Cripple Creek-Victor snapped a 35-game losing streak on Friday with a 65-31 win over Colorado Deaf & Blind.
It was the program’s first win since the 2011 season — and first on-field win since 2010, a span of 42 games.
The Pioneers went 0-9 each of the past two seasons, 0-7 in 2013, and 0-8 in 2012. They were 1-8 in 2011, losing their final game after getting a forfeit win against Limon on Oct. 21, 2011.
Their last on-field win came against Ellicott in the final game of the 2010 season, with a 20-6 victory on Oct. 30, 2010.
The Pioneers nearly snapped the losing streak last week. They led Hanover 25-14 heading into the fourth quarter, but gave up 14 points in the final frame to lose 28-25.
Friday night, there would be no such letdown with the 34-point win.
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3A/4A: (1) Pueblo East 23, Pueblo West 21
Pueblo East came back to beat Pueblo West. (Via @flammowl17 on Twitter)
Pueblo West nearly pulled off the upset, leading much of the second half, but Pueblo East got a touchdown from Bryson Torres with a minute to play to secure its 15th in a row.
Pueblo West held leads of 8-3, 14-11, 21-11 and 21-17 before East’s comeback.
Pueblo East’s winning streak is tied for the longest current active steak in the state.
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4A/3A: Niwot 17, Summit 14
Niwot is 2-0 following its win over Summit.
The Cougars, who snapped a 24-game losing streak last October, haven’t started a season 2-0 since 2005, when they finished 9-2.
In fact, Niwot hasn’t won two games in a season since 2013. And both wins this year have been of the come-from-behind variety.
“I’m really proud of the kids’ fortitude,” Niwot coach Dylan Hollingsworth told the Colorado Preps Scoreboard Show after the game. “Anytime we were down last year, you knew it was over. We never responded well to it. And they have really played hard through the adversity this year.”
The game marked a return for Hollingsworth, who left Summit after 10 seasons to take over Niwot in 2015.
“It was interesting being on the opposite sideline, looking at everything that I’ve always had my back to, and having my back to everything that I’ve always looked at,” Hollingsworth said.
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Notables
West Grand football coach Chris Brown extended his career wins record with a 42-12 decision over South Park. That’s No. 308 in his career.
… and Kent Denver’s Scott Yates stayed right behind Brown with win No. 307 as his Sun Devils beat Faith Christian 27-12.
4A No. 10 Broomfield got its first win under new coach Blair Hubbard, 21-14 over Wheat Ridge. “The transition’s really been very smooth, and the kids are excited and really believe in what we want to do here,” Hubbard told the Scoreboard Show. “The community’s been really supportive. It’s been a great place to be through the summer and here in the fall now.”
Fruita Monument got its first win of 2016 by beating rival Grand Junction 38-14. “I do think we’ve got a good team. I keep saying that, because I believe it having been around this for a while,” Wildcats coach Todd Casebier told the Scoreboard Show. “Our season hasn’t gone as well as we’d hoped so far, but it was a big win for us tonight.”
Fairview, ranked No. 10 in 5A, handled rival Boulder 50-9.
In 2A, No. 8 Platte Valley edged No. 9 Eaton 26-12. “It was a good early test for us,” coach Troy Hoffman told the Scoreboard Show.
Lewis-Palmer made its claim for a spot in the 3A ranking by beating No. 9 Evergreen 42-0.
Another big one in 1A: No. 6 Limon topped No. 4 Crowley County 14-7. “We gave up one big play, and … I thought we did a great job other than that one play,” coach Mike O’Dwyer told the Scoreboard Show.
A good old-fashioned 6-man shootout: No. 3 La Veta beat Walsh 79-64.
Pomona is the new No. 1 team in 5A football. (Jeff Tucker/jefferywtucker.zenfolio.com)
Three new schools are staking their claim as the No. 1 teams in their respective classes of this week’s CHSAANow.com football rankings.
Pomona (Class 5A), Kent Denver (2A) and Dayspring Christian (8-man) all come in as the top teams in the polls after sitting lower in the preseason rankings.
Pomona moves into the top spot after beating Mullen 28-21 in Zero Week. The Panthers lost at Glynn Academy (Ga.) Friday, but that did not affect their standing to Colorado voters.
After a 0-2 start, defending 5A champion Valor Christian slipped to No. 6.
Windsor remains atop the 4A rankings after a 33-21 win over Vista Ridge to start the season. The Wizards will have a top-10 match-up this week against No. 7 Pine Creek, who lost to No. 3 Chatfield on Friday.
The Chargers are new to the rankings this week along with Pueblo South (No. 6) and Monarch (No. 8).
After an impressive win over Longmont to start its season, defending 3A champion Pueblo East remains at No. 1 in the 3A rankings.
Fort Morgan jumps one spot to No. 2 and Discovery Canyon lands at No. 3 this week.
A 1-1 start has Durango as the lone newcomer to the 3A poll. The Demons come in at No. 10.
Kent Denver is No. 1 in 2A. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Along with win No. 306, Kent Denver coach Scott Yates is also the man behind the Sun Devils team that now resides at the top of the 2A rankings.
