DENVER — Saturday looks to be an offensive showdown for the Class 5A football championship.
Both coaches of the finalists, from Fairview and Valor Christian, praised their opponent’s offense on Tuesday morning at the annual press conference held in advance of the Class 4A and 5A championship football games at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.
It makes sense: Valor Christian (602 total points, 46.3 per game) and Fairview (540 points, 45.0 per game) are the two highest-scoring offenses in Colorado, regardless of class.
“Much is known about their prolific passing offense, but also being able to run the ball when they need to do that, “Valor Christian coach Rod Sherman said of Fairview. “Exceptional quarterback, receivers all over the field that can make plays — I think it’s going to be quite a track meet on Saturday.”
Fairview wide receiver Sam Martin has already set the single season record for receiving yardage — he’s up to 1,719 — and the Knights also have weapons like Cam Frazier (20 total touchdowns), Daniel Hoskins (seven scores), Jason Harvey (six) and Owen Harris (three).
Fairview quarterback Anders Hill, left, and Valor Christian quarterback A.J. Cecil. More photos. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
Of course, there’s also quarterback Anders Hill, who has thrown for a state-best 3,659 yards and 35 touchdowns.
“I feel like their quarterback is the best quarterback in the state,” Sherman said. “He doesn’t miss open guys and can thread the needle.”
Valor Christian, meanwhile, has scored 86 total touchdowns, a figure that tops the state. (Fairview is second with 72.) The Eagles are led by senior do-everything back Christian McCaffrey, whose 42 total touchdowns lead Colorado.
“Valor scores a lot of points, and they don’t give up much,” Fairview coach Tom McCartney said. “They have great size, they have great speed. They love to give the ball to No. 5 (McCaffrey), and that’s pretty smart. That’s probably what we would do, too.
“Offensively, you’ve got to be prepared for so many different things. Sometimes, we’ll see (McCaffrey) to the right, sometimes we’ll see him to the left, sometimes we’ll see him in the backfield. Sometimes, the quarterback will take off and (McCaffrey is) now the quarterback. So there’s a lot going on with him, and we have tremendous respect for him.”
Valor quarterback A.J. Cecil has thrown for 1,974 yards this season and 29 touchdowns. He also has 406 rushing yards and eight scores.
“Their quarterback, he can hurt you with his arm, he can hurt with with his feet,” McCartney said. “So they have so many different things they can do.”
Valor Christian has won four consecutive state championship over three classifications.
“We don’t talk a lot about the tradition, the past. Every year’s different, every team’s different,” Sherman said. “We’re certainly thankful to be able to be playing here again, and we’re excited.”
Fairview last won a championship in 1987, when it took 4A.
Montrose, Pine Creek readying to play for 4A title
Pine Creek coach Todd Miller, left, and Montrose coach Todd Casebier. More photos. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
Todd Casebier took a plane to Mile High. Well, not directly to the stadium, but from Montrose to Denver. It made for a shorter trip.
And, the Montrose coach joked, he needed all the time he could get. Because, “After seeing Pine Creek here, I’ve got to get home in a hurry to practice.”
The drive from Montrose to Denver is roughly five hours. So, to ensure he made it home for practice, Casebier took a trip on his brother’s plane in order to speak at Tuesday’s press conference
“We got up early and our principal and our AD are both here,” Casebier said. “We’ll get back for practice.”
The 4A matchup features Casebier’s top-seeded Indians and No. 3 Pine Creek (11-2).
“I know everyone says they have respect for their opponent, but it’s pretty simple for us: Montrose is trying to get to where Pine Creek is,” Casebier said. “We played Monarch earlier in the year, and the two best programs in 4A are Monarch and Pine Creek. It turns out we’re going to play them both in the same season.
“They set the bar high, the way they do things, the way their kids play, the way they prepare. … In order to be a champion, you have to beat the best teams. I think it’s a perfect situation in that we have to beat the best.”
Montrose will face a Pine Creek team that really like to spread the ball around among its players. Nine different Eagles have scored rushing touchdowns this season.
