Mountain Range is the new No. 1 team in 5A softball. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)
There are new teams atop the Class 5A and 4A CHSAANow.com softball polls this week. Mountain Range takes over the top spot in 5A while Frederick now stands atop the 4A poll.
Both teams went 2-0 last week while the previous top teams (Legend and Valor Christian) suffered losses.
In 5A, Brighton’s seven wins last week helped them jump from ninth to fourth. Eaglecrest and Chaparral played their way into the top 10. The Raptors came in at No. 8 while the Wolverines stand at No. 10.
The most impressive jump in the 4A poll this week was an unranked Wheat Ridge team coming in at No. 3 and even taking a first-place vote in the process. The Farmers were this week’s only addition to the 4A rankings.
After three new teams broke into the 3A poll last week, only one new addition came in this week as Valley comes in at No. 10. Strasburg remains the top team in 3A and the rest of the poll was relatively unchanged, save for Eaton jumping from No. 6 to No. 4.
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.
Legend softball is the new No. 1 team in Class 5A. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
Legend, off to a 7-0-0 start this season, is the new No. 1 team in Class 5A softball.
Already, the Titans own wins over former No. 1 Grandview, then-No. 10 Dakota Ridge and then-No. 6 Douglas County. So it wasn’t shocking to see Legend get nine of the 10 first-place votes to lead CHSAANow.com’s poll this week.
It was only the start of the changes to this week’s rankings, as five new teams joined the 5A poll. Included was a big riser in Mountain Range, which went from unranked to No. 2.
Also new to 5A’s poll this week are No. 4 Ralston Valley — the Mustangs got the other first-place vote — No. 5 ThunderRidge, No. 7 Liberty and No. 8 Rocky Mountain.
Douglas County also made a big jump in going from No. 6 to No. 3. Fossil Ridge (No. 6), Brighton (No. 9) and Grandview (No. 10) are the other teams who remained from the preseason rankings.
4A’s poll got six new members, though Valor Christian remained atop the ranking. No. 4 Vista Ridge, No. 5 Silver Creek, No. 6 Kennedy, No. 7 Berthoud, No. 9 Mountain View and No. 10 Green Mountain all joined this week.
3A also had some changeover, though not as much. Strasburg did retain its top spot, but was joined by three new teams in the ranking: No. 7 Faith Christian, No. 9 Akron and No. 10 Lamar.
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.
Wheat Ridge 15, Elizabeth 12, Discovery Canyon 10, Pueblo West 10, Mullen 9, Pueblo East 7, D’Evelyn 6, Windsor 6, Mead 4, Pueblo Centennial 4, The Classical Academy 3, Niwot 2, Pueblo Central 2.
Dropped out
Wheat Ridge (4), Pueblo West (5), Windsor (6), Falcon (7), Mullen (9), Niwot (10).
Lee Peters, the principal at Legacy High School, has been named the new district athletic and activities director of Adams 12 Five Star Schools.
“It’s always been an area of interest for me; I was a longtime high school athletic director,” Peters said on Thursday. “I was attracted to the opportunity to serve in a district position to oversee some of those activities that are going on.”
Lee Peters. (Courtesy of Legacy HS)
It marks a return to athletics for Peters, a 1989 graduate of Northglenn. Prior to becoming principal, he was the athletic director at Legacy for ten years, and was also the boys basketball coach at Legacy for two seasons.
“I’ve certainly been involved in athletics as a young person, and then have continued to be as a professional,” Peters said.
Peters became the principal at Legacy in August 2011.
“I think the thing I probably most enjoy about Legacy High School is the strong emphasis on both academic and activities being valued at our school,” he said. “We’re very academically focused, but at the same time, we have lots and lots of student who are participating in co-curricular activities — music, drama, athletics, and other activities. It turns out well-rounded students.”
Asked about his goals for the district, Peters said, “We have to find new and better ways to fund our co-curricular programs. I think continuing to operate on a shoestring budget is just really difficult for programs to find ongoing success. I would like to hopefully find some ways some of the budget constraints we’re facing.
“Secondly,” Peters added, “it will be a priority for me to find new and better ways to hire and retain high-quality coaches. The success of any program is dependent upon the person leading that program, and we need to work in ways we haven’t maybe done in the past to ensure we have the best folks leading those programs.”
Peters will begin his new job on August 1.
Adams 12 consists of eight high schools, five of which are CHSAA members: Horizon, Legacy, Mountain Range, Northglenn and Thornton.
The district has two stadiums: Five Star Stadium, a 7,500-seat venue in Thornton, and 1stBank Field in Westminster, which seats 2,500.
The 2015 all-state girls track and field teams are presented by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps.
These teams were created based upon results at the state meet.
