade Crader
Grandview
1B/RHP
Senior
Tommy Gillman
Columbine
SS
Senior
Jay Onken
Pine Creek
OF/RHP
Sophomore
Casey Opitz
Heritage
C/SS/RHP
Junior
Tanner O’Tremba
Cherry Creek
OF/RHP
Sophomore
Sam Schroeder
Fruita Monument
P/OF
Senior
Josh Schumacher
Rangeview
2B/SS/P
Senior
John Sorensen
Rocky Mountain
SS/RHP
Junior
Honorable mention:
Cuba Bess, Senior, Fruita Monument
Evan Bolin, Senior, Prairie View
Wade Council, Senior, Pine Creek
Aaron Dammel, Senior, Highlands Ranch
Chris Diehl, Senior, Rocky Mountain
Riley Egloff, Sophomore, Heritage
Cole Farmer, Senior, Brighton
Matt Givin, Junior, Rock Canyon
Alex Gonzales, Senior, Rocky Mountain
Tanner Hauptman, Senior, Ralston Valley
Tyson Hays, Junior, Grandview
Ryley Humrighouse, Senior, Castle View
Ricky Marshall, Senior, Fountain-Fort Carson
Jake Minnick, Senior, Douglas County
Jacob Moyer, Senior, Fort Collins
Dylan Paulsen, Senior, Gateway
Walter Pennington, Senior, Broomfield
Nick Perez, Junior, Cherokee Trail
Rocco Porreco, Junior, Mullen
Chase Powell, Senior, Lakewood
Tony Rice, Senior, Liberty
Jacob Rodriguez, Senior, Adams City
Joey Salvato, Junior, Mullen
Tyler Smith, Senior, Grandview
Jordan Stubbings, Junior, Legend
Nathaniel Swanson, Junior, Northglenn
Jadon Uhrich, Junior, Rocky Mountain
Razzo Vigil, Junior, Westminster
[divider]
Class 4A
Lewis-Palmer’s Paul Tillotson is the 4A baseball player of the year. (Chris Fehrm/MaxPreps) Player of the year: Paul Tillotson, Lewis-Palmer
Coach of the year: Keith Wahl, Valor Christian
First Team
Name
School
Pos.
Year
Clint Allen
Erie
C/INF/P
Senior
Rocco Arguto
Pueblo West
RF
Senior
Holden Bernhardt
Mountain View
P/OF/1B
Senior
Wyatt Featherston
Green Mountain
OF/P
Senior
Jake Greenwalt
Windsor
–
Senior
Cole McKissock
Air Academy
INF
Senior
Dauson Tate
Pueblo West
C
Senior
Paul Tillotson
Lewis-Palmer
–
Senior
Austin Wood
Silver Creek
1B/P
Senior
Luke Ziegler
Valor Christian
3B/RHP
Sophomore
Second Team
Name
School
Pos.
Year
Mike Berg
Thompson Valley
C/OF/3B
Junior
Issac Bracken
Berthoud
–
Senior
Jaspar Carmichael
Delta
SS/P
Sophomore
Billy Cook
Lewis-Palmer
–
Junior
Nyk Crumrine
Valor Christian
INF/RHP
Senior
Bailey Hansen
Air Academy
P/OF
Senior
Davis Heller
Valor Christian
RHP/1B
Freshman
Ethan Keller
Delta
CF/P
Junior
Ruben Portillo
Erie
P/INF
Junior
Cooper Rothe
Longmont
CF
Senior
Judah Wilbur
Denver North
INF/SS/2B
Junior
Honorable mention:
Kavan Andrew, Senior, Longmont
Locke Bernhardt, Senior, Mountain View
Cameron Brosh, Senior, Canon City
Josh Crites, Senior, Erie
Kyle Daniels, Senior, Fort Morgan
Blake Donels, Junior, Valor Christian
Gavin Fesmire, Senior, Pueblo Centennial
Daniel Gurrola, Senior, Denver North
Spencer Hamilton, Senior, The Classical Academy
Jaeden Hegmann, Junior, Mesa Ridge
Dane Kapande, Senior, Evergreen
Joe Lucas, Senior, Palisade
Zach Manchester, Senior, Canon City
Garrett Martin, Junior, Eagle Valley
Lawrence Mayberry, Senior, Durango
Mitch Menard, Senior, D’Evelyn
Skyler Messinger, Junior, Niwot
Jared Miller, Sophomore, Montrose
Brett Muscatello, Senior, Evergreen
Max Noland, Junior, Palisade
Dylan Norsen, Junior, Mountain View
Gunner Pickett, Senior, Mead
Blake Reiher, Junior, Delta
Morgan Robinson, Senior, Rifle
Stephen Romero, Junior, Glenwood Springs
Andrew Shaw, Junior, Summit
Tyler Shubert, Senior, Windsor
Isiah Torres, Senior, Pueblo East
Sean Weller, Senior, Battle Mountain
Kaylor Werner, Sophomore, Northridge
Cole Winn, Sophomore, Silver Creek
[divider] Faith Christian’s Austin Stone is the 3A baseball player of the year. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)
Pine Creek is the No. 1 seed in the 5A baseball districts. (Josh Watt/CHSAANow.com)
Back in January, the Legislative Council approved the recommendation of the CHSAA baseball committee to fast track the use of RPI as the system to determine the playoff fields.
Wednesday saw the results of that vote for the first time as district brackets for Class 3A through 5A were released. Unlike the Wild Card system used previously, the RPI format takes into account the overall strength of schedule for each team and combines it with their win/loss record to create the field of 32 teams.