“It’s just a selfless group. No one really cares about who gets their carries,” Pine Creek coach Todd Miller said. “We wear ‘One Team’ on the back of our jerseys for a reason. In a society that’s very selfish, we’ve got a bunch of selfless guys.”
Montrose is in search of its first football championship since winning Class A in 1950. Pine Creek has never won a championship, but appeared in the 2011 4A title game.
DENVER — The annual press conference held in advance of the Class 4A and 5A championship football games at Sports Authority Field at Mile High was Tuesday. Below are photos.
AURORA — With just more than eight minutes remaining in the first half Saturday, Valor Christian’s football team found itself in an unfamiliar position.
Cherokee Trail had just pushed its lead to nine points and had the Eagles on their heels, something Valor had not faced since an early September loss to Bingham (Utah). A Christian McCaffrey touchdown run helped the team recover some of its momentum, but it was a big play on defense that truly turned the tide back in the Eagles’ favor.
Cougars quarterback Aric Johnson was sacked by Brandon Biggs and fumbled. David Corral returned the ball 44 yards for the go-ahead score. Valor Christian never relinquished the lead, eventually taking a 42-23 victory in the Class 5A state semifinals at Legacy Stadium.
“The momentum is huge in the game,” Corral said. “We knew coming out on the field we needed to make a play. It just happened to come my way and I’m just glad I made the play for my teammates. We worked so hard for this game.”
The second-seeded Eagles (12-1) advanced to their fifth consecutive championship game where they’ll meet top-seeded Fairview (12-0), which eliminated ThunderRidge 38-28. The teams will play at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday at Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver.
Valor Christian won the 3A crown in 2009 and a pair of 4A titles in 2010 and 2011 before claiming its first 5A trophy last season against Cherokee Trail.
“We try not to think about five in a row or anything like that. It’s just the continual process of getting better, improving — it’s all about the journey,” Eagles coach Rod Sherman said. “For us as coaches and players, what we really talked about is we just wanted to spend another week together.”
Valor needed a fourth-quarter touchdown and field goal to defeat Cherokee Trail 9-0 in the 2012 title game, but both offenses showed up ready to go Saturday. The teams traded touchdowns in the first five minutes of play and combined for 695 yards of offense overall.
McCaffrey carried the ball 28 times for 228 yards and three touchdowns and also returned an interception 45 yards for a late score. Senior quarterback A.J. Cecil passed for 77 yards and added 87 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
“A.J. was able to make a lot of really important plays in the run game,” Sherman said. “That’s what he’s done all year. I still think he was pretty efficient passing-wise, we just got to a point where you’ve got a kid like Christian and a quarterback like A.J., you’ve got to let those guys play a little bit behind our really strong offensive line.”
Johnson led Cherokee Trail with 129 yards passing and 74 more on the ground, rushing for a score and passing for another. Cameron Smith had 89 yards rushing and a score.
“We’re really proud of our guys. We set our goals really high and we tried to accomplish them,” Cougars coach Monte Thelen said. “Today we came up a little short. You’ve got to give Valor a lot of credit.”
Corral’s touchdown sent Valor into halftime with a 21-16 lead and Cecil made it a 12-point advantage with his touchdown run in the third quarter. Cherokee Trail endured four drives in a row without a first down before Johnson found Dominique Grady open for a 9-yard touchdown to make it 28-23.
The Eagles responded by doing what they do best though, churning out a 10-play, 85-yard drive, with all the damage coming on the ground. McCaffrey eventually scored on a 15-yard run.
“Their offensive line is really big and powerful,” Thelen said. “I think as the game went along and even as the drives went along, it proved to be a lot for us to handle.”
Sherman said his team will have to cut down on the penalties and mistakes against Fairview, but added that he was proud how his squad responded to the adversity.
“It was definitely a reality check,” Corral said. “I’m glad we overcame this adversity, and it will really help us for next week, coming out with a really good team against Fairview.
“At the beginning of the season our goal was to get to Sports Authority Field. It’s going to be a great atmosphere. Our team is really excited, and we’re ready.”