Athletes of the year were selected based upon the number of team points they produced at the state meet. This means that they received the full amount of team points from individual events they participated in, as well as one-fourth of the total points earned by the team in relays they participated in.
Finally, in order to be considered for athlete of the year, they must first have made the all-state team by winning in a championship.
Scroll down to see the teams, or use the menu below to navigate to the class of your choosing.
The 2015 all-state boys track and field teams are presented by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps.
These teams were created based upon results at the state meet.
Athletes of the year were selected based upon the number of team points they produced at the state meet. This means that they received the full amount of team points from individual events they participated in, as well as one-fourth of the total points earned by the team in relays they participated in.
Finally, in order to be considered for athlete of the year, they must first have made the all-state team by winning in a championship.
Scroll down to see the teams, or use the menu below to navigate to the class of your choosing.
Grandview’s four girls championships were the most in the state for that gender, while Creek’s four boys championships led the way.
Eaton, Colorado Academy, Lyons and Valor Christian all won three total team championships.
In all, 65 teams won at least one team title in 2014-15, with 17 winning at least two.
Rank
School
Girls
Boys
Total
1
Cherry Creek
1
4
5
2
Grandview
4
0
4
2
Cheyenne Mountain
3
1
4
4
Eaton
2
1
3
4
Colorado Academy
3
0
3
4
Lyons
0
3
3
4
Valor Christian
2
1
3
8
Rock Canyon
1
1
2
8
Mountain Vista
1
1
2
8
Fossil Ridge
1
1
2
8
Palmer Ridge
0
2
2
8
Paonia
1
1
2
8
Overland
1
1
2
8
Air Academy
0
2
2
8
Broomfield
1
1
2
8
Kent Denver
0
2
2
8
Alamosa
0
2
2
18
Cheyenne Wells
1
0
1
18
Vail Christian
1
0
1
18
Bishop Machebeuf
1
0
1
18
Manitou Springs
1
0
1
18
Bennett
1
0
1
18
Glenwood Springs
1
0
1
18
Ponderosa
1
0
1
18
Castle View
1
0
1
18
Chaparral
1
0
1
18
Green Mountain
0
1
1
18
Rye
0
1
1
18
Dove Creek
0
1
1
18
Regis Jesuit
1
0
1
18
Aspen
0
1
1
18
Vail Mountain
1
0
1
18
Fountain-Fort Carson
0
1
1
18
Lutheran
0
1
1
18
Springfield
0
1
1
18
Cherokee Trail
1
0
1
18
Niwot
1
0
1
18
Heritage Christian
1
0
1
18
Colorado Springs Christian
0
1
1
18
Sanford
0
1
1
18
Holly
0
1
1
18
Pagosa Springs
1
0
1
18
Akron
1
0
1
18
Idalia
1
0
1
18
Arvada West
0
1
1
18
Thompson Valley
0
1
1
18
Valley
0
1
1
18
Rocky Ford
0
1
1
18
Battle Mountain
0
1
1
18
Summit
1
0
1
18
Evergreen
1
0
1
18
Pine Creek
0
1
1
18
Pueblo East
0
1
1
18
Brush
0
1
1
18
Caliche
0
1
1
18
Arickaree/Woodlin
0
1
1
18
Lewis-Palmer
1
0
1
18
Resurrection Christian
1
0
1
18
Fleming
1
0
1
18
Standley Lake
1
0
1
18
Mountain View
0
1
1
18
Fort Collins
0
1
1
18
Coronado
0
1
1
18
Sterling
0
1
1
18
La Junta
1
0
1
[divider]
Individual titles
Thompson Valley totaled 14 individual championships in 2014-15, including five wrestlers. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Thompson Valley had eight boys and six girls win individual championships in 2014-15 to account for its state-best total of 14.
Cherry Creek was second with 13, and Pomona was third with 10. Lyons won eight, while Air Academy and Cheyenne Mountain each captured seven individual crowns.
A total of 131 schools had at least one individual win a championship. Of those, 73 schools had at least two champions, and 10 had as many as five.
Below is a complete breakdown of individual championships this season.
LAKEWOOD — In track, one relay leg can make a difference.
On Friday at the state track and field championships at Jefferson County Stadium, Nicole Montgomery was the difference between ninth place and a state meet record.
The Lewis-Palmer senior, a sprint dynamo, got the baton for the 400 anchor leg of the 800-meter medley relay and took the Rangers from last to first in the Class 4A championship finals. They were ninth, but ended up winning with a classification record of 1:45.06, inching past Harrison’s 1:45.38 at the state meet in 2014. Montgomery split 53 seconds.
“I’m definitely overjoyed right now,” she said. “It was just such a fun race. I’ve never had a group of girls that I’ve wanted to run for so much.”
Montgomery, the two-time defending 4A champion in the 400-meter dash and a one-time champ in the 200, has tasted plenty of individual success. But, she wanted to share it with her teammates.