Resurrection Christian is sitting right behind them at No. 2, jumping a staggering six spots this week. With four first-place votes, La Junta is sitting firmly at No. 3.
Eaton (No. 9) and Moffat County (No. 10) are the two teams who join the rankings for the first time this season.
In 1A, Buena Vista still holds the No. 1 spot, but Paonia continues to nip on the Demons’ heels as they sit at No. 2 and are only two points behind the defending champs.
Strasburg (No. 3) and Meeker (No. 7) are the 1A teams that made the biggest from the preseason rankings, each improving their position by three spots.
At No. 9, Rye is the only newcomer to the 1A poll.
With six of the 10 first-place votes cast this week, Dayspring Christian is the new No. 1 in the 8-man rankings.
Sargent takes over the No. 2 spot and despite starting 2-0, Sedgwick County drops two spots to No. 3.
Fresh behind getting Chris Brown his 307th career win, West Grand breaks into the 8-man polls at No. 8. Haxtun (No. 9) and Holly (No. 10) are also new to the rankings this week.
Kit Carson hangs on to the top spot in the 6-man rankings. The Wildcats improved to 2-0 with a 30-22 win over Pawnee this weekend.
La Veta (No. 3) and Cotopaxi (No. 7) each jumped three spots this week.
Sierra Grande (No. 6) and Cheyenne Wells (No. 10) are the two new 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.
Greeley West 15, Dakota Ridge 12, Wheat Ridge 8, Ponderosa 6, Fort Collins 5, Grand Junction 4, Niwot 3, Montrose 2, Mesa Ridge 1, Sand Creek 1.
Dropped out
Dakota Ridge (7), Ponderosa (8), Wheat Ridge (9).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
1
Pueblo East (11)
1-0
127
1
2
Fort Morgan (1)
1-0
111
3
3
Discovery Canyon
1-0
85
5
4
Longmont (1)
0-1
77
4
5
Roosevelt
1-1
72
2
6
Holy Family
2-0
56
9
7
Rifle
2-0
49
7
8
Palisade
1-1
34
6
9
Evergreen
1-0
31
8
10
Durango
1-1
15
–
Others receiving votes:
Thompson Valley 13, Silver Creek 12, Frederick 9, Lewis-Palmer 9, Pueblo County 6, Summit 5, Lutheran 2, Canon City 1, Mead 1.
Dropped out
Thompson Valley (10).
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
1
Kent Denver (4)
2-0
112
2
2
Resurrection Christian (1)
2-0
103
8
3
La Junta (4)
1-0
98
7
4
D’Evelyn (1)
1-0
85
6
5
The Classical Academy
1-0
79
5
6
Bayfield (1)
1-1
69
1
7
Delta (2)
0-1
68
4
8
Platte Valley
0-1
43
3
9
Eaton
2-0
36
–
10
Moffat County (1)
1-1
12
–
Others receiving votes:
Alamosa 11, Aspen 8, Faith Christian 8, Valley 6, Weld Central 6, Middle Park 5, Sterling 5, The Academy 5, Manitou Springs 4, Brush 3, Englewood 3, Coal Ridge 1.
Dropped out
Sterling (9), Brush (10).
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
1
Buena Vista (9)
1-0
108
1
2
Paonia (2)
1-0
106
2
3
Strasburg (1)
1-0
84
6
4
Crowley County
2-0
82
4
5
Bennett
1-0
66
7
6
Limon
1-0
52
5
7
Meeker
2-0
40
10
8
Platte Canyon
1-0
31
8
9
Rye
1-0
23
–
10
Burlington
0-1
18
3
Others receiving votes:
Cedaredge 12, Peyton 11, Ellicott 10, Colorado Springs Christian 8, Hotchkiss 4, Holyoke 2, Highland 1, Monte Vista 1, Olathe 1.
KREMMLING — How does a man who has more wins than any other high school football coach in the state congratulate himself when he reaches such an accomplishment?
Well, if it’s Chris Brown, he doesn’t. He turns the focus to the very reason that he got into coaching in the first place. He turns it to the kids.
With West Grand’s 38-12 win over Sanford on Friday night, Brown became the all-time wins leader in the state. But his mind wasn’t on the record. It was hoping his kids would start 1-0 on the season.
His 307th win was the most important win to him, but only because it was the next game on the schedule.
“About maybe one percent,” is how much the record was on his mind.
A man like that with so much love and passion for teaching kids about football and life was an easy pick for Week 1’s Denver Broncos coach of the week.
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Chris Brown bio
Years coaching: 40 (307-123, No. 1 all-time)
Years at West Grand: 36
Previous stops: Limon (1976-78), John Mall (1979), West Grand (1980-present)
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Question: Why do you coach?
Brown: I just love what I do. I can’t believe they pay me for this.
I was a teacher too. Loved it. That’s how stupid I am, I came back and taught for three or for years for no pay. I volunteered.
I taught a personal finance class for free, I taught my weight lifting class for free. It was just something to do.
Q: Why do you coach the way you do?
