In third set of the CHSAANow.com boys basketball rankings, Colorado Academy is back in the Class 3A top-10.
The Mustangs come in at No. 9 on the strength of a 60-55 win over Grand Junction.
Colorado Springs Christian holds on to the No. 1 spot in the 3A poll with Resurrection Christian and Manitou Springs holding firm at No. 2 and No. 3 respectively.
In 5A, George Washington continues to show its the real deal, hence remaining at No. 1 this week.
Doherty (No. 6) and Chatfield (No. 7) each jumped three spots from a week ago.
There were no new teams in the 5A rankings.
Pueblo West remains undefeated and as a result, still at the top of the 4A poll. Vista PEAK, however, made a two-spot jump to land at No. 2.
Sand Creek jumped one spot to No. 5 thanks to its close win over No. 10 Sierra. Lewis-Palmer climbs two spots to come in at No. 8.
No new teams broke into the 4A rankings.
Sedgwick County received all but one first-place vote to hang on to the top spot in 2A.
Peyton made the big jump of the week, climbing four spots to come in at No. 5. At No. 10, Fowler is the only new team to crack the 2A rankings.
The 1A poll saw the most turnover of any class this week with Front Range Baptist (No. 8) and Rocky Mountain Lutheran (No. 10) cracking the ranks.
Holly held its spot as the No. 1 team in the class.
Peetz had the best jump of the week, gaining four spots from last week’s rankings to come in at No. 4.
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.
Lakewood 26, Mountain Range 4, Regis Jesuit 3, Cherry Creek 2, Far Northeast 2, Legacy 1, Mountain Vista 1.
Dropped out
None.
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Pueblo West (12)
4-0
146
1
1-0
2
Vista PEAK (2)
7-0
124
4
1-0
3
Golden (1)
8-1
123
3
3-0
4
Valor Christian (1)
4-2
103
2
2-1
5
Sand Creek
7-1
92
6
2-0
6
Mead
6-1
82
7
3-0
7
Holy Family
5-1
78
5
2-0
8
Lewis-Palmer
4-2
34
10
1-1
9
D’Evelyn
6-2
27
8
1-1
10
Sierra
3-3
17
9
0-2
Others receiving votes:
Northridge 16, Silver Creek 11, Durango 6, Palmer Ridge 5, Thompson Valley 5, Evergreen 3, Ponderosa 3, Skyline 3, Mesa Ridge 1, Pueblo East 1.
Dropped out
.
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Colorado Springs Christian (11)
5-0
160
1
2-0
2
Resurrection Christian (1)
7-0
137
2
2-0
3
Manitou Springs (2)
7-0
126
3
2-0
4
Sterling (1)
6-1
110
6
1-0
5
Alamosa (2)
5-1
100
4
0-0
6
Faith Christian
5-2
65
5
2-1
7
Kent Denver
6-1
47
9
1-1
8
DSST-Stapleton
4-1
41
8
0-0
9
Colorado Academy
5-3
21
–
1-2
10
Frontier Academy
5-2
20
7
0-2
Others receiving votes:
Strasburg 17, Basalt 13, Lutheran 13, Machebeuf 9, Manual 8, The Pinnacle 8, DSST-Green Valley Ranch 7, Jefferson Academy 7, Ridge View Academy 6, Monte Vista 4, Bayfield 3, Roaring Fork 3, The Vanguard 3, Weld Central 3, Grand Valley 2, Coal Ridge 1, La Junta 1.
Dropped out
Manual (10).
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Sedgwick County (9)
5-0
99
1
2-0
2
Highland
6-0
81
2
2-0
3
Paonia
5-1
75
3
2-0
4
Del Norte (1)
6-1
56
5
1-0
5
Peyton
6-0
53
9
2-0
6
Akron
5-0
50
4
2-0
7
Holyoke
3-2
35
8
2-1
8
Dayspring Christian
4-1
30
7
1-1
9
Ignacio
3-1
29
10
2-1
10
Fowler
4-1
13
–
1-0
Others receiving votes:
Colorado Springs School 6, Sargent 6, Sanford 4, Plateau Valley 3, Burlington 2, Byers 2, Crowley County 2, John Mall 2, Dolores Huerta 1, Hotchkiss 1.
