The No. 1 teams in the preseason girls basketball rankings include: Cherry Creek, Mullen, St. Mary’s, Limon and Kit Carson.
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.
Montrose 30, D’Evelyn 27, Erie 24, Sierra 18, Ponderosa 16, Sand Creek 15, George Washington 12, Longmont 4, Skyline 4, Canon City 2, Roosevelt 2, Skyview 2, Thomas Jefferson 1.
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
St. Mary’s (10)
0-0
100
2
Pagosa Springs
0-0
85
3
Delta
0-0
66
4
Lutheran
0-0
64
5
Eaton
0-0
49
6
Centauri
0-0
45
7
Alamosa
0-0
36
8
Platte Valley
0-0
27
9
Colorado Springs Christian
0-0
20
10
University
0-0
17
Others receiving votes:
The Academy 15, Resurrection Christian 7, Cedaredge 5, Faith Christian 3, Manitou Springs 3, Moffat County 3, SkyView Academy 3, Lamar 2, Grand Valley 1.
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Limon (8)
0-0
114
2
Sanford
0-0
85
3
Wray (1)
0-0
71
4
Yuma (3)
0-0
65
5
Del Norte
0-0
59
6
Meeker
0-0
51
7
Swink
0-0
45
8
Holyoke
0-0
37
9
Heritage Christian
0-0
29
10
Ignacio
0-0
28
Others receiving votes:
Simla 21, Rye 20, Rocky Ford 12, Dawson 6, Highland 5, Soroco 5, Peyton 4, Center 1, Lyons 1, Sedgwick County 1.
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Kit Carson (7)
0-0
114
2
Briggsdale (2)
0-0
108
3
Fleming (3)
0-0
95
4
South Baca
0-0
81
5
Genoa-Hugo/Karval
0-0
66
6
Sangre de Cristo (1)
0-0
48
7
Springfield
0-0
36
8
Merino
0-0
27
9
Haxtun
0-0
25
10
De Beque
0-0
22
Others receiving votes:
Cotopaxi 19, Elbert 12, Shining Mountain Waldorf 12, Lone Star 10, La Veta 9, Kim/Branson 7, Hanover 6, Wiley 6, Dove Creek 5, McClave 5, Cheraw 1, Idalia 1.
DENVER — Sterling won a dream matchup over Lutheran to capture the Class 3A state volleyball championship Saturday night at the Denver Coliseum.
The Tigers overcame a setback in game one and roared to victories in the final three games (22-25, 25-23, 25-22, 25-23) to wrestle the crown away from Lutheran, the 2018 state champs.
Both teams were a perfect 28-0 on the season. Both were 10-0 en route to winning league championships, going 30-2 in sets.
Prior to Saturday night’s match, Sterling held a 76-7 edge over its opponents in sets, while Lutheran was 74-10.
Even their team nicknames are similar: Lutheran Lions and Sterling Tigers.
But Sterling ran off the court with the trophy by taking small steps and believing in their head coach, Lisa Schumacher.
“The entire season we talked about not focusing on the outcome, but rather focusing on the process, she explained. “What do we have to do, step-by-step-by-step, to reach our goals?”
For Sterling, it marked the second state volleyball championship in school history. The Tigers won a 4A crown in 2005.
Things looked bleak for Sterling midway through the second set when it found itself trailing 16-6.
But sophomore outside hitter Kaylee Johnson keyed a comeback by Sterling, smashing five kills during a 19-7 run as the Tigers won the set and tied the match.
From there, Sterling made enough plays on offense and seemingly had answers for Lutheran’s high-powered offense.
And when Valarie Allen’s attack went off the Lutheran block and out of bounds on match point, the celebration began for the Tigers.
“It feels so good!” said Johnson. “We found ourselves in a hole after the first set. But we didn’t let ourselves get too down, and in the next three sets we continued to fight.”
“Every time, they never looked to the end,” Schumacher added. “Even when we were down four points, they were going: ‘one more point, three more points.’ Our goal this year was to focus on the process. Step-by-step, you can attain anything.
“But the harder you work, the luckier you get.”
The last meeting between the two teams was a little more than two years ago, when Lutheran handed Sterling a 3-1 loss at the state tournament.