Brown: I just think that these guys’ career … it’s over (after high school) for most kids. You better have a purpose besides blocking and tackling because they probably won’t block and tackle too many people once they graduate.
At the time, those were great goals, techniques and fundamentals to work on, but eventually you better have something else.
If you’re goal is to win a state title every year, I mean I have four. Four out of 40. That’s an F.
You fail most of the time if that’s the only goal you have. Our goal is to play the best we can play each week and get better. That’s our goal.
Our purpose is to try and take young men and get some integrity in them and teach them right from wrong and hope some of that sticks with them when they get older.
Q: If it’s not 307 wins or state titles, how do you define success in coaching?
Brown: If you have those years where you have a chance at it, you have to have it up there as a possibility.
But to be the best you can be, that’s a great goal.
And then at the end you can kind of evaluate if we were the best we can be. Some years we’ve overachieved and some years we’ve kind of underachieved.
Probably some of that is a good job of not looking back and trying to do this or that. It’s a usual game. Fans do it. Might as well have the coaches do it too.
Q: What’s it like to be coached by you?
Brown: I hope I’m a positive influence. I hope it’s a good time and (the kids) are learning something, not only football but life lessons.
Never quitting, good sportsmanship, how to treat people and all that. I think that’s important.
Q: When you talk about sportsmanship and those values, what do you do to instill those values into these kids through football?
Brown: Well, if the other team doesn’t show up, we don’t have a game. You have to treat (your opponents) with respect. They’re trying to do the same things you’re doing.
They’ll play their best and some days, they play better than you. So you have to realize that.
When you watch our kids, when we tackle someone we help them up and we’ve been doing that for years and years. I don’t like any bad talking, any swearing, that kind of stuff I guess.
Chris Brown. More photos. (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
KREMMLING — Legendary. Immortal. Mythical.
Any one one of those words could be used to describe what West Grand coach Chris Brown accomplished on Friday night. Yet, none of them can really demonstrate just what he has meant in the realm of coaching high school football.
The best there is. The best there was. Maybe the best there ever will be.
With no intentions of slowing down.
“When I quit loving coaching kids and going to practice and scouting, it’s time to get out of it,” Brown said. “But right now I love all of that.
In his first game of the 2016 season, Brown got whatever hype was associated with this run out of the way. But he never once coached like there was anything special about the game. In fact, in his previous 306 wins, Brown never once cared about anything other than the game at hand.
Whether it was at Limon or with the Mustangs, Brown was never in search of greatness. He just wanted to be a football coach.
“Our goal was to be 1-0 after tonight,” Brown said. “At least that was my goal. I don’t know about anyone else, but that was my goal.”
The Mustangs (1-0 overall) got on the board in the first quarter with a five-yard touchdown run from Travis Barnes with 3:59 remaining in the first quarter.
Right then, the Mustangs’ defense settled in and really limited what the Indians (0-1) were able to do offensively.
A rushing touchdown from Travis Etler and touchdown pass from Brady Gore to Etler put gave the Mustangs an 18-0. And that would be all the points that West Grand would need to get the victory and leave Brown standing next to no one in the career wins column.
“We definitely got a lot more execution after the first three drives,” Etler said. “(Us getting this win) is going to be a big achievement, not only for coach, but for us as a team.”
Brown stands alone at least for now. For the rest of the regular season, he and Yates will be the subject of a statewide watch to see who ends the season with the most wins in state history.
Even if it’s Brown, he knows that Yates still has more left in the tanks and will blow by whatever career number he can set.
“He’ll blow by me in a Wyoming wind because he’ll coach for a long time, too,” Brown said. “It’s fine. It’s okay when he goes right on by me.”
Because Brown doesn’t care about his own accomplishments. And it’s not a smoke screen. He cares more about the happenings of his students and players than he ever could about his own accomplishments.
When the final gun sounded Friday night and he was standing as a man who had accomplished something that no other coach in the state had done, he could only think back to last season.
But it will stand out in the eyes of his players, his colleagues and his community.
He doesn’t need to acknowledge his success when those he has mentored are willing to stand up and celebrate for him because they know how much it means to everyone else.
“It’s not just about the coaches,” Etler said. “It’s about the school and all that. It’s about having fun and executing.”
What made the night even more special, if possible, was defensive coordinator Maurice Noll sharing the win with Brown. Noll had been in a fight with brain cancer and was given a clean bill of health this week. He has been present for all but 35 of Brown’s wins.
And though Brown wouldn’t say it, he knew that there was no way his friend would’ve missed being there for that historic 307th victory.
Chris Brown won’t forget his exasperating “welcome to coaching football” moment — a dazzling fourth quarter play that led to a fleeting shot at victory halted by a pull-your-hair-out penalty in his very first high school game.
The year was 1976, and Brown was a young, rookie coach in his first season with 10-time state champion Limon. The opening game was a sloppy one against Bishop Machebeuf, a team led by legendary veteran Pat Panek, who was on the brink of retiring as Colorado’s all-time winningest football coach.
There were less than two minutes in regulation when Machebeuf was up on Limon, 13-7, driving with the ball for one last touchdown and Limon caused a fumble inside the 10-yard-line. When the ball popped up, a Limon safety snatched it and went 95 yards to tie the game.
