The preseason football rankings are out ahead of the 2018 season. No. 1 teams include Cherry Creek (5A), Pine Creek (4A), Palmer Ridge (3A), Bayfield (2A), Strasburg (1A), Sedgwick County (8-man) and Stratton/Liberty (6-man).
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.
The 2018 preseason volleyball rankings are here. Top-ranked teams include Fossil Ridge (5A), Lewis-Palmer (4A), Eaton (3A), Yuma (2A) and Kit Carson (1A).
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.
Discovery Canyon 15, Cheyenne Mountain 14, Ponderosa 9, Erie 7, Roosevelt 7, Pueblo County 6, Berthoud 5, Montrose 5, Durango 4, Battle Mountain 3, Eagle Valley 3, Coronado 2.
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Eaton (8)
0-0
98
2
Lutheran (2)
0-0
90
3
University
0-0
70
4
Faith Christian
0-0
62
5
Valley
0-0
44
6
Centauri
0-0
39
7
Coal Ridge
0-0
30
8
Resurrection Christian
0-0
19
9
Lamar
0-0
18
10
Platte Valley
0-0
14
Others receiving votes:
Middle Park 10, Bennett 9, Buena Vista 9, Eagle Ridge Academy 8, Colorado Academy 6, Bishop Machebeuf 5, Pagosa Springs 5, Sterling 5, The Pinnacle 4, Aspen 3, Bayfield 2, Kent Denver 2, Colorado Springs Christian 1, Manitou Springs 1.
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Yuma (5)
0-0
86
2
Lyons (2)
0-0
74
3
Denver Christian
0-0
60
4
Meeker (2)
0-0
58
5
Simla
0-0
44
6
Swink
0-0
32
7
Dolores
0-0
25
8
Wiggins
0-0
23
9
Limon
0-0
18
10
Hoehne
0-0
17
Others receiving votes:
Paonia 9, Dayspring Christian 8, Fowler 8, Ignacio 8, Rangely 8, Del Norte 7, Union Colony 4, Byers 2, Sargent 2, Vail Mountain 1, West Grand 1.
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Kit Carson (8)
0-0
89
2
La Veta (1)
0-0
68
3
Fleming
0-0
67
4
Otis
0-0
57
5
McClave
0-0
34
6
Genoa-Hugo/Karval
0-0
25
7
Wiley
0-0
22
8
Haxtun
0-0
18
9
Sangre de Cristo
0-0
16
10
Flagler/Hi-Plains
0-0
15
Others receiving votes:
Belleview Christian 14, Springfield 13, Briggsdale 10, Pikes Peak Christian 8, Kim/Branson 7, De Beque 6, Dove Creek 6, Merino 6, Eads 4, Rocky Mountain Lutheran 4, Arickaree 2, North Park 2, Weldon Valley 2.
Strasburg (3A), Mountain View (4A) and Legend (5A) are on top of the 2018 preseason softball rankings.
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 select 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
Legend (8)
0-0-0
93
2
Fossil Ridge
0-0-0
68
3
Eaglecrest
0-0-0
62
4
Legacy
0-0-0
60
5
Brighton (1)
0-0-0
40
6
Loveland
0-0-0
36
7
Columbine
0-0-0
33
8
Arvada West
0-0-0
26
9
Valor Christian (1)
0-0-0
25
10
Douglas County
0-0-0
20
Others receiving votes:
Cherry Creek 12, Cherokee Trail 11, Mountain Vista 11, ThunderRidge 11, Broomfield 10, Ralston Valley 7, Rock Canyon 6, Grandview 5, Prairie View 4, Pomona 3, Vista Ridge 3, Chatfield 2, Hinkley 2.
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Mountain View (6)
0-0-0
90
2
Golden (1)
0-0-0
73
3
Erie (1)
0-0-0
68
4
Silver Creek (1)
0-0-0
63
5
Mullen
0-0-0
51
6
Holy Family
0-0-0
47
7
Conifer
0-0-0
38
8
Pueblo Central
0-0-0
36
9
Pueblo South (1)
0-0-0
17
10
Thomas Jefferson
0-0-0
15
Others receiving votes:
Pueblo County 14, Frederick 11, Discovery Canyon 10, D’Evelyn 4, Elizabeth 4, Ponderosa 3, Pueblo West 2, Windsor 2, Mesa Ridge 1, Wheat Ridge 1.
