COLORADO SPRINGS — Arapahoe’s Matthew Wilkinson likes golfing in Colorado Springs. The sophomore had himself a day on Monday at the Colorado Springs Country Club where he shot a 4-under-par 67 to win the Class 5A Southern Regional golf tournament.
He didn’t get a fast start as he bogeyed the third hole of the day, but got on track with a birdie on No. 4, a 199-yard par 3.
He went out in 34 and turned it on once he got on the back nine. He made birdies on 11, 15 and 16 to claim the win over Regis Jesuit’s Bo Wardynski by three strokes at a course that Wilkinson saw as good prep for the 5A tournament which will be at Pinehurst.
“It’s a similar to the state course,” he said. “It’s tree-lined, tough greens, fast greens and firm fairways.”
The Warriors also got top-five finishes from Will Kates and Max Zadvorny to take home the team title. Arapahoe and Regis Jesuit were the top two teams in the tournament, earning automatic bids to state.
As for Wilkinson, he’s hoping that he he can take what he did at regionals to state in two weeks.
“I was in a groove,” he said.
[divider]
Class 5A, Northern Region
Fossil Ridge’s Gavin Hagstrom got the win shooting a 5-under-par 67 at Broadlands. Three players finished the day in red numbers, the most of any 5A regional on the day.
The Sabercats also won the team championship. Broomfield claimed the other team qualifying bid, eding Castle View by just a single stroke.
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Class 5A, Central Region
Lakewood’s Ryan Liao led the field with a 2-under-par 70 at South Suburban. Cherry Creek’s Charlie Flaxbeard was the only other kid to shoot under par and it was the Bruins who came away with the team win by placing three kids in the top 16 spots.
Highlands Ranch finished second to secure a trip to Pinehurst in two weeks.
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Class 4A, Region 2
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
Golden’s Chankrit Sundurapura kept himself under par for most of the day but struggled on the par 4 16th hole at the Country Club of Colorado. The 16th was his final hole of the day and the tricky pin placement led to a three-putt, ending his day with a 1-over-par 72 to take medalist honors.
Site host Cheyenne Mountain had three players in the top-seven to take the team title. Ponderosa shot 28-over as a team to also qualify for the 4A tournament at The Bridges Country Club in Montrose.
[divider]
Class 4A, Region 1
Discovery Canyon’s Kaden Ford shot a 1-over-par 73 to get the win at Desert Hawk. He doubled up with wins as the Thunder shot 21-over to edge Pueblo West by three strokes.
Individual qualifiers from Coronado, Canon City and Durango also came out of Region 2.
[divider]
Class 3A, Region 2
Prospect Ridge Academy’s Walker Franklin made par on the first playoff hole to secure medalist honors at 3A’s Region 2 tournament. Holy Family claimed the team title with Colorado Academy securing the other team berth at the 3A state tournament.
The qualifiers will be back on the course in two weeks at the Eisenhower Blue Course at the United States Air Force Academy.
Rock Canyon has moved up to the top spot in this week’s Class 5A 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
PVS
LW
1
Rock Canyon (11)
14-1-0
125
2
3-0-0
2
Chatfield
16-1-0
96
1
1-1-0
3
Loveland (1)
15-1-0
94
5
4-0-0
4
Broomfield (1)
14-2-0
82
3
3-1-0
5
Columbine
14-2-0
77
4
0-2-0
6
Rocky Mountain
13-3-0
47
6
1-2-0
7
Grand Junction Central
10-2-0
46
–
1-0-0
8
Brighton
10-4-1
26
–
2-0-0
9
Lakewood
15-2-0
21
–
2-0-0
10
Legacy
9-4-0
19
8
2-1-0
Others receiving votes:
Castle View 18, Fossil Ridge 14, Smoky Hill 13, Arapahoe 11, Prairie View 10, Hinkley 9, Cherokee Trail 6, Arvada West 1, Douglas County 1.
Dropped out
Prairie View (7), Castle View (9), Smoky Hill (10).
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Holy Family (6)
12-1-0
104
1
3-0-0
2
Golden (2)
14-1-0
91
3
1-1-0
3
Pueblo South (3)
12-1-0
81
4
3-1-0
4
Wheat Ridge
13-2-0
72
5
3-0-0
5
Erie
13-2-0
64
2
1-2-0
6
Silver Creek
13-4-0
58
6
3-0-0
7
Pueblo County
11-2-0
46
8
3-1-0
8
Pueblo Central
8-5-0
31
7
1-2-0
9
Rifle
10-2-0
13
10
2-0-0
10
D’Evelyn
8-6-0
9
–
1-1-0
Others receiving votes:
Coronado 6, Berthoud 5, Mountain View 5, Pueblo East 4, Roosevelt 4, Mead 3, Mullen 2, Northridge 2, Pueblo Centennial 2, Evergreen 1, Longmont 1, Pueblo West 1.
