(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

COLORADO SPRINGS — Signing day at Coronado didn’t look too out of the ordinary. Maybe with one small exception. There were a lot of kids at the table.

Not that too many kids is unordinary. But Coronado’s ceremony bordered on unique for one very reason. The Cougars were tired of not celebrating the kids going to college for something other than athletics. So for this year – and probably from here on out – the Cougars gathered everyone. Their athletes and their activities driven kids and celebrated them all as they committed to collegiate programs to continue doing the very things they love to do.

“Why not,” Coronado athletic director Jimmy Porter said. “It’s a push from our school. We’re know for our performing arts programs. When we can celebrate kids we want to celebrate kids. It’s cool to bring more people here as well. The more the merrier.”

It’s certainly a change of pace from the everyday signing ceremony.

In the same ceremony where football coach Monte Gutowski and basketball coach David Thomas got to brag about the achievements of their athletes who will be furthering their careers in college, theater director Erin Ambroz got to boast about the achievement of her drama students and the great things they plan on doing after high school.

It was a day where drama, visual arts, choir and music stood on the same stage as football, basketball and girls volleyball. It was certainly something all the kids will remember.

“It’s enjoyable and it feels good to be up there and to be honored,” Jackson Schaeffer said.

Shaeffer is heading to Tulane where he will be a member of the band next fall. His path to college wasn’t based on his ability to score a touchdown or knock down a 3-pointer. He’s going there because of his passion for jazz.

“We had an exceptional music program,” he added. “I think that’s been shown with all the people that are up here. For all of us, it feels good to be up here with all the other activities who have also worked hard and earned a spot up here.”

It’s a pivotal moment for Coronado students and for activities-driven students in Colorado.

It’s a subtle gesture from the school that all students should be celebrated for what they’re accomplishing through the year and for what they will beyond their time at Coronado. This is a simple ceremony that will make the school come closer together.

“This is what helps create community,” Thomas said. “It’s not just athletics that are getting promoted, it’s all of our programs that are getting students sent off to do amazing things. Kids are going off to play football and basketball, but they’re also going to Tulane and DePaul and schools like that. It’s special. We’re creating a community where we want to support each other not just in the classroom, but outside of it.”

In the latest coaches poll voting, Douglas County took over as the No. 1 team in Colorado.

The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association.

Complete rankings for all classes are below.

[divider]

CHSAANow.com Boys Volleyball Poll

Voted upon by coaches around the state. Coaches looking to vote should email bcochi@chsaa.org.

(Brad Cochi)

COLORADO SPRINGS — It wasn’t the most ideal start for Palmer Ridge, but it’s not the start that counts. It’s the finish. The Bears completed a 25-17, 25-9, 25-14 sweep over No. 3 Palisade to advance to the semifinals of the Class 4A girls volleyball tournament.

It’s the second straight state semifinal appearance for Palmer Ridge and the team is hoping to get back to the state championship match, where they made it last year before losing to rival Lewis-Palmer.

But there is no Lewis-Palmer to overcome this season. And by knocking out the No. 3 team on the bracket, advancing to a state title match is very much in the cards and something the Bears expect out of themselves after being there in November 2019.

“Our games this season were a little rougher than last season,” senior Riley Anderson said. “I feel like with that (win over Palisade), we finally showed what we were made of and what we could do.”

The Bears had to battle through some nerves early as Palisade jumped out to a 6-1 lead in the first set. Once they found their footing, the Bears clawed right back into the match and eventually jumped out to a 10-7 lead, forcing the Bulldogs to call timeout and try to make some adjustments.

But that was easier said than done. The Bears took firm control of the first set and never let up through the next two to get the win and remain alive for Thursday’s slate of games.

In this single-elimination bracket, the stakes tend to feel a bit higher with each points and even after getting a win, the Bears know how much pressure each team is facing. To alleviate the pressure, the Bears have taken a stance to play more aggressively to maintain an element of control.

“We’ve talked all season about being more aggressive,” Anderson said. “We have to give it our all from the start and we’ve shown that here.”

[divider]

(1) Windsor 3, (8) The Classical Academy 0

(Brad Cochi)

Top-seeded Windsor had to fend off a scrappy TCA team but came away with a 26-24, 25-22, 25-20 win to advance to the 4A semifinals.

The Titans hung tough through the first set, extending it past the necessary 25-point mark to determine a winner. After the Wizards claimed the first set, they were able to keep TCA at an arm’s length for the rest of the match to remain undefeated on the year. Windsor will be back on the floor at at 2 p.m. Thursday for their semifinal match against Mead.

(2) Cheyenne Mountain 3, (7) Discovery Canyon 0

In the first match of the season, Discovery Canyon had Cheyenne Mountain down 2-0 before Cheyenne Mountain roared back to tie the match and send it to a deciding fifth set where they closed it out.

Cheyenne Mountain learned a valuable lesson in starting strong so that battling from behind isn’t necessary. This time, the Thunder wasn’t given an opportunity to take the lead as Cheyenne Mountain pulled away in the third set to get a 25-17, 25-19, 25-15 win and advance to the semifinals for the second straight year.

Cheyenne Mountain will meet PPAC rival Palmer Ridge at 11 a.m. on Thursday.

(5) Mead 3, (4) Coronado 1

Coronado claimed the first set, but ran out of steam allowing Mead to climb back and get a 16-25, 25-18, 25-18, 25-16 win to move on to Thursday’s semifinals.

Mead entered the 2019 tournament as the No. 4 seed but dropped their first two matches for a stunning early exit. That’s not the case this year as the Mavericks will meet Windsor on Thursday at 2 p.m.

Windsor won the regular season meeting 3-2 on April 19.