COLORADO SPRINGS — In a game where two highly-ranked teams struggled from the charity stripe, it’s fitting that it was decided by free throws with one second left.
David Jabedo drove down to the Sand Creek basket in the closing seconds and drew a blocking foul form Sierra’s Stephan Deedon. The free throws fell and the CHSAANow.com No. 6 Scorpions beat the No. 9 Stallions 61-59 on Friday night.
“I was thinking that it was just another free throw,” Jabedo said. “I knew if I knocked them down the game was over.”
And he called it.
Sierra (3-3 overall) jumped out to a quick 10-2 lead to start the game. A big part of that was on a couple of 3-pointers from C.J. Jennings.
Sand Creek (7-1) was hoping to counter with a heavy dose of D’Shawn Schawrtz, but the Sierra zone defense was able to limit his touches in the first half.
“They got an early lead because they were outrebounding the heck out of us,” Sand Creek coach Rob Hawkins said. “This is what Sierra has been known for.”
Looking to get a spark for both himself and his team, Schwartz attacked the basket and threw down a dunk that snagged the attention of a jam-packed gym at Sierra.
“I told myself that was a game changer,” Schwartz said.
It have just been a game saver. Schwartz and Jennings – friends off the court – went toe to toe in the second half ending with 20 and 21 points respectively.
The difference in the game came at the free throw line where no team particularly excelled, but it was the Stallions who really struggled.
They went 14-28 from the line. A total killer when the final score is separated by only two points.
“They didn’t go in,” Sierra coach Terry Dunn said. “What else can you say? You shoot free throws every day.”
They proved to be essential for both teams in the closing seconds of the game. Down one with 11 seconds left, Jennings was fouled and sent to the line.
He made the front end, but missed the follow-up. That’s when Jabedo was able to get out in transition.
He made both, sending the Sand Creek fans into a frenzy.
For Schawrtz and Jennings, it just means that trashing talking rights will reside at Sand Creek. And Schwartz is looking forward to giving his friend some grief.
“I’m really excited,” Schwartz said. “I get to talk trash to him now. That’s really all I care about right now.”
But it can’t be free throws. Even though Jennings missed one late, Schwartz went 2-6 on the night.
But to play that game in that atmosphere was something that neither player is likely to forget anytime soon.
And for Hawkins, a first-year coach for the Scorpions, this game will set the tone for the rest of this season.
“This is the best high school atmosphere ever,” he said.
And the 11 players on his roster will have a hard time disagreeing with him.
The 2016 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 entirely from the results of the coaches’ vote.
[divider]
Class 5A
(Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Player of the year: Dylan McCaffrey, Valor Christian
It’s still early in the 2016-17 boys basketball season, but George Washington has already made some impressive moves.
The Patriots come in as the new No. 1 team in the Class 5A CHSAANow.com boys basketball rankings. In the two weeks since the release of the preseason rankings, they have gone 5-0 which included a three-point win over No. 2 Rock Canyon and a 13-point win over defending state champion Overland.
With a five-point loss to Rock Canyon, preseason No. 1 Eaglecrest falls to No. 5.
Grandview jumped two spots to land at No. 7 while Smoky Hill (No. 8) and Chatfield (No. 10) are the two new teams in the 5A poll.
A 3-0 record over the first week and a half of the season has kept Pueblo West as the No. 1 team in 4A.
Valor Christian also holds tight at N0. 2, despite a season-opening loss to 5A No. 9 Doherty.
Vista PEAK has looked good early in the year, starting with a 6-0 run to start the season. The Bison made a five-spot jump to come in at No. 4 this week.
Lewis-Palmer is the only new team to the 4A rankings, coming in at No. 10.
Colorado Springs Christian holds its spot as the No. 1 team in 3A. Resurrection Christian jumped five spots to come in at No. 2. Manitou Springs (No. 3) and Alamosa (No. 4) each moved up two spots from the preseason rankings.
At No. 7 and No. 10 respectively, Frontier Academy and Kent Denver are the two new teams to the 3A rankings.
Sedgwick County takes over as the No. 1 team in the 2A poll after Sanford’s 74-game winning streak came to an end last week.
The Indians now sit at No. 6.
There was a high turnover rate in the 2A rankings as four new teams broke into the poll this week.