Dropped out
Pueblo West (9).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
University (13)
14-1-0
130
1
2-1-0
2
Eaton
12-3-0
105
2
2-1-0
3
Brush
11-4-0
76
5
2-1-0
4
Basalt
12-1-0
73
6
4-0-0
5
Riverdale Ridge
11-1-0
73
4
3-0-0
6
Strasburg
8-6-0
72
8
2-1-0
7
Lyons
9-4-0
64
7
3-0-0
8
Sterling
10-5-0
46
3
1-2-0
9
Limon
10-4-0
34
9
2-0-0
10
Fort Lupton
13-4-0
12
–
2-0-0
Others receiving votes:
Rocky Ford 7, Montezuma-Cortez 5, Platte Valley 5, Meeker 4, Cedaredge 3, Peak to Peak 3, La Junta 2, Lamar 1.
Peak to Peak’s Davis Long has a little something to prove. The senior is almost two years removed from winning the Class 3A boys golf state championship and has every intention of taking medalist honors next month when the state tournament is played at the Eisenhower Golf Course at the United States Air Force Academy.
He has every intention of doing that because he couldn’t repeat his championship performance last year as a junior. He finished 3-over, four strokes off 2018 champion Jackson Klutznick of Kent Denver, to take third place.
At the time, it was a tough loss to take especially since he had played so well as an underclassman for the Pumas.
“In 2017, it was a one-day tournament which I was able to win,” Long said at fall sports media day. “In terms of preparation, I know after winning in 2017 I put a lot of pressure on myself and had to do well in other tournaments.”
He’s taking that approach to heart this season. On Monday he shot a 3-under-par 69 to win the Metro League tournament at Lone Tree Golf Club. His worst round of the year is a 77 at South Suburban where he notched a seventh-place finish.
(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
His consistency all season is one of the primary reasons he’s considered one of the favorites to come away with gold at Eisenhower. And it all started with a mentality that he developed heading into last year, a year in which a state title eluded him.
“I went into 2018 more laid back and knowing what’s going to happen is going to happen,” Long said. “The more you force it, the more difficult it gets.”
Such is the case with golf. The numbers he comes away with after each round are enough to make a weekend adult hacker give up in frustration and list his clubs on Craigslist. He’s gone for 69, 72, 73, 74 (twice), 75 and 77.
He sits third in the iWanamker.com 3A rankings and both of the golfers ahead of him have numbers more impressive. Prospect Ridge’s Walker Franklin has broken 70 three times and has shot no worse than 72. Early in the season Holy Family’s Jacob Mason went for 68 twice and established himself as a championship contender.
But the thing that Long has that neither Franklin or Mason do is the experience of winning on the biggest high school stage of the year.
And with regionals looming next week, Long’s journey at winning a second career title begins right about now. His mentality on the course is more mature than it was two years ago and that’s something that makes this fall all the more intriguing for him and his teammates at Peak to Peak.
Above all else, Long knows that in order to seize another championship he needs to let the game come to him and not get discouraged when the ball takes a wrong turn or a bad bounce, which it always does at times.
“The more you realize you just need to take the good breaks and forget the bad ones, the better it’s going to get,” Long said.
It’s a lesson that any Sunday afternoon hacker knows all too well.
Three new team jumped into this week’s softball rankings, with Castle View (5A), Smoky Hill (5A) and Rifle (4A) joining the fray.
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.
Complete rankings for each class are below.
[divider]
Class 5A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Chatfield (10)
15-0-0
134
1
3-0-0
2
Rock Canyon (3)
11-1-0
119
2
3-0-0
3
Broomfield (1)
11-1-0
109
3
2-0-0
4
Columbine
14-0-0
100
6
5-0-0
5
Loveland (1)
11-1-0
77
4
1-0-0
6
Rocky Mountain
12-1-0
58
9
3-0-0
7
Prairie View
11-1-0
35
7
2-1-0
8
Legacy
7-3-0
34
5
0-2-0
9
Castle View
9-2-0
33
–
4-1-0
10
Smoky Hill
12-2-0
23
–
3-0-0
Others receiving votes:
Arapahoe 21, Grand Junction Central 18, Cherokee Trail 15, Brighton 13, Fossil Ridge 13, Lakewood 13, Hinkley 8, Douglas County 1, Grandview 1.