“Lutheran is a big powerhouse; they’re very good,” Schumacher said. “We respect our opponents … every opponent we had this weekend. But it’s always fun when you can beat a great team.”
Before Saturday night, the Lions had won 33 matches in a row going back to last year.
Lutheran’s last loss was Nov. 8, 2018, to Eaton on the first day of the state tournament.
As she watched her players hug and scream and call out to their families and friends in the stands after the win, Schumacher processed a giant smile.
“I have been blessed … I have been very blessed,” she revealed. “Every step of the way.”
Smoky Hill hill stormed through the regular season unbeaten for the second consecutive year. And now, the Buffaloes have their first playoff win since 1991.
Smoky, the No. 11 seed in the Class 5A football playoffs, beat No. 22 Overland 48-6 behind a huge day from star running back Obasanjo Sanni, who had five touchdowns.
“It was just a total team effort, all the way down to our kicker. Our defense played great,” said Smoky Hill coach Tom Thenell told the Scoreboard Show. “No. 44 (Sanni) was terrific early. The offensive line kind of knew that if 44 had a chance, some good things were going to happen.”
It is Smoky Hill’s first postseason win since they beat Denver West in the 1991 6A playoffs.
“It was a lot of fun for the school,” Thenell said. “These kids, a year ago we got respect in our own community and respect in our own hallways, and this year they were out to try to get the respect of people on the outside. I think after tonight, we have done that.”
Smoky has finished each of the past two seasons 10-0 under Tom Thenell, who is now in his second year at the school.
“People knew that when two years ago we first showed up over here, we were ranked 40th out of 40 in MaxPreps,” Thenell said. “And that’s no longer the case.”
[divider]
3A: (2) Mead 27, (6) Frederick 20
In perhaps the game of the night which was a battle of unbeaten teams, Mead rallied from down 17-12 at half to get the win and secure the Northern Metro League title.
“That was the No. 1 atmosphere that I’ve ever been a part of,” Mead coach Jason Klatt told the Scoreboard Show. “Just a fun night. Two communities coming together.”
Both teams entered 9-0, and 4-0 in the Northern Metro.
Frederick tied the game at 20 with a field goal, but Mead drove down and scored early in the fourth to go ahead for good.
“Just a ton of resolve a group of Mavericks, and I’m proud to be a part of it,” Klatt said.
Mead, No. 2 in the coaches poll, is likely to earn the No. 1 seed in the 3A playoffs when the brackets are unveiled on Sunday after this week’s No. 1 Palmer Ridge lost Discovery Canyon on Thursday.
“We don’t care,” Klatt said of seeding. “If they get us in the tourney, we’ll take it. We don’t care about rankings or any of that stuff. There’s a lot of good teams out there, and we’re fortunate to be a part of that mix.”
Arapahoe avenged a loss in the regular season to advance to the second round of the 5A playoffs.
“It was much-improved from where we were earlier this season,” Arapahoe coach Rod Sherman told the Scoreboard Show. “We played them earlier, and we gave up 400-plus yards of offense, and our guys have improved. Playing in the gauntlet of the Centennial League exposes your weaknesses and gives you a chance to improve.”
Arapahoe is now 7-4, the program’s highest win total since 2015.
“I think we’ve just grown up a little bit,” said Sherman, now in his second year helming the Warriors. “Last year was our first year at Arapahoe. There was some culture change that was necessary. Our kids really bought in last year, but they needed an offseason.”
The game was a rematch of a Week 2 meeting between the teams, which Castle View won 23-13.
[divider]
4A: (3) Vista PEAK 35, Fruita Monument 21
Vista PEAK rallied from down 21-15 at the half to score 20 unanswered points and finish off its first undefeated regular season in school history.
Ja’derris Carr-Kersh led the way with four rushing touchdowns, including a 71-yarder. Monty Hamrick also had rushing score for the Bison as they clinched the Pioneer League title.
“We came out and shut them out the second half, and the offense kind of got rolling,” Vista PEAK coach John Sullivan told the Scoreboard Show. “We wore them down a little bit.”