CLUTCH. Had the touchdown counted.
The pick-six was no good because of a mouth guard penalty: a new rule that went into effect this game. The mouth guard that popped out of a player’s mouth way on the other side of the field called for a five-yard penalty and the TD was called back.
Brown’s Badgers fell to Panek’s Buffaloes.
“As a young coach, I didn’t handle that too well,” Brown said with a sentimental laugh. “The papers called.”
Four state championships and 40 seasons later, Brown’s career has circled back to where it all began: in good company of the great Panek.
In West Grand’s last victory of the 2015 season, Brown, who has been with the 8-man program in Kremmling since 1980, notched his 306th win, tying Panek for Colorado’s career wins record.
“There are probably not too many coaches around who are still coaching that have connections to Pat Panek,” Brown said.
“I was a little guy when my dad, Dick Yates, was coaching during the Pat Panek era,” said longtime Kent Denver football coach and athletic director Scott Yates. “My dad spoke so highly of him as one of the best football coaches around.”
Yates, who has 304 career wins, missed the Panek era (1939-77), and started coaching the Class 2A Sun Devils in 1981. Since then, Yates has dedicated himself to developing a quality football program, won three state titles during his 304-74 tenure and is just below only Panek/Brown and Dolores County’s Ken Soper (305) in career wins. They are the only four coaches in state history to reach the 300-victory club.
Both the Kent Denver and West Grand coaches are very successful, yes, but bring up that state record in conversation and they agree: to be mentioned even in the same sentence as Panek is absolutely ridiculous, and also very humbling.
Panek was known for dedicating himself to young people and developing their talents. Much like Panek, both Brown and Yates have longevity and success in their careers and have also used their time coaching to serve as great role models in high school athletes’ lives, striving for players to leave their respective programs as better people than when they first started.
Brown and Yates enter the 2016 season in record-breaking territory, without a question. But it’s really not about the record, it’s about the teams. It’s about what each coach is doing right now to make connections with young people, be positive influences on their players and help provide a quality foundation for athletes’ futures.
They may not put much focus on it — if any at all — but Brown and Yates are chasing a longtime record together that has stood since 1977. Before December, Panek’s mark could very well fall at the hands of these two coaches who have persevered with time and built extremely successful careers based on similar coaching philosophies.
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Scott Yates, Kent Denver
304 career wins
(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Yates, who enters his 36th season coaching, started building Kent Denver’s dilapidated program from the ground up as a 24-year-old in 1981.
“When I started at Kent Denver, the school had not won a league game,” Yates said. “By our fifth year, we won our first state championship, and over the course of the following years, we’ve been able to maintain a high-level program.”
He has won three state titles (1986, 1991, 2012) in five trips to the championship, and has been the Gatorade national coach of the year once. The Sun Devils have gone 31-5 since the most recent state championship and produced three Class 2A all-state first-teamers per year the last three seasons.
“When Yates took over that program, it was at the bottom of the old Metro League, probably lower than a doormat,” Brown said. “And he stayed there all these years and he’s just done a great job of building up a terrific program.”
Even though Kent Denver was a struggling program when Yates took over, he stuck with it with a “never give up” and “grass isn’t always greener” mentality. After all these years with new players, teams, games, what really amazes Yates the most is the transformation — of the entire program, from where it was in 1981 to where it is now — and the transformation of individual players.
“I marvel the most at a young, skinny little ninth grader who is slow, and that you engage, encourage and keep in the program,” Yates said. “By the time they’re juniors or seniors, they’re significant contributors to what you’re doing.”
(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Encouragement and understanding are big parts of Yates’ coaching philosophy, which is to use football as a tool to help great guys become great young men. Establishing relationships is the No. 1 goal.
Junior tailbacker/linebacker Josh McDonald said Yates is one of the most influential people in his life, and was also an important mentor to his father, Ross McDonald, who graduated from Kent Denver in 1991.
“My dad to this day says that Coach Yates was his biggest influence growing up,” McDonald said. “He says Yates was one of his biggest father figures, and being able to experience this for myself is extraordinary.
Yates explained the importance of establishing relationships begins with understanding there are hard times and great times, and recognizing when players are dejected or elated and being able to help them climb out of the dark times, and be humble during the good times
This gets very challenging with the way society has evolved over the years. There are new pressures facing high school students now, namely in the social media realm, that didn’t even exist when Yates and Brown were that age.
“There’s a lot more to coaching than it used to be,” Yates said. “Someone who stays in there has a lot of grit.”
He added: “I admire the longevity of Chris Brown’s career, the endurance he’s demonstrated, the dedication he’s shown to young people, and the time, effort and sacrifices I know I’ve made, he’s certainly made as well.”
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Chris Brown, West Grand
306 career wins
West Grand football coach Chris Brown. (Photo courtesy of Mike Wilson)
Brown, also West Grand’s athletic director, enters his 41st season of coaching football with a 306-123 mark and four state titles: two with Limon (1976 and 1978), two with West Grand in (1996 and 1998).
