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
Valor Christian (12)
5-0
120
1
W
2
Eaglecrest
5-0
104
2
W
3
Pomona
3-2
83
3
L
4
Regis Jesuit
4-1
79
4
W
5
Fairview
5-0
55
7
W
6
Cherry Creek
3-2
51
5
L
7
Mullen
2-3
43
6
Bye
8
Grandview
3-2
41
9
W
9
Columbine
4-1
35
8
W
10
Highlands Ranch
4-1
20
–
W
Others receiving votes:
Lakewood 17, Arvada West 8, Doherty 3, ThunderRidge 1.
Dropped out
Lakewood (10).
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Ponderosa (11)
5-0
166
2
W
2
Chatfield (4)
4-1
142
3
W
3
Pine Creek (3)
4-1
139
1
L
4
Windsor
4-1
106
4
W
5
Loveland
5-0
104
5
W
6
Pueblo West
5-0
89
6
W
7
Monarch
5-0
81
8
W
8
Fruita Monument
5-0
76
7
Bye
9
Pueblo South
4-1
45
9
W
10
Skyline
5-0
18
10
W
Others receiving votes:
Fort Collins 6, Vista Ridge 5, Widefield 4, Broomfield 2, Greeley West 2, Montrose 2, Rampart 2, Standley Lake 1.
Dropped out
None.
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Mead (10)
5-0
120
2
W
2
Palmer Ridge (2)
5-0
111
3
W
3
Erie
5-0
87
5
W
4
Berthoud
5-0
77
4
W
5
Roosevelt
4-1
69
7
W
6
Skyview
5-0
55
8
W
7
Holy Family
4-1
45
1
L
8
Harrison
5-0
44
9
W
9
Silver Creek
3-2
32
6
L
10
Longmont
2-3
27
–
W
Others receiving votes:
Evergreen 14, Thomas Jefferson 10, Denver North 6, Canon City 5, Frederick 5, Rifle 5, Palisade 3.
There was all kinds of shakeup in this week’s football rankings.
The Class 3A poll added five new teams: No. 4 Berthoud, No. 7 Roosevelt, No. 8 Skyview, No. 9 Harrison and No. 10 Canon City.
Lakewood (5A), Skyline (4A), Crowley County (1A), Clear Creek (1A), Sargent (8-man) and Sierra Grande (6-man) are also new this week in their respective classifications.
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.
Widefield 9, Broomfield 7, Vista Ridge 6, Standley Lake 5, Cheyenne Mountain 4, Rampart 4, Montrose 3, Greeley West 1.
Dropped out
Broomfield (10).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Holy Family (5)
4-0
104
1
W
2
Mead (5)
4-0
97
2
W
3
Palmer Ridge (1)
4-0
78
4
W
4
Berthoud
4-0
57
–
W
5
Erie
4-0
50
6
W
6
Silver Creek
3-1
48
3
L
7
Roosevelt
3-1
45
–
W
8
Skyview
4-0
38
–
W
9
Harrison
4-0
33
–
W
10
Canon City
4-0
19
–
W
Others receiving votes:
Palisade 9, Evergreen 8, Fort Morgan 6, Frederick 5, Discovery Canyon 4, Durango 2, Denver North 1, Thomas Jefferson 1.
Dropped out
Fort Morgan (5), Discovery Canyon (7), Durango (8), Longmont (9), Thomas Jefferson (10).
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Kent Denver (10)
4-0
142
1
W
2
Bayfield (5)
4-0
132
2
W
3
The Classical Academy
4-0
115
3
W
4
Platte Valley
4-0
101
5
W
5
La Junta
3-1
98
4
L
6
Sterling
3-1
63
6
W
7
Faith Christian
3-1
48
7
W
8
Alamosa
3-1
30
8
Bye
9
Salida
4-0
24
9
Bye
10
Basalt
3-1
21
10
W
Others receiving votes:
Aspen 11, Bishop Machbeuf 9, Valley 9, Coal Ridge 7, Eaton 6, D’Evelyn 4, Elizabeth 3, Delta 2.
Dropped out
None.
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Bennett (10)
4-0
118
1
W
2
Meeker (2)
4-0
108
2
W
3
Strasburg
3-1
93
3
W
4
Centauri
5-0
69
5
W
5
Limon
3-1
65
4
L
6
Paonia
3-1
54
6
W
7
Platte Canyon
3-0
52
7
Bye
8
Peyton
3-1
19
10
W
9
Crowley County
4-1
17
–
W
10
Clear Creek
4-0
16
–
W
Others receiving votes:
Burlington 15, Cornerstone Christian Academy 8, Buena Vista 7, Cedaredge 7, Rocky Ford 4, Grand Valley 3, Colorado Springs Christian 2, Monte Vista 2, Hotchkiss 1.