No. 2 Valor Christian (11-1) at No. 6 Cherokee Trail (10-2) 1 p.m. Saturday at Legacy Stadium
Cherokee Trail has been chomping at the bit for this one. By the time Saturday’s semifinal tilt with Valor Christian comes around, it will have been 357 days since the two teams met at Mile High in the 2012 Class 5A championship game.
That game, a 9-0 Valor Christian win, was actually a coming out party of sorts for Cherokee Trail. Most everyone expected the Eagles to roll the Cougars in the title game, seeing as how it was Cherokee Trail’s first appearance on the big stage. Instead, it was scoreless until 6:01 remained in the fourth quarter, and wasn’t over until Valor added a field goal with two minutes to go.
So when the 2013 season started, the prevailing thought was that Cherokee Trail was poised to join the state’s elite. Well, here’s the Cougars’ chance — facing Valor, a four-time defending champion across three classifications which has never lost in the postseason (20-0) in the short, but illustrious, history of the school. The Eagles have actually not lost (22-0) to an in-state team since their 2012 opener, and are 46-1 against Colorado teams since Oct. 2010.
So it will be a tall task when sixth-seeded Cherokee Trail hosts No. 2 Valor at 1 p.m. Saturday at Legacy Stadium.
“We’ve been waiting all year,” Cherokee Trail defensive back Izaiah Lottie said after his team’s win over Cherry Creek in the quarterfinals. “Almost 365 days, we’ve been waiting.”
Valor Christian senior Christian McCaffrey (5). (Dennis Pleuss)
“We really felt was that we were going to have to beat Creek and Valor to win it,” Cherokee Trail coach Monte Thelen said.
As usual, things will hinge on how Cherokee Trail’s defense handles Valor’s Christian McCaffrey. The senior is coming off a season-best 272 rushing yards in a quarterfinal win over Columbine. Despite being pulled in the third quarter of most games, he has 38 total touchdowns this season — a figure that is second in the state. Most telling, though, is that McCaffrey is averaging 12.82 yards per carry this season, which would be a big-school record.
Cherokee Trail will counter with junior Cameron Smith, who had 172 yards rushing and a score against Cherry Creek. He has 1,554 yards this season, and has scored 18 touchdowns in his team’s past eight games.
Its biggest asset on Saturday, though, will be its defense. That side of the ball forced six turnovers in the quarterfinals, and has the speed to contend with Valor Christian.
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No. 1 Fairview (11-0) at No. 5 ThunderRidge (11-1) 1 p.m. Saturday at Shea Stadium
Early this week, the focus of the other 5A semifinal matchup rested on the health of ThunderRidge quarterback Brody Westmoreland. The senior was hurt on the third play of his team’s quarterfinal win against Grandview — a blindside sack he didn’t see coming — and never returned.
Afterward, Westmoreland revealed it was a back injury which kept him from the field. At that time, it looked questionable that he would play against Fairview on Saturday.
However, X-rays and an MRI both came back clear, and he also passed concussion testing. So while Westmoreland does have a deep back bruise, he will play against the Knights.
That’s hugely important for the Grizzlies, as Westmoreland is the key cog in their offense. He has 16 passing and 12 rushing touchdowns this season. Perhaps more importantly, his presence forces defenses to account for both players on ThunderRidge’s read-option plays.
Fairview, meanwhile, has been 5A’s lone unbeaten team for a while now, and the Knights have amassed an impressive set of victories this season. Included: Overland, Ralston Valley, Douglas County and Pomona (twice).
Their strength rests in a senior class that includes quarterback Anders Hill and wide receivers Sam Martin and Cameron Frazier.
Prior to the playoffs, Fairview coach Tom McCartney said of his seniors, “We’ve seen this coming from this particular group. We knew this was a talented group.”
Hill has thrown for 3,321 yards this season. It’s the most in the state across any classification — and nearly 700 yards more than the next best. Martin recently set the state record for receiving yards in a season. He now has 1,604. Frazier, meanwhile, is a threat from everywhere. He has 11 receiving touchdowns, two rushing, and four more in the return game.
Making those statistics all the more impressive: Fairview had to cancel a game in the regular season during the flood week.
Fairview is in search of its first championship appearance since 2002. It also made the game in 2001, but lost in back-to-back years.