On Sept. 3, at West Grand’s first game of the season against Sanford, Brown could pick up his 307th victory, making him Colorado’s winningest football coach.
“I think we’ll win at least one this year,” Brown said.
After taking over for longtime Limon coach Lloyd Gaskill, who won 10 state championships, Brown claimed two more for the school. The ’76 title was with the ‘Comeback Kids,’ who started out with the mouth guard fiasco-loss to Panek’s Machebeuf before continuing on to a 1-3 start.
“At that time and era, it was three too many losses at Limon,” Brown said. “Then we ran the table and won the state title and had a great group of seniors. We came from behind in the fourth quarter in four of the last five games. They just refused to lose.”
One of Brown’s main coaching mottos and philosophies is to never quit, and he’s seen his fair share of perseverance during his coaching tenure, as well as the impact he’s made on young people.
“There was one former player who had a tough time. He was in jail and was contemplating suicide,” Brown said. “Every time he thought of committing suicide, he also thought of what I taught him about, ‘Never give up, never give up.’ Then he came back and told me that years later.”
And “never give up” was also a motto than ran very deep last season. Brown said out of all the games he has ever coached, including seven state final appearances, his last victory in 2015 – No. 306 – was the most important game of his life.
(Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
On a Tuesday the week West Grand was playing the league championship against Vail Christian on a Friday, junior starting quarterback JD Guess died in a car crash driving home from practice.
“We wouldn’t have played. We were going to forfeit,” Brown said. “Then JD’s dad, Eric Guess, and brother, Will, who used to play for us, talked to the kids. And we decided to play because of them. I had no clue how we were going to play.”
He added: “It wasn’t the winning. It was going out and playing the best we could in that circumstance.”
They never gave up, and won 34-8.
Former West Grand principle and track coach Joe Shields said in a small school, fall sports coaches have an awful lot of power in the attitude kids have at the beginning of the school year, and since Brown has been at West Grand, students have always responded very well to him.
“Brown was a major factor in West Grand students getting started out very well inside and outside the classroom,” Shields said. “He works very hard at his craft and he’s very fair, loyal, supportive and consistent with his athletes.”
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It’s just a number to them — the 300-plus wins, the state record. It’s a major milestone, of course, for Brown and Yates. But the real focus for each coach has been and will always be on the team and players that are here and now, and how they can continue to serve as a positive influence for young people.
Neither coach has plans of retiring at this point, and until then, the two will continue to shimmy up the state record books side by side.
Through all the moments that we saw, we complied a list of some of our favorites moments from the past year.
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Cherokee Trail overcomes tragedy to take Class 5A volleyball title
The Cherokee Trail volleyball team began the season dealing with something no high school kids should have to deal with. Before the season, a friend and teammate, Celeste James, passed away.
West Grand gives football coach Chris Brown 306th win
Chris Brown. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
Playing with heavy hearts following the death of a teammate earlier in the week, West Grand football gave coach Chris Brown career win No. 306 last fall to tie a state record.
The 8-man team played just three days after quarterback JD Guess was killed in a car accident while driving home from practice.
“The win tonight had little to do with me,” Brown wrote in an email afterward. “First, credit goes to Eric Guess [JD’s father] and Will [his brother, and a former player at West Grand], our amazing assistant coaches, an unbelievable crowd, and a tremendous effort from our kids.”
Christian McCaffrey finishes second in Heisman voting
Christian McCaffrey. (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
A whirlwind of a regular season put Valor Christian alum Christian McCaffrey in the national spotlight. The Stanford star was named a finalist for the 2015 Heisman Trophy and finished as the runner-up to Alabama running back Derrick Henry.
McCaffrey was in the national spotlight again less than three weeks later as he helped the Cardinal roll to a 45-16 win in the Rose Bowl. The former Eagle record 368 all-purpose yards in the game and scored two touchdowns.
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Holy Family, Chris Helbig has record-setting start to football season
Chris Helbig. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
The start of the 2015 football season was a sprint, not a marathon for Holy Family quarterback Chris Helbig. The senior set a state record by throwing for 607 yards in the Tigers first game of the year in a win against Mountain View.
Helbig’s season came to a disappointing end as he tore his ACL and was unable to finish the football season or compete during the basketball season. Despite the injury, Helbig aims to continue his football career at the University of Colorado.
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Meeker’s T.J. Shelton win fourth wrestling title
Despite trailing early in his match, Meeker’s T.J. Shelton became the 19th wrestler in state history to win his fourth wrestling title.
Shelton accomplished the feat with a 16-7 major decision over Centauri’s Chris Martin.
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Houtsma recovers from crash to win nordic skate
Graham Houtsma. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Graham Houtsma took a nasty spill and lost one of his poles when he was leading the nordic skate at the 2016 state skiing championships.
He recovered, was a given a new pole by a teammate, and went on to win the race by one-tenth of a second.
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Kent Denver coach Scott Yates wins 300th game
Kent Denver’s Scott Yates. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Longtime Kent Denver football coach and athletic director Scott Yates won his 300th career game in October.