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Strasburg (7)
0-0-0
97
2
Eaton (3)
0-0-0
92
3
Faith Christian
0-0-0
66
4
La Junta
0-0-0
47
5
Brush
0-0-0
44
6
University
0-0-0
43
7
Lamar
0-0-0
40
8
Meeker
0-0-0
34
9
Rocky Ford
0-0-0
32
10
Limon
0-0-0
20
Others receiving votes:
Delta 9, Sterling 9, St. Mary’s 7, Burlington 3, Cedaredge 3, Fort Lupton 3, The Academy 1.
The 2018 all-state baseball teams honor the best players in the sport as judged by the leagues and coaches. They are presented by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps.
These teams were created following a lengthy process which included nominations from leagues, and then a vote of head coaches.
Player and coach of the year was also selected by a vote of the coaches.
[divider]
Class 5A
Mountain Vista’s Sam Ireland. (Tim Bourke/MaxPreps)
Player of the year: Sam Ireland, Mountain Vista
Coach of the year: Ron Quintana, Mountain Vista
First Team
Name
School
Pos.
Year
Brayden Brooks
Mountain Range
Senior
Garrett Declue
Arapahoe
LHP/CF
Senior
Riley Egloff
Heritage
RHP/3B
Senior
Sam Ireland
Mountain Vista
RHP/3B/1B
Junior
Niklavs Levensteins
Ralston Valley
3B/2B
Senior
Jack Liffrig
Mountain Vista
LHP
Senior
Justin Olson
Pine Creek
1B/LHP
Senior
Tanner O’Tremba
Cherry Creek
Zach Paschke
Mountain Vista
INF
Senior
Second Team
Name
School
Pos.
Year
Justin Boyd
Legend
SS/CF
Junior
Matthew Boyd
Regis Jesuit
Senior
Riley Cornelio
Pine Creek
SS/RHP
Junior
Brandon Dryer
Arapahoe
LF/RHP/2B
Senior
Hayden Heinze
Rocky Mountain
OF
Senior
AJ Jergensen
Ralston Valley
OF
Junior
Arian Jimenez-Quezada
Heritage
SS/3B/RHP
Senior
Kasey Koppelmaa
Chatfield
LHP/OF
Senior
Andrew Morris
Monarch
2B/P
Senior
Josh Thompson
Highlands Ranch
P
Senior
Honorable mention:
Luke Bailey, Chaparral, OF, Senior
Jake Barber, Cherokee Trail, Senior
Simon Baumgardt, Lakewood, P/SS, Junior
Tyler Boggs, Fruita Monument, C, Senior
Alex Champagne, Heritage, SS/2B, Freshman
Colten Chase, Cherokee Trail, Senior
Dorsey Chatham, Boulder,
Pete Chronowski, Heritage, LHP/1B, Junior
Benjamin Derosiers, Castle View, LHP/1B/CF, Senior
Ozzie Dominguez, Aurora Central, P/1B, Senior
John Emerson, Denver East, Junior
Tanner Garner, Broomfield, Senior
Zach Goodman, Arapahoe, C/OF/UTIL, Senior
Jake Greiving, Legend, C/OF/3B, Junior
Zach Harstad, Loveland, 1B/LHP/OF, Junior
Calvin Hunt, Ralston Valley, RHP, Junior
Jenner Kehe, Lakewood, P/OF/SS, Sophomore
Cam Kennedy, Smoky Hill, CF/3B/2B, Junior
Reese Lansville, ThunderRidge, RHP/INF, Senior
Cale Lansville, ThunderRidge, RHP/INF, Freshman
Grant Magill, Mountain Vista, C, Junior
Jayden Martinez, Grandview, OF/DH, Junior
Nick Merone, Rock Canyon,
Trey Morrill, Fruita Monument, P/OF, Senior
Cade Nelson, Rocky Mountain, INF/P, Junior
Drew Norsen, Fort Collins, OF/LHP, Sophomore
Jay Onken, Pine Creek, OF/RHP, Senior