ThunderRidge last appeared in a title game in 2005, when it won 4A for the second year in a row and third time in five seasons. The Grizzlies have never been to the 5A game.
Fairview sings the school fight song after defeating Pomona in Boulder. More photos. (Kai Casey)
Fairview had to climb out of a 21-7 hole. But the top-seeded Knights did, and are headed to the Class 5A semifinals because of it.
Like they did in the two teams’ regular season matchup, Fairview scored quickly to open the game against No. 8 Pomona. This time, Pomona responded and was up 21-7 late in the first quarter after Chris Marquez scored his third rushing touchdown. But Fairview quarterback Anders Hill hit Cameron Frazier for a 20-yard touchdown to cut things to 21-14 before the half.
Coming out of the break, Fairview tied it up just two minutes into the third quarter on Sam Martin’s 6-yard rush. The Knights took the lead for good in the fourth on a 10-yard rush from Hill. Hill added another rushing score to seal the game late in the quarter. He finished with four total touchdowns.
Fairview, now 11-0, will play the winner of Saturday’s game between ThunderRidge and Grandview in the next round. The Knights will be on the road regardless of who wins as both Grandview and ThunderRidge have played fewer home games during the playoffs.
No. 2 Valor Christian is headed back to the semifinals. The Eagles, a four-time defending champion across three classifications, handled No. 7 Columbine 49-13.
The Classical Academy is headed to the semifinals for the first time in school history. A week after winning in the postseason for the first time, the Titans toppled No. 2 Palisade, 24-21.
TCA led 17-7 at the half, but Palisade rallied to take a 21-17 lead with two minutes to play. Then, Peter Troupe scored the winning touchdown for the Titans with 33 seconds left.
The Classical Academy will play the winner of Saturday’s quarterfinal game between No. 3 Roosevelt and No. 6 Coronado.
The top two seeds, as well as Nos. 4, 5 and 8, have all lost in this year’s 3A playoffs.
Valor Christian running back Christian McCaffrey, far right, makes a move to elude Columbine defenders Tanner Degutis (14), Jacen White (99) and Larry Munson (4) on Friday night at Valor Stadium in Highlands Ranch. McCaffrey put up 316 yards from scrimmage and scored four touchdowns in the Eagles’ 49-13 victory. (Dennis Pleuss)
HIGHLANDS RANCH — Valor Christian senior Christian McCaffrey already had first-hand experience of the type of football program Columbine has even before taking the field Friday night.
“My sophomore year, when we were 4A, we shared a locker room with Columbine. We knew they really get after it,” McCaffrey said talking about 2011 when both Valor and Columbine won state titles at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. “We knew that they know what it takes to win. They have a great coaching staff and fantastic players.”
The talented Valor squad looking for its fifth straight state title pounced on the Rebels early, rolling to an eventual 49-13 victory in the Class 5A state quarterfinal at Valor Stadium.
The victory moves Valor (11-1 record) into the 5A semifinals where the Eagles will have a rematch of last year’s state championship game against Cherokee Trail (10-2). The Cougars upended Cherry Creek 27-14 Friday night to set up the rematch.
Valor Christian senior Christian McCaffrey (5) attempts to shed the tackle of Columbine senior Bernard McDondle on Friday night. The Eagles beat Columbine in the 5A quarterfinal game 49-13 to set up a rematch of last year’s 5A state title game against Cherokee Trail in the semifinals next week. (Dennis Pleuss)
On the Eagles’ home field in Highlands Ranch, McCaffrey had a monster game against Columbine with 15 carries for 272 yards and three touchdowns. The Stanford-bound product also caught two passes for 44 yards and a touchdown. This despite only having one carry for a 37-yard touchdown in the second half, which put the Eagles up 49-6 with 7:20 left in the third quarter and induced a running clock for the remainder of the game.
Valor scored touchdowns on each of its first seven offensive possessions. Not what Columbine coach Andy Lowry had in mind. The Rebels had hoped that their grinding running attack could keep McCaffrey and company off the field, but Columbine could manage just two first downs on its first five offensive drives.