Akron comes in at No. 4, Del Norte lands at No. 5, Dayspring Christian sits at No. 7 and Peyton breaks in at No. 9.
Starting 5-0 has meant good things for Holly, the No. 1 team in 1A this week.
The Wildcats snagged six firs-place votes in the process.
Like the 2A poll, there was significant turnover in 1A this week.
Weldon Valley (No. 3), Eads (No. 7), Peetz (No. 9) and Sangre de Cristo (No. 10) are all newcomers to the rankings.
Fleming, who came in as the preseason No. 1 comes in at No. 6 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.
Lakewood 34, Regis Jesuit 22, Overland 10, Mountain Vista 8, Far Northeast 1, Fort Collins 1, Legend 1, Rampart 1, Rangeview 1.
Dropped out
Regis Jesuit (5), Mountain Vista (10).
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Pueblo West (13)
3-0
157
1
3-0
2
Valor Christian (2)
2-1
114
2
2-1
3
Golden
5-1
102
4
5-1
4
Vista PEAK (1)
6-0
88
9
6-0
5
Holy Family
3-1
82
5
3-1
6
Sand Creek
5-1
81
3
5-1
7
Mead
3-1
71
7
3-1
8
D’Evelyn
5-1
50
8
5-1
9
Sierra
3-1
45
6
3-1
10
Lewis-Palmer
3-1
31
–
3-1
Others receiving votes:
Silver Creek 18, Green Mountain 10, Northridge 6, Widefield 6, Ponderosa 5, Evergreen 4, Thompson Valley 3, Mountain View 2, Palmer Ridge 2, Erie 1, Longmont 1, Pueblo South 1.
Dropped out
Evergreen (10).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Colorado Springs Christian (9)
3-0
140
1
3-0
2
Resurrection Christian (1)
5-0
107
7
5-0
3
Manitou Springs (2)
5-0
93
5
5-0
4
Alamosa (2)
5-1
81
6
5-1
5
Faith Christian
3-1
65
2
3-1
6
Sterling (1)
5-1
48
9
5-1
7
Frontier Academy
5-0
42
–
5-0
8
DSST-Stapleton
4-1
41
8
4-1
9
Kent Denver
5-0
41
–
5-0
10
Manual
2-2
33
4
2-2
Others receiving votes:
Lutheran 26, The Pinnacle 23, Colorado Academy 20, Machebeuf 18, DSST-Green Valley Ranch 13, Weld Central 8, Bayfield 5, Jefferson Academy 4, Monte Vista 4, Basalt 3, Ridge View Academy 3, The Vanguard 3, Roaring Fork 2, Coal Ridge 1, Strasburg 1.
Dropped out
Lutheran (3), Colorado Academy (10).
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Sedgwick County (4)
3-0
79
4
3-0
2
Highland (2)
4-0
74
5
4-0
3
Paonia (3)
3-1
72
2
3-1
4
Akron
3-0
53
–
3-0
5
Del Norte
5-1
44
–
5-1
6
Sanford
2-2
40
1
2-2
7
Dayspring Christian (1)
3-0
38
–
3-0
8
Holyoke
1-1
37
3
1-1
9
Peyton
4-0
30
–
4-0
10
Ignacio
1-0
23
7
1-0
Others receiving votes:
Colorado Springs School 11, Sargent 11, Burlington 7, Dawson 5, Hotchkiss 5, Byers 4, Fowler 4, Yuma 4, Haxtun 3, Center 2, Crowley County 2, Dolores Huerta 1, Meeker 1.
Dropped out
Ellicott (6), Byers (8), Crowley County (9), Burlington (10).
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Holly (6)
5-0
81
2
5-0
2
Sierra Grande (1)
5-0
67
6
5-0
3
Weldon Valley (1)
4-0
64
–
4-0
4
Cheyenne Wells
3-0
60
5
3-0
5
Kit Carson (1)
2-0
50
3
2-0
6
Fleming
1-1
38
1
1-1
7
Eads
3-0
28
–
3-0
8
Flagler
3-1
22
8
3-1
9
Peetz
4-0
18
–
4-0
10
Sangre de Cristo
3-1
14
–
3-1
Others receiving votes:
Wiley 12, Front Range Baptist 9, Shining Mountain 8, Creede/Lake City 7, Rocky Mountain Lutheran 7, ThornCreek Christian 6, Heritage Christian 3, Primero 1.