Dropped out
Lakewood (8), Arapahoe (10).
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Holy Family (4)
9-1-0
130
1
5-1-0
2
Erie (6)
12-0-0
129
3
3-0-0
3
Golden (3)
13-0-0
113
2
2-0-0
4
Pueblo South (1)
9-0-0
82
5
2-0-0
5
Wheat Ridge
10-2-0
71
4
1-1-0
6
Silver Creek
10-4-0
60
6
2-0-0
7
Pueblo Central (1)
7-3-0
58
7
3-3-0
8
Pueblo County
8-1-0
36
10
5-0-0
9
Pueblo West
5-4-0
23
8
0-3-0
10
Rifle
8-2-0
19
–
1-0-0
Others receiving votes:
Mountain View 17, Pueblo Centennial 15, Niwot 14, Mead 13, Berthoud 7, D’Evelyn 6, Northridge 6, Windsor 6, Longmont 4, Mullen 4, Pueblo East 4, Mesa Ridge 2, Roosevelt 2, Weld Central 2, Frederick 1, Skyline 1.
Dropped out
Pueblo Centennial (9).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
University (12)
12-0-0
120
1
1-0-0
2
Eaton
10-2-0
101
3
3-0-0
3
Sterling
9-3-0
76
2
3-2-0
4
Riverdale Ridge
8-1-0
65
7
2-0-0
5
Brush
9-3-0
60
8
4-1-0
6
Basalt
8-1-0
57
5
2-1-0
7
Lyons
6-4-0
51
4
0-1-0
8
Strasburg
6-5-0
47
6
1-1-0
9
Limon
8-4-0
35
9
4-1-0
10
Platte Valley
7-4-0
12
10
0-2-0
Others receiving votes:
Fort Lupton 11, Rocky Ford 7, Lamar 6, Montezuma-Cortez 5, Cedaredge 2, Delta 2, Peak to Peak 2, Valley 1.
This week’s softball rankings feature six new teams: Lakewood, Rocky Mountain, Pueblo Central, Pueblo County, Limon and Platte Valley.
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
PVS
LW
1
Chatfield (6)
12-0-0
112
1
2-0-0
2
Rock Canyon (3)
8-1-0
91
3
3-0-0
3
Broomfield (1)
9-1-0
79
2
1-0-0
4
Loveland (1)
10-1-0
64
4
2-0-0
5
Legacy
7-1-0
55
6
2-0-0
6
Columbine (1)
9-0-0
50
8
3-0-0
7
Prairie View
9-0-0
49
7
1-0-0
8
Lakewood
9-0-0
27
–
2-0-0
9
Rocky Mountain
9-1-0
26
–
2-0-0
10
Arapahoe
8-2-0
20
5
0-2-0
Others receiving votes:
Cherokee Trail 15, Smoky Hill 15, Fossil Ridge 11, Castle View 10, Hinkley 8, Monarch 8, Brighton 7, Grand Junction Central 3, Rampart 3, Fountain-Fort Carson 2, Douglas County 1, Legend 1, Liberty 1, Mountain Vista 1, Regis Jesuit 1.
Dropped out
Cherokee Trail (9), Fossil Ridge (10).
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Holy Family (8)
4-0-0
107
1
0-0-0
2
Golden (1)
11-0-0
83
3
5-0-0
3
Erie (1)
9-0-0
79
2
1-0-0
4
Wheat Ridge
9-1-0
59
4
2-0-0
5
Pueblo South
7-0-0
57
5
1-0-0
6
Silver Creek
8-4-0
49
6
4-1-0
7
Pueblo Central (1)
4-0-0
43
–
3-0-0
8
Pueblo West
5-1-0
37
8
0-0-0
9
Pueblo Centennial
8-0-0
20
9
2-0-0
10
Pueblo County
3-1-0
16
–
0-0-0
Others receiving votes:
Rifle 14, Niwot 8, Mead 7, Coronado 5, Mountain View 5, Berthoud 4, Roosevelt 4, Mullen 2, Pueblo East 2, Frederick 1, Green Mountain 1, Longmont 1, Ponderosa 1.
Dropped out
Berthoud (7), Green Mountain (10).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
University (12)
11-0-0
138
1
2-0-0
2
Sterling
6-1-0
95
5
1-0-0
3
Eaton
7-2-0
94
3
0-1-0
4
Lyons
6-3-0
71
10
4-1-0
5
Basalt (2)
6-0-0
70
6
2-0-0
6
Strasburg
5-4-0
60
2
2-3-0
7
Riverdale Ridge
6-1-0
58
9
4-0-0
8
Brush
5-2-0
50
4
0-1-0
9
Limon
4-3-0
28
–
3-1-0
10
Platte Valley
7-2-0
27
–
2-0-0
Others receiving votes:
Rocky Ford 18, Fort Lupton 17, Montezuma-Cortez 13, Lamar 10, Peak to Peak 6, La Junta 5, The Academy 3, Cedaredge 2, Delta 2, Valley 1.