“Everyone looks at Valor’s offense, that is incredible, but their defense is overshadowed a lot of the time,” Lowry said. “We were going to try to run the clock, but we couldn’t get the first downs to do that.”
Columbine did have a first-quarter bright spot when senior running back Bernard McDondle scored on a 69-yard touchdown run to cut Valor’s lead to 14-6 with 3:55 left. However, the Eagles responded with four more touchdowns before halftime to extend their lead to 42-6.
“(Columbine) is a very physical team,” Valor coach Rob Sherman said. “I think what I’m most proud of tonight is our defensive line and linebackers. We gave up one huge play and then we responded well.”
It wasn’t all McCaffrey offensively for Valor. Senior quarterback A.J. Cecil was 9-for-11 passing for 149 yards and a touchdown. He also carried the ball seven times for 47 yards and a pair of 1-yard touchdown runs.
Junior Nathan Whatmore got into the scoring act with a 3-yard touchdown run in the first half, too.
Sherman said he has tried to keep McCaffrey as fresh as possible heading into this late-season stretch. The senior has just 117 carries on the season, but averages 12.8 yards per carry. McCaffrey hit the 1,500-yard mark with his effort Friday night.
Columbine running back Bernard McDondle (2) scrambles after a loose ball as Valor Christian junior Brandon Biggs (81) closes Friday in the Class 5A state quarterfinal game. McDondle had 14 carries for 108 yards and a touchdown in his final game as a Rebel. (Dennis Pleuss)
“(McCaffrey) is incredible and our little No. 2 (McDondle) is pretty darn incredible too,” Lowry said. “Coach Sherman and I have been blessed with two great running backs, great kids and just warriors.”
McDondle, who was key in the Rebels’ run to the 5A state title in 2011, finished his final game with 14 carries for 108 yards and a touchdown. The senior finished with more than 1,700 yards on the ground and 25 touchdowns this season.
Columbine did add a late touchdown with a 70-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Michael Tait to junior Austin Norton in the fourth quarter for the final score of the game.
Friday night was actually the first-ever meeting on the gridiron between Columbine and Valor. Both programs have made a significant imprint on the prep football landscape in Colorado over recent years.
Columbine has been a state title contender since the late 1990s, winning 5A football championships in 1999, 2000, 2002, 2006 and 2011. Lowry has guided the Rebels to a perfect 5-0 in title games. The Rebels’ latest state championship came two years ago with Columbine defeating Jeffco rival Lakewood 41-31 at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.
The Rebels have racked up a 70-15 record since the start of the 2007 football season.
“When I moved here in 2007, Columbine was the program everyone looked at and I believe they still are,” Sherman said. “Andy Lowry is arguably the best coach in the state. He gets his guys to play so hard. It’s an honor for us to share the field with them and we are very thankful for the result tonight.”
Valor has had an impressive football program since the private school opened 2007. After a 4-6 record in Valor’s first year playing varsity football in 2008, the Eagles have staked claim to four straight football titles in three different classifications. Valor’s run on championships began in 2009 with a 3A title, followed up by back-to-back 4A crowns in 2010 and 2011. The Eagles made a successful jump to the largest classification (5A) last season shutting out Cherokee Trail 9-0 in the title game.
The Eagles have a 62-6 record since the start of the 2009 season. The last in-state team to beat Valor was Mullen back on Aug. 24, 2012 in the Eagles’ season opener last season. Bingham from Utah has gotten the better of Valor twice in games over the past two seasons.
Valor Christian wide receiver Marcus Wilson, far right, uses the block of senior Trey Hanley (2) on Columbine junior Emery Taylor (22) to pick up some extra yards during the first half Friday night. (Dennis Pleuss)
The Classification and League Organizing Committee meeting was Tuesday. (Jenn Roberts-Uhlig/CHSAANow.com)
AURORA — Valor Christian’s athletic programs will reside in the Jefferson County League for the 2014-16 cycle.
The school, which is independent of a league during the current two-year cycle, had requested to join the Centennial League. And though the Centennial previously denied Valor’s request through a vote at a league meeting, there was still a chance that move would be approved at Tuesday’s Classification and League Organizing Committee (CLOC) meeting.