For the most part, the defending state champions come into the 2016-17 basketball season as the big dogs in the yard.
Pueblo West, Colorado Springs Christian, Sanford and Fleming all took the top spot in their respective CHSAANow.com preseason basketball polls.
The only defending champion to not hold the top spot is Overland, which did not make the top 10 in the Class 5A rankings.
The top spot in that class goes to Eaglecrest, which finished runner-up last season. Colbey Ross will be back for his senior season and will look to lead the Raptors to another state title.
Rock Canyon (No. 2), Denver East (No. 3), ThunderRidge (No. 4) all got first-place votes to start the season.
(Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)
In 4A, the two teams that ended last season all top will start this season in the same position. Pueblo West holds the top spot in 4A with Valor Christian nipping at the heels of the Cyclones at No. 2.
Pueblo West came away with a 70-51 win over the Eagles to take the state championship. David Simental returns for his senior season at Pueblo West and is looking to turn heads as he did in last year’s state tournament.
He’d also like to win a second-straight title for the Cyclones.
Colorado Springs Christian takes the No. 1 spot in 3A after winning it’s second-straight championship. The Lions lose big man Sam Howard, but guard Justin Engesser does return for his senior year.
If the Indians win their season opener, they will set the record for most consecutive wins in state history. They currently sit tied with Ridgway, who won 73 straight games from 1993-96.
After missing out on the 2015 state title by a point, Fleming rebounded to capture last year’s 1A championship and will start the season at No. 1 as a result.
The boys basketball regular season begins Nov. 30.
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.
Chatfield 38, Lakewood 35, Fort Collins 20, Overland 16, Smoky Hill 9, Rangeview 8, Vista Ridge 7, Chaparral 6, Rampart 6, Dakota Ridge 5, Fossil Ridge 5, Adams City 4, Far Northeast 4, Legend 3, Aurora Central 2, Coronado 2, Arapahoe 1, Cherry Creek 1, Grand Junction Central 1, Highlands Ranch 1.
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Pueblo West (10)
0-0
153
2
Valor Christian (6)
0-0
147
3
Sand Creek
0-0
105
4
Golden
0-0
93
5
Holy Family
0-0
70
6
Sierra
0-0
54
7
Mead
0-0
51
8
D’Evelyn
0-0
43
9
Vista PEAK
0-0
42
10
Evergreen
0-0
40
Others receiving votes:
Pueblo South 33, Longmont 22, Lewis-Palmer 18, Northridge 10, Windsor 10, Silver Creek 8, Air Academy 7, Mesa Ridge 7, Mountain View 7, Denver West 4, Fort Morgan 4, Rifle 4, Durango 2, Widefield 1.
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Colorado Springs Christian (10)
0-0
144
2
Faith Christian
0-0
97
3
Lutheran (1)
0-0
86
4
Manual
0-0
82
5
Manitou Springs (1)
0-0
76
6
Alamosa (1)
0-0
75
7
Resurrection Christian (1)
0-0
72
8
DSST-Stapleton (2)
0-0
65
9
Sterling
0-0
38
10
Colorado Academy
0-0
24
Others receiving votes:
The Pinnacle 17, Eaton 14, Bayfield 13, Jefferson Academy 12, DSST-Green Valley Ranch 11, Strasburg 11, Grand Valley 7, Platte Valley 6, Frontier Academy 5, St. Mary’s 5, Kent Denver 4, Basalt 3, Buena Vista 3, Middle Park 3, Coal Ridge 2, Ridge View Academy 2, Bennett 1, Peak to Peak 1, The Vanguard 1.
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Sanford (7)
0-0
94
2
Paonia
0-0
85
3
Holyoke (3)
0-0
76
4
Sedgwick County
0-0
67
5
Highland
0-0
46
6
Ellicott
0-0
40
7
Ignacio
0-0
35
8
Byers
0-0
28
9
Crowley County
0-0
26
10
Burlington
0-0
24
Others receiving votes:
Meeker 11, Vail Mountain 5, Hotchkiss 3, Soroco 3, Del Norte 2, Rocky Ford 2, Dayspring Christian 1, West Grand 1, Wiggins 1.