Of the rushing attack, Sullivan added: “We have a pretty good trio in the backfield with our No. 1 Ja’derris Carr, who’s really fast, and we have a couple of bruisers back there who love to block, and when they get the ball in their hands, they also can do some damage. But it all starts with our hogs up front, that took it to heart that this game was on them — both sides of the ball, actually. Our D-Line, as well.”
Vista PEAK, now 10-0, awaits seeding on Sunday.
“Last year, we started a ton of sophomores that were very talented, and we knew that if we had a great summer, and hit the weight room like we did, that we could do some damage in our league for sure,” Sullivan said. “It was one of our goals to go 10-0 and win the league, for sure, but I think we can do a little bit more, too.”
[divider]
5A: (13) Highlands Ranch 59, (20) Doherty 7
Highlands Ranch cruised into the second round with a big offensive performance.
“Our kids played exceptionally well,” Highlands Ranch coach TJ Rubley told the Scoreboard Show. “It was truly one of those all-cylinder type games on offense for us.”
Ponderosa won the Metro League title with come-from-behind win where the Mustangs went ahead late in the fourth quarter.
“Tonight was a prime example of we’re not going to quit when we get some adversity, and we’re just going to keep fighting,” coach Jaron Cohen told the Scoreboard Show.
[divider]
5A: (19) Mountain Vista 24, (14) Mullen 16
Mountain Vista trailed 6-0 early, but after taking a 7-6 lead in the first quarter, didn’t trail again.
Grant Shells had an interception return for a touchdown, Jacob Barrett threw a TD to Carter Ortega, and Mountain Vista’s defense held firm to pull off the upset.
[divider]
Notables:
In the 6-man quarterfinals, Fleming rolled to a 66-6 win over Prairie.
Skyline beat No. 7 Loveland 20-15 to win the 4A Longs Peak title. “It was a little too close for comfort, but they found a way and played hard,” coach Michael Silva told the Scoreboard Show.
Thomas Jefferson knocked off 3A No. 9 Lutheran, 27-13.
Erie upset 3A No. 10 Fort Morgan, 30-27. “We have talent, we have great coaches, and we were able to figure some stuff out there after a rocky start,” coach Chad Cooper told the Scoreboard Show.
COLORADO SPRINGS — Everything about the atmosphere at District 20 Stadium felt like a playoff atmosphere. From the level of talent to the way the game played out, anyone could have guessed that it was a game fitting of mid to late November.
Even the weather screamed playoffs.
But in 24 degrees, it was Class 3A No. 4 Discovery Canyon grinding out a 20-7 win over No. 8 Lutheran.
“The only thing that didn’t make it feel like the playoffs was getting one day of prep,” Discovery Canyon coach Shawn Mitchell said.
After snow days canceled school for District 20 on Monday and Wednesday – and all afternoon activities called off for the incoming snow storm on Tuesday – Mitchell and Thunder athletic director Ron Sukle jumped onto a plow to clear the team’s grass practice field for a Thursday practice.
In some ways the one day of practice showed as running back Marshall Pike fumbled the ball at one point, something uncharacteristic of him this season.
“Honestly, it was freaking cold and we didn’t play the way we should have,” Pike said.
If he felt that way then no one bothered to inform him of his final numbers. He ran the ball 35 times for 198 yards and two touchdowns. His first touchdown in the second quarter put the Thunder (8-1 overall, 4-0 Central League) up 7-0.
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
The Lions (6-3, 2-2) struck back almost immediately as Max Rivkin found Noah Tack for a 58-yard touchdown pass. Outside of that passing play, Lutheran was trying to rely on a heavy dose of running back Brandon Belgrave, who ran for 109 yards on nine carries in the first half.
But the Lions squandered a couple of key opportunities with two second-quarter fumbles, both in Discovery Canyon territory, including one inside the 10-yard line.
“Turnovers inside the red zone and not scoring, you’re not going to win many games like that,” Stephen Robbins said.
Discovery Canyon really changed the tempo of the game with its first drive of the second half. Starting on their own 35, they drove inside the Lutheran 10 and even though Connor Clancy’s field goal attempt was blocked, more than eight minutes had been taken off the clock.
“You always want points there,” Mitchell said. “But in terms of a drive where you don’t score, that’s everything you can ask for. Going about the length of the field and taking about nine minutes off the clock.”