However, at the meeting, CLOC voted to not approve Valor’s move to the Centennial. Instead, through a 6-4 vote, it placed the Eagles in the Class 5A Jeffco League. Valor previously played in the 4A Jeffco from 2010-12. Their teams will continue to compete at the 4A level.
“That’s our job: to put them in a league. They had to be in a league,” CLOC chair Tom Arensdorf said after the meeting. “Every member has the right to be in a league after they’ve done their probationary period. They were not placed in a league two years ago … because basically their membership was in jeopardy. We felt it was best at that time not to put them in a league. No one wanted them, but the reasons for not wanting them were based on past issues that were pretty valid.
“In this past two-year cycle, Valor has done a lot of things to correct those issues. And they deserve to be placed in a league. That’s this committee’s job, to get them in a league.”
So Valor, finally, has a league for all of it’s sports — excepting football, which is still awaiting a conference. (That alignment will be finalized later in November.)
But that doesn’t mean it was easy.
(Jenn Roberts-Uhlig/CHSAANow.com)
Valor athletic director Rod Sherman spoke briefly at the meeting about the reasons his school sought to join the Centennial. He also said, in part, “We believe now is the time for Valor’s transition from an independent status to being a full-time member of a league. It would be an honor for us to be a member of the Centennial League; there’s much we can learn. We believe we have respected the process of being placed and we humbly request placement in the Centennial League.”
A long discussion ensued, with Centennial and Jeffco reps also speaking, and emphasizing Valor Christian’s private status. Then, CHSAA commissioner Paul Angelico spoke up.
“We’ve had a public-private school discussion going on for over two years now,” Angelico said. “I’m afraid I’m to blame for that because I wanted that to be an open and above-board discussion, rather than all the back-biting that was going on behind the scenes. If I would have known that it would have turned into this bickering that will never end, I think I would have stopped it … and not allowed it to start. There’s no end to this.
“A couple of points I need to make: There is no written or unwritten policy of any sort regarding public and private schools and league placement,” Angelico continued. “Secondly, in the last 24 months, I would say to you, that since that discussion started, it’s not the private schools I’m worried about. … The private school people have heard loudly your message of discontent. Their response has been one of that I can’t complain about. Whatever it takes to be above-board and avoid issues, they’re doing. That applies to Valor doubly. They’ve hired a consultant, they’ve done everything I’ve asked. To the point that last night, in our discussions, we talked about, ‘Well Valor had four ADs show up at the (All-School) Summit.’ I said, ‘Yeah, they did. I told them to, and they did what they were told.’
“I think we have our priorities goofed up and have kind of started turning around what we’re supposed to be about,” he added. “This isn’t a public/private school issue. I hear loudly that it’s an issue about unfair advantage or differences in schools. … Frankly, I would just like to get this conversation back to what it’s about: somebody needs a home. The fact that they’re a public or private school is not the reason you place them in a conference. Nor has it ever been. Let’s talk about what’s the best fit.
“The association has certainly survived with several public and private schools together in the same league. I just want to center this. This becomes a ‘Who can win the argument?’ not, ‘What’s the best thing?’ And I think we need to go back to what are we supposed to be doing here. The committee is charged with placing a school, and they will place a school, and they’ll have to do it to somebody’s chagrin.”
Shortly after, the committee broke into a private session, and then for lunch. When they came back, the vote on Valor request to join the Centennial League was quickly called. Three CLOC members abstained, three voted in favor of the request, and seven against.
Moments later, committee member Rich Wildenhaus from Erie proposed moving Valor to the 5A Jeffco League. There was no discussion from the audience, and the vote ended with six agreeing with the move, four against it and three abstaining. The entire process was swift.
(Jenn Roberts-Uhlig/CHSAANow.com)
“Honestly, that surprised me,” Arensdorf said afterward. “Over the last two days, we probably discussed this issue as a committee for three-and-a-half hours — because whatever decision was made by the committee was going to be unpopular with some schools and cause some angst within leagues. There is no perfect fit.