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Fleming (9)
0-0
90
2
Holly
0-0
81
3
Kit Carson
0-0
67
4
Shining Mountain
0-0
53
5
Cheyenne Wells
0-0
43
6
Sierra Grande
0-0
40
7
Ouray
0-0
38
8
Flagler
0-0
23
9
Rocky Mountain Lutheran
0-0
21
10
Wiley
0-0
16
Others receiving votes:
Cheraw 10, Eads 3, Primero 3, Longmont Christian 2, Nucla 2, Sangre de Cristo 2, Genoa-Hugo/Karval 1, Otis 1, Springfield 1.
It appears that defending girls basketball state champions are going to have their work cut out for them in 2016-17.
Only Valor Christian comes in as a No. 1 team in the CHSAANow.com preseason girls basketball rankings as a team who also finished the season hoisting a state championship trophy.
Led by Michaela Onyenwere, Grandview comes in as the top team in 5A. The Wolves advanced to the Final 4 last season, but lost a heartbreaker to eventual state champion ThunderRidge.
The Grizzlies did not break into the top 10 to start the season.
In 3A, it’s the 2016 state runner-up Manitou Springs who comes in as the No.1 team to start the year.
The Mustangs return senior Shelby Megyeri, who is regarded as one of the top guards in the state.
Like the 3A poll, it’s the runner-up that will start the season at No. 1 in 2A. After falling to Yuma 55-46 in the 2A title game, Paonia will start the 2016-17 season as the top team in the class.
Yuma isn’t far behind though as the defending champ sit at No. 2.
A stunning upset in the first round of the 1A state tournament ended Kit Carson’s bid at a state title, but the Wildcats find themselves as the team to beat to start this season.
They take the No. 1 spot in the preseason 1A rankings.
The girls basketball regular season will begin Nov. 30.
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.
Longmont 33, Windsor 32, Durango 17, Falcon 16, Air Academy 12, Green Mountain 8, Pueblo East 8, Palisade 6, Berthoud 5, Montrose 5, Discovery Canyon 3, Thomas Jefferson 3, Rifle 2, Centaurus 1, Elizabeth 1.
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Manitou Springs (5)
0-0
87
2
Sterling (2)
0-0
84
3
Pagosa Springs
0-0
76
4
Lutheran (1)
0-0
62
5
Centauri
0-0
58
6
St. Mary’s (1)
0-0
52
7
Eaton (1)
0-0
38
8
Faith Christian
0-0
27
9
Lamar
0-0
19
10
Liberty Common
0-0
11
Others receiving votes:
Moffat County 7, Coal Ridge 5, Grand Valley 5, Bennett 4, Olathe 3, Resurrection Christian 3, Alamosa 2, Cedaredge 2, Colorado Springs Christian 2, Kent Denver 1, Strasburg 1, Trinidad 1.
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Paonia (9)
0-0
99
2
Yuma (1)
0-0
70
3
Swink
0-0
67
4
Wray
0-0
64
5
Akron
0-0
28
6
Soroco
0-0
26
7
Haxtun
0-0
20
8
Del Norte
0-0
19
9
Lyons
0-0
17
10
Highland
0-0
16
Others receiving votes:
Ignacio 15, Clear Creek 14, Evangelical Christian 14, Sanford 13, West Grand 12, Hoehne 10, Sargent 7, Simla 7, Ellicott 6, Limon 5, Meeker 5, Calhan 4, Ridgway 4, Burlington 2, Fowler 2, Center 1, Custer County 1, Denver Christian 1, Norwood 1.
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Kit Carson (7)
0-0
88
2
Fleming (1)
0-0
55
3
Heritage Christian
0-0
53
4
Idalia (1)
0-0
49
5
Briggsdale
0-0
47
6
South Baca
0-0
35
7
Genoa-Hugo/Karval
0-0
25
8
Antonito
0-0
23
9
Kiowa
0-0
21
10
Branson/Kim
0-0
18
Others receiving votes:
Cheyenne Wells 15, McClave 13, Jim Elliot 11, La Veta 10, Sangre de Cristo 10, Hi-Plains 5, Springfield 5, Eads 4, Holly 4, Otis 3, Stratton/Liberty 1.