Keys threw a passing touchdown and rushed for another for the Mavericks. Evan Hansen, Jake Wachter and Nathan Mackey also had rushing touchdowns. Dom Esters caught the touchdown from Keys.
Longmont quarterback Oakley Dehning rushed for a touchdown.
This was just the second-ever meeting between the two schools which are just 15 minutes apart. Mead won last season, 49-35, during its march to the semifinals.
Bayfield senior Hunter Killough had a game-sealing interception in the game’s final moments, according to the Durango Herald.
“I wanted it bad,” he told the paper after the game. “Since last year, I had been stewing on this game. It’s good to get that victory.”
[divider]
Notables:
5A No. 8 Mullen went out-of-state to play Bothell (Wash.), and had a big rally and a chance to win late, but fell 31-28. Bothell reached Washington’s 4A quarterfinals last season.
In 1A, No. 2 Meeker got a top-10 win over No. 8 Monte Vista, 30-7. “Our defense did a good job of flying around the football tonight,” coach Shane Phelan told the Scoreboard Show. The Cowboys are 4-0.
Skyview knocked off No. 10 Thomas Jefferson 27-16 in 3A. The Wolverines have started 4-0, their best start since 2011.
Harrison beat Glenwood Springs 36-22, and is now 4-0 in 3A. “This is just another step forward for us,” coach Al Melo told the Scoreboard Show. “It was a good win for our kids tonight, and I’m really proud of them.
Check out Widefield, which is 4-0 in 4A following a 42-0 win over Palmer. The Gladiators haven’t started 4-0 since 2010. TJ Davis rushed for 168 yards and two touchdowns on Friday. He also threw two touchdown passes.
5A No. 3 Eaglecrest is now 4-0 after beating Cherokee Trail 28-14.
Berthoud upset 3A No. 5 Fort Morgan, 22-10.
Grand Valley and Aspen had lightning delay their game, which the Skiers ultimately won 30-26. Aspen, which won a combined four games the past two seasons, is 4-0 for the first time since 2010.
Sierra Grande beat Cheraw 61-6 in 6-man action, including this touchdown. The Panthers are now 4-0, something they haven’t done since 2005.
6-man No. 1 Stratton/Liberty cruised to a 68-8 win over Idalia. Tyson Lichty completed four passes — all four went for touchdowns. Jacob McCormick rushed for 131 yards and two touchdowns.
Levi Mair had four total touchdowns in Arvada’s 30-6 win over The Pinnacle.
Jaion Colbert rushed for 185 yards and two touchdowns as Overland beat Rangeview 42-20.
Zac Hanenberg had two rushing touchdowns as Canon City beat Pueblo East 29-16. The Tigers are now 4-0, matching their win total from each of the past two seasons.
Peyton beat Ellicott 41-0 in 1A. Gunner Saarela rushed for 95 yards and two touchdowns.
Trevor Reuss threw for 241 yards in 2A Basalt’s 41-33 win over 3A Battle Mountain.
Garrett Anderson rushed for 157 yards and a score as Lewis-Palmer topped Pueblo County 20-10 in a 3A matchup.
5A Ralston Valley also went out-of-state, and beat East Bakersfield (Calif.) 35-14.
Resurrection Christian is making a climb up the ladder. The Cougars traveled to Sterling and came away with a big 25-13, 25-19, 18-25 25-21 over the Tigers.
Morgan Watson, Kaitlyn Newbanks and Katelyn Anderson all recorded double-digits in kills, providing a balanced attack for the Cougars.
Bryce Lienemann was the one feeding the machine as she notched 37 assists.
Sterling will look to rebound on Thursday when it travels to Frontier Academy. Resurrection Christian will also see action on Thursday when it plays host to No. 3 Faith Christian.
[divider]
Eaton 3, Faith Christian 0
Top-ranked Eaton will stay on top for now. The Reds cruised to another win on Tuesday, beating Faith Christian 25-19, 25-17, 25-13.
Thursday will be another tough test for the defending 3A champions as they host No. 5 University.
[divider]
Valor Christian 3, Chatfield
Valor Christian made a heck of a statement on Tuesday night, as 4A’s No. 5-ranked Eagles took down 5A No. 2 Chatfield with a clean sweep.
It was the first loss for Chatifeld who will try to get back in the win column on Thursday against Denver East.
The Eagles will host Fruita Monument on Saturday.
[divider]
Holy Family 3, Berthoud 1
After two, Holy Family and Berthoud each held a set in hand.
Then the Tigers went on quite the run, outscoring the Spartans 50-33 in the last two sets to take Tuesday’s match.
It was the first league win of the year for the No. 2-ranked Tigers who will look to build on that momentum when they travel to Roosevelt on Thursday.
Berthoud will aim for their first league win on Thursday when it hosts Erie.
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.
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.