“It’s definitely a lot more special,” she said, when asked how the relay title compared to her other crowns. “This group of girls deserved it. Last year I was pulled out of the medley, because my coach wanted me to focus on the 400. It was so much fun for me to be a part of that.”
Maddi Smith, Emily Roma, and Laura Still were part of the winning medley relay for Lewis-Palmer. Thompson Valley was the runner-up in 1:46.74.
On the first day of championship finals for sprint relays, records were shattered.
Springfield boys broke the 1A state meet record in the 800-meter relay with a 1:33.25. Plateau Valley girls set a new 1A best in the 800 medley relay with a 1:53.90.
In 2A, Cedaredge girls blew past the classification record in the 400 relay with a 49.71, the first 2A team to ever run sub-50 seconds. Paonia had a 2A best time of 1:45.03 in the 800 relay.
No relay records were broken in 3A on Friday, but in 5A, Denver East and Mountain Range both shattered the 800 medley state meet record. The East Angels won the crown in 1:43.31 and the Mustangs were the runner-up in 1:43.74.
Oh, and another one of those special talents, Ally Watt of Pine Creek, helped the Eagles defend their 800 relay crown in 5A with a sizzling 1:38.03, clear of Cherokee Trail’s 1:39.94.
Fountain-Fort Carson boys won the 5A 800 relay in 1:26.82, the first of what could be three relay championships over the weekend. The Trojans are favorites in the 400 relay and co-favorites with Smoky Hill in the 1,600 relay on Saturday.
Valor Christian boys cruised 1:26.31 to earn the 4A crown in the 800 relay, another standout performance, and Niwot girls posted a new 4A state meet record in the same event with a 1:41.13.
Relays didn’t exactly disappoint on the second day of the track and field state championships.
Expect more of the same Saturday as more individuals and relays will be crowned and team champions will be decided. The meet begins at 9:30 am with the 100-meter hurdle finals for every classification.
[divider]
Other notable performances:
Palmer Ridge boys won 4A in the 1,600 prelims with a blistering 3:17.36. The Bears are looking poised to defend their team championship.
Rylee Anderson, a freshman at Silver Creek, won the 4A high jump with a mark of 5-05.
Sangre de Cristo’s Jenna McKinley broke the 1A state record in the shot put with a 41-8.5 and earned her first state championship.
Merino’s Jorden Jole won a thrilling 800-meter race in 2A in 1:58.64 over Evan Anderson of Resurrection Christian (1:58.85).
Burlington’s Ellie Berry (128-03) and Miryah Jones (127-02) placed first and second in the 2A discus.
Ben Butler of Skyview Academy, the 3A cross country champion last fall, won his first title on the track with the 3,200 crown in 9:25. Butler is a junior.
Eaton excelled in the 3A field events in winning the boys discus (Garrett Coalson, 163-03) and the girls shot put (Tarynn Sieg, 43-05.25).
Marcelo Laguera of Pomona won the 5A 3,200 in 9:24, his first state championship in track. He won 5A cross country last fall.
Shayna Yon (first, 18-09.25) and Sydnee Larkin (second, 18-02.75), a Cherokee Trail tandem, dominated the 5A long jump.
LAKEWOOD — Schools from all five classifications, everyone from Idalia to Cherry Creek, come together at Jefferson County Stadium each year for the state track and field championships.
The three-day event is a spectacle. From the multi-colored team tents dotting the stands, to the splendid new stadium scoreboard with videos and instant results, to the podium for state placers lined with flowers underneath, the state track meet is one of the premier prep events in Colorado.
Although Thursday was the first of three days, serving as a stage-setter on the track with only two events as championship finals, the 3,200-meter run and the 3,200-meter relay in a few of the divisions, and the rest preliminary rounds to earn spots in finals, the day was not bereft of memorable performances.
Maya Evans, a freshman at Vista PEAK, won prelims in the Class 4A 100-meter dash in 12.00. She also placed third in the 200-meter dash prelims in 25.25. Off the track, Evans won the state championship in the long jump with a 19-9.25, the third-best mark nationally by a freshman in 2015.
“My goal was a 20, but every time I jump I get closer and closer,” Evans said.
“It feels really good,” she added. “I’m new to state and it was a challenge for me, but I believed in myself and I knew I could do it.”
Valor Christian, sporting their white Nike speed suits, blistered a time of 1:26.37 in the boys 800-meter relay. They easily won 4A prelims over Littleton (1:28.81) and Windsor (1:28.85).
A few minutes later, Fountain-Fort Carson — resembling Superman in their red, white, and blue — ran 1:26.99 to win 5A prelims. Pine Creek girls, the defending state champions in the 400- and 800-meter relays, posted 1:38.44 in their preliminary round in 5A, easily outdistancing Cherokee Trail’s 1:41.05. They own the Colorado record of 1:37.05, set in 2014 at the state meet.