“It’s not a one-guy deal. That’s all there is to it,” Yates said after the game. “The school’s been great. The program has been a lot of fun. And the coaches and the kids that we’ve had the pleasure to work with is really what makes it.”
Yates was the fourth coach to reach the mark.
But like Brown’s 306th win, this milestone came in a wake of school tragedy. Kent Denver teacher Kristin Brown had passed away a week earlier, and the loss weighed heavy on the school.
“I don’t know if you heard him after the game, but after winning 300 games, he didn’t even talk about that,” said Kent Denver running back Will McKissick. “He talked about Ms. Brown, who we lost this week, and he talked about how there are more important things than football. I think that’s not your average guy.”
Kent Denver advanced to the 2A semfinals in the fall, which puts Yates’ career mark at 304-74. The state record, held by Brown and Pat Panek, is 306 wins.
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Regis Jesuit boys basketball coach Ken Shaw wins No. 700
Regis Jesuit players pose with coach Ken Shaw after he won his 700th game. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
The greens at the Pueblo Country Club are no joke. But with a championship on the line, Silver Creek senior Erin Sargent refused to let them stop her from claiming the 4A girls golf championship in May.
She sank a birdie putt on 18 to top Caroline Jordaan and end her high school career as the best 4A golfer in the state.
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Mountain Range wins 5A softball title
Mountain Range won the 5A softball championship. (Tim Visser/TimVisserPhotography.com)
The 5A softball title went to a team that had never even reached the state tournament before. Mountain Range started play in 2009 and made the state tournament for the first time in 2015.
The Mustangs made the most out of the opportunity, coming away with the 5A championship with a 12-2 win over Pomona. It was only the second overall state championship in school history.
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Valor Christian avenges early-season loss to claim 5A football title
Pomona was good enough to beat Valor Christian in the regular season. But the Eagles proved to be tougher to handle with gold on the line.
Valor forced a turnover with less than three minutes left and was able to capitalize on it to come away with its sixth championship in seven seasons.
“In our program, we don’t want to focus too much on peaks and valleys,” Valor coach Rod Sherman said. “We lost a close game like this last year and tried not to be too devastated about it, and this year we’ll try not to be too over the moon.”
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Castle View’s co-ed spirit title felt like a win for all
In perhaps the year’s best example of all for one and one for all, the Denver Coliseum exploded with cheers for Castle View when it was announced the Sabercats had won the 4A/5A co-ed title.
The reason was easy, coach Heather Acampora has become known for actively rooting on all teams at the event, competition or not. With Acampora’s desire to see all teams succeed at the highest level, it was easy to be happy for her own team’s victory.
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Rainsberger caps incredible career
Katie Rainsberger. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
The 2016 state track meet proved to be the perfect sendoff for Air Academy senior Katie Rainsberger. After bringing home the cross country title in the fall, the Oregon commit swept the 800, 1,600, 3,200 and 3,200 relay to end her high school career as one of the top runners the state has ever seen.
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Sanford ties record for winning streak
Sanford won the 2A boys basketball title. (Jeff Tucker/jefferywtucker.zenfolio.com)
Sanford boys basketball won its third-consecutive 2A championship in March, and in the process extended its winning streak to 73 games. That ties the state record held by Ridway in 1993-96.
The winning streak dates to the middle of the 2013-14 season.
Sanford beat Resurrection Christian 63-58 in dramatic fashion to win the 2A title.
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Oliana Squires ties state tournament scoring record
Sand Creek’s Oliana Squires. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Oliana Squires put on an historic performance during the 4A girls basketball Final 4. The Sand Creek senior tied a state tournament record by scoring 43 points in the Scorpions loss to Evergreen.
Valor Christian went on to win the girls 4A title, but the scoring effort by Squires in the semifinals was the standout performance of the tournament.
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Gifs used to help pass time for 5A basketball bracket release
I might be tough to recall games off the tops of our heads, but the fun we all had while waiting for the basketball selection committee to release the 5A boys basketball was definitely one of the top moments of the year.
Vista Ridge, Sand Creek produce wild ending in boys hoops
In one of the craziest endings all year, in any sport, Sand Creek battled back from a 20-point deficit in the second half to take its first lead of the game on a Jordan Phillips 3-pointer (video above).
The Scorpions forced a turnover and possessed the ball with 10 seconds remaining, but a steal led to an open shot for Raymon Harper who would knock it down, giving the Wolves a huge win over their district rivals.
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Juarez throws a gem to give Holly first baseball title
Seven innings of dominance on the mound gave Holly its first baseball championship in school history, as the Wildcats came away with the 1A crown.
Ricardo Juarez threw seven innings, allowing only four hits while striking out six Fleming hitters in the win.
“Ricardo’s been our guys since he was a freshman,” Holly coach Dayne Eaton said. “We’ve been so close. Two years ago we knocked off a great Stratton team and then last year we tried to save Ricardo and got beat by Dove Creek and they went on to win it.”
Holly had fallen to Fleming in the 2013 1A title game.
The Lewis-Palmer girls soccer team finally got the state championship that barely eluded them a year ago. After falling to Cheyenne Mountain in penalty kicks in 2015, the Rangers needed to find the back of the net only once in 2016.