It’s also a good way to win big games; especially playoff-type games.
“There were some implications here tonight,” Mitchell said. “I’m not a true numbers guy so I don’t know exactly what had to happen in all these scenarios, but I knew a win tonight gave us a really good chance at hosting a playoff game which would be pretty cool.”
Despite the loss, Lutheran has the benefit of having played in a game that felt every bit like a playoff atmosphere, but having some time to clean up things like turnovers in opposing teams’ territory.
The big key that they learned on Friday was that they need to have the ball for more than a couple of quick drives in the second half.
“That was really frustrating,” Robbins said. “I looked at the clock and it was going into the fourth quarter and we had run four plays.”
For Discovery Canyon, the ball control in the second half was a statement. Pike ran for 105 yards in the final two quarters alone and his second touchdown was set-up by a 22-yard run by Kevin Frye.
Pike then dragged the Lutheran defense for nearly 13 yards to put the game all but out of reach.
“It’s good to know we can stick and get the (win) when we need to,” Pike said.
Their biggest challenge will be doing that next week as they’ll face Palmer Ridge for the Central League title.
Voted upon by coaches 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
Chaparral (7)
16-2
96
1
2-0
2
Cherokee Trail (2)
16-2
81
3
2-0
3
Legend
15-3
79
2
2-0
4
Broomfield (1)
18-0
64
4
2-0
5
Rampart
17-1
63
5
3-0
6
Valor Christian
16-1
55
6
2-0
7
Fort Collins
20-2
43
7
7-0
8
Chatfield
14-4
24
9
2-0
9
Grandview
12-6
20
8
1-1
10
Windsor
15-4
10
10
3-2
Others receiving votes:
Eaglecrest 6, Fairview 4, Cherry Creek 2, Ralston Valley 2, Horizon 1.
Dropped out
None.
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Pueblo County (8)
21-1
97
1
2-0
2
Lewis-Palmer (3)
13-5
96
2
2-0
3
Montrose
16-3
74
7
2-0
4
Mead
16-3
70
8
5-0
5
Coronado
12-6
58
3
1-1
6
Discovery Canyon
13-5
54
5
2-0
7
Pueblo West
14-5
50
4
2-1
8
Palmer Ridge
11-6
38
6
0-1
9
Woodland Park
15-1
21
9
1-0
10
Erie
14-7
18
10
3-2
Others receiving votes:
Silver Creek 12, Glenwood Springs 11, Mullen 2, Thomas Jefferson 2, Battle Mountain 1, Cheyenne Mountain 1.
Dropped out
None.
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Lutheran (11)
16-0
110
1
6-0
2
Sterling
20-0
97
5
5-0
3
Eaton
15-3
83
2
1-0
4
Alamosa
20-3
77
6
0-0
5
Colorado Springs Christian
20-1
65
3
1-0
6
Cedaredge
17-1
46
–
2-0
7
Faith Christian
13-3
41
4
1-0
8
Bayfield
14-4
32
–
1-0
9
Lamar
18-4
25
8
2-2
10
Englewood
15-2
15
–
2-0
Others receiving votes:
Fort Lupton 10, SkyView Academy 10, Coal Ridge 8, Riverdale Ridge 8, Bennett 7, University 6, Eagle Ridge Academy 5, Platte Valley 5, Strasburg 5, Brush 4, Frontier Academy 1.
Dropped out
University (7), Platte Valley (9), Resurrection Christian (10).
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Denver Christian (9)
19-0
90
1
2-0
2
Union Colony Prep
16-2
77
2
0-1
3
Meeker
17-2
67
3
2-0
4
Limon
15-5
54
5
2-0
5
Simla
16-4
47
10
3-0
6
Fowler
14-4
44
6
0-1
7
West Grand
17-2
43
7
2-0
8
Wiggins
15-5
39
4
1-1
9
Dolores
16-3
12
9
2-0
10
Sedgwick County
15-6
9
–
4-0
Others receiving votes:
Rye 6, Telluride 6, Ignacio 1.
Dropped out
Rye (8).