Ryan Overboe, Legacy, LHP/1B/RF, Senior
Quentin Parr, Cherry Creek,
Mike Polson, Mountain Range, Senior
Henry Rock, Fairview, Junior
Tyler Schultz, Cherry Creek,
Frankie Shearn, Columbine, OF, Senior
Ross Smith, Legacy, RHP/RF, Senior
Drew Stahl, Mountain Vista, INF, Junior
Ryan Stohr, Dakota Ridge, RHP/1B, Junior
Zach Sulyma, Eaglecrest, 3B/C, Senior
David Velasquez, Brighton, SS/P/3B, Senior
Wyatt Wendell, Rock Canyon,
Reggie Williams, Douglas County, Senior
Kevin Zapanta, Overland, 2B/1B/RHP, Senior
[divider]
Class 4A
Valor Christian’s Josh Danyliw. (Paul DiSalvo/MaxPreps)
Canon City 6, Fort Morgan 5, Thomas Jefferson 4, Kennedy 3, Palisade 3, Durango 1.
Dropped out:
Canon City (9).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Lamar (8)
17-1
98
2
2-0
2
Faith Christian
14-1
84
3
4-0
3
University (1)
15-2
80
1
2-1
4
Sterling (1)
11-4
63
6
3-0
5
Eaton
10-3
62
5
3-0
6
La Junta
11-5
34
4
0-2
7
Peak to Peak
11-4
30
8
3-2
8
Valley
9-7
23
7
0-2
9
Colorado Academy
13-3
20
–
3-0
10
Alamosa
13-4
19
–
3-0
Others receiving votes:
Resurrection Christian 16, The Academy 7, Buena Vista 6, Delta 6, Weld Central 2.
Dropped out:
Kent Denver (9), Buena Vista (10).
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Peyton (7)
14-1
70
1
2-0
2
Sedgwick County
16-1
64
5
5-0
3
Paonia (1)
14-2
61
2
1-1
4
Limon
11-3
49
3
2-1
5
Hotchkiss
12-2
35
4
1-1
6
Rocky Ford
12-3
33
6
2-0
7
Lyons
13-3
21
7
2-1
8
Yuma
12-5
16
9
4-1
9
Evangelical Christian
11-4
15
–
2-0
10
Meeker
11-5
14
–
3-0
Others receiving votes:
Front Range Christian 13, Dayspring Christian 10, Sargent 10, County Line 7, Sanford 5, Fowler 4, Highland 4, Calhan 3, Denver Christian 3, Simla 2, Dawson 1.
Dropped out:
Calhan (8), Sargent (10).
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Cornerstone Christian (7)
13-2
77
1
2-1
2
Peetz
8-3
58
6
2-1
3
Otis
12-3
56
4
1-1
4
Holly (1)
8-5
53
2
2-0
5
Stratton/Liberty
7-3
39
–
2-0
6
Elbert
6-3
34
5
1-1
7
Caliche
10-9
32
3
2-4
8
Denver Jewish Day
3-2
26
8
0-0
9
Cotopaxi
12-4
16
9
3-0
10
Longmont Christian
6-6
12
–
0-3
Others receiving votes:
Nucla 9, Dove Creek 8, Eads 6, Manzanola 6, Fleming 4, Mile High Academy 4.
LOVELAND — Nestled along Highway 71 in the southeast corner of the state, the town of Ordway isn’t exactly a metropolis.
There’s a firehouse. There’s a country store. A set of railroad tracks.
And then there’s Crowley County. Friday at the Budweiser Events Center, which has a seating capacity that more than triples the entire population of Ordway, No. 1-seeded Chargers showed enough flash to light up the whole Arkansas Valley.
Crowley County topped No. 5-seed Meeker 63-47 in the Final 4, utilizing a quick start and a fourth-quarter burst to down the energetic Cowboys and advance to the Class 2A boys state basketball championship game for the first time in several decades.