Annica Fletemeyer scored the only of goal of the game as the Rangers topped Valor Christian 1-0.
“I didn’t want to miss it, that’s what was going through my mind,” Fletemeyer said. “It was a great ball by Brianna (Alger). I didn’t want to miss it because I didn’t want to let my team down. It was just such a rushing feeling of emotion, so I’m just really glad I could put it away.”
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Colorado Academy wins fourth-consecutive field hockey title
Colorado Academy field hockey has won 70-straight games. (Lance Wendt/LanceWendt.com)
For the seniors on Colorado Academy’s field hockey team, the feeling of not winning a state championship will never be felt.
The Mustangs increased their winning streak to 70 games and captured their fourth state field hockey title in as many years.
“It’s definitely not routine,” Colorado Academy coach Veronica Scott said. “It’s beautiful for the seniors because there’s eight girls here who have not lost a game in four years. It’s their fourth championship. For them, that’s extra special.”
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Pueblo West finishes quest for first boys basketball title
Pueblo West was not among the early favorites to come away with the 4A boys basketball title. But that didn’t stop the Cyclones from storming through the bracket.
The win gave the Cyclones their first boys basketball championship in school history.
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Fairview girls tennis ends Cherry Creek’s 19-year state title run
Fairview girls tennis won this year’s 5A championship. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
For 19 straight years, Cherry Creek was the talk of 5A girls tennis. That run ended in may as Fairview became the first team since the Bill Clinton administration to best the Bruins for the team title.
Thanks to Sophie Pearson’s win in No. 3 singles, the Knights edged Cherry Creek by three points. But it took some time for the feat to sink in for Fairview coach Susan Stensrud.
“I’m not one hundred percent,” she said. “I don’t believe it one hundred percent. It hasn’t sunk in, but I’m so glad it’s this team of girls.”
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Valor Christian wins twice on a Sunday to capture 4A baseball
Valor Christian baseball won 4A. (Tom Robinson/CHSAANow.com)
Weather (shockingly) pushed the completion of the 2016 baseball championships back one day. So it was on a Sunday that Valor Christian was able to beat Pueblo West twice to come away with its first baseball championship.
It was the seventh team championship on the year for the Eagles which led all schools.
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Limon’s sportsmanship helps Rocky Ford en route to softball tourney
The Rocky Ford softball team returned to Limon in May to thank the community for its sportsmanship. (Tom Robinson/CHSAANow.com)
Rocky Ford softball was on the way to the 3A state tournament last fall, and when it passed through Limon, the team was met with a road block — and a banner directing the team to a parking lot.
The Rocky Ford team had two players who recently lost their parents, and the tragedies were “widely and deeply felt,” according to coach JC Carrica.
Limon’s community rose up. They prepared goody bags for each player, took the time to talk with the players who recently lost their parents, and then sent Rocky Ford off with honking horns and more banners.
“The girls were hanging their heads out of the bus window, yelling, smiling, of course taking pictures and selfies,” Carrica said. “It was just the encouragement and lift we needed. As we left Limon and entered the interstate, there was not a dry eye on the bus.”
Loveland ends Pine Creek football’s 37-game winning streak
(Josh Watt/CHSAANow.com)
Pine Creek football was a juggernaut this season, storming it was through the 4A ranks.
But then the Eagles ran into Loveland, a No. 13 seed which stunned Pine Creek with a 26-14 win in the semifinals. The loss ended a 37-game winning streak for Pine Creek, which spanned two championships.
Loveland advanced to the 4A title game, where it lost to Windsor.
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Regis Jesuit stuns Monarch to win hockey’s championship
Regis Jesuit won hockey’s championship in the winter. (Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com)
Monarch was the team in Colorado hockey this season, entering with a 21-0 record, and beating teams by a combined score of 20-4 on its way to the championship game.
The Coyotes even took a 1-0 lead 13 seconds into that championship game, against Regis Jesuit in March.
Oh, but. The Raiders stormed back with six unanswered goals to stun Monarch and win the title, 6-1.
Fort Collins’ Becca Schulte. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
LAKEWOOD — Becca Schulte had never toed the line for the 800-meter run at the state track and field championships, but that doesn’t mean she didn’t keep the idea handy in her back pocket.
“I wanted to give it a better shot this year, especially when I saw that no one had run super fast yet,” the Fort Collins senior said. “I was like, ‘This could be mine.’ It’s kind of crazy looking up and seeing the time.”
Schulte, the defending 400-meter state champion in Class 5A, was the No. 3 seed for the two-lapper on Friday at Jefferson County Stadium. Her season best of 2 minutes 15.12 seconds was within reach of Dakota Ridge’s Cayli Hume at 2:14.33.
“The first lap I just tried to stay at the front of the pack,” Schulte said. “It was a little faster than what I was expecting and what I had run in the past, but it’s the state meet. I was just trying to stay there.”
The seasoned veteran, arguably Colorado’s most versatile big-school standout, started to separate from the leaders on the back stretch of the final lap.