Chatfield softball went from unranked to No. 1 in this week’s 5A softball rankings, and University (in 3A) also moved up to No. 1.
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
PVS
LW
1
Chatfield (2)
10-0-0
80
–
10-0-0
2
Broomfield (2)
8-1-0
76
9
8-1-0
3
Rock Canyon (3)
5-1-0
70
3
5-1-0
4
Loveland (1)
8-1-0
57
4
8-1-0
5
Arapahoe (1)
8-0-0
52
–
8-0-0
6
Legacy
5-1-0
51
6
5-1-0
7
Prairie View (1)
8-0-0
42
–
8-0-0
8
Columbine
6-0-0
40
10
6-0-0
9
Cherokee Trail
3-2-0
26
1
3-2-0
10
Fossil Ridge
5-1-0
24
5
5-1-0
Others receiving votes:
Legend 16, Brighton 13, Eaglecrest 10, Lakewood 9, Hinkley 8, Rocky Mountain 8, Grand Junction Central 7, Regis Jesuit 6, Cherry Creek 5, Smoky Hill 2, Douglas County 1, Mountain Vista 1, ThunderRidge 1.
Dropped out
Legend (2), Eaglecrest (7), Cherry Creek (8).
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Holy Family (11)
4-0-0
124
1
4-0-0
2
Erie (1)
8-0-0
92
3
8-0-0
3
Golden
6-0-0
91
5
6-0-0
4
Wheat Ridge
7-1-0
65
7
7-1-0
5
Pueblo South
6-0-0
60
9
6-0-0
6
Silver Creek
4-3-0
53
2
4-3-0
7
Berthoud
3-1-0
35
6
3-1-0
8
Pueblo West
5-1-0
28
8
5-1-0
9
Pueblo Centennial
6-0-0
23
–
6-0-0
10
Green Mountain
6-0-0
22
–
6-0-0
Others receiving votes:
Pueblo Central 18, Pueblo County 18, Rifle 16, Mountain View 14, Ponderosa 11, Mullen 10, Mead 8, Niwot 8, Discovery Canyon 7, Air Academy 4, George Washington 3, Evergreen 2, Pueblo East 2, Elizabeth 1.
Dropped out
Mountain View (4), Pueblo County (10).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
University (7)
9-0-0
93
2
9-0-0
2
Strasburg (1)
3-1-0
82
1
3-1-0
3
Eaton
7-1-0
70
3
7-1-0
4
Brush (1)
5-1-0
58
7
5-1-0
5
Sterling
5-1-0
50
5
5-1-0
6
Basalt
4-0-0
28
–
4-0-0
7
Peak to Peak
4-3-0
26
–
4-3-0
8
Montezuma-Cortez (1)
3-0-0
22
–
3-0-0
9
Riverdale Ridge
2-1-0
21
–
2-1-0
10
Lyons
2-2-0
15
–
2-2-0
Others receiving votes:
Rocky Ford 14, Delta 13, Limon 12, Fort Lupton 9, Platte Valley 8, Valley 8, Lamar 6, La Junta 5, Gunnison 3, Meeker 2, The Academy 1.
Dropped out
Delta (4), Rocky Ford (6), Meeker (8), Lamar (9), Faith Christian (10).
Stratton/Liberty was clinging to a 14-12 lead over Kit Carson in the waning moments of the first half.
Then Kit Carson scored just as the second quarter ended to take a 18-14 lead at the break. And they kept scoring, going up 40-14 after three quarters, and eventually securing a 48-14 win.
The Wildcats scored 38 unanswered points, including a 30-0 margin in the second half.
“The first half, we had a lot of mental lapses,” Kit Carson coach Curt Connelley told the Colorado Preps Scoreboard Show. “We had, it seemed like, about 10 penalties. The second half we put things together and had a great run.”
Jayden McCombs-Farmer helped lead the way for Kit Carson with 155 yards rushing and two touchdowns, and a defensive effort that had him all over the field. Sullivan Farmer also threw three touchdown passes, and Peter Hornung had a receiving score.