“We went through a process that, if the first request did not pass, we — as a committee, it’s our responsibility to come up with something before the end of the day. And different committee members had different proposals,” he continued. “I was surprised that we finished that quickly. And I was surprised there was no feedback from the floor when that proposal was made by Richie Wildenhaus. I didn’t know what to expect at that point, because, as a committee, no one felt comfortable with any solution. There were no solutions that were going to make everybody happy.
“But, in the end, it is what it is, and all these people are professionals and they’ll deal with what they have to deal with and hopefully make the best situation for all the kids that participate in those programs.”
Valor Christian did approach Jeffco about joining the league prior to the CLOC meeting. Jeffco has 5A and 4A leagues.
“Right now, the CLOC committee voted for them to be in 5A Jeffco. I think that discussion still needs to happen,” Jim Thyfault, Jefferson County’s district athletic director, and a member of CLOC, said after the meeting. “Since we do have a 4A option, I think that needs to be discussed.
“I respect Rod Sherman and the people at Valor, I really do. They were in our league before. And, you know what? We’ll all be very professional about it, and I’m sure they will be, too.”
CLOC’s actions on Tuesday still need to be confirmed by the Legislative Council in January.
More league changes
Earlier, Burlington’s request to join the Lower Platte League was denied. That league had previously voted 9-0 against allowing Burlington admittance. CLOC voted 11-2 against overruling that vote. So Burlington will stay in the Union Pacific League.
Approved league changes:
(Jenn Roberts-Uhlig/CHSAANow.com)
Broomfield (Northern to Front Range)
Canon City (South Central to Colorado Springs Metro)
The Classical Academy (Tri-Peaks to Colorado Springs Metro)
Clear Creek (3A Frontier to 2A Frontier)
Ellicott (Tri-Peaks to Black Forest)
Highland (Patriot to Mile High)
Holy Family (Metro to Tri-Valley)
Littleton (Continental to Jeffco)
Lyons (Patriot to Mile High)
Manzanola (Southeastern to High Plains)
Northridge (Tri-Valley to Northern)
Skyview Academy (Independent to Metro 3A)
Swallows Charter Academy (Independent to Santa Fe)
Twin Peaks Charter (New school, joining Mile High)
Vanguard (Black Forest to Tri-Peaks)
New members
Vail Ski & Snowboard Academy’s request for membership was denied. The school has a unique schedule to allow its students to train on the mountain during the week — training from 8 a.m. to noon, and then attending classes from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. each Tuesday through Friday during the winter.
However, after a lengthy discussion, the committee said they were uneasy going down the road of adding a sports academy as a member.
“It seems so fundamentally different than what our membership is now,” said committee member Mark Kanagy, Windsor’s athletic director.
The committee did approve membership for Caprock Charter Academy in Grand Junction, as well as Denver School of Science & Technology – Green Valley Ranch, and Venture Preparatory School in Denver.
Playdowns
The overwhelming majority of playdowns were approved, save for Abraham Lincoln football (5A to 4A), Estes Park football (2A to 1A) and Palmer football (5A to 4A). Approved playdowns:
(Jenn Roberts-Uhlig/CHSAANow.com)
Adams City football (5A to 4A)
Alameda football (5A to 4A)
Antonito football (8-man to 6-man)
Aurora Central football (5A to 4A)
Boulder softball (5A to 4A)
Centaurus volleyball (4A to 3A)
Central (Grand Junction) football (4A to 3A)
Civa Charter boys/girls basketbal, volleyball (2A to 1A)
Denver North football (3A to 2A)
Dolores Huerta girls basketball (3A to 2A)
Greeley Central softball (4A to 3A)
Greeley West boys soccer (5A to 4A)
Miami-Yoder football (8-man to 6-man)
Mitchell football (4A to 3A)
Montbello girls soccer (5A to 4A)
Montezuma-Cortez soccer (4A to 3A)
Montezuma-Cortez football (3A to 2A)
Nederland football (1A to 8-man)
Niwot football (4A to 3A)
Rifle boys/girls soccer (4A to 3A)
Roosevelt boys soccer (4A to 3A)
Skyline softball (4A to 3A)
South Park football (8-man to 6-man)
Noteable
The committee set the 1A/2A cutoff at 92 students. So schools with 92 and below will be 1A in basketball and all other sports, while those with 93-240 students will be 2A.