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
La Veta (7)
19-0
95
1
2-0
2
Kit Carson (2)
17-2
86
3
1-1
3
Fleming
17-2
85
4
2-1
4
Merino (2)
17-2
76
2
1-1
5
Briggsdale
16-3
73
5
3-0
6
Genoa-Hugo/Karval
17-2
71
6
3-0
7
Otis
13-6
36
8
2-0
8
Springfield
13-4
35
9
2-0
9
Prairie
12-7
25
7
2-4
10
South Baca
15-3
11
–
2-0
Others receiving votes:
Mile High Academy 8, Weldon Valley 2, Dove Creek 1, Stratton/Liberty 1.
Voted upon by coaches and media members around the state. New voters can sign up by emailing rcasey@chsaa.org. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.
Class 5A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Chaparral (9)
14-2
107
1
0-0
2
Legend
13-3
90
2
0-0
3
Cherokee Trail (1)
14-2
82
3
1-0
4
Broomfield (1)
16-0
73
4
2-0
5
Rampart
14-1
70
5
1-0
6
Valor Christian
14-1
53
6
2-0
7
Fort Collins
13-2
42
7
2-0
8
Grandview
11-5
31
8
1-0
9
Chatfield
12-4
19
10
2-0
10
Windsor
12-2
15
–
2-0
Others receiving votes:
Eaglecrest 12, Fairview 8, Ralston Valley 3.
Dropped out
Eaglecrest (9).
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Pueblo County (9)
19-1
115
1
3-0
2
Lewis-Palmer (3)
11-5
112
2
2-0
3
Coronado
11-5
77
6
2-0
4
Pueblo West (1)
12-4
68
4
1-0
5
Discovery Canyon
11-5
67
3
0-2
6
Palmer Ridge
11-5
65
5
1-1
7
Montrose
14-3
63
8
2-0
8
Mead
11-3
57
7
2-0
9
Woodland Park
14-1
24
9
3-0
10
Erie
11-5
20
–
2-0
Others receiving votes:
Thomas Jefferson 16, Silver Creek 14, Battle Mountain 6, Mullen 4, Cheyenne Mountain 2, Glenwood Springs 1, Skyline 1, Steamboat Springs 1.
Dropped out
Thomas Jefferson (10).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Lutheran (8)
10-0
88
1
1-0
2
Eaton
14-3
70
5
2-0
3
Colorado Springs Christian (1)
19-1
59
4
2-0
4
Faith Christian
12-3
53
7
1-1
5
Sterling
15-0
51
2
1-0
6
Alamosa
20-3
44
3
2-1
7
University
9-7
26
10
0-2
8
Lamar
16-2
23
8
2-0
9
Platte Valley
11-4
19
9
2-0
10
Resurrection Christian
9-7
18
–
2-1
Others receiving votes:
Cedaredge 11, Valley 6, Bayfield 5, Centauri 4, Pagosa Springs 4, Delta 3, St. Mary’s Academy 3, La Junta 2, Middle Park 2, Peak to Peak 1.
Dropped out
Cedaredge (6).
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Denver Christian (9)
17-0
90
1
2-0
2
Union Colony Prep
16-1
76
2
3-0
3
Meeker
15-2
59
5
2-0
4
Wiggins
14-4
53
3
0-1
5
Limon
13-5
52
6
3-0
6
Fowler
14-3
49
4
1-1
7
West Grand
15-2
43
7
1-0
8
Rye
13-4
20
10
2-0
9
Dolores
14-3
17
9
2-0
10
Simla
13-4
14
8
1-1
Others receiving votes:
Telluride 11, Sedgwick County 5, Highland 3, Ignacio 1.
Dropped out
None.
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
La Veta (4)
17-0
75
1
1-0
2
Merino (3)
16-1
71
3
3-0
3
Kit Carson (1)
16-1
62
2
2-0
4
Fleming
15-1
60
5
2-0
5
Briggsdale
13-3
47
4
1-1
6
Genoa-Hugo/Karval
14-2
38
6
1-0
7
Prairie
10-3
29
7
0-1
8
Otis
11-6
21
9
1-0
9
Springfield
11-4
14
10
2-0
10
Dove Creek
16-1
9
–
2-0
Others receiving votes:
Mile High Academy 7, Flagler/Hi-Plains 2, Front Range Baptist 2, Sangre de Cristo 2, Weldon Valley 1.