The 800-meter relay finals for the big schools could be as entertaining as any event on Friday.
As for those championship finals on Thursday, another team decked in red, white, and blue — Cherry Creek — swept the 5A boys and girls crowns in the 3,200 meter relay. The girls were in a battle with Monarch and ThunderRidge through three legs, but unleashed Jordyn Colter — the No. 1-ranked girl in America in the 800 meters and the mile — on the anchor to cruise a 9:07.54. Monarch (9:15) and ThunderRidge (9:21) finished second and third.
The Bruin boys hovered around fourth place through the first two legs, but picked off the leaders and won in 7:51. Chaparral (7:54), Fountain-Fort Carson (7:55), and Liberty (7:57) all dipped under eight minutes.
In a state with the track and field talent of Colorado, plenty of athletes performed well on the biggest stage. Perhaps none performed better, or at least in more dramatic fashion, than Air Academy’s Katie Rainsberger.
After running away from a stacked 4A field in the 3,200-meter run with a time of 10:49, ahead of Mountain View’s Riley Cooney (10:56), Denver North’s Kayla Young (10:56), and Canon City’s Aubrey Till (10:58), the junior saved enough for something special in the 3,200 relay.
Thompson Valley, a traditional power in the relay, led through three legs and by a sizeable margin. But Air Academy was lurking in the top five.
The Kadets moved into second with Rainsberger’s anchor leg to go, but the Eagles had Emily Leidig, a state qualifier in the 800-meters, countering. Rainsberger measured Leidig on the first lap and started gaining, but the gap was still several meters.
She eventually caught her with around 200 to go, and brought the baton home in 9:25. Canon City snuck past Thompson Valley for second in 9:31 to TV’s 9:32.
“They stepped up really big today,” Rainsberger, who split 2:10, said of her relay mates. “We were in pretty good position when I got the baton. I knew I just needed to finish as hard as I could and try to get the win.”
Kayla Wiitala, Lilliana Hamilton, and Carly Wilborn were also members of the winning 3,200 relay for Air Academy.
Rainsberger nearly ran down Mountain View on the anchor leg a season ago, but came up just short as the Kadets were the runner-up in 9:17 to the Mountain Lions’ 9:15.
The 4A champion last fall in cross country got her first state of winning on the track after several runner-up finishes individually, as well. She’s the favorite to win the 800 and 1600-meter runs over the weekend.
Events begin again at 8:30 am on Friday morning with the 3A 3,200 meter-run.
[divider]
Notables
Valor Christian’s Haley Showalter, a senior, defended her 4A crown in the discus throw with a mark of 158-5. The future Wisconsin Badger was the runner-up in the event her freshman and sophomore seasons.
Cherokee Trail’s Amazing Ashby won the 5A triple jump with a 39-4, a nice boost to the Cougars’ title hopes as a team. CT, Fort Collins, and Pine Creek are expected to contend.
Rampart placed 1st and 2nd in the 5A high jump as Ashlyn Hare (5-6) won the crown and Kiara Kearny (5-6, more attempts) was the runner-up.
Mountain Range’s Patrick Byerly won the 5A discus throw with an impressive 54-6. He became the first track and field athlete to win a state title in the school’s history.
Palmer Ridge’s Eric Hamer, the 4A cross country champion last fall, won 4A in the 3,200 meter run in 9:22. He came back soon after to anchor the winning 3,200 relay in 7:57. The Bears’ Caleb Ojennes crushed prelims of the 400-meter dash with a 47.31.
Bayfield’s Conner Kennedy nearly broke the 3A state meet record in the long jump with a mark of 23-00. Josiah Baker of La Junta holds the all-time best with a 23-1.25, set in 2003.
Cedaredge broke the 2A state meet record in the girls 800-meter relay with a time of 1:44.76 in prelims. Akron held the previous best of 1:45.29 from 2011.
Shining Mountain Waldorf’s Ginger Hutton was a mere four seconds off her sister’s 1A 3,200-meter record of 11:49. Ginger ran 11:53 on Thursday, Birdie went 11:49 in 2012. Older sister runs for Princeton, while Ginger, a senior, is a Vanderbilt recruit.
The Chaparral boys, who were 2nd Thursday, have placed either 1st or 2nd in the 5A 3,200 relay six times since 2007.
Paul Roberts of Lyons, a junior, won the 2A 3,200 meter crown in 9:38. The title was Roberts’ fourth on the track and seventh overall as an individual, including cross country. He also anchored the winning 3,200 meter relay Thursday.
AURORA — Karli Eheart scored the lone goal as No. 13 Regis Jesuit beat No. 20 Mountain Range in the first round of the Class 5A girls soccer state tournament on Tuesday.