La Junta, newly-minted as the No. 1 team in Class 2A, beat No. 2 The Classical Academy 26-21 on a Hail Mary to end the game.
La Junta grabbed a 6-0 lead with 5 minutes left in the first quarter, and things that way until midway through the third quarter.
TCA went up 7-6 with 6:36 remaining in the third, and expanded the lead to 14-6 early in the fourth quarter after recovering a bad snap on a punt.
That’s when things got wild.
La Junta made it 14-12 in with six minutes to play, but had a two-point conversion called back because of a penalty. The Tigers took an 18-14 lead with 1:20 play, and that lead turned out to be brief. That’s because TCA drove down the field to go up 21-18 with 37 seconds to play.
All of this, of course, just served to set the stage for La Junta’s game-winning Hail Mary.
This was the Tigers’ second huge win in a week. La Junta beat then-No. 1 Kent Denver last week in another top-2 showdown.
[divider]
3A: (10) Longmont 46, (7) Holy Family 35
Longmont scored 20 points in the fourth quarter to put this back-and-forth game away.
The team teams were tied at 8 after the opening frame, and Longmont held just a 23-21 lead at halftime. After a Trojans’ field goal, Holy Family went up on a passing score from Stone Samaras to Kyle Helbig.
The Tigers pushed it to 35-26 on the first play of the fourth quarter, but that’s when Longmont turned it on and scored the game’s final 20 points.
“We knew that if it came down to the fourth quarter, we were going to do the right things this time that we needed to do to get the win,” Longmont linebacker Austin Hassler told BoCoPreps.com after the win.
[divider]
3A: Skyview 11, Lincoln 5 (OT)
This was a weird one.
Skyview grabbed an early 2-0 lead on a first-half safety. Lincoln then went up 3-2 on a field goal with 5:23 remaining in the third quarter.
The Lancers expanded that lead to 5-2 with a safety of their own with 1:57 remaining in the third, only to see Skyview tie it on this field goal with 44 seconds left:
Skyline is now 5-0, and off to its best start in more than a decade after a 28-0 win over Niwot.
The Falcons were already receiving votes in this week’s 4A rankings, and could slide into the poll on Monday.
It’s quite the turnaround for the program: Skyline has won five games in a season just once since 2014.
“We’ve got great kids, and they’re coachable, and they buy into the mentality and the scheme and the system, and once you get buy-in, good things happen,” Skyline coach Michael Silva told the Colorado Preps Scoreboard Show. “That’s what they’ve done and they’ve showed that they have the mentality, regardless of the situation, that they’re going to find a way to win. That’s tough to do, because of our history.
“These guys have managed to find a way, and trust in me and my staff, and it’s been a fun ride so far. And we don’t want it to stop.”
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Notables
Sand Creek broke a 20-game losing streak with a 14-8 win over Air Academy. That had been the longest drought in the state. It was the Scorpions’ first win since Sept. 19, 2014, which also came over Air Academy. That was a wild 68-62 win which set all kinds of records.
On the other side of the coin, 2A No. 8 Weld Central has now won 10 consecutive games, the longest such streak in the state. The Rebels, now 5-0 this season, beat Valley 28-21.
An update on the all-time wins list: Kent Denver beat Elizabeth 39-20 in an afternoon game. That gave coach Scott Yates his 308th career win. West Grand and coach Chris Brown beat Hayden 53-18. That’s Brown’s 310th career win.
Berthoud connected on a Hail Mary at halftime of its game with Thompson Valley. But TV won, 28-13, to notch its first win this season (1-4).
There was also a first-half Hail Mary in Rangeview/Gateway. Rangeview’s Jaelin Odegard hit Josh Hollins from near midfield (video here). Rangeview went on to win 52-7.
Dayspring Christian had another wild game. This time, 8-man’s No. 2 team beat No. 8 Haxtun 55-53.
A big game in 8-man: No. 3 Sedgwick County took care of No. 4 Akron 46-8.
In 6-man, No. 3 Stratton/Liberty beat No. 5 Arickaree/Woodlin 54-28.
Another top-10 6-man game: No. 8 Cotopaxi upset No. 6 La Veta.