The seventh-seeded Rebels got three rushing touchdowns from Jeremy Aparicio and easily handled No. 10 Grand Junction, 41-7, in the second round of the Class 5A playoffs.
Aparicio had scoring runs of 58, 4 and 1 yards, while Michael Tait passed for a score and rushed for another. Austin Norton had a 30-yard touchdown run and caught Tait’s 28-yard scoring toss.
The Rebels will play at No. 2 Valor Christian in the quarterfinals. The Eagles exploded for 28 second-quarter points in pulling away from No. 15 Ralston Valley. Up just 14-6 after the first quarter, Valor scored on the first play of the second frame and never looked back.
It was 42-6 at halftime and a 49-20 final.
Valor quarterback A.J. Cecil was 19-of-23 for 278 yards and four touchdowns. Christian McCaffrey rushed 13 times for 121 yards and two scores and also caught six passes for 110 and two more touchdowns. The carries were the most McCaffrey has had since he rushed 11 times against Fountain-Fort Carson on Sept. 27.
Ralston Valley scored two late touchdowns after recovering three-consecutive onside kicks in the fourth quarter.
We’ll have at least two rematches in the 5A quarterfinals: No. 1 Fairview hosting No. 8 Pomona and No. 3 Cherry Creek hosting No. 6 Cherokee Trail.
Fairview topped No. 16 Douglas County 45-17 on Friday. Knights quarterback Anders Hill had five total touchdowns, four passing. He tossed scores to Steve D’Epagnier (twice), Cam Frazier and Sam Martin. Fairview also got a 50-yard interception return for a touchdown from Carlo Kemp.
Douglas County was in the game in the first half, trailing 14-10 after the first quarter, and 21-17 later in the second, but Fairview’s Jonathan Swartzwelter nailed a 47-yard field goal just before the half to give Fairview a spark heading to the locker room.
When the night ended, Fairview had scored the game’s final 24 points.
Cherry Creek, meanwhile, beat No. 19 Overland for the second time this season with a 49-14 victory Friday. The Bruins got 21 second-quarter points to make it a 35-7 halftime margin.
Cherry Creek plays Cherokee Trail in the quarterfinals. The two teams played a tight one on Oct. 4 — a 28-27 Creek win.
Cherokee Trail easily handled No. 11 Mountain Range, 41-7, on Friday. Quarterback Aric Johnson was 14-of-19 for 171 yards and two scores through the air. He also rushed for 84 yards and two more touchdowns.
Junior running back Cameron Smith had 163 yards and two touchdowns.
No. 5 ThunderRidge beat No. 12 Doherty, 56-35, on Friday. The Grizzlies could get a rematch, as well: No. 5 Regis Jesuit and No. 20 Grandview play Saturday. Should Regis win, it would give ThunderRidge a chance to avenge its only loss of the season, which came Sept. 27 to the Raiders.
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Class 4A
Fifth-seeded Pueblo South was in trouble heading into the fourth quarter against No. 12 Longmont.
The Colts trailed 27-17 following a 15-point outburst from Longmont in the third quarter, but rallied with 21 fourth-quarter points for a 38-27 win.
Trailing 27-24 with 5:34 to play, South converted a fourth-and-6 and went on to score the go-ahead touchdown. The Colts stopped Longmont on fourth-and-13 on their ensuring drive, and sealed the game with a score a few plays later.
In other 4A games, No. 3 Pine Creek beat No. 14 Pueblo West, 35-18, and No. 2 Monarch handled No. 15 Vista Ridge, 62-28.
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Class 3A
No. 7 The Classical Academy looked to be in control. But, late in the third quarter, a Conifer touchdown cut the Titans’ lead to 14-6. Then, with six minutes to play in the fourth, Conifer made it 14-12.
A stop of a two-point conversion attempt on the try gave TCA its first postseason victory in school history, 14-12, over the tenth-seeded Lobos.
In Friday’s other 3A game, No. 3 Roosevelt cruised past No. 14 Frederick, 47-13, to move to the quarterfinals.
Higher seeds were 13-0 in Friday night’s football playoffs.