It means the second-ranked Wildcats will likely take over atop the polls for preseason No. 1 Stratton/Liberty. It also means Kit Carson got some measure of revenge for last year’s 6-man championship game, which Stratton/Liberty won by defeating the Wildcats.
“It was one of the main things we kept talking about: Last time were were at Stratton, we got our butts whipped a little bit,” Connelley said.
Jarret Lichty, Stratton/Liberty’s top offensive weapon and the returning player of the year in 6-man, missed the game with an MCL sprain.
In the loss, Trevor Frank had a rushing score and a receiving touchdown for Stratton/Liberty.
[divider]
4A: (8) Pueblo South 49, (9) Holy Family 25
Pueblo South has grown into a more experienced team this season, and it showed in their opener.
The Colts, who started the 2018 campaign 0-4 with a young roster, began 2019 with a huge top-10 win. Jackson Dickerson had two receiving scores, and returned a punt for a touchdown, and Logan Petit threw three touchdown passes for the Colts.
“Just really proud of the way our kids played, such good effort,” Pueblo South coach Ryan Goddard told the Scoreboard Show. “We turned them over a few times, which was key for us defensively. Our kids on the defensive side played really well.”
Of his offense, Goddard said, “We played pretty efficiently on offense. We had a little trouble getting going on the ground game, but having an experienced quarterback was helpful for us. … We spread the ball around and had some success through the air, then got the running game going.”
Pueblo West got a huge statement win to open the season, on the road, no less — and they started early.
The Cyclones scored on their first two plays from scrimmage, built a 35-0 lead, and then rolled to a top-10 win.
“We really challenged our kids to start fast, and they did that,” Pueblo West coach Clint Buderus told the Scoreboard Show. “It was a good way to start. The kids have put in a lot of work in the offseason, and they were ready to go.”
Chandler Mason had four total touchdowns for Pueblo West, including a 65-yard rushing touchdown on the team’s opening play from scrimmage, and a 93-yard passing touchdown on their second.
Dawson Menegatti had two scores, one receiving and another on a fumble recovery.
It was a great debut for new coach Shawn Marsh and his son, Max, Eaglecrest’s starting quarterback.
Max Marsh, who transferred over from Grand Junction Central when his dad was hired in the offseason, accounted for three touchdowns — two rushing and one passing — as Eaglecrest broke open a 13-13 tie in the second half and start off its season 1-0.
“He had a couple of big runs, and made some plays,” Shawn Marsh said on the Scoreboard Show. “It ended up being a good night.”
Eaglecrest built a 13-7 lead at halftime, and then Highlands Ranch tied it at 13-13 following their opening drive of the second half when Jake Rubley threw his second touchdown of the day. Both went to Konor Lathrop.
Madj Barakat gave Eaglecrest the lead, this time for good, later in the third quarter when he stripped Rubley of the ball at the 30-yard-line and returned the fumble for a score.
Eaglecrest sealed the game with a screen play on 4th-and-5 from the Highlands Ranch 28 that brought the ball inside the 10 with two minutes to play.
[divider]
Notables
A number of games in the Denver metro area endured multiple lightning delays, causing some games to not finish up until after 11 p.m.
Adams City snapped a 17-game losing streak on Friday with a 17-9 win over Skyview. The Eagles hadn’t won since Sept. 2017.
In 2A, Sterling knocked off No. 4 Resurrection Christian 13-7 in overtime. The game was scoreless through three quarters, before Sterling grabbed a 7-0 lead midway through the fourth quarter. Resurrection Christian tied the game with 1:55 to play, and then Sterling won in OT after recovering a fumble on their defensive possession. “It was a lot of fun tonight,” Sterling coach Rob Busmente told the Scoreboard Show. “Both teams were in it and had there moments. It was kinda going back and forth … and we battled to the end.”
Roosevelt knocked off No. 2 Pueblo East in 3A, 38-21.
In 6-man, No. 3 Fleming topped No. 7 Idalia 65-12.
Another top-10 matchup in 6-man, where No. 5 Flagler/Hi-Plains held off No. 9 Briggsdale 40-39.
Sedgwick County is seeking a fifth-straight 8-man championship, and the Cougars beat Simla 46-0 to being their 2019 campaign.
Defending 5A champion Valor Christian opened its season with a 56-6 win over Charlotte (N.C.) Christian. Gavin Sawchuk rushed for two touchdowns, and Cole Bott found Kaiden Keefe for two passing scores. And the Eagles got a visit from alum Christian McCaffrey:
In 2019, No. 8-ranked Pueblo South is bringing more experience and it showed in a 49-25 victory over No. 9 Holy Family at Dutch Clark Stadium on Friday.