In the latest coaches poll, Cherry Creek held on at No. 1.

The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association.

Complete rankings for all classes are below.

[divider]

CHSAANow.com Boys Volleyball Poll

Voted upon by coaches around the state. Coaches looking to vote should email bcochi@chsaa.org.

(Pam Wagner/CHSAANow.com)

To be hosted at the The Broadmoor World Arena in Colorado Springs, the Colorado girls volleyball state championship tournament will take place on Wednesday and Thursday of next week. Below is the schedule for matches and information on event tickets for each session, which can only be purchased ONLINE via GoFan.

[divider]

Quarterfinals, Wednesday, May 12

8 a.m.

Windsor vs TCA (Court 1)

Mountain Vista vs Grandview (Court 2)

Coronado vs Mead  (Court 3)

Eaton vs Resurrection Christian (Court 4)

11 a.m.

Fleming vs Otis (Court 1)

Columbine vs Cherry Creek (Court 2)

Cheyenne Mountain vs Discovery Canyon (Court 3)

Wiggins vs Yuma (Court 4)

2 p.m.

Simla vs Stratton/Liberty (Court 1)

Palisade vs Palmer Ridge (Court 2)

Lamar vs University (Court 3)

Fowler vs Vail Christian (Court 4)

5 p.m.

Wiley vs Sangre de Cristo (Court 1)

Rampart vs Legend (Court 2)

Montezuma-Cortez vs Prospect Ridge (Court 3)

Denver Christian vs Holyoke (Court 4)

8 p.m.

Merino vs Briggsdale (Court 1)

Ralston Valley vs Chatfield (Court 2)

Sterling vs Lutheran (Court 3)

Sedgwick County vs Dayspring Christian (Court 4)

Semifinals, Thursday, May 13

8 a.m.

1A Semifinals (Court 1)

5A Semifinals (Court 2)

3A Semifinals (Court 3)

2A Semifinals (Court 4)

11 a.m.

1A Semifinals (Court 1)

5A Semifinals (Court 2)

4A Semifinals (Court 3)

2A Semifinals (Court 4)

2 p.m.

3A Semifinals (Court 2)

4A Semifinals (Court 3)

Finals, Thursday, May 13

5 p.m.

1A Finals (Court 1)

5A Finals (Court 2)

2A Finals (Court 4)

8 p.m.

3A Finals (Court 1)

4A Finals (Court 4)

[divider]

TICKET INFORMATION

Tickets for all sessions are available to to the public and can be purchased ONLINE via GoFan.

• Tickets are $10 per game
• Tickets can ONLY be purchased digitally
• Masks are required in the building.
• Spectators can enter the building 30 minutes before games time, unless matches are delayed and should enter at the gate listed on their ticket.
• As soon as the match is over, spectators must leave the arena due to capacity limitations and because the next set of spectators will be coming in.

[divider]

SITE

The Broadmoor World Arena

3185 Venetucci Blvd

Colorado Springs, CO 80906

BROADMOOR WORLD ARENA MAP

[pdf-embedder url=”https://old.chsaanow.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Broadmoor-World-Arena-Spectator-Court-Map-State-Volleyball.pdf” title=”Broadmoor World Arena Spectator & Court Map – State Volleyball”]

The 2021 state tournament bracket for Class 4A girls volleyball.
2021 CHSAA State Girls Volleyball Championships (Colorado) Class 4A

(Kevin Keyser/KeyserImages.com)

In the first poll of Season D, Cherry Creek claimed the top spot as preseason No. 1.

The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association.

Complete rankings for all classes are below.

[divider]

CHSAANow.com Boys Volleyball Poll

Voted upon by coaches around the state. Coaches and media members looking to vote should email bcochi@chsaa.org.

In the final coaches poll of the season, Mountain Vista, Windsor, Eaton, Wiggins and Fleming were voted No. 1 in their respective classifications.

The rankings, voted upon by coaches, are the official polls of the Association. Polls are released each Monday.

Complete rankings are below.

[divider]

CHSAANow.com Volleyball Polls

Voted upon by coaches around the state. New voters can sign up by emailing bcochi@chsaa.org. These rankings are part of the postseason seeding process.

Cheyenne Mountain and Wiggins are the new top-ranked teams in their respective classifications.

The rankings, voted upon by coaches, are the official polls of the Association. Polls are released each Monday.

Complete rankings are below.

[divider]

CHSAANow.com Volleyball Polls

Voted upon by coaches around the state. New voters can sign up by emailing bcochi@chsaa.org. These rankings are part of the postseason seeding process.

(Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)

A state championship winning coach is heading back to the bench. Coronado has hired Jeff Beatty as its new girls basketball coach. Coronado athletic director Jimmy Porter confirmed the hire to CHSAANow.com on Friday.

Beatty is best known for his flashy suits and his time at Mesa Ridge where he led the Grizzlies to the 2014 Class 4A girls basketball championship. He coached Mesa Ridge standout Kylee Shook as she played her way to a Division I scholarship at Louisville before getting drafted by the WNBA’s New York Liberty in 2020.

He led the team back to a couple of Great 8 appearances then made the 4A Final 4 in 2018, his last season as the coach at Mesa Ridge. He has been away from coaching since that season but was enticed by the opening at Coronado.

“It is with great anticipation that I embark on this opportunity to coach one of the storied basketball programs in the area,” Beatty said. “After taking the last three years off from coaching to start and reinvigorate construction programs in the region, I just could not stay away stay away from coaching any longer. I am excited to dive in to the opportunity to coach at Coronado.”

The Cougars were hovering around the .500 mark in the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons. They went 9-5 in 2021 and finished second in the 5A/4A Colorado Springs Metro South League.