The Chargers’ last (and only) boys’ state hoops crown came in 1968. At 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, they’ll be playing to put their tiny town on the map.
“I just got chills thinking about it,” said coach Brett Rusler, who grew up in the Arkansas Valley prep sports scene just a skip away in Swink. “It’s huge for the community. Playing for a state championship is everything that every kid dreams of. I’m just happy for these players.”
Charger senior Bradley Carnes-Clabey scored on a layup just three seconds into the game, setting the pace for an up-tempo first quarter that saw the No. 1 seed take a 23-11 lead in the first eight minutes.
Meeker started the game 0-for-5 shooting from the field but eventually found a rhythm with a 9-0 run in the first five minutes of the second quarter to bring it to 23-20. The Cowboys eventually cut the lead down to two when Doak Mantle hit his third 3-pointer of the first half, and a low-scoring third quarter set the stage for excitement in the fourth.
Leading 46-39 with under six minutes to play, Charger junior Lane Walter took over. Walter hit back-to-back layups within a span of 30 seconds to help push the Charger lead back to double-digits, where it stayed the rest of the way.
Raymundo Suarez led all scorers with 18 points, four of which game on clutch free-throws in the fourth quarter, while Carnes-Clabey finished with 14 and Walter 10.
For the soft-spoken Walter, a trip to the state championship game sounded great — but there’s still 32 minutes of Charger flash left before the celebrations can begin.
“Everyone is real excited, but we haven’t won nothin’ yet,” Walter said. “This group just sticks together as a team and we overcome a lot. We can play anybody.”
[divider]
(2) Yuma 58, (3) Byers 54
There must be something in the water out in Yuma, as both the boys and girls basketball teams advanced to their respective Class 2A state championship games.
In a thriller of a nightcap on Friday, the No. 2 seed Yuma boys held on for a 58-54 win over No. 3 Byers to set up a showdown between the top seeds in the tournament for the title. Yuma meets No. 1 Crowley County Saturday at 8:30 p.m.
At 24-2, Yuma has now doubled its win total from the previous two seasons combined, and it has made its first trip to the state tournament since 2013 a memorable one.
Clad in red and white, Yuma was indeed white-hot to start the game, jumping out to a 9-0 lead off the tip and holding an 18-5 advantage after one.
But Byers refused to go away, closing the gap to 24-23 at half and ultimately overcoming a deficit as large as 10 in the fourth quarter to have a chance to tie the game.
Byers’ Austin Davis — who scored a game-high 34 points — hit a 3-pointer, had a steal-and-score, and made another layup in the span of the final minute-plus to give the Bulldogs a chance late.
But Yuma’s Victor Mendoza, who went 8-for-10 from the free throw line in the final quarter and finished with 18 points on the night, helped to seal the deal.
LOVELAND — Bradley Carnes-Clabey might want to consider adding another hyphenated word to his name: Clutch.
The Crowley County senior came up big in a 48-41 win for the top-seeded Chargers (24-0) over No. 8 Sanford on Thursday at the Budweiser Events Center. Carnes-Clabey finished with a game-best 20 points and had five blocked shots — three in the first half and one crucial denial in the final minutes — to lead the way in the Class 2A boys basketball quarterfinal game.
His performance was a memorable one, and something he’d been looking forward to since long before he grew into the 6-foot-4 Charger he is now.
“I’ve been dreaming about coming and playing at state since I was like an eighth grader,” Carnes-Clabey said. “All season we’ve been preaching to each other and from our coach to just hustle and play defense. Getting those blocked shots is part of my defensive game plan, just protecting the paint. Coming out I just wanted to work hard for my teammates and that’s what I did.”
Though a matchup of an unbeaten No. 1 seed and a No. 8 seed is, at least on paper, lopsided, the game was anything but. Sanford, a tradition-rich program with eight state titles to its name, refused to go away and went on a 6-0 run to end the half trailing by only three points.