“Then Hannah from Fairview started to come up on the outside, so I had to start picking it up,” she explained. “Then once I hit the 200 I knew it was time to go, get around that turn as fast as I could and finish that straight.”
With four competitors separated by a mere 1.20 seconds, the one with the best closing speed turned the last curve and finished the home straight just ahead of the group. Schulte’s winning time of 2:11.62 was enough to hold off Hume (2:12.07), Madison Mooney (2:12.43) and Hannah Freeman (2:12.83).
Schulte’s 10 points in the event were critical for the team race between likely Fort Collins, the favorites and 2014 champions, and Cherokee Trail, the defending champions.
Schulte is also a top-four seed in the finals of both the 200 and 400-meter dashes. Denver East freshman Arria Minor, who came close to state records in both on Thursday at 23.42 and 52.80, is the No. 1 seed.
The second day of the state meet heated up in a number of events, but especially so for the 800. The race has a way of captivating the crowd — plenty of speed, tactics, and toughness all play a role in the physical and psychological challenges that come with the event.
With all five classifications going back-to-back during the afternoon session, Jeffco Stadium was alive after Shining Mountain Waldorf senior Jordan Cherin ran way under the 1A state meet record of 1:57.86.
“Before the race I had planned to start off fast,” he said. “I went out a couple seconds too fast. When Eric (Enriquez-Acosta) passed me I was already more tired than I was expecting to be. All I was thinking was that I had to stay with him. If I gave him a gap he would just blow me away.”
Enriquez-Acosta, the Idalia junior who ran away from Cherin for the 2015 title and record time, passed Cherin with about 250 meters to go. But he never let him get away and eventually passed him back while rolling to a time of 1:54.83.
The senior, who hopes to walk-on to the track team at Baylor University, had designs on his first state championship but the time caught him by surprise.
“I wasn’t expecting to run that fast,” Cherin said. “I still don’t know what to think about it, but it’s kind of unbelievable to me.”
Also the No. 1 seed in the 400 with the only 1A time under 50 seconds this season at 49.53, Cherin will have a busy Saturday with the 100 and 200 finals as well.
Air Academy’s Katie Rainsberger. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
As for other 800 champions, Bree-ann Carwin of Baca County (2:23.58) won 1A girls, Katy Parsons of Hotchkiss (2:18.91) won 2A, Quinn McConnell of Peak to Peak won 3A (2:16.02), and Katie Rainsberger of Air Academy won 4A (2:09.97).
McConnell is part of a stellar freshman group for the Pumas. Rainsberger, if she wins the 1,600 on Saturday, will complete a distance state championship sweep in cross country, the 3,200 relay, 800, 1,600 and 3,200 junior and senior years in 4A. Her time of 10:23.24 in the 3,200 on Friday was 32 seconds ahead of runner-up Lexi Reed of D’Evelyn.
Ben Kelley, a sophomore at Soroco, shattered a record of his own in 2A with a winning 1:55.61 800 to oust Paul Roberts of Lyons (1:58.08). Jared Keul of Manitou Springs (1:55.70) was the 3A winner, while Durango’s David Moenning (1:52.26) and Poudre’s Henry Raymond (1:51.97) were the big-school champions in 4A and 5A.
On a day where a number of state records fell, Roberts added to his legacy in the 2A 3,200 with a state meet record time of 9:26.17. The Cedaredge girls 400 relay broke their own 2A state record of 49.71 from 2015 with a 49.51 in prelims. Faith Christian’s Sarah Yocum set a new 3A standard in the 300 hurdles with a prelims time of 42.45, while Discovery Canyon’s sprint medley relay (Ayannah Lang, Jenny Hall, Lianna Ubungen, Lauren Gale) shattered the 4A record with a winning 1:44.54.
The Springfield girls (Audrey Rau, Jordan Reed, Jayci Westphal, Tatelyn Lasley) broke the 1A record in placing first in the 800 relay in 1:48.27. Both Valor Christian and The Classical Academy shattered the 4A record in the same relay in both prelims and finals as Valor’s Tess Boade, Megan Maccagnan, Bianca Lopez and Gianna Tesone won in 1:39.80. TCA went 1:40.28 for second.
In the 2A boys pole vault, both Cooper Daniels of Vail Christian (15-2) and Brandon Hinkle of Yuma (14-11) launched past the 1984 record of 14 feet, 9 inches held by Bill Culbreath of West Grand. Taylor Alexander, also of Vail Christian, cleared 14 feet, 9 inches to shatter the girls all-time best.
Classification records were also broken by Brianna Van Vleet of Paonia (2A long jump), Trent Loeffler of Arickaree (1A triple jump), and Jenna McKinley of Sangre de Cristo (1A shot put).
Ian Meek of Montrose won a memorable 4A 3,200 by two seconds over Tanner Norman of TCA 9:32-9:34, while Fountain-Fort Carson boys blitzed the 5A 800 relay field in 1:25.96.
The state track and field championships resume at Jeffco Stadium at 9:30 am on Saturday with the finals of the 100 hurdles in every classification.
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.
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Class 5A
Overland’s De’Ron Davis is the 5A boys basketball player of the year. (Kevin Keyser/KeyserImages.com)