Pine Creek came away with the top overall seed in 5A, and will host this weekend. Other host schools are Regis Jesuit, Lakewood, Heritage, Rock Canyon, Grandview, ThunderRidge and Mullen.
Rock Canyon, which won last year’s 5A championship, is the No. 5 overall seed and will play Bear Creek in their first game. If they advance they’ll see the winner of Dakota Ridge and Chaparral.
Three of the final four teams left in last year’s playoff field made it back to the tournament with Grandview landing at No. 6, Chatfield at No. 26. District play will begin this weekend with the state tournament starting next week.
Mountain View leads the way in 4A, taking the top overall spot in the class. They’ll host their district where they will play Roosevelt. The winner of that game will meet the winner of Palisade and The Classical Academy.
The other host schools in 4A are Canon City, Valor Christian, Windsor, Pueblo West, Fort Morgan, Denver North and Delta.
Two-time defending state champion Green Mountain did not make it inside the top 32 teams and did not qualify for district play.
Last year’s runner-up, Lewis-Palmer, drew the No. 26 seed and will head to District 6 and play host Fort Morgan. The potential of a showdown with league rival Palmer Ridge is there as the Bears play Longmont in that same district. Lewis-Palmer swept the season series against the Bears this year.
Of last years final four teams in the tournament, only Lewis-Palmer and Ponderosa (No. 29) qualified for districts this year.
Defending 3A champion Eaton held strong as the No. 1 team in that class all season and is the No. 1 seed coming into districts. The Reds will face Olathe in their first district game with the winner of that game playing the winner of No. 16 Lutheran and No. 17 The Academy.
University, St, Mary’s, Lamar, Faith Christian, La Junta, Valley and Kent Denver are the other host teams in 3A.
All four of last year’s final four teams in the tournament qualified for districts this year. Eaton and University are the top two teams in the brackets, Brush comes in at No. 9 and will play No. 24 Buena Vista in District 2 at Kent Denver and Sterling lands at No. 21 and will play No. 12 Colorado Academy in District 4 at Faith Christian.
The 2015-16 all-state boys basketball players of the year. (Photos: Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com; Jeff Tucker/jefferywtucker.zenfolio.com; Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
The 2015-16 all-state boys basketball 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 week-long vote of coaches.
A specific player of the year vote was held in each class, as was a vote for coach of the year.
[divider]
Class 5A
Overland’s De’Ron Davis is the 5A boys basketball player of the year. (Kevin Keyser/KeyserImages.com)
Lewis-Palmer is the new No. 1 team in 4A boys basketball. (Josh Watt/CHSAANow.com)
There are two brand new No. 1 teams in this week’s CHSAANow.com boys basketball rankings.
Lewis-Palmer ascends to the top spot of the Class 4A rankings while defending 1A champion Holly now sits atop the 1A poll.
The Rangers have been one of the most dominant teams in 4A this season. They took down league foe Sand Creek last week, getting their second double-digit win over the Scorpions this season.
They assume the top spot after Pueblo South suffered a shocking loss to Air Academy on Saturday.
Cherokee Trail rejoins the 5A poll at No. 10 after falling out of the rankings last week.
The Denver School of Science and Tech-Stapleton hangs on to the top spot in the 3A poll, but Faith Christian jumped two spots to land right behind them at No. 2.
Manitou Springs also made a two-spot jump which put the Mustangs at No. 7 ahead of their league showdown with defending 3A champ, No. 3 Colorado Springs Christian School.
No new teams were added to the 3A poll this week.
Sanford is still the top team in the 2A poll, snagging 10 of 11 first-place votes this week.
Landing at No. 9, Highland is the lone newcomer to the 2A rankings.
Shining Mountain made the biggest jump in 1A this week, coming in at No. 7 which is three spots higher than a week ago.
Faith Baptist joins the 1A rankings at No. 10 this week.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. During the regular season, they are released each Monday.
Denver East 10, George Washington 5, FNE Warriors 5, Boulder 1, Grand Junction 1, Mountain Vista 1.
Dropped out
Denver East (6).
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Lewis-Palmer (8)
16-1
171
2
2-0
2
Valor Christian (4)
15-1
159
4
3-0
3
Longmont (3)
15-1
157
3
2-0
4
Pueblo South (4)
15-1
144
1
2-1
5
Pueblo West
15-2
112
5
2-0
6
Golden
12-5
66
6
2-1
7
Windsor
13-4
65
9
2-0
8
Denver South
12-5
49
7
1-1
9
Vista Ridge
13-4
41
10
2-0
10
Rifle
15-1
32
8
3-0
Others receiving votes:
Sierra 23, Holy Family 10, Durango 7, Vista Peak 3, Mead 2, Evergreen 1, Pueblo Central 1, Thomas Jefferson 1, Thompson Valley 1.
Dropped out
.
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
DSST-Stapleton (7)
15-1
136
1
2-0
2
Faith Christian (4)
11-4
117
4
2-0
3
Colorado Springs Christian (1)
9-4
97
2
1-0
4
DSST-Green Valley Ranch (2)
11-0
90
5
0-0
5
Eaton
12-2
84
6
1-0
6
Lutheran
10-3
71
3
1-1
7
Manitou Springs (1)
13-1
67
9
2-0
8
Sterling
11-3
65
7
2-0
9
Alamosa (1)
9-4
45
8
0-0
10
Grand Valley
11-2
40
10
2-0
Others receiving votes:
Bennett 18, Basalt 13, Colorado Academy 9, The Pinnacle 9, Bayfield 4, Pagosa Springs 4, Manual 3, Peak to Peak 2, St. Mary’s 2, Frontier Academy 1, James Irwin 1, SkyView Academy 1, Valley 1.