Eaglecrest is now 5-0 after a 42-20 win over Bear Creek. The Raptors, No. 4 in 5A, are off to their best start in more than a decade.
Fairview, ranked No. 7 in 5A, is also 5-0 after beating Arapahoe 48-7.
In 1A, No. 2 Paonia beat No. 7 Cedaredge 35-21.
Florence upset 2A No. 10 Salida 22-13. That is actually the lone upset of an unranked team over a ranked team so far in Week 5. Ranked teams are a combined 34-1 against unranked opponents through Friday’s games this week.
University of Colorado basketball coach Tad Boyle walked into the gym at Sand Creek High School. D’Shawn Schwartz and the rest of the Scorpions were warming up for a big league game against Falcon.
Boyle found a spot near the gym door and sat down with his back against the wall. At least one other Pac-12 scout was in attendance, hoping to to get read on what Schwartz, a junior at the time, could give to its program.
“I’m not here to scout,” Boyle said then. “I know what D’Shawn can do. My scouting him ended a while ago.”
Boyle just wanted Schwartz to know he was loved.
By the time the game was over, Schwartz had scored 31 points and pulled down 18 rebounds. The Scorpions won the game 92-65.
Boyle stood up to leave, but caught Schwartz’s eyes right before he walked out of the gym and raised his fist in the air.
The entire night, not a word was exchanged between player and soon-to-be coach.
But Boyle had gotten his message across: Got your back.
Exactly seven months later, Schwartz sent Boyle a response. In a YouTube video last weekend, the senior for the Scorpions committed to the Buffs and affirmed to his coach that the support is now officially a two-way street.
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
“Tad has been there the whole time,” Schwartz said of his recruitment. “He’s been very consistent with recruiting. We’ve built a really good relationship since I want to say my sophomore year.”
And since that time, Boulder has only grown more appealing to Schwartz.
He was never pressured by his friends or family to stay close to home. He was able to sit back, analyze everything in front of him and make the decision that was going to be in his the best interest of his future.
“The type of person I am is just a perfect fit for Boulder,” Schwartz said. “Tad is a very academic-first guy and he really wants me to be great. And being close to home will always be good.”
He thinks that his parents were secretly hoping he would feel that way.
For CU basketball, it’s becoming quite common to heavily recruit the top players in the state and draw them to play their college basketball on the same floor where they can win a Class 4A or 5A state basketball.
In 2012, Lewis-Palmer and its star forward Josh Scott came away with a 44-43 win over Sierra at the Coors Events Center. Sierra had its own highly-touted prospect in Wesley Gordon. Both players would go on to play for the Buffs.
In 2014, Denver East rolled to a 5A championship and was led by the stellar play of point guard Dom Collier. Collier is heading into his junior season under Tad Boyle.
And now, it’s Schwartz’s turn. He was touched by the faith that the entire coaching staff at Boulder had in him. In the late fall of 2017, Schwartz will suit up for the Buffs and look to help them become a powerhouse in the Pac 12.
But first, he has things he needs to take care of this year.
“Since I committed, it’s not going to get any easier,” Schwartz said. “You just have to work hard and try and get that gold ball. There are a lot of goals to complete.”
Sand Creek’s search for a girls basketball coach has come to an end.
The Scorpions announced Wednesday that Tommie Johnson has been hired as the new coach for the girls hoops team. He replaces B.J. Johnson, who took a job in the Brooklyn Nets organization this summer.
Tommie Johnson comes from CSU-Pueblo where he served as an assistant coach and head recruiter for the mens basketball team.
He has had previous coaching stops at Colorado College and Cheyenne Mountain, making him no stranger to the Colorado Springs area.
“I am proud and excited to be chosen as the head girls’ basketball coach at Sand Creek High School,” Johnson said in a statement. “I look forward to getting started with our girls right away. I feel fortunate to be trusted with the direction of our girls’ program and hope to be here for a long time.”
“Tommie brings a highly reputable coaching capability to our school,” Sand Creek athletic director Jared Felice said in a statement. “I have complete confidence in his ability and passion to lead our proud girls’ program long into the future.”
Schwartz is rated as a top-100 prospect nationally by ESPN, 247Sports.com, Rivals and Scout. He averaged 19.9 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists last season for Sand Creek.