The Chargers zoomed out to an 8-0 run of their own to open the third quarter and build their biggest lead of the night at 30-19, only to see that lead dwindle and fizzle in the third quarter when a steal-and-score from Sanford senior Zach Sittler tied it up at 34.
“We knew it was going to be a dog fight going into it, (Sanford) has been here for I don’t know how many years in a row,” Crowley coach Brett Rusler said. “(At halftime) I just told the guys, ‘That’s not us.’ We needed to play like we knew how, and they responded well.”
Chris Meyer broke the tie with a steal-and-score of his own, and Carnes-Clabey’s late fourth quarter block and ensuing layup ultimately put the game out of reach at 42-34 with 3:21 to play.
Now Crowley County, which hasn’t won a state title since 1968 and is making its first tournament appearance since 1994, is in the state semifinals with an entire Arkansas Valley community behind it.
“That community, they always have our back no matter what,” Carnes-Clabey said. “Just seeing the looks in everybody’s eyes…I just love my community and I’m happy to be able to represent them.”
[divider]
(2) Yuma 62, (7) Ellicott 28
Yuma took care of business Thursday thanks in large part to the efforts of juniors Victor Mendoza (16 points) and Jake Chrisman (15 points). The two scored all of Yuma’s 14 points in the third quarter to propel their team into the semis.
[divider]
(3) Byers 65, (6) Ignacio 44
A 25-point first quarter and a 26-point effort from senior Austin Davis were the key cogs in a quarterfinal victory for the Byers Bulldogs. They’ll now take on No. 2 Yuma in the semis at 8:30 p.m. on Friday.
[divider]
(4) Highland vs. (5) Meeker
The Cowboys shot 54 percent from the field in the first half while simultaneously stifling the Highland offense, riding a hot start to secure a 74-59 win and a trip to the semifinals.
Highland sophomore Tate Bessire put forth a 30-point effort, scoring 19 in the second half, but Meeker survived as the only lower-seeded team to win a quarterfinal game.
The Cowboys face No. 1 Crowley County Friday at 5:30 p.m.
The 2017-18 all-state wrestling teams are presented by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps.
These teams were created based upon results at the state meet. Coaches and wrestlers of the year were selected by the Colorado High School Coaches Association at the state meet.
Scroll down to see the teams, or use the menu below to navigate to the class of your choosing.
[divider]
Class 5A
(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Wrestler of the year: Jacob Greenwood, Poudre
Coach of the year: Cole Allison, Grand Junction
First team
Name
Year
School
Weight
Dawson Collins
Sophomore
Grand Junction
113
Vince Cornella
Freshman
Monarch
106
Gabe Dinette
Senior
Lakewood
160
Jacob Greenwood
Senior
Poudre
145
Malik Heinselman
Senior
Castle View
120
Josiah Rider
Senior
Grand Junction
152
Theorius Robison
Junior
Pomona
132
Christian Rowell
Senior
Adams City
170
Tate Samuelson
Senior
Castle View
182
Fabian Santillan
Junior
Grandview
126
Cohlton Schultz
Junior
Ponderosa
285
Mason Watt
Senior
Broomfield
220
Jayden Woodruff
Senior
Ponderosa
195
Colton Yapoujian
Junior
Pomona
138
Second team
Name
Year
School
Weight
Josh Betts
Senior
Rocky Mountain
160
Gavin Deaguero
Senior
Adams City
152
Aidan Funk
Senior
Legacy
170
Nicholas Gonzales
Senior
Adams City
126
Job Greenwood
Junior
Poudre
132
Alec Hargreaves
Sophomore
Rocky Mountain
195
Brody Lamb
Senior
Poudre
138
Seth Latham
Senior
Grand Junction
182
Adrian Marquez
Junior
Castle View
113
Dylan Martinez
Senior
Grand Junction
145
Weston Mayer
Senior
Poudre
285
Justin Pacheco
Junior
Pomona
120
Hunter Tobiasson
Junior
Grand Junction
220
Wyatt Yapoujian
Sophomore
Pomona
106
[divider]
Class 4A
(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Wrestler of the year: Andrew Alirez, Greeley Central
